Datasets:

ToastyPigeon

/

skein-text-adventures

like 3

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, grimdark, female protagonist, war, fantasy] Everyone has a story. Some are short and deal only with a major turning point in what will surely be a longer struggle. Some are long and involve a series of obstacles to overcome in what seems to be impossible to avoid. Still others are epic and explore an entire life lived until it ceased to be. Yes, everyone has a story. There's just not enough time to tell them all. [Author's Note: Three ladies. Three legends. Additional notes: This story is a fully self contained one and can easily be read on its own, however it also acts as a connection to Rogues, Eternal and Necromancer. As with any of my writings, the story comes before the game. However there is an epilogue for each "winning" ending.] > The Pure "Shit. She's broken through the inner defenses! Go! Go fucking make yourselves useful and fucking stop her!" Sinthinia ordered to her last remaining elite grunts. As her remaining lackeys probably went to their deaths, Sinthinia shook her head at the situation and couldn't believe it had come to this. There was nowhere run either as there was a teleportation dampening field surrounding her palace. Sinthinia began to seriously panic for the first time in a long time. "This is worse than when I followed that fool Velzix." She muttered to herself. "Indeed. I warned you about that too, but as usual, you didn't listen. You were fortunate that I got you out of there when I did." Sinthinia turned around and saw her sometimes "ally" if such a word has meaning in Hell. Big Red stood before her in the room. Despite his nickname (Which he only goes by now), he wasn't particularly big. In fact he was very average looking by demonic standards. However those who knew him knew very well he was far from average. "Red. How did you get in...nevermind, I know you always got a fucking loophole or escape route. So what did you want? You come to gloat?" Sinthina remarked. "Not really my style, I would have thought you would have known that during our time together." Big Red remarked. "So what then? You here to help? Good luck, because I don't think you're tough enough to beat her in combat and I know that bitch out there isn't listening to deals." "Hm, probably not right now she isn't. She does seem very determined to kill you. Guessing any deals you might have for her won't help either." "Pfft. I'd have better luck trying to seduce a celestial in the form of a little boy. In fact, I know I'd have better luck since I've done that before. This fucking cunt is so inflexible and frigid, she's probably got frozen spider webs in her crotch." "Well can't be any worse than what you got living down there." "Fuck you Red." "Now is not the time to be making more enemies." "So are you here to help or what? Because if you aren't, then at least just fucking kill me now to deprive that bitch the pleasure of it." "I haven't decided yet. I'm still a little disappointed by your betrayal. You broke a contract and I can't just forget that." "Have you forgotten who we are? WE'RE FUCKING DEMONS! Betrayal is sort of what we do. And I didn't break shit, I figured out a loophole and YOU just don't like it because you consider yourself some sort of expert on such things." "Heh, well I suppose from a certain point of view that's true. Still, as you pointed out, we are demons. Proud beings and all." "Oh so your pride is wounded? Fine. Get me out of here and I'll suck your stubby spikey cock right fucking now, swallow your burning load and let you do whatever the hell you want sexually with me in the foreseeable future. Fuck, I'll even muster up the enthusiasm to enjoy it." Big Red shook his head and chuckled. "Oh you succubi, no matter how high your position, that's always what it comes down to with you lot isn't it? Trust me Sin, you weren't nearly as good as you think you were in the first place. I dunno, I guess some of it was fun, but I just don't see a major benefit in it for me to help you though." "Wait! Come on! You can't be okay with all this that's been going on in Hell lately! I mean this fucking cunt is starting to change things with her actions and more and more seem to be fine with it! I mean what the fuck is going on? I remember a time when anarchy and chaos reigned supreme here! "While I don't think it's quite as bad as you're saying, she is starting to make an impact in the short amount of time she's been around. I admit I haven't kept up on her as I probably should have, but I've been dealing more in the mortal realms lately. She's had an impact on a few of those too though, which is partly why I'm here now I suppose. Her actions have indirectly interrupted a few of my deals I had in the works." "So come on and take me with you, I can fill you in on all her strengths and weaknesses." "Right, because you've obviously got a handle on those seeing as your personal palace is about to be overrun by her legions. Look, I suppose there is a place I could take you to safety, but there's weird rules there and honestly I got other shit to do, so..." Before Sinthinia could finish her sentence, a crash on her solid brass door was heard. "I think someone's knocking Sin, see you around...maybe." Big Red said with a wave before disappearing. "RED YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Sinthinia shouted as the door continued to be battered. It wouldn't be long now. Sinthinia readied herself for the onslaught that was to come. She might have even prayed for divine help if she wasn't the godless creature that she was. One last crash and the large brass doors swung open. Sinthinia expected several soldiers to come rushing at her, but it was just a single being. It was just you, because of course it was. This is it. > You Continue "Cistagonija, I was wondering when you'd finally stop serenading me with the screams of my minions and just enter my bedroom. See? It's all prepped for us. You were always welcome you know. I like a lady in armor. It's the right blend of masculine femininity. You're making me wet just standing there like that." Sinthinia remarks pointing to her very fancy comfortable looking bed. Without a word, you raise a hand unleashing a blue beam of magic and disintegrate it. "I see. Well we could always do it on the floor if you prefer." Sinthinia remarks hopefully. "The only thing you're going to be doing on the floor is dying." You reply. "Fine. But know this Cista, you're on the losing side of this war!" "Really? Because recent events show otherwise." "Hah, short sighted bitch! All of this has only been a minor battle in the larger scope of a war you can't begin to comprehend! The infernal realm will NEVER submit to your perverted desires of order!" "Peverted? Amusing words coming from one of the biggest succubus whores known in hell." "I am TRUE to my nature. YOU on the other hand are an abomination that should have NEVER been allowed to survive this long! Time to correct that mistake!" Sinthinia unleashes a spell blast, which your armor easily shrugs off. You don't even know why she's bothering. She's no warrior, she's a whore and the only things whores are good at are opening their holes. Time you made more of those in her; you continue to advance with your flaming sword in hand. You're really going to enjoy widening this infernal harlot's diseased slit to her equally diseased throat. You can sense the fear in her. She puts up a pitiful force field that isn't going to protect her for long. You know she'd beg you to spare her if she thought it would do any good. Just when you're about to break the field, a blinding light engulfs the room and a portal appears behind Sinthinia! You took measures to ensure such a thing was impossible so she couldn't escape, though looking back over at Sinthinia, she looks as confused as you are, though she also looks like she's experiencing pain from the light emanating from the portal. The light from the portal is actually causing you a minor bit of pain as well and your eyes are still having a difficult time adjusting to looking at it head on. You're also feeling a powerful force holding you back. "Come into the light Sin! Hah, I've always wanted to say that." You hear a voice chuckle from the portal. "Red? What is this? Argh! I'm fucking burning!" Sinthinia remarks. "It's your best chance at a rescue so quit your bitching and take my hand, this holy light won't bother you for long and it isn't going to hold back your friend for long either." Red or "Big Red" is certainly an infernal you've heard tales about, but you've never actually had any direct conflict or interaction with him. Looks like that's about to change if he's insisting on getting in your way. You can barely see him within the glow of the light, but he's completely covered in some sort of white armor and wearing goggles, which presumably is what is protecting him from this obvious holy light. Sinthinia looks over to you and wastes no time in grabbing Red's gauntlet. She'd rather burn than face you, though if the roles were reversed, you might pick the same choice. You push forward with some difficulty and see Sinthinia's burning ass (literally) run into the portal behind Big Red who is now addressing you. "Hm you ARE a powerful one. Maybe Sin is right and you are an actual threat to the infernal realm. I'll definitely have to keep a closer eye on you in the future. However, I'd advise you NOT to follow for even as powerful as you are, I don't believe you're prepared. Don't worry though, I'm sure you'll get another chance to kill Sin assuming she even survives this trip of course." With those last words, Red steps back into the portal, which is now beginning to flicker and the holy light isn't as powerful anymore. You could easily run into the portal now, but you have no idea where it is going to take you. The fact that holy light was coming from it doesn't seem like it's heading any place you'd enjoy. Not that you ever enjoy anything other than perhaps utterly destroying your enemies which are becoming more and more numerous nowadays. Of course this also leads to more questions of the situation between Red and Sin since he didn't exactly imply good things for her either. You suppose it's possible he's just robbed you of your kill and her fate is sealed anyway. While this is going through you head, the portal is beginning to disappear. Completely abandoning any sort of caution, you run towards the portal, which then disappears. "Fuck!" you shout and punch a hole in the nearby wall, destroying enough of it to create a new window in Sin's former palace. While your cursing your hesitation, a familiar voice is heard. It's your chief engineer. "Um, mistress?" Zeljenir utters. "WHAT? And I told you not to fucking call me that! Only whores are mistresses! You will address me by my proper military title, do you understand?" you reply. "Yes general." While you know she understands and you can sense the fear, you just don't feel properly satisfied with this compliance. You immediately walk over to Zel who just looks on in fear and offers no resistance. You grab her by her neck and slam her against the wall. You look at her with disgust as she continues to display her body like the infernal seductress she really is. "I don't think you do. Address me other than general again and I will cast you down from your privileged position to the deepest darkest pit of degenerates in Hell and I guarantee you will NOT enjoy it. Am I making myself clear?" you threaten. "Yes general. I will obey!" Zel chokes. Good, that's the proper amount of respect and fear. You release Zel and ask her why the hell she's here since it isn't like her to be anywhere near the frontlines. You certainly don't keep her around for her fighting abilities. Her mind for engineering is what is important. She's been very useful in designing siege weapons and such. "I'm here because you told me to let you know directly if I had any major problems with other members on your staff." Zel remarks "You came all the way here now to tell me this?" you say. "Well I didn't intend to, but...well during the siege when I was overseeing the juggernauts, Captain Spolnapad and some of his men..." "Oh for fuck's sake, I fucking warned him about this and in the middle of the damn battle? No wonder the east side of the wall wasn't brought down when I predicted it to be! Fucking chaos. So did they get you?" Zel looks down. "I didn't enjoy it I swear." Zel looks up at you and feels your judgmental stare to tell the complete truth. "Well I mean maybe a little at first, then I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't stop and I barely escaped! I beg forgiveness general." You shake your head. You can't even be too mad at her for this. She's another succubus and the whore within her is always there, but fortunately you caught her when she was relatively new to the infernal plane and can be molded. She'll change completely in time. Change is always possible. But it's not easy when you're dealing with rapey lustful demons. "Fine. I'll take care of it. But from now on, YOU need to start fucking covering up! You may have the body of a harlot, but you weren't given this position because of your dick sucking skills. You were given this honor because of your skills as an engineer. I don't want to see you running around fucking naked. Those days are long over! I will see you in a uniform from now on!" "We have uniforms?" "No, it's a figure of fucking speech. What I'm saying is cover the fuck up. I don't give a shit what you're actually wearing as long as you don't have all your fun bits exposed all over the place!" "Yes general." With that out of the way, Zel proceeds to give you an updated report of what's been going on outside the palace. All your forces have of course completely destroyed Sin's remaining minions. It's a victory, but not really since Sin escaped. You're still pissed about that then you remember that Zel has helped in forcing open portal to the mortal realm at times, you wonder if she could do that with this after explaining the recent situation. "Hm, that explains that faint smell of celestial in this room. Yeah there's enough residual energy to do it, but we'd have to be quick before is disappears. I'll need to get all the equipment in here." Zel remarks. "That's no problem. Go get all your machines and shit. If you need help, let whatever grunts you need that it's a direct order from me to help you move it." You say. While you're expecting Zel to move, she hesitates. "You better have a good reason for not flapping those little wings and moving your ass as fast as possible right now." You say. "It's just..." Zel begins to say before trailing off. "Just what? What?! Pretend you've just sucked dick for three hours and spit it out already!" "I'd be a little concerned about you going." "Concern? This should be good. What do you mean?" "Well from the description you gave it sounds like the place is filled with celestials or at least aligned with such powers. I mean the portal gave off enough of the energy that it's still lingering even in this place. In fact, I'm not sure how Sin is going to survive being in such a place. I'd say you'd be better off focusing your attention on other matters. I mean your presence is needed to maintain order. If you disappear to who knows where for who knows how long, chaos could break out and I know you don't want that." You smirk a bit at Zel's transparent "concern." She has it all right, but it's more for herself. She's mainly concerned about her position if you suddenly got killed or something similar. She does enjoy the perks of having some of your protection, without it she'd probably be some demon lord's fuck toy because even as far as succubi go, she's still young and not nearly as hardened as she needs to be for the infernal realm. Still, even if she's worried more about herself, you admit there is a certain element of unknown danger involved. Indeed, you hesitated before your late rush to the portal. Zel may also have a point not just about the danger to you, but also the potential for having to clean up a massive amount of shit if you're gone for too long. After all, even when you're around you STILL have to clean up shit. (Like the mess with Zel and Spol you'll have to address for example) The burdens of being in charge you suppose. > You open the portal This is hell; you're ALWAYS going to have to clean up shit on some level. You've had to make excursions to other realms before and it hasn't been too bad when you've returned. Your reputation has grown enough that you don't need to micromanage every little thing now, indeed that's the whole reason why you set up the Infernal Inquisition to help curb the chaos. As for the danger to you, again you're in HELL. You're in danger every moment you're here. What does it matter if you're risking your life here or elsewhere? Still, never hurts to add some protection if possible. You'll have to consult your armorers if there's someway of improving yours against celestial energy. Hopefully they can prove useful by the time Zel gets her shit together with re-opening the portal. "Zel, get your shit together and re-open that portal quick as you can. I need to know if Sin is dead. I'm not going to just let her get away so she can plot revenge from some distance corner of the planes. Move!" You order. "But..." Zel begins to say before she sees your eye narrow. "Do I need to slam you through the wall this time?" "No general. I'll get right on it." While Zeljenir runs off to go do your bidding, more of your officers start finding you to give various reports. It's all very routine, though you give commands to go fetch your best blacksmiths along with Captain Spolnapad. Captain Spol strolls in as if he's not in the presence of a superior being. His casual arrogance is annoying you more than you already are today. "You ask to see me?" Spol says. "Yes, tell me captain, do you like your dick?" you reply. "You called to ask me that?" "Answer the question." "It gets the job done, so yes I have no complaints about it." "Funny, because that's ALL I get about it! I think you know what I'm talking about because I warned you before about your aggressive mating habits with valued staff!" "Wha...wait... I never fucking touched sergeant Klivinak! That bitch is lying!" "Interesting, I never mentioned her and this is the first I'm hearing about that. No I got a complaint about you from Zeljenir. Said you and some of your men tried to rape her." "HER? She's the one complaining about me?! She was sucking my cock gleefully! I barely even hit on her! As for some of the others, well I mean Zel IS a succubus and after she was done with me, she wasn't quite satisfied. I think one of the boys slapped her ass too hard or something and she got pissy so now she's trying to get us all in trouble. You know how those types are." Spol's words are not completely convincing. While you don't doubt he's partially telling the truth about Zel, you know that Spol is notorious for his sexual assault habits. Mostly on your enemies, but occasionally you have to clean up shit as usual. You imagine it started off with just him and Zel, then his boys wanted to join in and they all probably starting getting a lot rougher than she would have liked. "Spol, you're going to execute five of your own men. I don't give a shit who." You order. "But..." "But what? You think ten is better? Good, so do I. Anything else?" "No general." "Good. And I want you and your lot to stay away from Zel. I don't give a shit if she's spreading her legs right in front of you and telling you to come and get it. You will NOT touch her. She's actually a very skilled engineer and has a hard enough time concentrating on important shit as it is. Understand?" "Yes general I understand. Your girlfriend is off limits." Your eyes narrow and Spol suddenly realizes he's made a poor choice of words. With lightning reflexes, you kick him in the crotch and ram his head into the same wall you slammed Zel against earlier. "Got anymore smart comments? No? Well here's one for you. I get one more report on you or your rape crew assaulting ANY one that is a useful member of this regime, I'll have ALL of you executed and you personally are going to find yourself without YOUR valued member and a fate much worse than simple execution. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE FUCKING ORDER! NOW do you understand?" "Yes, general..." Spol groans before you throw him out of the room. With that out of the way, you demand that everyone start hurrying the fuck up on getting you to wherever Sin escaped to. Doesn't take long for Zel to come back and set everything up, takes her even less time to reopen the portal. However the celestial energy coming from it, still makes it less than pleasant to be around let alone enter. You're really going to need that extra protection, but still opening the portal at least buys you time while you wait on that. While your best blacksmiths are working on that aspect, you boost your own personal magical protection and ask your more older scholarly types if there is anything else you might need, but other than a few obscure incantations that you weren't aware of, you're told that you'll be as well protected as you possibly can be. Eventually your improved armor and even an improved sword are given to you. You're told that it should protect you from most of the celestial effects short of mounting an expedition to the heavens themselves. Thankfully from what Zel's infernal technology has determined the portal leads to some odd "demi-plane." "It's definitely giving off a lot of celestial energy obviously, but it isn't celestial in origin. I dunno, it's odd. Never seen anything like this before, you'd probably be better off asking an infernal much older than myself if they know anything about a place like this." Zel remarks. "It hardly matters what it is, my question is will I be able to leave it?" you ask. "Yeah, I can reopen the portal now that a link has been better established, but you're going to have to be in the area where you arrive in. I've given you a beacon stone for that, don't lose it. Also I can't keep this portal permanently open at all times. Besides the accused celestial energy that comes through with the portal open, the link is still very weak, so I'd suggest you not use the stone until you're completely finished with whatever business you have in that place." "Only business I have is making Sinthinia a bloody corpse when I find her." "Well I hope you do it soon. Things are always a little more chaotic when you're not around." "I already spoke to Spol if that's what you're concerned about, but it might also help if you tried to actually keep your legs closed once in awhile." "Apologies general. I really try, it's just difficult to fight nature." While you can't disagree with that on some level, but you're not going to let her off that easy and you suggest that she focus on her inventions. (And her task at hand of course) As she prepares to reopen the portal, you are mildly glad that Zel is showing a lot of potential to be more than what she is. As far-fetched as it may seem in a place like this, it gives you hope that you're actually changing things, even to a minor degree. The portal opens and the wretched celestial light nearly blinds you, but your armor seems to be doing its job since you don't feel anything except mild discomfort. No pain though. You're wondering how Sin is even surviving, if the whole place is bathed in this. Determined to bring back Sin's head whether it's just a burned skull or still attached to her living body, you step towards the portal... > Entering the Portal Within a blink of an eye, you're on the other side, which strangely doesn't have the heavenly aura you were expecting. It's present to be sure, but it's muted. Upon looking around your immediate surroundings you're in a pretty desolate area. Nothing but gray rocks, gray ground and just... well gray in general. The sky is even a dull gray, reminds you of a cloudy day on one of those mortal worlds. Certainly isn't the paradise you were expecting. The only thing that stands out in the immediate area is a single dead gray tree nearby which will at least make a good landmark of where the portal is when you're ready to leave. In the distance, you see what looks to be a town of some sort. Since that seems to be the only major point of interest you make your towards it. You haven't gotten far when suddenly a winged being with shining silver skin appears before you. A celestial! You grab your sword. "Now, now, no need for that, my infernal friend. You'll find that I am not hostile; in fact violence is utterly useless here. Strike me with your sword, if you don't believe me." it says. Never one to avoid the chance to engage in violence, you do exactly that and swing your sword directly at the celestial's neck. And a blow that should have severed the smug smiling celestial's head from his shoulders instead does nothing. Your sword just bounces off like you struck a rock. Instinctively you immediately attempt to use magic only to find that none of it is working. "I'm afraid you'll find any harmful magic won't work here either. Let alone from the likes of an infernal like yourself. Tried to tell that to the other one like you." The celestial says. "Like me? You talking about the burned bitch that escaped to here, because that hell whore is NOTHING like me." you reply pausing your attacks. "Well two infernals popped in here not long ago. One I am all too familiar with, while the... hell whore as you mentioned he dragged in, not so much. She was a bit of a mess as you said, but then the door to this place tends to keep you lot out, not that there would be much for you to be interested in to begin with, though given the brief tale Red told he mentioned that a very angry infernal might be visiting soon. Guessing that's you since I can feel the hatred just emanating from you. You really should relax more." "She's in town. I can certainly take you to her if you like, but I'm not sure what you intend on doing. As I said, violence of any kind doesn't work here. Part of the punishment I suppose. Keeps us from killing ourselves or each other. Anyway I should introduce myself. My name is Engantrioso." This is all very strange and only serving to make you angrier, however it's apparent that straightforward violence isn't going to serve you right now unfortunately, so you might as well ask more questions. "So what is this place exactly?" you ask. "It's a prison of sorts for celestials. The official name is Garceol, though most of us just call it the gray prison. Not very imaginative I know, but it is accurate." Engan says. "A prison for celestials? Thought you lot just got cast into the infernal realm if you weren't the agents of good that you claim to be." "Well that does happen for serious offenders, those that are completely unrepentant in their wickedness. For most of us however, we do feel a remorse for our crimes, so this is where we stay until deemed fit to ascend back to our heavenly realm." "This seems like a shitty prison for punishment." "Well, I'm sure it would seem that way to you. You infernals love your spikes, whips and such for punishment, but I assure you, being disconnected from the celestial realm and the loss of our tie to the place is the worst punishment that we could ever experience. There is an emptiness that is indescribable. I wouldn't expect you to understand." "Hm. So what happens to others that wander in here?" "Doesn't happen often. This place is insignificant enough that it doesn't get many planewalkers stumbling in here. We tend to just treat them as temporary guests that are free to leave at anytime. Not many choose to stay as there isn't anything in the way that would sustain them here and the more destructive bunch tend to get bored what without the ability to destroy or kill anything. Infernals are even rarer thanks to the way the portal here is set up, but seeing as some of you are determined enough, you'll be treated with hospitality like any other guest here. We don't expect you to be grateful of course, such is your nature." "Glad to hear it because I'll be living up to your expectations." "Since I'm sort of the unofficial mayor of the town to use a mortal designation, did you need me to take you back to town and to your succubus? She's currently staying at one of our unused homes. As I said though, not sure what you'll be able to do to her though, violence doesn't work here. You won't even be able to punch her." "Can I touch her at all?" "Well yes." "Then I'll just drag her ass out by force to the portal if need be." "Hm, you might find that hard to do if she is unwilling to go with you, but I suppose having the pair of you here will break up the monotony. Come, I'll take you to her." You've never actually been in the presence of many celestials, let alone this long without being in combat with them. The aura this one is giving off is really offending you however and that's saying something given you live in hell. It isn't like the celestial light either, which actually causes pain. There's no pain, it's just you don't know how to describe it exactly. Then again, celestials and infernals aren't supposed to be friends so you imagine this is normal. Engan probably feels something similar. > You go with Engan "Fine, lead the way." You say keeping your eyes on him. Engan nods and glides towards the town ahead. Engan attempts to make conversation about unrelated topics such as asking about what you do exactly in the infernal realm. You give nothing but silence, which doesn't deter him from speaking though. He just starts talking a bit about himself and how he used to be some sort of teacher. You're not really paying attention and soon tell him to shut up. Engan takes the hint and remains silent. When you get to the outskirts of the town, you notice it's pretty quiet. You aren't seeing anyone even walking (or flying for that matter) around. You get further in the town and that's when you start seeing small groups of celestials. Or you're guessing they are at any rate, they aren't nearly as "impressive" looking as Engan. No shimmering silver skin here, just a bit of sickening sparkling and those feathery white wings. Other than that, they might as well be humans. Doesn't take long for you to gain a lot of attention. Some of them start whispering and pointing at you both, but none of them approach and just hurry out of the way. Eventually Engan gets to one of the gray houses and waves his hand causing the door to open. "She's inside, though she's probably going to be surprised to see you." Engan says. "Aren't you going in?" you ask. "I mean I certainly can, but I assumed you didn't want me around during this confrontation. Again though, I'm not exactly sure what you think you're going to accomplish, as you won't be able to harm her." You say nothing and just stare at Engan. "Very well I'll go in first." Engan replies. Engan enters the house and you follow behind him. The house is simple in nature. Looks little better than a typical mortal peasant's home, though perhaps much cleaner. As is typical of this place, everything is a dull gray color. Chairs, table, everything. "Liar." You say. "Excuse me?" Engan replies. "You said Sinthinia was in here, the place is empty." "She's here, she's just invisible. Desperately trying to hide no doubt. She's in that chair over there. Look." Engan waves his hand and sure enough Sinthinia appears. She's still burned, but not as bad as you last saw her. Must have regenerated a bit. She looks at you both with a mixture of resignation and fear. "Really Engan? You couldn't have at least kept me hidden?" Sinthinia says. "Well this one seemed like she was really insistent on finding you and I like to accommodate guests here. Besides, as I've said to both of you already, you can't harm each other." Engan says. You once again try to use your sword on Sin which is stopped by some sort of invisible barrier. You attempt several times, but you cannot break through. Any use of magic also fails. (Again) The whole time Sin is cringing and curling up in the chair as you attempt to end her permanently. She relaxes though when she sees that it is true and you can't harm her. Her eyes widen again however when you grab her wrist. "Hey! I thought you said she can't harm me!" Sin says. "She can't, just wait." Engan replies. You pull Sin from the chair, but that's about as far as you get with her. Whatever force was preventing you from striking her with a sword, prevents you from continuing to pull her to a location where you CAN do harm to her. Your hand suddenly goes numb to the point you lose your grip and then immediately snaps back to normal. You end up smashing the nearby table with your sword and cursing loudly. This causes Sin to snicker while Engan looks on. "Told you." Engan sniffs. Between Engan's told you so attitude, Sin's mockery, your frustration of the situation, and the continued feeling of unease in this place are all starting to take a toll. "Shut up celestial and mark my words succubus whore, you WILL pay. This place cannot protect you forever." you snap. "Well it actually can. I mean that's sort of the point of this place. Trust me infernal, there have been many attempts by other visitors and yes even every celestial that came here at one point or another that attempted to commit violence. It just won't happen." Engan says. "There has to be a way." "The place won't let it happen. I can't explain it. Nobody can. This place defies violent actions. It's a place of purity." "Purity. You make it sound like the celestial realm." "Trust me infernal, this place is nothing like the celestial realm. The celestial realm isn't immune to violence, if it was, we would not have an infernal realm in the first place. This place also lacks the light, the positive aura, the feeling of joy and several other things that distract from the truth. This place only deals with the pure truth of how things really are." Engan's eyes seem to stare off into the distance when speaks of this truth and purity. His skin also begins to almost flicker as opposed to the slow shimmering it was doing before. Meanwhile Sinthinia has been more or less silent and sitting in her chair. She hasn't made any sort of move to escape, but then of course there's nowhere to go and you can't harm her anyway. You attempt to pick up the chair she's sitting in which works, but then she just hops out of it knowing that you're trying to transport her outside the house. Attempting to tie her to the chair doesn't work for the same reasons of trying to grab her. As soon as Sin struggles you're pushed back. Eventually Engan stops watching you fail and begins to leave. "You don't think all of that hasn't been tried before in the past for various reasons? The sooner you realize you can't defy the laws of this place, the better off you'll be. In any case, I have other things to attend to, so I'll leave you ladies to talk I guess." Engan says and exits the house. Not sure of how to proceed you break another piece of furniture and sit down on one of the few remaining non-broken chairs pondering your next move. "I knew you hated me, but I don't think I knew just how much until recently." Sinthinia suddenly says. You ignore her comments, but she keeps talking. "Not that it matters, but since you obviously can't do what you really want to do, you mind answering a question just for the shits and giggles? What exactly did I do to you? I mean YOU attacked my territory first and you didn't even make the effort to reach out for any sort of alliance." "Alliance? Like you would have honored such an arrangement." You scoff. "Okay, true, but you've allied with other infernal leaders and you can't say that they're any less duplicitous." "Such arrangements are low calculated risks due to their power. Such a risk could not be taken with you." "Hm. I suppose I should be flattered that you considered me dangerous enough to just destroy me. Still, doesn't explain your fanaticism, which apparently was so extreme that you felt you had to chase me here. Even with this place's weird laws, you're STILL trying to figure out a way to hurt me or drag me back to a place where you can. I mean fuck, I've lost everything and I'm not coming back from it. Look at me, I don't even have my infernal beauty anymore. I got fucking celestial burns that aren't going to heal anytime soon, especially not in this place. Am I even worth it?" "You're just trying to talk your way out of this again. It won't work." "And YOU still haven't answered my original question? WHY is it so important that you kill me? Right now you could be murdering the shit out of hundreds of others more of a threat than I am right now." She sort of has a point, even if she is just trying to save her own skin. You'll play though, not like you have anything better to do right now. "Okay, I'll answer you. Besides the obvious fact that leaving you alive opens up the possibility that you'll somehow get out of here, gather power and come back for revenge one day, there's also the fact that you're a good example of everything that's wrong with the infernal realm. You're a good representation of the rot, corruption and decadence common to infernals. The traits I wish to lessen if not eliminate completely." You say. "Oh really? Not any of your underlings that are no doubt scheming for their chance to backstab you? Not Big Red who got us here in the first place? Not the infamous so called Lords of Hell who just let all the shit happen under their noses and do fuck all or actively encourage it? Me huh? I'm the fucking cause of all the universes ills? Pfft, I fucking wish." Sin remarks. "Perhaps not, but you asked and I answered." "And it was a bullshit answer, you know what I think?" "I don't give a shit what you think." "Well too bad, you're going to listen anyway. All your talk about order is just a defense technique because you're a repressed cunt that is unable to truly embrace what you actually are. You may look and act like a war infernal, but underneath it all, you're like me with one difference, you were an idiot that did something to yourself that limited your potential, so you went a different route thinking that it would fulfill you. It didn't and you just hate the fact that I'm everything YOU could have been..." "Oh? And what's that? Burnt to shit and trapped here with nothing?" you interrupt. "You're trapped here too bitch." "No I'm not, I have a way to leave. I mean that was part of the point, wouldn't make sense to just follow you with no way back. And you can stop now with your weak attempts to analyze me. There is literally nothing you can say that I haven't already heard OR already gone over myself in my head that is going to get to me." Sinithinia has no come back, looks like that last bit of venom was her last pathetic card to play. She knows it too; she just slinks back in her chair looking at the floor. Still, you really can't do anything to her except talk. Part of the discussion so far with her has got you wondering if you shouldn't just leave. She's been thoroughly defeated and while there is the possibility that she might pop up again one day, you might just have to take that chance. You beat her before, you can do it again. Unless you somehow try to talk her into going with you, but you can't see that remotely working and you might be just wasting time here. > You Leave You've had enough of this strange place; everything feels "off" anyway and you don't care for it. The quicker you're back home the better. Sinthinia's punishment will just have to be this place for now. "Sin, if you value what remains of your pathetic life, you'll never leave this place because the moment you do, I'll be there to finish the job." You say and head towards the exit. You don't remember Engan closing the door when he left, but you try the handle which doesn't budge. You then try more forceful methods to the point of attempting to punch through the door, but it's like you're punching solid adamantium. You aren't making a dent. Your sword doesn't either. You waste no time in going for the windows, but it's same effect, which is none at all. You then hear a titter, which then turns into a cackle and then a long laugh which alternates in tone to sound like more than one person doing it. You turn to only see Sinthina, but she's not looking like herself anymore. Besides the extra mouths and eyes, she's only vaguely in her traditional succubus form anymore. It's almost like she's partially melted into the chair she was sitting in. "I told you, you were trapped bitch!" Sinthinia continues to laugh and then suddenly lunges at you. You are slammed against the wall by her surprising strength and speed. "Look at it this way, you can try to finish the job like you bragged about earlier!" At this range you see she's either been transformed somehow or this isn't Sin at all, especially when her face opens up and second set of jaws emerges. You manage to throw her off of you before she bites through your helmet. With the apparent force that was preventing violence gone, you waste no time in using your sword against Sin. Whatever she's transformed into may have improved her combat skills somewhat, but not enough to challenge you. You easily chop off one of her arms, only for three slimy tentacles to grow out of the stump and attempt to pull your sword away. "You cannot win this fight Cista, you are trapped here with me and you will soon become one with the old ones. Can you hear them?" Your mind is flooded with several voices speaking at once. Some of the languages you don't even know. Laughing, screaming, crying telling you to submit and join them. The mental assault is enough to halt you temporarily allowing Sinthinia to tackle you to the floor and partially bite through your armor, you feel a tearing at one of your wings by some appendage that has suddenly grown out of her. You once again manage to throw Sin off and follow up by hacking at her deformed body before she can recover. All manner of colorful liquids ooze out of the wounds , including fat little worm like creatures with too many legs scurrying to get out of the way of your stomping boots. Sin attempts to speak, but you're not hearing whatever she's got to say. Though you can't be sure, but at least one of the things she's babbling about in between you chopping her up is "Help me." You begin to laugh as pieces of her splatter all over. After reducing Sin into an unrecognizable heap of gore, you notice your surroundings have changed severely. You're no long in a house at all; you're standing in the middle of what appears to be a gray haze you can't see through. Engan appears with his arms folded. You attempt to attack him, but find that you're stopped by an invisible barrier. In fact, you're basically in a large transparent box. "It is regrettable that it came to this. If only you had been more willing to talk, perhaps this could have been handled a different way. Now this will be much harder." Engan says. "I'm going to get out of here and when I do, you'll be the first one on the list to join that dead whore behind me." You retort. "I fear that will not happen little infernal. You will not leave this place for a very long time and when you do, you will finally understand the truth of reality. The old ones will eventually make you see, it is their will. And their will is absolute." Engan disappears into the gray and you're left alone. Completely alone. Sin's body isn't even with you anymore and the voices are gone. You attempt physical attacks on the barrier, but of course it doesn't work. You attempt to use your magic which surprisingly is working again, but not to any useful degree. Fire, ice, disintegrating, lightning, giant magical fists, none of it is working. You don't know how long you're in your prison, but every now and then you see something moving within the gray outside. And then you hear the voices whispering in your mind getting louder and louder. They aren't even attempting to speak in a coherent language you understand. It's just madness. As you attempt to mentally block out the voices, you see the gray starting to be replaced with blackness. This blackness starts enclosing on your position and you begin to lose your normally strong resolve. Fear takes over and whatever it is outside the box knows it. You fall to the floor clutching your head, screaming for the sounds to get out of your mind. You close your eyes not wanting to see what is coming. "LOOK FLESH THING. LOOK UPON THE TRUTH OF YOUR EXISTENCE OR EMBRACE UTTER OBLIVION." A deep voice utters. You don't want to look; you've never been so scared of anything as you are in this moment. You scream in defiance and blindly swing your sword, keeping your eyes closed the entire time. You never hit anything. Not even the side of the prison you're currently in. You do hear something else though. "So be it." You feel something grab you and before you can even open your eyes, you're enveloped completely and annihilated.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, female protagonist] "Fine, lead the way." You say keeping your eyes on him. Engan nods and glides towards the town ahead. Engan attempts to make conversation about unrelated topics such as asking about what you do exactly in the infernal realm. You give nothing but silence, which doesn't deter him from speaking though. He just starts talking a bit about himself and how he used to be some sort of teacher. You're not really paying attention and soon tell him to shut up. Engan takes the hint and remains silent. When you get to the outskirts of the town, you notice it's pretty quiet. You aren't seeing anyone even walking (or flying for that matter) around. You get further in the town and that's when you start seeing small groups of celestials. Or you're guessing they are at any rate, they aren't nearly as "impressive" looking as Engan. No shimmering silver skin here, just a bit of sickening sparkling and those feathery white wings. Other than that, they might as well be humans. Doesn't take long for you to gain a lot of attention. Some of them start whispering and pointing at you both, but none of them approach and just hurry out of the way. Eventually Engan gets to one of the gray houses and waves his hand causing the door to open. "She's inside, though she's probably going to be surprised to see you." Engan says. "Aren't you going in?" you ask. "I mean I certainly can, but I assumed you didn't want me around during this confrontation. Again though, I'm not exactly sure what you think you're going to accomplish, as you won't be able to harm her." You say nothing and just stare at Engan. "Very well I'll go in first." Engan replies. Engan enters the house and you follow behind him. The house is simple in nature. Looks little better than a typical mortal peasant's home, though perhaps much cleaner. As is typical of this place, everything is a dull gray color. Chairs, table, everything. "Liar." You say. "Excuse me?" Engan replies. "You said Sinthinia was in here, the place is empty." "She's here, she's just invisible. Desperately trying to hide no doubt. She's in that chair over there. Look." Engan waves his hand and sure enough Sinthinia appears. She's still burned, but not as bad as you last saw her. Must have regenerated a bit. She looks at you both with a mixture of resignation and fear. "Really Engan? You couldn't have at least kept me hidden?" Sinthinia says. "Well this one seemed like she was really insistent on finding you and I like to accommodate guests here. Besides, as I've said to both of you already, you can't harm each other." Engan says. You once again try to use your sword on Sin which is stopped by some sort of invisible barrier. You attempt several times, but you cannot break through. Any use of magic also fails. (Again) The whole time Sin is cringing and curling up in the chair as you attempt to end her permanently. She relaxes though when she sees that it is true and you can't harm her. Her eyes widen again however when you grab her wrist. "Hey! I thought you said she can't harm me!" Sin says. "She can't, just wait." Engan replies. You pull Sin from the chair, but that's about as far as you get with her. Whatever force was preventing you from striking her with a sword, prevents you from continuing to pull her to a location where you CAN do harm to her. Your hand suddenly goes numb to the point you lose your grip and then immediately snaps back to normal. You end up smashing the nearby table with your sword and cursing loudly. This causes Sin to snicker while Engan looks on. "Told you." Engan sniffs. Between Engan's told you so attitude, Sin's mockery, your frustration of the situation, and the continued feeling of unease in this place are all starting to take a toll. "Shut up celestial and mark my words succubus whore, you WILL pay. This place cannot protect you forever." you snap. "Well it actually can. I mean that's sort of the point of this place. Trust me infernal, there have been many attempts by other visitors and yes even every celestial that came here at one point or another that attempted to commit violence. It just won't happen." Engan says. "There has to be a way." "The place won't let it happen. I can't explain it. Nobody can. This place defies violent actions. It's a place of purity." "Purity. You make it sound like the celestial realm." "Trust me infernal, this place is nothing like the celestial realm. The celestial realm isn't immune to violence, if it was, we would not have an infernal realm in the first place. This place also lacks the light, the positive aura, the feeling of joy and several other things that distract from the truth. This place only deals with the pure truth of how things really are." Engan's eyes seem to stare off into the distance when speaks of this truth and purity. His skin also begins to almost flicker as opposed to the slow shimmering it was doing before. Meanwhile Sinthinia has been more or less silent and sitting in her chair. She hasn't made any sort of move to escape, but then of course there's nowhere to go and you can't harm her anyway. You attempt to pick up the chair she's sitting in which works, but then she just hops out of it knowing that you're trying to transport her outside the house. Attempting to tie her to the chair doesn't work for the same reasons of trying to grab her. As soon as Sin struggles you're pushed back. Eventually Engan stops watching you fail and begins to leave. "You don't think all of that hasn't been tried before in the past for various reasons? The sooner you realize you can't defy the laws of this place, the better off you'll be. In any case, I have other things to attend to, so I'll leave you ladies to talk I guess." Engan says and exits the house. Not sure of how to proceed you break another piece of furniture and sit down on one of the few remaining non-broken chairs pondering your next move. "I knew you hated me, but I don't think I knew just how much until recently." Sinthinia suddenly says. You ignore her comments, but she keeps talking. "Not that it matters, but since you obviously can't do what you really want to do, you mind answering a question just for the shits and giggles? What exactly did I do to you? I mean YOU attacked my territory first and you didn't even make the effort to reach out for any sort of alliance." "Alliance? Like you would have honored such an arrangement." You scoff. "Okay, true, but you've allied with other infernal leaders and you can't say that they're any less duplicitous." "Such arrangements are low calculated risks due to their power. Such a risk could not be taken with you." "Hm. I suppose I should be flattered that you considered me dangerous enough to just destroy me. Still, doesn't explain your fanaticism, which apparently was so extreme that you felt you had to chase me here. Even with this place's weird laws, you're STILL trying to figure out a way to hurt me or drag me back to a place where you can. I mean fuck, I've lost everything and I'm not coming back from it. Look at me, I don't even have my infernal beauty anymore. I got fucking celestial burns that aren't going to heal anytime soon, especially not in this place. Am I even worth it?" "You're just trying to talk your way out of this again. It won't work." "And YOU still haven't answered my original question? WHY is it so important that you kill me? Right now you could be murdering the shit out of hundreds of others more of a threat than I am right now." She sort of has a point, even if she is just trying to save her own skin. You'll play though, not like you have anything better to do right now. "Okay, I'll answer you. Besides the obvious fact that leaving you alive opens up the possibility that you'll somehow get out of here, gather power and come back for revenge one day, there's also the fact that you're a good example of everything that's wrong with the infernal realm. You're a good representation of the rot, corruption and decadence common to infernals. The traits I wish to lessen if not eliminate completely." You say. "Oh really? Not any of your underlings that are no doubt scheming for their chance to backstab you? Not Big Red who got us here in the first place? Not the infamous so called Lords of Hell who just let all the shit happen under their noses and do fuck all or actively encourage it? Me huh? I'm the fucking cause of all the universes ills? Pfft, I fucking wish." Sin remarks. "Perhaps not, but you asked and I answered." "And it was a bullshit answer, you know what I think?" "I don't give a shit what you think." "Well too bad, you're going to listen anyway. All your talk about order is just a defense technique because you're a repressed cunt that is unable to truly embrace what you actually are. You may look and act like a war infernal, but underneath it all, you're like me with one difference, you were an idiot that did something to yourself that limited your potential, so you went a different route thinking that it would fulfill you. It didn't and you just hate the fact that I'm everything YOU could have been..." "Oh? And what's that? Burnt to shit and trapped here with nothing?" you interrupt. "You're trapped here too bitch." "No I'm not, I have a way to leave. I mean that was part of the point, wouldn't make sense to just follow you with no way back. And you can stop now with your weak attempts to analyze me. There is literally nothing you can say that I haven't already heard OR already gone over myself in my head that is going to get to me." Sinithinia has no come back, looks like that last bit of venom was her last pathetic card to play. She knows it too; she just slinks back in her chair looking at the floor. Still, you really can't do anything to her except talk. Part of the discussion so far with her has got you wondering if you shouldn't just leave. She's been thoroughly defeated and while there is the possibility that she might pop up again one day, you might just have to take that chance. You beat her before, you can do it again. Unless you somehow try to talk her into going with you, but you can't see that remotely working and you might be just wasting time here. > You Talk Well you're already here; you might as well try even if diplomacy has never been your strong suit. You think for a moment on HOW to even approach this, but there really isn't any room for trickery here. Then you come up with something that even you can't believe you're considering this, but it just might work. If it doesn't, you're not sure what will. "Sin, since you're at least correct in that I can't harm you, tell me, do you believe you'll leave this place and retake the power you once had?" You say. Sinthinia looks a little surprised at your question. "It's looking pretty grim right now, so I have no idea. However if I have the opportunity, I believe I would. Though you did a pretty good job of destroying everything I have and I imagine I'd have to somehow build up such a position in secrecy since I know you'd be the first one to try to kill me again." Sinthinia replies. "So are you content on just living out the rest of your existence in this place?" you ask. "I suppose I'll have to be." "Hm, so your life means more. Just as expected." "What are you talking about." "I'm talking about another example of why infernal whores like yourself are ultimately weak. YOU were a figure of fear if not respect at one time. You commanded legions and held much territory for a succubus. While I never doubted that you'd eventually fall to my attack, I can admit with some reluctance you were a more formidable foe than I initially believed." "Funny that I should hear the sincerest praise I've ever heard from another infernal is from you." "Yeah well that praise as you call it, brings me to the point of how you squandered it all. You thought you were untouchable and all you were really was lazy and complacent in your position. The proof is how you're willingly able to throw it all away. You're satisfied with just staying here existing. If I'm being more truthful, your degenerate hedonism isn't what really disgusts me about you. You're a succubus; I ultimately can understand you can't help it on some level. No, it's your weakness and lack of willpower. That's ultimately why you needed to go, you were beyond fixing, let alone trusting and you would have no place in what I'm attempting to do." "Ah yes your futile attempt to bring order to the chaotic infernal realm. You do realize how silly that goal is don't you? No, of course you don't, you're wonderfully either naïve or outright stupid enough to believe that just because you desire it, you can make it reality. Reality is a complete lie; my short time in this place has opened my eyes to that. You're correct in that I thought I was untouchable, you are however very wrong in me being lazy OR complacent. I was planning and plotting the long game. A succubus' main strength is infiltration and you best believe I used it to my fullest extent. I had agents in the highest areas of the infernal realm. EVEN in the bloated palaces of the so-called Lords of Hell. I would have brought them all down eventually." You see you've stirred Sin a little from her former apathy; maybe you're getting somewhere. "So what happened?" "YOU. You're what fucking happened. I was so focused on other things; I never paid much attention to you. I wrote you off as a misguided young infernal that the realm would soon sort out. Wasn't until you attacked that I paid any real attention to you. After the first attacks I set things in motion to have you assassinated and sabotaged. At least ONE of those attempts SHOULD have worked or at least hindered you, but for whatever reason you kept defying the odds." "So you're claiming I defeated you by chance?" "Or someone was helping you secretly by undoing my plans. In fact, looking back on it now, it probably was Big Red. Not sure WHY I didn't see that before." "What? Why the fuck would he help me, I never even met him until he rescued you." "Why the fuck does he do anything? He's got so many plots interweaved I have to imagine that even he gets confused. I mean if I had to guess, he set us BOTH up. I mean he's taken out one of his greatest rivals for power and a potential up and coming threat. Congrats on being an unwitting pawn." Sin's attempt at mocking you fails, though if she's correct you don't like the implication. It's something you can use though. "Once again, I'll remind you that I am not trapped in this place. Which brings me to my next point, how would you like to come back home with me?" you ask. "What? You're joking right? Why the fuck would I willingly go with you, knowing what you have in store for me?" Sin says. "Well...how about I make a deal with you right here. I promise to give you a fair chance at defending yourself. I won't kill or even torture you. You'll be allowed to live and recover from your weakened state and when you're back up to full strength, we'll settle up." "Fair chance? We BOTH know that's not going to happen. Even if we made a binding deal, where you stuck completely to your word, I am not going to beat you in a one on one fight. Our last confrontation was proof of that." "So what then? You're going to just go on living in this dreary exile filled with celestials that were too naughty to stick around in their own realm? Shit, I know I'd rather be dead. If you take my offer, at least you'd die with a modicum of dignity and while I know infernals don't give a shit about such things, it's still gotta be better than this." "How do you know I'll be trapped here? Maybe I'll eventually get out." "True, but how long will that take? If you take my offer now, you'll be out quicker and I'll point out that anything could happen within your recovering time. For all you know I'll be killed in a battle or taken out by an assassin. Maybe you'll manage to escape sucking off my guards and using your magical succubus vagina. Maybe you somehow manage to convince me NOT to kill you or maybe somehow you actually manage to beat me in combat. The future isn't written after all." "This is an interesting offer, but this still seems all in your favor." "Of course it is. I'm only doing this so I can get the satisfaction of ending you once and for all, but as I said, I'm giving you better odds than you otherwise would have or even deserve. However, I can't force you to come with me so the choice is yours." Sinthinia nods and is silent for a moment as if lost in thought. She actually closes her eyes for a few moments. You just watch her for awhile until your patience for a decision is up. "Well?" you ask. "Very well I accept. I haven't been here that long in this place and it's been more of a nightmare than I've let on. How much have you interacted with Engan or any of the other celestials here?" Sin asks. "Not much and only Engan." "Lucky you. Before you got here, I had to interact with several of them. They're very off. They look like celestials but don't really act like them you know? Something about them is unnatural. I'm sure you've noticed it." "Hm, they are a little strange, but I'm guessing that's due to them not being typical celestials. Anyway, you ready?" "Yes, but first we have to make the deal. And don't think I know you won't try to slip in a loop hole so you can just chop my head off as soon as we get back!" After much debating and semantics, you and Sinthinia finally come to an agreement and make the binding contract. The pair of you leave the house and make your way back towards where you first came in. Doesn't take long as even in her wounded state, Sin is able to fly as fast as you can. You get back to the tree and take out the beacon stone, though before you can activate it, Engan appears. "Ah, I see you ladies have settled your differences and are heading home together. An unusual outcome, as I was sure you would go home in frustration. I'm glad that didn't happen though." Engan says. "Why the fuck should any of this matter to you?" you ask. "Oh call me an optimist, but I like to think that anyone can change their nature. The fact that you two even came to an agreement is proof of that." "I don't think you know the nature of the agreement." "It doesn't matter, it still shows a willingness to embrace change and that's the important thing. Farewell infernals." As Engan disappears again, you shake you head at his flakey celestial philosophy and open the portal. You look at Sin, who steps forward toward the portal. You half expect her to turn right back around and flee, but she doesn't, she just looks back at you and then enters. You follow immediately after. Everything goes white and you soon find yourself back in Sin's room. None of your soldiers or Zeljenir are here. In fact, you're wondering where Sin is, though you don't need to for long. You feel a crushing blow from above and you get slammed to the floor by a heavy mass. You manage to twist your body from underneath the blobby mass on top of you and see that it is indeed Sin, but only barely. Her lower half is a formless mass of flesh with various appendages coming from them and her upper half isn't much different. Her head (Which now has several eyes and mouths) unnaturally stretches down to meet yours. "Engan was right, the willingness to embrace change is a very important thing." Sin says, though several voices emanate from her. Some of them screaming, laughing and generally gibbering. You manage to get one of your arms free to cast an acid blast in Sin's face. She reels back shrieking and wailing, but it doesn't stop her attack, several tentacles grab your arm and you feel several mouths trying to bite through your armor. Whatever you just brought back isn't the Sinthinia that originally left. It all makes sense now with how everything felt off, but also some of the conversations you had with her and Engan. Several of your soldiers finally show up alerted by the noise, but unfortunately several things are now coming through the portal. Meanwhile you're stuck under Sinthinia's bulk and she's in the process of focusing all her attention on ripping you apart and trying to devour you. It would appear that breaking the binding contract hasn't weakened her at all, but then she's no longer infernal. And now, no longer are you.

Within a blink of an eye, you're on the other side, which strangely doesn't have the heavenly aura you were expecting. It's present to be sure, but it's muted. Upon looking around your immediate surroundings you're in a pretty desolate area. Nothing but gray rocks, gray ground and just... well gray in general. The sky is even a dull gray, reminds you of a cloudy day on one of those mortal worlds. Certainly isn't the paradise you were expecting. The only thing that stands out in the immediate area is a single dead gray tree nearby which will at least make a good landmark of where the portal is when you're ready to leave. In the distance, you see what looks to be a town of some sort. Since that seems to be the only major point of interest you make your towards it. You haven't gotten far when suddenly a winged being with shining silver skin appears before you. A celestial! You grab your sword. "Now, now, no need for that, my infernal friend. You'll find that I am not hostile; in fact violence is utterly useless here. Strike me with your sword, if you don't believe me." it says. Never one to avoid the chance to engage in violence, you do exactly that and swing your sword directly at the celestial's neck. And a blow that should have severed the smug smiling celestial's head from his shoulders instead does nothing. Your sword just bounces off like you struck a rock. Instinctively you immediately attempt to use magic only to find that none of it is working. "I'm afraid you'll find any harmful magic won't work here either. Let alone from the likes of an infernal like yourself. Tried to tell that to the other one like you." The celestial says. "Like me? You talking about the burned bitch that escaped to here, because that hell whore is NOTHING like me." you reply pausing your attacks. "Well two infernals popped in here not long ago. One I am all too familiar with, while the... hell whore as you mentioned he dragged in, not so much. She was a bit of a mess as you said, but then the door to this place tends to keep you lot out, not that there would be much for you to be interested in to begin with, though given the brief tale Red told he mentioned that a very angry infernal might be visiting soon. Guessing that's you since I can feel the hatred just emanating from you. You really should relax more." "She's in town. I can certainly take you to her if you like, but I'm not sure what you intend on doing. As I said, violence of any kind doesn't work here. Part of the punishment I suppose. Keeps us from killing ourselves or each other. Anyway I should introduce myself. My name is Engantrioso." This is all very strange and only serving to make you angrier, however it's apparent that straightforward violence isn't going to serve you right now unfortunately, so you might as well ask more questions. "So what is this place exactly?" you ask. "It's a prison of sorts for celestials. The official name is Garceol, though most of us just call it the gray prison. Not very imaginative I know, but it is accurate." Engan says. "A prison for celestials? Thought you lot just got cast into the infernal realm if you weren't the agents of good that you claim to be." "Well that does happen for serious offenders, those that are completely unrepentant in their wickedness. For most of us however, we do feel a remorse for our crimes, so this is where we stay until deemed fit to ascend back to our heavenly realm." "This seems like a shitty prison for punishment." "Well, I'm sure it would seem that way to you. You infernals love your spikes, whips and such for punishment, but I assure you, being disconnected from the celestial realm and the loss of our tie to the place is the worst punishment that we could ever experience. There is an emptiness that is indescribable. I wouldn't expect you to understand." "Hm. So what happens to others that wander in here?" "Doesn't happen often. This place is insignificant enough that it doesn't get many planewalkers stumbling in here. We tend to just treat them as temporary guests that are free to leave at anytime. Not many choose to stay as there isn't anything in the way that would sustain them here and the more destructive bunch tend to get bored what without the ability to destroy or kill anything. Infernals are even rarer thanks to the way the portal here is set up, but seeing as some of you are determined enough, you'll be treated with hospitality like any other guest here. We don't expect you to be grateful of course, such is your nature." "Glad to hear it because I'll be living up to your expectations." "Since I'm sort of the unofficial mayor of the town to use a mortal designation, did you need me to take you back to town and to your succubus? She's currently staying at one of our unused homes. As I said though, not sure what you'll be able to do to her though, violence doesn't work here. You won't even be able to punch her." "Can I touch her at all?" "Well yes." "Then I'll just drag her ass out by force to the portal if need be." "Hm, you might find that hard to do if she is unwilling to go with you, but I suppose having the pair of you here will break up the monotony. Come, I'll take you to her." You've never actually been in the presence of many celestials, let alone this long without being in combat with them. The aura this one is giving off is really offending you however and that's saying something given you live in hell. It isn't like the celestial light either, which actually causes pain. There's no pain, it's just you don't know how to describe it exactly. Then again, celestials and infernals aren't supposed to be friends so you imagine this is normal. Engan probably feels something similar. > You go your own way You're not travelling with this angelic fuck no matter how polite he's being. Besides the fact that you're not here to make friends and have a job to do, you just don't trust him. After all this IS supposed to be a prison. Who knows what the hell he did to get kicked out of the heavens in the first place. "I'll find her myself. The closer I get, the better I can sense her. It isn't like this place is brimming to the top with infernal aura." You say. "Ah, you infernals always so distrusting. Very well, feel free to explore." Engan replies and then teleports away. Feeling a little less annoyed now, you make your way towards the town. When you get to the outskirts of the town, you notice it's pretty quiet. You aren't seeing anyone even walking (or flying for that matter) around. You get further in the town and that's when you start seeing small groups of celestials. Or you're guessing they are at any rate, they aren't nearly as "impressive" looking as Engan. No shimmering silver skin here, just a bit of sickening sparkling and those feathery white wings. Other than that, they might as well be humans. Doesn't take long for you to gain a lot of attention. Some of them start whispering and pointing at you. A couple of them wave and smile, but none of them are really approaching you though. So much for celestial hospitality, though just well since you'd rather not have to talk with them and since you probably can't kill them either, you don't see much point in any type of interaction. What you don't quite understand about this town as you travel through it, is the whole purpose of it. If this is supposed to be a prison for naughty angels, shouldn't it just be a barren wasteland of gray? Also this place is again very "mortal" in appearance. Why would they need blacksmith shops, taverns and such? In fact do celestials even drink? You suppose the bad ones do, but then shouldn't they NOT be doing that as part of the rehabilitation? This of course then leads to the question of whose idea was it to make this place anyhow. Despite what Engan said about being disconnected from their heavenly realm, you're still convinced this is a pretty shitty form of punishment. You could think of MUCH worse and more fitting punishments for this lot. In any case, you still aren't sensing Sinthinia like you thought you would. You can sense an infernal presence faint enough to know she is here, but you can't tell if you're actually getting any closer to her. You begin to get angry and the ongoing celestial aura in this place is still enough to give you discomfort in your armor. Eventually you realize you might need some assistance and enter the tavern you saw to ask questions. It's pretty empty. You see a few angels sitting at a table and a barkeeper polishing glasses. The angels at the table look like they're playing a game of some sort, but you don't actually see any of them drinking though. While the barkeep continues to not look up or even acknowledge your entrance, the group of angels at the table actually waves you over to take a seat with them. Since the last thing you want to do is hang around a group of these sparkling fuckers, the barkeep it is. You approach the barkeep who still hasn't even looked up. He's REALLY focused on polishing his glasses. You notice he's muttering to himself though. "Must get clean. Can't have a spot...." The barkeep says. "Hey you." You say. "Must get clean..." "HEY!" you say raising your voice. He finally looks up at you and doesn't even seem surprised that you're not another angel. "Huh? Oh. Did you need a drink?" he asks. "No, I need to know where the succubus is in this town." You say. "There's one here? Didn't realize. I don't leave this place very much though. Not many infernals come here anyway. Not really a place for them. Not really a place for anyone really. In fact I think you should go." "I'm not leaving until I get what I came here for." "Well if you don't leave, you may get more than you bargained for." At this point the angel stops polishing the glass and slams it hard on the bar top. Hard enough in fact that he shatters it. "Oh no. I'll have to clean that up too." He says calmly looking at the glass. "Hey, demon girl. You might want to get away from barkeep there. He's not quite right in the head, talks a lot of nonsense. Even we've given up on what he's trying to say most of the time. Best to just leave him to cleaning and pouring drinks if you really want one. My name's Posilodja. Come sit over here with us you infernal beauty." One of the angels at the table calls over to you and pats the seat of a chair near him. Infernal beauty? Is this celestial actually trying to flirt with you? You've had mortals do a much better job in that area. You might be amused if you weren't so revolted by the thought. "I'm good standing over here, but since you're so friendly, any of you bird winged fucks want to tell me where the succubus bitch is?" "Oh her? She's around somewhere. Wish she was in my lap right now though, so I can put some goodness in her." This crude sexual joke is followed by all of the angels at the table laughing loudly and another making some additional joke. You roll your eyes. "Oh wow, did we actually offend you by our little jokes? An infernal? Thought you lot were supposed to have skin almost thicker than my holy instrument!" Posilodja says. "The only offensive thing around here, is your severe lack of imagination if you believe that. Your wit is about the same level as a mortal in these matters. What would an angel know about carnal pleasures anyway?" "Oh you'd be surprised infernal. Many celestials have...fallen due to engaging with mortals you know." "And? That doesn't exactly impress me. Shit, the bitch I'm looking for was an expert at fucking mortals for thousands of years. Just because you got love sick over some priestess and fucked her because she liked sparkling cock doesn't make you an expert." "Well, I could show you. We ALL could." At this moment the lead angel gets up followed by the other three also standing up. You instinctively grab your sword even though you know violence is prevented here. "With your permission of course..." Posilodja says with a smile and looking at his fellows for validation, which of course they give him by snickering. "You wish sparkle boy. Now you going to continue to waste my time or are you going to tell me where the succubus is?" you say. "Fine. I'll tell you, but you'll have to play a game with us first." Posilodja replies. "Yeah, I don't have time for fucking games." "Well then I don't have time to tell you the information you want to know. I'm betting our beloved mayor already offered and you turned him down. You're not going to get many others here that are going to be willing to help find her and I guarantee, you are not going to find her unless someone leads you to her." "Why are you lot protecting her? I mean she's an infernal, I would think you'd want her out of here. Is she fucking all of you degenerates in this town?" "If only. I'm not sure if the mayor told you, but she does have a certain kind of asylum here thanks to some agreement he has with another infernal that's passed through here a few times. Now granted we aren't going to stop you from taking her, but we aren't going to make it easy without something in return at least. Fortunately for you, I only want to play a game with you, we all do." "A game huh? What is it?" "A simple card game. I can explain the rules and we can even play a few practice hands until you get the hang of it." "So what's in it for you?" "Nothing, other than we've been playing the game with the same people for...well a very long time. It would break up the monotony to play with someone different, especially an infernal as...interesting as yourself." Maybe because you've never experienced this before by celestials, but you REALLY feel uneasy around this bunch. They're all looking you up and down with desire in their eyes. You're even covered up from head to toe in armor and about the only skin they can see is some of your face. You've had that experience from mortals and infernals before but you expect it from them and even then, you don't get them doing it much anymore. You'd probably feel less uneasy if you knew you could just chop their heads off, but since that isn't an option about the best thing you could do is just ignore them and leave. > You play a game with them While you'd rather not waste anymore time in this place, you get impression that just wandering around yourself isn't going to be as quick as if you got the help of some of the locals. So if that means playing some stupid game to get Sinthinia then so be it. You take a seat. "Alright, so explain the rules, play through a couple practice hands, and then play for real. After that you take me to Sinthinia." You say. "Absolutely. So what do we get?" Posil asks. "I thought you said you just wanted to break up the monotony." "Oh right. I did. Well I mean in retrospect it seems like we should be getting something out of this than just your lovely company." "Well you should have made that stipulation before you made your initial offer. My company is all you're getting and be grateful you're even getting that." "Hm, well I suppose we lack the quick tricky tongue that you infernal types have for making deals. Very well, I suppose your company will have to suffice, but I think you'll change your mind." "Can we get on with the fucking game?" Posil begins to explain the rules of the game, which is very confusing. Partly because Posil is explaining the rules so fast you can barely understand everything and also because the rules are convoluted to begin with. Convoluted to the point that you actually have to stop Posil from his fast-talking to re-explain things. "Wait, what does a blue star mean again?" you ask. "It means you pull another card, but only if it's your second turn." Posil says. "I thought that was three green skulls." "No, that means you reverse the order of play." "I thought that was nine black crosses." "No, you draw four more cards on your first turn with those." "By the gods, are these infernals fucking thick. Can't even understand a simple fucking game. Then again I guess they don't do much thinking. Just a lot of fighting and fucking." One of the angels snorts. "Celestial if things were different, I guarantee you'd know all about getting fucked with my blade up your ass." "Okay, okay, everyone settle down. Let's just play the game, you'll get it soon enough." You start to play through your practice hands, which go about as expected. You half understanding what's going on and losing. What isn't expected though is you start to feel odd, like occasionally seeing double. At one point you look at your cards and it's almost as if the images on them are changing. "Your turn infernal" Posil says. "Oh. Here." You answer throwing down a card. "I needed one of those." An angel says. "Well keep needing, because I'm taking it." Another says. "This is why you never win, you're always announcing your intentions." Posil remarks. "...damn..." you mutter closing your eyes. You experience another moment of disorientation and you look again and see your cards changing and hear whispering voices. You can't make out what they're saying but it's really intrusive. You blink again, and it's all stopped, though now there's a red portal in the room. None of the angels seem to notice or even acknowledge it. You aren't sure what's going on here, but it's more than just a card game. "Is there a problem infernal?" Posil asks. > You point out the portal "Yeah there's a portal right over there that just appeared." You say and point at it. "What portal?" Posil asks and looks over in the direct that you pointed. "That one right there!" "I don't see anything." "The infernal is seeing shit." One angel says. "I'm telling you there's a fucking portal right over here, it's fucking red! Look!" Posil looks closer and puts a hand to his chin. "Hm, I'm not seeing what you're seeing, is it over by the bartender?" "What? It's nowhere near him! It's over by the...oh fuck it..." you say and stand up to walk over to where the portal is. When you get closer to the portal it hasn't changed at all though by the looks of the angels, they don't seem convinced anything is there. Posil asks if any of them see anything but none of them do. Posil gets up and walks over towards you. "I think you're seeing things my demon beauty. Though this place has been known to have that affect on your kind seeing as it was designed more for us celestial types and all." Posil remarks. As Posil is walking about saying how you're seeing things, he walks right through the portal and out the other side like it wasn't there. "What..." you say and get closer to the portal yourself. Then suddenly you feel a very strong pull towards the portal! "I can't believe she fell for that! These brimstone bitches, all beauty and no brains. We were good to our deal though, you played with us and now you get to see the other infernal cunt. Though maybe just not in the way you thought, I'm sure an infernal such as yourself can appreciate the situation." Posil laughs. As the other angels join in on his laughter you attempt to resist being pulled into the portal, but no matter how much you struggle or fight, it's just too strong and you eventually are sucked into the portal. When you come out, you're in some place surrounded by a gray haze. Before you can get your bearings however, you feel a crushing blow to the back of your head and get slammed to what seems to be an invisible floor by a heavy mass. You manage to roll out of the way of the next assault to see what's attacking you and see it's Sinthinia, but only barely. Her lower half is a formless mass of flesh with various appendages coming from them and her upper half isn't much different. Her head has several eyes and mouths. "Cista, I'm so glad you followed me here, now we can finally settle our differences." Sin says, though several voices emanate from her. Some of them screaming, laughing and generally gibbering. You manage to lop off several of her appendages and instinctively you start casting magic, which surprisingly works here (wherever that is). Sinthinia gets in her own attacks and damages your armor. Under normal circumstances, you'd beat her easily even in her new horrible form. The problem lies in that she's not alone and voices start invading your mind. Whispers of giving up, joining them and general madness all keep you off your game making the combat more difficult. You slash, chop, burn and disintegrate Sin's unstructured body, but you soon learn about these ancient ones she kept babbling about. The gray outside your prison has turned completely black, the incoherent voices of madness are even louder. Your attempts to mentally block them out fail, as you can't escape to anywhere. In one of the rare times of your life, fear and hopelessness takes you over completely You fall to the floor clutching your head, screaming for the sounds to get out of your mind. You close your eyes not wanting to see what is coming. You don't initially, but you feel everything and eventually the rest of your senses follow, but by the time that happens you're not yourself anymore.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, grimdark] While you'd rather not waste anymore time in this place, you get impression that just wandering around yourself isn't going to be as quick as if you got the help of some of the locals. So if that means playing some stupid game to get Sinthinia then so be it. You take a seat. "Alright, so explain the rules, play through a couple practice hands, and then play for real. After that you take me to Sinthinia." You say. "Absolutely. So what do we get?" Posil asks. "I thought you said you just wanted to break up the monotony." "Oh right. I did. Well I mean in retrospect it seems like we should be getting something out of this than just your lovely company." "Well you should have made that stipulation before you made your initial offer. My company is all you're getting and be grateful you're even getting that." "Hm, well I suppose we lack the quick tricky tongue that you infernal types have for making deals. Very well, I suppose your company will have to suffice, but I think you'll change your mind." "Can we get on with the fucking game?" Posil begins to explain the rules of the game, which is very confusing. Partly because Posil is explaining the rules so fast you can barely understand everything and also because the rules are convoluted to begin with. Convoluted to the point that you actually have to stop Posil from his fast-talking to re-explain things. "Wait, what does a blue star mean again?" you ask. "It means you pull another card, but only if it's your second turn." Posil says. "I thought that was three green skulls." "No, that means you reverse the order of play." "I thought that was nine black crosses." "No, you draw four more cards on your first turn with those." "By the gods, are these infernals fucking thick. Can't even understand a simple fucking game. Then again I guess they don't do much thinking. Just a lot of fighting and fucking." One of the angels snorts. "Celestial if things were different, I guarantee you'd know all about getting fucked with my blade up your ass." "Okay, okay, everyone settle down. Let's just play the game, you'll get it soon enough." You start to play through your practice hands, which go about as expected. You half understanding what's going on and losing. What isn't expected though is you start to feel odd, like occasionally seeing double. At one point you look at your cards and it's almost as if the images on them are changing. "Your turn infernal" Posil says. "Oh. Here." You answer throwing down a card. "I needed one of those." An angel says. "Well keep needing, because I'm taking it." Another says. "This is why you never win, you're always announcing your intentions." Posil remarks. "...damn..." you mutter closing your eyes. You experience another moment of disorientation and you look again and see your cards changing and hear whispering voices. You can't make out what they're saying but it's really intrusive. You blink again, and it's all stopped, though now there's a red portal in the room. None of the angels seem to notice or even acknowledge it. You aren't sure what's going on here, but it's more than just a card game. "Is there a problem infernal?" Posil asks. > You keep playing You get the impression that whatever is going on here is probably some sort of trickery to throw you off the game so you leave rather than play and they won't have to live up to their offer. "Nothing's wrong. Go." You say and play another card, ignoring the portal. Another round is played and the next time you look where the portal was, it's gone completely. "So we almost done playing this pointless game or am I wasting my fucking time?" you say. "We'll play a few more games, you infernals are so impatient. No time for foreplay in hell I guess though eh?" Posil chuckles. As you start another round, one of the angels sitting close begins leaning towards you. "So infernal, what's it like in hell?" the angel asks. "What do you think it's like?" "I dunno, never been there. I assume there's a lot of fire with a red sky and torture." "Sounds about right and sit back celestial." "Is there a lot of rape?" "I'm sure it happens. Wouldn't be hell if it didn't." You answer. "Has it ever happened to YOU?" "I said get back celestial." "I bet it did, didn't it?" "Last chance to get the fuck back " "Hah! And what are YOU going to do about it infernal bitch?" "I'll...what the fuck?!" You are taken off guard when you look at the offending celestial directly and see his face as nothing but a gaping maw with rows teeth. Nearly falling backwards in your chair, you manage to maintain your balance as you stand up and draw your sword. All the celestials start smirking and chuckling, but they all look normal. "Again with the violence, I thought we were through all this, it doesn't work here. So even if we were going to honor you by gang rape, we'd obviously need your permission first." Posil snorts. "Wait, if we had her permission, doesn't that mean it wouldn't be rape anymore?" another angel asks. "Not the way I do it." Another angel says with a laugh. There's no question about it now, SOMETHING else is going on here and these aren't celestials. They aren't just rebels or fallen either. You feel like something more has gone on with them or possibly they never were celestials and are just mimicking them. You've also had enough of this mind fuckery that's been going on since you got here. You're starting to get the impression that given you have no back up and no knowledge of what this strange place or its inhabitants are capable of you should just leave. Even if it isn't ideal that you don't have Sinthinia, you'll just have to dispense justice at a more opportune time. As you start to leave, Posil and the rest stand up. "Hey where are you going, I thought you wanted that succubus?" Posil asks. "I do, but I'm obviously wasting my time here with you degenerate assholes." You remark. "Oh come on, I didn't take you infernals as an overly sensitive bunch that got offended so easily. That'll change though when we're all united the old ones." "What?" Suddenly Posil starts cursing, realizing he's said something he shouldn't have, the rest of the angels start looking at each other. "Knew you weren't celestials." You say and leave. You haven't gotten far, when Posil and the rest of his little gang follow you outside. "That's right infernal, we aren't celestials! We're better! You'll soon learn that! The whole cosmos will and when our time comes, it will be terrible and glorious!" Posil shouts. "If it involves more of your pontificating, it'll definitely be terrible, I doubt it'll be glorious though." You answer without even looking back. Before you can continue your exit out of town, Posil suddenly appears in front of you. He has a psychotic look on his face that mixes a maniacal smile and malevolence. "Oh, I'm going to walk under that infernal red sky with you." He says. "You going to hold my hand too?" you answer with your sword still ready. Before Posil can come up with another snappy retort. Engan materializes nearby. He doesn't look pleased either. "Posilodja! What did I tell you?!" Engan questions. "I..." is all Posil "I don't want to hear it! Go back to your post!" Posil doesn't say anymore, he gives you one more scowling glance and flies off. You're about to do likewise, but then Engan wants to speak to you. "I apologize for Posil and his friends' behavior..." Engan says before you interrupt. "Save it Engan. I've already seen and heard enough to know this isn't a place for me. I don't even think it's a place for you lot given the inkling of what it seems like it's done to you. I'm going to guess wherever Sin is in this place, it probably is nowhere plesant, so I'll just hope that she's suffered at least as equal to what I would have done." "You've got the wrong idea, and as I said, I can take you to her." "Oh I bet you can, and then I'd bet I'd be trapped right along side her. So I'll just be leaving." For a brief moment you see Engan's shimmering silver skin, turn a dull gray and his face show an obvious sign of displeasure. However, he then hoovers away backwards a bit before speaking again. "Very well. Now is not your time, but it will be coming infernal. And when that time comes I hope you will be more open to the only truth that matters." "Only thing that's going to be open is your insides the next time I see any of you lot again and I guarantee there won't be some no violence barrier in the infernal realm." Engan says nothing to your last statement and disappears. You then make haste out of the town and back towards where you first came through the portal. You activate your beacon stone and enter the portal when it reappears. A brief brightness and then you're back in Sinthinia's old room. You never thought you'd feel more at ease here than you do right now. You look around and see nobody. Zel isn't even here at her machine that opened up the portal in the first place. Though you got a good idea of who she's probably with and what's she's doing. Not long after your arrival, you immediately find the first soldiers you bump into and start giving out orders. There is much to do and the first thing you do is tell your troops to go fetch Zel as you have important work for her. You also tell them to bring Captain Spol to you. As even if in the off chance that he didn't disobey your orders and stayed away from Zel, you still don't feel comfortable with him lurking about. Your little trip has made you a little extra paranoid and you're going to have to very prepared for what's coming as you don't think those were idle threats made by those corrupted celestials. The Future... "I think we can set up a base on this world, General. From what we can tell, this world has a suitable magic level and even minor infernal connections. Looks like someone tried to influence it at one time and was either stopped or lost interest. I think with sufficient time and forces in place, you'll be able to use the full extent of your powers." Zeljenir says. "Hm, good. Send out the girls to seek out the mortals with power and any fringe cults that may exist." You remark. "Understood. Am I to assist too?" "Not at this time, I want you to start setting up some basic defenses here. These sorts of old ruins are notorious for adventurers to stumble into and I'm not going to always have time to run around chopping their heads off immediately. Later we can probably enslave some competent lower life forms to serve." "Understood General." Zel says and leaves. You look around at the newest place you've decided to call home and can't believe it's come to this. Hiding out on a mortal world after nearly being killed in your own realm. You thought you would be prepared, and indeed you did prepare to the point of slowing down your conquest of the infernal realm and focusing more on defense. Though short of perhaps having trustworthy allies you don't think you would have been able to withstand the onslaught that you faced against the abominations that came screaming out of the portals during the initial invasion. The funny thing is they ALL seemed to focus on you first. Granted there were attacks elsewhere, but all their forces attacked your territory first. You can guess that your visit REALLY pissed off some of the more "individual" of the invasion force. You had to face Posil, Engan, and Sinthinia (in her new changed form) all at some point. You nearly died in battle more than once, and about the only major victory you at least felt satisfaction about was utterly destroying that degenerate ex-celestial Posil and making sure he and his three closest cohorts were never coming back. Still, it was never enough and of course in typical infernal fashion your immediate neighbors did nothing to help, indeed they probably were filled with glee about your losses. Short sighted however, because when the invaders were finishing your last remnant holdings, they turned their attentions elsewhere at last. Your territory had become a staging ground for futher attacks on the infernal realm, which was already starting to be transformed before you escaped. Escaping to other parts of the infernal realm were futile, on top of the ancients seemingly sending hunters after you specifically, other infernal leaders never welcomed you into their lands. Unsurprising of course. With nothing left and an ever-dwindling number of loyalists, you pondered making one last stand, but then you realized that would ultimately not prove anything and certainly not allow you to get revenge. You made plans to escape to a mortal world and attempt to rebuild. This of course would have problems as you would be no longer linked to your home realm's power source, but there were ways around that thanks to Zel and her research. And now after several attempts, it will be THIS world where you will rebuild everything. The average mortal inhabitants will be much weaker than even the lowliest of infernal, but that's okay, they'll be easier to mold. And if there's anything you're aware of, highly skilled mortals can defy even the greatest of odds. They're annoying that way. And the irony of all this, a lot of this is reliant on several teams of succubi who tagged along with you during your escape. Why they followed you given your hostile attitude towards their kind is only a mild surprise. After all, they aren't above degrading themselves for survival and their main powers aren't much good against the chaotic abominations from beyond. But they're great against mortals. They'll help build you an army. In time perhaps you'll manage to transform this world into something more like home. You never thought your plans would ever be reliant on the very hell whores you despise, but as they say, any port in the storm. And this is going to be a long storm, but you'll ride it out.

You're not travelling with this angelic fuck no matter how polite he's being. Besides the fact that you're not here to make friends and have a job to do, you just don't trust him. After all this IS supposed to be a prison. Who knows what the hell he did to get kicked out of the heavens in the first place. "I'll find her myself. The closer I get, the better I can sense her. It isn't like this place is brimming to the top with infernal aura." You say. "Ah, you infernals always so distrusting. Very well, feel free to explore." Engan replies and then teleports away. Feeling a little less annoyed now, you make your way towards the town. When you get to the outskirts of the town, you notice it's pretty quiet. You aren't seeing anyone even walking (or flying for that matter) around. You get further in the town and that's when you start seeing small groups of celestials. Or you're guessing they are at any rate, they aren't nearly as "impressive" looking as Engan. No shimmering silver skin here, just a bit of sickening sparkling and those feathery white wings. Other than that, they might as well be humans. Doesn't take long for you to gain a lot of attention. Some of them start whispering and pointing at you. A couple of them wave and smile, but none of them are really approaching you though. So much for celestial hospitality, though just well since you'd rather not have to talk with them and since you probably can't kill them either, you don't see much point in any type of interaction. What you don't quite understand about this town as you travel through it, is the whole purpose of it. If this is supposed to be a prison for naughty angels, shouldn't it just be a barren wasteland of gray? Also this place is again very "mortal" in appearance. Why would they need blacksmith shops, taverns and such? In fact do celestials even drink? You suppose the bad ones do, but then shouldn't they NOT be doing that as part of the rehabilitation? This of course then leads to the question of whose idea was it to make this place anyhow. Despite what Engan said about being disconnected from their heavenly realm, you're still convinced this is a pretty shitty form of punishment. You could think of MUCH worse and more fitting punishments for this lot. In any case, you still aren't sensing Sinthinia like you thought you would. You can sense an infernal presence faint enough to know she is here, but you can't tell if you're actually getting any closer to her. You begin to get angry and the ongoing celestial aura in this place is still enough to give you discomfort in your armor. Eventually you realize you might need some assistance and enter the tavern you saw to ask questions. It's pretty empty. You see a few angels sitting at a table and a barkeeper polishing glasses. The angels at the table look like they're playing a game of some sort, but you don't actually see any of them drinking though. While the barkeep continues to not look up or even acknowledge your entrance, the group of angels at the table actually waves you over to take a seat with them. Since the last thing you want to do is hang around a group of these sparkling fuckers, the barkeep it is. You approach the barkeep who still hasn't even looked up. He's REALLY focused on polishing his glasses. You notice he's muttering to himself though. "Must get clean. Can't have a spot...." The barkeep says. "Hey you." You say. "Must get clean..." "HEY!" you say raising your voice. He finally looks up at you and doesn't even seem surprised that you're not another angel. "Huh? Oh. Did you need a drink?" he asks. "No, I need to know where the succubus is in this town." You say. "There's one here? Didn't realize. I don't leave this place very much though. Not many infernals come here anyway. Not really a place for them. Not really a place for anyone really. In fact I think you should go." "I'm not leaving until I get what I came here for." "Well if you don't leave, you may get more than you bargained for." At this point the angel stops polishing the glass and slams it hard on the bar top. Hard enough in fact that he shatters it. "Oh no. I'll have to clean that up too." He says calmly looking at the glass. "Hey, demon girl. You might want to get away from barkeep there. He's not quite right in the head, talks a lot of nonsense. Even we've given up on what he's trying to say most of the time. Best to just leave him to cleaning and pouring drinks if you really want one. My name's Posilodja. Come sit over here with us you infernal beauty." One of the angels at the table calls over to you and pats the seat of a chair near him. Infernal beauty? Is this celestial actually trying to flirt with you? You've had mortals do a much better job in that area. You might be amused if you weren't so revolted by the thought. "I'm good standing over here, but since you're so friendly, any of you bird winged fucks want to tell me where the succubus bitch is?" "Oh her? She's around somewhere. Wish she was in my lap right now though, so I can put some goodness in her." This crude sexual joke is followed by all of the angels at the table laughing loudly and another making some additional joke. You roll your eyes. "Oh wow, did we actually offend you by our little jokes? An infernal? Thought you lot were supposed to have skin almost thicker than my holy instrument!" Posilodja says. "The only offensive thing around here, is your severe lack of imagination if you believe that. Your wit is about the same level as a mortal in these matters. What would an angel know about carnal pleasures anyway?" "Oh you'd be surprised infernal. Many celestials have...fallen due to engaging with mortals you know." "And? That doesn't exactly impress me. Shit, the bitch I'm looking for was an expert at fucking mortals for thousands of years. Just because you got love sick over some priestess and fucked her because she liked sparkling cock doesn't make you an expert." "Well, I could show you. We ALL could." At this moment the lead angel gets up followed by the other three also standing up. You instinctively grab your sword even though you know violence is prevented here. "With your permission of course..." Posilodja says with a smile and looking at his fellows for validation, which of course they give him by snickering. "You wish sparkle boy. Now you going to continue to waste my time or are you going to tell me where the succubus is?" you say. "Fine. I'll tell you, but you'll have to play a game with us first." Posilodja replies. "Yeah, I don't have time for fucking games." "Well then I don't have time to tell you the information you want to know. I'm betting our beloved mayor already offered and you turned him down. You're not going to get many others here that are going to be willing to help find her and I guarantee, you are not going to find her unless someone leads you to her." "Why are you lot protecting her? I mean she's an infernal, I would think you'd want her out of here. Is she fucking all of you degenerates in this town?" "If only. I'm not sure if the mayor told you, but she does have a certain kind of asylum here thanks to some agreement he has with another infernal that's passed through here a few times. Now granted we aren't going to stop you from taking her, but we aren't going to make it easy without something in return at least. Fortunately for you, I only want to play a game with you, we all do." "A game huh? What is it?" "A simple card game. I can explain the rules and we can even play a few practice hands until you get the hang of it." "So what's in it for you?" "Nothing, other than we've been playing the game with the same people for...well a very long time. It would break up the monotony to play with someone different, especially an infernal as...interesting as yourself." Maybe because you've never experienced this before by celestials, but you REALLY feel uneasy around this bunch. They're all looking you up and down with desire in their eyes. You're even covered up from head to toe in armor and about the only skin they can see is some of your face. You've had that experience from mortals and infernals before but you expect it from them and even then, you don't get them doing it much anymore. You'd probably feel less uneasy if you knew you could just chop their heads off, but since that isn't an option about the best thing you could do is just ignore them and leave. > You Leave If you didn't trust one angel willing to help you, there's no reason you're going to trust a group of them who are obviously here for failing whatever celibacy rules they're supposed to follow. "I'll find her myself." You say and turn to walk away. "Very well, we'll be still be here if you change your mind. If you don't well at least we get to watch you walk out the door." Posilodja says causing more snickering from his friends. You can't take their tiresome innuendo anymore and you end up picking up a nearby chair and throwing it at them. One of them immediately ducks out of the way, while the rest do nothing but laugh as it bounces off some invisible barrier causing no harm other than the chair that breaks into pieces. "What the hell are you ducking for ya idiot? She can't hurt us remember?" one of them says to the other on the floor. "I dunno, instinct I guess." He replies. "The infernal is hot tempered along with having that hot armored bod! Watch out fellas!" Posilodja laughs. While you scowl in anger, you notice the barkeep quickly go over to the remnants of the chair and clean it up. You can't do anything else here other than take away their source of amusement by leaving so you do so. You walk away from the tavern trying to cool down and you don't have much luck in doing so since you're still pissed about not being able to find Sinthinia. You ask a few other angels (Well more like demand), but other than some overly pleasantness that seems forced, you don't get the answers you seek. Lacking any other ideas, you decide to start just entering houses and buildings. The problem is this doesn't work. You can enter the public buildings just fine, but whenever you attempt to enter a house, an invisible force stops you even when the door is open. "What the fuck, I'm not a fucking vampire!" you say the first time you encounter this situation. Attempting to bash down the doors or windows doesn't work either and the only thing that you do succeed in doing is getting a few angels asking you nicely to leave their homes alone and what is troubling you. "YOU! ALL OF YOU SPARKLING FUCKS ARE TROUBLING ME! I WISH I COULD KILL YOU ALL SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY!" you shout. "Funny enough, they probably wish that too." You hear a voice say behind you. You turn around and see a gaunt looking man with long hair, he looks somewhat raggedy and you even catch a whiff of body odor coming off of him, though the fact he isn't sparkling makes him immediately more tolerable. "You're a human, not an angel." You say. "No shit. Then again neither are most of the inhabitants of this town. Or at least not really anymore. My name is Arash" The man says. "What're you doing here? You a prisoner here?" "Aren't we all? Though in my case, I'm here by accident. Had a magic ring that allowed me to travel to different planes, though it wasn't exactly the most reliable as I soon found out. Ran out of power and got stranded here. Been stuck here ever since and it sucks a lot. I should have died from a lack of food and water a long time ago, but this place is just keeping me alive. I suppose it COULD be worse, I could have ended up from where you're from." "The mayor said the angels usually assist you in heading back home." "Pfft. They can't assist in doing shit and the mayor is the biggest fucking liar here. The few other mortals that have had the misfortune of stumbling in here to my knowledge have never left and non-mortals don't do much better." "Wait, so all I've seen so far is angels, where are the non-angels then?" "Probably locked away in an area known as the Cells. That's where they tend to go." So far this human seems to be the most "tolerable" person you've encountered here. Though given what he's telling you this does raise some questions. "Okay, so how exactly are they shoving non-celestials in cells? Isn't that an act of violence, to take people where they don't want to be?" you ask. "Of course it is. Hence why they just trick people into them. That helpful act usually comes with a price and before they know it, the trusting fools are locked away here. And before you ask, I never trusted them to begin with, let alone accepted their help hence why I'm walking around in town and not in some cell. They don't really like it, but not much they can directly do." The man says. "So did you see a couple of infernals arrive here before I did?" "Yeah, I figured that's why you were here. Saw Big Red and some other female demon though she got taken away pretty quickly. She was screaming saying how much pain she was in from the burning. Guessing some angels helped her too and she's probably in the cells." "Damn, wait you know of Big Red?" "I'd ask if they were friends of yours, but I know you infernals don't tend to have any. Not to mention I know enough of Big Red to know he's definitely nobody's friend. He tried to offer me a deal once to get out of here and I thought 'd be better off asking the fallen celestials for help with what he'd probably do with my body and soul." "I've heard he's been here before." "He's been here several times. He and the mayor of this town got some sort of arrangement. I'm guessing it might have something to do with the cells, but I don't really know. Probably had the agreement longer than I've been here that's for certain." "Is there anyway to get into the cells? I need to find that burned succubus bitch you mentioned." "You can't get in there without help from the celestials, and you don't want their help. If this is some sort of attempt at revenge for whatever reason, trust me whatever she did to you, she's paying for it now." "How do you know?" "Well...because I may have managed to get into the place once and let's just say I didn't like what I saw. If I could sleep in this dreary prison, I think I'd have nightmares about the place. Even without being able to sleep I still see mental images of shit. The sights, the sounds, the SMELLS...it's not good." "I'm an infernal, whatever so called horrors you saw I'm sure pale in comparison to what I've seen back home." "Perhaps you're right. However, something about the place just felt really wrong. I mean...I dunno I can't explain it. I threw up shortly after stepping foot into the place and then after seeing a few things, I ran out as soon as I could. I think the mayor knows I've been in there, but has never said anything." "So if you've been able to get in there, you can get me in there." "Have you listened to a word I've said? The place is horrible and I'll never go back it! As I said, if the succubus you're hunting is in there, then you don't need to get revenge or whatever, she's paying for shit she's done to you and then some, trust me. Honestly if you've got a way to get out of this place then I'd say just chalk this up as a win and head back to your home." At this point you're inclined to take the human's advice because you've about had it with this place. And if what he's saying is remotely true, then you suppose Sinthinia isn't going to be bothering you anytime soon. Of course, you don't like loose ends either and your desire to see this through and make Sinthinia pay personally hasn't diminished. > You go home As much as you're loathed to admit, something about this place IS unsettling. There is a sense of wrongness that even without the human's warnings that has you slightly more uneasy about all this than you've ever felt in the infernal realm. If you had at least some sort of back up or even more knowledge of this place, you might be inclined to take more risk, but ultimately you decide that you gave it a shot and it might be better to err on the side of caution. Still, you hate just leaving Sinthinia unpunished, but hopefully the human is right and she's already suffering a fate worse than death (and then death too). You take your leave of the human without saying another word and start to make your way out of the town. A few groups of celestials watch you, but nobody else approaches to talk. Eventually you reach the tree and as you're about to open the portal with your beacon stone, you hear a voice, several of them in fact. "Leaving so soon? You should stay here with us. You think you have a destiny there? Stay and discover what true destiny is." Other voices say something similar, all with the urging of wanting you to stay. Part of this is odd since you've felt mildly unwanted since you came here, but then again nothing about this place has felt very natural. You shake off the minor pull to stick around and open the portal to enter it. As soon as you arrive, you immediately feel a difference in your comfort level. This might be hell, but there really is no place like home. You also notice that Zeljenir isn't at her post like she should be, in fact nobody is in the room at all. Good thing you didn't need any help immediately. You soon bump into some underlings that were unaware that you were back and mention they think they saw Zeljenir with Captain Spolnapad earlier. You shake your head and demand to know where they were seen heading. You're already in a bad mood from your recent trip. You haven't been gone long and subordinates are losing their damn minds disobeying direct commands. Doesn't take long to find Spol and Zel going at it in some room...with a crowd watching. When the crowd sees you, most of them quickly scatter or at least get out of your way. Spol turns his head just in time to see your blade coming down on it, causing blood to splatter on your armor, on the floor and on Zel's back. "How the fuck did you do that, you're still inside...oh shit!" Zel says turning her head and realizing the wetness on her back was a release precious fluids of a whole different kind. Zel immediately rolls and scoots away before Spol's body slumps lifelessly to the floor. She says nothing and just looks up at you with wide-eyed fear. At this point everyone else has run out the room. "You both had ONE job..." "I..." "SILENCE! I don't want to hear excuses! I can see a more direct method of getting you to obey is going to be necessary." "M..mercy my General!" "Mercy? This is the infernal realm my dear, have you forgotten that? Apparently you need to be reminded of several important things and unfortunately for you, you are still useful to me, so death will be denied...but oh you will wish for it everyday..." The Future... "General, we're at a stand still with the abominations. We can't attack without weakening our position. We need reinforcements from the Fortress of Torment." Attack, counterattack, reinforce, repeat. That's all you've been doing for the past few years. You're sick of this quagmire and even more pissed that if things keep going this way, the abominations are probably going to slowly make progress through attrition eventually. Ever since you left that place, you knew that you'd have to deal with it again someday. That was never more apparent when Sinthinia showed up again to lead an attack on your territory. She wasn't dead, but she certainly wasn't an infernal anymore, let alone a succubus. She was some sort of transformed eldritch puppet spreading corruption to the land. You might have been prepared to the point of paranoia, but that first lightning strike still caught you off guard and Sin's continued relentless attacks on your territory certainly took its toll and still continues to. Many times, you've wished you had been strong enough to stay in that accursed place if only to finish her off. You've had the chance several times to correct that mistake, but it's only resulted in more stand offs. Every time she gets away or cheats death is an insult. The only positive is what territory you've managed to hold on to is firmly defended and disciplined. First thing you did when you came back was completely restructure and purge certain elements that you felt weren't pulling their weight. Fear and respect are nice, but such things are still fleeting in a place like this. Your main way to correct this problem didn't necessarily involve death (though there was a lot of that) but the improved method of completely removing free will. Zeljinir was one of the few instrumental subordinates in coming up with a mass correcting technique involving infernal technology. Though of course you had to correct Zel's own shortcomings yourself, but after you did, her focus was always on her work. Now, you have some of the most obedient minions in the infernal realm. Those that haven't been corrected, at least fear enough of becoming so. Of course the downside of all this is most of your minions aren't the most creative. You sometimes wish this wasn't the case as even you know that the lowliest of soldiers benefit from thinking on their own for survival at times. Even Zel, who hasn't had her mind completely stripped of independent thought, isn't as creative as she probably could be. Every once in awhile there is a spark of imagination, but as it stands, most of her inventions focus on mundane practicality. Hopefully that's enough to at least help hold back the tide of chaos that continues assault your doorstep. You have enough problems with exterior strife, no need to have your attention divided to potential interior strife as well. There has to be some beacon of order in all this chaos. And a "beacon of order" is exactly what your territory has become since it isn't like you're the only target. The entire infernal realm is under attack by these unnatural horrors. Portions of it have begun to warp into something completely different. Something more akin to the invaders' liking. Even native infernals are starting to transform if they aren't killed outright. The unseen (and almost mythical) so called "Lords of Hell" are supposed to be setting things in motion to repel this invasion, but you aren't holding your breath on that. You're on your own as usual. You nod at your subordinate's words. "Very well, pull our forces back and shore up our defenses and immediately send word to the Fortress for reinforcements." You order. With your orders acknowledged and to be carried out, you return to your own ideas on how to try to gain an advantage to break this stalemate. Your own goals of uniting the infernal realm under your command have been put on hold in favor of patience to endure this extended hindrance. But then you've always been good at that at least.

If you didn't trust one angel willing to help you, there's no reason you're going to trust a group of them who are obviously here for failing whatever celibacy rules they're supposed to follow. "I'll find her myself." You say and turn to walk away. "Very well, we'll be still be here if you change your mind. If you don't well at least we get to watch you walk out the door." Posilodja says causing more snickering from his friends. You can't take their tiresome innuendo anymore and you end up picking up a nearby chair and throwing it at them. One of them immediately ducks out of the way, while the rest do nothing but laugh as it bounces off some invisible barrier causing no harm other than the chair that breaks into pieces. "What the hell are you ducking for ya idiot? She can't hurt us remember?" one of them says to the other on the floor. "I dunno, instinct I guess." He replies. "The infernal is hot tempered along with having that hot armored bod! Watch out fellas!" Posilodja laughs. While you scowl in anger, you notice the barkeep quickly go over to the remnants of the chair and clean it up. You can't do anything else here other than take away their source of amusement by leaving so you do so. You walk away from the tavern trying to cool down and you don't have much luck in doing so since you're still pissed about not being able to find Sinthinia. You ask a few other angels (Well more like demand), but other than some overly pleasantness that seems forced, you don't get the answers you seek. Lacking any other ideas, you decide to start just entering houses and buildings. The problem is this doesn't work. You can enter the public buildings just fine, but whenever you attempt to enter a house, an invisible force stops you even when the door is open. "What the fuck, I'm not a fucking vampire!" you say the first time you encounter this situation. Attempting to bash down the doors or windows doesn't work either and the only thing that you do succeed in doing is getting a few angels asking you nicely to leave their homes alone and what is troubling you. "YOU! ALL OF YOU SPARKLING FUCKS ARE TROUBLING ME! I WISH I COULD KILL YOU ALL SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY!" you shout. "Funny enough, they probably wish that too." You hear a voice say behind you. You turn around and see a gaunt looking man with long hair, he looks somewhat raggedy and you even catch a whiff of body odor coming off of him, though the fact he isn't sparkling makes him immediately more tolerable. "You're a human, not an angel." You say. "No shit. Then again neither are most of the inhabitants of this town. Or at least not really anymore. My name is Arash" The man says. "What're you doing here? You a prisoner here?" "Aren't we all? Though in my case, I'm here by accident. Had a magic ring that allowed me to travel to different planes, though it wasn't exactly the most reliable as I soon found out. Ran out of power and got stranded here. Been stuck here ever since and it sucks a lot. I should have died from a lack of food and water a long time ago, but this place is just keeping me alive. I suppose it COULD be worse, I could have ended up from where you're from." "The mayor said the angels usually assist you in heading back home." "Pfft. They can't assist in doing shit and the mayor is the biggest fucking liar here. The few other mortals that have had the misfortune of stumbling in here to my knowledge have never left and non-mortals don't do much better." "Wait, so all I've seen so far is angels, where are the non-angels then?" "Probably locked away in an area known as the Cells. That's where they tend to go." So far this human seems to be the most "tolerable" person you've encountered here. Though given what he's telling you this does raise some questions. "Okay, so how exactly are they shoving non-celestials in cells? Isn't that an act of violence, to take people where they don't want to be?" you ask. "Of course it is. Hence why they just trick people into them. That helpful act usually comes with a price and before they know it, the trusting fools are locked away here. And before you ask, I never trusted them to begin with, let alone accepted their help hence why I'm walking around in town and not in some cell. They don't really like it, but not much they can directly do." The man says. "So did you see a couple of infernals arrive here before I did?" "Yeah, I figured that's why you were here. Saw Big Red and some other female demon though she got taken away pretty quickly. She was screaming saying how much pain she was in from the burning. Guessing some angels helped her too and she's probably in the cells." "Damn, wait you know of Big Red?" "I'd ask if they were friends of yours, but I know you infernals don't tend to have any. Not to mention I know enough of Big Red to know he's definitely nobody's friend. He tried to offer me a deal once to get out of here and I thought 'd be better off asking the fallen celestials for help with what he'd probably do with my body and soul." "I've heard he's been here before." "He's been here several times. He and the mayor of this town got some sort of arrangement. I'm guessing it might have something to do with the cells, but I don't really know. Probably had the agreement longer than I've been here that's for certain." "Is there anyway to get into the cells? I need to find that burned succubus bitch you mentioned." "You can't get in there without help from the celestials, and you don't want their help. If this is some sort of attempt at revenge for whatever reason, trust me whatever she did to you, she's paying for it now." "How do you know?" "Well...because I may have managed to get into the place once and let's just say I didn't like what I saw. If I could sleep in this dreary prison, I think I'd have nightmares about the place. Even without being able to sleep I still see mental images of shit. The sights, the sounds, the SMELLS...it's not good." "I'm an infernal, whatever so called horrors you saw I'm sure pale in comparison to what I've seen back home." "Perhaps you're right. However, something about the place just felt really wrong. I mean...I dunno I can't explain it. I threw up shortly after stepping foot into the place and then after seeing a few things, I ran out as soon as I could. I think the mayor knows I've been in there, but has never said anything." "So if you've been able to get in there, you can get me in there." "Have you listened to a word I've said? The place is horrible and I'll never go back it! As I said, if the succubus you're hunting is in there, then you don't need to get revenge or whatever, she's paying for shit she's done to you and then some, trust me. Honestly if you've got a way to get out of this place then I'd say just chalk this up as a win and head back to your home." At this point you're inclined to take the human's advice because you've about had it with this place. And if what he's saying is remotely true, then you suppose Sinthinia isn't going to be bothering you anytime soon. Of course, you don't like loose ends either and your desire to see this through and make Sinthinia pay personally hasn't diminished. > You continue the search You're here now and you're not coming back without at least confirmation that Sinthinia is paying for her defiance against your regime. While you suppose you could just continue looking for her by yourself, you feel like this mortal is the best chance you have for a lead. He's more tolerable than the angels though the downside is he's not even willing to help you, but maybe that can be changed. "Human, if you just tell me where these cells are located, you don't even need to go there, just give me directions. In return I'll get you out of here." You offer. "Get me out of here eh? And I suppose much like Big Red's offer, that will involve a one way trip to the infernal realm where I can suffer for all eternity. Yeah, no thanks. This place might not be the most pleasant, but at least I'm not going to spend the rest of my afterlife existence with a pitchfork up my ass." Arash replies. "First of all, we'd use a variety of objects to shove up your ass. Second, I can promise you that wouldn't be your fate." "No, just some other equally horrible fate no doubt. Big Red attempted this too, and I wasn't buying it then. I know you infernals and you're twisty word tricks." "Well what would convince you? All I can offer is my word and granted that's a dubious offer from anyone, let alone from an infernal. I can only assure you that IF you tell me what I want to know and we all get out of this alive, I WILL honor a promise right here and now that your body and soul will NOT suffer a horrible agonizing fate by me directly or indirectly and you will be taken home to the place of your choosing." The human looks at your eyes with a mixture of suspicion and vague hopefulness. You know he really wants to leave this place despite his mistrustful nature. "You must REALLY want this bitch huh? Guessing she must have done something really bad to you, what was it exactly?" the human asks. "She defied the new order that I am bringing to the infernal realm. She must pay for her impudence and ideally I will decide her punishment directly." "Hm. Glad I'm not on your bad side, if you're willing to go to all this trouble...okay fuck it. Since you seem to be so driven on your task rather than concerning yourself with gaining my soul along with making a promise like you just did. I'll point you in the right direction, but since you are potentially my way out of this place, I feel like I should tell you a little more about this place in general just so you know what you're up against." "What's to know? This place is a prison for celestials, though it sounds like Engan has been turning it into his own personal playground." "Eh, that's only partially correct. During my time here, I've managed to hear things, find things and obviously see things that aren't what the mayor claims to be. This place wasn't created as a prison for celestials. From what I've gathered it was here long before that. Something much older created this little place or lived here or something. And I don't even think the original inhabitants are completely gone." "So?" "My point is, things are more fucked up here than they appear. While I'm sure you already got that impression, I'm stressing that these celestials aren't just here for minor offenses. I don't even think they were sent here as punishment. I think this was some sort of hiding place for them from whatever higher powers they offended, but it became a prison for them in the long run. They've been here so long now that this place has twisted their very essence so much that most of them are probably wishing they were dead. The others, well they've embraced it so much that they no longer could be considered celestials except in the superficial sense I suppose. Don't trust anything." "I'm an infernal. I never do. Duly noted though." Arash nods and then begins to tell you how to find the Cells. He explains to you that they are located in one of the houses in town close to the tavern, but you won't find it walking forward, you'll have to walk backwards. "Are you fucking serious?" you say. "This is how I found it by accident. I ended up taking a few steps backwards once and looked to my left and suddenly I saw a door that wasn't there before on one of the houses." Arash replies. "You sure it was always there and you just didn't notice it when passing before?" "The door was in the corner of the house AND it was upside down. I think I would have seen it before. I went in because it isn't like I had much else to do in this place. As I said, I wish I hadn't though, but in the off chance that you're successful in whatever it is you're attempting to do, I guess it will have been worth it." "Oh I'll be successful, and when I drag that bitch out of there, you better make sure you're near that dead tree outside town because it'll be your only chance to get out of here." "I guess I'll see. Oh one more thing infernal. When you find the door, chances are very likely that you'll start experiencing alterations of reality. I can't quite explain it entirely, but rest to say, it's unpleasant and not good. Be prepared." With those words, you take your leave of Arash and head back towards where the tavern was located. As you're passing the tavern you see Posil and his group hanging around outside this time. "Well if it isn't the infernal beauty back again. Change your mind about that game?" Posil asks. You ignore him and turn around and begin to walk backwards looking at the houses as you pass them by. "What the fuck is she doing?" one of the angels says. "Is she...?" another starts to ask. "I think so, you better go find Engan's ass." Posil remarks and all of them immediately fly off, though you're not really worried about it. You continue your search and finally you pass the house you seek. You see the upside door in the corner of it that Arash was talking about. You also feel a little odd. It's like when you were around Engan. And no sooner that you've had that thought Posil lands right in front of the door. He doesn't look quite as sparkly though. In fact his skin is grayer. It's matching the rest of this place in fact. "Sorry my infernal beauty, but I believe you've uncovered a part of this place that you probably shouldn't enter." Posil remarks. "Oh? And why is that?" you ask. "Well it's dangerous. There are some really evil types in there." You laugh at this remark. "You do realize you're speaking to an infernal right? Besides, isn't this whole place filled with evil types? I mean this whole place IS a prison correct?" you say. "No, we're not evil. We just merely just saw another way; in fact in some cases you could say some of us saw a BETTER way. And yes, this place is a prison, but even in a prison there are precautions to separate the deadlier prisoners from the rest of the population." "Hm from what I've heard this place isn't even a prison. It was here before you lot showed up to hide from the higher powers you offended." Now Posil no longer maintains his false smile at all, and you begin to see anger. "And I see you've been speaking to Arash. The filthy human that does nothing but spread lies and stink up the town. I'm surprised you would even be listening to such a lowly creature, but then you infernals have never been known for your intelligence." "Well then I guess it's time to stop thinking altogether and start doing something really stupid like entering your cells." You say and begin to move towards the door, Posil doesn't move though. "Stop! You don't have permission to enter!" Posil shouts. "Don't see why I wouldn't I'm an infernal. Pretty sure I qualify as what you would consider an evil type. Move aside Posil," "I'm not moving and you can't make me infernal. Now if you REALLY want to go inside, I suppose I can allow it, if you ask for permission and let me accompany you." "Last chance to get out of my way Posil." "Or you'll what? What can you do to me? No violence allowed infernal remember?" "Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough then..." you say drawing your sword. "Infernal, I'm warning you. Strike me with that sword and you'll regret it." You look around and see you've drawn a crowd of other celestials looking on. They all have different expressions on their faces. Some are obviously showing displeasure, though others are showing concern. Still others don't seem to show any sign that they care one way or another except this is something that is breaking up the monotony. None of them are trying to stop you however. Granted they can't touch you anymore than you can touch them, but they aren't protesting verbally either. They're all just watching and waiting to see what you might do next. While you're scanning the crowd one thing catches your eye for a second. You think you see one of the angels silently mouth the words "Free us." You look back at Posil and notice he's making odd twitching movements. You blink and for the briefest moment his face isn't the same, it's covered in multiple mouths and eyes. The mouths aren't all horizontal either, some are vertical and most of them are filled with disjointed teeth or drooling some sort of black liquid. The eyes are of all different colors and sizes. Then it's back to normal. Something definitely isn't right here and you're actually feeling... well the word isn't quite fear, but you're definitely feeling very uneasy. You haven't felt this way in a very long time. "Well? You going to swing that sword infernal? Or you just going to admire my superior celestial physique?" Posil asks with a grin that is entirely too wide. > You swing your sword You've already experienced being denied acts of violence twice, but somehow you do not feel there will be a third. Call it infernal instinct and throwing caution to the hells, but perhaps Arash's warning of alterations of reality occurring also apply to alterations of the "rules" to this place. So you focus all your willpower along with your rage and swing your sword at Posil. For the briefest moment he looks a little surprised that you actually did it and you're surprised that it actually worked when you sever his head from his body. However, the surprises keep coming. Posil's head falls to the ground and splatters into several large grubs that immediately try to crawl away. His body still stands before you and a large jagged mouth appears on his chest emanating a horrible scream. The scream is unlike anything you've experienced and it's mildly hurting your ears and causing some disorientation. Fortunately you're no mere mortal that's hindered by such things for very long and you blast Posil's body with hellfire. Posil's burning body begins to flail at you to which you respond to by dodging and chopping off one of his legs at the knee. Still screeching, he falls to the ground and manages to grab your ankle. Just as his fingers are transforming into tentacles to wrap around your leg better, you hack off his arm and pull his offending limb from you. Burning, screaming and bloody, Posil goes into a convulsing fit where upon he finally dies. You can tell due to his body just completely melting into a puddle of black ichor. No sooner this has happen, when one of the angels cries out from the crowd. "She's saved us! Don't you see?! She can kill us all! This is the savior we've needed!" she says. "No! Death will mean oblivion!" another shouts. "Better oblivion than this never ending torment!" While several angels are arguing the pros and cons of you killing them, a third group is visibly unhappy and begins to move directly towards you. "Interloper! You will not succeed in stopping our return!" one of them says in a raspy voice as he begins to shake and grow an extra pair of arms and legs from odd place of his body. Those with him begin to do something similar. Surprisingly, some of the angels that were calling you a savior pounce on the deformed ones. Fighting breaks out between them and it would appear that the no violence rule no longer applies. It's becoming apparent that neither are the rules of reality as the landscape starts warping slightly around you. Before you still lies the door to the "Cells" where Sinthinia is and who you were here in the first place. It's even open now, but you can't see into it though, it's just a black void. Meanwhile what angels that still remain are fighting amongst themselves. Some are calling on you to put an end to all this once and for all. You're not here to be any sort of savior however, you're here to retrieve your enemy that's escaped punishment. With the celestials preoccupied, you enter the doorway. At first there is just darkness. Even behind you it's dark, like the door you just stepped through didn't even exist. Suddenly the floor (Or whatever it is you were standing on) disappears beneath you causing you to start flapping your wings though as you proceed, you feel like you're flying through molasses at times. The darkness soon becomes that gray color you were familiar with before you entered this place. As strange as this place is, it isn't anything like what Arash was describing, but maybe it looks different to different people or maybe because he was human, who knows. The only thing breaking up the gray are floating black cube shaped cages that look like they contain beings inside them. You're guessing some invisible barrier is keeping them in and you since you presume Sinthinia is in one of these, you explore the closest one. You get to it and see what looks to be an earth elemental. Not that you've had much contact with elemental types, but it's obviously in pain given the low bellowing noises it occasionally makes. You can feel the vibrations even from outside the invisible barrier. Half of it is a melted puddle of brown goo with the occasional small tentacle coming out and sinking back in. Its stony face looks at you with what could only be described as a mixture of agony and hopefulness that you're here to free it. Then fleshy spider looking things crawl from where its eyes would be and you back away from the barrier. You pass other cubes and see a couple more elemental types, some plane walker mortals of all types, you even see a vampire, but all of them without exception are undergoing some sort of horrible transformation. Arash was right about some other race being here. This is not something the celestials created. This isn't even infernal work. This is something very old and you need to find Sinthinia and get out of this place as fast as you can before something worse begins to stir. Flying (swimming?) through the gray is very disorientating and you're trying to make a mental note of the cube locations so you can make your way back to the location of the doorway, but that's a bit difficult when the cubes are slowly floating around. You're still looking for Sinthinia, and that's when you hear a voice a familiar yet there's a sing song tone to it. "Cistiagonijaaaa, where are yoooou..." Engan calls out. You never told that silver bastard your name, but that hardly matters at this point. You're being hunted and while you know Engan is searching for you, who knows how many other corrupted celestials are doing likewise. "You really should have come with me when you first arrived. I could have made this so much easier for you. But I still have hope for you. I know you're not like other infernals. I could sense that. You have an orderly mind. I can tell you most here wouldn't like that, but I find it alluring. More of a challenge. Don't you agree it's much more satisfying when a prize isn't easy to take? When we join, you will be a great asset." Great, not content on just trying to kill you, this demented celestial is probably also trying to fuck you as well. You continue to ignore Engan's fat musings and keep alert. You soon come across another cube and just when you were thinking you were a fool for coming here, you see Sinthinia. Or at least what you think is her. Sinthinia turns to look at you with all six of the new eyes in her face. While she's no longer suffering from the burned skin brought on by celestial light you last saw, it's been replaced by a greenish mucus covered layer instead. Her overall form is still similar though her limbs in general are now twisted and crooked to a point that she cannot possibly stand up straight and is currently in a semi-hunched kneeling sitting position. Her wings are gone. Replaced by some sort of fleshy hump on her back and as is common with all these transformations you've seen, she's got a few tentacles growing out of her at odd places. While you can imagine some degenerates STILL finding this new form of hers appealing, her days of seducing the average mortal male (or female) are over. If she still had a mouth, she'd most likely be screaming. As it stands, she's putting her gnarly sticky claws against the invisible barrier keeping her in the cube and scratching at it. At first you believe she's just trying to get at you, but then you notice she's making gestures with her fingers in such a way to spell out "invisible" letters. K...I...L...L...M...E Over and over and over again. "I see you found your prize. Though I suppose she isn't quite the same since the last time you saw her." Engan says causing you to turn around. Engan still looks the same though his silver skin is a little duller, to the point where it's starting to look the same shade of gray as everything around you, but he's not spouting tentacles or anything like that yet. Though you're fully expecting anything at this point. "I would think this would be a bit of a dilemma for you. In your limited infernal mind, this probably seems like a fate worse than death and as such is a fitting punishment. You could easily just leave her to rot here satisfied in the knowledge that your revenge has been served. However, you aren't really interested in prolonging torment like most infernals are you? You dislike loose ends. You desired her death much more. In fact YOU wanted to carry it out personally. That is why you went to all this trouble isn't it?" You unleash a blast of hellfire at Engan, but as soon as you do, it turns into pixies, which then make little squealing sounds as they disintegrate into the gray. Engan smiles, but makes no move towards you, in fact he begins to float slightly away from you. "Laws of all kinds have no meaning here...well I suppose that isn't entirely true. There still are a few, but soon that will change. That will change everywhere. You see it's almost time. It's time for the true masters to return and tear down the rotten systems in place. There will be no celestial realm, there will be no infernal realm, there will be no mortal realm, there will be no realms at all, only pure untamed chaos." At this point you hear the sounds of Sinthinia slamming against her cube's force field aggressively. This is then followed by you quickly turning your attention back and forth to her and Engan. "I've heard about you and your attempts to bring order to your dismal realm. Impressive that you've been relatively successful considering your humble beginnings. Big Red has been most useful in that matter. Excellent mind that one, though I believe he thinks by making deals with the ancient ones he thinks he will somehow be exempt from their eventual success. He is quite wrong of course, but he shall be dealt with in time, after all the ancient ones are VERY patient." Engan says. "You're right about one thing, Big Red WILL be dealt with in time, but it'll be me doing it." You reply. Engan shakes his head at your response. "You still don't understand. You have already lost. All of you have. Entropy is the natural state of everything. Even in the infernal realm, you pathetic horned degenerates still adhere to a semblance of order. And now through your actions, I hear infernals are becoming more like celestials every moment just with a better sense of humor. Fitting I suppose, given the origins of both. I'm telling you though, when the ancients return, the infernal realm will not be able to stand against us. After it's done, even the memory of the infernals will not exist." You fly towards Engan as you're completely done with his need to pontificate about things that haven't even come to pass, but once again he floats backwards and disappears into the gray immediately. You quickly look around expecting him to attack, but instead you just get more talking, which is actually worse. "I can see the only way you're going to be able to see the truth is by direct action. Well we can oblige. Perhaps your prey can show you up close and personal." And that's when you hear Sinthinia release an unnatural wailing and you narrowly dodge out of the way as she lunges out of the cube she was previously locked in. Her form seems to be changing before your eyes as now a large mouth has appeared where her stomach would be and more tentacles have emerged from her body. "Cista...let me show you the horrible beauty that surpasses even the most terrible tortures of the infernal realm..." Sin utters from her new mouth, though her voice is changing several tones and at times there is an echo of the same words. This along with the whole unnaturalness of this place is once again starting to fuck with your head even worse now. "Cista, I've secretly always wanted you to be inside me, let us finally put aside our differences and make that come true." Sin adds and severalof her new tentacles from her body attempt to grab you. You dodge a few tentacles and chop off a couple with a sword blow. At least your sword is still working properly even if your magic isn't again. What isn't working is your concentration as you begin hearing the gibbering and caterwauling of more abominations approaching. Engan has apparently released the inhabitants of the other cells as well and right now they're all converging on your position. You need to retreat. However all those abominations are coming from the direction that you last remembered the entrance is located, you'll have to dodge and fight your way through. Not that you'd normally have an issue with that, but the mental onslaught is going to make it more difficult than it needs to be. Of course heading in the opposite direction is just going to get you deeper in this place to who knows where, if indeed it has an end at all. Maybe you can try to backtrack a long way around them though. Unfortunately neither choice is a sure thing as far as actually finding the entrance again. > You fight your way through Going deeper into this gray shit seems like a great way of getting even more lost and eventually losing your endurance given how this place is doing its best to try to sap your energy physically and mentally. You might as well put what strength you have now to good use and you certainly aren't lacking in that yet. "You want me inside you Sin? Fine, let's make it a date." You say and intend on making Sin your first casualty. Despite Sin's new transformation she's still not much of a fighter. She does her lunge attack again which you easily dodge and bring your sword down on one of the fleshy lumps on her back. Predictably it splits open unleashing all sorts of nastiness in the form of oversized bloody maggots with distorted faces all over them. A few of them latch on to you and you're really glad you're wearing armor right now because they start chewing through it almost immediately. You quickly grab them off of you and toss them into the gray. While Sin is attempting to turn around to attack, you strike again, running your sword through her back and out the new mouth that formed on the front of her body, you then pull upward as hard as you can, splitting her nearly in half as your sword carves up through her chest and out where her shoulder and neck meet. Sin unleashes an ear-piercing wail that causes you to reel backwards. A single long tentacle of hers wraps around your leg, but you chop it off before it can drag you back towards Sin who now is just a bloody mess of flailing limbs attached to a large piece of flesh. With the other abominations closing in, you figure you'll have to be satisfied with this amount of revenge on Sin and proceed towards your escape. First one that comes near, you manage to carve up while still not slowing down too much. After two more encounters like this, you can see one of the cubes floating in the distance. You really hope you're heading in the right direction and this place hasn't decided to completely change reality again. And then it does. Suddenly you find yourself no longer in an endless gray sea. Solid ground lies beneath you. Grass, blue sky, flowers, trees, looks like a mortal world. Nearby is a city, which looks painfully familiar. "No Not real." you whisper. Then it flashes back to the gray again. You're about to continue to the next floating cube you see in the distance and that's when you hear Engan again. "But it could be real. Anything can be real. You're only seeing grotesque horrors because you're because you're giving off hostility. If you stopped fighting for one moment, you would see that the ancients can allow you to experience wonderful things." Engan's voice says. You ignore these words and just continue towards where you believe is the exit. Engan doesn't stop talking of course. "I know, THEY know all about you Cista. You weren't always what you were now. They know how you suffer; you could eliminate that suffering and put away your struggles. Think about it. Don't you get tired of always having to fight all the time?" Your mind begins to slip and wander to simpler times in your past. You try to focus, but it's incredibly difficult. Your mind's defenses are starting to weaken. "All your life has been one big struggle with no end in sight. Your very nature has doomed you to such a fate. Even if you manage to escape from here, you will not avoid what is coming. Even if you managed to succeed in your impossible task to unite the infernal realm, you still would not be satisfied. The ancients WILL rise again and the infernal realm is going to one of the first places on the agenda to target." You get ambushed by an abomination while lost in thought. Your armor manages to absorb the blow, but it still feels like a crushing weight hitting your chest. You dodge its next attack and chop off a few of the thing's extra limbs followed by part of its head (or what's passing for its head at least) You're then attacked by another one latching on to your back and you feel your armor starting to weaken as one of its set of jaws sink in between your shoulder and neck. You give it a few blind punches to its face. You can't quite see what you're doing due to the angle, but you soon realize you've literally smashed its face into mush as the solidness becomes less so, causing it to release its grip. You follow up with a spinning sword strike, chopping it in half before flying away from both of them. "Join us and I promise you, the ancients will reward you. The ancients can change your nature, they can change reality! You're seeing this right now! I've seen this many times, it's why I abandoned to petty laws and misguided concepts of morality of the celestial realm. The heavens, the hells, the mortal realms, EVERYTHING can be changed for the better. Why would you fight against a better future when you could have a place in it?" You see it, you see the door. It's a distance away, but you see it. You instantly fly towards the only beacon of brightness in all this gray. Engan suddenly appears right in front of you and before you can even react, your mind is completely overcome by feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Feelings you haven't experienced in...well quite a long time. Your surroundings change again. This time the sky is red, the ground is red and the temperature is much hotter. Looks like the infernal realm, but of course you know it isn't. Doesn't change your current negative feelings though. You feel this overwhelming urge to start crying. "You know what you're feeling right now? You're feeling the weight of all your guilt, sadness, and regret. You may be able to keep those weaknesses locked away, but they are never really gone are they? They constantly torment you. I tell you again, you can shed all of that and be part of the new order that is to come." You begin to feel actual tears running from your eyes. You even drop to one knee as if all the things Engan is describing are literally on your back right now. It isn't just things from before either, it's also things you've done to achieve your position. You've been an embodiment of violence and war for quite some time now and it hasn't all just been against other demon assholes. You've committed so many atrocities in general that you've lost count, but not really. It's all still there in your mind. You just don't think about it. And despite having the fiery blood of hell in your veins, there's still that tiny speck, that weak spot that maintains all those feelings that you would like to get rid of, to make everything much easier. You can barely hold your sword anymore, you look up and see Engan hovering slightly above and in front of you, extending his hand. "This is the place you call home. The infernal realm feeds on suffering and pain, and despite being an apex predator in it; YOU are merely still just prized livestock. In fact the higher your position, the greater your inevitable downfall, leading to the greater the feast. You don't need to go back to it though. You don't need to experience your personal hell ever again. It can ALL go away. Join us, and you'll never have to endure this torment ever again. Just take my hand." You know this has to be a trick. You know it, but you're struggling not to give in. You need to get out of here and despite Engan being in your way, the door isn't far. You also know that Engan has a tendency to just teleport away from your attacks, but maybe if you took his hand you'd prevent that from happening and could finally get a solid hit in and at least weaken this power draining you. > You take Engan's hand You look up at Engan and nod. "Okay. Okay. I see now." you say. "Good. You'll realize that this was the only way." Engan replies. You reach for his hand and just as you're about to grasp it, he grabs your hand first. Your other hand which was planning on reaching for your weapon fails to do so, in fact your whole body becomes almost paralyzed. Engan smiles. "Your attempt at deception could not be hidden from those that know all. Don't worry though, your reluctance shall not be held against you. Now prepare for ascension!" Engan's hand, indeed his entire form begins to change. You attempt to pull away, but to no avail, Engan's hand has practically melded into your own or at least into your armored gauntlet. Though you can start to feel the armor being melted away. In desperation, you once again attempt to reach for your weapon to chop off your connected limb, but you're stopped by multiple appendages springing from Engan's body. It isn't just Engan either, the other abominations are suddenly surrounding you as well. You struggle, you fight, but even attempting to muster up all your remaining strength does nothing as you're ultimately enveloped into a mass of flesh. Your armor protects the rest of you, about as well as it protected your hand. It lasts just long enough for your mind to be overcome by terror, then insanity as you become just another piece, another tool for these ancient monsters to use in their steps to destroy the universe.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, grimdark] Going deeper into this gray shit seems like a great way of getting even more lost and eventually losing your endurance given how this place is doing its best to try to sap your energy physically and mentally. You might as well put what strength you have now to good use and you certainly aren't lacking in that yet. "You want me inside you Sin? Fine, let's make it a date." You say and intend on making Sin your first casualty. Despite Sin's new transformation she's still not much of a fighter. She does her lunge attack again which you easily dodge and bring your sword down on one of the fleshy lumps on her back. Predictably it splits open unleashing all sorts of nastiness in the form of oversized bloody maggots with distorted faces all over them. A few of them latch on to you and you're really glad you're wearing armor right now because they start chewing through it almost immediately. You quickly grab them off of you and toss them into the gray. While Sin is attempting to turn around to attack, you strike again, running your sword through her back and out the new mouth that formed on the front of her body, you then pull upward as hard as you can, splitting her nearly in half as your sword carves up through her chest and out where her shoulder and neck meet. Sin unleashes an ear-piercing wail that causes you to reel backwards. A single long tentacle of hers wraps around your leg, but you chop it off before it can drag you back towards Sin who now is just a bloody mess of flailing limbs attached to a large piece of flesh. With the other abominations closing in, you figure you'll have to be satisfied with this amount of revenge on Sin and proceed towards your escape. First one that comes near, you manage to carve up while still not slowing down too much. After two more encounters like this, you can see one of the cubes floating in the distance. You really hope you're heading in the right direction and this place hasn't decided to completely change reality again. And then it does. Suddenly you find yourself no longer in an endless gray sea. Solid ground lies beneath you. Grass, blue sky, flowers, trees, looks like a mortal world. Nearby is a city, which looks painfully familiar. "No Not real." you whisper. Then it flashes back to the gray again. You're about to continue to the next floating cube you see in the distance and that's when you hear Engan again. "But it could be real. Anything can be real. You're only seeing grotesque horrors because you're because you're giving off hostility. If you stopped fighting for one moment, you would see that the ancients can allow you to experience wonderful things." Engan's voice says. You ignore these words and just continue towards where you believe is the exit. Engan doesn't stop talking of course. "I know, THEY know all about you Cista. You weren't always what you were now. They know how you suffer; you could eliminate that suffering and put away your struggles. Think about it. Don't you get tired of always having to fight all the time?" Your mind begins to slip and wander to simpler times in your past. You try to focus, but it's incredibly difficult. Your mind's defenses are starting to weaken. "All your life has been one big struggle with no end in sight. Your very nature has doomed you to such a fate. Even if you manage to escape from here, you will not avoid what is coming. Even if you managed to succeed in your impossible task to unite the infernal realm, you still would not be satisfied. The ancients WILL rise again and the infernal realm is going to one of the first places on the agenda to target." You get ambushed by an abomination while lost in thought. Your armor manages to absorb the blow, but it still feels like a crushing weight hitting your chest. You dodge its next attack and chop off a few of the thing's extra limbs followed by part of its head (or what's passing for its head at least) You're then attacked by another one latching on to your back and you feel your armor starting to weaken as one of its set of jaws sink in between your shoulder and neck. You give it a few blind punches to its face. You can't quite see what you're doing due to the angle, but you soon realize you've literally smashed its face into mush as the solidness becomes less so, causing it to release its grip. You follow up with a spinning sword strike, chopping it in half before flying away from both of them. "Join us and I promise you, the ancients will reward you. The ancients can change your nature, they can change reality! You're seeing this right now! I've seen this many times, it's why I abandoned to petty laws and misguided concepts of morality of the celestial realm. The heavens, the hells, the mortal realms, EVERYTHING can be changed for the better. Why would you fight against a better future when you could have a place in it?" You see it, you see the door. It's a distance away, but you see it. You instantly fly towards the only beacon of brightness in all this gray. Engan suddenly appears right in front of you and before you can even react, your mind is completely overcome by feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Feelings you haven't experienced in...well quite a long time. Your surroundings change again. This time the sky is red, the ground is red and the temperature is much hotter. Looks like the infernal realm, but of course you know it isn't. Doesn't change your current negative feelings though. You feel this overwhelming urge to start crying. "You know what you're feeling right now? You're feeling the weight of all your guilt, sadness, and regret. You may be able to keep those weaknesses locked away, but they are never really gone are they? They constantly torment you. I tell you again, you can shed all of that and be part of the new order that is to come." You begin to feel actual tears running from your eyes. You even drop to one knee as if all the things Engan is describing are literally on your back right now. It isn't just things from before either, it's also things you've done to achieve your position. You've been an embodiment of violence and war for quite some time now and it hasn't all just been against other demon assholes. You've committed so many atrocities in general that you've lost count, but not really. It's all still there in your mind. You just don't think about it. And despite having the fiery blood of hell in your veins, there's still that tiny speck, that weak spot that maintains all those feelings that you would like to get rid of, to make everything much easier. You can barely hold your sword anymore, you look up and see Engan hovering slightly above and in front of you, extending his hand. "This is the place you call home. The infernal realm feeds on suffering and pain, and despite being an apex predator in it; YOU are merely still just prized livestock. In fact the higher your position, the greater your inevitable downfall, leading to the greater the feast. You don't need to go back to it though. You don't need to experience your personal hell ever again. It can ALL go away. Join us, and you'll never have to endure this torment ever again. Just take my hand." You know this has to be a trick. You know it, but you're struggling not to give in. You need to get out of here and despite Engan being in your way, the door isn't far. You also know that Engan has a tendency to just teleport away from your attacks, but maybe if you took his hand you'd prevent that from happening and could finally get a solid hit in and at least weaken this power draining you. > You move towards the door As much as you might like to cleave Engan in two, you figure he'll just teleport again, or worse if you actually touch him directly. Who knows what the hell his true form is given what you've seen here. You stagger back up and with some effort you flap your wings to get to the door quicker. The surroundings change back to gray again. "If you really knew me as much as you claimed, you'd know that I've long since learned to deal with any petty notions of morality that might linger and even that one I haven't, well that will sort itself out in time. Your ancient masters aren't the only ones that are patient." You say giving Engan a wide berth. Engan just watches you, he doesn't look angry, or upset, or anything. Just a blank stare. "So be it." You hear him utter which seems to echo in your head, which is then followed by several more voices chattering about everything and nothing. It's an overload of noise in your mind. Doesn't matter though, because the end is in sight and you're soon right before the exit. You fly through the exit and you soon find yourself back in the town, though it looks very different now. In fact the town doesn't look like the traditional town anymore at all. Buildings are missing, some are phasing in and out of existence and a few of them are new because you're certain a floating black fortress looming in the sky wasn't there before. All around you on the ground are bodies though. Some unrecognizable lumps of flesh, others more intact. Some are still moving about. Apparently while you were inside, a great battle took place out here and nobody won. "You're alive and still untainted. You'd be the first from that place. Figures it would be an infernal. You lot always was more resilient." A voice calls out; you look over and see that it's one of the celestials that isn't completely eviscerated. The wounds look pretty severe though, he probably isn't going to last too much longer. You cautiously keep your guard up as he staggers towards you. "No need for that infernal. I don't believe I'm in any condition to dispense any sort of celestial justice on you. Indeed, you may be the only thing left in this accursed place that adheres to any sort of laws, twisted though yours may be. Never should have followed Engan,...bah it's done now. This place is finally showing what it always was. That wrongness that lies under this illusion. I can only hope that there is a peace in oblivion for I know I won't be experiencing the bliss of paradise...I just...just wish I could have seen it one last time..." "I am not here to absolve you of your imagined sins celestial." You say with annoyance. The celestial laughs. "Perhaps that wasn't your intention, in fact I don't even know or care why you came here in the first place, but whether you realize it or not, your actions have done exactly that. Perhaps not absolved us, for nothing could have done that for what we did, but you've put an end to our torment. Heh...you might even be considered what the mortals call a hero." At this point the celestial collapses, he continues to keep his eyes affixed to him. You see tears in them. "You better get out of here quick infernal. Even in my final moments, I can still hear the voices of the others. They're coming. And I don't mean just here. I mean they're coming to destroy everything. The hells, the heavens, everything...warn your sadistic fellows, warn my people if those fools will even listen to you. Warn the ignorant mortals, warn everyone you can infernal, they have to be stopped..." You realize that this is no idle warning. Even without the seriousness of this celestial's tone and words, from what you've seen here, there definitely is cause for concern. "Everything...dimming...funny...with you hovering above me like this...you almost look like an angel...close enough I suppose..." the celestial says and then closes his eyes. You then look up and experience a dimming of a different nature. You see the sky starting to turn from gray to black. It's almost as if a void in the sky is opening up. While that isn't quite what is happening, it might as well be. Thousands of beings are coming from the black fortress and starting to cover the sky. The sounds of madness follow. You fly as fast as you can towards where you came in, the mass of bloody bodies under you and the encroaching black void of madness behind (and above) you. Legions of voices, vision of unknown creatures, faces and worlds enter mind and you try to ignore all of it. You see the tree where you entered and just when you're picking up your speed, you feel a great weight slapping you down. You nearly fall flat on your face though you stop that from happening, merely landing on your hands and knees instead. "Ah yes...exactly in the position you should be in. Let us strip you of that heavy armor!" a hissing voice says and you suddenly feel a force claw at your back, penetrating your armor. You naturally react very violently; flailing and twisting your body in such a way that you roll away from immediate danger, or at least so whatever is attacking you doesn't rip your armor off completely. By the time you manage to stand up, you narrowly dodge a spiked appendage. As is typical of this place, a barely humanoid thing "stands" before you, several faces exist within its mass, but of course the most dominant one is Engan. "You should have taken my offer. You should have just submitted to me. Now you've ruined everything and released the pressure valve. Now they've awakened fully and NOTHING can stop them. Now embrace us. EMBRACE the torment. EMBRACE THE FUTURE." You can feel the vibration of the voice throughout your body causing you to experience dizziness and a wave of sickness. A large mouth opens up from the mass filled with jagged teeth. More spiked appendages attempt to grab you in an effort to draw you inside. While all this is going on the darkness of the creatures from the fortress is growing ever closer. Things are not looking good and you're trying to maintain your composure, but this place is really getting to you. You almost feel like just giving up, like this is just a glimpse of things to come. Never before have you had these feelings of utter insignificance. You cut away more attacking appendages, though more grab you and begin to draw you in. You can feel your armor being slowly cut through by the sharp saw like teeth. In desperation you attempt to cast a blast of acid at it. Thankfully your magic decided to work and it's enough to drop you as it caterwauls in agony. Whatever force that's preventing you from flying is now preventing you from running. You feel like every step is an effort and everything is trying to kill you. Not that you're not used to that back home, but at least there you always have a fighting chance. Here, it's like the very laws of reality are conspiring against you, and they probably are. "You're not leaving here. I still have such terrible pleasures to show you that I could not have imagined even in HELL." Following this familiar voice are several serpentine appendages with Sinthinia's face on them coming out of the ground wrapping around your legs. Others attempt to wrap around your arms. Another still starts gnawing at your crotch trying to bite through your armor. "Hmm, can't wait until I get to the creamy filling." It says looking up at you, before your slam your fist through its face. You swing your sword cutting down more of Sin's heads, but more spring up like a hydra. Engan (Or whatever it is with him part of it) recovers from your last attack and resume its pursuit. Several of the dark creatures are now also close enough that they'll probably reach you soon. And then suddenly a purple wave washes over you. You feel nothing, but you see it visibly affect Sinthinia's heads most of which disintegrate immediately save for the ones that retreat back into the ground. Engan is also hit by the purple wave and while it doesn't destroy him completely, you see pieces of him disintegrate, reducing his mass. You look around and see where the magic wave came from and see Arash standing a few feet away wielding some sort of "gun" though it's obviously not firing bullets as you have been familiar with in the past. "Glad to see the no violence rule was finally discarded, I was waiting a long time to use this." Arash says. The tree near where you arrived is just a little further away, and with the invisible force no longer seemingly affecting you, you fly quickly towards it and access your beacon stone which you activate. The portal back home is open. You turn around and see Arash retreating by quickly walking backwards, still firing his weapon. As damaging as it is, he has no hope against the legions coming at his position (And yours). Arash finally turns around to just run towards you, but he is immediately jumped on by several of the dark abominations. He's busily trying to fight them off with some sort of blade, but he's going to be overwhelmed. Unless you help. Though in doing so you're not only risking your existence, but also an invasion by these abominations, if one of them slips into the portal. Of course you did make a deal with Arash that you would get him out of this place. Breaking such a pact would be very repugnant to you and potentially causing a loss in power, hence why your kind doesn't make such binding promises often. Though of course it wouldn't be the first time an infernal has outright broken their word. > You enter the portal Going back for Arash would be bordering on foolishness even if you weren't only considering it to stop from breaking a deal. Still, you don't like doing this, but a temporary loss in power is better than allowing the abominations follow you into the portal. The longer they're pre-occupied with Arash, the better. However the portal certainly hasn't gone unnoticed. "THE PORTAL! INVADE THE INFERNAL REALM! LET IT BE THE FIRST STEPPING STONE TO OUR RETURN! WE SHALL REIGN AGAIN!" a deep voice orders from all around you. You waste no time and enter the portal and soon the disorientation you've been suffering from begins to lift. You're back in Sinthinia's room where Zel had her machine open up the portal. Her machine is on, but no sign of her though. What's more concerning is the portal you just came through isn't closing and given what's behind you, you sort of need it to. "Fuck, where the hell is Zel, probably blowing fucking Spol. The pair of them are going to pay, gotta do everything myself..." you begin muttering as you head over to Zel's machine hoping it can close the damn portal. Just as you get to the machine, a figure comes through the portal. It's Sinthinia, and surprisingly she's more or less looking like her original form, though she's got extra mouths and eyes all over her. "Ah, home sweet home. Time to take it back, time to take it ALL back! My new allies will be here soon." Sinthinia hisses. You curse and uselessly press some button and pull some levers in the hopes of shutting down the portal before Sinthinia is upon you. You call for help as you lop off one of Sin's weaponized arms. As you're battling Sin, more abominations come through the portal, though some of your own troops finally get their asses in the room to help. Still no sign of Zel though. And that's when you feel it. The cost of your deliberate breaking of your deal. Arash must've have finally been killed on the other side because you feel a drain on your power causing you to falter during battle and fall to floor. Sinthinia wastes no time in take advantage and manages to bite through several areas of your armor with all her new mouths. She even manages to penetrate your flesh. "Mmm, there's that creamy filling." You summon up all your rage and grab Sinthinia, slamming her against the machine and casting a blast of dark lightning into her face (or her main one anyway). An unnatural scream emanates from her multiple mouths, but you don't let up. Even in your weakened state, you unleash a continuous stream of lightning, which is now starting to damage Zel's machine and at least starting to have an effect on the portal. It's also having an effect on you. You felt drained just a few moments ago, but now you feel like you're about to go unconscious. Sinthinia's charred body slumps to the floor and you stagger back just in time to see Zel and Spol run into the room, meanwhile the portal is shrinking though there are still smaller abominations jumping in. You also see some mass with Engan's face, but it's still on the other side and he's reluctant to try to squeeze his bulk through the now shrinking portal. As Zel's machine starts to spark and make ominous sounds, Sinthinia crawls away from you and shake your head in disbelief that this bitch is still alive. You stumble towards Sin and just as you think you're about to land the killing blow, you collapse to the floor again. Your eyes flutter and you see Spol going in to finish off Sinthinia, meanwhile you feel Zel trying to lift you up. "General! Are you alright?! Spol! Help me with her, I have to make sure this machine doesn't explode and kill all of us!" Spol decapitates Sinithinia and orders everyone out of the room as he runs over to lift you up while Zel starts fiddling with her machine. You see the portal finally close completely and your troops are busily mopping up the remaining ones. "General, you need to get out of here just in case Zel isn't skilled enough to shut down her machine." Captain Spol says. "Yeah..." you answer a bit in a haze. Captain Spol helps you out of the room and you partially lean on him the whole time. You turn down one of the corridors and Captain Spols asks "General, you feeling good enough to walk on your own?" "Yeah...yeah I think so. Shit..." You let go of Captain Spol and lean against the wall for a brief moment trying to gather your wits about the situation. Everything has happened so fast that you haven't had time to think. And you don't get much more time to assess the situation either because you suddenly feel a sharp pain go through your side. You look down and see a sword shoved into you nearly to the hilt. The treacherous Captain Spol sensed this would be the perfect opportunity to take advantage of your weakness and drives a smaller yet no less lethal dagger into your chest with as much strength as he can. You fall to the floor for the last time disbelieving that after everything you survived, your end came at the hands of a third rate infernal officer.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, war, villain protagonist] As much as you might like to cleave Engan in two, you figure he'll just teleport again, or worse if you actually touch him directly. Who knows what the hell his true form is given what you've seen here. You stagger back up and with some effort you flap your wings to get to the door quicker. The surroundings change back to gray again. "If you really knew me as much as you claimed, you'd know that I've long since learned to deal with any petty notions of morality that might linger and even that one I haven't, well that will sort itself out in time. Your ancient masters aren't the only ones that are patient." You say giving Engan a wide berth. Engan just watches you, he doesn't look angry, or upset, or anything. Just a blank stare. "So be it." You hear him utter which seems to echo in your head, which is then followed by several more voices chattering about everything and nothing. It's an overload of noise in your mind. Doesn't matter though, because the end is in sight and you're soon right before the exit. You fly through the exit and you soon find yourself back in the town, though it looks very different now. In fact the town doesn't look like the traditional town anymore at all. Buildings are missing, some are phasing in and out of existence and a few of them are new because you're certain a floating black fortress looming in the sky wasn't there before. All around you on the ground are bodies though. Some unrecognizable lumps of flesh, others more intact. Some are still moving about. Apparently while you were inside, a great battle took place out here and nobody won. "You're alive and still untainted. You'd be the first from that place. Figures it would be an infernal. You lot always was more resilient." A voice calls out; you look over and see that it's one of the celestials that isn't completely eviscerated. The wounds look pretty severe though, he probably isn't going to last too much longer. You cautiously keep your guard up as he staggers towards you. "No need for that infernal. I don't believe I'm in any condition to dispense any sort of celestial justice on you. Indeed, you may be the only thing left in this accursed place that adheres to any sort of laws, twisted though yours may be. Never should have followed Engan,...bah it's done now. This place is finally showing what it always was. That wrongness that lies under this illusion. I can only hope that there is a peace in oblivion for I know I won't be experiencing the bliss of paradise...I just...just wish I could have seen it one last time..." "I am not here to absolve you of your imagined sins celestial." You say with annoyance. The celestial laughs. "Perhaps that wasn't your intention, in fact I don't even know or care why you came here in the first place, but whether you realize it or not, your actions have done exactly that. Perhaps not absolved us, for nothing could have done that for what we did, but you've put an end to our torment. Heh...you might even be considered what the mortals call a hero." At this point the celestial collapses, he continues to keep his eyes affixed to him. You see tears in them. "You better get out of here quick infernal. Even in my final moments, I can still hear the voices of the others. They're coming. And I don't mean just here. I mean they're coming to destroy everything. The hells, the heavens, everything...warn your sadistic fellows, warn my people if those fools will even listen to you. Warn the ignorant mortals, warn everyone you can infernal, they have to be stopped..." You realize that this is no idle warning. Even without the seriousness of this celestial's tone and words, from what you've seen here, there definitely is cause for concern. "Everything...dimming...funny...with you hovering above me like this...you almost look like an angel...close enough I suppose..." the celestial says and then closes his eyes. You then look up and experience a dimming of a different nature. You see the sky starting to turn from gray to black. It's almost as if a void in the sky is opening up. While that isn't quite what is happening, it might as well be. Thousands of beings are coming from the black fortress and starting to cover the sky. The sounds of madness follow. You fly as fast as you can towards where you came in, the mass of bloody bodies under you and the encroaching black void of madness behind (and above) you. Legions of voices, vision of unknown creatures, faces and worlds enter mind and you try to ignore all of it. You see the tree where you entered and just when you're picking up your speed, you feel a great weight slapping you down. You nearly fall flat on your face though you stop that from happening, merely landing on your hands and knees instead. "Ah yes...exactly in the position you should be in. Let us strip you of that heavy armor!" a hissing voice says and you suddenly feel a force claw at your back, penetrating your armor. You naturally react very violently; flailing and twisting your body in such a way that you roll away from immediate danger, or at least so whatever is attacking you doesn't rip your armor off completely. By the time you manage to stand up, you narrowly dodge a spiked appendage. As is typical of this place, a barely humanoid thing "stands" before you, several faces exist within its mass, but of course the most dominant one is Engan. "You should have taken my offer. You should have just submitted to me. Now you've ruined everything and released the pressure valve. Now they've awakened fully and NOTHING can stop them. Now embrace us. EMBRACE the torment. EMBRACE THE FUTURE." You can feel the vibration of the voice throughout your body causing you to experience dizziness and a wave of sickness. A large mouth opens up from the mass filled with jagged teeth. More spiked appendages attempt to grab you in an effort to draw you inside. While all this is going on the darkness of the creatures from the fortress is growing ever closer. Things are not looking good and you're trying to maintain your composure, but this place is really getting to you. You almost feel like just giving up, like this is just a glimpse of things to come. Never before have you had these feelings of utter insignificance. You cut away more attacking appendages, though more grab you and begin to draw you in. You can feel your armor being slowly cut through by the sharp saw like teeth. In desperation you attempt to cast a blast of acid at it. Thankfully your magic decided to work and it's enough to drop you as it caterwauls in agony. Whatever force that's preventing you from flying is now preventing you from running. You feel like every step is an effort and everything is trying to kill you. Not that you're not used to that back home, but at least there you always have a fighting chance. Here, it's like the very laws of reality are conspiring against you, and they probably are. "You're not leaving here. I still have such terrible pleasures to show you that I could not have imagined even in HELL." Following this familiar voice are several serpentine appendages with Sinthinia's face on them coming out of the ground wrapping around your legs. Others attempt to wrap around your arms. Another still starts gnawing at your crotch trying to bite through your armor. "Hmm, can't wait until I get to the creamy filling." It says looking up at you, before your slam your fist through its face. You swing your sword cutting down more of Sin's heads, but more spring up like a hydra. Engan (Or whatever it is with him part of it) recovers from your last attack and resume its pursuit. Several of the dark creatures are now also close enough that they'll probably reach you soon. And then suddenly a purple wave washes over you. You feel nothing, but you see it visibly affect Sinthinia's heads most of which disintegrate immediately save for the ones that retreat back into the ground. Engan is also hit by the purple wave and while it doesn't destroy him completely, you see pieces of him disintegrate, reducing his mass. You look around and see where the magic wave came from and see Arash standing a few feet away wielding some sort of "gun" though it's obviously not firing bullets as you have been familiar with in the past. "Glad to see the no violence rule was finally discarded, I was waiting a long time to use this." Arash says. The tree near where you arrived is just a little further away, and with the invisible force no longer seemingly affecting you, you fly quickly towards it and access your beacon stone which you activate. The portal back home is open. You turn around and see Arash retreating by quickly walking backwards, still firing his weapon. As damaging as it is, he has no hope against the legions coming at his position (And yours). Arash finally turns around to just run towards you, but he is immediately jumped on by several of the dark abominations. He's busily trying to fight them off with some sort of blade, but he's going to be overwhelmed. Unless you help. Though in doing so you're not only risking your existence, but also an invasion by these abominations, if one of them slips into the portal. Of course you did make a deal with Arash that you would get him out of this place. Breaking such a pact would be very repugnant to you and potentially causing a loss in power, hence why your kind doesn't make such binding promises often. Though of course it wouldn't be the first time an infernal has outright broken their word. > You help Arash The whole point of you coming here in the first place was to kill Sinthinia though that goal severely changed the longer you stayed here. From what you can tell, Sin isn't even the same anymore, if she even exists as you knew her. For all you know you killed her back in the Cells and these ancient creatures just took her form to fuck with you a few moments ago. Who even knows in a place like this? In any case Sinthinia's punishment been more than paid. She's never going to challenge your power in the infernal realms ever again and at best if she's still alive; she's going to live out the rest of her existence as a slave abomination to these ancient creatures. On the surface, it's probably to foolish to help Arash, but then so was probably coming here in the first place. That doesn't mean you can't still learn something and gain from it though. You fly as fast as you can to toward Arash, you cleave several the things attacking him. These ones just seem to dissipate when struck. You grab his arm and pick him up. He's a little battered, but in otherwise okay condition. "Shit!" Arash shouts and you both see the Engan mass now looming above you ready to bring down a massive fist (tentacle? claw?) to smash you flat. Arash is fumbling with his gun, but the time of fighting is over. "Just grab a hold of me as tight as you can, mortal." You order. Arash thankfully obeys and you manage to fly the pair of you out of the way before a giant fleshy appendage comes crashing down on you both. "THE PORTAL! INVADE THE INFERNAL REALM! LET IT BE THE FIRST STEPPING STONE TO OUR RETURN! WE SHALL REIGN AGAIN!" a deep voice orders from all around you. Despite encroaching abominations and their attempts at mind fuckery, you focus on the portal and continue your fast approach towards it. Arash, continues to hang on to you. Soon you enter the portal and the disorientation you've been feeling starts to lift. You're back in Sinthinia's room where Zel had her machine open up the portal. Her machine is on, but no sign of her though. Just as you're about to drop Arash, you feel a force crash into your back and you fall to the floor with Arash right under you. You instinctively roll out of immediate danger (And over Arash) and start to stand up to face whatever crashed into you. It's Sinthinia, and surprisingly she's more or less looking like her original form, though she's got extra mouths and eyes all over her. "Ah, home sweet home. Time to take it back, time to take it ALL back! My new allies will be here soon." Sinthinia hisses. "Shit! Arash, get the fuck up and get to that machine to close that portal!" you shout and head towards Sinthinia who wastes no time in reforming her arm into some fleshy weapon. "Machine? Wha? How the fuck should I know..." Arash starts to say but then realizes it doesn't matter if he knows how to operate it or not and quickly goes over to it. "It's over Cista! You're not winning this one and you will soon learn what it feels like to be one with the ancients and serve them FOREVER." "While I know you're glad to suck the cocks of whoever has power, that's not me. That's NEVER me." You chop off Sin's weaponized limb and then freeze her; you then chop down several abominations coming through the portal. "Where the fuck is Zel? Where the fuck are my troops? Surely they haven't all left the damn castle. HEY GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE, WE GOT SHIT TO KILL!" you shout. Arash still fumbling with the machine still hasn't figured out how to turn it off. In fact, it looks like the portal is getting bigger. "This isn't working!" Arash shouts. "Then help me deal with these eldritch slave fucks then!" you order. Soon some of your troops hear the noise and begin helping you. Arash uses his odd weapons against the horde entering through the portal. And then something bigger attempts to squeeze through. A bloated fleshy mass with writhing tentacles and covered in deformed faces appears, though one face still remains dominant. "The Infernal Realm. It's every bit as repulsive as I'd heard as a celestial. Things will be so much better once the true masters reshape it!" Engan remarks. You direct your attention to Engan and order everyone else to do the same. Engan smashes two of your men with a thick tentacle and skewers another one with his spikey bits. You melt part of him, but more is just oozing through the portal. "Oh shit! What the fuck is that?!" you hear Zel shout, who comes running in with Captain Spol. Amazing. "Zeljenir get your slutty ass over to that fucking machine and turn it off! Spol, fucking help with this overgrown pus squid!" No sooner have you given your commands, when you're swept off your feet and then nabbed by another tentacle. It slams you against the wall a couple times causing you to drop your weapon. Now dazed, you are pulled closer to the portal. Hanging upside down, you find yourself staring right into the deformed face of Engan. "You're going to a dark wet place and I'm going to enjoy putting you there." Engan says with a wide grin and his mouth opens up in a manner to make good on his threat. Fortunately, his threat is cut short when Zel finally cuts the machine off causing the portal to shrink. This is enough distraction to cause Engan to bellow a predictable sound of disbelief giving you time to conjure a flaming weapon in your hand and cut yourself free from his grasp. You notice that the mass of flesh is starting to disintegrate now rather than reforming or whatever other nasty oozy shit it does when you've chopped it off before. Arash's odd weapon that shoots purple waves of some sort is also making short work of what remains of Engan. "Back into the portal! Back! Back..." a voice cries out as you notice the mass trying to squeeze back from where it came. You press your advantage with your flaming sword in one hand and casting an acid blast with the other. Arash keeps a safe distance and backs you up. Even Captain Spol proves useful finally. Soon the portal closes up completely and what remains is a quivering bit of fleshy yellow goo on the floor desperately trying to find a place to slither off to, but now cut off from it's home energies, it obviously isn't long for this existence anyway. You step over to it and it forms into the vague face of Engan again. It displays an expression of anger. "You think you have won here infernal bitch? You've only delayed the inevitable. The old ones are returning and they..." You shut up Engan's last pontificating monologue with a blast of hellfire. You watch the fleshy mass squirm and screech as whatever life still remained of it disappears into nothing. "General, what are we doing with this one?" Captain Spol says causing you to look over and see him standing over what looks to be the emaciated and mutilated husk of Sinthinia. She's somehow still alive. You aren't sure how, but you're guessing maybe she still had enough infernal left in her to exist as this pathetic remnant that lies before you. You walk over to Sinthinia who is making pitiful mewling sounds and incoherent babbling about something. Green drool is coming out of her mouth and other orifices. She doesn't even turn to face you, she just lies there shaking in a puddle of disgusting goo. "You going to keep her for questioning?" Spol asks. "No. This one is a complete fucking vegetable. I don't even want to dirty up this realm with its existence any longer." "You want me to dispose of it?" "No. I got this, captain." You burn Sinthinia much in the same way as you burned Engan's face. Sin does nothing but give a minor whimper as she is obliterated. You don't even get any satisfaction out of doing it. If anything you gave her a mercy. Last thing you ever wanted, but shit happens in this fucked up universe. You're guessing this is just one more of those cosmic jokes. Just like your very existence in some ways. You're planning on getting the last laugh though. You now turn your attention to Spol who is fidgeting with his sword. "And Captain?" "Yes General?" "I told you not to fuck Zel." With one swing you lop off Spol's head with ease. His body drops uselessly to floor causing Zel to give a wide-eyed look, but saying nothing. "Oh don't worry Zel, you're actually useful, so you'll just be getting a less severe punishment later for failing to keep it out of your mouth. Nothing permanently damaging though. But REALLY Zel? Spol? After you bitched to me about him?" you say. "He apologized to me and was trying to make amends and well..." You shake your head. You realize this is going to be a long process with Zel and a lot of patience is going to be needed. "I certainly hope my help is more appreciated." Arash says standing back, holding on to his weapon. "Oh most definitely mortal. No need to concern yourself with such things. Your helpfulness has not been forgotten by and as I said, my word is bond. Zel." You say. "Yes general?" Zel responds. "Start making yourself useful right now by taking Arash here to his home world, whatever that one is. I'm sure he can fill you in on the details." "I can't use this machine, it's been damaged General." "Well just take him to one of you other ones I know you have. Arash just follow Zeljenir here and she'll lead you where you want to go. Remember to keep your eyes on her, you wouldn't want to not pay attention and get separated. This might not be where you were trapped before, but the infernal realm is still no place to wander if you're not prepared." "Heh, I don't think that will be a problem. I really can't wait to get home after who knows how long. Not to mention your assistant here is very easy on the eyes. " Arash directs his attention to Zel, looking her up and down. You call Zel over before she leaves. "Make sure he gets home. He was truthful with me, and I gave my word." You say. "I understand general." Zel answers. Zel starts to leave and tells Arash to follow her. He barely acknowledges your nod goodbye. Understandable, it's probably been awhile since he's seen a woman like Zel. You remain in the room a moment longer just dwelling on everything that occurred. You didn't imagine having to deal with the shit you had to deal with, but in some ways maybe it's good that you did. You now have a little knowledge of what is to come. Namely horrors that plan on destroying all of reality as you know it. You'll be ready though. You have to be. > Epilogue Order. Lovely Order. You sit at a table by yourself drinking your blood of the damned surveying the big party currently going on due to the recent victory. You don't usually indulge in associating with these victory celebrations like your soldiers do since you're often busy preparing for the next conflict, but even without your own side trip to bring down Sinthinia permanently, this was a major victory and there is a lot of merriment. You figure you might as well appear to not be totally distant from the lower infernals. Small things like that can make a difference after all in loyalty and respect. Apparently Sinthinia had been a snobby queen bitch to everyone for centuries and most were happy to see her go. Nothing worse than a stuck up whore. Of course you're sure that if you ever die, most of these hateful lot (or others like them) will celebrate your death as well. Still, what can you do except not give them the satisfaction by NOT dying. Everyone is staying away from you despite you being here, which means they either fear or respect you enough to not disturb you. Always a good sign that you're doing something right. But there's one you've been expecting to see a lot sooner than now. In fact she looks around as if she's made a mistake coming here, but you've already seen her and she's seen you. You beckon her over with a finger and she hesitantly walks over. Zeljenir approaches your table. "Well?" you ask after taking a drink. "Well...there was a problem..." Zel says. "Oh? What kind of problem? Was Arash not able to get home?" "No, he's home...but um..." You stare at Zel, and you can almost taste the fear coming from her. Makes you wonder how in the hell she made this far as an infernal. Sometimes she comes off very mortal. You pour Zel a drink and push it over to her and motion her to sit down. "Zel, calm yourself. I told you, your skills are very useful to me and if I wanted to kill you that would hardly give me the same pleasure of just seeing you cower before me every time you fuck up in some small way." Zel sits down and downs her drink, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before speaking. "It wasn't my fault." Zel says. "Of course it wasn't. Now what did you do?" "Well, Arash followed me back to my main workshop like you told us both to. Everything was fine, but I guess Arash was a little too entranced by...um me. I turned around to tell him I'd need just a few moments to send him back to his world and he got very close to me. Too close. And he began to hold my hand expressing how beautiful I was and how I exceeded the beauty of even the celestial women he'd seen in his travels." You nod and take a drink. "Mm, go on." "Well I tried to pull away at first, but then he said he didn't want to go home! Mentioned that he wanted the pair of us to run away and travel the planes together." "And?" "And then he kissed me...and well that was it. I went into succubus mode and he didn't survive the encounter." "I see. Did you swallow his soul after swallowing his load?" "Oh no! I panicked after realizing I'd killed him. I couldn't think of anything else to do except send his body back to his home world. I swear I didn't mean to disobey orders!" You smile a bit. "You didn't disobey orders. You sent him home, which is the exact deal I made with him. As I said, calm down." You say. "You're not mad?" Zel asks. "No, why would I be? I figured something like that would happen. It's why I sent him with you alone. Most mortals, humans especially can't resist a succubus. I mean he even made the first move. He touched YOU first. He kissed YOU first correct?" "Yes." "Well that right there was a breach in the deal on his part. I didn't harm him, not even indirectly. It was his fool ideal to go around kissing strange demon girls. Still, I am happy to hear you didn't take his soul and sent his body home. He was a helpful mortal that probably played a role in saving my life. He probably deserved a happy ending, which you apparently gave him in more ways than one." "Yeah, I guess so, but I don't understand something." "Oh?" "If you found this mortal helpful, why did you set up events to lead to his own downfall?" "Zel, you do realize we're infernals right?" "Yes, but you've always seemed a bit different. Like sure you're ruthless and mean, but you've never seemed unnecessarily cruel." "I don't consider what I did as cruel. What I did was very necessary though. You can't make a deal with hell without a price. Arash made a deal with me and paid the price. And to be fair, he STILL had the opportunity to make it AND survive unscathed. Not my fault he was weak like most mortals." Zel nods her head at your explanation, but you don't stop there. You explain that the point isn't just this one exploitation of a loophole in a contract. You are trying to achieve a greater goal. You want to unite the infernal realm. Ever since you discovered your true nature that has always been your goal. The infernal realm is a lawless place to be sure, but there CAN be order. Wonderful, terrible order. Order that would make the infernal realm truly something for the heavens to fear. You go on tell Zel that with the recent experience, your goals are even clearer. You realize that there are even worse places in the universe. This is just a sample of these eldritch beings' power and if Engan's threats are to be taken seriously, then they are going to be a major problem in the future. All the more reason to stick to your principles and promises, even if it is inconvenient and risky at times. Order and discipline MUST be adhered to if there is to be any hope of preparing for the great war to come. "And I can't do it by myself unfortunately, I'll need the worthy to help me play a major part in this plan." You say. "And you feel I'm worthy?" Zel asks a bit shocked. "No. But you have potential. One of the few I see it in. Not sure why though. You are fairly unremarkable compared to other infernals of your skill and intelligence." Zel looks as if she's about to say something, but stops herself. Too late now though and you motion her to speak. "Zel, once again just say it." "Um, I was going to suggest, maybe you like me?" Zel remarks. "Well I haven't killed you or even hurt you too badly for your failings in the past so I guess that's one way of looking at it." "No, I mean you like me..." Zel goes to touch your hand and you instantly pull it away and lurch forward enough that causes Zel to fall back and nearly tip her chair over. "Have you lost your mind?" you growl. "Apologies! I meant no disrespect! I just thought...I mean..." Zel sputters. "You thought what? And choose your next words with care lest you make me rethink my favoritism." "I mean...there's just stupid rumors and I thought maybe you liked me in that way like some have said which is why you're so protective." You sit back and nearly snort a chuckle. Figures that even with all the respect and fear you command, you still can't stop rumors. "First of all, I eventually want a list of every infernal that has been most active in spreading these rumors. Second, as much as having a dominant mommy that you could curl up to and suckle upon a breast for security would be everything you hoped for, no. Just no. I'm not interested in you in such a disgusting way. I'm not into anyone or anything other than my goal. THAT is my passion. My protectiveness of you is merely pragmatism as I have stated quite clearly before. Understand?" "Clearly. And I apologize once again." Zel remarks. "Don't be sorry, be efficient. You need to be better than you are. I can't stress this enough." You reply. "I understand. I just hope to achieve half the amount of discipline as you have. It's always been difficult for me. Even in my old life before I learned of my infernal heritage, I was quite the party girl in college." "Hm, I'll bet." "Sort of surprised I didn't acquire a nickname like Mattress Madeline or something." "Wait, your mortal name was Madeline?" "Yes, why?" "Nothing. Just didn't know that." "When my mom showed up at my graduation, that was surprising enough considering I was told she was dead. But then for her to explain what I really was, which was then in turn backed up by my father, I couldn't believe it. I suppose it explained so much though. Why I was so sexually active and attracted to danger by hanging out with my city's gang members. Also had odd control over goblins for some reason." After this brief unburdening tale of her mortal past, Zel looks at you expectantly. Whatever it is though better not involve trying to touch your hand (or anything else) again. "How did you do it so easily?" Zel asks. "Do what exactly?" "Achieve the status you have now? "It wasn't easy, I assure you." You think about your next words to Zel. You know that just telling her to be like you isn't going to help. You need to come up with something else since she's obviously trying her hardest to "bond" with you and seek guidance even if she's fumbling about it. "Zel, if you're asking me how to tame the filthy urges you obviously have like most of your kind, I don't have any secret advice. The truth is, I never really had the same problem despite my mother also being a succubus whore. Even during my time as a half mortal, I wasn't exactly active and trust me I had multiple chances at opportunity." "Oh." "All I can tell you is after I stopped floundering about as a half mortal for far too long denying my nature, I stayed focused and driven on my goals. Regardless of who spawned me, I wasn't going to follow in the wanton footsteps as an agent of sexual assault. I was going to be MORE than that. And I am. You can too. I see the potential in you enough that I've been willing to entertain your questions and misguided attempt to have a deeper bond with me today. So there you go, there's your inspiration. Make it count and prove me right, because I hate being wrong." Zeljenir nods a few times and gets up. She then mentions that she's going to study Arash's weapons that were doing so much damage to Engan and the ancient ones. She hopes that maybe she can reproduce them. You certainly approve. Before she walks away, she attempts to ask one more question. You already know what it's going to be. "General..." "Nope, not telling you what my mortal name was. That's the past and I only focus on the future. I suggest you do likewise." Zeljenir bows and leaves. Impressively she even ignores the lot in the party festivities that are making crude suggestions to her. Of course she knows you're probably watching. You guess time will tell if your "faith" in her potential is misplaced. You sit for a moment longer, knowing that you'll need to get going soon as well. Your destiny isn't going to master itself. Despite what you told Zel about dwelling on the future, you can't help but think about your own past now. You try not to do that for several reasons, but mainly because it makes you think of how much time you wasted in that inferior form with misguided attachments, no matter how few they were. While you told Zel the truth of why you got to where you were, you would certainly never tell her the entire story of why it was so easy to not embrace being a succubus whore even if you wished to indulge in such a vile path. And that's all because of the lowly mortal who managed to win your heart. Aron still has it, as he still lives for now. However, you fully believe that even when he finally expires like all mortals, he's probably going to still have it. You'll never be completely free of him even in death. You miss the persistent bastard. You stop your reminiscing before you show weakness and someone sees. You take one last drink and get up. "Damn it Tanya, pull it together." You mumble to yourself. And so you do. You always do.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, grimdark] You've already experienced being denied acts of violence twice, but somehow you do not feel there will be a third. Call it infernal instinct and throwing caution to the hells, but perhaps Arash's warning of alterations of reality occurring also apply to alterations of the "rules" to this place. So you focus all your willpower along with your rage and swing your sword at Posil. For the briefest moment he looks a little surprised that you actually did it and you're surprised that it actually worked when you sever his head from his body. However, the surprises keep coming. Posil's head falls to the ground and splatters into several large grubs that immediately try to crawl away. His body still stands before you and a large jagged mouth appears on his chest emanating a horrible scream. The scream is unlike anything you've experienced and it's mildly hurting your ears and causing some disorientation. Fortunately you're no mere mortal that's hindered by such things for very long and you blast Posil's body with hellfire. Posil's burning body begins to flail at you to which you respond to by dodging and chopping off one of his legs at the knee. Still screeching, he falls to the ground and manages to grab your ankle. Just as his fingers are transforming into tentacles to wrap around your leg better, you hack off his arm and pull his offending limb from you. Burning, screaming and bloody, Posil goes into a convulsing fit where upon he finally dies. You can tell due to his body just completely melting into a puddle of black ichor. No sooner this has happen, when one of the angels cries out from the crowd. "She's saved us! Don't you see?! She can kill us all! This is the savior we've needed!" she says. "No! Death will mean oblivion!" another shouts. "Better oblivion than this never ending torment!" While several angels are arguing the pros and cons of you killing them, a third group is visibly unhappy and begins to move directly towards you. "Interloper! You will not succeed in stopping our return!" one of them says in a raspy voice as he begins to shake and grow an extra pair of arms and legs from odd place of his body. Those with him begin to do something similar. Surprisingly, some of the angels that were calling you a savior pounce on the deformed ones. Fighting breaks out between them and it would appear that the no violence rule no longer applies. It's becoming apparent that neither are the rules of reality as the landscape starts warping slightly around you. Before you still lies the door to the "Cells" where Sinthinia is and who you were here in the first place. It's even open now, but you can't see into it though, it's just a black void. Meanwhile what angels that still remain are fighting amongst themselves. Some are calling on you to put an end to all this once and for all. You're not here to be any sort of savior however, you're here to retrieve your enemy that's escaped punishment. With the celestials preoccupied, you enter the doorway. At first there is just darkness. Even behind you it's dark, like the door you just stepped through didn't even exist. Suddenly the floor (Or whatever it is you were standing on) disappears beneath you causing you to start flapping your wings though as you proceed, you feel like you're flying through molasses at times. The darkness soon becomes that gray color you were familiar with before you entered this place. As strange as this place is, it isn't anything like what Arash was describing, but maybe it looks different to different people or maybe because he was human, who knows. The only thing breaking up the gray are floating black cube shaped cages that look like they contain beings inside them. You're guessing some invisible barrier is keeping them in and you since you presume Sinthinia is in one of these, you explore the closest one. You get to it and see what looks to be an earth elemental. Not that you've had much contact with elemental types, but it's obviously in pain given the low bellowing noises it occasionally makes. You can feel the vibrations even from outside the invisible barrier. Half of it is a melted puddle of brown goo with the occasional small tentacle coming out and sinking back in. Its stony face looks at you with what could only be described as a mixture of agony and hopefulness that you're here to free it. Then fleshy spider looking things crawl from where its eyes would be and you back away from the barrier. You pass other cubes and see a couple more elemental types, some plane walker mortals of all types, you even see a vampire, but all of them without exception are undergoing some sort of horrible transformation. Arash was right about some other race being here. This is not something the celestials created. This isn't even infernal work. This is something very old and you need to find Sinthinia and get out of this place as fast as you can before something worse begins to stir. Flying (swimming?) through the gray is very disorientating and you're trying to make a mental note of the cube locations so you can make your way back to the location of the doorway, but that's a bit difficult when the cubes are slowly floating around. You're still looking for Sinthinia, and that's when you hear a voice a familiar yet there's a sing song tone to it. "Cistiagonijaaaa, where are yoooou..." Engan calls out. You never told that silver bastard your name, but that hardly matters at this point. You're being hunted and while you know Engan is searching for you, who knows how many other corrupted celestials are doing likewise. "You really should have come with me when you first arrived. I could have made this so much easier for you. But I still have hope for you. I know you're not like other infernals. I could sense that. You have an orderly mind. I can tell you most here wouldn't like that, but I find it alluring. More of a challenge. Don't you agree it's much more satisfying when a prize isn't easy to take? When we join, you will be a great asset." Great, not content on just trying to kill you, this demented celestial is probably also trying to fuck you as well. You continue to ignore Engan's fat musings and keep alert. You soon come across another cube and just when you were thinking you were a fool for coming here, you see Sinthinia. Or at least what you think is her. Sinthinia turns to look at you with all six of the new eyes in her face. While she's no longer suffering from the burned skin brought on by celestial light you last saw, it's been replaced by a greenish mucus covered layer instead. Her overall form is still similar though her limbs in general are now twisted and crooked to a point that she cannot possibly stand up straight and is currently in a semi-hunched kneeling sitting position. Her wings are gone. Replaced by some sort of fleshy hump on her back and as is common with all these transformations you've seen, she's got a few tentacles growing out of her at odd places. While you can imagine some degenerates STILL finding this new form of hers appealing, her days of seducing the average mortal male (or female) are over. If she still had a mouth, she'd most likely be screaming. As it stands, she's putting her gnarly sticky claws against the invisible barrier keeping her in the cube and scratching at it. At first you believe she's just trying to get at you, but then you notice she's making gestures with her fingers in such a way to spell out "invisible" letters. K...I...L...L...M...E Over and over and over again. "I see you found your prize. Though I suppose she isn't quite the same since the last time you saw her." Engan says causing you to turn around. Engan still looks the same though his silver skin is a little duller, to the point where it's starting to look the same shade of gray as everything around you, but he's not spouting tentacles or anything like that yet. Though you're fully expecting anything at this point. "I would think this would be a bit of a dilemma for you. In your limited infernal mind, this probably seems like a fate worse than death and as such is a fitting punishment. You could easily just leave her to rot here satisfied in the knowledge that your revenge has been served. However, you aren't really interested in prolonging torment like most infernals are you? You dislike loose ends. You desired her death much more. In fact YOU wanted to carry it out personally. That is why you went to all this trouble isn't it?" You unleash a blast of hellfire at Engan, but as soon as you do, it turns into pixies, which then make little squealing sounds as they disintegrate into the gray. Engan smiles, but makes no move towards you, in fact he begins to float slightly away from you. "Laws of all kinds have no meaning here...well I suppose that isn't entirely true. There still are a few, but soon that will change. That will change everywhere. You see it's almost time. It's time for the true masters to return and tear down the rotten systems in place. There will be no celestial realm, there will be no infernal realm, there will be no mortal realm, there will be no realms at all, only pure untamed chaos." At this point you hear the sounds of Sinthinia slamming against her cube's force field aggressively. This is then followed by you quickly turning your attention back and forth to her and Engan. "I've heard about you and your attempts to bring order to your dismal realm. Impressive that you've been relatively successful considering your humble beginnings. Big Red has been most useful in that matter. Excellent mind that one, though I believe he thinks by making deals with the ancient ones he thinks he will somehow be exempt from their eventual success. He is quite wrong of course, but he shall be dealt with in time, after all the ancient ones are VERY patient." Engan says. "You're right about one thing, Big Red WILL be dealt with in time, but it'll be me doing it." You reply. Engan shakes his head at your response. "You still don't understand. You have already lost. All of you have. Entropy is the natural state of everything. Even in the infernal realm, you pathetic horned degenerates still adhere to a semblance of order. And now through your actions, I hear infernals are becoming more like celestials every moment just with a better sense of humor. Fitting I suppose, given the origins of both. I'm telling you though, when the ancients return, the infernal realm will not be able to stand against us. After it's done, even the memory of the infernals will not exist." You fly towards Engan as you're completely done with his need to pontificate about things that haven't even come to pass, but once again he floats backwards and disappears into the gray immediately. You quickly look around expecting him to attack, but instead you just get more talking, which is actually worse. "I can see the only way you're going to be able to see the truth is by direct action. Well we can oblige. Perhaps your prey can show you up close and personal." And that's when you hear Sinthinia release an unnatural wailing and you narrowly dodge out of the way as she lunges out of the cube she was previously locked in. Her form seems to be changing before your eyes as now a large mouth has appeared where her stomach would be and more tentacles have emerged from her body. "Cista...let me show you the horrible beauty that surpasses even the most terrible tortures of the infernal realm..." Sin utters from her new mouth, though her voice is changing several tones and at times there is an echo of the same words. This along with the whole unnaturalness of this place is once again starting to fuck with your head even worse now. "Cista, I've secretly always wanted you to be inside me, let us finally put aside our differences and make that come true." Sin adds and severalof her new tentacles from her body attempt to grab you. You dodge a few tentacles and chop off a couple with a sword blow. At least your sword is still working properly even if your magic isn't again. What isn't working is your concentration as you begin hearing the gibbering and caterwauling of more abominations approaching. Engan has apparently released the inhabitants of the other cells as well and right now they're all converging on your position. You need to retreat. However all those abominations are coming from the direction that you last remembered the entrance is located, you'll have to dodge and fight your way through. Not that you'd normally have an issue with that, but the mental onslaught is going to make it more difficult than it needs to be. Of course heading in the opposite direction is just going to get you deeper in this place to who knows where, if indeed it has an end at all. Maybe you can try to backtrack a long way around them though. Unfortunately neither choice is a sure thing as far as actually finding the entrance again. > You try to lose them and double back It's hard enough to think and move in this place, let alone focus on fighting multiple opponents, you decide to try to lose them and double back. You glide as fast as you can through this gray haze, eventually you lose sight of any abominations or Sinthinia that may still be following you, but the voices are still there, if anything they're getting unbearably louder. Your attempts of shutting them out are failing completely. Just as you're about to make your way back into the direction of the entrance, everything around you goes black. An oppressive feeling dread hits you and you try gliding back, but you might as well be just running in one spot at this point as you feel a force definitely pull you back. The voices have stopped, but have been replaced by a single deep one that's almost making your brain vibrate in its skull. You don't know the language but it hardly matters since it feels like you head is about to explode. And then you finally the darkness lifts just enough for you see what you're being drawn to and you really wish you hadn't. Even all your time in the infernal realm hasn't prepared you for this level of horror. Your mind instantly snaps in the face of your doom and you begin to laugh as you're inevitably drawn towards this thing's mouth or whatever orifice it is. Once again, it doesn't matter since you never come out.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, war, female protagonist, fantasy] You're here now and you're not coming back without at least confirmation that Sinthinia is paying for her defiance against your regime. While you suppose you could just continue looking for her by yourself, you feel like this mortal is the best chance you have for a lead. He's more tolerable than the angels though the downside is he's not even willing to help you, but maybe that can be changed. "Human, if you just tell me where these cells are located, you don't even need to go there, just give me directions. In return I'll get you out of here." You offer. "Get me out of here eh? And I suppose much like Big Red's offer, that will involve a one way trip to the infernal realm where I can suffer for all eternity. Yeah, no thanks. This place might not be the most pleasant, but at least I'm not going to spend the rest of my afterlife existence with a pitchfork up my ass." Arash replies. "First of all, we'd use a variety of objects to shove up your ass. Second, I can promise you that wouldn't be your fate." "No, just some other equally horrible fate no doubt. Big Red attempted this too, and I wasn't buying it then. I know you infernals and you're twisty word tricks." "Well what would convince you? All I can offer is my word and granted that's a dubious offer from anyone, let alone from an infernal. I can only assure you that IF you tell me what I want to know and we all get out of this alive, I WILL honor a promise right here and now that your body and soul will NOT suffer a horrible agonizing fate by me directly or indirectly and you will be taken home to the place of your choosing." The human looks at your eyes with a mixture of suspicion and vague hopefulness. You know he really wants to leave this place despite his mistrustful nature. "You must REALLY want this bitch huh? Guessing she must have done something really bad to you, what was it exactly?" the human asks. "She defied the new order that I am bringing to the infernal realm. She must pay for her impudence and ideally I will decide her punishment directly." "Hm. Glad I'm not on your bad side, if you're willing to go to all this trouble...okay fuck it. Since you seem to be so driven on your task rather than concerning yourself with gaining my soul along with making a promise like you just did. I'll point you in the right direction, but since you are potentially my way out of this place, I feel like I should tell you a little more about this place in general just so you know what you're up against." "What's to know? This place is a prison for celestials, though it sounds like Engan has been turning it into his own personal playground." "Eh, that's only partially correct. During my time here, I've managed to hear things, find things and obviously see things that aren't what the mayor claims to be. This place wasn't created as a prison for celestials. From what I've gathered it was here long before that. Something much older created this little place or lived here or something. And I don't even think the original inhabitants are completely gone." "So?" "My point is, things are more fucked up here than they appear. While I'm sure you already got that impression, I'm stressing that these celestials aren't just here for minor offenses. I don't even think they were sent here as punishment. I think this was some sort of hiding place for them from whatever higher powers they offended, but it became a prison for them in the long run. They've been here so long now that this place has twisted their very essence so much that most of them are probably wishing they were dead. The others, well they've embraced it so much that they no longer could be considered celestials except in the superficial sense I suppose. Don't trust anything." "I'm an infernal. I never do. Duly noted though." Arash nods and then begins to tell you how to find the Cells. He explains to you that they are located in one of the houses in town close to the tavern, but you won't find it walking forward, you'll have to walk backwards. "Are you fucking serious?" you say. "This is how I found it by accident. I ended up taking a few steps backwards once and looked to my left and suddenly I saw a door that wasn't there before on one of the houses." Arash replies. "You sure it was always there and you just didn't notice it when passing before?" "The door was in the corner of the house AND it was upside down. I think I would have seen it before. I went in because it isn't like I had much else to do in this place. As I said, I wish I hadn't though, but in the off chance that you're successful in whatever it is you're attempting to do, I guess it will have been worth it." "Oh I'll be successful, and when I drag that bitch out of there, you better make sure you're near that dead tree outside town because it'll be your only chance to get out of here." "I guess I'll see. Oh one more thing infernal. When you find the door, chances are very likely that you'll start experiencing alterations of reality. I can't quite explain it entirely, but rest to say, it's unpleasant and not good. Be prepared." With those words, you take your leave of Arash and head back towards where the tavern was located. As you're passing the tavern you see Posil and his group hanging around outside this time. "Well if it isn't the infernal beauty back again. Change your mind about that game?" Posil asks. You ignore him and turn around and begin to walk backwards looking at the houses as you pass them by. "What the fuck is she doing?" one of the angels says. "Is she...?" another starts to ask. "I think so, you better go find Engan's ass." Posil remarks and all of them immediately fly off, though you're not really worried about it. You continue your search and finally you pass the house you seek. You see the upside door in the corner of it that Arash was talking about. You also feel a little odd. It's like when you were around Engan. And no sooner that you've had that thought Posil lands right in front of the door. He doesn't look quite as sparkly though. In fact his skin is grayer. It's matching the rest of this place in fact. "Sorry my infernal beauty, but I believe you've uncovered a part of this place that you probably shouldn't enter." Posil remarks. "Oh? And why is that?" you ask. "Well it's dangerous. There are some really evil types in there." You laugh at this remark. "You do realize you're speaking to an infernal right? Besides, isn't this whole place filled with evil types? I mean this whole place IS a prison correct?" you say. "No, we're not evil. We just merely just saw another way; in fact in some cases you could say some of us saw a BETTER way. And yes, this place is a prison, but even in a prison there are precautions to separate the deadlier prisoners from the rest of the population." "Hm from what I've heard this place isn't even a prison. It was here before you lot showed up to hide from the higher powers you offended." Now Posil no longer maintains his false smile at all, and you begin to see anger. "And I see you've been speaking to Arash. The filthy human that does nothing but spread lies and stink up the town. I'm surprised you would even be listening to such a lowly creature, but then you infernals have never been known for your intelligence." "Well then I guess it's time to stop thinking altogether and start doing something really stupid like entering your cells." You say and begin to move towards the door, Posil doesn't move though. "Stop! You don't have permission to enter!" Posil shouts. "Don't see why I wouldn't I'm an infernal. Pretty sure I qualify as what you would consider an evil type. Move aside Posil," "I'm not moving and you can't make me infernal. Now if you REALLY want to go inside, I suppose I can allow it, if you ask for permission and let me accompany you." "Last chance to get out of my way Posil." "Or you'll what? What can you do to me? No violence allowed infernal remember?" "Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough then..." you say drawing your sword. "Infernal, I'm warning you. Strike me with that sword and you'll regret it." You look around and see you've drawn a crowd of other celestials looking on. They all have different expressions on their faces. Some are obviously showing displeasure, though others are showing concern. Still others don't seem to show any sign that they care one way or another except this is something that is breaking up the monotony. None of them are trying to stop you however. Granted they can't touch you anymore than you can touch them, but they aren't protesting verbally either. They're all just watching and waiting to see what you might do next. While you're scanning the crowd one thing catches your eye for a second. You think you see one of the angels silently mouth the words "Free us." You look back at Posil and notice he's making odd twitching movements. You blink and for the briefest moment his face isn't the same, it's covered in multiple mouths and eyes. The mouths aren't all horizontal either, some are vertical and most of them are filled with disjointed teeth or drooling some sort of black liquid. The eyes are of all different colors and sizes. Then it's back to normal. Something definitely isn't right here and you're actually feeling... well the word isn't quite fear, but you're definitely feeling very uneasy. You haven't felt this way in a very long time. "Well? You going to swing that sword infernal? Or you just going to admire my superior celestial physique?" Posil asks with a grin that is entirely too wide. > Back away This goes against every part of your being, but you feel like you're getting drawn into a trap and every moment you stay here increases the danger that you won't be able to return. You start to back away which naturally causes Posil to smirk and proceed to mock you. "Hah! That's what I thought! You infernals talk and you talk, but when it comes down to it, you're all a bunch of cowards when in the face of a superior being! Run infernal, run! Look everyone, look at the infernal run!" Posil exclaims. At this point the crowd of angels begins to step closer and much like how you saw Posil, you now start to see them very briefly change into other "things" then back to their angel form as well. You begin to really feel threatened and start shouting at all of them to get back, swinging your sword at them. They start to stay their distance. A couple of them even make shrieking sounds that definitely don't sound like something an angel would make. Eventually you're out of immediate danger of the crowd of angels which are all now just staring at you. Posil is flying above them, continuing with his mocking. "Leaving then? Come on, don't be like that. I was just jesting. Even an infernal like you deserves this chance. We have such wonderful things to show you. Such beautiful things. You should really stay. What say you everyone? Shouldn't she stay?" "Yes stay. Stay with us. Forever, and ever and ever." The group says in a creepy tone. (Completely in unison) You don't know what this place is or who these being are exactly, but they are NOT celestials and now your mind is feeling assaulted. "Running won't help. Hiding won't help. What is coming is inevitable. The ancient ones will awaken soon." "GET OUT OF MY FUCKING HEAD!" you shout and fly as fast as you can out of this cursed village and back to where you originally came in. As you're speeding away and trying to shut out the voices still invading your mind, you fumble about with getting the beacon stone to open up the portal. You open the portal and fly in without stopping. When you arrive, you're back in the room where Zel first opened it up for you. Nobody is around which paired with your already heightened state of readiness you make a somewhat terrible mistake... "You went by so fast, I nearly didn't get..." This is all Arash manages to say before you swing around with your sword and chop half of his head off. His body slumps to the floor as his brain matter splatters partially on the wall and on the floor. "Shit! Fuck! Damn it!" you exclaim after calming down from the initial surprise. You were so busy trying to leave that place, you forgot all about Arash. You didn't even see him waiting for you, but he must have hopped into the portal right after you entered it. You really didn't mean to kill him, in fact given the deal you made with him, it wouldn't have been in your interest to kill him. At least not without a loophole, let alone directly. Breaking deals has consequences for your kind, hence also why your kind doesn't make them very often and even then excel in double speak and lies. While breaking a minor deal with a mortal isn't going to kill you, you're already feeling a slight loss in your power. On top of already having your mind shaken by the abominations that infested the place you just came from, you curse yourself for experiencing such weakness. You even feel a little sick. Some of your soldiers rush in finally to see what's going on at which point you tell them to get the fuck out of your way as you need to prepare for the next campaign. In truth, you just want to go back to your own war tent where you can rest a bit and gather your strength until you can feel a little more like yourself. Later after resting up, you still don't feel like yourself. You probably won't feel up to your old power for some time. You definitely cannot give anyone the impression of this loss. Infernals are all too eager to backstab each other at the best of times, let alone if they perceive weakness. On top of all this, you've got concerns about what you just saw in the other realm you just came from. There was a strong indication that whatever those being are, they won't be just content sticking around in that pocket dimension forever. You need to prepare for that, on top of your initial impossible goal of unifying the infernal realm. You just don't know though. You're so unsure of everything now. You hate this pathetic indecisiveness and lack of confidence you're experiencing. This isn't you. While you're struggling with your future plans, you get a cautious visit from Captain Spol of all people. "Um, general? Are you busy? I wouldn't bother you, but I felt this was something important." He says. "What? And speak quickly!" you snap. "Yes general. Reports say that this area has been completely secured. Most of Sinthinia's remaining hold outs are either dead, being tortured or run off. It seems though however there have been sightings of Baron Yargvid's troops on the borders. They haven't made a move yet, looks like they've been observing, but we weren't sure what you wanted to do next." You quickly clear your head and answer Spol with brief order of sending a detachment along the border and to call in other captains to give reports so you can start planning your next conquest. Captain Spol nods, but before he leaves you call out to him asking if he's seen Zel since she wasn't at her post when you arrived back home. "No, you told me to stay away so I did. I assume she might be working on repairing the siege engines though." Captain Spol replies. "Hm. Well if you bump into her or anyone else that knows where she is, tell her to get her ass over here since I need to discuss something with her as well. Dismissed." You reply. Captain Spol nods again and leaves. You doubt if Spol hasn't seen Zel. Probably were fucking while you were away, but you've honestly got bigger problems right now than potential minor insubordination issues. The Future... You look down at the ground squashing a small crawling scorder under foot reflecting back at how you came to this lowly state of hiding in a fucking cave in the middle of nowhere. While it's easy to blame all this on breaking your deal with Arash, it really wasn't the only thing. It's never just one thing. While you certainly did lose power, it was more that you let the idea of power loss get into your head. You became distracted and second guessing yourself at nearly every major decision. You became paranoid to an unreasonable degree, but at the same time you had to rely on putting on a stronger front than you actually had. Despite all that, you probably COULD have faked it long enough to get your shit together. Might have taken your goals a bit longer, but it was possible. After all, you had to resort to a bit of bluffing when you were climbing the ladder to power in the beginning. What ruined everything though was the invasion. The abominations from that place you barely escaped from finally arrived. You knew it was coming and you even tried to prepare for it, but due to your instability at the time, it was always pushed back to take care of other things you thought were of more immediate importance. When the invasion came, your territory was the first to be targeted and it was devastating even with your minor preparations in place. Didn't help that Sinthinia lead the assault, of course she didn't look much like herself anymore. She wasn't an infernal anymore, not even in the superficial way. She had completely been twisted by the old ones and just a tool for their pursuit of absolute entropy. It was during one of your clashes with her when things got even worse. Sinthina's changes had made her more powerful while you were still struggling with your own losses. She nearly killed you in that last battle with her and sometimes you wish she had because what came next was even worse. Captain Spolnapad who had somehow got on your "good side" by making himself a completely obedient officer to you, even helping you maintain order over those that were whispering about your ability to lead at times. Honestly, his "selfless subservience" to you probably should have been your first clue that he was plotting the biggest betrayal of all. He saved your life with new weapon developed by that equally traitorous bitch Zeljenir. Or rather reverse engineered it from the weapons that Arash's dead body was carrying on him. Apparently the two discovered them and kept it secret. Or at least Spol did and probably charmed Zel into going along with it like the dumb whore she was. After he vaporized Sinthinia he led a successful counter attack against the abominations. The first in a long time of the initial invasion. Spol of course was hailed as "savior" and you were viewed as a failure. He wasted little time in ordering that you be executed for your inability to lead anymore. You barely escaped, but you have been forever hunted ever since. If not by Spol's people, then by other opportunists for various reasons. Not that killing you will do much to help anyone's position at this point. You have no allies or territory anymore. All of those were destroyed or taken long ago. In fact despite everything, the infernal realm is more fractured than ever which puts it in an even worse position than it was before since the ancient ones haven't ceased their own invasion. In fact they've been building strength even with the new weapons used against them. How do you know? Because they're right here. Maybe not right here with you in this cave, but you can sense them in this area. The Red Wastes have always been considered of little worth even from a strategic perspective. The area is one of the more hostile areas of the infernal realms and has little worth in general. Indeed that's one of the reasons why you decided to hide here. But the invaders are here, in fact if you had to guess, besides attacking your territory first, they probably established a presence here as well knowing they could stay undetected for a long time. And they know YOU'RE here as well. You hear the voices. They've been trying to talk to you for quite some time. Promising you revenge, promising you a return to greatness, promising you a place in the new order. They speak to you even now. "Join us. Become part of the inevitable future..." You assume despite your outcast status, you would be a great asset to their invasion effort. You don't know why they haven't just tried to take you by force though. Their numbers are growing every moment you and while you've long since regained your powers, you'd never be able to outlast such a horde by yourself. Perhaps they wish to drive you mad first. Insanity does seem to a major character trait for those affected. You might even be half way there already, indeed there is part of you that has almost decided give in. Joining these ancient ones would be a way to regain what was lost. But no. As tempting as it might be to just throw your lot in with ancient horrors for revenge on the entire infernal realm, that isn't your path. You can't stay here though, the abominations aren't going to allow your continued presence forever and even if they do, you don't know if you have the willpower to fight off their insane babbling. Where you'll go, you have no idea, but one thing is certain, you aren't dead and out of this conflict yet. You'll climb back to the top eventually. It's just a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, war] "Cistagonija, I was wondering when you'd finally stop serenading me with the screams of my minions and just enter my bedroom. See? It's all prepped for us. You were always welcome you know. I like a lady in armor. It's the right blend of masculine femininity. You're making me wet just standing there like that." Sinthinia remarks pointing to her very fancy comfortable looking bed. Without a word, you raise a hand unleashing a blue beam of magic and disintegrate it. "I see. Well we could always do it on the floor if you prefer." Sinthinia remarks hopefully. "The only thing you're going to be doing on the floor is dying." You reply. "Fine. But know this Cista, you're on the losing side of this war!" "Really? Because recent events show otherwise." "Hah, short sighted bitch! All of this has only been a minor battle in the larger scope of a war you can't begin to comprehend! The infernal realm will NEVER submit to your perverted desires of order!" "Peverted? Amusing words coming from one of the biggest succubus whores known in hell." "I am TRUE to my nature. YOU on the other hand are an abomination that should have NEVER been allowed to survive this long! Time to correct that mistake!" Sinthinia unleashes a spell blast, which your armor easily shrugs off. You don't even know why she's bothering. She's no warrior, she's a whore and the only things whores are good at are opening their holes. Time you made more of those in her; you continue to advance with your flaming sword in hand. You're really going to enjoy widening this infernal harlot's diseased slit to her equally diseased throat. You can sense the fear in her. She puts up a pitiful force field that isn't going to protect her for long. You know she'd beg you to spare her if she thought it would do any good. Just when you're about to break the field, a blinding light engulfs the room and a portal appears behind Sinthinia! You took measures to ensure such a thing was impossible so she couldn't escape, though looking back over at Sinthinia, she looks as confused as you are, though she also looks like she's experiencing pain from the light emanating from the portal. The light from the portal is actually causing you a minor bit of pain as well and your eyes are still having a difficult time adjusting to looking at it head on. You're also feeling a powerful force holding you back. "Come into the light Sin! Hah, I've always wanted to say that." You hear a voice chuckle from the portal. "Red? What is this? Argh! I'm fucking burning!" Sinthinia remarks. "It's your best chance at a rescue so quit your bitching and take my hand, this holy light won't bother you for long and it isn't going to hold back your friend for long either." Red or "Big Red" is certainly an infernal you've heard tales about, but you've never actually had any direct conflict or interaction with him. Looks like that's about to change if he's insisting on getting in your way. You can barely see him within the glow of the light, but he's completely covered in some sort of white armor and wearing goggles, which presumably is what is protecting him from this obvious holy light. Sinthinia looks over to you and wastes no time in grabbing Red's gauntlet. She'd rather burn than face you, though if the roles were reversed, you might pick the same choice. You push forward with some difficulty and see Sinthinia's burning ass (literally) run into the portal behind Big Red who is now addressing you. "Hm you ARE a powerful one. Maybe Sin is right and you are an actual threat to the infernal realm. I'll definitely have to keep a closer eye on you in the future. However, I'd advise you NOT to follow for even as powerful as you are, I don't believe you're prepared. Don't worry though, I'm sure you'll get another chance to kill Sin assuming she even survives this trip of course." With those last words, Red steps back into the portal, which is now beginning to flicker and the holy light isn't as powerful anymore. You could easily run into the portal now, but you have no idea where it is going to take you. The fact that holy light was coming from it doesn't seem like it's heading any place you'd enjoy. Not that you ever enjoy anything other than perhaps utterly destroying your enemies which are becoming more and more numerous nowadays. Of course this also leads to more questions of the situation between Red and Sin since he didn't exactly imply good things for her either. You suppose it's possible he's just robbed you of your kill and her fate is sealed anyway. While this is going through you head, the portal is beginning to disappear. Completely abandoning any sort of caution, you run towards the portal, which then disappears. "Fuck!" you shout and punch a hole in the nearby wall, destroying enough of it to create a new window in Sin's former palace. While your cursing your hesitation, a familiar voice is heard. It's your chief engineer. "Um, mistress?" Zeljenir utters. "WHAT? And I told you not to fucking call me that! Only whores are mistresses! You will address me by my proper military title, do you understand?" you reply. "Yes general." While you know she understands and you can sense the fear, you just don't feel properly satisfied with this compliance. You immediately walk over to Zel who just looks on in fear and offers no resistance. You grab her by her neck and slam her against the wall. You look at her with disgust as she continues to display her body like the infernal seductress she really is. "I don't think you do. Address me other than general again and I will cast you down from your privileged position to the deepest darkest pit of degenerates in Hell and I guarantee you will NOT enjoy it. Am I making myself clear?" you threaten. "Yes general. I will obey!" Zel chokes. Good, that's the proper amount of respect and fear. You release Zel and ask her why the hell she's here since it isn't like her to be anywhere near the frontlines. You certainly don't keep her around for her fighting abilities. Her mind for engineering is what is important. She's been very useful in designing siege weapons and such. "I'm here because you told me to let you know directly if I had any major problems with other members on your staff." Zel remarks "You came all the way here now to tell me this?" you say. "Well I didn't intend to, but...well during the siege when I was overseeing the juggernauts, Captain Spolnapad and some of his men..." "Oh for fuck's sake, I fucking warned him about this and in the middle of the damn battle? No wonder the east side of the wall wasn't brought down when I predicted it to be! Fucking chaos. So did they get you?" Zel looks down. "I didn't enjoy it I swear." Zel looks up at you and feels your judgmental stare to tell the complete truth. "Well I mean maybe a little at first, then I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't stop and I barely escaped! I beg forgiveness general." You shake your head. You can't even be too mad at her for this. She's another succubus and the whore within her is always there, but fortunately you caught her when she was relatively new to the infernal plane and can be molded. She'll change completely in time. Change is always possible. But it's not easy when you're dealing with rapey lustful demons. "Fine. I'll take care of it. But from now on, YOU need to start fucking covering up! You may have the body of a harlot, but you weren't given this position because of your dick sucking skills. You were given this honor because of your skills as an engineer. I don't want to see you running around fucking naked. Those days are long over! I will see you in a uniform from now on!" "We have uniforms?" "No, it's a figure of fucking speech. What I'm saying is cover the fuck up. I don't give a shit what you're actually wearing as long as you don't have all your fun bits exposed all over the place!" "Yes general." With that out of the way, Zel proceeds to give you an updated report of what's been going on outside the palace. All your forces have of course completely destroyed Sin's remaining minions. It's a victory, but not really since Sin escaped. You're still pissed about that then you remember that Zel has helped in forcing open portal to the mortal realm at times, you wonder if she could do that with this after explaining the recent situation. "Hm, that explains that faint smell of celestial in this room. Yeah there's enough residual energy to do it, but we'd have to be quick before is disappears. I'll need to get all the equipment in here." Zel remarks. "That's no problem. Go get all your machines and shit. If you need help, let whatever grunts you need that it's a direct order from me to help you move it." You say. While you're expecting Zel to move, she hesitates. "You better have a good reason for not flapping those little wings and moving your ass as fast as possible right now." You say. "It's just..." Zel begins to say before trailing off. "Just what? What?! Pretend you've just sucked dick for three hours and spit it out already!" "I'd be a little concerned about you going." "Concern? This should be good. What do you mean?" "Well from the description you gave it sounds like the place is filled with celestials or at least aligned with such powers. I mean the portal gave off enough of the energy that it's still lingering even in this place. In fact, I'm not sure how Sin is going to survive being in such a place. I'd say you'd be better off focusing your attention on other matters. I mean your presence is needed to maintain order. If you disappear to who knows where for who knows how long, chaos could break out and I know you don't want that." You smirk a bit at Zel's transparent "concern." She has it all right, but it's more for herself. She's mainly concerned about her position if you suddenly got killed or something similar. She does enjoy the perks of having some of your protection, without it she'd probably be some demon lord's fuck toy because even as far as succubi go, she's still young and not nearly as hardened as she needs to be for the infernal realm. Still, even if she's worried more about herself, you admit there is a certain element of unknown danger involved. Indeed, you hesitated before your late rush to the portal. Zel may also have a point not just about the danger to you, but also the potential for having to clean up a massive amount of shit if you're gone for too long. After all, even when you're around you STILL have to clean up shit. (Like the mess with Zel and Spol you'll have to address for example) The burdens of being in charge you suppose. > Don't open the portal As much as you would like to personally deliver justice to Sinthinia, you've got a lot of other matters in the infernal realm to worry about. In fact you've got ALL of the infernal realm to concern yourself with. Zel's self-preservation of keeping you nearby aside, she also made some good points about the potential danger. She may even be correct in that Sinthinia is already dead. She was screaming and burning when you last saw her, perhaps it was some twisted joke by Big Red to disfigure and weaken her while he made her his bitch or something. You suppose if you come across her again, you'll just have to be more thorough in her destruction next time. "Very well, you make some good points Zel." You remark. "I do? Oh yes, well thank you general!" Zel answers surprised that you took her advice. "Mm, don't get too excited, I need you to start rebuilding war machines for our next conquest. So get back to your workshop and if you see Captain Spol tell him I want to see him immediately." "Yes, general." "And try not to suck his dick or anyone else's on the way." Zel nods and bows before leaving. While Zeljenir runs off to go do your bidding, more of your officers start finding you to give various reports. It's all very routine, when Captain Spolnapad shows up, you verbally and physically threaten him to not bother Zeljenir again. He complies and is full of promises to obey, though you suspect you'll probably have to do something more permanent to him in the long run. After the traditional allowance of a victory celebration, you solidify your position before moving on to the next target. Should be a more mundane campaign than the one against Sinthinia. The Future... "General, we're losing ground to the abominations. We have to retreat! We can regroup at the Fortress of Torment, our position is strong there." One of your commanders exclaims. Retreat, regroup, repeat. That's all you've been hearing for the past few years. You're sick of hearing it and you're even more pissed about it always being true. You can't believe all your years of hard work has been undone within weeks by these unnatural invaders. They knew exactly where to strike and it was so fast and sudden, you'd lost nearly a third of your territory before you could even mount an offense. Sinthinia lead the first attacks against your territory. She did indeed come back, though not the same at all. She was no longer a succubus or even infernal, she had been transformed into some sort of eldritch puppet spreading corruption to the land. It wasn't too surprisingly that you were targeted first given your past with her. Even now Sin is one of the top commanders on the opposing side focusing on your holdings. You've tried to face her in one on one combat, but it's only resulted in stand offs and in some cases your near death. Meanwhile underlings who feel they would be better to lead have made a few assassination attempts on you. You still wish that Zeljinir hadn't been such a stupid whore and fell under the spell of the treacherous Captain Spol's empty promises. She had much potential, but an example had to be made to ALL traitors. Between external and internal strife, your shortsighted infernal rivals took advantage and you lost another third of your territory Of course it didn't help them since these horrors attacked them as well, in fact the entire infernal realm itself is under attack. While the infernal realm was never a bastion of order, it still at least had some sort of consistency and you were on your way to bringing stability to it. All of that is gone now as this place gives way to more chaos every moment. Large portions of it have begun to warp into something completely different. Something more akin to the invaders' liking. Even native infernals are starting to transform if they aren't killed outright. The only glimmer of "hope" (Ironic in a place like this) is the unseen (and almost mythical) so called "Lords of Hell" are supposed to be setting things in motion to repel this invasion, but you aren't holding your breath on that, and with the way things are going, you will have lost nearly all your territory before they get off their asses. And the thing about all this that pisses you off the most is YOU might have been able to prevent all this if you'd just pursued Sinthinia into that portal and put an end to her when you had the chance. There's nothing for it now of course. You run your hand over your face and nod at your subordinate's words. "Very well, take the majority of our forces to the Fortress. Send a couple of small detachment as distraction to the main abomination horde. Hopefully they'll draw enough of unnatural bastards away before they're all killed." You order. With your orders acknowledged and to be carried out, you start to make your own way to the Fortress of Torment and try to keep your mind dwelling on a plan for eventual victory in this war as opposed to the grim reality that the entire infernal realm is losing. Your own goals of uniting the infernal realm under your command have been abandoned in favor of survival. But then you've always been good at that at least.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, female protagonist, villain protagonist] Everyone has a story. Some are short and deal only with a major turning point in what will surely be a longer struggle. Some are long and involve a series of obstacles to overcome in what seems to be impossible to avoid. Still others are epic and explore an entire life lived until it ceased to be. Yes, everyone has a story. There's just not enough time to tell them all. > The Vile 1 TR (Time of Reaping) "Mistress, there's been reports of holes opening up in the skies over Evigrus and ethereal beings pouring out. Reports of the dead rising on a mass scale have also been confirmed." Pivik remarks. You smack your young subordinate across the face twice. To his credit he doesn't flinch, though he's probably used to it lately. You kick Pivik in the balls, dropping him to his knees to get some sort of desired pain reaction, after feeling a minor sense of accomplishment; you then turn your attention to the rest of your "closest" lieutenants. "Why the fuck did you lot let this happen!? Didn't I tell you he would doom us all with that book?!" you exclaim. "US?! I suggested a full-scale assault on Evigrus and you dismissed that idea as foolish claiming that stealth would be more effective. We sent tons of assassins and they never even got close to killing him, if they ever reached him at all!" Gikil protests. "Shit, I even went personally with my best agents and barely made it off Evigrus alive!" Belina adds. "Yeah! And YOU were the one playing weird games with him over the years rather than just killing him immediately! Several times you HAD the opportunity, but did you take it? No, you were too busy indulging in your disgusting monkey lusting habits." Drunni says. It's been like this more and more lately, your lessers not knowing their place. You haven't decided if you're going to kill any of them yet, but you'll soon know after this meeting. "Gikil, your invasion plan was idiotic at best and suicidal at worst. Even if we had managed to motivate every svelk for such a cause, we would have been severely out numbered. Belina, you failed because you're a mediocre assassin. And Drunni, I'm going to just ignore your comment since you haven't had anything of worth to contribute to the last five meetings we've had so I'll chalk this up to your exercise in being pathetically consistent and predictable." Your lieutenants look at each other and scowl a bit but say nothing more. "You all are correct in holding your tongues because if you hadn't I'd be holding them right now. Speaking of tongues Pivik, you can put yours to better use. Don't get up, you're good right there on your knees." Pivik being a little newer to the group isn't exactly sure what you mean until you stand right in front of him. You then strip off the lower half of your clothing and look down upon him. "Better give head better than you give news." You say and push his head into your crotch. You feel his tongue going to work as you hold his head in place where you want it and continue your meeting. "Yeah, just like that." Gilik doesn't bat an eye, Belina rolls her eyes, but they're used to you multitasking like this during meetings. Drunni on the other hand show signs of obvious distaste. He's never gotten used to it and it makes you smile that you're able to cause the prudish asshole discomfort with such minimal effort. "Now that you idiots have allowed the unthinkable happen, we have to act quickly. Gilik since about the only thing you're mildly good at is direct force and similar matters, I want you to start preparing the defenses of Dokkrus, start burning the dead as soon as someone dies, and obviously keep an eye on any cemeteries. Think you can handle that?" you order. "Yes Mistress." "Good, now Belina I want you to take your best agents and head back to Evigrus..." "I just told you all my best agents are dead!" Belina interrupts. "Don't (Mm, yeah right there) interrupt. In any case, just take your next best ones, I don't know, whoever is just barely less competent than you. In any case your mission won't be to assassinate the little emperor anyway. He's arguably the only thing competent there that will be able to fight off the threat and buy valuable time. You'll just be giving reports on the continent and what he's doing. I'm sure you and your lot will be able to handle that." "...yes Mistress." Belina says with resignation. You turn your attention to Drunni who has been the most insubordinate of the three. He keeps his eyes at your face, though occasionally looks away when he sees you smile while feeling a particularly good lick by Pivik. You give a small chuckle before addressing Drunni. "Drunni, I trust you still haven't taken care of our less unified brethren given that I'm still getting reports of skirmishes on the southern side of the continent. I also trust that the main one that's leading the majority of those short sighted fools is Kessla." "It is, and as I've already said many times she's entrenched herself in an underground fortress reinforced with dero rock. Magic won't work on it." Drunni answers. "Yes, I'm aware of that too, hence why I haven't just teleported in and cut her heart out. (Damn, yeah...don't stop) So since you've been a dismal failure in killing her, maybe you can do a better job of making her see reason during this time of great crisis." "And how the hell am I supposed to do that after we've been trying to kill her for the past few years?" "Well weren't you two fucking before the defense of Mortos five years ago? Try diplomacy. Rekindle old flames, bend her over and give her a good fucking while convincing her that Dokkrus needs to be completely united against this global threat." "You're asking the impossible! The whole failure at Mortos is why she broke away from this alliance in the first place because she blamed you for it." "And I can't help that she has wrong ideas on top of being a stubborn cunt. My point is, if we had the time to fuck about with massacring her following and retaking the southern part of the continent by force, I'd be willing to be patient, but unfortunately we don't have that luxury. We cut off the head though and the rest will probably fall in line like sheep. So if you can't convince her to stop her shit, then at least trick her long enough to slit her throat while you're fucking her from behind. Just get it fucking done... AH FUCK!" You close your eyes and grab your young assistant's head as he turns out to be the only one that's pleasing you at this moment. You actually crumple to your knees forcing him to lie back on the floor while he continues servicing you. "Out! All of you now!" you command and you hear the sounds of feet running quickly and then the slamming of the door. Now you're alone with your thoughts. You're not here; you're in a different place. A better place. "Oh yes, do it. Do it Francis. Do it how mommy likes. I know how much you love me...it's okay I know...I know..." You feel a great release and then caress Francis' head; you look down at his face and see such potential. Backing up a bit to give him air, you straddle his chest. You raise his head up with one hand and you bend forward a bit. "Did I do well Mistress?" he asks. "Yes, yes you did my beautiful boy and now I'm going to give you something..." You whisper kissing his forehead. You then pull a dagger from a sheath strapped to your back and thrust it into Francis' throat. His eyes go from showing utter devotion to shock, but even in death he does not struggle. He accepts his fate as he bleeds out. "Remember this..." You say standing up with the bloody dagger in your hand. You blink a few times and look around and then at the floor where Pivik's body lies. "Hm, different place...different place..." You say to yourself putting the rest of your clothing back on. You look at Pivik's body for a moment and set it on fire just in case. "Different place. Something to consider if possible." You say leaving Pivik to burn in the middle of the stone floor. > … 6 TR You attempt to cast a simple cantrip and barely a flicker of flame shoots from your fingertip. Kessla's little headquarters certainly was well nullified, though Dero rock tends to be great for such things. It's partially why the Svelk never tried to conquer the insane ugly little bastards. You wonder how Kessla managed to get a Dero (let alone several) to even agree to build a place for her out their magic nullifying rocks. Even Casimir couldn't do that and he directly helped them in their war with the trolls. Then again Casimir was a necromancer and probably wouldn't have wanted to hamper his magic abilities. Speaking of necromancy, this place apparently is also very good for keeping out the dead. There are dead bodies all over this place and not a one has even twitched, something that's unfortunately all too common nowadays. Getting to the point where the dead just have to be burned to ensure permanent eradication. Really makes killing those who displease you more of a chore than it needs to be at times. "Mistress the entire place has been searched and there was indeed a hidden door leading to a deeper passage which leads to another door made of solid rock. Can't open it and haven't explored it yet, but there could be more rebels hiding somewhere down there." Drunni remarks as he comes up to you. "Brilliant conclusion Drunni. Glad you're able to come up with some things all by yourself since you obviously weren't able to handle this without my direct help." Drunni surprisingly doesn't even scowl at your remark and quickly moves on to telling you that Kessla is still alive if you want the pleasure of killing her yourself. Honestly you wouldn't have bothered wasting your time with any of this, but since you had to be directly involved anyway, you figure you might as well amuse yourself. "Kessla's still alive? Were you too overcome with pathetic sentimental feelings for her to actually finish her off, or was it just simple incompetence again? No need to answer Drunni, it was a rhetorical question and I know the answer anyway. Well, where is the traitor?" "She's down the hall and in the last room on the left. Have fun...I know I did." Drunni says and walks off with a smirk on his face. You briefly wonder what the hell he's smiling about considering he's one of the most unfun bastards you've known since...well Francis. You wonder how he's doing in all this. Last reports you heard is his Empire isn't doing all that great against this apocalyptic event he's unleashed. Serves him right for not listening to you. It's okay though; he'll have plenty of time to apologize to you when you meet again. You'll enjoy that. You'll enjoy punishing him and making him crawl for forgiveness. Then when he's right where you want him, you'll have some real fun. "What the hell, Drunni didn't even leave guards here? Fucking idio... hrm...well wasn't expecting this..." You see Kessla bent over the foot of a bed with both of her arms stretched out forward tied to the bedposts by ropes. She's stripped completely naked and has wounds on her back. When you walk over to the side of the bed, you look at her face which also show a few signs of physical trauma. She manages to look at you back with her one eye, which isn't closed shut, but she's obviously not one hundred percent. You sit down on the side of the bed. "Wow, I guess you two rekindled some old flames. No wonder Drunni was so uncharacteristically happy. Looks like he really wore you out. Also looks like your ass was bleeding back there. Bet he didn't even have the courtesy to at least spit on his dick and just went in raw." Kessla doesn't respond, she just buries her face partially into the bed breathing slightly louder than normal presumably from her ordeal. "I guess he had a lot of pent up energy, but I'll be sure to remind him of this incident, the next time he wants to turn up his nose at my activities. Shit, I bet that pervert even called you by name while he railed you didn't he? I knew he wanted to fuck me, but then who doesn't right?" Kessla manages to lift her head up a bit to look at you. "Just kill me and get it over with you fucking bitch. Nothing matters anymore anyway. This world is fucking doomed and we're all already dead." Kessla says. "You sound like a dero with that sort of fatalistic outlook. Is that how you built this place? You suck some dero cock and let their seed infect your brain? It's okay, you can tell me. How did you get past the smell? I don't think even I would be able to get used to that. With humans at least you can mask their odor." you respond. Kessla doesn't respond. "Very well I can see you're in no mood for girl talk and just want to get this over with. There was a secret door discovered going to a deeper passage. Tell me where this leads exactly and I'll make your death quick. Don't tell me and I won't. Either way isn't going to bother me. This choice is purely for your benef..." "YES, I'll fucking tell you! I'll fucking tell you everything if you just shut the fuck up! By the gods this was one of the reasons we broke off from your leadership, you're fucking annoying and not nearly as clever as you think you are. You're the damn reason we're all in this fucking mess!" Kessla shouts. You smile. "Well? I'm waiting." you ask. Kessla exhales and gathers her strength before speaking. "First, you probably think some of my people ran down there to hide when you breached this place, well I can tell you that didn't happen. I'm the only one who knows how to open the door by way of magic password. It leads to a dero community." "Okay. Not too surprising though perhaps mildly concerning that there's one so close by. Most dero communities are under Evigrus and even then very deep underground. This brings further questions of course, one of which is, are the rock eaters deliberately trying to destabilize us? Is that why they helped you?" "Partially, though their primary goals are a bit convoluted and they didn't just help me for the fun of sewing discord either. I had to come up with ongoing payment." "So you WERE sucking dero cock then." "Well not me, but they did want some of our females to breed with." "Wait, what? I know that dero managed to get around their female sterility problem by raiding females of lesser races like humans, keeping them as breeding stock until they're worn out from the birthing process, but to my knowledge they can't breed with us. Just doesn't work." "Yeah well apparently they managed to get around that problem through science or something. You know those little mad bastards are always tinkering with shit like that. Still, it's a recent thing and it's not a high priority since from what I hear the most of the dero are preparing themselves for some sort of collective suicide of allowing death to take them." "Yeah, yeah, I imagine with what's going on this would fall into their nihilistic outlook and embracing complete oblivion. But if that's the case why would they bother breeding with anything?" "As I said, this is only most of the dero. The community I've been dealing with isn't quite as hung up on embracing death. They're determined to survive, but they'll need more numbers hence the need for more breeding stock. And of course they're still mad bastards as you might expect though. To set up a community here under Dokkrus and approaching me to give them breeding stock is proof of that." "So when did they approach you anyway?" "Shortly after your dismal failure in leading the defense of Necros." "Hm, a little insulted they didn't just approach me directly about this. Not like I would have been against having them as allies during this crisis." "I believe they felt you would have been less reasonable to work with." "Nonsense. I'm very reasonable. Like I fully intend on keeping my promise of giving you a quick death since you've cooperated with your information. Though I need a few more answers before we get to that." "Great and here I thought I was getting to the end." "Almost, almost. But tell me, besides intending on fighting off the undead and gaining breeding stock, what is this dero community planning? I mean do they intend on attacking us at some point?" "To my knowledge, no. They seem focused on trying to keep the undead out with their magic nullifying rock and just continue to exist with a steady supply of breeders. Honestly, I haven't even heard from them directly in three years. After last year I stopped even leaving them females. I needed all the direct help I could get to fight undead and YOU anyway, and they weren't providing shit at that point. For all I know they could have all descended into madness and drooling on themselves." Kessla says she doesn't know much more about the dero community other than the one time the one approached her; they've never even bothered to come to the surface and only met her in a neutral place past the stone door. (Where she would leave the females for them). In any case, it doesn't sound like you should just ignore this. A group of rock eaters making their home right under your feet in Dokkrus is a security threat. You just aren't sure if you shouldn't approach in a diplomatic manner or just go in and wipe out the little bastards. > Diplomacy Something more is going on with the dero and while maybe Kessla doesn't know shit, you can find out more since contrary to popular belief, you're very charismatic and reasonable. While you'd rather not go in alone, you know you'll have to go in with minimal force. You show up with a bunch of warriors and the dero aren't even going to talk, they're going to just attack. Still, there's no reason to be foolish and go in completely alone. "Thank you Kessla, you've been very cooperative." You say. "Great, you going to kill me now and put an end to my misery or are you going to go back on your word and torture the shit out of me?" Kessla remarks. "Neither actually. Seems that I still need you, since you have the password to the dero door." "Wait, you want to go there? What, are you going to attack them?" "If I have to, but considering you were able to make a deal with them, I assume someone with more skill can make a better one. Now you wait right here, I'll be right back." You leave Kessla tied up and go seek out some of your people. You gather a couple of warriors of the female persuasion since this is obviously a job for the superior sex. You then come back to release Kessla, she's still a little wobbly, but you motion your two warriors to help her. She occasionally winces in pain with one of her hands clutching at her ass. "There you go. Now I don't think it needs to be said that you shouldn't attempt to escape or attack, otherwise that would be very bad. Much worse than Drunni's aggressive romance strategy I assure you. But I trust you'll continue to cooperate in order to get this over with correct?" You ask Kessla. "Yes." Kessla responds. "Yes what?" you say with a slap to Kessla's face. "Yes...Mistress." "Good, let's go." "Wait!" "What?" "Well I mean can't I put my clothing back on so I have some sort of dignity?" "We don't have time for all that, and right now you should just be happy I'm not making you ride a horse or something similar. Now lead the way to the dero door." Kessla leads the way to the dero door where upon she whispers the password and it opens. You make a mental note of what she said and the four of you descend further underground. Kessla mentions that when you reach the bottom, it's only a short distance to the left to a clearing where she would leave "payment." Going further left leads to an outpost which is heavily fortified with a gate. She mentions never having gone farther, but she assumed there's a dero village or something similar past that. Kessla mentions once again that last time she was down here, nobody met with her to retrieve the girls. Not even when she knocked on the outpost gate. Eventually you reach the clearing and immediately you can sense that you're being watched. Maybe they didn't bother to meet Kessla, but they're bothering to meet you. "I know you rock eaters are here. Are you going to come out or are you lot going to just stare at perfection while you beat your stubby dicks?" you say. Not long after your words, a dero comes out from the darkness. Surprisingly he isn't armored at all. A very muscular pale bearded male stands before you and he doesn't look too crazed or unkept, if you had to guess, he's probably on the younger side, perhaps between hundred and two hundred years old. Still, he has less squat looking facial features than the handful of dero you've seen in your lifetime. "Well, I suppose this day was going to happen. I heard too many stories about you for me to not believe you wouldn't eventually come here personally. Though a little surprised you didn't come in with an invasion force. Which means I'm guessing you're here in a diplomatic capacity." The dero says to you. "Hm, you're remarkably polite for a dero." You remark. "Is there any reason why I shouldn't be? Doesn't seem like being antagonistic is going to serve much purpose considering you didn't seem to come here with hostile intent." "You are correct that I didn't, but past experiences with dero have usually involved verbal insults at best. I expected much the same during this encounter." "Well glad that I was able to surprise you. I imagine that's rare for a woman of your experience." "Experience. Well I guess there's the indirect insult about my age. A bit tame really." "I didn't actually mean to imply anything negative about how old you are. Apologies if it came off that way. It was more of a compliment about how worldly a beautiful woman such as yourself is." "More compliments. At this point I'm having a hard time believing you're a dero." "Yes, I'm aware my people are known to be a relatively humorless grim race when they aren't going completely insane, but tell me when was the last time you actually spoke with one of us?" "Decades ago when I used to be an advisor for the Empire. There was an obnoxious group of the mad little bastards that did work for the old emperor. Our interactions weren't many, but they were always filled with mutual loathing." "I see, well I hope our interactions will be filled with less loathing. Now then, I see Kessla there with you in a state of undress. I can guess that she is no longer in charge of anything so let's get down to hammering out a new mutually beneficial deal which is what you're presumably here for. We can go inside the gatehouse where you can be more comfortable though rather than standing here." "While that's very accommodating of you to be concerned with my comfort, I assure you that I'm more comfortable talking to you here where you mistakenly believe you already have an advantage over me with your stunted fellows hiding in the shadows, as opposed to deeper in your little community where you definitely will." The dero surprisingly chuckles. You don't think you've ever heard a dero laugh before unless it was part of some sort of insanity. "If it puts your mind more at ease, trust me, the moment you came here, you were already in a position of advantage. Something I will be getting to in a moment. However, have it your way...Mistress isn't it?" the dero says. "Yes, though I still don't know your name. I can continue to address you as dero or rock eater if you like, it makes no difference to me." You respond. "Marzost will do just fine." "Okay Marzost, how about you start off by telling me what you're doing here exactly and why you even approached Kessla to help in her treason." "Well, if it had been up to me, I would have approached you first. But at the time, it wasn't up to me, in fact this is actually the first time I've met Kessla. Sure I know about her, but the deal she made was with another dero a few years ago. I'm sure if you asked her, she'd tell you she's never seen me before assuming she didn't think we all looked alike. The one she dealt with was Mirskoy." "So where is he?" "Oh he's a drooling idiot now. Or rather was a drooling idiot. We killed him last year when he went mad to the point of smearing his shit all over himself and babbling nonsense. There was a bit of a power struggle over who should take charge, but that eventually got all sorted out. Still, there was debate over how to proceed next because it was obvious even by that point that our current deal with Kessla wasn't going to be sustainable. Either she was going to be successful in her goals and then most likely end our deal or the result which I felt was more likely, which is you would win and...well here we are." "Kessla says she's been trading svelk females to you in exchange for building her little anti-magical headquarters. Also says you've actually been successfully breeding with them. To my knowledge, our races cannot interbreed. If they could, I would have guessed we would have been going to war a lot more often in the past." "That is all true, but I'm living proof we can." "Wait, you're saying your mother was a svelk?" "Yes. In fact I was the first natural birth through svelk-dero intimacy. Unfortunately I also seem to be the only natural birth through svelk-dero intimacy. Fortunately recent advances in medical science has helped get around that problem." "Fascinating. Tell me though, are your men ready to move quickly?" "Um, well they're going to move as quick as the armor allows them to. Wait, I hope you aren't implying something hostile given the relatively pleasant conversation we've been having." "Always. Don't worry though, I'll make this quick." Marzost suddenly draws his pistol and calls for his people to move in, but you've already attacked your two warriors holding Kessla and knocked them out before they could adequately defend themselves. Kessla tries to escape, but you manage to zap her with a lightning bolt. Not enough to kill her, but definitely enough to stun the shit out of her. She falls to the ground and twitches a bit, but isn't getting up anytime soon. You turn back around to Marzost who still has his weapon pointed at you. Several armored dero have also come out of the shadows and pointing their rifles at you as well. "While I know you lot would love to shoot your hot loads at me and have a big dero gangbang, as you can see I've provided a gift of three as a token of goodwill. So you can put that thing away and tell your men to gather up the gifts." "Seems you're full of surprises as well. Okay then." Marzost motions for his people to gather up your "gifts" and puts away his pistol. He actually gives you a brief smile before he shouts for someone to open up the gates. Armored dero pick up Kessla and the other two and carry them towards the outpost. "Well, we going in too? If we're going to spend time hammering out details of our new deal, might as well get comfortable." You ask Marzost. "You were concerned about going in before, you do realize you have even less back up now right?" Marzost replies. "Given that I just managed to cast lightning even with all your magic nullifying rocks around maybe it's YOU that should be concerned." "Hm, I might be very concerned if I didn't think that didn't take a lot of energy on your part. I can guess you did that on purpose to show that you could if you really needed to, but I doubt very seriously you could keep that up for long here. Still impressive though. Yes, you are a very remarkable woman of power. You certainly live up to your reputation. Well, let's go then." Marzost leads the way and you smirk as you have him now completely entranced with you. Granted he seemed that way before, but then again all right thinking beings find you irresistible. He is an unusual dero though. You're guessing that has something to do with him being birthed by a svelk. There is something a little unsettling about that and not much bothers you anymore. You and Marzost sit down in one of the rooms in the outpost and have a private conversation about what each of you wants. Marzost immediately assumes you want an anti-magical structure made like they did for Kessla, but you're not really interested in that. Mainly because you want to be able to actually USE your magic to combat against the undead. You instead insist that you want the dero to provide soldiers to help with the defense of Dokkrus. "Hm. I wasn't quite expecting such a request. That's a pretty major one." Marzost remarks. "Well in case you haven't noticed, it's a major war on the surface. Everyone is struggling against the dead." "Yes, I'm aware. I'm also aware it's futile." "I was told that you lot thought a little differently than your fatalistic brethren." "We do, but we're still realistic. We're not doing what the other dero are doing and preparing for mass suicide, but struggling against this undead horde isn't going to work either. Evigrus is lost. In a few more years, the Empire will have fallen and all that's going to be left are the pathetic remnants running and hiding in the far corners of that continent. As for Nyttrus, the continent is small enough that it's already been mostly overrun and reports say the Empire withdrew completely from it to shore up Evigrus. This is why we're here. Dokkrus is currently the least affected by this event." "To do what then? Just build a settlement out of your dero rocks to keep the undead away and keep your race alive by breeding with svelk women?" "Pretty much. I mean I know it sounds like a simple plan, but simple plans are often the best to pursue. I feel that you would benefit better by preparing as we are and get used to this situation. Life is going to be hard, but it CAN continue to exist." Marzost looks and even sounds sincere in his words. You can't detect any deception, but once again the lack of regular dealings with dero makes them hard to read, not to mention Marzost isn't the typical dero anyway. None of that matters though because whether he's sincere or not, the fact is he's not dealing with the undead as much as you are, and hiding behind rocks hoping they dispel the necromantic magic isn't going to cut it in your case. You don't have the luxury of having a small population to defend. Dokkrus is a sizable enough continent that you wouldn't be able to reconstruct entire towns out of the dero rocks, even if you could get enough anyway. "Look Marzost, if you want to keep your race from dying out then you're going to have to fight for it and that means providing troops in this war against the dead. You can't just hide out here in the comfort of your underground dwelling. So this is what you're going to do, you're going to provide a portion of your people to help us if you want continued access to svelk vagina. And since you've insisted that we should build shit out of your rocks, you'll be providing those as well. I suppose such structures might come in handy in some sort of capacity." Marzost sits back and exhales a bit. He shakes his head a bit while looking down at the table. "You really are pushing things here." Marzost says. "Yeah, well no point in beating around the baby. That's my offer. We're taking all the risks and the brunt of the attacks, so you can accept the deal or I walk right now and good luck with making your current supply of females last another generation. And don't think to threaten me by implying I wouldn't walk out of here, because regardless of if I did or not, the fact is YOU certainly wouldn't be. I'd make sure of that." You say. "Well then...I guess we have a deal, BUT we want MORE females than Kessla was providing. One female for each dero we provide." "Hah, a single svelk is worth five of you rock eaters, and a female svelk is worth even more. You'll get ONE svelk female for every ten dero you initially provide and continue to provide. I can throw in three more females every six months depending on how things are going and how much help you've actually been. We'll see." "Hrm. You drive a hard bargain, but as I said, you had the advantage as soon as you showed up. If only we had approached you before, like I suggested...very well we have a deal for now." You nod and get up to leave and Marzost follows to see you out. He goes on that he'll have his hand picked people ready to go up to the surface in a few days at which time you say you'll have his payment. When you pass the gates, Marzost holds out his hand to you, at first you think it's his superficial attempt at solidifying your arrangement. While you don't particularly want to touch the hand of some rock eater, you go through the diplomatic motions and then Marzost springs a move you weren't expecting. He takes your hand (as expected) and then kisses it, saying of how it was a pleasure to finally meet you after hearing all the stories, also mentioning that you were as beautiful as he imagined. You slowly pull your hand away and don't acknowledge his fawning. You just walk away whispering under your breath. "That's one." > Time passes… 11 TR "No." you whisper to yourself. Your connection to him has been lost. Even with the distance and during all this chaos and death going on, you still had that mental connection with him since your temporary alliance against Mortimer and Zelvix. No matter how faint, and it was barely there, it was enough for you to know he was at least still alive. You knew he was still engaging in his futile efforts to fight off his enemies, to fight off death, to fight in general. Indeed that seemed to be all he was ever truly passionate about. You loved that about him. Yes, he was a fighter. Always struggling against the odds. He must be still alive and maybe with what's going on the mental link is being blocked somehow. That's probably it. There is strong magic in the air nowadays after all. Pity most of it is all necromantic in nature. "No, he's still alive. I know him." You say to yourself. Still, you haven't had a report from Belina in awhile. It wouldn't surprise you if she'd gotten herself killed. You swear you're surrounded by incompetents. It's a good thing the svelk have YOU to lead them Already you've managed to completely unite Dokkrus for the first time since the fall of the Svelk Empire. All the important svelk centers of civilization are still holding off the undead hordes...barely. You haven't even had an assassination attempts on you since you took out Kessla five years ago, though constant undead attacks somewhat deter the desire to change leadership that's been effective during this threat. And this threat is only getting worse despite your relative success in stemming the tide. Even with the deros' help, things haven't been getting better. Their magic nullifying structures aren't doing the job like they used to. The necromantic magic must be growing in strength because the recently dead rising within places literally surrounded by the dero rock have become a reality. You've spoken to Marzost on occasion about this and he claims that nothing like that has occurred in his community which could be a lie, though they do have more of it in a concentrated area. Hard to tell without ever having been further than their outpost. Even if they haven't been suffering from undead attacks, it's only going to be a matter of time before they do, and there is no way they're going to be able to replenish their numbers faster than they lose them. None of the living can. In fact, you've been reconsidering your deal with him since their help is becoming less useful. You're still convinced that they're hiding something, might be time to find out. You've been pouring over every obscure magic tome you've been able to get your hands on and there is nothing that looks like it's going to reverse what Francis did. "The fool. I tried to tell him. Why did he not listen? Why did he always struggle? Why did he just not OBEY?!" you say throwing a book aside. You hope he's still alive. Yes, of course he's alive. He's Eternal. He survives everything. You trained him to do so. You raised him like a son. He has to be alive to come back to you. He has to be alive to love you. He has to be alive for you to kill him. Maybe you should check on him. It's risky due to no longer having your mental link to even pin point a location and a large expenditure of energy to teleport such a great distance, but you should be able to do it without issues. Maybe you'd be able to reason with him now that he's seen the obvious damage he's done. Then again why should you? This is his mistake, he can solve it himself. He can't rely on you to be there to hold his hand and help every time there's a crisis. What you have to do is focus on either stopping what's going on or at least ensuring the survival of the reunited Svelk civilization. First time this was a major issue it took the combined might and magic of the Svelk Empire and those fools on Mortos to stop it. Unfortunately, the citizens of Mortos are now truly dead and the Svelk Empire is more of a loose confederation held together out of survival more than anything else. Not to mention your people also had infernal assistance, though that was a double edged sword that resulted in a high cost. A cost that the svelk and you personally never recovered from. However, that's the past and the situation back then even as bad as it was, still wasn't as dire as it is right now. You've been avoiding seriously reading the tomes dedicated to demon summoning and such, but you might need to make a new deal with infernals again to get you out of this mess since it's about the only thing that will at least even up the odds in the long run. While you're pondering all this, your mind still can't help but go back to thoughts of Francis. He might need your help... > You help Francis He needs you. He's always needed you. You have to help him and when you do, you'll figure out a way to solve this situation together. You'll be together like you should have been. And then you'll kill him. Yes, that'll be the plan. That was always the plan. It's the ONLY plan that matters. You put aside the books and prepare yourself for a very long distance teleportation. Never a quick process even before this all happened, but just have to be undisturbed for a day or so to focus. You send word to Drunni and Gikil that you're going to be performing a ritual that could potentially turn the tide of the situation and that you are not to be disturbed. You also give that general order to all in your fortress. You then make the preparations in your room. The minutes of concentration soon turn into hours. It's actually more difficult than you thought it might be not just because you can no longer pinpoint Francis' location, but also because the landscape of Evigrus looks completely different from the last time you were there. Gone is the green grass and trees. Everything is either dead or dying. It's even worse than what's been happening on you own continent and this will be the fate of yours if you don't stop this soon. As predicted though the death magic aura is interfering and it's definitely stronger than you thought it would be. Eventually after nearly a day, you manage to focus on a spot which you believe is at least close to the Empire's capital. You'll have to walk the rest of the way, but you just can't seem to get closer. You begin to teleport from your position and soon you find yourself in a blackened field filled with dead grass. It looks more like you teleported to Mortos. It feels like you're in Mortos as well. The death magic here is very strong. You feel its crushing energy immediately and have to cast a protective spell before you're overwhelmed. You're not even sure if it's going to hold for very long. When you finally recover a bit you look around and see a village nearby with undead milling about. Further in the distance, there's a large walled city with smoke coming from it. It's been awhile, you're pretty sure that's the capital. You teleported closer than you thought. Doesn't take long before the undead notice you and start moving in your direction. Nothing else for it but to fight through to the capital. You blast the corpses with ease, but they're nearly without end. Things get a little trickier when the likes of a wraiths and ghosts start showing up, but you persevere. Nothing is going to keep you from your beloved Francis. You get through the ruined village and down a road leading to the capital which is surprisingly clear of any more undead, the closer you get though, the harder it becomes to take steps. Your energy is being sapped and your magic isn't helping you as much anymore. You approach the gates and you see a figure stagger towards you, you think it's another undead horror until they speak. "Mistress?" a voice calls out and then raises their arms up before partially collapsing to the ground. You walk over to the figure who struggles to get up and is having a hard time breathing. She's an old svelk given her wizened appearance. You figure this must be one of Belina's agents. You pull her up and she manages to stand, but she's still not doing so great. The aura of death in the air is taking its toll. "Miss...Mistress. What are you...doing here? It's not safe! You need to...leave now!" she wheezes. "I'm here on important business. Didn't realize Belina had agents as old as you in the field. What are you? Like pushing a thousand?" "I'm twenty six Mistress." "Well shit." "Yeah...don't go in there Mistress. We need to leave before it finds us!" "What?" "The God of Death or whatever it is. It just killed the human emperor and..." You interrupt her right there. "What did you say?" "The God of..." "No! About Francis! The emperor!" "Oh, yeah it killed him, he didn't even put up any resistance...gotta go..." The agent attempts to leave, but you won't let her and pull her back, she's too weak to resist. "What the hell do you mean he's dead and didn't put up any resistance?!" "Mistress, we have to leave..." "I asked you a fucking question!" The agent finally loses it. The agent's outburst causes her to cough and hack up a bit of blood. She nearly collapses again, but manages to keep it together. Meanwhile you're in a state of shock. "No..." "Mistress we..." the agent stops trying to reason with you and with your grip loosened on her, she pulls away and staggers as fast as she can from the capital. You ignore her, still trying to come to grips with what she told you. "Can't be. It just can't. He survives everything. He'd survive this and he surely wouldn't just give up. No, bitch had it wrong, I'll find him. I know I will." You proceed further into the ruined city and whatever protection you had isn't working at all anymore. The death aura is all encompassing. You see the walking dead in the streets; apparitions flying about and strangely they aren't even attacking you, though it might be because you're already half way there to joining them. You begin to feel weak and struggle to maintain your balance by leaning against a nearby wall. "Death comes...join us..." you hear several voices in your head. You briefly look at your hands and find them to be no longer youthful in appearance. You go to feel your face and judging by the wrinkles you're feeling, your face probably doesn't look that way either. Francis' palace is still a distance, but you'll make it. This is obviously all some illusion. You press on, trying to ignore the dead whispering in your head. At one point you attempt to tell them to shut up, but you're too weak to even utter anything other than a death wheeze. Eventually you get within better sight of the palace and that's when you collapse to the ground. You can't even get up. You're dying and no magic of yours is going to save you. "No...I...okay...it's okay...I'll be with him." you utter as your vision starts to fade. You see a blur of what you think is a black cloaked figure floating towards you from the palace courtyard, then everything goes dark. Your body dies and your mind soon follows though it was already broken before this point anyway. While you may have joined Francis in death. You soon learn you didn't go to the same place he did. And it's not pleasant.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, grimdark, villain protagonist, war] 11 TR "No." you whisper to yourself. Your connection to him has been lost. Even with the distance and during all this chaos and death going on, you still had that mental connection with him since your temporary alliance against Mortimer and Zelvix. No matter how faint, and it was barely there, it was enough for you to know he was at least still alive. You knew he was still engaging in his futile efforts to fight off his enemies, to fight off death, to fight in general. Indeed that seemed to be all he was ever truly passionate about. You loved that about him. Yes, he was a fighter. Always struggling against the odds. He must be still alive and maybe with what's going on the mental link is being blocked somehow. That's probably it. There is strong magic in the air nowadays after all. Pity most of it is all necromantic in nature. "No, he's still alive. I know him." You say to yourself. Still, you haven't had a report from Belina in awhile. It wouldn't surprise you if she'd gotten herself killed. You swear you're surrounded by incompetents. It's a good thing the svelk have YOU to lead them Already you've managed to completely unite Dokkrus for the first time since the fall of the Svelk Empire. All the important svelk centers of civilization are still holding off the undead hordes...barely. You haven't even had an assassination attempts on you since you took out Kessla five years ago, though constant undead attacks somewhat deter the desire to change leadership that's been effective during this threat. And this threat is only getting worse despite your relative success in stemming the tide. Even with the deros' help, things haven't been getting better. Their magic nullifying structures aren't doing the job like they used to. The necromantic magic must be growing in strength because the recently dead rising within places literally surrounded by the dero rock have become a reality. You've spoken to Marzost on occasion about this and he claims that nothing like that has occurred in his community which could be a lie, though they do have more of it in a concentrated area. Hard to tell without ever having been further than their outpost. Even if they haven't been suffering from undead attacks, it's only going to be a matter of time before they do, and there is no way they're going to be able to replenish their numbers faster than they lose them. None of the living can. In fact, you've been reconsidering your deal with him since their help is becoming less useful. You're still convinced that they're hiding something, might be time to find out. You've been pouring over every obscure magic tome you've been able to get your hands on and there is nothing that looks like it's going to reverse what Francis did. "The fool. I tried to tell him. Why did he not listen? Why did he always struggle? Why did he just not OBEY?!" you say throwing a book aside. You hope he's still alive. Yes, of course he's alive. He's Eternal. He survives everything. You trained him to do so. You raised him like a son. He has to be alive to come back to you. He has to be alive to love you. He has to be alive for you to kill him. Maybe you should check on him. It's risky due to no longer having your mental link to even pin point a location and a large expenditure of energy to teleport such a great distance, but you should be able to do it without issues. Maybe you'd be able to reason with him now that he's seen the obvious damage he's done. Then again why should you? This is his mistake, he can solve it himself. He can't rely on you to be there to hold his hand and help every time there's a crisis. What you have to do is focus on either stopping what's going on or at least ensuring the survival of the reunited Svelk civilization. First time this was a major issue it took the combined might and magic of the Svelk Empire and those fools on Mortos to stop it. Unfortunately, the citizens of Mortos are now truly dead and the Svelk Empire is more of a loose confederation held together out of survival more than anything else. Not to mention your people also had infernal assistance, though that was a double edged sword that resulted in a high cost. A cost that the svelk and you personally never recovered from. However, that's the past and the situation back then even as bad as it was, still wasn't as dire as it is right now. You've been avoiding seriously reading the tomes dedicated to demon summoning and such, but you might need to make a new deal with infernals again to get you out of this mess since it's about the only thing that will at least even up the odds in the long run. While you're pondering all this, your mind still can't help but go back to thoughts of Francis. He might need your help... > You focus on the crisis He's strong, he's clever, and you taught him. He'll be fine. You'll see him again soon. You look over at the pile of demonology tomes and know what you'll probably need to do, but before you step one foot in hell, you're going to see what the hell the dero are up to. And you're going in with a force this time. You call for Gikil and Drunni. "So we're wiping out the rock eaters?" Gikil asks. "Not necessarily, but the possibility exists. I want you to gather the best warriors and because we're going in heavy." You say. "Never saw the point of being allies with the filthy grubs in the first place." Drunni remarks. "Their help kept YOU off the front lines didn't it Drunni?" Drunni scowls but says nothing more. You ask Gikil about dero personnel elsewhere, but he mentions that there's none of consequence. Battles with the undead have taken their toll and most platoons that remain are tied up at strategic outposts where the undead is the worst. He goes on to say they wouldn't even know if you wiped out the entire dero settlement before it was too late. "Did you want to wipe out the dero on the surface?" Gikil asks. "No, if it is as you say, we can do that later if need be. As I said, it might not be necessary but what is definitely going to change is our previous agreement. Prepare the invasion force." Takes only a couple days for Gikil to assemble a suitable and sizable force. It is fortunate that you still have enough people to redirect from the undead problem. As for you, you spent most of those two days meditating and focusing your mind so you can cast magic if you need to down in the dero lair. Your thoughts of Francis are hard to block out completely, which is ironic considering your mental link with him is gone. You really hope he's all right. Of course he is. You can't afford to worry about him right now, you have more pressing matters, and such distraction is beneath you anyway. You immediately set off with your force to the dero community fully prepared to destroy their supposedly superior gates off their smug little hinges, but surprisingly when you get down there, the gates are open, with a few dero standing around near them. When they catch sight of you, one of them shouts something in their awful language to those on the other side of the gate and soon you see Marzost walk out to meet you "Ah, you're finally here and with a good number of your people too, good. Might need them. Come on in." Marzost says. "Wait, you're letting us in?" you ask. "Well yeah. I mean much like the first time we met, I KNEW we'd eventually meet and make a deal with each other. I also knew that deal probably would be renegotiated at some point which might involve you...well doing what you're doing now. Coming in heavy. I assure you though, not necessary. The time to let you fully into our community is at hand." You give Marzost a suspicious look. "You seem a little too eager for us to enter." You say. "Hm, well if that seems like the case, well that's because quite honestly, we don't have anymore choice. We need your help and not just for breeding purposes, we need YOUR help specifically." You step back, slightly concerned on what he might be implying. "Marzost, if you believe I'm personally going to become some dero brood sow, you are sadly mistaken." You say. "No, not that! I mean I'm to understand that you are the most skilled in the ways of magic of your people, which is fairly potent correct? Well, for our plan to work, we need your magic skills." Marzost replies. "What plan?" "The plan to leave this doomed world." "Leave?" "As I said, I can explain everything if you come inside where I can show you what I'm talking about and if you're concerned about an ambush, don't be, we're in no position to do so." Marzost turns around waving his hand for you to follow, you tell your people to do so, but to keep on guard. Passing through the gates and the outpost, you notice significantly less dero manning it. You know they haven't all been going to the surface either, so you're starting to wonder what's going on. When you get through the outpost completely, the strong scent of burning flesh is in the air along with multiple fires. Looks like the dero have been having to deal with their own undead problem. You look to your left and see a large circular stone archway. Or it would be a circular archway if the top portion of it wasn't broken off and lying on the ground not far in front of it. You haven't seen many of them for centuries, but it's a transporting gate. Explains how the dero got here like they did in the first place. Probably goes to a much larger area with them, but won't be teleporting anything in that condition though. "Can't get any reinforces anymore eh?" you say walking along side Marzost. "Wasn't getting any to begin with. As I said, most of our kind is content on committing mass suicide. Still, we had dealings with them for resources and to leave things open in case others changed their minds." Marzost says. "So what happened?" Marzost points to one of the burning piles. "You're looking at what happened. Undead started suddenly coming through the arch. Hordes of them. Before we destroyed the archway, we even went through to the other side to see if anyone was left alive. There were, but the dero civilization such as it was is completely in chaos. Any stable pockets are a lost cause. The insane fools are prepping themselves, saying it's time and dero all over are going to make this last march to the surface to die." Ahead you see a small settlement made up of stone buildings. You see a few armored figures moving in and out of the buildings. Marzost points to the settlement. "This place you see? THIS is the last example of dero civilization on this world." Marzost then points to another smaller stone archway with several metal machine near it to the far right of the large cavern. "And THAT is where we going to restart our civilization. On a new one." Marzost says. "You're saying that leads to another world?" you ask. "Well, not exactly, but I'm convinced we have built it correctly according to ancient schematics. What's lacking is a proper power source." "Magic? I thought you rock eaters generally shunned it." "Not entirely, we do embed runes in items and structures as you know which do tap into a magic source. Just works differently than waving your hands around. Combined with our advances in technology and we can create wondrous things." "Hm, so wondrous that you need svelk help." "Yes, there's that svelk arrogance I was so looking forward to. I shall have to disappoint you in getting any enjoyment out of me humbling myself any more than I already am. The truth is, we are not getting any further with this project without your help, we need it if we're going to survive." "You keep saying that, but what about MY people? You claim this archway will take us off this world to a new one. Well how's that helping us? Are we all coming with you?" "Of course. I mean assuming you can gather all your people from the continent; you can take as many as you want." "I'm supposed to just instantly uproot everyone?" "You're their leader aren't you? Besides, weren't you lot mostly nomads for centuries? Shouldn't really be an issue right? This world is doomed. You know it is. All right thinking living beings know it is. Why stay and face certain death?" "That's not a certainty yet." "Isn't it? The dero rock isn't even keeping the undead out anymore. Necromantic magic is getting stronger everyday. Hell, I've had people feeling like their very life energy is getting sapped from them at times. Death is the only thing this world has to look forward to and I know you don't want to be around here for that to happen. You wouldn't be down here even entertaining my plan if you didn't think it had merit." Marzost is speaking some truth here, but once again you feel like he's holding something back like when you first made the original agreement. And you imagine what that was now is that he and his band of stunted outcasts were busily building this archway to leave the world all along. Probably would have left without telling you shit if they didn't need your help with it. The concept of travelling to a different world isn't a new one, but very few have actually been close to attempting it. Even the most powerful svelk mages of old generally ignored the idea as the government never wanted to put funding into staging an entire invasion of a brand new world, when they had to focus on keeping the empire they had on this one together. (Along with spending money on more immediate gratification for the nobles) There were tales of success, but again these are very old stories and they usually ended up very badly such as the mage in question never being seen again or going batshit crazier than a dero at best. (Might be why the dero are fine with the risks) While you've been spending a lot of time going over various magic tomes, you still haven't come across much about the subject, but then you haven't gone through the demonology related tomes either. With maybe one or two exceptions, whenever the rare svelk mage did further research into this type of magic, in nearly every case, infernal assistance was involved in some way. "We can go to the dero hall and talk about this in more detail." Marzost says. "I'm not going alone with you anywhere, now we can go over there away from the others if you want to speak a little more privately, but I want my army to be able to SEE me." You reply. "Very well Mistress." The pair of you walk a distance away from any large groups to a quieter section of the large cavern. You of course still have at least visual range of your own people. Marzost mentions that his people are still trying to collapse a few tunnels that the undead dug out leading straight into the community. He says nearly all the corpses they put down were svelk so he's assuming it was some old svelk burial ground. "Since I know you to be a woman whose practicality is only exceeded by her beauty, I'll get to the point. The stone archway we designed doesn't work because the natural magic crystals known as Trelite, we ONCE had to power such things are unavailable. " Marzost says. "What, like you can't get to them?" you ask. "Like there none in existence anymore. Last time a dero set eyes on one was during the time of the first collapse. Used them all up just trying to save our civilization and even that didn't go as planned, but enough about history, we tried other types of magic crystals, but the results have not been promising. The magic power just isn't there to open up a portal to a new world. At least not long enough to send through many people and even then the portal can't be controlled enough to attune it to some place livable." "So what is it that you want us or ME to do exactly?" "Well...and this isn't ideal...but the svelk have had dealings with infernals..." You shake your head and chuckle. "Hold on, don't dismiss this before I explain." Marzost says. "I'm not dismissing so much as I'm just laughing at how I was trying to avoid gaining infernal assistance against the undead and now this new option has presented itself and I'll still need to call upon fucking demons." You remark. "If we could trap a number of demons into some of these lesser crystals, say maybe fifty..." "Fucking fifty?" "...then we would certainly be able to have the power to open up a stable archway to a new world for us to escape to." "There's no guarantee that this will work and I'll be taking ALL the risk not just summoning one demon, but at least fifty of the fuckers and trying to imprison them. I'm going to have to pull soldiers away from fighting undead just to put down any demons that try to escape" "You can have completely assistance from us, if you do the rituals down here. Besides, it will be more efficient to do so." "The surrounding dero rock is going to make summoning even more difficult." "True...but I suppose you could do it in the cavern clearing outside the main gates. It's where the concentration is the weakest." "Maybe, but this plan of yours still seems to involve me doing all the heavy lifting and I'm still not quite convinced that we can't reverse the tide." "Mistress, with all due respect, you KNOW that this world IS dying. Nothing can stop that now. The only thing that can be done is to flee as soon as possible and start over. I know this is asking a lot and from you especially, but I also know you reputation to not just survive, but also to thrive against impossible odds is well deserved. I KNOW you can save us all!" Marzost's hand briefly touches your own as he leans in closer towards you. "That's two." You whisper to yourself. > You agree to the plan If this lovesick fool desires you so badly, so be it. He'll be useful for now, but the former deal is over. You slowly move your hand away and address Marzost. "Yes, it does seem very likely that this world is doomed. I suppose there was just part of me that didn't want to abandon everything I built and having to start all over again. I've had to do it several times and it's a chore every time." You respond. "I can imagine Mistress, but with this new opportunity you wouldn't have to rebuild alone. We have already proven that we work very well together, perhaps when we both reach the new world, we can continue our alliance." Marzost says. "Perhaps, but since you bring up our arrangement, I'm going to be helping you lot out in a major way with escape, so we will NOT be providing you lot with svelk females any more. There's no point given the recent events, not to mention I'm trying to save MY race as well. Can't do that if we give away all our females." "Understandable. We've managed to keep most of the females you've provided alive anyway, so we should have enough stock when we reached the new world and from there hopefully we can find alternatives. Maybe even solve our own females' fertility problems once and for all." "That's rather hopeful for you rock eaters." "Yeah well, it's one of the rare things we've maintained hope in. Of course this community is the only one still holding on to it. Still, the work continues and I'm confident that shortly after we get to the new world we WILL resolve the issue and no longer we will have to resort to being intimate with the females of other races." "Being intimate? Interesting way to describe your...aggressive breeding strategy. Tell me though is that traitorous bitch Kessla still among your breeding stock?" "No, but she died only recently though. She managed to give birth to several young healthy dero for a few years." You chuckle at imagining her torment, meanwhile Marzost is still speaking. "As I said, most of the svelk females you have provided have survived longer than expected." "Not surprising I suppose. We are a strong race, the females of our kind especially. I know you said you were the first natural birth, but tell me how many dero... intimacies did your mother survive before she was a useless husk to be discarded?" Marzost's face shows a visible signs of discomfort at your comment. You've obviously hit some sort of nerve. He doesn't even speak for a moment; he closes his eyes, exhales and then addresses your question. "My mother was only with my father. She stayed with him and was not assigned to a breeding facility despite protests by many dero technologists who wanted to explore why she was able to get pregnant in the first place by a dero. Fortunately my father was a powerful man and commanded much loyalty to many in the community at the time. As for how many intimacies they had, well I can't say as I know as I wouldn't dwell on such things, all I do know is their first resulted in me, and their last resulted in her death and a stillborn sibling." Marzost says. "Hm. Interesting. So your mother cleverly avoided becoming breeding stock by charming your father." You reply. "My mother LOVED my father and he LOVED her. They met after a dero raid on a human village in the Plains of Tor. His group was on their way back to the underground entrance when they stumbled upon a group of minotaurs and centaurs battling a svelk mercenary troop. They were winning quite decisively and the dero would have just passed them all, but the mindless mongrels only saw my father and his people as trespassers and attacked them as well. After my father won, the human females he'd taken from the village had all been killed and most of his soldiers as well. Picking through the spoils of the carnage, he found my mother among the bodies of the decimated svelk barely clinging to life. He took her with him and saved her from death." "Well that explains how they met. Not sure if I'd call that love though." "He treated her like a queen and she stayed with him and never tried to escape." "She made the best of a bad situation, she was who knows how far underground and I'm sure your father would not have made it easy for her to escape. Having a semi-willing svelk woman on his arm would be quite a trophy." Marzost now is starting to get exasperated. He's not quite angry yet, but you're enjoying making him approach that emotion. You briefly smile thinking about how Francis would get angry with you. Marzost once again composes himself. "Your reputation for mind games is well earned Mistress, though I'm not sure what advantage you're attempting to get out antagonizing me as we have already reached an agreement." "Just having a conversation. I haven't spoken with many of your people and you are most certainly not the norm in all the others I have had dealings with. If I'm going to remain allies with someone, I want to determine if they're fools or liars. I can handle the second one, the first I will not suffer. So far you seem intelligent and capable, so I'm trying to understand if you really believe these things you claim about your parents or if it's just a safe delusion you tell yourself." Marzost nods a bit. "I see. Very well, you may be correct with your implications that my mother did not love my father and merely tried to ease things for her own survival. It may even be the case that my father did enjoy having a svelk woman and kept her as some sort of trophy from an initially lousy raid. So yes that may be a nice lie I tell myself because it gives me comfort to believe that my parent's love was pure and I was the result of it. Especially since it was a miracle I was born at all." You notice Marzost's hand move forward towards you again and you instinctively move back so he's unable to touch you. You expect him to still try, you even hope he does, but he merely continues with his monologue. "However, my mother took care of me for ten years before she died. I was never raised by dero nursemaids like so many others of my kind during that time. My svelk mother, insisted on raising me, caring for me, and loving me. Yes LOVING me. There can be no doubt that this wasn't true regardless of what you may otherwise imply. If that makes me a fool to believe that, then so be it." Marzost looks at you expecting your response. You have one of course. "Fair. You would know better than I since I wasn't there. You have to understand, I've lived a very long time and see the negative in nearly everything because it tends to be true. The idea of a svelk and a dero being together in any way, let alone having a child together is still a concept I have a hard time wrapping my brain around. In any case, your mother sounds like in interesting woman and at least you got to know her. Never knew mine, she died in childbirth. Fortunately my father was very loving...but that's a tale for another time. Let us get back to the situation at hand." Marzost seems pleased by your response. Not in an appeasement sort of way, but as if your words were "approval" of his explanation. Though honestly you do have a few more thoughts on the subject, but you've had enough fun probing and prodding for today. You ask Marzost for the fifty crystals to take back with you since you want to get started right away on entrapping demons. He says they have more than enough and can give you more in case problems should arise, but he thought you'd perform the rituals down here where it would be more convenient and his people could help with any potential out of control demons. You say you'd be more effective at your own location away from magic nullifying rocks and where you can have unhindered magic power in case something goes wrong. You also mention that you have more than enough peons to assist in demon wrangling if need be. Marzost seems a little disappointed that you won't be spending more time here, but understands why saying he trusts your judgment in these matters of demonology. He then leads you to the location of the arch that is presumably going to lead everyone to a better world. When you arrive, you can better see the machinery hooked up to the arch and many indentations in it where it looks like something would be inserted. You're guessing crystals in this case. You also see the machines being maintained by a very rare sight, a couple female dero. They don't look much different body wise, though they do not have facial hair like the rumors usually indicate. The pair of them see you and their dislike is as obvious as Marzost's infatuation with you. Marzost addresses them. "Count out fifty crystals and hand this woman a bag of them, she will be assisting us directly in powering up the archway." Marzost says. One of the dero women spits on the ground near your boots. "This one? She looks like more breeding stock to me, and even then given her hips I doubt we'd get many out of her." She says. "Well your men would certainly get more ugly little dwarf monsters out of me than out of you. Jealous?" You reply. "Feh, another quick tongued svelk bitch. You all are until you're properly broken, then you're as submissive as any mewling human. You'd be no different." "You seem to have the advantage of coming across more svelk women than I dero women, so I'm afraid I have no witty retort to your assessment. I can only hope that their sophistication and beauty will be a great asset when passed on to future dero that you are unable to provide." Now you've angered the female dero to the point where she moves towards you, along with her friend. Marzost of course steps in before it comes to violence as expected. "Dakzat! Enough! Do as you have been ordered!" Marzost commands. Dakzat looks at Marzost, barely containing her contempt for him, but follows orders. She motions to her friend who goes and grabs a few handfuls of various colored crystals of varying sizes in a pile nearby. It's sort of curious to you that such valuable things are just laying around without much care, but you suppose dero are used to mining such things with such ease they don't think much about it. Fifty are counted out and put in a bag, which is then passed to Dakzat who then practically throws it at your head. You dodge and manage to grab the bag with one of your hands. "Thanks, I shall endeavor to provide speedy assistance to ensure your survival. Hm come to think of it your whole race's survival has been due to svelk women hasn't it? I imagine when all this is over, you lot on the new world can build a statue dedicated to svelk femininity as thanks to all we have done." Once again your words anger the dero women while Marzost is already trying to move you along. The more amusing part is despite the fact you're well aware you weren't exactly helping matters, he's actually apologizing for their behavior. "I apologize for the hostility. This whole arrangement with your people has been very difficult for our women." Marzost says. "I would think they'd be used to their men ravishing non-dero females." "Eh, yes. But svelk females are different than that of other races." "Well of course, we're superior. But aren't we all just breeding stock to you lot? Not like they're all ending up in a situation like your mother and father." "No, but...well..." Marzost stops as if he's said too much. Now you're genuinely interested. "Well what?" you ask. "It's complicated." Marzost says. "Does it affect our alliance?" "...I suppose in a way it does..." "All the more reason to tell me then, because I don't want secrets if it affects something so important. Can't have trust with keeping secrets." "Very well, but I hope that you keep this only to yourself because this is VERY private knowledge. ONLY this community knows about this." "Heh, no problems there. I don't tell my underlings any more than they need to know. Makes assassinations less likely that way." Marzost looks around to make sure nobody else is lurking nearby and tells you. (He attempts to touch you again, but you make sure to step back to avoid his wandering hands) "As you're probably aware, the offspring between a dero and a non-dero, ALWAYS results in another pure dero. There is never any trace of the other race at all. We perfected the process to ensure this. Humans, orcs, kobolds, trolls, even your light skinned elven cousins do not dilute the dero blood." "Yes, I'm aware." "Well, the svelk dero offspring are different. There is still a very faint trace of the svelk blood. We don't know why and it can't be eliminated, or if it can, then we haven't figured it out yet. This impurity is very distressing to some dero, most of the women especially. They believe it changes our very being to the point that this new generation of dero won't be true dero. They believe that if this process goes on too much longer, it potentially means the end of our race even if we DO escape to a new world." "Interesting. It would seem that svelk superiority reaches every aspect of life. So given that you have svelk blood coursing through your veins I imagine you don't share the more puritanical views of your fellow dero given your own mongrel status." "No. The impurity is negligible and the survival of our race despite any potential alterations to it is more important. Enough dero feel the same way, but doesn't make this arrangement any easier. In any case, opening the arch and getting to the new world is top priority. Now are you sure you won't need assistance with the task as I said we can..." "And as I said, I will work better on my own with this. However, if I need your assistance, you'll be the first to know. Now then, I shall take my leave." Marzost nods at your interruption and escorts you back to your army where upon you make your way back to the surface still making mental notes of all this information you've learned wondering if any of it can be used to your advantage at some point. Though for now, it's not going to help you with the shitload of demons you have to summon and trap. You've got a lot of tomes to go over when you get back. > Time passes… Six months later... You can't believe it. Or maybe you just didn't want to when you originally lost contact six months ago. "Mistress?" It was inevitable, especially with what's going on. All humans eventually die early. That's what happens to them. Still, he wasn't really human. He wasn't like the rest. He was...unique. "Mistress!" You temporarily stop staring into the distance and re-direct your attention to Belina "Yes, what?" you say. "I asked what are your new orders? I've given you my report." Belina asks. "Report...report...are you sure he's dead? I mean are you absolutely certain? I know you aren't the most competent in these matters providing accurate information." Belina tries to stop herself from visibly getting annoyed by your insult, but she fails. Though she's probably more annoyed that she's already repeated herself on this particular information at least three times the first time she mentioned it in her report. "Again... Mistress, the Emperor of the Empire is DEAD. Several of my agents died bringing me this information AND double-checking it because I KNEW such information would be of major importance to you." Belina replies. "How? How did he die?" you ask. "I wasn't there Mistress, but I was relayed information that a cloaked figure of immense power that has been sighted in various locations of Evigrus wiped out the Emperor's palace including the Emperor. According to the agent who I was told looked like he was already a walking corpse from the high amount of death magic he was exposed to when reporting to another, the Emperor even put up no struggle before he was struck down. He just allowed himself to die." "I don't believe it! Not struggle?! That wasn't him! That was never him! He always was a fighter! From the first day of class he defied me! He never listened! Never realized that only I knew what was best for him!" "Be that as it may, several of my agents have more or less confirmed his demise. The Empire is completely gone and Evigrus is lost. Undead are everywhere and just standing on the continent feels like the very life is being drained from you. It's starting to resemble the Isle of Mortos, though from my return it doesn't look like Dokkrus is doing much better. Drunni mentioned you're trying to open a portal to another world?" "What? I'm asking the questions here and these reports of his death are imprecise. You weren't there and you're going by not just second hand, but third or even fourth hand information? I knew you were incompetent in these matters." Belina, who looks much the worse for wear since you last saw her years ago can't contain herself any more. "Fuck you Semra! Fuck you and your delusional obsessive crush you had on your pet monkey! Drunni was right, YOU brought all this shit on us! And I heard you were giving female svelk over to the fucking dero? What the fuck? You trying to kill off our race before the undead can? Shit, YOU have led not just our people, but the entire world to ruin because YOU didn't do what should have been done long ago! He's NOT coming back. You had a mental connection with him correct? You stopped having it didn't you? You know why? BECAUSE HE'S FUCKING DEAD AND YOU KNOW IT! " Your eyes narrow. "Yes. I do." At that moment Belina's anger goes from one of a worry as she realizes her outburst has turned your mood even worse than it already was. "Shi..." is all she gets out before you raise both of your hands and lighting shoots out from them. Belina's body is enveloped by your blast as every part of her is fried instantly. She was already weakened from her time on Evigrus, it doesn't time much to kill her. Her body drops to the floor still sizzling which you walk over to and stare at. "There was no need to insult my intelligence and point out the obvious though Belina. I'm well aware he's been dead for months now. Still, I suppose someone else saying it out loud was helpful in giving that last push for me to put it into perspective." You crouch down near Belina's corpse. "I suppose my anger was more about how you told me he died, rather than that he died at all. The idea that he just gave up...it's just... " Tears fall from your eyes. "...I always thought...he'd finally see that I was the only one...who ever...really loved... him and we'd start over, perhaps even in that new world..." Your voice cracks and you start to break down as whimpers of anguish of your loss begins to sink in. "...we'd be happy...and then...and then...I'd be the one to kill him..." You let it all out and cry like you did when your father died. The pain of this loss is just as great as that one was. Your emotional release is interrupted when you notice Belina's body twitch. You see her burned hand rise from the floor and a desiccated groan emanate from her. You stop your crying, step away from her and begin to chuckle "You're right again Belina, I need to stop this pathetic display, stop hanging on to the past and decide what the fuck I'm going to do for the future. Feh. The Future. What remains of it on this world anyway." You see Belina slowly crawl towards you and attempt to push herself up off the floor. "I've only been able to bind twelve demons out of the thirty or so I've conjured. Had to kill more of them and lost svelk in the process of doing so most of the time. Who knows if this plan to open a portal to a new world is even going to work. All I have are the assurances of some dero that's sickeningly infatuated with me and a few of the demonic tomes I've been browsing through." Belina's corpse is now standing upright a few feet away; she grabs a blackened dagger from her side. She then makes groaning noises as she lurches towards you. "Even if going to a new world works, do I really want to fucking start ALL over again with the fucking dero and a bunch of svelk that would all cut my damn throat if they could, despite the fact I'm saving all their worthless lives? I definitely know I'm already not popular with the female population of our race at this point...but then I never could get along with any of them. Maybe Drunni was right when he once suggested that I'd be happy if I was the only svelk female in existence and only had the males as servants and warriors. I suppose it would explain why never got along with my daughter. Maybe it had something to do with my mother dying in childbirth...bah I'm fucking babbling..." Belina's corpse is now almost upon you with her dagger raised high ready to strike. "The funny thing is I'm tempted to just say fuck it and let your corpse kill me Belina. There's a strong part of me that really sees no reason to go on. Francis is dead and this world soon will be as well it seems. Maybe Francis had the right idea and just throw it in." > You Die Yes. You see it all so clearly. Dying IS the only way to reunite with Francis at this point. You'll find him again in the afterlife. It's a long shot, but it's worth it. Worth more than continuing to struggle here at least. You lower your defenses and look at Belina's corpse which is still in a position ready to strike. "Well? You going to stand there and rot or are you going to kill me?" you say. Belina's arm comes down and stabs you in the chest. It hurts like hell, but it isn't enough to kill you. You instead fall to the floor in pain and Belina is soon on top of you and stabbing you repeatedly. "Fu..ck...taki..ng too long..." you utter while coughing up blood. Takes all the energy you have left, but you manage to immolate yourself along with Belina, killing both of you and ensuring your body won't be coming back either. Of course it's a pretty excruciating death and you definitely scream out as you burn alive. The unsurprising bit, is none of your underlings even get to you in time to check what all the screaming is until you're well cooked and dead. Which is just as well since you wanted to die in the first place, though you probably would have gone about it differently if you had to do it all over again. And it isn't just about how you died. You don't go to the same place as Francis like you thought. You figured he'd be in hell. He still could be, but if he is, you aren't there. Wherever you are is worse. Much worse. It's reserved mainly for the most terrible of souls, namely those that have directly pissed off the gods. You don't know what gods you pissed off or how, but that hardly matters given the shit you've put yourself in. What does matter is you're being perpetually tortured and subjected to pain on a level that doesn't even compare to what hell could do. Your mind is broken and you go insane, but the pain lasts for all eternity.

Six months later... You can't believe it. Or maybe you just didn't want to when you originally lost contact six months ago. "Mistress?" It was inevitable, especially with what's going on. All humans eventually die early. That's what happens to them. Still, he wasn't really human. He wasn't like the rest. He was...unique. "Mistress!" You temporarily stop staring into the distance and re-direct your attention to Belina "Yes, what?" you say. "I asked what are your new orders? I've given you my report." Belina asks. "Report...report...are you sure he's dead? I mean are you absolutely certain? I know you aren't the most competent in these matters providing accurate information." Belina tries to stop herself from visibly getting annoyed by your insult, but she fails. Though she's probably more annoyed that she's already repeated herself on this particular information at least three times the first time she mentioned it in her report. "Again... Mistress, the Emperor of the Empire is DEAD. Several of my agents died bringing me this information AND double-checking it because I KNEW such information would be of major importance to you." Belina replies. "How? How did he die?" you ask. "I wasn't there Mistress, but I was relayed information that a cloaked figure of immense power that has been sighted in various locations of Evigrus wiped out the Emperor's palace including the Emperor. According to the agent who I was told looked like he was already a walking corpse from the high amount of death magic he was exposed to when reporting to another, the Emperor even put up no struggle before he was struck down. He just allowed himself to die." "I don't believe it! Not struggle?! That wasn't him! That was never him! He always was a fighter! From the first day of class he defied me! He never listened! Never realized that only I knew what was best for him!" "Be that as it may, several of my agents have more or less confirmed his demise. The Empire is completely gone and Evigrus is lost. Undead are everywhere and just standing on the continent feels like the very life is being drained from you. It's starting to resemble the Isle of Mortos, though from my return it doesn't look like Dokkrus is doing much better. Drunni mentioned you're trying to open a portal to another world?" "What? I'm asking the questions here and these reports of his death are imprecise. You weren't there and you're going by not just second hand, but third or even fourth hand information? I knew you were incompetent in these matters." Belina, who looks much the worse for wear since you last saw her years ago can't contain herself any more. "Fuck you Semra! Fuck you and your delusional obsessive crush you had on your pet monkey! Drunni was right, YOU brought all this shit on us! And I heard you were giving female svelk over to the fucking dero? What the fuck? You trying to kill off our race before the undead can? Shit, YOU have led not just our people, but the entire world to ruin because YOU didn't do what should have been done long ago! He's NOT coming back. You had a mental connection with him correct? You stopped having it didn't you? You know why? BECAUSE HE'S FUCKING DEAD AND YOU KNOW IT! " Your eyes narrow. "Yes. I do." At that moment Belina's anger goes from one of a worry as she realizes her outburst has turned your mood even worse than it already was. "Shi..." is all she gets out before you raise both of your hands and lighting shoots out from them. Belina's body is enveloped by your blast as every part of her is fried instantly. She was already weakened from her time on Evigrus, it doesn't time much to kill her. Her body drops to the floor still sizzling which you walk over to and stare at. "There was no need to insult my intelligence and point out the obvious though Belina. I'm well aware he's been dead for months now. Still, I suppose someone else saying it out loud was helpful in giving that last push for me to put it into perspective." You crouch down near Belina's corpse. "I suppose my anger was more about how you told me he died, rather than that he died at all. The idea that he just gave up...it's just... " Tears fall from your eyes. "...I always thought...he'd finally see that I was the only one...who ever...really loved... him and we'd start over, perhaps even in that new world..." Your voice cracks and you start to break down as whimpers of anguish of your loss begins to sink in. "...we'd be happy...and then...and then...I'd be the one to kill him..." You let it all out and cry like you did when your father died. The pain of this loss is just as great as that one was. Your emotional release is interrupted when you notice Belina's body twitch. You see her burned hand rise from the floor and a desiccated groan emanate from her. You stop your crying, step away from her and begin to chuckle "You're right again Belina, I need to stop this pathetic display, stop hanging on to the past and decide what the fuck I'm going to do for the future. Feh. The Future. What remains of it on this world anyway." You see Belina slowly crawl towards you and attempt to push herself up off the floor. "I've only been able to bind twelve demons out of the thirty or so I've conjured. Had to kill more of them and lost svelk in the process of doing so most of the time. Who knows if this plan to open a portal to a new world is even going to work. All I have are the assurances of some dero that's sickeningly infatuated with me and a few of the demonic tomes I've been browsing through." Belina's corpse is now standing upright a few feet away; she grabs a blackened dagger from her side. She then makes groaning noises as she lurches towards you. "Even if going to a new world works, do I really want to fucking start ALL over again with the fucking dero and a bunch of svelk that would all cut my damn throat if they could, despite the fact I'm saving all their worthless lives? I definitely know I'm already not popular with the female population of our race at this point...but then I never could get along with any of them. Maybe Drunni was right when he once suggested that I'd be happy if I was the only svelk female in existence and only had the males as servants and warriors. I suppose it would explain why never got along with my daughter. Maybe it had something to do with my mother dying in childbirth...bah I'm fucking babbling..." Belina's corpse is now almost upon you with her dagger raised high ready to strike. "The funny thing is I'm tempted to just say fuck it and let your corpse kill me Belina. There's a strong part of me that really sees no reason to go on. Francis is dead and this world soon will be as well it seems. Maybe Francis had the right idea and just throw it in." > Survive "Wait. What the fuck am I thinking about? Francis had terrible ideas hence the reason why all this is happening in the first place. Not sure why I'm getting the blame, but then Belina, you always were jealous of me." You step back and unleash flames from your hands, setting Belina's corpse on fire. It continues to move towards you a few steps before succumbing to the flames which weaken its structure enough that collapses into a pile of burning flesh. With the immediate problem solved you refocus your mind back your previous task. "A new world. A fresh start. Yes, that is perhaps what I need now. Doesn't matter if I have to start over, I'll succeed. Shit, might even be better if I don't have most of the current fools impeding my progress as usual." Speaking of fools, several of your "attentive" guards have finally showed up after hearing the noises coming from the meeting room. They go on about how they came quickly and ask if you're all right. You naturally dismiss their phony concerns and tell some of them to clean up the burning mess on the floor while the rest of them accompany you to the summoning chamber. You have demons to trap. Hours pass and you manage to trap eight more even if it took about fifteen to actually summon. At least you didn't lose anyone today, not that you care, but more because then you would have had to expend even more energy killing the reanimated corpses. You're exhausted though as the stress of the day has really gotten to you. You can't even be bothered to have some idiot lackey service you. You're going to just get some sleep. It's been awhile anyway, you've probably been up for a couple days. Other than the recent incident with Belina, your area has been relatively free of undead activity this day, so hopefully the sentries are able to handle any potential trouble while you attempt to rest. You get to your bed and nearly fall asleep immediately. Time passes until you hear a voice... "Semra...Semra...my svelk beauty...are you awake?" You open your eyes and see Francis lying next to you. He gently starts to caress your shoulder. "Oh good. It's just an incubus. I thought for a moment Marzost had snuck in here and rolled in sulfur to improve his scent." You say. "Incubus? No my dear, I'm the answer to all your desires." Francis says moving his hand lower to one of your breasts. "I know damn well you're not Francis, not to mention there is no way Francis would be acting the way you are now." "If I'm not Francis as you say, and in indeed an incubus. Why are you allowing me to touch you in such a manner?" "Didn't say I didn't mind the illusion. I'm guessing you must have slipped in during one of the summonings. Smart of you to stay hidden, though sort of wondering how you did it. I've been very thorough with setting up proper protections and incubi aren't known to be very powerful in breaking through such spells. You're inferior to your female counterparts, as is usually the case with males of any race." "And as I've said, I'm not an incubus." Francis (Or the image of him) gets up a bit and transforms into a very traditional looking red skinned demon. Not an incubus, but certainly nothing outwardly extraordinary about him, though obviously if he's here, he has some power. In your fatigued state, you're not even sure you'd be able to take him without some major effort. You decide to play it civil for now. "Hm, I don't remember summoning any demon lords or princes. I was very careful about sticking to low level fodder of your kind." You say. "Oh you didn't. I'm no lord or prince or anything like that. Just an infernal who noticed some of my fellows being ripped from home and caught a ride as it were. Might not have noticed at all had you not been summoning so many within such a short period of time and in the careful way you were doing it. Usually with the numbers you were doing, wizardly types just open a gate for their armies or whatever and be done with it." The demon responds. "Well next time I'll try to be more reckless. So if we're going to talk, what do I address you as then if you're not demon royalty?" "Oh, just call me Big Red or Red. Everyone else does." "Big Red?" you say and look him up and down somewhat baffled by the name. "Long story and not important." The demon now gets off the bed completely and stands beside it to address you. You can now feel his presence in your head, though he's not being very invasive...yet. "Getting back to the matter at hand, I can't help but notice your world is doomed. Is that why you're summoning us? You don't actually expect an army of infernals to help you fight what's coming do you? This world is far too gone for that now." He says. "And you know this how?" you ask. "Oh I've seen this before. In fact I saw this the first time it happened. Was a bit more fascinating at the time. Now it's just something to avoid when possible, well normally it is anyway...you have a very interesting mind." "Of course I do. So were planning on raping my mind instead of my body?" "Hadn't planned on it and from what I can tell at a brief glance, you'd probably find some pleasure in such a thing, but I'd prefer a more consensual approach. Apparently you're attempting to leave this world and you're hoping to do something with trapped infernals for this process?" Since there's no point in keeping secrets from Big Red who currently has the upper hand, you explain what you're trying to do. He looks a bit thoughtful for a moment and then responds. "Well it's certainly been tried before in your situation, but unfortunately once a world is marked like this, it's very difficult to leave even through portals like you're attempting to open. A barrier of sorts is usually put up to prevent such escape attempts. Even if successful, the God of Death or whatever he calls himself, doesn't like loose ends and mortals escaping during a reaping tends to just doom whatever world they fled to." "Wait. What?" "Oh yes. For example there was a powerful magic reptilian race called the Milosian who also attempted immortality and turn themselves into gods. Didn't work of course and only brought the doom to their world. They too resisted in the usual ways, even summoning us infernals and making pacts in the hopes of saving themselves. None of it worked. We knew that of course, but a soul is a soul right? In any case several of them realized that escape was the only way to avoid the reaping so they managed to open a portal to a completely different world. A fairly peaceful one even. Hundreds of Milosians who were still alive entered the portal believing they were safe." "They weren't of course." "No, the portal didn't close behind them despite even attempts to close it, but they were marked and they would not escape death. Didn't take long before the very world they escaped to started suffering the same fate. Not that it deserved having all life extinguished on it, but there's usually no way to avoid things like these and deserves got nothing to do with it." "And so that world died as well?" "Yes. Everything on it. The Death God isn't fond of escape attempts from a reaping, especially massive ones like the Milosians tried and he just becomes more focused on the task. Besides, mortals all eventually die anyway so I imagine it's just getting ahead in the workload to him." "Shit." You're now wide-awake and concerned about your situation even more than you were before. You're also angry. You have a solution to ensure your survival and now you're hearing that it won't even work. You get up out of bed cursing and even throwing an old valuable svelk vase against the wall. You then look over at Big Red who is now sitting on the edge of your bed just watching you. There IS still a way out of this. You have some knowledge of the demonic mind and this one obviously wouldn't have told you about any of this if he wasn't going to offer you a way out. You can guess what the price is going to be though. You compose yourself and address Big Red. "So...how DO I escape?" you ask. "What makes you think you can?" Big Red says. "Because you wouldn't be bothering to stick around if there wasn't a loophole." "I could just be enjoying taunting you." "You could and it would be quite in character for a demon, but I don't sense that you'd bother with something so petty or at least not when you could get something more out of it." "Quite astute. You are definitely one of the better examples of your kind. Very well let's get to the good part. Yes, there IS a way you can escape without being detected or at least in such a way that you won't be immediately followed. You could go through my home which is the Infernal Realm." "Great plan, escape death only to end up in hell. Not real keen on getting ass raped by demons forever." "Oh trust me, perpetual anal violation would be the kindest thing that would happen to you. However, it need not be that way. I could be persuaded to give you safe passage. Basically, you'd enter the Infernal Realm and from there I'll have a gate open to another world similar to yours. Your trail as it were would be erased, and you'd be free to start your new life without being hunted." "And let me guess, you want my soul in return." "Well safe passage through the Infernal Realm is pretty expensive. I'm going to need more than just yours. Let's see, you've trapped about twenty of my infernal comrades so far. I'd say about a hundred of yours plus yourself should cover it." "A hundred?" "What's the problem? Don't tell me you're actually concerned for your fellow svelk." "It's not that, it's just a hell of a lot when I need all the fodder I can get not to mention sacrificing a hundred svelk isn't going to improve the already tenuous relationship I have with my fellow svelk. Last thing I need is a full on revolt. Can't I make other offerings instead, like humans or dero? I could at least justify that more to my people and have an easier time gathering them. A soul is a soul right?" Big Red taps his chin with a clawed finger for a moment. "Well under normal circumstances, you'd be right, a soul is a soul, but again these aren't normal circumstances. Human souls are so damn common that a hundred of them are of practically no great value. Not interested in human souls at this time, not to mention most of them will probably be ending up in the Infernal Realm after the reaping anyway. So will most your race too, but your race's souls on other hand have certain superior quality about them that I would personally like first dibs on. Your soul in particular is quite intoxicating. Yes, you have been a very naughty girl. I believe even a few infernals could learn something from you. I'm not familiar with these dero, but I suppose I could check them out, I'll get back to you on that, but as it stands I want a hundred svelk souls and yours. Also going to need your signature in blood to ensure that deal." "Yeah about that, can't I just give you two hundred instead?" Big Red chuckles. "Well that didn't take long.. So you propose to offer two hundred for your life then? Why not a thousand?" Big Red asks. "A thousand?" you respond. "None of your blood needed for that deal of course. If it's too risky, then you know the old price. I'll give you some time to think about it, in the meantime you better get started right away since a hundred of your fellows will be mine either way assuming you still want safe passage through my home." "And this is the only option you offer?" "Well you could still take your chances with your plan, but I guarantee it won't work." Not much of a choice. A thousand svelk souls is a tall order. It's not just a simple matter of having a thousand svelk killed. You're going to have to go through a similar ritual process of how you're currently trapping the demons. Granted less complex and less immediate danger, but doing something like this on a grand scale is eventually going to draw more ire from the svelk population which is already showing signs of splintering apart thanks to the relentless undead attacks, as well as your previous arrangement with dero. Of course being a demon, everything he says could very well be an outright lie and this could all be an excuse to try to gather souls (specifically yours) while he's here. The problem is demons tend to mix the truth with their lies. Still, you're just as equally prone to dismiss Big Red altogether. Making deals with demons usually never ends well. The fall of the old Svelk Empire is proof of that. Along with other things more personal. > You agree to the deal Big Red is obviously one of those demons that prefers the art of the deal rather than doing something obvious like ripping your head off. So he's probably got the idea to set you up for a major fall so it'll ultimately be YOUR fault if you fuck up. Making deals with demons is always dangerous, however it is known that they always honor them and if you happen to be clever enough (Or the demon isn't particularly bright) you can be assured to come out ahead. And since you've never been one to play it safe, you choose to make the deal, but you're not going in half assed about this. "Okay Big Red, I'm open to your deal, but I'm not committing to anything right now at all. You understand?" "Well at least you're keeping an open mind. Very well I suppose I'll check up on you at a later time and see how far along you are and we can better solidify our agreement. As I said, I'll also investigate these dero you mentioned. Perhaps if their souls are as inviting as your people's then I will accept them as well. I leave you to it." Big Red seems as if he's about to leave, but then lifts a hand with his index finger pointed up and addresses you. "One more thing. While I understand we have no commitment on this potential deal, I am going to have to ask that you to hand over my fellow trapped infernals as an act of goodwill, just so I at least know that you're seriously considering my offer." "Are you believing that I may change my mind and go with the original plan?" "As I said, just a measure of goodwill that you're dedicated." "You do realize I can just get more crystals and trap more of them again right?" "Yes, but that will take time and obviously cut into what time you need for OUR plan. That's time you don't really have as death draws closer. You also don't have the energy to waste on all the magic you'd be performing, on top of attempting to wrangle my infernal fellows." You're not convincing him out of this one. You're tempted to cancel this whole agreement, but you've already come this far. You're going to have to be very careful when the time comes to actually make a deal. "Very well, the demon trapped crystals are actually in a chest over there." You say. "Hm, yes I sensed they were close by, very brave to have them so close by where you sleep." Big Red says walking over to the chest and opening it. "Better that I'm close by to handle a situation." "Well no need for that concern anymore. Yes, these will definitely come in handy. Nothing like having someone indebted to you completely and now I have twenty more of them. Oh, I can already hear how much they don't like their new situation. Heh, I even know a few of these infernals. This arrangement of ours is already starting out well. See you soon." Big Red takes the entire chest and then disappears. Well no time to lose, you've got preparations to make and you're going to need all the help you can in rounding up folks. You've got to spin this one a bit. You figure approaching Gikil about this first is the better approach. The fool's military mind is easier to manipulate and he genuinely has an amount of respect and obedience in those under his command. You have Gikil summoned and in a couple days he arrives. He approaches and kneels in respect before you. "You may rise general." You say. "Mistress, I trust you called me for an update on the battle front?" he asks after standing up. "Hm, yes I will be needing that too, but the main reason I called you was for a matter of more importance and one I need your assistance on." "You have it of course Mistress." "Good, now give me a report on Dokkrus' current status. Don't hold back the truth." Gikil immediately goes into his report and predictably explains that the situation continues to get worse. Already sections of Dokkrus are starting to wither as the land itself is dying. He says the undead are starting to appear in the incorporeal variety a lot more frequently which is concerning since the average person doesn't at least have the right type of weaponry to hurt them. He says orders have been given to melt silver valuables down and have them forged into weapons. Several small communities have fallen completely and refugees have been seeking protection within the few strongholds and fortresses that exist. He mentions that order is still being maintained, just barely though and that's only because the undead wandering the land are so much worse. "Of course this fortress as you know has been stable. No doubt due to your influence." "No doubt. Thank you for the report, I'll have some detailed questions about some of the struggling hubs of svelk civilization in a moment. Right now, let me get to the point of why I want to speak to you. You explain that you have recently learned that the dero plan has been discovered will fail and that Marzost is just resting everything on a delusional hope since he's now said it's going to require at least two hundred trapped demons to power the archway and you're not risking or wasting anymore time given how dire the situation grows. You say you've been seeking other potential avenues of escape and mention your discussion with Big Red though you change some of the facts of course. Your mention of the arrangement to sacrifice a thousand svelk though does make Gikil's eyes widen a bit. You don't even mention the "lesser" deal that was offered as you don't want Gikil to get any ideas and you want him to be focused on the task that doesn't involve losing your own soul. He doesn't say anything and just stands there as if to take all this in. "Well? Can I count on your assistance?" you ask. You figure it won't hurt to resort to the old tried and true bait by getting a little physically closer and touching Gikil on the shoulder as if to imply potential deeper intimacy. Your actions cause him to look, but he doesn't touch you in return. He obviously understands to not overstep despite your actions. Good. "You can Mistress. Obviously in a dire time like this, extreme measures must be taken. I do have some questions though." Gikil answers. "I figured as much, we can hammer out a plan together. I want us to work closely on this task to ensure a successful outcome. You're about the only competent person I can rely on anymore." "I'm honored you believe so, I must ask though what is to be done with Drunni? You know he may argue against this plan." "He'd probably bitch and moan, but ultimately if his own survival is ensured, then he'd go along with it. However, you're right, he could be too much of a problem. He'll be the first. Honestly probably should have gotten rid of him a long time ago." Gikil's face displays a brief smile when you say that. You and Gikil eventually sit down to plan the initial stages of this grim business. He mentions that the strongholds rather than the fortresses would be better to select for these mass sacrifices since there are less valuable svelk in those areas and are most likely going to fall to the undead first anyway. Their deaths might as well be useful. He mentions that he can gather up a sizable company of loyal and capable soldiers to carry out this task without explaining too much. The problem of course is it will take away from the fight against the undead which will no doubt result it more death (which in turn will result in more undead) but that's just how it's going to have to be because escaping this place is a lot more important. Gikil also asks you about trapping the svelk souls. You explain that trapping mortal souls (Even those of svelk) shouldn't need a whole crystal and you can probably shove several into one. You mention the time when you had to obliterate gnome souls for the Emperor and you had many of them stuffed into containers. "Are your remaining thirty going to be enough for a thousand souls though?" Gikil asks. "Probably not. I should be able to fit quite a few souls into them though. I suppose I could make some soul jars like I did for the Emperor and shove the rest in them, but that was time consuming on its own. Would probably be easier to get more crystals from the dero, but that would undoubtedly raise suspicion and tip our hand on what we're actually doing." You say. "And what of our arrangement with them? They're probably going to start asking for progress on the demon trapping and I doubt if they'll just hand over more crystals. If it would save time in the long run, I propose wiping them out once and for all and taking what crystals they have for our purposes." "Certainly an option, though given the task you have of rounding up a thousand sacrifices, I'd rather not have to waste more manpower than necessary on yet another faction to fight. "We can easily wipe them out." "And that sort of over confidence is why the dero still wouldn't be pushovers despite their reduced numbers. We're not wasting valuable troops on the dero for crystals at this time. The dero haven't even kept up with progress on the original plan so it's probably best to just keep them in the dark for now so we still get their assistance with the undead." "But what if they discover what we're really doing?" "Even if the dero find out what we're really doing, they won't launch an assault and will probably just shut down all contact. At worst their volunteers above ground will attack, but they're so few in number that won't matter. You tell Gikil to go fetch Drunni from whatever he's currently doing and anyone of importance that may be allied with him and have them all imprisoned. You then tell him after he's done with that task, to make preparations to clear out one of the smaller svelk communities. You also remind him to that you need living sacrifices so to keep the killing to a minimum. In the meantime you prepare the summoning chamber for an entrapment of a completely different kind. This sacrificial business is going to take awhile, but then Francis managed a similar task when he brought death into the world within only days. Of course what he did was different, he had an utterly loyal army and he had the advantage of already having his sacrifices lined up. You're going to have to wait to get yours at intervals from a group who's loyalty is suspect. Still, you're actually looking forward to your first sacrifices... > First sacrifices Days later... Drunni stares up at you with absolute hatred in his eyes. He hasn't spoken once since he was stripped naked and marched out of his cell to be strapped to this table before you. You look down at him with a knife in your hand knowing that this is how it should be. "Oh come on Drunni, you knew eventually it had to end this way. Well perhaps not in this exact manner, but given the tension between us, it was going to either be me or you and that was no contest at all." You say. Drunni just continues to stare. "No snippy response? No pithy come back? No final insult?" "Suck my dick bitch." Drunni says. You look over at his unimpressive display of manhood and then back to his face. "Oh if only we had the time." You say with a smirk and then shove the knife into his chest. Drunni gasps and struggles a moment as his body goes into its final death throes. You then make a few chants and soon see a wisp rise from his body and enter the crystal nearby. Drunni stops moving completely. You then motion to your nearby lackeys to quickly remove the body and throw it into the nearby fire before it starts reanimating. "Well that's one. Bring in the next." You say. Two months later... You're fucking exhausted. Trapping the souls is more tiring than it should be. You're guessing the increase in necromantic magic in the "air" is making it more difficult for you as you're literally fighting against the natural order of them being collected for their proper place. Undead of all types have been popping up all over Dokkrus and the rate is increasing. You don't know if it's because of what you're doing or if it's just getting closer to the end. Probably both. Svelk civilization (such as it was) has broken down completely. After Gikil "collected" the first few settlements it didn't take long before a few escapees from these purges managed to spread the word to other svelk communities. Almost ALL of them declared themselves independent and hostile towards you. A couple of the smaller communities in an effort to hedge their bets and at least save some of their lives have remained "loyal" and offered some of their people as sacrifices while the rest pledged to join Gikil's band of marauders (While he might like to still think of himself as a general head of a glorious army, you're realistic enough to see it as it really is). Gikil's efforts while generally successful are resulting in more dead than captured. He of course makes excuses for this, and he may even be doing the best he can under the circumstances, but it doesn't really help you. In at least one instance, an entire community committed mass suicide as a final "fuck you" and rising as undead horrors, along with depriving you of souls. Any remaining dero allies you had on the surface have died in battle with undead. You haven't had any contact with the dero community since going with your current plan but then you haven't really bothered. You might have to soon however given that you're nearly out of crystals. And the worst thing about it is you've only managed nearly three hundred souls so far and more than half of your crystals are already gone. You really thought you'd be able to shove more souls into them, but it looks like you're going to meet with the dero or have to start making soul jars and all the time consuming process that entails. While you didn't think this plan was going to go smoothly, you didn't expect it to be the cluster fuck it's become. You collapse on your bed wishing that Francis was beside you. "That could be arranged you know." You hear a voice say. You look over and once again see Big Red in the form of Francis. "While the illusion might be a fun diversion, I'm hesitant to allow one of your kind's seed anywhere near me. Last thing I need is demonic spawn ripping its way out of the source of all my power." Your remark causes a laugh from Big Red who instantly transforms back into his true form (Or at least the one closer to his true origins). "Is there any reason for your clumsy attempts at trying to seduce me?" you ask. "Oh trust me, if that was my intent, I would have taken your father's form. No, I'm just here to check up on your progress as it were. Nearly three hundred so far. Part of me is impressed that you've managed so many under the circumstances and within such a short time. However, time really isn't on your side. This world's death is growing very close." Big Red says. "Ah, so you haven't come to check on my progress so much as you've come to gloat and try to convince me to take the lesser deal." "I mean I'd LOVE for you to just hand me a thousand souls, but I don't see you making that quota in time. You've got more than enough for the other deal though. If you were concerned about your soul, I wouldn't even get you until you died anyway and you've been clever enough to avoid that for centuries. You're doing it right now. And trust me, it's better off with me than anyone else given your history." "I find that difficult to believe." "Believe it. In fact, I'll even sweeten the deal and throw in the promise that I wouldn't trade your soul to anyone else, your soul would only belong to me for all eternity." "That's a really piss poor attempt at trying to convince me. However since you're in a helpful mood, will dero souls be acceptable in place of svelk? I get that they're going to be of lower quality, but compared to humans surely..." "The dero...ugh." Big Red remarks interrupting you. Big Red gets off the bed and nearly looks a bit revolted. "I have observed these dero and they aren't suitable. Those stunted little freaks are barely alive. They have no souls." "What?" "I can detect no soul within them. I can't even detect their blood or life force. It's almost as if their entire race is already dead and it's not due to the necromantic energy in the air or anything like that. Whatever was done to them or whatever they've done to themselves has rendered them soulless and totally useless to me." "Hm. That's interesting. I suppose that explains a lot of their race's certain views on life and death." "In any case the deal is still on when you decide. I've left the contract for the hundred soul deal on a table nearby. Just sign it when you want me to arrive to get your out of this mess." Big Red disappears and you just lay in bed trying to figure out a way you can survive all this body AND soul intact. Three days later... "A good haul this time Mistress." Gikil remarks. "Hm, I suppose. One hundred and twenty seven captives is better than you usually do. How did you manage it?" "Oddly this community had largely been spared undead attacks, but were suffering from famine due the land dying nearby. All we had to do was offer food, the fools let us in and we easily overpowered them due to a lack of strength. Some of them had obviously been resorting to cannibalism by eating the dead though. Those were the ones that put up the most resistance and had to be killed." "Hm. Community was probably on its way to becoming ghouls at that point, good thing you got to them when you did." "Mistress I have another matter to discuss with you...it's about the deal with the souls." "Oh?" Gikil looks a bit hesitant. Even scared. "Out with it! I'm not likely to kill you whatever you tell me considering you're the only useful person I have right now." "Well, um... the demon you said you had the deal with Big Red. He came to me." Your eyebrow raises. Obviously Big Red is trying to create some dissension in the ranks to get your soul. "This should be interesting." "He said there was another deal he offered you which didn't require as many souls." "I see. And even as a male of your lesser intelligence, you do realize that selling my soul is not an option?" "Yes, I understand that Mistress." "Then why are we even discussing it? If Big Red thought you could convince me, he's even worse at this than I thought. I will die before that happens. And if YOU are thinking about rebelling unless I capitulate, you're sadly mistaken as well. I'll throw YOU on that table and add another soul to the total." "Mistress, no! I would never betray you! I've followed you this far, believe in your goals and if I may be so bold, I have come to...feel a greater affection for you." Not completely unexpected, though you're wondering where he's going to go with this sudden courageous burst of feelings for you. "Yeah I already know you want to fuck me Gikil, most people do, no surprise there." You say dismissively. "No! It's more than that!" Gikil exclaims and boldly wraps his arms around you. He looks into your eyes and before he can continue, you speak. "Okay. That's ONE. Better make this REALLY good Gikil and you will release me NOW." Gikil obeys and backs off. He paces a bit and rubs his hands over his face and hair. "Stupid. I shouldn't have done that. I beg forgiveness for my..." "Gikil you are wasting time. Calm yourself and say what you fucking mean and stop being a cowering male." You demand. "You're right. I don't care if you kill me afterwards for my forwardness, I should speak. I've grown not just in awe of your handling of this situation we're in, but attraction to you. Your confidence, your dedication, your leadership, all of it, is just so magnetic that I can't contain it any longer, but I also mention this because I have a proposal." "Proposal? Are you seriously asking that we be joined?" "Well I would hope so one day, but no, nothing so formal. I was going to suggest that we have a child." Now you don't know whether to laugh or kill him. Or laugh while you're killing him. "And WHY the fuck would I want to do that? Let alone with you?" "To trick Big Red out of the lesser deal! He said he needed your blood as a confirmation of the deal right? A baby from your loins would qualify! We just drain the baby of its blood after it's born, and sign whatever contract with its blood. By the time Big Red figures it out, he won't be able to do shit!" Now that is an interesting plan you hadn't considered. In fact you're surprised it even came from Gikil. You suppose even the mundane have a moment of brilliance. Of course there's a few hiccups with this potential plan. First, you're wondering if this "loophole" would even work. You imagine Big Red has probably taken something like into consideration, then again given his recent bad attempts to trying to convince you to give up your soul, he might not be as competent as he tries to appear and it's escaped his attention. Second, you'd have to be pregnant. Getting pregnant wouldn't be an issue; you can always mix up a fertility potion for such a thing to increase the odds. It's the actual being pregnant bit that isn't exactly desirable. You didn't care for it the last two times you were and it makes you much more vulnerable. Not to mention you'd have to endure at least nine more months of this undead onslaught before you could even kill the spawn. Who knows if you'd have nine months. Third, well you'll ask Gikil again. "If I were to carry out this cunning plan, I repeat, WHY would I do it with you?" you ask. "I have no answer Mistress. Indeed you could have your way with any lucky man. I can only say that with all confidence I am currently the most desirable mate that while not equal to you, is at least as you pointed out, the most useful and will continue to be while in your service. And as I have somewhat already said in so many bumbling words, I have genuine feelings for you and can only hope that even after all this is behind us, our relationship can grow even deeper." Gikil replies. Well it's enough reverence for you to hold off on killing him and he does make a strong case. There's still a part of you though that isn't quite ready to jump on Gikil's dick just yet though even if he's eager for it. After all, you're the one taking the risk of carrying a child even if it's to ultimately save your soul. Speaking of souls, the logistics of making even one soul jar to shove further souls into is already giving you a headache on top of everything else you're thinking about. You think back to Gikil's suggestion awhile back of raiding the dero for their crystals, and believe that now might the time to do such a thing. It isn't like you're exactly following the dero plan anymore and they might be a little weaker now since you know they were suffering from undead attacks as well the last time you were there. The question is if you're going to send Gikil to do it or just do it yourself. You're confident victory is assured either way, though it's a question of personal risk versus getting the job done efficiently. > You send Gikil You've got more important shit to do than to fuck about with the dero. In fact you don't even want to see another one of those stunted freaks again even it's only to kill them. Besides, if Gikil wants to be your "Plan B" he's going to have to prove himself. You figure he can take care of this bit of business first. "Gikil, I want you to go get those crystals from the dero, I don't care if you have to eliminate what remains of their pathetic settlement." You order. "Yes Mistress." Gikil responds. You grab his arm before he leaves. "And Gikil? Maybe just MAYBE I'll be in the mood for that other plan you mentioned when you return." You say. Gikil barely manages to keep his composure, but his face says it all and he starts running as quickly as her can shouting for his soldiers to follow him immediately. Glad to see he's motivated for a change. Later that day you ponder the potential plan Gikil proposed and decide you'll go through with it when he gets back since you suppose it doesn't hurt to have a back up plan and you can't imagine the act itself willl last very long. You prepare a fertility potion. You haven't prepared a potion like this in centuries, but you want to make sure this goes right the first time. In a couple days it's done and you chug it down. Tastes every bit as awful as you remember. No sign of Gikil yet though and you begin to get slightly annoyed that the idiot might have gotten himself killed since he should have been back by now. The next day and the raiding party returns confirming your annoyance. Idiot probably was so distracted thinking about fucking you that he wasn't focused on battle. "Typical male, always coming up short when it counts. No matter, were you lot able to at least get the crystals?" you ask. "Yes Mistress, we gathered as much as we could carry. As for the dero, several of them were killed in the ensuing battle, but the remainder retreated into a building. Since General Gikil was dead and the crystals were secured which were the main objective anyway, further attack on the dero seemed like it would be a waste of manpower so I ordered us to return." A younger svelk reports and then motions for two battle worn soldiers with two large bags which they open up to show you filled with crystals. More than enough for your purposes. "Hmm, smart move on your part, or perhaps just cowardice but whatever the reason, you made the right decision because I would have really been pissed if I hadn't received the crystals." "I am glad I could please you Mistress." You walk over to the male addressing you and study him closely. He's nothing remarkable, but he's not unattractive. You wonder if you shouldn't just fuck this male instead. One is just as good as another for what you're planning. And he at least got back home alive. He remains looking straight ahead until you grab his crotch and shove your tongue in his mouth. He looks mildly surprised when you stop to address him. "Name?" you ask. "Arrak, Mistress." "Well Arrak, you haven't pleased me yet and I doubt you will, but this is your lucky day for a chance at it. You two, take those crystals to the appropriate location. You, come with me." You leave the other two soldiers and lead the young commander into your bedroom. The act itself is rather mundane as expected though not completely without enjoyment. After it's over you tell Arrak to get out. Five days pass... You cast the spell again, just to make sure. You wait and there's no doubt about it, you're with child for good or ill. Now you just have to hold out for nine months of undead attacks while being burdened with child and an ever-smaller group of "loyalists." No small feat, but you figure you should be able to weather it as long as you don't over do it. Of course now you're wondering if you shouldn't continue to gather up souls and still try to reach that quota anyway. Just because Plan B is more or less secure, doesn't mean continuing with Plan A isn't still an option. > You continue capturing souls Might as well increase your chances for survival. Besides, it isn't like being with spawn is going to slow you down in performing what you need to do to kill captives and capture their souls. In any case, you've wasted enough time. You need to get started on all those recent captives and send your soldiers to go get more because you've still got a long way to go. Since he's effectively taken Gikil's place, you put Arrak in charge of his duties. After a week, you've finished off all the current captives and are still awaiting more. Arrak eventually returns with only twenty-four. Much like Gikil, he explains that picking are very difficult now, since most of what remains of the svelk are behind heavily fortified towns or outright fortresses. (The actual cities are mostly just ruins now filled with ghouls and walking corpses at this point). Unfortunately with your lack of manpower, you can't really afford to launch full on sieges of such places even if you had the time to do so. Arrak however believes that he and a few others can potentially sneak into the towns and create enough havoc inside and ultimately lower the defensive gates to let more in. From there it's just a matter of subduing enough and then getting out of there. You honestly don't care how he does it, as long as it gets done. Two months pass and Arrak is more or less making good on his promises and you're getting a slight increase in captives, but it's still a paltry amount compared to what you really need. What's worse is the situation on your continent is getting even more dire. The process of decay and death has accelerated greatly and it's harder for what remains of your soldiers to even hunt for animals. At least one attempt on your life was made by a group of female soldiers, fortunately besides being slightly weak from malnourishment; they weren't a match for you, given your magic capabilities and naturally suspicious nature. You were on to them before they even attempted it. Still, the exertion of just fending off the attack took it out of you a lot more than it should have. You're tired quite a bit nowadays and it isn't just your pregnancy on top of your usual activity. The very environment around you is becoming infused with death and you're starting to feel the effects directly. There's nothing that can be done though except hope you can get through this. 1 month later Your time's up. Everything is dead or soon will be and you're so drained right now you can't even stand up. You don't even have the energy to sign Big Red's damn contract on the table not that far away from you to get out of this. You lie on your bedroom floor in a puddle of blood. The paltry remnants of the fetus from your miscarriage lie not too far away from you. It was almost as if it never was given the size and what was left. The last time you looked in a mirror, you were beginning to show signs of age, even now your hands shake and look like that of a withered crone's. You cling to life still, though you don't really know why given the amount of pain your body is currently feeling. Part of it is the will to be a survivor as you always have been, but there's another reason. These last few days you've been to ponder what will actually become of you when you die. Given your deeds, you don't think it will be any place good. Big Red heavily implied you'd go to the Infernal Realm like most of your people and given what you know of demons, you're going to have a rough time of it. However, you've been trying to mentally prepare yourself for those horrors. You don't know how you're going to do it, but some how, some way; you're going to find a way to thrive there. You may very well end up as a lowly fuck slave plaything for some demon to torture, but you're not going to stay that way. You'll find a way to rise. You always do. Everything is starting to go dark, death is coming soon. Though you weren't expecting it to come personally. You suddenly see a faceless hooded figure hovering over you. This is it. This is the Death God. You don't feel fear though. "So you've come." You say. "Well I probably wouldn't have gotten here as soon directly if you hadn't been stealing souls away in crystals. What were you thinking?" the Death God replies. "Escape." "Hm. Pity you didn't destroy them like you did with those gnome souls. Depriving the infernals of even a few is always amusing." Your eyes widen when the Death God mentions the gnomes. "What? You think I didn't know about that? I know everything about you. In fact I probably know more about you than I really needed to thanks to Francis. He wasn't very fond of you, you know." "Yeah, well at least he's where I'm going. He's not going to be rid of me. Not even in death." "And where is it exactly that you believe that you're going?" You struggle to get out the words as you feel it getting harder to breathe. "H...hell." Your statement is followed by a short dark chuckle by the Death God. It's unnerving to the point where fear finally takes hold of your body "Oh I'm afraid you're quite mistaken. Francis is not in the infernal realm. He actually was going to some place much worse, but he didn't since he willingly surrendered after I offered a deal to him. I can truly say, he's in a much better place now. Well at least for the time being." The Death God says. "W...what?! What deal? What did you propose to him?" you ask. "It is of no importance and before you continue with that idea in your head right now, no I'm not offering the same one to you." "Wh...why not? I can assure you, I'd be more useful than whatever it is you proposed to Francis. " "I don't doubt that you'd be adequate for the task, but it really was sort of a one time offer to a suitable mortal. First come first serve and all that. Also, Francis despite being a ruthless bastard, he wasn't really unnecessarily cruel or got off on torture. You on the other hand...well you're just mean and I don't like you." "Fuck...you." "Yes, I'm sure you would if it got you out of where you're going. Speaking of which, I got more bad news for you. Certain gods are REALLY pissed about you completely obliterating those gnome souls and someone has to pay. So you're not going to the infernal realm either." "Wh...where am I...going?" The Death God says nothing and just hovers closer to you. You see a skeletal hand reach out to your head and the brief sight of a grinning skull before it disappears into the darkness of the hood again. Terror fills your body, you scream out as the hand touches your forehead. Your heart doesn't stop beating but instead rapidly pulsates to the point where it explodes in your chest. Everything goes black for a split moment and then when you become aware again, you find that your surroundings have changed severely. Everything around you is wrong. Your mind cannot comprehend the utterly bizarre things about you. In fact you're not even standing on the ground, you're floating throughout some sort of fluid space. You see grisly parodies of various people you've known. They all taunt and hurt you in ways that you never thought possible. These mimics then will melt into disgusting things like hordes of oversized worms and maggots which will proceed to crawl all over you. As you float helplessly you can feel vileness, enter every orifice of your body. All of your senses are assaulted at the same time and the smell, the taste, the feeling, the sight and the sounds are all indescribably awful. Every once in a while strange tentacle creatures float nearby and assault your body and your mind even worse than the mimics. Other times the very plane seems to do the same thing. Sometimes you are completely ripped apart only to be reformed again and not always in the correct way. You go completely insane, but never to a point where you no longer care or are bothered by the horrific experiences you are enduring. There is no defense, no hope, and no escape from this living nightmare. Your mind shattered, your body broken, and your spirit crushed, you continue screaming having no other choice but to suffer as you made so many suffer in your former life.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist] You've got more important shit to do than to fuck about with the dero. In fact you don't even want to see another one of those stunted freaks again even it's only to kill them. Besides, if Gikil wants to be your "Plan B" he's going to have to prove himself. You figure he can take care of this bit of business first. "Gikil, I want you to go get those crystals from the dero, I don't care if you have to eliminate what remains of their pathetic settlement." You order. "Yes Mistress." Gikil responds. You grab his arm before he leaves. "And Gikil? Maybe just MAYBE I'll be in the mood for that other plan you mentioned when you return." You say. Gikil barely manages to keep his composure, but his face says it all and he starts running as quickly as her can shouting for his soldiers to follow him immediately. Glad to see he's motivated for a change. Later that day you ponder the potential plan Gikil proposed and decide you'll go through with it when he gets back since you suppose it doesn't hurt to have a back up plan and you can't imagine the act itself willl last very long. You prepare a fertility potion. You haven't prepared a potion like this in centuries, but you want to make sure this goes right the first time. In a couple days it's done and you chug it down. Tastes every bit as awful as you remember. No sign of Gikil yet though and you begin to get slightly annoyed that the idiot might have gotten himself killed since he should have been back by now. The next day and the raiding party returns confirming your annoyance. Idiot probably was so distracted thinking about fucking you that he wasn't focused on battle. "Typical male, always coming up short when it counts. No matter, were you lot able to at least get the crystals?" you ask. "Yes Mistress, we gathered as much as we could carry. As for the dero, several of them were killed in the ensuing battle, but the remainder retreated into a building. Since General Gikil was dead and the crystals were secured which were the main objective anyway, further attack on the dero seemed like it would be a waste of manpower so I ordered us to return." A younger svelk reports and then motions for two battle worn soldiers with two large bags which they open up to show you filled with crystals. More than enough for your purposes. "Hmm, smart move on your part, or perhaps just cowardice but whatever the reason, you made the right decision because I would have really been pissed if I hadn't received the crystals." "I am glad I could please you Mistress." You walk over to the male addressing you and study him closely. He's nothing remarkable, but he's not unattractive. You wonder if you shouldn't just fuck this male instead. One is just as good as another for what you're planning. And he at least got back home alive. He remains looking straight ahead until you grab his crotch and shove your tongue in his mouth. He looks mildly surprised when you stop to address him. "Name?" you ask. "Arrak, Mistress." "Well Arrak, you haven't pleased me yet and I doubt you will, but this is your lucky day for a chance at it. You two, take those crystals to the appropriate location. You, come with me." You leave the other two soldiers and lead the young commander into your bedroom. The act itself is rather mundane as expected though not completely without enjoyment. After it's over you tell Arrak to get out. Five days pass... You cast the spell again, just to make sure. You wait and there's no doubt about it, you're with child for good or ill. Now you just have to hold out for nine months of undead attacks while being burdened with child and an ever-smaller group of "loyalists." No small feat, but you figure you should be able to weather it as long as you don't over do it. Of course now you're wondering if you shouldn't continue to gather up souls and still try to reach that quota anyway. Just because Plan B is more or less secure, doesn't mean continuing with Plan A isn't still an option. > You wait for the baby You're not going to make the quota in time. Big Red gave a task he knew you'd fail so you'd get desperate and end up signing the contract for the other deal. Your better plan is to wait for the baby and shore up what remains of your defenses against undead attacks so you can survive to be rid of the spawn and use its blood as a loophole for the contract. You don't have too many other options. TR 12 You look out the window and see the land barely clinging to life. You think there might be a patch of grass that's still green and a small tree in your immediate area, but that's about it. It's a good thing you'll be getting out of here soon. Reports of some robed wraith like figure have recently been sighted on the continent. The being just kills anything living that's near it. It doesn't even have to do anything. You can only guess it's the same being that killed Francis based on what Belina told you last year. Seems like a lifetime ago though. Honestly it probably was a good thing you stopped sacrificing svelk and trapping their souls when you did since it seemed to slow down the undead incursions at least in the short term. Maybe you were indirectly pissing off the Death God trapping souls like you were. As you move away from the window, you hold your baby close to you, which is grabbing at your tits to suck on. "Don't worry little one, mommy will make your death quick. And your death will be helpful mommy too, which already makes you more useful than my pathetic daughter ever was. I suppose you deserve one last meal though. Drink deeply." You say clutching the child and allowing him to feed. As the baby drinks his last, you grab your dagger from your bed table. When he seems to be finished his eyes are closed looking completely content. If he hasn't gone to sleep immediately, he's well on his way. "Oh you males. You get what you want, and then fall right to sleep don't you?" you say bringing the dagger up closer to the child. Before you strike, you'd be lying if things were different, there's a part of you that would be curious to actually try to raise this one. Maybe you'd get a competent one this time. Then you shake your head smiling. "No, he wouldn't even exist in any other situation and even if he did, he'd just grow up to be another disappointment, like all children I raise. Goodbye son." You whisper and slash open the baby's throat. It makes nothing but a gurgling noise and just bleeds out like a stuck pig. You quickly gather the blood (which is now all over the top part of you) in a nearby bottle that was also on your bed table. You fill it up and then wrap up the baby's bloody body in more blankets. You then call for Arrak who comes in soon after. "Yes Mistress?" he asks, not batting an eye at the bloody bundle in your arms. "Take this and dispose of it how you see fit." You say and hand off the corpse to him. Arrak takes the dead baby and leaves without saying another word. You never did bother to tell Arrak he was the father, you aren't sure if he ever suspected, but he never addressed you about it. Either he didn't want anything to do with it anyway, or more correctly believed that if you really wanted him to be involved, you would have told him. Wasting no more time you immediately go to the table where Big Red's contract still lays. You look it over again and see it's changed slightly from the first time you looked over it last year. Typical infernal contract, always with the loopholes. Big Red probably didn't think you could read infernal and granted you don't understand all the words which could be enough to doom you. However, you've made your play and just hope you don't damn yourself. You take a quill, dip it in your baby's blood and write your signature. No sign of Big Red yet, but you imagine it won't be long. You start to become very nervous, as you've made this final gambit a reality. Big Red suddenly appears. "Ah, so you have made your decision. Good thing too, I can already tell this world is nearly at its end. Or at least this continent. In any case, I trust you have the hundred souls?" Big Red says. "A few more than a hundred actually, but I imagine you already KNEW I wasn't going to make a thousand in time." You say. "Well I wouldn't be good at my job if I couldn't judge these things. I do thank you for the extra souls though." "The souls are in the chests over there." You say pointing to a couple of them against the wall. "Excellent, I'll just take a look and we'll soon be on our way." Big Red goes over to the chests and opens them. He then turns to you. "Looks good, now I need to just look over the contract just as a formality. I have to say Semra, I'm looking very forward to all the time we're going to soon be spending together." You wait as Big Red reads over the contract. He this looks up and smiles causing your heart to sink. You knew it was a long shot, but somehow you thought you'd still win. You maintain your composure, but you actually feel mildly sick at the reality of the situation. "Nice try, but while the blood of your baby makes the contract valid, it doesn't make you exempt from our deal. I see Gikil talked you into my plan." Big Red says. "Ah, of course. Your plan. I knew he couldn't have come up with that idea himself." You reply. "Honestly, I'm surprised it worked since I'm equally surprised you were foolish enough to listen him. Where is Gikil anyway, I would have thought he'd want to be here to gloat about how he saved his worthless hide by selling you out." "He's been dead for months." "I see. Did you kill him after you mated with him?" "No, he died in battle. The baby wasn't even his." "Interesting. Well I suppose this has gone even better than expected. Now I don't have to honor my agreement with him. So I suppose there's nothing left now then to get on with honoring the rest of this contract, though I have another question which is do you really want to go through with it?" "What do you mean?" "Well I mean you know I already have a claim on your lovely soul and I could just kill you now if you wish to get the waiting over with for the both of us. It's a win-win really, you don't have to wait with the doom of going to hell forever looming over your head and I will be in a much more generous mood about your...situation." "How generous exactly?" "Let's just say, you wouldn't be just a form a prized piece of currency to be used up or even a personal source of enjoyment, I'd actually consider you something a lesser advisor on certain plans I have. I would be most interested in hearing your insight on some matters." "That is a very generous offer, but considering you're a demon, well I'm sure you understand if I don't quite believe you." "What is there to gain by lying? Granted I could be, but I see no reason to as I already have your soul. Whether I wait for you to die or you agree for me to kill you right now makes little difference in the scheme of things. Just remember though, I may not be as generous later." You gambled and lost; now you're getting the chance to gamble again. Big Red is probably getting a big kick out of playing this game with you especially now that he's all but won, but there really isn't anything you can do now except keep playing it or surrender to him completely and hope he's telling the truth. > You keep playing You're not out of this yet. Maybe he's got the better of you for now, but you've been in the lesser position before and managed to come out on top. This is going to be a lot more difficult, but you'll figure out a way. "You might have my soul, but I'm not dead yet. You said it yourself, that I was probably heading to the infernal realm anyway so I don't see any reason to be in a hurry there now just because I know which specific demon will have possession. I can still figure out a way to take back what it mine." Big Red laughs. "While I'm willing to admit that such a thing can be done, it's very difficult, especially with the fine print I put in there. Short of intervention of the most powerful of celestials...or heh...killing me in the infernal realm, I doubt very seriously you'd succeed. Still, it's up to you. I'm almost interested to see if you'd come anywhere close to succeeding. In any case, I'll open up the portal to the infernal realm and from there open up another one to a world similar to what this one used to be." Big Red begins to cast, but then stops to address you again. "Silly question, but are you taking anyone with you? The contract did allow you to, though I can't imagine you won't be having the numbers you originally had in mind given that you've pissed off most, if not all of them." And that's when you see opportunity to regain your loss. Big Red just told you if you kill him in the infernal realm you'd get your soul back. It would be a tough battle just by yourself, especially in hell where he's going to be his strongest, but with what remains of your people in this fortress, it should be enough to at least provide support and distraction for you to get a slight advantage. Of course you'll wait until he opens the portal to the new world, no point in getting your soul back if you're stuck in hell anyway. "Yes, I'll assemble the remainder of the population of this fortress immediately." You say. Big Red looks a little surprised, but he tells you to take the time you need as a deal's a deal. You immediately look to find Arrak who you are told is in one of the dens. When you find him, he's sitting and just staring into a fireplace. "Arrak, we're getting out of here, but I need you get the soldiers ready for what is going to be a very difficult battle." "I carried out your orders and disposed of the body Mistress." Arrak replies without looking at you. "Huh? What? Oh. Good, now..." "It reanimated before I threw it into the fire. It reached out to me making unnatural noises, presumably trying to strangle me with its little hands. Certainly couldn't bite me." Arrak chuckles a bit while still looking into the fire. "Yes. Amusing. Look, I need you to gather up everyone in this fortress and instruct them we have to kill a powerful demon before we're finally free of all this shit. It's opening a portal for us to hell, and from there it will open another one to the new world we're going to, but we must kill it afterwards as soon as possible otherwise we'll never be truly free. It...hey are fucking listening to me?! Arrak continues to look into the fire, you notice a tear running down his cheek. You backhand him and then he looks over at you. "It was mine wasn't it?" he asks. This is NOT what you need right now. Out of ALL the males you could have matted with, you get the one who is attached to his spawn. Your instinct is to kill him for his weakness, but he's currently the best warrior you got and you'll need all the help you can get. You sigh heavily. "Arrak, look. Sacrifices had to be made so our people could live. I didn't tell you in the hopes that maybe you wouldn't get attached. You don't think I didn't shed tears when I performed the deed? It was my baby too, but the greater good had to be served. Had things been different I would have come up with another plan, but there just wasn't time. Now I NEED you with a sound mind and to get the other prepared, because where we're going and what we're about to do isn't going to be easy. Understand?" Arrak says nothing. You grab his chin and kiss him hard on the lips. It snaps him out of his trance enough for him to finally look at you without the dead stare. "Yeah. Got it. Inform the others of the plan. Attack the demon after he opens the portal when we're in hell." He answers "Good. I knew I could count on you. And when we're in the new world, maybe we'll try again. We will have to repopulate our race after all." You leave hoping that the promise of another go at your hole of everlasting pleasure and living as some boring happy family is enough to keep him focused. You eventually return to the summoning chamber where Big Red has opened a glowing dark red portal. "Ready to go when you are, how many are there anyway?" Big Red asks. "I think the count was one hundred and six, including myself." You reply. "I see, and do you think that's enough to replenish your race?" "I dunno. I would imagine so; we still have slightly more females than males I believe." "Surpising given what you were doing with that half of your population with the Dero." "Yeah, well the idiot males still tend to get themselves killed a lot more hence why there's less of them. As for the females, I won't be doing my part of the breeding process, I already did my part for motherhood by saving all their asses in the first place." "Ah yes, you really did make the ultimate sacrifice for all of them didn't you?" "Yes, and they better realize once and for all how lucky they have me to lead them." "I'm sure they will, anyway are you ready to enter or are you going to wait for the others?" You pause. "You seem eager for me to enter." You say. "Well this is the only way to leave the world." Big Red says. "I know that, but for all I know you've got a horde of demons on the other side waiting to rip me apart or I step into a lake of fire or something." "My you have quite the imagination. No, the deal is the deal, if I broke this contract now, I'd lose your soul, not to mention suffer other negative repercussions. All of which wouldn't be good after being so clever as to have gotten a hold of your soul in the first place." "I suppose that even a prized soul like mine isn't worth breaking a contract over. Fine, I'll go in now." "Very good, I'll be along shortly, along with the rest of your people. I highly suggest though that you don't stray too far away from where you appear on the other side. It'll be safe in that area only, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for any random mindless infernals that may be lurking nearby." "Your concern is touching." With those words, you enter the portal.... You find yourself in a hostile looking wasteland with a red sky. It's unbearably hot as well. In the distance your can see figures flying about and large black fortresses amongst the rocky landscape. Strange noises of all sorts come from various directions and you feel very vulnerable. It's not a big improvement from where you just came from. At first you think Big Red has broken the deal, but he eventually pops in near you along with several svelk. One of which is Arrak. "See? Told you, I'd be back. The rest of your people are still coming through the other portal, so more should be popping in. Might take awhile which is just as well since it'll take time for me to open up the one to the world you lot are going to." "Oh, and why is that?" you ask. "Contrary to popular belief, it's not that common to open up portals from THIS side to other worlds like yours. Takes a lot of power and the only reason why I'm even able to rip open a portal to this one, is because the barriers there between this realm and it are a little weak right now, thanks to multiple succubus incursions there. In any case, I'd rather not be bothered while I do this, I'll need to focus. Go talk to your people or something." Big Red says and begins his task to open a portal to the new world. You go over and do just that by speaking with Arrak who still looks a bit preoccupied, but after another talk with him, he seems for focused. He states everyone is ready; they just await your command of when to strike. "Good. Glad to hear it. Glad to see you also got the female part of our population to fall in line. Was slightly concerned those bitches might fuck things up. Other women tend to be jealous of me for whatever reason." "Well, there won't be any issues from them. We'll await your orders Mistress." The remainder your time is spent mostly waiting around and mentally preparing yourself. You occasionally look over at Big Red who stays completely focused on opening the portal. He said it took a lot of power to open one from hell, hopefully that will put him in a weaker position when it's time to attack. Eventually Big Red opens the portal which is displaying a green field of grass and a blue sky. You can't tell much else, but looks more pleasant than this place or your own world. "There you go. It's open and ready for you to enter." Big Red says. You don't say anything except nod and turn to look at Arrak who nods back. You move forward towards Big Red who stands near the portal. You begin to whisper incantations under your breath and the magic in your hands starts to gather for an attack. Big Red folds his arms watching you. You give the command. "Att..ack..." You feel a sword go into your back, followed by several other sharp objects and a couple into your head as well. You fall to the ground barely still alive at this point. All you hear are the angry voices of svelk going on about what a horrible bitch you are and other appropriate insults. You clearly hear Arrak's voice shout something about the baby. You knew you should have killed him too. As you feel kicks to your body and the rocks being pelted on you, you can't believe it's going to end like this. At least if you'd gotten killed in battle with Big Red there would have been a certain dignity in it. The only bright side to any of it is knowing Big Red, he's going to close the portal since with you dead, there's no obligation for him to let the rest escape and they'll be stranded here in hell. Of course that's a small comfort compared to what Big Red has in store for you. Your failed attempt to try to kill him did not go unnoticed and when he has your soul, you soon learn what torment really is and in hell it's nothing compared to whatever you inflicted on others in your old life.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, war] You're not going to make the quota in time. Big Red gave a task he knew you'd fail so you'd get desperate and end up signing the contract for the other deal. Your better plan is to wait for the baby and shore up what remains of your defenses against undead attacks so you can survive to be rid of the spawn and use its blood as a loophole for the contract. You don't have too many other options. TR 12 You look out the window and see the land barely clinging to life. You think there might be a patch of grass that's still green and a small tree in your immediate area, but that's about it. It's a good thing you'll be getting out of here soon. Reports of some robed wraith like figure have recently been sighted on the continent. The being just kills anything living that's near it. It doesn't even have to do anything. You can only guess it's the same being that killed Francis based on what Belina told you last year. Seems like a lifetime ago though. Honestly it probably was a good thing you stopped sacrificing svelk and trapping their souls when you did since it seemed to slow down the undead incursions at least in the short term. Maybe you were indirectly pissing off the Death God trapping souls like you were. As you move away from the window, you hold your baby close to you, which is grabbing at your tits to suck on. "Don't worry little one, mommy will make your death quick. And your death will be helpful mommy too, which already makes you more useful than my pathetic daughter ever was. I suppose you deserve one last meal though. Drink deeply." You say clutching the child and allowing him to feed. As the baby drinks his last, you grab your dagger from your bed table. When he seems to be finished his eyes are closed looking completely content. If he hasn't gone to sleep immediately, he's well on his way. "Oh you males. You get what you want, and then fall right to sleep don't you?" you say bringing the dagger up closer to the child. Before you strike, you'd be lying if things were different, there's a part of you that would be curious to actually try to raise this one. Maybe you'd get a competent one this time. Then you shake your head smiling. "No, he wouldn't even exist in any other situation and even if he did, he'd just grow up to be another disappointment, like all children I raise. Goodbye son." You whisper and slash open the baby's throat. It makes nothing but a gurgling noise and just bleeds out like a stuck pig. You quickly gather the blood (which is now all over the top part of you) in a nearby bottle that was also on your bed table. You fill it up and then wrap up the baby's bloody body in more blankets. You then call for Arrak who comes in soon after. "Yes Mistress?" he asks, not batting an eye at the bloody bundle in your arms. "Take this and dispose of it how you see fit." You say and hand off the corpse to him. Arrak takes the dead baby and leaves without saying another word. You never did bother to tell Arrak he was the father, you aren't sure if he ever suspected, but he never addressed you about it. Either he didn't want anything to do with it anyway, or more correctly believed that if you really wanted him to be involved, you would have told him. Wasting no more time you immediately go to the table where Big Red's contract still lays. You look it over again and see it's changed slightly from the first time you looked over it last year. Typical infernal contract, always with the loopholes. Big Red probably didn't think you could read infernal and granted you don't understand all the words which could be enough to doom you. However, you've made your play and just hope you don't damn yourself. You take a quill, dip it in your baby's blood and write your signature. No sign of Big Red yet, but you imagine it won't be long. You start to become very nervous, as you've made this final gambit a reality. Big Red suddenly appears. "Ah, so you have made your decision. Good thing too, I can already tell this world is nearly at its end. Or at least this continent. In any case, I trust you have the hundred souls?" Big Red says. "A few more than a hundred actually, but I imagine you already KNEW I wasn't going to make a thousand in time." You say. "Well I wouldn't be good at my job if I couldn't judge these things. I do thank you for the extra souls though." "The souls are in the chests over there." You say pointing to a couple of them against the wall. "Excellent, I'll just take a look and we'll soon be on our way." Big Red goes over to the chests and opens them. He then turns to you. "Looks good, now I need to just look over the contract just as a formality. I have to say Semra, I'm looking very forward to all the time we're going to soon be spending together." You wait as Big Red reads over the contract. He this looks up and smiles causing your heart to sink. You knew it was a long shot, but somehow you thought you'd still win. You maintain your composure, but you actually feel mildly sick at the reality of the situation. "Nice try, but while the blood of your baby makes the contract valid, it doesn't make you exempt from our deal. I see Gikil talked you into my plan." Big Red says. "Ah, of course. Your plan. I knew he couldn't have come up with that idea himself." You reply. "Honestly, I'm surprised it worked since I'm equally surprised you were foolish enough to listen him. Where is Gikil anyway, I would have thought he'd want to be here to gloat about how he saved his worthless hide by selling you out." "He's been dead for months." "I see. Did you kill him after you mated with him?" "No, he died in battle. The baby wasn't even his." "Interesting. Well I suppose this has gone even better than expected. Now I don't have to honor my agreement with him. So I suppose there's nothing left now then to get on with honoring the rest of this contract, though I have another question which is do you really want to go through with it?" "What do you mean?" "Well I mean you know I already have a claim on your lovely soul and I could just kill you now if you wish to get the waiting over with for the both of us. It's a win-win really, you don't have to wait with the doom of going to hell forever looming over your head and I will be in a much more generous mood about your...situation." "How generous exactly?" "Let's just say, you wouldn't be just a form a prized piece of currency to be used up or even a personal source of enjoyment, I'd actually consider you something a lesser advisor on certain plans I have. I would be most interested in hearing your insight on some matters." "That is a very generous offer, but considering you're a demon, well I'm sure you understand if I don't quite believe you." "What is there to gain by lying? Granted I could be, but I see no reason to as I already have your soul. Whether I wait for you to die or you agree for me to kill you right now makes little difference in the scheme of things. Just remember though, I may not be as generous later." You gambled and lost; now you're getting the chance to gamble again. Big Red is probably getting a big kick out of playing this game with you especially now that he's all but won, but there really isn't anything you can do now except keep playing it or surrender to him completely and hope he's telling the truth. > Surrender You usually aren't one to jump into a situation without at least a plan, but what's the point now? Big Red outplayed you and what remains is just prolonging the inevitable. You can only hope that Big Red is sincere in his offer, but that's a lot of hope and probably misplaced. Still, there's a part of you that doesn't even care. You lost what you really wanted and you tried your best to cheat death for centuries, but it all wasn't enough. You're just done with it all. "Fine. I surrender." You say. "Wait, really?" Big Red remarks. "Yes." "You are just full of surprises. I sort of expected you to attempt to kill me when we got to the infernal realm. You would have lost of course." "Of course. Hence why I didn't do it." "You also could have just went to the new world and lived out the rest of your life there. You could have even tried to seek some sort of immortality to try to cheat your fate." "I suppose so, but honestly I think I'm just done with it all. I'm tired and I don't have the patience or even the energy to start all over again on some new world." "You do realize you won't get any rest in the afterlife?" "Yeah I suppose not, but I'm guessing I won't have the burden of having to be in charge anymore." "Well you got that one right." "Hrm. So, did you actually mean what you said, or am I going to just be sucking your cock for all eternity?" "Well since it wasn't in a contract, I suppose the infernal thing for me to do would be to completely fuck you over, but that would be rather predictable so you're in luck and I'll honor our unofficial deal. Of course you will still be sucking my cock on occasion, among other things." "Great, can't wait." "Glad to hear it. I like it when a lesser complies so willingly don't you?" "Yeah, it was pretty satisfying once." "Okay, well I'll do you another favor and make your death quick so we can get on with it." Before you can say another word, Big Red suddenly puts his fist into your chest and crushes your heart. You blink once in shock and then slump lifelessly as Big Red pulls his fist out of you. Everything goes black. When you wake up, you're in a very different place. You're on a fairly nice bed and well-furnished room with a single door, which is closed. The coloring is mostly red and it's warm enough to be slightly uncomfortable. You instinctively feel your chest and look down to see that you have no obvious wound. You also see that you're naked. You can only guess you're in hell, you don't feel any different though. Not yet at least. You get up and off the bed, and are about to explore the room when Big Red enters. "Ah, you're up. Good." Bug Red says. "How long was I out?" you ask. "Not long, but then who can be bothered to keep track of time in a place where it doesn't mean much right? Anyway, I hope you like the room. Tried to make it as appealing to your mortal sensibilities as possible." "It's a little warm." "Yes, well this is hell so it normally is. Sorry, but nothing can be done about that. I've lowered the temperature about as much as I feel comfortable with. I'm not one of those oddball frost infernals. Not to mention this is still my dwelling so I make the rules. Speaking of rules, going to need you to get back on that bed and on all fours. Quick as you can." You're a little taken aback and Big Red's face displays some annoyance. "Come on Semra, you came here willingly, contract and even submission. Are you REALLY going to fight me on this now? Because that will NOT go well for you." "No! I just didn't know we were going to do that immediately. I thought I was to be more of an advisor." "And so you shall be, but we have to get to some of the humiliation first. I mean you are here for a reason. You didn't expect that you were going to just continue your existence here in relative bliss did you? Granted I will be gentler than most would be, but this is happening and similar things will happen from time to time. Now we can do this the easy way and you maintain your favored status with me, or we can do it the hard way and...well you not find your quarters as relaxing to exist in during the downtime." Not much you can do except comply, so you do. Big Red gets behind you. "Alright, now spread those cheeks wide because I'm going in raw." At first you think he's going to just fuck you in the ass, but it's a little worse than just simple anal violation. A lot worse. Big Red liked "fisting" you the first time he punched a hole through your chest to crush your heart so he decides to do it again, though this time he decides to do it by shoving his whole arm up your ass through your insides, totally ripping everything apart. The pain is nothing like you've ever felt before and naturally because you're already dead and in hell, you feel all of it without passing out. Your whole body shudders and you're screaming to the point of tears. Big Red makes a few comments to you, which only he finds humorous. Eventually he stops and pulls his arm out the extra large hole he's made. You can't stop crying and just bury your face in the pillows. While nowhere near as bad as it feels, the sounds you hear are horrible as well. "Yes, satisfying. Well you're nice and loose now, guess it's time for the real fun." Big Red says and then shoves his big barbed dick into you, shattering part of your lower spine and ripping up whatever insides he didn't destroy when he fisted you. After you don't know how long, eventually Big Red pulls out. You think that's finally the end of it, but then you feel a couple of clawed hands forcefully lift your head up out of the pillows. You already know what's coming next... Big Red finishes his pleasure by ramming his dick into your mouth, breaking your jaw, shredding through your tongue and teeth. He releases down your throat, which burns your esophagus. You can't scream out until he pulls out and when that happens you're mostly just coughing and gagging up blood, seed and bits of flesh and teeth. "Well that was fun. I admit, I don't normally indulge in this sort of base act, since I'm so busy with more important things, but we all slaves to urges I suppose. While I know you're lying in a big puddle of your own mess right now, I suggest you just stay put until you heal up, which should be relatively soon. Then again your back is broken, I doubt if you could walk anyway. I tried to be as gentle as I could, but...well you know how it is when in the throes of passion." You can barely lift your head up to even look at Big Red, let alone speak. "In any case, I'll be back later to ask your advice on some minor things I have going on. And if your advice proves useful, I'll start consulting you on more important things. Of course if it doesn't, well..." Big Red lifts your head up with a single hand under your broken jaw. He looks into your eyes and now you see an evil that pales in comparison to anything you ever managed to do. "Remember this." With those words, Big Red leaves you to wallow in your pain and poor judgment. Time passes and eventually your body does indeed completely regenerate, your mind however is another story. Your time in hell has just begun and worst part of all this isn't the bodily torture or the threats of worse to come. The worst part is you gave up. You think back that you allowed your moment of weakness to submit. You willingly became a slave in the hopes for a slightly better fate. You could potentially become very useful to Big Red, but it won't matter. The weight that you gave in will never go away and always torture you. Even with the loss of your soul, you were still ALIVE and could have tried to figure out another way to get out of the situation. But you didn't and now it's too late.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, war, female protagonist] Days later... Drunni stares up at you with absolute hatred in his eyes. He hasn't spoken once since he was stripped naked and marched out of his cell to be strapped to this table before you. You look down at him with a knife in your hand knowing that this is how it should be. "Oh come on Drunni, you knew eventually it had to end this way. Well perhaps not in this exact manner, but given the tension between us, it was going to either be me or you and that was no contest at all." You say. Drunni just continues to stare. "No snippy response? No pithy come back? No final insult?" "Suck my dick bitch." Drunni says. You look over at his unimpressive display of manhood and then back to his face. "Oh if only we had the time." You say with a smirk and then shove the knife into his chest. Drunni gasps and struggles a moment as his body goes into its final death throes. You then make a few chants and soon see a wisp rise from his body and enter the crystal nearby. Drunni stops moving completely. You then motion to your nearby lackeys to quickly remove the body and throw it into the nearby fire before it starts reanimating. "Well that's one. Bring in the next." You say. Two months later... You're fucking exhausted. Trapping the souls is more tiring than it should be. You're guessing the increase in necromantic magic in the "air" is making it more difficult for you as you're literally fighting against the natural order of them being collected for their proper place. Undead of all types have been popping up all over Dokkrus and the rate is increasing. You don't know if it's because of what you're doing or if it's just getting closer to the end. Probably both. Svelk civilization (such as it was) has broken down completely. After Gikil "collected" the first few settlements it didn't take long before a few escapees from these purges managed to spread the word to other svelk communities. Almost ALL of them declared themselves independent and hostile towards you. A couple of the smaller communities in an effort to hedge their bets and at least save some of their lives have remained "loyal" and offered some of their people as sacrifices while the rest pledged to join Gikil's band of marauders (While he might like to still think of himself as a general head of a glorious army, you're realistic enough to see it as it really is). Gikil's efforts while generally successful are resulting in more dead than captured. He of course makes excuses for this, and he may even be doing the best he can under the circumstances, but it doesn't really help you. In at least one instance, an entire community committed mass suicide as a final "fuck you" and rising as undead horrors, along with depriving you of souls. Any remaining dero allies you had on the surface have died in battle with undead. You haven't had any contact with the dero community since going with your current plan but then you haven't really bothered. You might have to soon however given that you're nearly out of crystals. And the worst thing about it is you've only managed nearly three hundred souls so far and more than half of your crystals are already gone. You really thought you'd be able to shove more souls into them, but it looks like you're going to meet with the dero or have to start making soul jars and all the time consuming process that entails. While you didn't think this plan was going to go smoothly, you didn't expect it to be the cluster fuck it's become. You collapse on your bed wishing that Francis was beside you. "That could be arranged you know." You hear a voice say. You look over and once again see Big Red in the form of Francis. "While the illusion might be a fun diversion, I'm hesitant to allow one of your kind's seed anywhere near me. Last thing I need is demonic spawn ripping its way out of the source of all my power." Your remark causes a laugh from Big Red who instantly transforms back into his true form (Or at least the one closer to his true origins). "Is there any reason for your clumsy attempts at trying to seduce me?" you ask. "Oh trust me, if that was my intent, I would have taken your father's form. No, I'm just here to check up on your progress as it were. Nearly three hundred so far. Part of me is impressed that you've managed so many under the circumstances and within such a short time. However, time really isn't on your side. This world's death is growing very close." Big Red says. "Ah, so you haven't come to check on my progress so much as you've come to gloat and try to convince me to take the lesser deal." "I mean I'd LOVE for you to just hand me a thousand souls, but I don't see you making that quota in time. You've got more than enough for the other deal though. If you were concerned about your soul, I wouldn't even get you until you died anyway and you've been clever enough to avoid that for centuries. You're doing it right now. And trust me, it's better off with me than anyone else given your history." "I find that difficult to believe." "Believe it. In fact, I'll even sweeten the deal and throw in the promise that I wouldn't trade your soul to anyone else, your soul would only belong to me for all eternity." "That's a really piss poor attempt at trying to convince me. However since you're in a helpful mood, will dero souls be acceptable in place of svelk? I get that they're going to be of lower quality, but compared to humans surely..." "The dero...ugh." Big Red remarks interrupting you. Big Red gets off the bed and nearly looks a bit revolted. "I have observed these dero and they aren't suitable. Those stunted little freaks are barely alive. They have no souls." "What?" "I can detect no soul within them. I can't even detect their blood or life force. It's almost as if their entire race is already dead and it's not due to the necromantic energy in the air or anything like that. Whatever was done to them or whatever they've done to themselves has rendered them soulless and totally useless to me." "Hm. That's interesting. I suppose that explains a lot of their race's certain views on life and death." "In any case the deal is still on when you decide. I've left the contract for the hundred soul deal on a table nearby. Just sign it when you want me to arrive to get your out of this mess." Big Red disappears and you just lay in bed trying to figure out a way you can survive all this body AND soul intact. Three days later... "A good haul this time Mistress." Gikil remarks. "Hm, I suppose. One hundred and twenty seven captives is better than you usually do. How did you manage it?" "Oddly this community had largely been spared undead attacks, but were suffering from famine due the land dying nearby. All we had to do was offer food, the fools let us in and we easily overpowered them due to a lack of strength. Some of them had obviously been resorting to cannibalism by eating the dead though. Those were the ones that put up the most resistance and had to be killed." "Hm. Community was probably on its way to becoming ghouls at that point, good thing you got to them when you did." "Mistress I have another matter to discuss with you...it's about the deal with the souls." "Oh?" Gikil looks a bit hesitant. Even scared. "Out with it! I'm not likely to kill you whatever you tell me considering you're the only useful person I have right now." "Well, um... the demon you said you had the deal with Big Red. He came to me." Your eyebrow raises. Obviously Big Red is trying to create some dissension in the ranks to get your soul. "This should be interesting." "He said there was another deal he offered you which didn't require as many souls." "I see. And even as a male of your lesser intelligence, you do realize that selling my soul is not an option?" "Yes, I understand that Mistress." "Then why are we even discussing it? If Big Red thought you could convince me, he's even worse at this than I thought. I will die before that happens. And if YOU are thinking about rebelling unless I capitulate, you're sadly mistaken as well. I'll throw YOU on that table and add another soul to the total." "Mistress, no! I would never betray you! I've followed you this far, believe in your goals and if I may be so bold, I have come to...feel a greater affection for you." Not completely unexpected, though you're wondering where he's going to go with this sudden courageous burst of feelings for you. "Yeah I already know you want to fuck me Gikil, most people do, no surprise there." You say dismissively. "No! It's more than that!" Gikil exclaims and boldly wraps his arms around you. He looks into your eyes and before he can continue, you speak. "Okay. That's ONE. Better make this REALLY good Gikil and you will release me NOW." Gikil obeys and backs off. He paces a bit and rubs his hands over his face and hair. "Stupid. I shouldn't have done that. I beg forgiveness for my..." "Gikil you are wasting time. Calm yourself and say what you fucking mean and stop being a cowering male." You demand. "You're right. I don't care if you kill me afterwards for my forwardness, I should speak. I've grown not just in awe of your handling of this situation we're in, but attraction to you. Your confidence, your dedication, your leadership, all of it, is just so magnetic that I can't contain it any longer, but I also mention this because I have a proposal." "Proposal? Are you seriously asking that we be joined?" "Well I would hope so one day, but no, nothing so formal. I was going to suggest that we have a child." Now you don't know whether to laugh or kill him. Or laugh while you're killing him. "And WHY the fuck would I want to do that? Let alone with you?" "To trick Big Red out of the lesser deal! He said he needed your blood as a confirmation of the deal right? A baby from your loins would qualify! We just drain the baby of its blood after it's born, and sign whatever contract with its blood. By the time Big Red figures it out, he won't be able to do shit!" Now that is an interesting plan you hadn't considered. In fact you're surprised it even came from Gikil. You suppose even the mundane have a moment of brilliance. Of course there's a few hiccups with this potential plan. First, you're wondering if this "loophole" would even work. You imagine Big Red has probably taken something like into consideration, then again given his recent bad attempts to trying to convince you to give up your soul, he might not be as competent as he tries to appear and it's escaped his attention. Second, you'd have to be pregnant. Getting pregnant wouldn't be an issue; you can always mix up a fertility potion for such a thing to increase the odds. It's the actual being pregnant bit that isn't exactly desirable. You didn't care for it the last two times you were and it makes you much more vulnerable. Not to mention you'd have to endure at least nine more months of this undead onslaught before you could even kill the spawn. Who knows if you'd have nine months. Third, well you'll ask Gikil again. "If I were to carry out this cunning plan, I repeat, WHY would I do it with you?" you ask. "I have no answer Mistress. Indeed you could have your way with any lucky man. I can only say that with all confidence I am currently the most desirable mate that while not equal to you, is at least as you pointed out, the most useful and will continue to be while in your service. And as I have somewhat already said in so many bumbling words, I have genuine feelings for you and can only hope that even after all this is behind us, our relationship can grow even deeper." Gikil replies. Well it's enough reverence for you to hold off on killing him and he does make a strong case. There's still a part of you though that isn't quite ready to jump on Gikil's dick just yet though even if he's eager for it. After all, you're the one taking the risk of carrying a child even if it's to ultimately save your soul. Speaking of souls, the logistics of making even one soul jar to shove further souls into is already giving you a headache on top of everything else you're thinking about. You think back to Gikil's suggestion awhile back of raiding the dero for their crystals, and believe that now might the time to do such a thing. It isn't like you're exactly following the dero plan anymore and they might be a little weaker now since you know they were suffering from undead attacks as well the last time you were there. The question is if you're going to send Gikil to do it or just do it yourself. You're confident victory is assured either way, though it's a question of personal risk versus getting the job done efficiently. > You do it yourself If you do it, you won't need as many soldiers to help you thus cutting down the potential loss of manpower. Gikil's skills are better suited to what he's already doing. Gikil seems disappointed that you're not giving the garden of eternal delights to him, but is also concerned about your safety. "Mistress, I really believe I should wipe out the dero. There is no reason to put yourself at more risk than you need to." Gikil remarks. "Gikil, I don't doubt you wouldn't be successful, but let's just say I'm better than you. Even with their magic nullifying rocks I'll manage just fine. Stop worrying, I'll come back in one piece and you can continue fantasizing over my perfect form as usual." You reply. Gikil knows it'll be pointless to talk you out of anything, so he just nods at your other orders to continue gathering sacrifices and takes his leave. As for you, you gather your own forces and make your way to the dero enclave. When you get within sight of the gates, you find them predictably closed. Though apparently you were expected. "So you've finally come to finish us off then? I suppose I'm glad you decided to at least do it in person." You hear a voice shout from the battlements. It's Marzost. "I'm actually only here for your crystals, but if you don't want to put up resistance for them, I'm more than willing to spare your rock eater lives." You say. "You've already killed us, with your new deal, but we can discuss that when you get inside if you wish. Hold on I'll open the gate." You're a little surprised at how this is going. Some of your men say it could be a trap, and you've already taken that into consideration, but you're not getting the impression it is. Marzost has always been fairly straightforward with you. The gates open and your forces march in. When you step inside you're only greeted by Marzost who is now wearing traditional dero armor minus the helmet. The community looks desolate. "Hello Mistress. Even with death draining all the life out of this world, your beauty is not tarnished. I consider it a blessing that your image will be one of the last things I see before I die." Well Marzost hasn't changed. You clearly won't have to fight at all, but now you're curious of what's going on here. "Things have changed here Marzost." "Indeed they have, I can explain if you're interested. But you said you needed our crystals did you not? You can gather as many as you need over by the archway. We don't need them anymore after all." You tell your people to go fill up their bags with the crystals. You mention you'll be fine and soon it's just you and Marzost. He stands silently admiring you. "So Marzost, where is everyone?" you ask. "Mostly dead. A large group of wraiths attacked us last month and did significant damage before we were able to destroy them. A lot harder to fight the incorporeal undead rather than the walking corpses. Some of us still live, but they're all mostly guarding the nursery and spending what little time remains with the last children of our race. I suppose it would all just be easier for us to do what most of the dero did and just surrender to death, but the last of us have decided to not make it easy." You nod. "I can respect that I suppose." You say. "I am glad to have earned some of your respect." Marzost replies. "So when did you figure out that our deal was no longer in effect? One of your fellows from the surface find out to tell you somehow?" "Not at all. The demon Big Red, the one you made a new deal with, told me." Part of you is slightly surprised, but given that Gikil told you Big Red approached him as well, you suppose it isn't too shocking. "He actually appeared to you? When he said he was going to observe you, I figured he meant from a distance." "He did a little more than that. He offered us a deal too, well he tried anyway." "He offered a way to escape, I'm guessing." "Something like that, though apparently our mere existence offended him so much he didn't stick around too long. I know we're not most aesthetically pleasing of races, but come on. We managed to disgust a demon? Our race really must be cursed by the gods." "Given what Big Red said about you lot, he practically claimed you were. Mentioned you lot didn't have souls. He said he couldn't even detect your blood or life force." "Hm. Interesting, I what that means when we die, do we truly just go to oblivion rather than an afterlife?" "Probably." "Well I suppose rotting in the ground isn't as bad as whatever eternal tortures await in a hellish realm or wherever the morally lacking go. Good thing for the dero too, our race has not been a kind one. Still, I'm wondering..." "Wondering what?" "We can't ALL be soulless. During Big Red's visit, he pointed to one of our buildings and said he'd make a deal for all the people he detected in it. He said he could give us safe passage through his realm." "What was the building?" "The nursery. Though we'd never mentioned that to him." "You had svelk breeders though in it didn't you? Maybe that's what he was detecting." "Couldn't be. They were all dead by the time Big Red showed up. The only ones in there were our young and the dero nursemaids. "Hmm, must be because they had svelk blood. You did tell me that mixing with our race was having an unexpected affect on yours." "Perhaps. In any case we have a lot of faults, but not protecting our children isn't one of them. We declined and he was about to propose another deal, but stopped mid sentence, turned up his nose and soon left. Guess he realized it was useless to try to bargain." "So how many babies do you have?" "Why do you want to know?" "Because that red bastard told me I need to hand over a thousand svelk souls to him and mentioned yours weren't suitable since you didn't have any. Apparently he's lied to give me more work than necessary." "So... you were planning on wiping us out eventually." "It was always a possibility." "Well I guarantee we don't have nearly that many young to supply you with, though I hope it won't be necessary to defend them against you." "You're going to have to defend them against the undead eventually." "True, but...and this is foolish idealism I suppose, I was at least hoping our last encounter with each other wasn't going to end in bloodshed." "And what were you hoping for Marzost? That I'd profess my undying love for you and we'd skip off happily into the sunset together like in some sickening human children's story?" Marzost chuckles. "No Mistress, nothing so optimistic. I'm well aware of how you think of me. However, despite my obvious feelings for you, I have to say I'm a little disappointed in your recent actions." "Oh? By what exactly? That wiping your community out was always on the table? Taking your crystals by force?" "That? No. I'm not disappointed by your ruthlessness. Indeed its one of your attractive traits. I'm not even disappointed that you broke the deal you had with us, your people and you in particular have a certain reputation. I'm just a little more disappointed by who you broke our deal with. I mean to throw away our plan on a demon's offer? I would have thought you to be more savvy than to trust what Big Red told you." You believe this is one of the rare times Marzost has displayed a negative view of you. In fact it may even be the first. "What deal I made or didn't make with Big Red is of no concern to you. I'm not here to fit whatever odd pedestal you've put me on." "Well you're correct about the second part. But not about the first. While I know you haven't exactly done any binding agreement yet, I am aware that he's set you up to fail. There is no way you're going to make the quota for a thousand souls before death takes this world. He's betting you'll get desperate enough to give him the hundred plus yours. He wants yours soul very much, he told me himself about how yours is one of the darkest he's encountered in awhile and getting yours would be quite the prize and worth the time to linger on this world a bit longer. This does concern me since I know that YOU are determined to not fall into such a trap which means being desperate for souls. The dero children by the svelk have souls and they will NOT be sacrificed to a demon for any reason." Marzost steps forward while looking up at you. "Mistress, we've had minimal contact and you loathe me, but know that my love for you is genuine. I'd explain it, but you wouldn't understand and wouldn't care anyway. Just know this though; I will defend the last dero children from damnation, no matter how much I love you. If there is ANY part of you that feels compassion or even just mercy. Do not carry out what you're pondering. The number of children wouldn't noticeably help your soul count anyway. You have the crystals, just leave us to die on our own terms." Marzost then touches your hand. "That's three." You say, while moving it away. > You collect the dero babies At this point, you don't care if the ugly little half-breeds will provide enough souls or not, Marzost's continued improprieties can't go unanswered. He's in a defensive position though right now; better if you put some distance between you and him first. "I'm going to go check on my men and see what's keeping them." You say. "Of course." Marzost answers and watches you as you walk away. You go over to your soldiers and find that they've got bags stuffed full of crystals. "Is this enough Mistress?" one of them asks. "Probably, but we're taking it all and putting an end to the miserable existence of the dero. However, there's a nursery with several halfbreeds. We're taking them alive to be sacrificed. So don't kill those." You order. "Understood, so are we to attack now?" "No time like the present." You march out with your soldiers from the crystal piles and towards the heart of the dero dwellings. As you get closer, you see Marzost step out of one of the larger structures. It would appear Marzost already anticipated your attack. "Go home Mistress. This is your last warning." Marzost shouts pointing a rifle at you. There aren't any other dero to be seen, but you know there have to be more lurking about, probably also aiming weapons at you. It's not going to be easy, but you're confident you can do this. You take a deep breath and turn your head to nod at your nearest commander telling them all to stay as close to you as possible. You cast a magical shield around your group which is no small feat given the magic nullifying stone in this place as well as how many people you're trying to protect. Marzost fires at you and shouts at others to do so as well and just as you suspected, several shots ring out from other structures and probably a few hidden areas. The shots are stopped of course by the shield, though it doesn't stop them from firing. The best you can do is just continue to advance. When the dero realize that they aren't going to just be able to shoot you, several of them come out from their lurking and run to attack. Your magic shield is unable to stop them as they have anti-magic material built into their armor allowing them to bypass the barrier. There aren't many dero, but there doesn't need to be, their armor, their strength, and sheer determination is more than a match for most of your soldiers which have been run ragged for weeks and are unfortunately lacking in similar traits in comparison. Still, this would not be enough to take out all your soldiers, let alone yourself even with the struggle of using magic. It is however, enough to distract you long enough for Marzost and some of the female dero to throw several bombs into the mass of fighting. You notice just a little too late to completely extract yourself from the battle before they go off. Several explosions occur, killing most of your people and even a few dero despite their armor. Body parts and half charred bodies fly everywhere. The lucky ones are killed instantly; the unlucky ones are still living pieces of burnt flesh crying out in agony. When you land hard to the ground, you can barely see thanks to your eyes being severely injured along with most of your face. You can only guess you have no legs or at least nothing intact enough to stand on, though it would be difficult to get up anyway given that you're fairly sure your spine has been shattered. You lift one of your arms and even with the blurriness you see it literally fall apart as flesh just slides off what remains of it before part of it falls over at the elbow hanging uselessly, only connected by a bit of tendon. As for your other arm, who knows, you can't move it and you can't even turn your head in that direction to get a blurry look. From your position, you can't really inspect your torso, but you're guessing it isn't good since you're struggling to breath. You feel like whatever remains of you is on fire, but you can't even muster up the strength to scream out in pain. Eventually you notice a figure of some sort standing over you. You're guessing its Marzost. You think he's talking to you, but you can't hear shit mainly because your eardrums have been destroyed from the blast and you're bleeding from what remains of your ears. You attempt to say something, but can only gurgle and choke on your own blood. Your last sight is the blurry figure of Marzost pointing a pistol at your face.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, female protagonist, grimdark] If you do it, you won't need as many soldiers to help you thus cutting down the potential loss of manpower. Gikil's skills are better suited to what he's already doing. Gikil seems disappointed that you're not giving the garden of eternal delights to him, but is also concerned about your safety. "Mistress, I really believe I should wipe out the dero. There is no reason to put yourself at more risk than you need to." Gikil remarks. "Gikil, I don't doubt you wouldn't be successful, but let's just say I'm better than you. Even with their magic nullifying rocks I'll manage just fine. Stop worrying, I'll come back in one piece and you can continue fantasizing over my perfect form as usual." You reply. Gikil knows it'll be pointless to talk you out of anything, so he just nods at your other orders to continue gathering sacrifices and takes his leave. As for you, you gather your own forces and make your way to the dero enclave. When you get within sight of the gates, you find them predictably closed. Though apparently you were expected. "So you've finally come to finish us off then? I suppose I'm glad you decided to at least do it in person." You hear a voice shout from the battlements. It's Marzost. "I'm actually only here for your crystals, but if you don't want to put up resistance for them, I'm more than willing to spare your rock eater lives." You say. "You've already killed us, with your new deal, but we can discuss that when you get inside if you wish. Hold on I'll open the gate." You're a little surprised at how this is going. Some of your men say it could be a trap, and you've already taken that into consideration, but you're not getting the impression it is. Marzost has always been fairly straightforward with you. The gates open and your forces march in. When you step inside you're only greeted by Marzost who is now wearing traditional dero armor minus the helmet. The community looks desolate. "Hello Mistress. Even with death draining all the life out of this world, your beauty is not tarnished. I consider it a blessing that your image will be one of the last things I see before I die." Well Marzost hasn't changed. You clearly won't have to fight at all, but now you're curious of what's going on here. "Things have changed here Marzost." "Indeed they have, I can explain if you're interested. But you said you needed our crystals did you not? You can gather as many as you need over by the archway. We don't need them anymore after all." You tell your people to go fill up their bags with the crystals. You mention you'll be fine and soon it's just you and Marzost. He stands silently admiring you. "So Marzost, where is everyone?" you ask. "Mostly dead. A large group of wraiths attacked us last month and did significant damage before we were able to destroy them. A lot harder to fight the incorporeal undead rather than the walking corpses. Some of us still live, but they're all mostly guarding the nursery and spending what little time remains with the last children of our race. I suppose it would all just be easier for us to do what most of the dero did and just surrender to death, but the last of us have decided to not make it easy." You nod. "I can respect that I suppose." You say. "I am glad to have earned some of your respect." Marzost replies. "So when did you figure out that our deal was no longer in effect? One of your fellows from the surface find out to tell you somehow?" "Not at all. The demon Big Red, the one you made a new deal with, told me." Part of you is slightly surprised, but given that Gikil told you Big Red approached him as well, you suppose it isn't too shocking. "He actually appeared to you? When he said he was going to observe you, I figured he meant from a distance." "He did a little more than that. He offered us a deal too, well he tried anyway." "He offered a way to escape, I'm guessing." "Something like that, though apparently our mere existence offended him so much he didn't stick around too long. I know we're not most aesthetically pleasing of races, but come on. We managed to disgust a demon? Our race really must be cursed by the gods." "Given what Big Red said about you lot, he practically claimed you were. Mentioned you lot didn't have souls. He said he couldn't even detect your blood or life force." "Hm. Interesting, I what that means when we die, do we truly just go to oblivion rather than an afterlife?" "Probably." "Well I suppose rotting in the ground isn't as bad as whatever eternal tortures await in a hellish realm or wherever the morally lacking go. Good thing for the dero too, our race has not been a kind one. Still, I'm wondering..." "Wondering what?" "We can't ALL be soulless. During Big Red's visit, he pointed to one of our buildings and said he'd make a deal for all the people he detected in it. He said he could give us safe passage through his realm." "What was the building?" "The nursery. Though we'd never mentioned that to him." "You had svelk breeders though in it didn't you? Maybe that's what he was detecting." "Couldn't be. They were all dead by the time Big Red showed up. The only ones in there were our young and the dero nursemaids. "Hmm, must be because they had svelk blood. You did tell me that mixing with our race was having an unexpected affect on yours." "Perhaps. In any case we have a lot of faults, but not protecting our children isn't one of them. We declined and he was about to propose another deal, but stopped mid sentence, turned up his nose and soon left. Guess he realized it was useless to try to bargain." "So how many babies do you have?" "Why do you want to know?" "Because that red bastard told me I need to hand over a thousand svelk souls to him and mentioned yours weren't suitable since you didn't have any. Apparently he's lied to give me more work than necessary." "So... you were planning on wiping us out eventually." "It was always a possibility." "Well I guarantee we don't have nearly that many young to supply you with, though I hope it won't be necessary to defend them against you." "You're going to have to defend them against the undead eventually." "True, but...and this is foolish idealism I suppose, I was at least hoping our last encounter with each other wasn't going to end in bloodshed." "And what were you hoping for Marzost? That I'd profess my undying love for you and we'd skip off happily into the sunset together like in some sickening human children's story?" Marzost chuckles. "No Mistress, nothing so optimistic. I'm well aware of how you think of me. However, despite my obvious feelings for you, I have to say I'm a little disappointed in your recent actions." "Oh? By what exactly? That wiping your community out was always on the table? Taking your crystals by force?" "That? No. I'm not disappointed by your ruthlessness. Indeed its one of your attractive traits. I'm not even disappointed that you broke the deal you had with us, your people and you in particular have a certain reputation. I'm just a little more disappointed by who you broke our deal with. I mean to throw away our plan on a demon's offer? I would have thought you to be more savvy than to trust what Big Red told you." You believe this is one of the rare times Marzost has displayed a negative view of you. In fact it may even be the first. "What deal I made or didn't make with Big Red is of no concern to you. I'm not here to fit whatever odd pedestal you've put me on." "Well you're correct about the second part. But not about the first. While I know you haven't exactly done any binding agreement yet, I am aware that he's set you up to fail. There is no way you're going to make the quota for a thousand souls before death takes this world. He's betting you'll get desperate enough to give him the hundred plus yours. He wants yours soul very much, he told me himself about how yours is one of the darkest he's encountered in awhile and getting yours would be quite the prize and worth the time to linger on this world a bit longer. This does concern me since I know that YOU are determined to not fall into such a trap which means being desperate for souls. The dero children by the svelk have souls and they will NOT be sacrificed to a demon for any reason." Marzost steps forward while looking up at you. "Mistress, we've had minimal contact and you loathe me, but know that my love for you is genuine. I'd explain it, but you wouldn't understand and wouldn't care anyway. Just know this though; I will defend the last dero children from damnation, no matter how much I love you. If there is ANY part of you that feels compassion or even just mercy. Do not carry out what you're pondering. The number of children wouldn't noticeably help your soul count anyway. You have the crystals, just leave us to die on our own terms." Marzost then touches your hand. "That's three." You say, while moving it away. > You leave with the crystals While your natural inclination would be to strike down Marzost where he stands, something about all this isn't adding up in your mind quite yet based on all the information you've heard from Big Red, Marzost and even Gikil. Then it occurs to you and you smile to the point where you can't contain your laughter. "Those children are worthless!" You laugh. "What?" Marzost says. "Your dero babies are worthless. They have no souls. That's why Big Red never pressed on with another deal attempt and turned his nose up. He realized he couldn't get anything out of them. That's why he told me not to bother with any of you." "But...how do you know?" "Your mother was a svelk correct? Did Big Red offer you a deal personally for your soul?" "No." "He certainly would have tried if he sensed you had one. He didn't though. He probably didn't sense that the children didn't have any immediately." "But... how did he sense them at all then?" "The blood I would imagine. The svelk blood is still there. Doesn't do much good though without a soul though." "Huh. Well I suppose that does explain his quick departure." "Yep, you have nothing to fear Marzost, the dero race gets to live a bit longer. There's something else though that's a bit of a missing link." "Oh?" "Yes. But it has less to do with you than it does with my current second in command. You may have been slightly right Marzost with your assessment earlier, I haven't taken into consideration every angle Big Red is plotting. I've been believing I'm smart enough to outwit him, well it's time to prove it with action." "What are you going to do?" "Oh you'll find out soon. I trust you'll still be here in a couple days?" you ask. "Um, yeah I wasn't planning on going anywhere. Why?" "I'll be back alone at that time. I suggest you be ready." "Ready for what?" "I don't want to give away the surprise. In any case, it looks like my minions are nearly finished looting your crystals. I'll take my leave of you now. Enjoy the view." You leave Marzost behind and approach your forces. A couple of them question if there is to be any more done here, you tell them no and that you have what you need. You then say you need to head back to the fortress and great ready for the next round of captives to sacrifice. When you arrive back home, what you actually do is prepare a potion. You haven't prepared a potion like this in centuries, but you need every edge if this is going to work. Gikil still isn't back from the raid you sent him on, and while you still have the last prisoners he took you could sacrifice, you believe that what you're actually planning is a much better idea. In a couple days it's done and you chug it down. Tastes every bit as awful as you remember. You're now ready. The odd part is you're actually not dreading this plan. True, at one time you wouldn't have dreamed of doing this action, but the end result will be worth it. Not to mention you suppose you are sort of curious. You slip out of your fortress during the night and head to the dero community. You get to the gates and predictably Marzost is on the battlements waiting just like you told him to. "I see you, let me open the gates." He shouts. The gates open and you walk in before Marzost can even come down to greet you. When he finally does, you see he's still dressed in heavy armor. "Marzost, can we talk in private where nobody is going to potentially see or hear us?" you ask. "Yeah, we can go to one of the great halls, those remaining spend most of their time in the nursery or the barracks." "No, I mean some place more... intimate." You say and get much closer to Marzost. "Inti...wait...no...you mean..." "Uh huh." You crouch down to meet his eyes on an even level. "Get ready to make all your twisted fantasies about me come true rock eater." You say taking a deep breath and then bringing yourself to kiss him on the lips. You feel like you're putting your lips on hardened dirt. Shoving your tongue in his mouth feels like you're licking gritty stone. You pull back from your kiss and Marzost is speechless. While you're certainly no stranger to males being in awe of you, Marzost really has taken it to a whole other level. You literally have to guide him back to his personal dwelling which he barely can utter the location. Marzost starts to remove his armor which is no simple task given how dero armor interlocks. While he's doing that, you begin to remove your own clothing and look as seductive as possible doing it. Not that you really need to at this point, but you're getting a mild amusement out of Marzost fumble about while he's trying to take off his armor and watch you at the same time. Soon, you're naked and sitting on the side of his "bed" which as expected, is also made of stone with no blankets or pillows. This is definitely going to be a rough ride no matter which way it goes. As Marzost's armor comes off and his clothing is next, you study his body. It's in good shape, better than you thought it would be. Eventually he approaches you slowly. You also notice he hasn't taken off his underwear yet. You caress his chest, which feels not unlike a fine-grained rock. In fact most of his body does. Your hands eventually roam to where the most his important part is going to be entering you repeatedly. That's the part you expected to be the hardest right now, yet oddly he's not quite ready yet. You notice Marzost hasn't done anything except stand there. You fully expected him to start pushing you down and having his way with you or at least groping you by now, given how the dero go about their mating practices. For all his willingness, you're sensing some nervousness. Expected while in the presence of greatness like yourself, but this is a bit different somehow. "Marzost is something wrong? Multiple times you touched my hand or attempted to touch me when it was not permitted and now that everything is permitted, you seem way more timid." You say. "I...I... my apologies." Marzost stutters. "Don't apologize, be direct! I mean would it put you more in the mood if I pretended to be a helpless captive? I know how the dero are usually going about their sex practices." "No! I want to make sure YOU enjoy it. You are a goddess and deserve to be treated as such in all matters." Marzost says and finally gets the courage to touch you again, even if it is a stroking of your face. This is definitely going a bit differently than you thought it would, but you're getting a strong impression about Marzost. "Marzost...and I'm not asking this to attack your fragile masculinity, but are you a virgin?" Marzost doesn't answer, he just looks slightly away from you, which pretty much says it all. "Any particular reason?" you ask. "Most of my race does what it does to survive...or did rather. There's no love. There's no closeness. There's not even a twisted sadistic pleasure like outsiders believe. It's purely mechanical. It's just done out of the need to procreate. I don't want to be intimate with someone unless it's consensual." Marzost says sitting down beside you. "Okay, so what about dero females? I mean granted they're no prizes, but that's what doggystyle is for." "Let's just say they've never been interested in me for whatever reason despite my past attempts. I know what you said before about my parents, about how the pair of them might not have actually been in love. Well that doesn't change my perception of what I want. I wanted what I believed my parents had, which is love. I want the act to be more than just for pleasure or procreation. I'm not even sure why you're doing this. You haven't explained your reasons." "Do they matter? You took your clothing off quick enough." "On one level, no. Indeed I am enchanted enough by your beauty and personality that I'd be a fool to decline this opportunity. And yet, I know whatever your reasons; they certainly won't be for love. This act won't be special for you, but I suppose it'll have to be special just for me. That will be enough." You have to admit, there is something "sweet" about all this. It is a bit unfortunate it's coming from a dero though. Still, you suppose you can identify with Marzost's feelings of unrequited attraction. "Marzost, believe me when I tell you, this act we're about to engage in is definitely special for me. You just let me take care of everything. Close your eyes, use your imagination and believe that we are the only two people in each other's lives. Believe whatever fantasy you have to make this act live up to it, but I NEED you to perform to completion understand?" you say. "Yes, Mistress." Marzost says. "Call me Semra...now you just lay back and let me get you started." You lay Marzost down on slab he calls a bed and waste no time in pulling down his underwear. You lower your head and begin to go to work. You feel like you're sucking a "soft" piece of smooth marble at first, but it doesn't take long before the firmness matches the texture. Another relief that you won't be risking breaking your teeth or later on ripping your innards if his dick had the texture of something like sandstone. You feel it growing in your mouth a little bigger than the first visual appearance would indicate. While you have a pretty strong gag reflex, after a few minutes of this oral stimulation, the growth of the width makes it feel like your jaw is going to dislocate. With him now in a more suitable condition, you stop and then slowly get on top of him. Given the size, you're actually glad you're taking more of the lead in this as it allows for better control. When you feel it enter, you continue to proceed slowly until you're getting a good rhythm. Marzost has been more or less silent during this whole affair. Now you really do feel like you're fucking a statue. You guide his hands to at least grab your tits so you can better involve him in this process. You've been with several virgins before, indeed you even can find it a bit appealing to be the first and thus ruin a male, as he will never have anything better ever again, but this has got to be the most awkward one you've ever been with. This was definitely nothing like when you were with Francis. Now THAT was a deflowering that had some excitement. You then notice he's taken your advice to heart and closed his eyes and is whispering something. You can't make out what he's saying exactly. You do make out your name at first, but then it becomes something else in between the faint moans of pleasure. You at first think he's saying something in his awful language, but that isn't it. It's still common, just really quiet. You lean in closer to hear since you're curious and that's when you get it. "Oh yes, mama. I love you so much...ugh yeah...this is everything...I've wanted...oh mom..." You can't say you're surprised and it makes complete sense. His mother was a svelk and was the only female that ever loved him. Obviously his idealized woman to a point where he had trouble with dero females and he couldn't bring himself to rape a svelk female. Yep, it's all a rich fucked up tapestry of the mind. Well whatever works for him, hell, it works for you too. "Shhhh, my son. Mommy's here to take care of your needs, she loves you so much. Remember this." You say closing your own eyes and visualizing Francis. It doesn't take long before Marzost becomes more active and actually starts holding on to you tightly and thrusting into you rather than just laying there. You hold on to Marzost just as tightly. If you were equal height you'd be face to face, but since you aren't, his face is now successfully buried in your tits as you ride him. He's not wasting any time sucking on your nipples, no doubt thinking of fond memories of when his real mother breast-fed him. As the act goes on, he becomes more forceful to the point where he starts to grab on to you tighter and eventually you feel him release inside you. A lot. It's a mess down there. "Guess that had been building for a long time." You say as you try to get off him, though you have a slightly hard time doing so as it seems like you're stuck. Apparently dero seed is much stickier than svelk or humans. While you're attempting to free yourself, Marzost who you thought would be wiped out from your magical svelk vagina, doesn't even seem tired. A testament to dero endurance you suppose. In fact he grabs one of your arms in an attempt to keep you from leaving. "Where are you going? It wasn't bad was it?" he asks. "No, I just need to..." you start to say. "Semra I love you and I don't want you to leave." Marzost's grip on your arm tightens and there's now a real danger here given your vulnerability. Dero are really damn strong for their size. He could easily snap your neck, though you knew going through with this plan that something like this might happen. Under normal circumstances, you'd attempt a magic attack to his eyes, but his home (and this entire community's architecture) is filled with the magic nullifying rock. Combined with that and after your physical exploits, you're not quite sure if you'd have enough energy to summon up the power for an effective attack. You're going to have to distract him at least temporarily before attempting to escape. > You assert your dominance You've had enough dero dick that you can stand for a lifetime and giving this little freak more of something that he was blessed to even sniff in the first place is much more than he deserves. In cases like this you need to assert that YOU are the one in control. "Marzost, you will release me NOW." You order. "But, I love you and..." You don't let him finish, you just summon up all the power you can and slam him in the eyes with a magic attack. Under normal circumstances this probably would have killed him, but his home (and this entire community's architecture) is filled with the magic nullifying rock of course. Combined with that and recent your physical exploits, the energy was low powered. While it was enough to blind him, it wasn't enough to cause him to lose his grip on your arm, which he ends up breaking just by squeezing even tighter while he's reeling a little from your attack. "YOU FUCKING BITCH!" he shouts and you then feel a punch to the side of your head. You finally get "unstuck" from his dick as you go tumbling to the floor. Unfortunately you're also struggling to stay conscious and bleeding. You can't even focus to cast again, never mind also having a broken forearm. You can hear Marzost fumbling about and yelling about his eyes, so the best thing you can currently think of to do is to get the hell out of here. You begin crawling and then getting up to stagger away. You get to the doorway when you feel a hand grab your ankle and yank you so hard you fall face first into the floor before getting dragged back. You attempt to struggle by kicking, but all that results in is Marzost twisting your ankle to the point of breaking it. You scream out. When Marzost lets go of your ankle, you some how still manage to roll yourself over and realize you're going to have to try a different tactic. "Marzost...you can't do this....you have to let m..." You are interrupted by a strong backhand which feels like you've been punched by a stone golem. You spit out a few teeth along with blood. Now you really are struggling to stay awake. "Silent, svelk whore! I've been a fool to allow myself to be lead on by your bewitching beauty. What was all this for anyway? Was this one more sick game for your amusement before you left? Leave me pining away in anguish before the end of the world?" "I..." "Shut up! My people were right, you're all alike. My mother left me, and you want to leave me too. Well I'll not listen to any more lies from that pretty little mouth of yours. Open up." "No...umpgh..." Before you can say anything else you get a mouth full of dero cock in your mouth and down your throat. You also lose a few more teeth in the process. Marzost begins thrusting his dick in your face repeatedly as he grips your head like a vice. You can barely breathe and he isn't allowing you up for air either. Combined with already having a severe concussion, your blocked airway isn't improving your situation. Your one good arm weakly attempts punch at Marzost's balls, but if you did any harm, Marzost didn't notice as he continues to use your mouth as a seed receptacle. Your eyes begin to go into the back of your head and the rest of your body just falls limp due to lack of energy. The only thing holding you partially up is Marzost. It doesn't take him long to release again thanks to your velvet throat and the dero excitement for...aggressive sexual habits. Of course it coats your throat with the same sort of strong stickiness you were experiencing earlier. If you couldn't breathe before, you really can't breath now with Marzost's gluey essence blocking your airway. Marzost lets go of your head and your upper body collapses to the floor. You make a few weak hacking and coughing noises before losing complete consciousness. Death soon follows. And while that technically is the end for you, Marzost is indeed a twisted little freak and keeps your animated body around in his quarters. (Tying it up in a compromising position of course) Marzost alternates between calling it his mother, to having sex with it, to beating the hell out of it while screaming at the top of his lungs. Usually all three of those at the same time though not necessarily in that order. Eventually what remains of the dero population tire of Marzost's insanity and just want to quietly spend what remains of their lives without a madman shouting about his mother while anally violating an animated svelk corpse. A mob of dero put the pair of you to a permanent death before setting you on fire.

While your natural inclination would be to strike down Marzost where he stands, something about all this isn't adding up in your mind quite yet based on all the information you've heard from Big Red, Marzost and even Gikil. Then it occurs to you and you smile to the point where you can't contain your laughter. "Those children are worthless!" You laugh. "What?" Marzost says. "Your dero babies are worthless. They have no souls. That's why Big Red never pressed on with another deal attempt and turned his nose up. He realized he couldn't get anything out of them. That's why he told me not to bother with any of you." "But...how do you know?" "Your mother was a svelk correct? Did Big Red offer you a deal personally for your soul?" "No." "He certainly would have tried if he sensed you had one. He didn't though. He probably didn't sense that the children didn't have any immediately." "But... how did he sense them at all then?" "The blood I would imagine. The svelk blood is still there. Doesn't do much good though without a soul though." "Huh. Well I suppose that does explain his quick departure." "Yep, you have nothing to fear Marzost, the dero race gets to live a bit longer. There's something else though that's a bit of a missing link." "Oh?" "Yes. But it has less to do with you than it does with my current second in command. You may have been slightly right Marzost with your assessment earlier, I haven't taken into consideration every angle Big Red is plotting. I've been believing I'm smart enough to outwit him, well it's time to prove it with action." "What are you going to do?" "Oh you'll find out soon. I trust you'll still be here in a couple days?" you ask. "Um, yeah I wasn't planning on going anywhere. Why?" "I'll be back alone at that time. I suggest you be ready." "Ready for what?" "I don't want to give away the surprise. In any case, it looks like my minions are nearly finished looting your crystals. I'll take my leave of you now. Enjoy the view." You leave Marzost behind and approach your forces. A couple of them question if there is to be any more done here, you tell them no and that you have what you need. You then say you need to head back to the fortress and great ready for the next round of captives to sacrifice. When you arrive back home, what you actually do is prepare a potion. You haven't prepared a potion like this in centuries, but you need every edge if this is going to work. Gikil still isn't back from the raid you sent him on, and while you still have the last prisoners he took you could sacrifice, you believe that what you're actually planning is a much better idea. In a couple days it's done and you chug it down. Tastes every bit as awful as you remember. You're now ready. The odd part is you're actually not dreading this plan. True, at one time you wouldn't have dreamed of doing this action, but the end result will be worth it. Not to mention you suppose you are sort of curious. You slip out of your fortress during the night and head to the dero community. You get to the gates and predictably Marzost is on the battlements waiting just like you told him to. "I see you, let me open the gates." He shouts. The gates open and you walk in before Marzost can even come down to greet you. When he finally does, you see he's still dressed in heavy armor. "Marzost, can we talk in private where nobody is going to potentially see or hear us?" you ask. "Yeah, we can go to one of the great halls, those remaining spend most of their time in the nursery or the barracks." "No, I mean some place more... intimate." You say and get much closer to Marzost. "Inti...wait...no...you mean..." "Uh huh." You crouch down to meet his eyes on an even level. "Get ready to make all your twisted fantasies about me come true rock eater." You say taking a deep breath and then bringing yourself to kiss him on the lips. You feel like you're putting your lips on hardened dirt. Shoving your tongue in his mouth feels like you're licking gritty stone. You pull back from your kiss and Marzost is speechless. While you're certainly no stranger to males being in awe of you, Marzost really has taken it to a whole other level. You literally have to guide him back to his personal dwelling which he barely can utter the location. Marzost starts to remove his armor which is no simple task given how dero armor interlocks. While he's doing that, you begin to remove your own clothing and look as seductive as possible doing it. Not that you really need to at this point, but you're getting a mild amusement out of Marzost fumble about while he's trying to take off his armor and watch you at the same time. Soon, you're naked and sitting on the side of his "bed" which as expected, is also made of stone with no blankets or pillows. This is definitely going to be a rough ride no matter which way it goes. As Marzost's armor comes off and his clothing is next, you study his body. It's in good shape, better than you thought it would be. Eventually he approaches you slowly. You also notice he hasn't taken off his underwear yet. You caress his chest, which feels not unlike a fine-grained rock. In fact most of his body does. Your hands eventually roam to where the most his important part is going to be entering you repeatedly. That's the part you expected to be the hardest right now, yet oddly he's not quite ready yet. You notice Marzost hasn't done anything except stand there. You fully expected him to start pushing you down and having his way with you or at least groping you by now, given how the dero go about their mating practices. For all his willingness, you're sensing some nervousness. Expected while in the presence of greatness like yourself, but this is a bit different somehow. "Marzost is something wrong? Multiple times you touched my hand or attempted to touch me when it was not permitted and now that everything is permitted, you seem way more timid." You say. "I...I... my apologies." Marzost stutters. "Don't apologize, be direct! I mean would it put you more in the mood if I pretended to be a helpless captive? I know how the dero are usually going about their sex practices." "No! I want to make sure YOU enjoy it. You are a goddess and deserve to be treated as such in all matters." Marzost says and finally gets the courage to touch you again, even if it is a stroking of your face. This is definitely going a bit differently than you thought it would, but you're getting a strong impression about Marzost. "Marzost...and I'm not asking this to attack your fragile masculinity, but are you a virgin?" Marzost doesn't answer, he just looks slightly away from you, which pretty much says it all. "Any particular reason?" you ask. "Most of my race does what it does to survive...or did rather. There's no love. There's no closeness. There's not even a twisted sadistic pleasure like outsiders believe. It's purely mechanical. It's just done out of the need to procreate. I don't want to be intimate with someone unless it's consensual." Marzost says sitting down beside you. "Okay, so what about dero females? I mean granted they're no prizes, but that's what doggystyle is for." "Let's just say they've never been interested in me for whatever reason despite my past attempts. I know what you said before about my parents, about how the pair of them might not have actually been in love. Well that doesn't change my perception of what I want. I wanted what I believed my parents had, which is love. I want the act to be more than just for pleasure or procreation. I'm not even sure why you're doing this. You haven't explained your reasons." "Do they matter? You took your clothing off quick enough." "On one level, no. Indeed I am enchanted enough by your beauty and personality that I'd be a fool to decline this opportunity. And yet, I know whatever your reasons; they certainly won't be for love. This act won't be special for you, but I suppose it'll have to be special just for me. That will be enough." You have to admit, there is something "sweet" about all this. It is a bit unfortunate it's coming from a dero though. Still, you suppose you can identify with Marzost's feelings of unrequited attraction. "Marzost, believe me when I tell you, this act we're about to engage in is definitely special for me. You just let me take care of everything. Close your eyes, use your imagination and believe that we are the only two people in each other's lives. Believe whatever fantasy you have to make this act live up to it, but I NEED you to perform to completion understand?" you say. "Yes, Mistress." Marzost says. "Call me Semra...now you just lay back and let me get you started." You lay Marzost down on slab he calls a bed and waste no time in pulling down his underwear. You lower your head and begin to go to work. You feel like you're sucking a "soft" piece of smooth marble at first, but it doesn't take long before the firmness matches the texture. Another relief that you won't be risking breaking your teeth or later on ripping your innards if his dick had the texture of something like sandstone. You feel it growing in your mouth a little bigger than the first visual appearance would indicate. While you have a pretty strong gag reflex, after a few minutes of this oral stimulation, the growth of the width makes it feel like your jaw is going to dislocate. With him now in a more suitable condition, you stop and then slowly get on top of him. Given the size, you're actually glad you're taking more of the lead in this as it allows for better control. When you feel it enter, you continue to proceed slowly until you're getting a good rhythm. Marzost has been more or less silent during this whole affair. Now you really do feel like you're fucking a statue. You guide his hands to at least grab your tits so you can better involve him in this process. You've been with several virgins before, indeed you even can find it a bit appealing to be the first and thus ruin a male, as he will never have anything better ever again, but this has got to be the most awkward one you've ever been with. This was definitely nothing like when you were with Francis. Now THAT was a deflowering that had some excitement. You then notice he's taken your advice to heart and closed his eyes and is whispering something. You can't make out what he's saying exactly. You do make out your name at first, but then it becomes something else in between the faint moans of pleasure. You at first think he's saying something in his awful language, but that isn't it. It's still common, just really quiet. You lean in closer to hear since you're curious and that's when you get it. "Oh yes, mama. I love you so much...ugh yeah...this is everything...I've wanted...oh mom..." You can't say you're surprised and it makes complete sense. His mother was a svelk and was the only female that ever loved him. Obviously his idealized woman to a point where he had trouble with dero females and he couldn't bring himself to rape a svelk female. Yep, it's all a rich fucked up tapestry of the mind. Well whatever works for him, hell, it works for you too. "Shhhh, my son. Mommy's here to take care of your needs, she loves you so much. Remember this." You say closing your own eyes and visualizing Francis. It doesn't take long before Marzost becomes more active and actually starts holding on to you tightly and thrusting into you rather than just laying there. You hold on to Marzost just as tightly. If you were equal height you'd be face to face, but since you aren't, his face is now successfully buried in your tits as you ride him. He's not wasting any time sucking on your nipples, no doubt thinking of fond memories of when his real mother breast-fed him. As the act goes on, he becomes more forceful to the point where he starts to grab on to you tighter and eventually you feel him release inside you. A lot. It's a mess down there. "Guess that had been building for a long time." You say as you try to get off him, though you have a slightly hard time doing so as it seems like you're stuck. Apparently dero seed is much stickier than svelk or humans. While you're attempting to free yourself, Marzost who you thought would be wiped out from your magical svelk vagina, doesn't even seem tired. A testament to dero endurance you suppose. In fact he grabs one of your arms in an attempt to keep you from leaving. "Where are you going? It wasn't bad was it?" he asks. "No, I just need to..." you start to say. "Semra I love you and I don't want you to leave." Marzost's grip on your arm tightens and there's now a real danger here given your vulnerability. Dero are really damn strong for their size. He could easily snap your neck, though you knew going through with this plan that something like this might happen. Under normal circumstances, you'd attempt a magic attack to his eyes, but his home (and this entire community's architecture) is filled with the magic nullifying rock. Combined with that and after your physical exploits, you're not quite sure if you'd have enough energy to summon up the power for an effective attack. You're going to have to distract him at least temporarily before attempting to escape. > You wear him out Marzost is thinking completely with his dick right now. He's just experienced the best for the first time and physical attempts to push him away or outright attacking are just going to anger him and the last thing you want is death by dero rape. You're going to have to get a little dirtier (and a lot stickier) if you want out of this. "I'm not going anywhere, I just wanted to switch positions so you could take a more...dominant role." You say in a soothing voice while running your hand across his face. "Dominant?" "It may surprise you, but when it comes to sex I feel the dominant role should be exchanged once in awhile to keep things from getting dull." Marzost looks confused for a moment, but then quickly displays a smile before stretching his body upward to kiss you suddenly. "You...you DO feel something for me! Never did I believe it possible! But this is not the time for romanticism, I understand what a woman like you wants." "What I wa..." Before you can even complete you sentence, Marzost has lifted you off his dick (Making a "popping" like sound) and spun you around. You only just manage to elevate yourself up slightly from the stone bed when you feel Marzost thrusting inside you from behind. He grips your waist and maintains a strong rhythm. Doesn't take long before he's moaning and probably imagining his mother again. Also doesn't take long before you're doing something similar thinking about Francis. You're reminded of when you took that boy's virginity, still seems like yesterday when little Francis didn't know whether to kill you or fuck you. Fortunately for him, he was smart and picked the latter and really gave it to you like you're getting right now. Of course this escape into fantasy is a bit muted by the fact that Marzost is actually beginning to slam into you hard enough that you're starting to feel some minor discomfort. It's like getting a brick thrown at your vertical smile repeatedly. Still, you can even get into that, but then he does something a little unexpected when he pulls completely out. "Did you finish again? I didn't even feel the..." you start to say and then you feel a crushing blow to the back of your head. Not quite enough to knock you completely out, but definitely enough to put you on the verge of unconsciousness. "Shut the fuck up, I'm in charge now mom! I hate the way you left me alone! I loved you so much and you just left! You just don't know..." Marzost says with some sobbing. You're barely hearing all this though since you're still struggling to maintain consciousness. You feel a hand caress your head and move down your back. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have hit you so hard...I just...I just love you so much...I know what to do. I know..." You then start to feel something a lot more "invasive" than what was going on before. In between your haze, all you can think is "Wait, no. He's not going where I think he's going is he?" And he does. Raw. Your initial reaction is to scream out, but all you can utter is a louder "Ugnh" sound thanks to being half awake. Your head is then roughly snapped back as your long hair is pulled. Marzost may have gotten off to a slow start, but he's gone into full crazy dero mode now. As you feel repeated hard anal violation you are really starting to believe this may not have been one of your better plans. Meanwhile Marzost is up your ass to your guts and going on about how much he loves you. While normally you wouldn't complain about being loved so "enthusiastically" but given that you now know just how sticky dero seed is, it's potentially going to be very bad for your insides if he releases into your ass. Quickly regaining your senses, you realize that wearing him out isn't going to work as planned or you're not going to survive it at this rate. You have to get him to release you long enough to make your escape. "Marzost...hrm...Marzost...ugh...Son stop for a moment...agh! Please son...Uhn...stop and listen." You say in a voice loud enough so he can hear, but not loud enough to sound like you're giving him an order. "What?!" he shouts not even stopping. "Pull out...ugh...I want...agh...you to put it back...uhn...in my mouth...hrm...I want to taste every...ohh...drop...ahhh..." Marzost finally stops, though he hasn't pulled out yet. You look back over your shoulder at him, in that alluring way that only you can. "I want to swallow every juice of our time together just to show how much mommy loves you." Marzost is speechless. More tears just well up in his eyes as he pulls out of your ass. You feel like you just took a huge shit. "Do it quickly!" he exclaims and releases you completely from his grip to lay back. You slowly turn around while still on all fours. While most would just take this opportunity to run, taking the chance that they wouldn't be caught. You probably could do it, but you aren't like most. This stunted creep ripped your asshole apart without your permission. You're not going to just let that pass. Not to mention he punched you in the back of the fucking head and you're pissed about that as well. Marzost is going to pay. It occurs to you, that it might be easier to use a less strenuous form of magic involving fireballs and such. Perhaps something more personal is in order, and you remember using one such spell in a situation like this after Eldolith's father pissed you off. It surprised the hell out of him and you got some enjoyment out of seeing the surprise on his face and his screams before he died. You probably won't stick around long to watch the facial expressions, but you can at least enjoy the screams as you run off. You whisper something in your native language to cast the spell and repeat it several times. It takes all your focus which is difficult thanks to the literal pain in your ass and the massive headache, but you feel the change. You look directly at Marzost's dick of which the scent is pretty...unique at this point. You've done a lot of things in your time, but this whole affair is going to rank up there as one of the most degrading. But if it all actually pays off like you believe it will, then you'll have no regrets. Normally you'd never go ass to mouth, but this is a special occasion. You open your mouth wide... And then bite down as hard as you can on his big dick with your magically altered teeth. Marzost screams as you attempt to rip it off, but the girth is making that a bit difficult not to mention magically sharpened teeth or not, his dick still has the texture of a solid piece of rock. Realizing you might be in big trouble, you quickly grab his balls and squeeze as hard as you can while tearing into his scrotum with your nails. Again, his balls feel more like hardened stones and you wonder if this is even having any effect, but given his reaction it seems to be. It's enough to keep him screaming in pain and not crushing your head anyway. Breaking several of your teeth, you at last manage to chew off part of his dick. The taste of blood, dero seed and you don't want to think about what else fills your mouth and you attempt to spit it back at his face. Unfortunately thanks to the dero seed having the consistency of strong glue, your attempts fail and it doesn't go quite that far, instead the piece of meat just barely clears your mouth as the sticky mixture remains on your lips. The point is still made though. Marzost moans in agony and sobs "Why? Why mommy why?" repeatedly. You don't give him any sort of snarky answer; you just take the opportunity to run the hell out of here before his buddies come investigating all the noise. Still, Marzost's screams do fill your ears with pleasure just as you make your escape. You are already past the gates when you hear the shouting of several dero in their awful language and waste no time in putting even more distance between you and them. When you're finally on the surface, you run to a small corpse and promptly vomit and hack up the remaining residue from your mouth. You're going to have this terrible taste for days. You're naked, you're tired, you've got broken teeth, your entire body aches, particularly your entire lower area, you've got a mess around every orifice of your body and you still have to make it back home and hope you don't run into a large amount of undead along the way. Hell, you don't even want to encounter any svelk along the way given your current vulnerability. The trip back to your fortress is fortunately relatively uneventful. When you get within visual distance of it, you use your remaining strength to teleport directly inside and quickly make your way to your personal bathroom where upon you take time to take care of some personal hygiene matters. You're going to have to fix your teeth with magic, but that'll have to be a little later when you're less exhausted. Right now, you just want to enter your bed without completely ruining it. You eventually collapse on your bed, hoping that in five days you'll get the results that were expecting from all this. Five days pass... You cast the spell again, just to make sure. You wait and there's no doubt about it. You're with child. Whether it was the fertility potion you drank, dero alterations, Marzost's hybrid condition or all of those things combined with a bit of luck, your plan worked. You laugh and grin at yourself in the mirror with your new teeth. Now it's time for the second part, which compared to the first part, should be incredibly easy. You tell one of your minions in the hallway to tell Gikil to just come see you in your room to give his most recent report. You sit down on your bed on a pillow. It's still sore back there though at least you stopped having issues with going to the bathroom. That was even more of a concern than your teeth. Gikil enters looking a bit tired. He's also wounded. He's been showing more signs of battle fatigue and the like lately. He goes on about a recent raid and how they only managed to gather twenty-six suitable captives and he lost about half of his forces doing it thanks to a sudden undead horde attacking in the middle of it. He goes on to say that most of the remaining svelk strongholds are heavily defended and he isn't sure how he's going to be able to easily attack them with the remaining forces you have. You ask if there have been any signs of the dero, to which Gikil replies no then asking should there be and if there's been any dero incursions since he's been away raiding. "No, just making sure of all being prepared for all potential dangers. Tell me Gikil, how tired are you?" "Truthfully, I am a bit fatigued after this last raid Mistress. I still have my concerns about future..." Gikil trails off and just stares motionless when he sees you stand up from the bed and completely disrobe as you walk towards him. You put your arms around his upper body and look into his eyes. "Not too tired for me I hope." You say. "...you...you serious?" Gikil asks. "When have I ever not been serious about these matters? Besides I've rethought your plan and I think it's a good idea. You won't have to go out and risk your life anymore. You can just stay here and pleasure me until the time comes for our leaving of this world." Gikil can't believe what he's hearing, but he's smart enough to accept what you're proposing. Pity for him, he isn't smart enough to know what you're planning. Good for you of course. You get on with the physical aspect of this plan, which as you expected is quite mundane. Though after your recent experience with Marzost, mundane is fine right now. Now you just have to hold out for nine months of undead attacks while being burdened with child and an ever-smaller group of "loyalists." No small feat, but you're confident that the difficult part is already over. > Time passes… TR 12 You look out the window and see the land barely clinging to life. You think there might be a patch of grass that's still green and a small tree in your immediate area, but that's about it. It's a good thing you'll be getting out of here soon. Reports of some robed wraith like figure have recently been sighted on the continent. The being just kills anything living that's near it. It doesn't even have to do anything. You can only guess it's the same being that killed Francis based on what Belina told you last year. Seems like a lifetime ago though. Honestly it probably was a good thing you stopped sacrificing svelk and trapping their souls when you did since it seemed to slow down the undead incursions at least in the short term. Maybe you were indirectly pissing off the Death God trapping souls like you were. As you move away from the window, you hold your baby close to you, which is grabbing at your tits to suck on. Just like his father in that way. Looking at him and you'd never know he wasn't a filthy mongrel at this point. Marzost wasn't lying when the dero were getting concerned about svelk characteristics not going away. Good thing too, since Gikil was completely convinced it was his. Still, you imagine if this one were allowed to "grow" he'd wind up looking more like a dero and what an awful fate that would be. You'll actually be doing a favor by killing him. Gikil was mildly concerned you didn't murder the child immediately and actually feared you might get attached to it. The fool doesn't know anything about you. One must savor these sorts of things. "Don't worry little one, mommy will make your death quick. And your death will be helpful mommy too, which already makes you more useful than my pathetic daughter ever was. I suppose you deserve one last meal though. Drink deeply you little miserable half breed." You say clutching the child and allowing him to feed. As the baby drinks his last, you grab your dagger from your bed table. When he seems to be finished his eyes are closed looking completely content. If he hasn't gone to sleep immediately, he's well on his way. "Oh you males. You get what you want, and then fall right to sleep don't you?" you say bringing the dagger up closer to the child. Before you strike, you'd be lying if things were different, there's a part of you that would be curious to actually try to raise this thing. Then you shake your head smiling. "No, he wouldn't even exist in any other situation and even if he did, he'd just grow up to be another disappointment, like all children I raise. Goodbye son." You whisper and slash open the baby's throat. It makes nothing but a gurgling noise and just bleeds out like a stuck pig. You quickly gather the blood (which is now all over the top part of you) in a nearby bottle that was also on your bed table. You fill it up and then wrap up the baby's bloody body in more blankets. You then call Gikil who comes in soon after. "Is it done?" Gikil asks. "No, I obviously have been teaching the baby to paint with the color red, of course it's fucking done you idiot! Here, take this body and dispose of it." You say attempting to hand off the corpse wrapped in bloody blankets. Gikil takes it reluctantly and then quickly rushes out the door to call for some lackey to do it for him. Typical. When he was worrying about you not going through with it, you notice he was actually too weak to suggest that HE do it himself. This is why you always have to do everything yourself. You immediately go to the table where Big Red's contract still lays. You look it over again and see it's changed slightly from the first time you looked over it last year. Typical infernal contract, always with the loopholes. Big Red probably didn't think you could read infernal and granted you don't understand all the words which under normal circumstances would be enough to doom you. However, you've got a loophole of your own. You take a quill, dip it in your baby's blood and write your signature. No sign of Big Red yet, but you imagine it won't be long. Meanwhile Gikil re-enters the room. "Did you sign it?" he asks. "You're just full of obvious idiotic questions today aren't you? Yes, I fucking signed it. Now all we're waiting for is this red asshole to show up." You respond Gikil nods and you see him flash a small smile. As much as you lowered yourself to fuck a dero, you think sharing your bed with this fool repeatedly was more degrading. Thankfully that will be over soon. Big Red suddenly appears. "Ah, so you have made your decision. Good thing too, I can already tell this world is nearly at its end. Or at least this continent. In any case, I trust you have the hundred souls?" Big Red says. "A few more than a hundred actually, but I imagine you already KNEW I wasn't going to make a thousand in time." You say. "Well I wouldn't be good at my job if I couldn't judge these things. I do thank you for the extra souls though." "Big Red, the souls are in the chests over there." Gikil says pointing to a couple of them against the wall. "Excellent, I'll just take a look and we'll soon be on our way." Big Red goes over to the chests and opens them. Gikil is hovering around him quite a bit. "You see, it's all there. And everything was done just like you said." Gikil says. "Well the souls are here, but I still need to look over the contract just as a formality. I have to say Semra, I'm looking very forward to all the time we're going to soon be spending together." Big Red says going over to the table. "What about me? You..." "Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten our deal. Your worthless life and your soul will be spared and you'll get to go through the portal." Gikil smiles and even laughs a little. "So...you made a deal with Big Red?" you ask. "YES! And I just bent you over and fucked you in the ass good and hard!" Gikil laughs. You stare at Gikil while he launches into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Eventually he manages to stop himself long enough to speak again. "Big Red said that you'd most likely never sign away your soul willingly and would die attempting to gather a thousand souls unless there was a loop hole you thought you could exploit. So he proposed the baby idea to me to propose to you." Gikil remarks. "Makes sense. I knew you couldn't have come up with that one yourself." You reply. "Make your snide quips about my intelligence if you want, but I'M not the one who is going to be in hell sucking demon cock for eternity!" "That remains to be seen. So I'm guessing signing in blood from my baby doesn't qualify as a loophole." You say. "Oh it probably would have, if I didn't anticipate you potentially attempting such a thing. Hence why I proposed the idea to Gikil and had the contract changed, guessing you didn't bother re-reading it closely." Big Red interrupts, still reading over the contract. "Yeah, and I made sure Big Red agreed to spare my soul if I was the one who got you pregnant and go along with the plan. Face it, I fucked you every which way I could and I enjoyed every fucking moment of it! You don't know how long I've waited for the day that I didn't have to put up with your condescending arrogance anymore! You deserve everything you're going to get and so am I!" Gikil gloats. "Hm, you might be right about that one, Gikil." You say. Big Red interrupts again. "I have to admit, I am a bit surprised this plan worked. I didn't think you'd fall for it. While I'm happy that it did, I'm mildly disappointed that you were so foolish enough to believe a fool like your traitorous minion here. In fact...oh...oh...I see what you did...clever." Big Red's voice says with a mixture of emotion. You smile which causes Gikil to look back and forth at you and Big Red rapid succession. Big Red is just shaking his head still looking at the contract. "What?! WHAT?! What did she do?!" he exclaims. "Remember that reference you made about getting fucked in the ass good and hard? Well, that was only part of what I engaged to return the favor for your attempted failed and honestly quite predictable treachery." You remark. "Yeah, that kid isn't yours Gikil. I cannot detect your essence in the blood at all." It takes a moment for Gikil to process, but then he does and... "You mean she fucked another guy and pretended it was mine the whole time? You fucking whore bitch!" You chuckle and just utter "Cuck." "Yep, I'm afraid our deal is null and void Gikil. You didn't carry out the deed." Big Red says. "But...but...fuck! Shit! Fine! I'll die here then, but I'm going to at least take satisfaction that SHE is going to be a slave in hell for all eternity!" Gikil shouts. "Yeah, hate to take away the consolation prize, but she fucked me over as well. I can only detect her essence in the blood and even that is weak compared to the utter nothingness I detected. This baby wasn't full svelk, it was a halfbreed." "Halfbreed? But...there's no others on this continent except the undead and..." Gikil trails off and looks at you in disbelief. "You...you fucked a dero?!" Gikil says. "Yep, and as unpleasant as an experience to lower myself in such a way, that little twisted freak was still better at it than you were." You say. "Normally it wouldn't matter who the father was, but as I've mentioned to Semra, the dero are a tainted cursed race. She's successfully befouled the blood of her baby by breeding with one of them. Well I guess I only have myself to blame for even mentioning the status of the dero, even if it seemed inconsequential at the time." Big Red says with a heavy sigh. "But...but...doesn't that render the contract null and void?!" Gikil asks. "Nope, it's not something I anticipated, so the contract still stands while her soul is safe from me...for now." Big Red says looking over at you. Gikil collapses to the floor in despair. He thought he was being so clever and has found his pitiful plan come to ruin. "At least you got to share my bed a few times, which is the greatest achievement a lowly unimaginative male such as yourself could accomplish. Are you seriously about to cry? Pathetic." Gikil turns to you in his grief of his fate and his face is one of violent rage. "Fuck you Semra, FUCK YOU!" he shouts getting up and grabbing his weapon with the intent of murdering you. Naturally you were expecting some sort of last attempt at killing you and you easily strike down Gikil with a blast of lightning, frying him instantly. He collapses to the ground not quite dead and smoking until you set him on fire to put him down for good (and his potential rising corpse). You now turn your attention to Big Red. "Well if you're done, we can get going. I'll open up the portal to the infernal realm and from there open up another one to a world similar to what this one used to be. Silly question, but are you taking anyone with you? The contract did allow you to, though I can't imagine you won't be having the numbers you originally had in mind given that you've pissed off most, if not all of them." Big Red says. Not so much of a silly question as it is an already answered one since Big Red isn't far off on his comments and assumptions. There aren't many left to even save anymore and you're hardly inclined to bother at this point. Perhaps if things had worked out differently, you might have very well led masses of svelk into a new world where you could all start over again. You weren't completely opposed to the idea after all. While you're not exactly going to be leading your civilization to conquer the new world, there's still the option to taking what remains, if only so you won't be completely going it alone. > You take your people with you Whatever is going to await you on the new world, it probably would be better if you had some back up, even if they tend to fail you most of the time. "Yes, I'll assemble the remainder of the population of this fortress immediately." You say. Big Red looks a little surprised, but he tells you to take the time you need as a deal's a deal. You immediately find your nearest minion and tell him to start alerting the rest of the fortress as everyone is to report to the summoning chamber now. You take the time to do this with a few others you find as well. You also tell them to tell everyone to grab what they want and hurry up because you're leaving immediately. You eventually return to the summoning chamber where Big Red has opened a glowing dark red portal. "Ready to go when you are, how many are there anyway?" Big Red asks. "I think the count was one hundred and six, including myself." You reply. "I see, and do you think that's enough to replenish your race?" "I dunno. I would imagine so; we still have slightly more females than males I believe." "Surpising given what you were doing with that half of your population with the Dero." "Yeah, well the idiot males still tend to get themselves killed a lot more hence why there's less of them. As for the females, I won't be doing my part of the breeding process, I already did my part for motherhood by saving all their asses in the first place." "Ah yes, you really did make the ultimate sacrifice for all of them didn't you?" "Yes, and they better realize once and for all how lucky they have me to lead them." "I'm sure they will, anyway are you ready to enter or are you going to wait for the others?" You pause. "You seem eager for me to enter." You say. "Well this is the only way to leave the world." Big Red says. "I know that, but for all I know you've got a horde of demons on the other side waiting to rip me apart or I step into a lake of fire or something." "My you have quite the imagination. No, as I said, the deal is the deal, no matter how unfavorable it may be to me. If I was to break this contract by killing you, having my fellows kill you or even a portal accident, trust me, the repercussions would affect me much more negatively than they would affect you." "I doubt that, however I suppose that even a prized soul like mine isn't worth breaking a contract over. Fine, I'll go in now." "Very good, I'll be along shortly, along with the rest of your people. I highly suggest though that you don't stray too far away from where you appear on the other side. It'll be safe in that area only, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for any random mindless infernals that may be lurking nearby." "Your concern is touching." With those words, you enter the portal.... You find yourself in a hostile looking wasteland with a red sky. It's unbearably hot as well. In the distance your can see figures flying about and large black fortresses amongst the rocky landscape. Strange noises of all sorts come from various directions and you feel very vulnerable. It's not a big improvement from where you just came from. At first you think Big Red has broken the deal, but he eventually pops in near you along with several svelk. "See? Told you, I'd be back. The rest of your people are still coming through the other portal, so more should be popping in. Might take awhile which is just as well since it'll take time for me to open up the one to the world you lot are going to." "Oh, and why is that?" you ask. "Contrary to popular belief, it's not that common to open up portals from THIS side to other worlds like yours. Takes a lot of power and the only reason why I'm even able to rip open a portal to this one, is because the barriers there between this realm and it are a little weak right now, thanks to multiple succubus incursions there. In any case, I'd rather not be bothered while I do this, I'll need to focus. Go talk to your people or something." Big Red says and begins his task to open a portal to the new world. While you're a little annoyed by Big Red's dismissal you'd rather he focus so you can get out of here as quick as possible. Now it's just waiting around. Big Red said to go speak with your people in the meantime, which probably would be best, since you're going to make plans for the new world. You call over to the large group of svelk and tell them to come over to you. Other svelk start popping in as the crowd gathers around you. Honestly, you've never really liked bothering with long-winded speeches to an audience, but you've got to waste time somehow, so you begin by mentioning the past achievements of the old Svelk Empire. By the time you've got at least a group of seventy or so svelk around you, you've moved on to how this new world you'll all be going to will be fertile ground for a new Empire. A fresh start to a glorious new beginning and how whoever stands in your way on this world will soon learn to fear you. The crowd is fairly quiet. Most of them have heard you say similar things before a long time ago when you first reunited them on Dokkrus and obviously that didn't go well. Still, you get a few positive responses, however as you're speaking you notice there is a group that hasn't even moved since you called them over. You look back over at Big Red who is still in the process of opening the portal, so since you still have time... "Hey! You lot over there! I summoned you over!" you shout. None in the group even respond. From this distance, it looks like the group is mostly comprised of females. Typical. "HEY! That's two! It would be in your best interest to obey and come over here NOW!" One of the women turns her head and then gives you a dirty look before turning her back. You then see them laughing. "Glad you find this amusing because that's three." You say. "Glad to know you can count better than you can lead." You hear a voice say. This is followed with more laughing by the insubordinate group. You think you even see a few smiles and chuckles by the group around you. This needs to be handled immediately. You push your way through the crowd over to the group of impudent females who have now all turned to face you. Predictably more than a few are starting to look a little more concerned that they've earned your ire, though the biggest loudmouth still stands defiantly before you. You don't even say anything; you just strike her down immediately with a giant magical fist with one motion of your hand. The crowd backs away as their leader falls to the ground. She isn't dead, though half of her head is smashed in. It's enough for her to dribble out the words "Ki...kill th..." which is enough for you to instinctively anticipate the next attacks from two more assailants. While you're dispatching them, you hear someone shout. "We're not letting you lead us in a new world! You fucked everything up on the old one and sold most of us to the dero as sex slaves!" "Pity I didn't sell ALL of you." You say and launch a lightning bolt at the person who said it and then another at a couple more in the group which has now been mostly dispatched other than a couple hiding behind large boulders. You suddenly feel a rock hit the back of your head causing you to stumble forward a bit. You manage to stop yourself from falling over, but you're a little dizzy. You turn to see now the crowd that was listening to you, has also turned against you. You don't know what's got into these fools that NOW they've decided to stage a full revolt, but this isn't good for you. Whoever said that, is unfortunately quite correct as you are further pelted by rocks by a large advancing crowd. It's enough to bring you to the ground. "Fools! You...ack...need me to sur...vive!" you utter as you attempt to cast a protective spell but the crowd has now surrounded you and you can't do anything except attempt to crawl away. You don't get far before you're dragged back, stomped on, kicked and stoned repeatedly. Eventually someone shoves a dagger in your back, which pretty much sums up the entire svelk race. Your last thoughts before you fall unconscious, are wondering if Big Red somehow helped instigate this as some sort of last "loophole" or if you actually did bring this all on yourself and this was just a nice coincidence for him. In any case, you begin laughing as you cough up blood, thinking of how with you dead, the contract will be void and Big Red will most likely have the rest of the svelk killed and collect their souls. But he didn't get yours. However when it falls into the hands of another demon lord, you wonder if it wouldn't have been better if it had. And you have all eternity to think on that as you suffer far worse than your mortal death.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, female protagonist] TR 12 You look out the window and see the land barely clinging to life. You think there might be a patch of grass that's still green and a small tree in your immediate area, but that's about it. It's a good thing you'll be getting out of here soon. Reports of some robed wraith like figure have recently been sighted on the continent. The being just kills anything living that's near it. It doesn't even have to do anything. You can only guess it's the same being that killed Francis based on what Belina told you last year. Seems like a lifetime ago though. Honestly it probably was a good thing you stopped sacrificing svelk and trapping their souls when you did since it seemed to slow down the undead incursions at least in the short term. Maybe you were indirectly pissing off the Death God trapping souls like you were. As you move away from the window, you hold your baby close to you, which is grabbing at your tits to suck on. Just like his father in that way. Looking at him and you'd never know he wasn't a filthy mongrel at this point. Marzost wasn't lying when the dero were getting concerned about svelk characteristics not going away. Good thing too, since Gikil was completely convinced it was his. Still, you imagine if this one were allowed to "grow" he'd wind up looking more like a dero and what an awful fate that would be. You'll actually be doing a favor by killing him. Gikil was mildly concerned you didn't murder the child immediately and actually feared you might get attached to it. The fool doesn't know anything about you. One must savor these sorts of things. "Don't worry little one, mommy will make your death quick. And your death will be helpful mommy too, which already makes you more useful than my pathetic daughter ever was. I suppose you deserve one last meal though. Drink deeply you little miserable half breed." You say clutching the child and allowing him to feed. As the baby drinks his last, you grab your dagger from your bed table. When he seems to be finished his eyes are closed looking completely content. If he hasn't gone to sleep immediately, he's well on his way. "Oh you males. You get what you want, and then fall right to sleep don't you?" you say bringing the dagger up closer to the child. Before you strike, you'd be lying if things were different, there's a part of you that would be curious to actually try to raise this thing. Then you shake your head smiling. "No, he wouldn't even exist in any other situation and even if he did, he'd just grow up to be another disappointment, like all children I raise. Goodbye son." You whisper and slash open the baby's throat. It makes nothing but a gurgling noise and just bleeds out like a stuck pig. You quickly gather the blood (which is now all over the top part of you) in a nearby bottle that was also on your bed table. You fill it up and then wrap up the baby's bloody body in more blankets. You then call Gikil who comes in soon after. "Is it done?" Gikil asks. "No, I obviously have been teaching the baby to paint with the color red, of course it's fucking done you idiot! Here, take this body and dispose of it." You say attempting to hand off the corpse wrapped in bloody blankets. Gikil takes it reluctantly and then quickly rushes out the door to call for some lackey to do it for him. Typical. When he was worrying about you not going through with it, you notice he was actually too weak to suggest that HE do it himself. This is why you always have to do everything yourself. You immediately go to the table where Big Red's contract still lays. You look it over again and see it's changed slightly from the first time you looked over it last year. Typical infernal contract, always with the loopholes. Big Red probably didn't think you could read infernal and granted you don't understand all the words which under normal circumstances would be enough to doom you. However, you've got a loophole of your own. You take a quill, dip it in your baby's blood and write your signature. No sign of Big Red yet, but you imagine it won't be long. Meanwhile Gikil re-enters the room. "Did you sign it?" he asks. "You're just full of obvious idiotic questions today aren't you? Yes, I fucking signed it. Now all we're waiting for is this red asshole to show up." You respond Gikil nods and you see him flash a small smile. As much as you lowered yourself to fuck a dero, you think sharing your bed with this fool repeatedly was more degrading. Thankfully that will be over soon. Big Red suddenly appears. "Ah, so you have made your decision. Good thing too, I can already tell this world is nearly at its end. Or at least this continent. In any case, I trust you have the hundred souls?" Big Red says. "A few more than a hundred actually, but I imagine you already KNEW I wasn't going to make a thousand in time." You say. "Well I wouldn't be good at my job if I couldn't judge these things. I do thank you for the extra souls though." "Big Red, the souls are in the chests over there." Gikil says pointing to a couple of them against the wall. "Excellent, I'll just take a look and we'll soon be on our way." Big Red goes over to the chests and opens them. Gikil is hovering around him quite a bit. "You see, it's all there. And everything was done just like you said." Gikil says. "Well the souls are here, but I still need to look over the contract just as a formality. I have to say Semra, I'm looking very forward to all the time we're going to soon be spending together." Big Red says going over to the table. "What about me? You..." "Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten our deal. Your worthless life and your soul will be spared and you'll get to go through the portal." Gikil smiles and even laughs a little. "So...you made a deal with Big Red?" you ask. "YES! And I just bent you over and fucked you in the ass good and hard!" Gikil laughs. You stare at Gikil while he launches into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Eventually he manages to stop himself long enough to speak again. "Big Red said that you'd most likely never sign away your soul willingly and would die attempting to gather a thousand souls unless there was a loop hole you thought you could exploit. So he proposed the baby idea to me to propose to you." Gikil remarks. "Makes sense. I knew you couldn't have come up with that one yourself." You reply. "Make your snide quips about my intelligence if you want, but I'M not the one who is going to be in hell sucking demon cock for eternity!" "That remains to be seen. So I'm guessing signing in blood from my baby doesn't qualify as a loophole." You say. "Oh it probably would have, if I didn't anticipate you potentially attempting such a thing. Hence why I proposed the idea to Gikil and had the contract changed, guessing you didn't bother re-reading it closely." Big Red interrupts, still reading over the contract. "Yeah, and I made sure Big Red agreed to spare my soul if I was the one who got you pregnant and go along with the plan. Face it, I fucked you every which way I could and I enjoyed every fucking moment of it! You don't know how long I've waited for the day that I didn't have to put up with your condescending arrogance anymore! You deserve everything you're going to get and so am I!" Gikil gloats. "Hm, you might be right about that one, Gikil." You say. Big Red interrupts again. "I have to admit, I am a bit surprised this plan worked. I didn't think you'd fall for it. While I'm happy that it did, I'm mildly disappointed that you were so foolish enough to believe a fool like your traitorous minion here. In fact...oh...oh...I see what you did...clever." Big Red's voice says with a mixture of emotion. You smile which causes Gikil to look back and forth at you and Big Red rapid succession. Big Red is just shaking his head still looking at the contract. "What?! WHAT?! What did she do?!" he exclaims. "Remember that reference you made about getting fucked in the ass good and hard? Well, that was only part of what I engaged to return the favor for your attempted failed and honestly quite predictable treachery." You remark. "Yeah, that kid isn't yours Gikil. I cannot detect your essence in the blood at all." It takes a moment for Gikil to process, but then he does and... "You mean she fucked another guy and pretended it was mine the whole time? You fucking whore bitch!" You chuckle and just utter "Cuck." "Yep, I'm afraid our deal is null and void Gikil. You didn't carry out the deed." Big Red says. "But...but...fuck! Shit! Fine! I'll die here then, but I'm going to at least take satisfaction that SHE is going to be a slave in hell for all eternity!" Gikil shouts. "Yeah, hate to take away the consolation prize, but she fucked me over as well. I can only detect her essence in the blood and even that is weak compared to the utter nothingness I detected. This baby wasn't full svelk, it was a halfbreed." "Halfbreed? But...there's no others on this continent except the undead and..." Gikil trails off and looks at you in disbelief. "You...you fucked a dero?!" Gikil says. "Yep, and as unpleasant as an experience to lower myself in such a way, that little twisted freak was still better at it than you were." You say. "Normally it wouldn't matter who the father was, but as I've mentioned to Semra, the dero are a tainted cursed race. She's successfully befouled the blood of her baby by breeding with one of them. Well I guess I only have myself to blame for even mentioning the status of the dero, even if it seemed inconsequential at the time." Big Red says with a heavy sigh. "But...but...doesn't that render the contract null and void?!" Gikil asks. "Nope, it's not something I anticipated, so the contract still stands while her soul is safe from me...for now." Big Red says looking over at you. Gikil collapses to the floor in despair. He thought he was being so clever and has found his pitiful plan come to ruin. "At least you got to share my bed a few times, which is the greatest achievement a lowly unimaginative male such as yourself could accomplish. Are you seriously about to cry? Pathetic." Gikil turns to you in his grief of his fate and his face is one of violent rage. "Fuck you Semra, FUCK YOU!" he shouts getting up and grabbing his weapon with the intent of murdering you. Naturally you were expecting some sort of last attempt at killing you and you easily strike down Gikil with a blast of lightning, frying him instantly. He collapses to the ground not quite dead and smoking until you set him on fire to put him down for good (and his potential rising corpse). You now turn your attention to Big Red. "Well if you're done, we can get going. I'll open up the portal to the infernal realm and from there open up another one to a world similar to what this one used to be. Silly question, but are you taking anyone with you? The contract did allow you to, though I can't imagine you won't be having the numbers you originally had in mind given that you've pissed off most, if not all of them." Big Red says. Not so much of a silly question as it is an already answered one since Big Red isn't far off on his comments and assumptions. There aren't many left to even save anymore and you're hardly inclined to bother at this point. Perhaps if things had worked out differently, you might have very well led masses of svelk into a new world where you could all start over again. You weren't completely opposed to the idea after all. While you're not exactly going to be leading your civilization to conquer the new world, there's still the option to taking what remains, if only so you won't be completely going it alone. > You go in alone In these last couple years, you've come to the inevitable conclusion that all of this was about you from the start. Granted you always sort of knew that already. Sure, you could take this entire fortress of a hundred or so svelk left and start over. Forge a new svelk Empire, conquer the lessers, but for what purpose really? It ultimately fell apart the first time it was tried. Then later when you actually managed to reunify them again, you weren't exactly appreciated for your efforts. All you got were complaints, whining, backstabbing, assassination attempts and treason. Why the hell would you bother putting yourself in that position again just to save a group that is inherently ungrateful anyway? No. They can die along with this world. You're obviously the best example of the race anyway. As long as you survive, the svelk will survive. And you're certainly a survivor. "No. Open the portal." You say to Big Red. Big Red nods and opens a glowing dark red portal. "Well? Ladies first." Big Red says. You take a deep breath and exhale as you walk towards the portal. You pause before it, and feel the heat emanating from the portal. Even the glow look ominous, there's no question where this one is going. You look back at your room realizing that this will be the last time you will ever set eyes on your world again. You briefly think about all your life choices that led you to this point and whisper. "Goodbye Francis." You step into the portal... You find yourself in a hostile looking wasteland with a red sky. It's unbearably hot as well. In the distance your can see figures flying about and large black fortresses amongst the rocky landscape. Strange noises of all sorts come from various directions and you feel very vulnerable. It's not a big improvement from where you just came from. At first you think Big Red has broken the deal, but he soon pops in near you and starts to open up another portal. "Hold on, opening up portals to other worlds from THIS side isn't exactly as common as mortals like to believe for us. Takes a lot of power and the only reason why I'm even able to rip open a portal to this one, is because the barriers there between this realm and it are a little weak right now, thanks to multiple succubus incursions there. Plus I have all these new souls you've given me to help with opening it. Feel free to to explore my home in the meantime." Big Red says. "Considering your home's name certainly fits everything I've heard about the place, I think I'll just be staying put until you finish up here." You reply. You continue to look around you expecting an attack at any moment while Big Red is casting his spell. "So, you said this new world would be similar to mine. In what way?" you ask. "Well, it's roughly the same technological level, magic exists there, probably most of the same races exist, though they might be different than the versions on your world." Big Red explains. "So there might be svelk there?" you ask. "Maybe, I dunno. I don't bother with the details of every world; I'm not a god. Speaking of which, there ARE deities that actually do shit on this world on occasion, so there's a major difference from your world." "And they're just going to let you open a portal to it from the infernal realm?" "Not like they can stop me from here. Besides, I just said they were active, not watching constantly over every little thing, not to mention more than a few of those gods are assholes who don't give a shit about the well being of mortals. Anyway stop talking, I need to focus on this." You comply with Big Red's request since you really do want to be out of this place as soon as possible. While it seems like forever, eventually Big Red opens up another portal. This one is displaying a green field of grass and a blue sky. You can't tell much else, but looks more pleasant than this place or your own world. "There you go. It's open and ready for you to enter." Big Red says. You don't say anything except nod and make your way towards the portal. You're about to enter when you suddenly feel Big Red's hand grab your arm strongly. You look up a bit at him and you see an expression you haven't seen from him before: Serene anger. You get the very strong impression that he wants you to try something. Obviously he's dropped the pretense of being a "charming" negotiating demon as the aura he's giving off now is enough to make even you feel a healthy dose of fear. His stare is probably looking quite literally into your soul. "Before you go, I just want you to know I haven't simply dismissed how you managed to cheat your way out of the contract." Big Red says. "I didn't cheat. I outwitted you." You remark. You feel a tighter squeeze on your arm. You continue to look Big Red in his eyes despite the fact that fear is starting to turn into terror. In fact you blink for a brief moment you see something much larger, meaner and uglier in your presence. Then it's gone. You wonder if you just saw Big Red's true form. "I know you're scared mortal despite the attempt at brave defiance you're putting on right now." There's a part of you that wants to make a last ditch effort to attack, you might even escape, but probably with one less arm at best. And again, you know that Big Red wants you to attack since it would give him an excuse to render the contract null and void. There's also a part of you that just wants to meekly surrender to Big Red's power trip. He'd probably let you go quicker, and while he'd still lose, he'd get the satisfaction of making you quiver like a little girl. But then you didn't make it this far by just laying back and taking it. (Even when you literally were laying back and taking it) "Fine, but you said it yourself that you only have yourself to blame for not anticipating every loophole." You say. Big Red immediately squeezes down tighter on your arm, which now feels like it's being cut off as his claws are now digging into your flesh. In fact your whole body starts to feel like it's being set on fire causing you to crumple to your knees as Big Red still grips your arm looking down at you. "You are of course correct and I even respect what you managed to do in some small way." Big Red says with a smile and then slowly starts to release your arm, at which point the pain throughout your body also fades. You get up, rubbing your arm a bit while looking at him, saying nothing and quickly making your way to the portal. "I look forward to our next encounter Semra." Big Red says. You step into the portal and you feel like you're floating with your sight filled with a lot of flashing blue and green light before you feel like you're back on solid ground again. You're on a field of healthy green grass and a bright blue sky above you. You look around and see that you're practically in the middle of nowhere, except there's a road nearby, so you can at least follow and see where that leads. The portal is gone. As you start to walk, you try to put aside the fear that Big Red put in you just a few moments ago. You shiver a bit just thinking about how close you actually were being in the infernal realm forever. Big Red also implied he'd look forward to your next encounter, you get the strong impression that he isn't going to just let what you did go. But that's a problem for another day, you realize your short-term goals for now are to learn more about this world and get your bearings. Determine who can be useful and how you'll be treated. It'll take some time, but you figure you can start forming ideas about what your long term goals are as you gather information. You aren't sure how you're going to go about things in general, but rest assured it's going to be different than how you handled things on your own world. It's a brand new world and it's all yours for the taking. > Epilogue Eternal Mistress Years later... "Is it standard practice for the Syndicate to keep important clients waiting this long?" you ask. "You'll wait as long as it takes the boss to get here and you'll like it. I'll remind you that it's only due to you offering such a large sum of coin that this deal is taking place. It better all be here." Devon replies. "You can have your people unload the chests from the wagon right now, go ahead and count it if you wish." "Don't worry we will." The Syndicate lieutenant gives you a dirty look and turns his back completely on you. Complete disrespect. This human is so confident in his abilities and position that almost as if by doing so he's daring you to attack him. No matter what world, humans are the same all over. Too overconfident in their meager abilities when they never have any right to be. They seem to be all over the fucking place on this world too. The only up side is at least they are as predictable here as they were on your own world. Still, there was a time and place for you when such behavior would never have happened. Even when you spoke to so called rulers, you still commanded respect. There's a part of you that sometimes wonders if you shouldn't have at least taken a few of your people with you since you've yet to encounter anyone similar to your own race. And you're not counting those barbaric sveld or "elves" as they're also commonly called here. Other than the superficial appearance they're nothing like you. Most of the ones you've encountered are even less civilized than the ones that were on your world. At least the ones on your world were just a weak sub-race split off from your own superior one. The ones here seem to mainly be a bunch of hedonistic painted degenerates that dance around in the trees naked and the ones that live in the cities aren't much better. But then such are the failings of the lesser born. In fact you're reminded of just how many in your life have failed you, including your own people. No, it's better that you started completely fresh, no need for encumbrances of the past. Even if one particular one still enters your thoughts now and then. "Francis would have conquered half of this world by himself already." You say to yourself with smile. "Hey you." A Syndicate member shouts as three of them approach you. You can tell by the looks on their faces this is going to be yet more poor attempts of unnecessary posturing. "Yes?" you answer already mentally predicting their comments. "We noticed you have absolutely no back up for this meeting. Even our Shadow boys detected nothing invisible or lurking in the trees nearby." One of them with a black claw on his left arm says. "That's correct. Should I have back up? I was under the impression that the ECS deals fairly with its customers. Not really good business practice backstabbing them for no reason otherwise." "True. However, you're still awfully trusting being out here alone with a wagon full of gold by yourself in the woods. It would be really easy to rob you...or worse if we were so inclined." "Hmm, perhaps I'm a powerful sorceress and need no back up." "Hah. Nice try, but if you had any magic abilities, again our Shadows would have detected them." "Well I guess you called my bluff and I'd be at your mercy." "Indeed. Guess it's a good thing we're all honorable men here." "I suppose it is. So exactly what would YOU do to me? Hm?" you ask mildly seductively. "Heh, I knew you were like that. I could just tell. You got the body and face and you walk about knowing what you're doing the entire time. Swinging your hips, flipping your hair and all that other shit. What would I do though? I'd bend you over good and give it to you hard. I get the impression you like it rough." "You're more observant than you would appear. Mildly intriguing. So what else would you do? I mean your scenario doesn't sound very interesting in the scheme of things. You have your two friends over there and I got two more paths to pleasure, wouldn't they be joining us?" The one with the tattoo looks over at his two comrades and chuckles before looking back at her. "Oh, you want THAT do you? Well that could be arranged too. Just one question though, we've been trying to figure out." "What's that?" "What exactly are you? None of us have ever seen someone like you before. You look sort of like an elf, but your skin is way darker than those mostly pale tree huggers. You don't have succubus blood in you do you? Because I've heard stories about those types." "No. I'm...unique. And I guarantee after tonight, you'll never see anyone like me ever again." Before any of the Syndicate members can respond to your statement, Devon approaches again. "HEY! What the fuck are you lot doing?! I told you assholes to unload that fucking wagon and take it over to ours! And as for you, come over here, the boss has arrived." Devon says. "We'll pick this up later boys." You say and follow him. After a short walk through the trees, you reach a clearing where the boss of this operation stands, Eric, another grim looking man with only business in mind. Next to him a wagon with young human children of all types huddle together in a large cage. "Is this them?" you ask. "Yeah, this is all what you asked for." Eric answers. You walk over to the cage to get a closer look and after a brief scan at the scared little ragamuffins, you shake your head. "Bah, these lot are going to take so much time and money to train." You exclaim. "Well, that's not my problem, you asked for young children. If you wanted warriors right from the start, you could have gone elsewhere." Eric says. "I don't want just warriors, I desire something more and I can only get that if I train them directly from a young age. In any case, I'll be taking my coin back." You say. "Nice joke, but all sales are final." "I understand that, but I'm taking my coin back." "You don't seem to understand at all because I'm telling you this isn't a fucking trader's bazaar. You aren't getting your fucking coin back because you don't like what you've paid for already." Eric follows up by giving you a stern threatening look, which causes you to laugh. "No YOU don't seem to understand, I'm taking my coin AND the children." You begin to cast and without another word, Eric immediately disappears using his shadow magic also causing the surroundings around you to slow down. Of course this is a form of magic you're all too familiar with and the Empire's old Shadow Guard was much more skilled in using it than these magic dabbling criminals. You utter a simple word and instantly not only does Eric unwillingly become visible, but so do several shadows that were approaching you. The advantage of their speed is also completely nullified. Eric's face has changed from one of grim seriousness to shock when he realizes his advantage has been lost. You dodge the dagger coming straight at your face and easily grab his arm, disintegrating it before his eyes. Eric screams as he sees a stump where his limb used to be, you follow by kicking him in the his chest knocking the wind out of him and on to the ground. The other ECS members attempt to stop you, but to no avail, you've stripped away their advantage. You melt the face of the first attacker then stab the second in the throat with your own dagger. You dodge a few attacks from the next two shadow users before blasting them both with a freezing ray and then shattering them. You see Devon running away, but with a flick of your hand several of the weapons lying on the ground raise up and fly straight towards his back. He's impaled by every one of them and falls to the ground dead. Surprisingly you see Eric back on his feet and also trying to run off. This is stopped however with another disintegration spell to his legs this time. More screaming follows from the near limbless ECS Boss and you leave the area to go track down the last survivors. "Come on! Come on! Just grab what you can, it sounds like some bad shit is going down!" "Alright let's get on the wagon and get the hell out of here!" "Okay, I'm...fuck!" the Claw member says looking down at his chest and seeing a blade coming out of it. You pull the blade out of his back and run to catch the other two lowly thugs that were harassing you earlier. As the other two scrambled to get on their wagon, you cut down another before he can even reach it. The last one left is the charming fellow with the claw tattoo. He turns to you and begs for his life pathetically. "Please! Spare my life! You can take everything, just let me go!" "Let you go? And here I thought you were going to bend me over and give it to me hard. You lot are always so full of promises and then come up short." Already tiring of his pleas, which were just as boring as his previous proposal, you end this distraction with a quick beheading. "Told you that after tonight, you'd never see anyone like me again." Having dispatched the last of the ECS members, you cast a spell to calm down the horses, which were about to run off from all this excitement going on around them. You return to the clearing and find Eric desperately still attempting to crawl away with one arm left. You kick him to roll him over. He knows he's done for. "Do it, my soul is already prepared for the Shadow God Fel." Eric exclaims trying to put on a brave front in the face of doom. "Fel huh? So that's what you shadow magic users call him here. Interesting." You reply. "You...you won't get away with this. The Syndicate is going to put a contract on your head and you won't have ANYWHERE to run to. Our reach is long." "I'm sure that'll be interesting as well." "Who...who are you anyway?" "Who am I? What am I? I seem to be getting a lot of questions like that tonight. Not sure that it matters at this point, but since you've been such a good sport about all this, why not?" You stand over Eric with a complete sense of superiority and then utter the words that compliment such a stance. "I am Semra D'vessa, last of the svelk people. I escaped the death of my world only to find myself on yet another world filled with ignorant lessers. It doesn't matter though, I will overcome this as I have overcome everything else in my life and this is just a minor step in what will ultimately be my complete victory." This proclamation is of course completely lost on Eric. You're not even sure why he bothered to ask. Bored of dragging this out, you set him on fire and ignore his screams as you go over to the children still locked in the large cage. They've certainly seen a lot tonight and predictably all of them are crying. Except one and that one grabs your attention. A little blonde boy just stares at the screaming burning sack of flesh. He's not crying. He's not doing anything except just staring at Eric in his last agonizing moments. The little boy's eyes also glance at the other dead bodies in the area that you've created tonight. "You, boy. Come to the door of the cage." You demand. The boy obeys and you unlock the cage with a spell, pulling the boy out and getting a closer look at him. There's nothing excessively special about the boy. You detect nothing about him that would indicate that he isn't just another ignorant monkey. He stares at you back, never looking away and keeps eye contact. There's no fear. He's so brave. He reminds you of someone similar. "Boy, do you understand that your life is about to change severely and that if you wish to live long enough to enjoy your pathetically short time here that you are going to have to obey me?" you ask. "Um...yes?" the boy stumbles to answer. "That didn't sound certain, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" You slap the boy to the ground. To his credit, he still doesn't cry. "Yes! Yes I understand Sem..." the boy begins to say before you quickly kneel down to put your hand over his mouth. Apparently the boy was also listening closely to your words to Eric earlier. You're pleased that he was so observant, but he will still need to learn. "Oh no little one. You don't get to address me by that name, at least not yet. For now, you will call me Mistress." You whisper in his ear before licking it. "Remember this."

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, villain protagonist] "Wait. What the fuck am I thinking about? Francis had terrible ideas hence the reason why all this is happening in the first place. Not sure why I'm getting the blame, but then Belina, you always were jealous of me." You step back and unleash flames from your hands, setting Belina's corpse on fire. It continues to move towards you a few steps before succumbing to the flames which weaken its structure enough that collapses into a pile of burning flesh. With the immediate problem solved you refocus your mind back your previous task. "A new world. A fresh start. Yes, that is perhaps what I need now. Doesn't matter if I have to start over, I'll succeed. Shit, might even be better if I don't have most of the current fools impeding my progress as usual." Speaking of fools, several of your "attentive" guards have finally showed up after hearing the noises coming from the meeting room. They go on about how they came quickly and ask if you're all right. You naturally dismiss their phony concerns and tell some of them to clean up the burning mess on the floor while the rest of them accompany you to the summoning chamber. You have demons to trap. Hours pass and you manage to trap eight more even if it took about fifteen to actually summon. At least you didn't lose anyone today, not that you care, but more because then you would have had to expend even more energy killing the reanimated corpses. You're exhausted though as the stress of the day has really gotten to you. You can't even be bothered to have some idiot lackey service you. You're going to just get some sleep. It's been awhile anyway, you've probably been up for a couple days. Other than the recent incident with Belina, your area has been relatively free of undead activity this day, so hopefully the sentries are able to handle any potential trouble while you attempt to rest. You get to your bed and nearly fall asleep immediately. Time passes until you hear a voice... "Semra...Semra...my svelk beauty...are you awake?" You open your eyes and see Francis lying next to you. He gently starts to caress your shoulder. "Oh good. It's just an incubus. I thought for a moment Marzost had snuck in here and rolled in sulfur to improve his scent." You say. "Incubus? No my dear, I'm the answer to all your desires." Francis says moving his hand lower to one of your breasts. "I know damn well you're not Francis, not to mention there is no way Francis would be acting the way you are now." "If I'm not Francis as you say, and in indeed an incubus. Why are you allowing me to touch you in such a manner?" "Didn't say I didn't mind the illusion. I'm guessing you must have slipped in during one of the summonings. Smart of you to stay hidden, though sort of wondering how you did it. I've been very thorough with setting up proper protections and incubi aren't known to be very powerful in breaking through such spells. You're inferior to your female counterparts, as is usually the case with males of any race." "And as I've said, I'm not an incubus." Francis (Or the image of him) gets up a bit and transforms into a very traditional looking red skinned demon. Not an incubus, but certainly nothing outwardly extraordinary about him, though obviously if he's here, he has some power. In your fatigued state, you're not even sure you'd be able to take him without some major effort. You decide to play it civil for now. "Hm, I don't remember summoning any demon lords or princes. I was very careful about sticking to low level fodder of your kind." You say. "Oh you didn't. I'm no lord or prince or anything like that. Just an infernal who noticed some of my fellows being ripped from home and caught a ride as it were. Might not have noticed at all had you not been summoning so many within such a short period of time and in the careful way you were doing it. Usually with the numbers you were doing, wizardly types just open a gate for their armies or whatever and be done with it." The demon responds. "Well next time I'll try to be more reckless. So if we're going to talk, what do I address you as then if you're not demon royalty?" "Oh, just call me Big Red or Red. Everyone else does." "Big Red?" you say and look him up and down somewhat baffled by the name. "Long story and not important." The demon now gets off the bed completely and stands beside it to address you. You can now feel his presence in your head, though he's not being very invasive...yet. "Getting back to the matter at hand, I can't help but notice your world is doomed. Is that why you're summoning us? You don't actually expect an army of infernals to help you fight what's coming do you? This world is far too gone for that now." He says. "And you know this how?" you ask. "Oh I've seen this before. In fact I saw this the first time it happened. Was a bit more fascinating at the time. Now it's just something to avoid when possible, well normally it is anyway...you have a very interesting mind." "Of course I do. So were planning on raping my mind instead of my body?" "Hadn't planned on it and from what I can tell at a brief glance, you'd probably find some pleasure in such a thing, but I'd prefer a more consensual approach. Apparently you're attempting to leave this world and you're hoping to do something with trapped infernals for this process?" Since there's no point in keeping secrets from Big Red who currently has the upper hand, you explain what you're trying to do. He looks a bit thoughtful for a moment and then responds. "Well it's certainly been tried before in your situation, but unfortunately once a world is marked like this, it's very difficult to leave even through portals like you're attempting to open. A barrier of sorts is usually put up to prevent such escape attempts. Even if successful, the God of Death or whatever he calls himself, doesn't like loose ends and mortals escaping during a reaping tends to just doom whatever world they fled to." "Wait. What?" "Oh yes. For example there was a powerful magic reptilian race called the Milosian who also attempted immortality and turn themselves into gods. Didn't work of course and only brought the doom to their world. They too resisted in the usual ways, even summoning us infernals and making pacts in the hopes of saving themselves. None of it worked. We knew that of course, but a soul is a soul right? In any case several of them realized that escape was the only way to avoid the reaping so they managed to open a portal to a completely different world. A fairly peaceful one even. Hundreds of Milosians who were still alive entered the portal believing they were safe." "They weren't of course." "No, the portal didn't close behind them despite even attempts to close it, but they were marked and they would not escape death. Didn't take long before the very world they escaped to started suffering the same fate. Not that it deserved having all life extinguished on it, but there's usually no way to avoid things like these and deserves got nothing to do with it." "And so that world died as well?" "Yes. Everything on it. The Death God isn't fond of escape attempts from a reaping, especially massive ones like the Milosians tried and he just becomes more focused on the task. Besides, mortals all eventually die anyway so I imagine it's just getting ahead in the workload to him." "Shit." You're now wide-awake and concerned about your situation even more than you were before. You're also angry. You have a solution to ensure your survival and now you're hearing that it won't even work. You get up out of bed cursing and even throwing an old valuable svelk vase against the wall. You then look over at Big Red who is now sitting on the edge of your bed just watching you. There IS still a way out of this. You have some knowledge of the demonic mind and this one obviously wouldn't have told you about any of this if he wasn't going to offer you a way out. You can guess what the price is going to be though. You compose yourself and address Big Red. "So...how DO I escape?" you ask. "What makes you think you can?" Big Red says. "Because you wouldn't be bothering to stick around if there wasn't a loophole." "I could just be enjoying taunting you." "You could and it would be quite in character for a demon, but I don't sense that you'd bother with something so petty or at least not when you could get something more out of it." "Quite astute. You are definitely one of the better examples of your kind. Very well let's get to the good part. Yes, there IS a way you can escape without being detected or at least in such a way that you won't be immediately followed. You could go through my home which is the Infernal Realm." "Great plan, escape death only to end up in hell. Not real keen on getting ass raped by demons forever." "Oh trust me, perpetual anal violation would be the kindest thing that would happen to you. However, it need not be that way. I could be persuaded to give you safe passage. Basically, you'd enter the Infernal Realm and from there I'll have a gate open to another world similar to yours. Your trail as it were would be erased, and you'd be free to start your new life without being hunted." "And let me guess, you want my soul in return." "Well safe passage through the Infernal Realm is pretty expensive. I'm going to need more than just yours. Let's see, you've trapped about twenty of my infernal comrades so far. I'd say about a hundred of yours plus yourself should cover it." "A hundred?" "What's the problem? Don't tell me you're actually concerned for your fellow svelk." "It's not that, it's just a hell of a lot when I need all the fodder I can get not to mention sacrificing a hundred svelk isn't going to improve the already tenuous relationship I have with my fellow svelk. Last thing I need is a full on revolt. Can't I make other offerings instead, like humans or dero? I could at least justify that more to my people and have an easier time gathering them. A soul is a soul right?" Big Red taps his chin with a clawed finger for a moment. "Well under normal circumstances, you'd be right, a soul is a soul, but again these aren't normal circumstances. Human souls are so damn common that a hundred of them are of practically no great value. Not interested in human souls at this time, not to mention most of them will probably be ending up in the Infernal Realm after the reaping anyway. So will most your race too, but your race's souls on other hand have certain superior quality about them that I would personally like first dibs on. Your soul in particular is quite intoxicating. Yes, you have been a very naughty girl. I believe even a few infernals could learn something from you. I'm not familiar with these dero, but I suppose I could check them out, I'll get back to you on that, but as it stands I want a hundred svelk souls and yours. Also going to need your signature in blood to ensure that deal." "Yeah about that, can't I just give you two hundred instead?" Big Red chuckles. "Well that didn't take long.. So you propose to offer two hundred for your life then? Why not a thousand?" Big Red asks. "A thousand?" you respond. "None of your blood needed for that deal of course. If it's too risky, then you know the old price. I'll give you some time to think about it, in the meantime you better get started right away since a hundred of your fellows will be mine either way assuming you still want safe passage through my home." "And this is the only option you offer?" "Well you could still take your chances with your plan, but I guarantee it won't work." Not much of a choice. A thousand svelk souls is a tall order. It's not just a simple matter of having a thousand svelk killed. You're going to have to go through a similar ritual process of how you're currently trapping the demons. Granted less complex and less immediate danger, but doing something like this on a grand scale is eventually going to draw more ire from the svelk population which is already showing signs of splintering apart thanks to the relentless undead attacks, as well as your previous arrangement with dero. Of course being a demon, everything he says could very well be an outright lie and this could all be an excuse to try to gather souls (specifically yours) while he's here. The problem is demons tend to mix the truth with their lies. Still, you're just as equally prone to dismiss Big Red altogether. Making deals with demons usually never ends well. The fall of the old Svelk Empire is proof of that. Along with other things more personal. > You decline the deal There is no way in hell you're making any sort of deal with a fucking demon. As smart as you believe yourself to be, they are always one step ahead with some sort of trick. Especially if they're proposing the deal in the first place. And this Big Red seems particularly crafty, he's proposing something he knows is impossible so you'll eventually have to submit to him. You'd rather take your chances with the dero. At least you can warn Marzost about the situation and maybe you can come up with something. "Yeah, I don't think I'll be taking any sort of deal with you. I'll figure something out, I always do." You say. "I see. Well I am disappointed to not get first dibs on your soul. In any case I suppose I'll take my leave of you for now. Perhaps you'll be in a more accommodating mood at that time." Big Red replies. "Don't count on it." "I suppose we'll see. Oh I suppose I should tell you that imprisoning my fellow infernals will have to cease. The Infernal Realm takes a dim view of mortals chaining its citizens up like slaves." "You're joking. Don't you lot enslave each other all the fucking time?" "And that's just it, YOU my dear are NOT an infernal. To be enslaved by a mortal is so undignified, especially when you aren't even giving them a sporting chance to get out of it. You're just intending them to use them as an energy source. No, I'm afraid your actions must stop as of right now...unless..." "Unless what? I give you my soul?" "Well that would be nice, but I already know your answer to that. What I was going to suggest is an act of goodwill on your part. You see, I know a few of those infernals you currently have locked up in those crystals. I'd like to take them back with me." "Oh. Okay...well the crystals are over in that chest over there. Check through them to find your friends I guess." "I didn't say they were my friends. Just said I knew them. Also there are so many crystals to search through, so I'll just be taking ALL of them. I assume that's fine with you as you can just capture more." Big Red looks at you, though now he seems a little more menacing with his stare. Something about it causes a slight shiver in your body. There's definitely more to him than meets your eyes. You feel like it's better to just let him have the crystals as his bribe. "Okay, they're yours." You say. "That's a good compliant girl." Big Red replies. Big Red walks over and grabs the chest full of crystals under one arm then walks over to you. You defensively move back, though he puts up a hand as if to imply he means you no harm. "Don't worry. I'm not going to attack you. Just going to say that I might be lingering around so if you change your mind just call." Big Red then closes his eyes and sniffs the air near you before addressing you again. "Hmmm...damn your soul is almost making me forget that I'm a gentleman. I shall take my leave." He says and then disappears before your eyes. While it's very difficult to make you feel uncomfortable, Big Red certainly managed to accomplish it. You're just glad he was one of those demons that seemed to like toying with his potential victims because you got the impression he would have been a tougher fight than he let on. You're also certain that not making any sort of deal with him was the correct choice. Unfortunately he set you back quite a bit. You'll have to not only get more crystals from the dero, but you'll have recapture demons all over again. At this point, you're probably going to have to do this demon summoning business in the dero lair. It'll be more taxing and generally unpleasant, but it should cut down on the potential for a demon like Big Red to manage to sneak in. Marzost will probably be happy to accommodate you so that aspect shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully he keeps his drooling to a minimum and doesn't try to touch you again though. In a few days you go to meet with the dero and speak with Marzost about the situation. He's of course disappointed to hear that you lost progress, but as predicted he's more than willing to let you proceed with doing the demon capturing with dero supervision. "Don't worry Mistress, I will have some of our best warriors to standby when you perform your work." Marzost says. "Glad to hear it, but I'll want to have some of my own people here as well." "Of course. I'm sure we'll get back on track fairly quickly. I would like to propose something though." "Oh? And before you do Marzost, I want you to think very carefully about if this proposal would involve something unseemly." "Heh, no nothing like that. I was merely going to suggest that you stay here rather than going back to your fortress." "So it IS something unseemly." "No, not at all. I know this is going to be more taxing on you, but we have even less time than we did before. You're going to need to take intervals to rest and then get back to it immediately. I just meant it would all go quicker if you stayed here. You obviously don't need to stay in the actual Dero settlement; you could stay in the svelk outpost above us." "Hm, something to consider I suppose. Since you're so full of ideas, I might as well ask your opinion on Big Red's statement that when we open this portal, we won't be able to close it and we'll just be prolonging the inevitable." "Oh that. Well, he's a demon, so I would guess he was just lying in order to try to get you to agree to sign a contract for your soul." "Yeah, that was my guess too, still though he could be telling the truth so is there something we can potentially do to prevent it?" "I mean you're the powerful sorceress, I would imagine if you wouldn't be able to do it, nothing we could do would help either." "Don't you lot have sort of weird technology or something that could do something? You lot are supposed to be great inventors and all." "Heh, well I suppose it couldn't hurt to try to look into something like that, but it's not like we've got a lot of the big brains here to research shit like that anymore or even the time. I can't promise we'll solve that potential issue before we open up the portal. I suppose that if this Big Red is telling the truth, we'll just have to resolve it later. At the very least, getting off this world will buy us more time." "True. One problem at a time I guess." "So what about the other thing I mentioned?" "What thing?" "You staying here." "Oh right. Your proposal." Marzost looks at you expectantly. > You stay closer to the Dero stronghold Making a trek back and forth from your fortress to here day in day out is going to be a pain in the ass especially if you have to face the occasional undead attack along the way. You could just have a retinue of soldiers transferred here and have your personal belongings moved as well. Honestly you're just as "safe" here as you are anywhere else and can still run things from here. "Very well, the proposal makes sense, I'll make preparations." You reply. "Glad to hear it. We look forward to a closer relationship with our svelk allies in this endeavor." Marzost says with a minor upbeat tone in his voice. You laugh a bit at Marzost's response. "We? I think you might be the only dero that's looking forward to it and that's only because you'll get to see me more often. It's okay, I know you can't help staring at perfection, but I'm going to say this now since we will be seeing each other more often. Stare, look, imagine, fantasize all you want, don't touch though. And I mean don't attempt to touch my hand or especially anything else of mine. You've done it twice already in the time we've known each other. There will not be a third." Some of Marzost's enthusiasm seems slightly deflated by your words. "Very well, I meant no offense and apologize for my transgressions and promise I will behave in more fitting manner in the future." "Hm, we shall see." You immediately get preparations underway. You give Gikil command over your fortress and tell him to remain focused on keeping the remainder of the svelk population from being overrun by undead. Gikil has always been fairly uncomplicated and agrees to this task. You're not exactly concerned with him plotting anything that will directly undermine you; at worst he's going to abuse his power in petty ways, like fucking someone's wife because he can. He's never shown any real signs of actually wanting anything more than his current position though. Drunni on the other hand has always been a problem. He's outright disagreed with you on several occasions and you just don't feel comfortable with him skulking about if you don't have the time to keep up on him on a regular basis. "What the fuck? I haven't done anything!" Drunni exclaims as he's being held by two guards. "You've been repeatedly obstinate and combative which is enough. I just don't find those traits very appealing in a male." You respond. "My apologies that I couldn't plunge the world into a death spiral by opening a portal to the realm of the dead like your dead monkey boyfriend." You smile. "And that right there, is why your life choices have lead you to the situation you're in right now." "And YOUR life choices have lead us all to this shit situation we're ALL in right now. Fuck it, we've been through all this before, just get it over with. I deserve to die for being such a damn fool to follow you in the first fucking place." "Ah Drunni, if only you had been this agreeable before." You nod to your soldiers who immediately force him to his knees and shove their swords downward between his neck and shoulders, he makes the usual sounds of pain but attempts to keep them to a minimum while he never takes his eyes off you. Blood coming from his mouth and giving off a stare of absolutely hatred, you step forward and jam a dagger into one of his eyes and kick him in the chest causing his body to slump awkwardly backwards. "Should have done that a long time ago. Well? Get that body out of here before it rises up. Oh and don't burn that one, just chop off its limbs and toss it in a field somewhere. Drunni can spend his undead life crawling about like the pathetic worm he was." After taking care of that bit of business, you return to your new temporary home and take Kessla's old room as you own. You then restart the long process of summoning and trapping demons once again. Three months later... You're exhausted. The process has been going a lot slower than you hoped. You've only managed to capture eleven of the damn things and summoned a lot more that had to be put down. One of the main problems besides the magic nullifying rocks all over the place making this process harder is apparently you're actively getting "pull back" from the other side. Several of the demons you've summoned have mentioned about how they all know what you've been doing and steps have been made to prevent it. While none have mentioned his name specifically, you can guess that Big Red has had something to do with all this. On top of everything else, the dero have been giving you shit. Well specifically the dero females. Almost anytime you stumble into one of those mini-shebeasts they are full of insults and disrespect. More than a few times, Marzost has had to step in to prevent something more violent from happening. It's all very tiresome. The only good thing that's come about is the reports from Gikil have stated that most of the remaining svelk communities are still holding out fairly well against the undead. Even rebellious behavior has been kept to a minimum. Still, the dead don't rest and your continent is starting to show the same signs of spontaneous dying vegetation and ruin. The fact is, if you don't figure out a way to speed up your process of capturing these demons, you're going to run out of time. In any case it's another day. You get ready to perform this necessary thing and make your way down to the dero lair. When you arrive, you see the usual dero warriors along with your own standing by. Fortunately no dero females, unfortunately Marzost has decided to pay another one of his visits. "Greetings Mistress, everything as usual has been prepared." "Great. You lot make any progress on being able to close the portal after I open it?" "No, I'm afraid. However, I have come up with something that might make your summoning process easier." "Oh?" "Yes, this!" Marzost pulls out a large metal syringe with glowing purple liquid inside. "And... what is that exactly?" you ask. "It's a stimulant! You won't feel as tired and you'll be able to focus a lot better. Basically you should be able to get more accomplished, I mean I know this is all very taxing on you and every time I see you, you're looking more fatigued." "Yeah well I'm summoning demons under a lot of forces working against me, of course I'm going to be a little tired." Marzost approaches closer, which causes you to instinctively move back. He then motions you to an area away from everyone else at which point you roll your eyes and follow. "What?" you say exasperated. "Mistress you're not just tired, you're not just exhausted, you're DRAINED. Seriously, and I wouldn't dare say this in front of anyone or even you normally, but have you looked in a mirror?" "Excuse me?" "You're aging. I mean...look I know your kind are known for their long lasting youthful appearance, and I imagine you being a powerful sorceress you've extended it even more, but...you're starting to show signs of age and granted it's only a few wrinkles here and there, however..." "Marzost, I'm gonna stop you right there, because if this was ANY other situation, I'd kill you where you stand for talking to me in such a manner." "You know I'm right. This concoction will give you that boost you need, that we ALL need because this isn't even just about you, we're ALL trying to get off this world before time runs out. At the rate you're going I don't see us achieving that." You stare at Marzost in anger because he is right. You are starting to show signs of aging, but that doesn't mean you want it pointed out. He's also right about potentially running out of time. You don't know about this drug though. Marzost assures you that it will work and he'd never offer it if he thought it would harm you. That last part is probably true, but it's still a risk. "Fine, you're right. So what then? I'm supposed to just let you inject me with this drug to make everything better? How the hell do I know what this is really going to do? For all I know I'm going to pass out and wake up covered in your dero seed." "Mistress I would never!" "Yeah, and you aren't getting the chance either. Have you even tested this on anyone else?" "Well no, but wait I'll test it on myself first!" Marzost is about to inject himself, but you interrupt. "And what good will that do? It could very well have a different effect or not affect you at all. You little ugly buggers are known to be extremely resilient." "Yeah you make a good point." "You'd need a svelk to test it on, specifically a female one just to be sure. Even then one test subject isn't very promising, but at least it might convince me better than you're doing right now." You turn to call over a couple of your soldiers. "You two, go upstairs and grab a female. I don't care which one, just get her and bring her down here." Doesn't take them long to bring a female svelk down, at which point there's the predictable realization at what's going on and the ensuing resistance. She's subdued fairly quickly at which point you tell Marzost to inject her and then keep her locked up for observation. "Assuming she doesn't die or show signs of being all fucked up after a month, THEN I might consider taking this so called enhancement." You say. With that bit of distraction over with, you get on with the business of summoning and capturing demons. One month passes... Sixteen. Sixteen demons total is all you've managed and you feel like you can hardly get out of bed some days. Everything is working against you, the environment, time, demons, and now even your own body. You don't even want to look in the mirror nowadays, you're not quite an old crone yet, but at this rate you'll certainly be one with little to show for it. Gikil's reports say that a several of the major svelk strongholds have been having an increase in undead activity along with the landscape of the continent showing more signs of decay. More than a few of the smaller svelk communities have been overrun completely. General order is still being maintained and the fight against the dead continues, but the population is starting to completely lose hope in the plan, at least those that know or even believe in it. You're going to have to start getting results, if only to save yourself. Marzost's experiment seems to have worked as he claimed. The test subject has shown an increase in endurance and speed. And as far as focus is concerned, she's tried to escape at least eight times with varying success despite new precautions put in place to prevent it. On top of all this, she was only given the one injection. There haven't been any negative side effects that have been noticed except an increase in aggression, but that might be just because she's pissed about her situation. She has threatened to kill you personally in at least half of her escape attempts. There's also the increase in lack of sleep and appetite, but you could get A LOT accomplished if you didn't need to stop to sleep or eat. It might be worth using the drug. > You use the drug Fuck it; you don't have much to lose at this point. You head down to the dero community and are glad to see Marzost is already at the summoning place for a change. "Marzost, just the dero I wanted to talk to. Get that concoction of yours, I'm ready to take the risk." You say. "I have one right here!" Marzost says pulling out metal syringe from his one of his deep pockets. "Hm, Of course you do. Well let's get this over with." Marzost looks a bit hesitant at first. You then realize why. "For fuck's sake, yes you have permission to touch me THIS time. Just make sure your hands don't wander where they don't need to." You exclaim. "Very well Mistress." Marzost says and walks over to you. Marzost pats your arm a couple times and runs his hand over it. You'd be more revolted, but you're honestly too tired. You'd probably be more nervous about all this, but again, you're just too damn tired to give a fuck anymore. Hopefully, that's all about to change. Marzost injects the purple liquid into your arm, which feels like hot oil going into your veins. "SHIT! FUCK!" you shout and pulling back barely allowing time for Marzost to pull the syringe out. "Easy Mistress. It had that effect on the other girl too at first, but it goes away once the drug settles. "Shit! I feel like my insides are burning!" You feel your heart racing faster and you actually crumple to your knees. Your warriors try to assist you, but you tell them to just get back. Marzost stands by continuing to tell you, it'll only last a little bit longer. Just when you think the pain is going to get worse, it completely stops and you feel more energetic. Like a lot more. You exhale and stand back up without much effort. "Feeling better Mistress?" Marzost asks. Before you can answer your head explodes. Then the rest of your body follows. Marzost and the others just stand there in shock for a few minutes covered in your bloody remains, which are all over the place. Such are the risks of only using one test subject as a example of the effects of an experimental drug. Doesn't take long before the svelk start blaming Marzost, which in turn causes the dero to become defensive, and violence ensues between the groups. All of this doesn't really matter to you though because you're dead. The only good thing is it was quick. What awaits you in the afterlife isn't quick however.

Making a trek back and forth from your fortress to here day in day out is going to be a pain in the ass especially if you have to face the occasional undead attack along the way. You could just have a retinue of soldiers transferred here and have your personal belongings moved as well. Honestly you're just as "safe" here as you are anywhere else and can still run things from here. "Very well, the proposal makes sense, I'll make preparations." You reply. "Glad to hear it. We look forward to a closer relationship with our svelk allies in this endeavor." Marzost says with a minor upbeat tone in his voice. You laugh a bit at Marzost's response. "We? I think you might be the only dero that's looking forward to it and that's only because you'll get to see me more often. It's okay, I know you can't help staring at perfection, but I'm going to say this now since we will be seeing each other more often. Stare, look, imagine, fantasize all you want, don't touch though. And I mean don't attempt to touch my hand or especially anything else of mine. You've done it twice already in the time we've known each other. There will not be a third." Some of Marzost's enthusiasm seems slightly deflated by your words. "Very well, I meant no offense and apologize for my transgressions and promise I will behave in more fitting manner in the future." "Hm, we shall see." You immediately get preparations underway. You give Gikil command over your fortress and tell him to remain focused on keeping the remainder of the svelk population from being overrun by undead. Gikil has always been fairly uncomplicated and agrees to this task. You're not exactly concerned with him plotting anything that will directly undermine you; at worst he's going to abuse his power in petty ways, like fucking someone's wife because he can. He's never shown any real signs of actually wanting anything more than his current position though. Drunni on the other hand has always been a problem. He's outright disagreed with you on several occasions and you just don't feel comfortable with him skulking about if you don't have the time to keep up on him on a regular basis. "What the fuck? I haven't done anything!" Drunni exclaims as he's being held by two guards. "You've been repeatedly obstinate and combative which is enough. I just don't find those traits very appealing in a male." You respond. "My apologies that I couldn't plunge the world into a death spiral by opening a portal to the realm of the dead like your dead monkey boyfriend." You smile. "And that right there, is why your life choices have lead you to the situation you're in right now." "And YOUR life choices have lead us all to this shit situation we're ALL in right now. Fuck it, we've been through all this before, just get it over with. I deserve to die for being such a damn fool to follow you in the first fucking place." "Ah Drunni, if only you had been this agreeable before." You nod to your soldiers who immediately force him to his knees and shove their swords downward between his neck and shoulders, he makes the usual sounds of pain but attempts to keep them to a minimum while he never takes his eyes off you. Blood coming from his mouth and giving off a stare of absolutely hatred, you step forward and jam a dagger into one of his eyes and kick him in the chest causing his body to slump awkwardly backwards. "Should have done that a long time ago. Well? Get that body out of here before it rises up. Oh and don't burn that one, just chop off its limbs and toss it in a field somewhere. Drunni can spend his undead life crawling about like the pathetic worm he was." After taking care of that bit of business, you return to your new temporary home and take Kessla's old room as you own. You then restart the long process of summoning and trapping demons once again. Three months later... You're exhausted. The process has been going a lot slower than you hoped. You've only managed to capture eleven of the damn things and summoned a lot more that had to be put down. One of the main problems besides the magic nullifying rocks all over the place making this process harder is apparently you're actively getting "pull back" from the other side. Several of the demons you've summoned have mentioned about how they all know what you've been doing and steps have been made to prevent it. While none have mentioned his name specifically, you can guess that Big Red has had something to do with all this. On top of everything else, the dero have been giving you shit. Well specifically the dero females. Almost anytime you stumble into one of those mini-shebeasts they are full of insults and disrespect. More than a few times, Marzost has had to step in to prevent something more violent from happening. It's all very tiresome. The only good thing that's come about is the reports from Gikil have stated that most of the remaining svelk communities are still holding out fairly well against the undead. Even rebellious behavior has been kept to a minimum. Still, the dead don't rest and your continent is starting to show the same signs of spontaneous dying vegetation and ruin. The fact is, if you don't figure out a way to speed up your process of capturing these demons, you're going to run out of time. In any case it's another day. You get ready to perform this necessary thing and make your way down to the dero lair. When you arrive, you see the usual dero warriors along with your own standing by. Fortunately no dero females, unfortunately Marzost has decided to pay another one of his visits. "Greetings Mistress, everything as usual has been prepared." "Great. You lot make any progress on being able to close the portal after I open it?" "No, I'm afraid. However, I have come up with something that might make your summoning process easier." "Oh?" "Yes, this!" Marzost pulls out a large metal syringe with glowing purple liquid inside. "And... what is that exactly?" you ask. "It's a stimulant! You won't feel as tired and you'll be able to focus a lot better. Basically you should be able to get more accomplished, I mean I know this is all very taxing on you and every time I see you, you're looking more fatigued." "Yeah well I'm summoning demons under a lot of forces working against me, of course I'm going to be a little tired." Marzost approaches closer, which causes you to instinctively move back. He then motions you to an area away from everyone else at which point you roll your eyes and follow. "What?" you say exasperated. "Mistress you're not just tired, you're not just exhausted, you're DRAINED. Seriously, and I wouldn't dare say this in front of anyone or even you normally, but have you looked in a mirror?" "Excuse me?" "You're aging. I mean...look I know your kind are known for their long lasting youthful appearance, and I imagine you being a powerful sorceress you've extended it even more, but...you're starting to show signs of age and granted it's only a few wrinkles here and there, however..." "Marzost, I'm gonna stop you right there, because if this was ANY other situation, I'd kill you where you stand for talking to me in such a manner." "You know I'm right. This concoction will give you that boost you need, that we ALL need because this isn't even just about you, we're ALL trying to get off this world before time runs out. At the rate you're going I don't see us achieving that." You stare at Marzost in anger because he is right. You are starting to show signs of aging, but that doesn't mean you want it pointed out. He's also right about potentially running out of time. You don't know about this drug though. Marzost assures you that it will work and he'd never offer it if he thought it would harm you. That last part is probably true, but it's still a risk. "Fine, you're right. So what then? I'm supposed to just let you inject me with this drug to make everything better? How the hell do I know what this is really going to do? For all I know I'm going to pass out and wake up covered in your dero seed." "Mistress I would never!" "Yeah, and you aren't getting the chance either. Have you even tested this on anyone else?" "Well no, but wait I'll test it on myself first!" Marzost is about to inject himself, but you interrupt. "And what good will that do? It could very well have a different effect or not affect you at all. You little ugly buggers are known to be extremely resilient." "Yeah you make a good point." "You'd need a svelk to test it on, specifically a female one just to be sure. Even then one test subject isn't very promising, but at least it might convince me better than you're doing right now." You turn to call over a couple of your soldiers. "You two, go upstairs and grab a female. I don't care which one, just get her and bring her down here." Doesn't take them long to bring a female svelk down, at which point there's the predictable realization at what's going on and the ensuing resistance. She's subdued fairly quickly at which point you tell Marzost to inject her and then keep her locked up for observation. "Assuming she doesn't die or show signs of being all fucked up after a month, THEN I might consider taking this so called enhancement." You say. With that bit of distraction over with, you get on with the business of summoning and capturing demons. One month passes... Sixteen. Sixteen demons total is all you've managed and you feel like you can hardly get out of bed some days. Everything is working against you, the environment, time, demons, and now even your own body. You don't even want to look in the mirror nowadays, you're not quite an old crone yet, but at this rate you'll certainly be one with little to show for it. Gikil's reports say that a several of the major svelk strongholds have been having an increase in undead activity along with the landscape of the continent showing more signs of decay. More than a few of the smaller svelk communities have been overrun completely. General order is still being maintained and the fight against the dead continues, but the population is starting to completely lose hope in the plan, at least those that know or even believe in it. You're going to have to start getting results, if only to save yourself. Marzost's experiment seems to have worked as he claimed. The test subject has shown an increase in endurance and speed. And as far as focus is concerned, she's tried to escape at least eight times with varying success despite new precautions put in place to prevent it. On top of all this, she was only given the one injection. There haven't been any negative side effects that have been noticed except an increase in aggression, but that might be just because she's pissed about her situation. She has threatened to kill you personally in at least half of her escape attempts. There's also the increase in lack of sleep and appetite, but you could get A LOT accomplished if you didn't need to stop to sleep or eat. It might be worth using the drug. > Don't use the drug You'll be a withered looking crone before you let Marzost inject you with whatever his drug is. Maybe it works now, but who knows in another few months? She could be melted into a pile of goo or something. Of course in a few months, you ALL might be dead, so you still need to get your shit together. Maybe you can mix up your own enhancement potions. You generally have always hated doing alchemy, but at least you know what you're putting into your body and that it'll work as intended. That'll have to wait though; you've got another day of demon capturing ahead of you. Joy. You head down to the dero community and see Marzost already there paying visit. He's really got it bad given that you're not even looking your best anymore, then again you're still more of a prize than any of the squat creatures the dero call females. "Greetings Mistress, even under all this duress you still manage to retain your elegance." Marzost says. "Hrm. Actually I'm glad to see you, well glad might be stretching it, but I did need to discuss something." You say. "What's that?" "Just that I won't ever be taking that drug even with your test subject showing no negative effects." "But...I mean I could test another...." "No. Not sparing yet another svelk female. I'm already hated enough by that half of the population. We also don't have the time and I'm just not going to risk it. My mind is made up. I'm well aware of my condition though and I plan on making my own potions to boost my endurance." Marzost exhales and nods. "Very well Mistress. I trust that you know your body best." "Indeed. And I request that you to put down the test subject since she isn't needed anymore and all she keeps doing is escaping and apparently threatening to kill me." "I suppose so, seems like a waste of scientific study though." "You want to focus on something to research? How about figuring out how to close the portal after we're on the other side of it. Now leave me, I got important shit to do." Marzost takes his leave and you get on with the business at hand. Several days pass and you've managed to capture one more demon in that time, though you still haven't had time to get around to making those potions. For one thing, you're too exhausted to set everything up, for another; a lot of the ingredients are back at your fortress. You sent some of your people to fetch them, but things have been held up due to a large number of undead gathering in the area. Gikil predictably failing to keep up on things as usual. You get prepared for another day as usual, but as you're doing so, something feels slightly amiss. At first you just believe it to be you being exhausted as usual. But then out the corner of your eye you see something in your room and almost dodge the attack in time. Almost. You fall to the floor with a knife in your neck looking up at the one who did it. It's the damn test subject Marzost was SUPPOSED to kill. Looks like he never got around to it. The fool was probably hoping you'd change your mind and was keeping her for ongoing observation just in case. One thing is for sure, that drug really worked on the test subject since you didn't see or hear her until it was too late. You can't even form an insult since you're too busy choking on your own blood and gurgling. The test subject doesn't take chances that you might be able to save yourself somehow or call for help and stomps on your face repeatedly until its caved into mush and your brains are leaking out your ears. Not a pleasant death, but what awaits you in the afterlife is even less pleasant.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy] There is no way in hell you're making any sort of deal with a fucking demon. As smart as you believe yourself to be, they are always one step ahead with some sort of trick. Especially if they're proposing the deal in the first place. And this Big Red seems particularly crafty, he's proposing something he knows is impossible so you'll eventually have to submit to him. You'd rather take your chances with the dero. At least you can warn Marzost about the situation and maybe you can come up with something. "Yeah, I don't think I'll be taking any sort of deal with you. I'll figure something out, I always do." You say. "I see. Well I am disappointed to not get first dibs on your soul. In any case I suppose I'll take my leave of you for now. Perhaps you'll be in a more accommodating mood at that time." Big Red replies. "Don't count on it." "I suppose we'll see. Oh I suppose I should tell you that imprisoning my fellow infernals will have to cease. The Infernal Realm takes a dim view of mortals chaining its citizens up like slaves." "You're joking. Don't you lot enslave each other all the fucking time?" "And that's just it, YOU my dear are NOT an infernal. To be enslaved by a mortal is so undignified, especially when you aren't even giving them a sporting chance to get out of it. You're just intending them to use them as an energy source. No, I'm afraid your actions must stop as of right now...unless..." "Unless what? I give you my soul?" "Well that would be nice, but I already know your answer to that. What I was going to suggest is an act of goodwill on your part. You see, I know a few of those infernals you currently have locked up in those crystals. I'd like to take them back with me." "Oh. Okay...well the crystals are over in that chest over there. Check through them to find your friends I guess." "I didn't say they were my friends. Just said I knew them. Also there are so many crystals to search through, so I'll just be taking ALL of them. I assume that's fine with you as you can just capture more." Big Red looks at you, though now he seems a little more menacing with his stare. Something about it causes a slight shiver in your body. There's definitely more to him than meets your eyes. You feel like it's better to just let him have the crystals as his bribe. "Okay, they're yours." You say. "That's a good compliant girl." Big Red replies. Big Red walks over and grabs the chest full of crystals under one arm then walks over to you. You defensively move back, though he puts up a hand as if to imply he means you no harm. "Don't worry. I'm not going to attack you. Just going to say that I might be lingering around so if you change your mind just call." Big Red then closes his eyes and sniffs the air near you before addressing you again. "Hmmm...damn your soul is almost making me forget that I'm a gentleman. I shall take my leave." He says and then disappears before your eyes. While it's very difficult to make you feel uncomfortable, Big Red certainly managed to accomplish it. You're just glad he was one of those demons that seemed to like toying with his potential victims because you got the impression he would have been a tougher fight than he let on. You're also certain that not making any sort of deal with him was the correct choice. Unfortunately he set you back quite a bit. You'll have to not only get more crystals from the dero, but you'll have recapture demons all over again. At this point, you're probably going to have to do this demon summoning business in the dero lair. It'll be more taxing and generally unpleasant, but it should cut down on the potential for a demon like Big Red to manage to sneak in. Marzost will probably be happy to accommodate you so that aspect shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully he keeps his drooling to a minimum and doesn't try to touch you again though. In a few days you go to meet with the dero and speak with Marzost about the situation. He's of course disappointed to hear that you lost progress, but as predicted he's more than willing to let you proceed with doing the demon capturing with dero supervision. "Don't worry Mistress, I will have some of our best warriors to standby when you perform your work." Marzost says. "Glad to hear it, but I'll want to have some of my own people here as well." "Of course. I'm sure we'll get back on track fairly quickly. I would like to propose something though." "Oh? And before you do Marzost, I want you to think very carefully about if this proposal would involve something unseemly." "Heh, no nothing like that. I was merely going to suggest that you stay here rather than going back to your fortress." "So it IS something unseemly." "No, not at all. I know this is going to be more taxing on you, but we have even less time than we did before. You're going to need to take intervals to rest and then get back to it immediately. I just meant it would all go quicker if you stayed here. You obviously don't need to stay in the actual Dero settlement; you could stay in the svelk outpost above us." "Hm, something to consider I suppose. Since you're so full of ideas, I might as well ask your opinion on Big Red's statement that when we open this portal, we won't be able to close it and we'll just be prolonging the inevitable." "Oh that. Well, he's a demon, so I would guess he was just lying in order to try to get you to agree to sign a contract for your soul." "Yeah, that was my guess too, still though he could be telling the truth so is there something we can potentially do to prevent it?" "I mean you're the powerful sorceress, I would imagine if you wouldn't be able to do it, nothing we could do would help either." "Don't you lot have sort of weird technology or something that could do something? You lot are supposed to be great inventors and all." "Heh, well I suppose it couldn't hurt to try to look into something like that, but it's not like we've got a lot of the big brains here to research shit like that anymore or even the time. I can't promise we'll solve that potential issue before we open up the portal. I suppose that if this Big Red is telling the truth, we'll just have to resolve it later. At the very least, getting off this world will buy us more time." "True. One problem at a time I guess." "So what about the other thing I mentioned?" "What thing?" "You staying here." "Oh right. Your proposal." Marzost looks at you expectantly. > You stay at your fortress As much of a pain in the ass it'll be to travel back and forth, you're reluctant to actually stay close to the dero, especially with Marzost around probably gawking at you the whole time. You need to stay on top of the day-to-day operation of things too, since you can't trust Gikil or especially Drunni to actually be competent enough. You turn down Marzost's proposal. He looks disappointed, but says that you should still keep it in mind. In the meantime, you're here now so you get started with the long process of summoning and capturing demons. Two months pass... You're exhausted. The process has been going a lot slower than you hoped. You've only managed to capture three of the damn things and summoned a lot more that had to be put down. One of the main problems besides the magic nullifying rocks all over the place making this process harder is apparently you're actively getting "pull back" from the other side. Several of the demons you've summoned have mentioned about how they all know what you've been doing and steps have been made to prevent it. While none have mentioned his name specifically, you can guess that Big Red has had something to do with all this. You're also wasting a lot of time with travel. Granted you've teleporting yourself makes it quicker, but it just drains you even more from your task. Not to mention you can't just teleport in and out of the dero community. The magic nullifying rocks prevent that, so you still partly have to travel the traditional way. By the time you're even there, you're already tired and when you're attempting to go home, you barely have the energy. The dero have been giving you shit. Well specifically the dero females. Almost anytime you stumble into one of those mini-shebeasts they are full of insults and disrespect. More than a few times, Marzost has had to step in to prevent something more violent from happening. The only bright spot is that your own people have been behaving themselves for the most part. Undead are of course always a problem and the continent turning more to shit, but order has at least been maintained. Unfortunately that doesn't ensure complete safety, especially when you're running yourself ragged. One night after a long grueling day of summoning, you're making your way back to your fortress. You don't have the standard escort with you since a particularly vicious demon that ran amok killed them all. Even the dero struggled to bring it down and you were mildly wounded in the struggle. Marzost insisted that you stay if only long enough to get some rest and heal up, but you were in such a foul mood that you immediately snapped at him and left without even gathering up other svelk at the outpost to accompany you. As you travel alone angry, tired and wounded, you mind doesn't focus on your surroundings like it should and you soon find yourself ambushed by a group of wraiths roaming around. Reports of more powerful undead becoming more frequent wasn't unknown, but tonight was definitely not the night you wanted to stumble on them. Under normal circumstances you probably could have handled the group by yourself. Or even if you were in your present fatigued condition, if you had others with you, you probably could at least sacrifice them as a distraction while you got away. But there will be no such tactic this time. You do fairly well against the horrors, but all it takes is one to sneak up and lay those ghostly hands upon you and you instantly feel your life drain. If you felt weak before, you really feel that way as you see your hands age before your eyes and it doesn't take long before another wraith is on you and you soon become a withered corpse with everything drained out of it. If you could, you'd go back in time and kick your own ass. Wasn't so much the how you died that was undignified, but why you did because of your own bad planning. Of course the how or even the why you died doesn't matter at all anymore because you're dead. And the afterlife you went to was even more unforgiving of your poor life choices.

He's strong, he's clever, and you taught him. He'll be fine. You'll see him again soon. You look over at the pile of demonology tomes and know what you'll probably need to do, but before you step one foot in hell, you're going to see what the hell the dero are up to. And you're going in with a force this time. You call for Gikil and Drunni. "So we're wiping out the rock eaters?" Gikil asks. "Not necessarily, but the possibility exists. I want you to gather the best warriors and because we're going in heavy." You say. "Never saw the point of being allies with the filthy grubs in the first place." Drunni remarks. "Their help kept YOU off the front lines didn't it Drunni?" Drunni scowls but says nothing more. You ask Gikil about dero personnel elsewhere, but he mentions that there's none of consequence. Battles with the undead have taken their toll and most platoons that remain are tied up at strategic outposts where the undead is the worst. He goes on to say they wouldn't even know if you wiped out the entire dero settlement before it was too late. "Did you want to wipe out the dero on the surface?" Gikil asks. "No, if it is as you say, we can do that later if need be. As I said, it might not be necessary but what is definitely going to change is our previous agreement. Prepare the invasion force." Takes only a couple days for Gikil to assemble a suitable and sizable force. It is fortunate that you still have enough people to redirect from the undead problem. As for you, you spent most of those two days meditating and focusing your mind so you can cast magic if you need to down in the dero lair. Your thoughts of Francis are hard to block out completely, which is ironic considering your mental link with him is gone. You really hope he's all right. Of course he is. You can't afford to worry about him right now, you have more pressing matters, and such distraction is beneath you anyway. You immediately set off with your force to the dero community fully prepared to destroy their supposedly superior gates off their smug little hinges, but surprisingly when you get down there, the gates are open, with a few dero standing around near them. When they catch sight of you, one of them shouts something in their awful language to those on the other side of the gate and soon you see Marzost walk out to meet you "Ah, you're finally here and with a good number of your people too, good. Might need them. Come on in." Marzost says. "Wait, you're letting us in?" you ask. "Well yeah. I mean much like the first time we met, I KNEW we'd eventually meet and make a deal with each other. I also knew that deal probably would be renegotiated at some point which might involve you...well doing what you're doing now. Coming in heavy. I assure you though, not necessary. The time to let you fully into our community is at hand." You give Marzost a suspicious look. "You seem a little too eager for us to enter." You say. "Hm, well if that seems like the case, well that's because quite honestly, we don't have anymore choice. We need your help and not just for breeding purposes, we need YOUR help specifically." You step back, slightly concerned on what he might be implying. "Marzost, if you believe I'm personally going to become some dero brood sow, you are sadly mistaken." You say. "No, not that! I mean I'm to understand that you are the most skilled in the ways of magic of your people, which is fairly potent correct? Well, for our plan to work, we need your magic skills." Marzost replies. "What plan?" "The plan to leave this doomed world." "Leave?" "As I said, I can explain everything if you come inside where I can show you what I'm talking about and if you're concerned about an ambush, don't be, we're in no position to do so." Marzost turns around waving his hand for you to follow, you tell your people to do so, but to keep on guard. Passing through the gates and the outpost, you notice significantly less dero manning it. You know they haven't all been going to the surface either, so you're starting to wonder what's going on. When you get through the outpost completely, the strong scent of burning flesh is in the air along with multiple fires. Looks like the dero have been having to deal with their own undead problem. You look to your left and see a large circular stone archway. Or it would be a circular archway if the top portion of it wasn't broken off and lying on the ground not far in front of it. You haven't seen many of them for centuries, but it's a transporting gate. Explains how the dero got here like they did in the first place. Probably goes to a much larger area with them, but won't be teleporting anything in that condition though. "Can't get any reinforces anymore eh?" you say walking along side Marzost. "Wasn't getting any to begin with. As I said, most of our kind is content on committing mass suicide. Still, we had dealings with them for resources and to leave things open in case others changed their minds." Marzost says. "So what happened?" Marzost points to one of the burning piles. "You're looking at what happened. Undead started suddenly coming through the arch. Hordes of them. Before we destroyed the archway, we even went through to the other side to see if anyone was left alive. There were, but the dero civilization such as it was is completely in chaos. Any stable pockets are a lost cause. The insane fools are prepping themselves, saying it's time and dero all over are going to make this last march to the surface to die." Ahead you see a small settlement made up of stone buildings. You see a few armored figures moving in and out of the buildings. Marzost points to the settlement. "This place you see? THIS is the last example of dero civilization on this world." Marzost then points to another smaller stone archway with several metal machine near it to the far right of the large cavern. "And THAT is where we going to restart our civilization. On a new one." Marzost says. "You're saying that leads to another world?" you ask. "Well, not exactly, but I'm convinced we have built it correctly according to ancient schematics. What's lacking is a proper power source." "Magic? I thought you rock eaters generally shunned it." "Not entirely, we do embed runes in items and structures as you know which do tap into a magic source. Just works differently than waving your hands around. Combined with our advances in technology and we can create wondrous things." "Hm, so wondrous that you need svelk help." "Yes, there's that svelk arrogance I was so looking forward to. I shall have to disappoint you in getting any enjoyment out of me humbling myself any more than I already am. The truth is, we are not getting any further with this project without your help, we need it if we're going to survive." "You keep saying that, but what about MY people? You claim this archway will take us off this world to a new one. Well how's that helping us? Are we all coming with you?" "Of course. I mean assuming you can gather all your people from the continent; you can take as many as you want." "I'm supposed to just instantly uproot everyone?" "You're their leader aren't you? Besides, weren't you lot mostly nomads for centuries? Shouldn't really be an issue right? This world is doomed. You know it is. All right thinking living beings know it is. Why stay and face certain death?" "That's not a certainty yet." "Isn't it? The dero rock isn't even keeping the undead out anymore. Necromantic magic is getting stronger everyday. Hell, I've had people feeling like their very life energy is getting sapped from them at times. Death is the only thing this world has to look forward to and I know you don't want to be around here for that to happen. You wouldn't be down here even entertaining my plan if you didn't think it had merit." Marzost is speaking some truth here, but once again you feel like he's holding something back like when you first made the original agreement. And you imagine what that was now is that he and his band of stunted outcasts were busily building this archway to leave the world all along. Probably would have left without telling you shit if they didn't need your help with it. The concept of travelling to a different world isn't a new one, but very few have actually been close to attempting it. Even the most powerful svelk mages of old generally ignored the idea as the government never wanted to put funding into staging an entire invasion of a brand new world, when they had to focus on keeping the empire they had on this one together. (Along with spending money on more immediate gratification for the nobles) There were tales of success, but again these are very old stories and they usually ended up very badly such as the mage in question never being seen again or going batshit crazier than a dero at best. (Might be why the dero are fine with the risks) While you've been spending a lot of time going over various magic tomes, you still haven't come across much about the subject, but then you haven't gone through the demonology related tomes either. With maybe one or two exceptions, whenever the rare svelk mage did further research into this type of magic, in nearly every case, infernal assistance was involved in some way. "We can go to the dero hall and talk about this in more detail." Marzost says. "I'm not going alone with you anywhere, now we can go over there away from the others if you want to speak a little more privately, but I want my army to be able to SEE me." You reply. "Very well Mistress." The pair of you walk a distance away from any large groups to a quieter section of the large cavern. You of course still have at least visual range of your own people. Marzost mentions that his people are still trying to collapse a few tunnels that the undead dug out leading straight into the community. He says nearly all the corpses they put down were svelk so he's assuming it was some old svelk burial ground. "Since I know you to be a woman whose practicality is only exceeded by her beauty, I'll get to the point. The stone archway we designed doesn't work because the natural magic crystals known as Trelite, we ONCE had to power such things are unavailable. " Marzost says. "What, like you can't get to them?" you ask. "Like there none in existence anymore. Last time a dero set eyes on one was during the time of the first collapse. Used them all up just trying to save our civilization and even that didn't go as planned, but enough about history, we tried other types of magic crystals, but the results have not been promising. The magic power just isn't there to open up a portal to a new world. At least not long enough to send through many people and even then the portal can't be controlled enough to attune it to some place livable." "So what is it that you want us or ME to do exactly?" "Well...and this isn't ideal...but the svelk have had dealings with infernals..." You shake your head and chuckle. "Hold on, don't dismiss this before I explain." Marzost says. "I'm not dismissing so much as I'm just laughing at how I was trying to avoid gaining infernal assistance against the undead and now this new option has presented itself and I'll still need to call upon fucking demons." You remark. "If we could trap a number of demons into some of these lesser crystals, say maybe fifty..." "Fucking fifty?" "...then we would certainly be able to have the power to open up a stable archway to a new world for us to escape to." "There's no guarantee that this will work and I'll be taking ALL the risk not just summoning one demon, but at least fifty of the fuckers and trying to imprison them. I'm going to have to pull soldiers away from fighting undead just to put down any demons that try to escape" "You can have completely assistance from us, if you do the rituals down here. Besides, it will be more efficient to do so." "The surrounding dero rock is going to make summoning even more difficult." "True...but I suppose you could do it in the cavern clearing outside the main gates. It's where the concentration is the weakest." "Maybe, but this plan of yours still seems to involve me doing all the heavy lifting and I'm still not quite convinced that we can't reverse the tide." "Mistress, with all due respect, you KNOW that this world IS dying. Nothing can stop that now. The only thing that can be done is to flee as soon as possible and start over. I know this is asking a lot and from you especially, but I also know you reputation to not just survive, but also to thrive against impossible odds is well deserved. I KNOW you can save us all!" Marzost's hand briefly touches your own as he leans in closer towards you. "That's two." You whisper to yourself. > You proceed with your plan You've had enough of this lovesick fool's overfamiliarity with you especially when you have not given nor desired any from him. You can barely contain your disgust. While his plan has merit, you hardly see any reason to keep involving the dero in it. The gate has already been prepared, it just needs a power source which Marzost has already told you what is required. You're fairly certain you and even the likes of Drunni can figure out the rest. No, you'll go through with the original plan you had. You already have the undead to deal with, there's no reason to have another element that's been draining your resources for years (in the form of your females) Besides, they're a lot weaker now, you're within their walls and even the forces they do have are currently divided, some are on the surface, some are still fighting undead in tunnels. There's never been a better time to strike. You slowly move your hand away and address Marzost. "Yes, your plan has much merit Marzost. I suppose we can continue our alliance, but I need to go talk to my two advisors first. Let them know what's going on and smooth out their potential whining. You understand." You say. "Of course Mistress. I shall wait right here." Marzost says. You turn to walk back to your army, making a mental note of what to strike first and how much energy is going to be required to cast a protective barrier over your army. It's going to take a lot due to all the magic nullifying rock everywhere. Your thoughts are suddenly interrupted when portion of your head is blown off. You actually see out of your remaining eye that wasn't destroyed by the gunshot part of your brain splatter a short distance in front of you before you collapse to the ground. Marzost might have been a lovesick fool, but he wasn't stupid. You're "Mistress", you make important decisions all yourself, you don't need to smooth anything over or discuss anything with so-called advisors. Marzost knew that and correctly assumed you were going to order an attack. Your back was turned, there was never a better time to strike. The sounds of shouting are distant in your dying ears, and while there's a very good chance the svelk will win even without magic assistance, you won't be around to see the victory. You also don't get to see any peace in the afterlife either because where you go is not a pleasant place.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, fantasy, villain protagonist] 6 TR You attempt to cast a simple cantrip and barely a flicker of flame shoots from your fingertip. Kessla's little headquarters certainly was well nullified, though Dero rock tends to be great for such things. It's partially why the Svelk never tried to conquer the insane ugly little bastards. You wonder how Kessla managed to get a Dero (let alone several) to even agree to build a place for her out their magic nullifying rocks. Even Casimir couldn't do that and he directly helped them in their war with the trolls. Then again Casimir was a necromancer and probably wouldn't have wanted to hamper his magic abilities. Speaking of necromancy, this place apparently is also very good for keeping out the dead. There are dead bodies all over this place and not a one has even twitched, something that's unfortunately all too common nowadays. Getting to the point where the dead just have to be burned to ensure permanent eradication. Really makes killing those who displease you more of a chore than it needs to be at times. "Mistress the entire place has been searched and there was indeed a hidden door leading to a deeper passage which leads to another door made of solid rock. Can't open it and haven't explored it yet, but there could be more rebels hiding somewhere down there." Drunni remarks as he comes up to you. "Brilliant conclusion Drunni. Glad you're able to come up with some things all by yourself since you obviously weren't able to handle this without my direct help." Drunni surprisingly doesn't even scowl at your remark and quickly moves on to telling you that Kessla is still alive if you want the pleasure of killing her yourself. Honestly you wouldn't have bothered wasting your time with any of this, but since you had to be directly involved anyway, you figure you might as well amuse yourself. "Kessla's still alive? Were you too overcome with pathetic sentimental feelings for her to actually finish her off, or was it just simple incompetence again? No need to answer Drunni, it was a rhetorical question and I know the answer anyway. Well, where is the traitor?" "She's down the hall and in the last room on the left. Have fun...I know I did." Drunni says and walks off with a smirk on his face. You briefly wonder what the hell he's smiling about considering he's one of the most unfun bastards you've known since...well Francis. You wonder how he's doing in all this. Last reports you heard is his Empire isn't doing all that great against this apocalyptic event he's unleashed. Serves him right for not listening to you. It's okay though; he'll have plenty of time to apologize to you when you meet again. You'll enjoy that. You'll enjoy punishing him and making him crawl for forgiveness. Then when he's right where you want him, you'll have some real fun. "What the hell, Drunni didn't even leave guards here? Fucking idio... hrm...well wasn't expecting this..." You see Kessla bent over the foot of a bed with both of her arms stretched out forward tied to the bedposts by ropes. She's stripped completely naked and has wounds on her back. When you walk over to the side of the bed, you look at her face which also show a few signs of physical trauma. She manages to look at you back with her one eye, which isn't closed shut, but she's obviously not one hundred percent. You sit down on the side of the bed. "Wow, I guess you two rekindled some old flames. No wonder Drunni was so uncharacteristically happy. Looks like he really wore you out. Also looks like your ass was bleeding back there. Bet he didn't even have the courtesy to at least spit on his dick and just went in raw." Kessla doesn't respond, she just buries her face partially into the bed breathing slightly louder than normal presumably from her ordeal. "I guess he had a lot of pent up energy, but I'll be sure to remind him of this incident, the next time he wants to turn up his nose at my activities. Shit, I bet that pervert even called you by name while he railed you didn't he? I knew he wanted to fuck me, but then who doesn't right?" Kessla manages to lift her head up a bit to look at you. "Just kill me and get it over with you fucking bitch. Nothing matters anymore anyway. This world is fucking doomed and we're all already dead." Kessla says. "You sound like a dero with that sort of fatalistic outlook. Is that how you built this place? You suck some dero cock and let their seed infect your brain? It's okay, you can tell me. How did you get past the smell? I don't think even I would be able to get used to that. With humans at least you can mask their odor." you respond. Kessla doesn't respond. "Very well I can see you're in no mood for girl talk and just want to get this over with. There was a secret door discovered going to a deeper passage. Tell me where this leads exactly and I'll make your death quick. Don't tell me and I won't. Either way isn't going to bother me. This choice is purely for your benef..." "YES, I'll fucking tell you! I'll fucking tell you everything if you just shut the fuck up! By the gods this was one of the reasons we broke off from your leadership, you're fucking annoying and not nearly as clever as you think you are. You're the damn reason we're all in this fucking mess!" Kessla shouts. You smile. "Well? I'm waiting." you ask. Kessla exhales and gathers her strength before speaking. "First, you probably think some of my people ran down there to hide when you breached this place, well I can tell you that didn't happen. I'm the only one who knows how to open the door by way of magic password. It leads to a dero community." "Okay. Not too surprising though perhaps mildly concerning that there's one so close by. Most dero communities are under Evigrus and even then very deep underground. This brings further questions of course, one of which is, are the rock eaters deliberately trying to destabilize us? Is that why they helped you?" "Partially, though their primary goals are a bit convoluted and they didn't just help me for the fun of sewing discord either. I had to come up with ongoing payment." "So you WERE sucking dero cock then." "Well not me, but they did want some of our females to breed with." "Wait, what? I know that dero managed to get around their female sterility problem by raiding females of lesser races like humans, keeping them as breeding stock until they're worn out from the birthing process, but to my knowledge they can't breed with us. Just doesn't work." "Yeah well apparently they managed to get around that problem through science or something. You know those little mad bastards are always tinkering with shit like that. Still, it's a recent thing and it's not a high priority since from what I hear the most of the dero are preparing themselves for some sort of collective suicide of allowing death to take them." "Yeah, yeah, I imagine with what's going on this would fall into their nihilistic outlook and embracing complete oblivion. But if that's the case why would they bother breeding with anything?" "As I said, this is only most of the dero. The community I've been dealing with isn't quite as hung up on embracing death. They're determined to survive, but they'll need more numbers hence the need for more breeding stock. And of course they're still mad bastards as you might expect though. To set up a community here under Dokkrus and approaching me to give them breeding stock is proof of that." "So when did they approach you anyway?" "Shortly after your dismal failure in leading the defense of Necros." "Hm, a little insulted they didn't just approach me directly about this. Not like I would have been against having them as allies during this crisis." "I believe they felt you would have been less reasonable to work with." "Nonsense. I'm very reasonable. Like I fully intend on keeping my promise of giving you a quick death since you've cooperated with your information. Though I need a few more answers before we get to that." "Great and here I thought I was getting to the end." "Almost, almost. But tell me, besides intending on fighting off the undead and gaining breeding stock, what is this dero community planning? I mean do they intend on attacking us at some point?" "To my knowledge, no. They seem focused on trying to keep the undead out with their magic nullifying rock and just continue to exist with a steady supply of breeders. Honestly, I haven't even heard from them directly in three years. After last year I stopped even leaving them females. I needed all the direct help I could get to fight undead and YOU anyway, and they weren't providing shit at that point. For all I know they could have all descended into madness and drooling on themselves." Kessla says she doesn't know much more about the dero community other than the one time the one approached her; they've never even bothered to come to the surface and only met her in a neutral place past the stone door. (Where she would leave the females for them). In any case, it doesn't sound like you should just ignore this. A group of rock eaters making their home right under your feet in Dokkrus is a security threat. You just aren't sure if you shouldn't approach in a diplomatic manner or just go in and wipe out the little bastards. > Genocide Never let it be said that genocide doesn't resolve all problems. Still, these are dero you're talking about so you're going to need a greater force than you currently have. You'll also need Kessla to say the password to the dero door. "Thank you Kessla, not only have you been very helpful, but you've also extended your life by a few moments." You say. "Great. How long exactly?" "Hrm, at least a few days. I'm going to have to get a sizable invasion force over here since the amount I currently have left from putting an end to your little rebellion probably isn't going to be enough for a dero stronghold." "So you're going to wipe them out?" "I thought that was obvious when I said I would be amassing an invasion force. In any case, your presence seems to have put Drunni in a better mood, so maybe I'll leave you in his care at least until this dero business is over with." "You fucking bitch." "Hrm. Well I suppose I couldn't have expected anything wittier than that." You call to some nearby soldiers to take Kessla away and make the preparations to gather another assault force. You figure you'll have Gikil head the invasion. Give him something important to do. Now with Dokkrus reunited, (or at least not in open rebellion anymore) you can focus on a more concentrated defense. You still aren't sure what you're going to do about stemming the tide of undead though. The only thing that comes to mind is trying to scour old magic tomes to find potential answers. You wonder about Francis and if maybe perhaps he is coming up with ideas of how to stop it, but then you shake your head that he's probably fumbling about in the dark more than anyone about this. He was the one that caused this after all, why the hell would he have any idea of how to stop it. He is a child. A child that needs discipline. If only your hands hadn't been tied, you could have whipped him into shape better. In any case, you get ready to head back to your fortress; you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Two months pass... "He's fucking dead?" you exclaim. "That is what the latest reports say Mistress. Apparently there was just enough of his face left to identify it as Gikil." Drunni replies. "Fuck!" You throw a nearby vase against the wall in anger. "That incompetent dumb ass. I should have taken him off the assignment when he didn't get the job done after one month. Are the dero finally destroyed at least?" "Erm, no. Apparently they have managed to refortify their gate and have actually been launching their own attacks by making tunnels in the area. The svelk outpost above the dero community is a killing zone and svelk forces have had to retreat outside the old rebel hideout so as not to be completely decimated. Of course this is starting to draw the attention of wandering undead, which are becoming more frequent on the continent." You shake your head in exasperation. You can't believe things have gotten so horribly fucked up with this simple task. Granted you knew the dero weren't going to be push overs, but you at least figured Gikil would have been able to handle a small enclave of them. And on top of it all he got himself killed in the process. You're starting to think that you might have to handle this yourself. You can't trust a male to do this job, and even with the magical nullifying rocks, you'd still be able to assist magically. Just would take more energy on your part. You'd have to levy more soldiers from the svelk communities into helping which won't be popular, but then they're going to bitch about your leadership anyway. Of course you could just pull back altogether and shore up defenses at the svelk strongholds. The undead are more of an immediate threat and what remains of the dero community probably isn't going to venture too far from where they are. They didn't when Kessla's rebels were there after all and there was more of them then. > You press the attack There's nothing else for it, you have to destroy them completely. If you don't they'll just dig under you and launch ambushes right in your own homes. Especially now that you've attacked them and they aren't getting svelk women from Kessla anymore. You tell Drunni to go to the invasion encampment with some reinforcements and try to get shit organized again. You tell him to just keep a guarded perimeter around the area and keep an eye on things. Drunni isn't exactly pleased to do so, but ever since you allowed him to keep Kessla around as a fuck slave, he's been in a better mood, so he complies without much grumbling. You spend the next few weeks teleporting to all the major svelk strongholds emphasizing the danger of the dero threat and in particular their lust for svelk women since Kessla and her rebels were offering them up as payment. It's enough to cause concern in your female population and as such your male population follows. Raising a large army isn't as much of a problem as you thought it might be, but you have to be careful to not take too many to leave svelk centers completely defenseless. Eventually the time comes for the attack. Drunni says there hasn't been any unusual activity from what he could tell. He says they even did some minor scouting of the rebel hideout and there weren't any signs of dero. He believes they're probably expecting a big invasion and are waiting for your attack. You come up with a plan to send in another group of scouts to secure the upper level. Make sure there aren't any traps or anything like that first. After the upper level is secure, you and Drunni enter with a large group of elite warriors by your side. You make your way past the now destroyed door to the dero community and down the stairway. With some effort you manage to cast a protective barrier around yourself and your front row. Eventually you reach the bottom and walk until your reach a large open area. Up ahead is a huge gate that has obviously been pieced back together and reinforced with large stones in front of it. Doesn't take long before the guttural sound of deros shouting in their awful language. This is it. The dero fire upon you and your people immediately, but your magic barrier holds. You don't know for how long though since you're attempting to summon up enough magic to blast through the gate. Drunni orders the warriors to start firing their crossbows at whatever they can see, the problem though is the dero are small targets standing high above behind battlements and encased in very heavy armor. Even in the small chance of hitting them, it's unlikely going to be an instant kill. Still, it's enough to act as a distraction while you unleash a large blast of lightning to the gate. You manage to blow the dero gate off its smug little hinges. Not enough to completely destroy it, but it's open and the dero aren't going to be repairing it anytime soon. Of course it's took a lot out of you and you fall to one knee in exhaustion from the ordeal. You also don't have it in you to maintain the protective barrier. The dero take advantage and fire into your ranks taking out several of your people. Drunni actually takes the initiative, telling everyone to spread out and advance inside as quickly as they can. He even goes to check on you. "Mistress, are you alright?" Drunni asks while trying to lift you up before you push him away. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fucking fine. Let's just finish this shit." You answer and stand back up and cast the protective barrier over yourself and those within your immediate vicinity. The battle is a slaughter on both sides, but you've got the edge due to numbers, it's barely enough though. In fact if you hadn't been assisting with your magic, this could have easily been another loss. The most difficult fight is around the nursery and breeding facility. The dero females don't give an inch without at least several of your own paying the price. The svelk women still being held there are in a sorry state. Some are barely even alive. Almost all of them are begging for death, which is given not so much as a mercy, but more because they're useless and would be a drain on resources. The dero fought to every last man, woman and even child. It's a bit odd that they fought so hard given what you know of their race being generally fatalistic with this situation. Why bother to fight when everyone is going to die anyway? Then again Kessla did say they split from the rest of their society. By the same coin, you're sort of surprised they didn't just escape when you broke through if they were so determined to live. You doubt you would have been able to follow them into any tunnels they dug. They must have really believed they could win. Drunni and those that survived say they haven't found any survivors hiding or lurking about. "Looks like we got them all or at least haven't found any tunnels or anything." Drunni says. "Yeah I don't think any tried to escape considering their babies were still in their cribs. Dero are pretty protective of their spawn. If they tried to escape, they would have most certainly taken them and not left them for us to bash against the stone walls." You reply. "Guess that's true. Are we heading back?" "Soon. I'll send a crew here to gather the valuables, weapons and such when I get back." "Okay, well I guess I'll head up then and SHIT, look out!" Drunni points out a figure that comes out of the shadows. It's a dero, though he's not crazed or grizzled looking for one of his kind. He's also not encased in heavy armor and is wearing simple clothing. He's also got blood on his head. He carries no weapons at all and has his hands raised. "No need for alarm. I'm not armed." He says in a calm tone. A bit unusual, but since you seem to have the advantage you don't kill him immediately. "How long have you been hiding? Since the beginning of the battle or just when you knew you were going to lose?" you ask. "I actually wasn't hiding. During the battle with all the canons and magic flying around, a loose stone fell on my head and knocked me out. Damn fool me for not wearing a helmet I suppose. By the time I woke up, you lot had already made your way into the heart of the community and were mopping up the survivors. Didn't seem to be much point in charging into battle at that point, so I just waited." The dero looks around and sighs. "I like to think I would have given you more of a fight had I been conscious to lead my people better." The dero remarks. "Wait. YOU'RE the leader of this pathetic community?" "I am, or was. I'm Marzost. I'm guessing you're the infamous Mistress. Kessla mentioned you many times. Wait, are you Drunni? She mentioned you as well. Didn't have fond words for either of you." "Yeah well she's not saying too many negative things anymore, especially not with my cock in her mouth all the time." Drunni interjects. "Hm, well I knew it was only a matter of time before you got her, knew it was only a matter of time before you confronted us as well. I just thought it wouldn't need to come to this. Why the hell did you attack in the first place? We didn't do anything to you." "Didn't do anything? And I suppose those svelk women were in that breeding chamber of their own free will eh? You were also assisting svelk rebels." you say. "Hey that was Kessla and the old dero leader's agreement., not mine. Had it been up to me, I would have approached you to deal with immediately. I knew of your reputation. And I will say, you are every bit as magnificent looking in person. I'm privileged, to have seen you before my death." "Well at least you know what awaits you, though I'm still baffled to as why you didn't at least put up a fight. I mean just surrendering when all your people fought to the death seems unworthy of a leader that is willing to die with them." "Oh. I think you've misunderstood. I'm not surrendering." "While I don't doubt a muscular rock eater like yourself could snap my neck with your bare hands, I guarantee you'd be dead before you'd make it to me or Drunni. I also see no weapons or even armor. Unless you're going to surprise me and claim to be a magic using dero." "Hah, well I wish I had that sort of surprise. I do have one though and I don't need to get any closer than I do right now." Drunni's eyes widen and suddenly runs, you aren't sure exactly what Marzost is going to do, but you know you have to stop him fast. You can't believe you were so foolish to not kill him immediately. You start to cast a spell, but its too late, Marzost quickly pulls out two large dark red crystals out of his pockets and with a crystal in each hand he slams them together creating a large explosion. It's enough to bring most of the ceiling down and create a cascading effect on the area as a whole. You getting crushed by falling rocks though is not a concern since you were killed immediately by the initial explosion. A quick death, though what awaits you in the afterlife isn't so quick unfortunately.

Never let it be said that genocide doesn't resolve all problems. Still, these are dero you're talking about so you're going to need a greater force than you currently have. You'll also need Kessla to say the password to the dero door. "Thank you Kessla, not only have you been very helpful, but you've also extended your life by a few moments." You say. "Great. How long exactly?" "Hrm, at least a few days. I'm going to have to get a sizable invasion force over here since the amount I currently have left from putting an end to your little rebellion probably isn't going to be enough for a dero stronghold." "So you're going to wipe them out?" "I thought that was obvious when I said I would be amassing an invasion force. In any case, your presence seems to have put Drunni in a better mood, so maybe I'll leave you in his care at least until this dero business is over with." "You fucking bitch." "Hrm. Well I suppose I couldn't have expected anything wittier than that." You call to some nearby soldiers to take Kessla away and make the preparations to gather another assault force. You figure you'll have Gikil head the invasion. Give him something important to do. Now with Dokkrus reunited, (or at least not in open rebellion anymore) you can focus on a more concentrated defense. You still aren't sure what you're going to do about stemming the tide of undead though. The only thing that comes to mind is trying to scour old magic tomes to find potential answers. You wonder about Francis and if maybe perhaps he is coming up with ideas of how to stop it, but then you shake your head that he's probably fumbling about in the dark more than anyone about this. He was the one that caused this after all, why the hell would he have any idea of how to stop it. He is a child. A child that needs discipline. If only your hands hadn't been tied, you could have whipped him into shape better. In any case, you get ready to head back to your fortress; you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Two months pass... "He's fucking dead?" you exclaim. "That is what the latest reports say Mistress. Apparently there was just enough of his face left to identify it as Gikil." Drunni replies. "Fuck!" You throw a nearby vase against the wall in anger. "That incompetent dumb ass. I should have taken him off the assignment when he didn't get the job done after one month. Are the dero finally destroyed at least?" "Erm, no. Apparently they have managed to refortify their gate and have actually been launching their own attacks by making tunnels in the area. The svelk outpost above the dero community is a killing zone and svelk forces have had to retreat outside the old rebel hideout so as not to be completely decimated. Of course this is starting to draw the attention of wandering undead, which are becoming more frequent on the continent." You shake your head in exasperation. You can't believe things have gotten so horribly fucked up with this simple task. Granted you knew the dero weren't going to be push overs, but you at least figured Gikil would have been able to handle a small enclave of them. And on top of it all he got himself killed in the process. You're starting to think that you might have to handle this yourself. You can't trust a male to do this job, and even with the magical nullifying rocks, you'd still be able to assist magically. Just would take more energy on your part. You'd have to levy more soldiers from the svelk communities into helping which won't be popular, but then they're going to bitch about your leadership anyway. Of course you could just pull back altogether and shore up defenses at the svelk strongholds. The undead are more of an immediate threat and what remains of the dero community probably isn't going to venture too far from where they are. They didn't when Kessla's rebels were there after all and there was more of them then. > You pull back As much as you hate to do it, you'd rather not waste any more manpower on the dero. You'll just have to be satisfied with what damage you've done and hope they more or less keep to themselves. "Just pull everyone out of the area, we don't have the luxury of fucking around with them any more than we've wasted." "Very well Mistress...um...I can still keep Kessla right?" "Yes, I already gave you permission that you could a month ago. Just make sure she stays your personal fuck slave. She escapes or anything like that and I'll have you both executed." "Understood. Thank you Mistress." Drunni takes his leave. Honestly the only reason why you're letting him keep her is ever since his "reunion" with her he's been a lot more compliant and less argumentative. The more harmony you have the better you can get things accomplished. And you have a lot to accomplish. Namely going through a library of magical tomes to see if there's anything that can be found to combat all this. TR 8 You should have wiped out the little bastards, no matter what the cost in manpower would have been. The sounds of most of your left fortress wall collapsing can be heard as you have to keep your balance from the foundations of your own building begin tilting. Not only have the dero managed to sneakily dig under your fortress an undermine its foundations, but to make matters worse they funneled a large number of undead into the tunnel so not only do you have undead pouring in from the outside due to collapsing walls, but they're literally popping up from underneath you as well. "Mistress we have to abandon the fortress before we're completely overrun!" some soldier says running in to your bedroom. You've never seen him before, or if you have you don't remember him. In any case, he makes a valid point, though you still have all these books you have to go through. Even if you teleported, you wouldn't be able to bring them all and you NEED to go through this shit, if you have any hope of trying to find a way to stop this. There's nothing for it except to pick and choose as much as you can. You wish you'd been a little more organized, not that would have helped much since there are books all over the place thanks to the building shifts. "Evacuation. Right. You male, what's your...actually your name isn't important right now. What IS important is you need to help me gather up as many of these books as possible." You say. "But Mistress..." the soldier says. "That's a fucking order! These books are more important than your worthless life ten times over! So be glad I'll be teleporting YOU with me when we leave. Now then, I want you to look for any book with a dark red cover and made of vila flesh." "Vila flesh?" "Vila, you know the..oh. You are a bit young looking, guess you wouldn't know. Anyway, old race of fairies we exterminated a long time ago during the great days of the empire. About the only thing they were good for is making suitable covers for demonic tomes. Demons are always drawn more to items made out of so called pure beings." "You're going to summon demons?" "Well I don't want to, but with the way things are going the option has to be on the table. Demonic assistance is always so unreliable though. Anyway you'll know its vila flesh by the touch. Extremely smooth, not rough or leathery at all. Go, go, go, gather what you can find!" The soldier starts looking through books and you do as well. Mostly focusing on tomes that aren't demon related since you're holding out hope that it won't come to that. "Mistress, I feel I should also mention that commander Drunni is dead." The soldier says. "What? Oh. Yeah, that doesn't matter. Just find the fucking books! I don't give a fuck about Drunni, he was an idiot anyway. Though out of curiosity how did he die?" "Well I wasn't there, but another said Kessla got out of the cage he kept her in when the first wall collapsed and she ripped his throat out like some sort of animal." "Hrm. Well more fool him for keeping her around as long as he did and not being more careful. If he was insisting on raping her on a regular basis, he should have cut her hands and feet off." "I believe he blinded her, Mistress." "Yeah well apparently that wasn't good enough. Still could hear and smell him...speaking of which...attack!" you utter when you sense visitors getting closer. You immediately blast the first corpse lumbering into your bedroom and several more with magic bolts. The soldier drops the books he's acquired and draws his weapon. More pour in, and you continue to back away while hitting them with bolts. Eventually enough push through and they're starting to surround the soldier. Then things get worse when your building suddenly begins shifting downward again, causing everyone living and dead to fall down, in fact it feels like the place is going to sink completely. You get up and run over to the soldier to help him out if only so you've got another person to help you get the books, which are now even more all over the place now, along with furniture and all your other belongings. "Male! Get that bag over there by that bed, empty it out, and start shoving those books I told you about in it. Can't afford to be picky now. When it's full, tell me and we'll get out of here!" you order. "Yes Mistress!" While the soldier is following your orders, you take on the corpses which are starting to get up off the floor. Under normal circumstances you'd just burn them all, but you can't really afford to do that in this instance. You attempt to freeze the horde which works to slow them down a bit. You then unleash a stronger cold blast, which begins to encase them in ice. You then blast the ice with more bolts shattering the undead inside. You then go on the offensive, destroying more undead coming down the hallway. This is when you start to unleash fireballs as the danger of burning any books is now gone. The strange thing is you begin to get so focused on battle, you forget that your goal was to escape. Instead, you continue to clear out undead masses invading your personal domicile. Before you know it, you've battled all the way to the entrance of your domain where upon you see nothing but destruction and carnage outside. More undead are lumbering about and they're starting to gather towards your position again. "Shit, I need to get back." You say to yourself and run back to your bedroom. "Male! We need to go, where the fuck are..." You see the soldier laying on the floor with his throat ripped out. Nearby you see your open bag with torn up books strewn nearby. "Wha... no, no, no, no! SHIT!" you shout as you go over to the shredded books, which are completely ruined. You throw one of the destroyed books at a wall nearby furious about the situation and then you see the dead soldier getting back up. "Oh shut the fuck up." You exclaim and cast a stream of flame at him, not even caring about the books that are destroyed nearby. As the soldier starts to burn to a cinder, you quickly pick up the bag and with a deep exhale, you start gathering up what books that still might be of use and are still intact. After collecting a couple books, you then realize... "Wait...who killed that soldier...." You soon find out too late when someone jumps on your back and bites you on the shoulder as you fall face down on the floor. You're turned over and you see Kessla who is every bit as horrible looking as she sounds. You stare into hollow sockets and a scarred grinning face full of jagged bloody teeth. She's obviously learned to cope with her handicap because even though you try to punch her off you, she easily senses your attempt by blocking and then raking your face with her long nails partially blinding you. "Heheheheheh I told you Mistress you should have just killed me huhuhuhuh!" Kessla gibbers madly as a chunk of your flesh falls out her mouth. She fills it again soon by going for your throat and ripping it out. You still aren't quite dead yet before you see her nails go for your eyes. One last surge of extreme pain follows, then darkness, then nothing. Well not quite. Nothing following would have been a blessing. Where you go after is a much worse fate.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, female protagonist, villain protagonist] Everyone has a story. Some are short and deal only with a major turning point in what will surely be a longer struggle. Some are long and involve a series of obstacles to overcome in what seems to be impossible to avoid. Still others are epic and explore an entire life lived until it ceased to be. Yes, everyone has a story. There's just not enough time to tell them all. > The Deadly You glide across the ethereal landscape passing several other spirits as you have countless times before. You remember when you first arrived here; you would attempt to interact with them. Most of them ignored you, though some of the "younger" ones did, eagerly asking questions and exchanging information. It was fascinating. Of course as time passed you became much like those "older" spirits. Not wishing to interact with others and just peacefully drift in this place. Time of course is a funny term to use since you've pretty much lost all concept of it. You honestly can't remember how much time has passed since you first arrived here. Still, it's the best term to use for the lack of a better one. You do have memories. They just tend to be a jumbled mix and fleeting. Every once in awhile you get a strong one that brings forth emotions that were once thought long dead as you are. Your memories of your beloved still tend to be the strongest. You did spend most of your life with him after all. You still miss him even in this place. While some spirits eventually fade away even in this place of "final death", your tie to him will always keep you waiting until he joins you again. Even if that won't be for a very long time. However, it was the first time you managed to piece together your memories that you discovered completely by chance that you could still contact him. It's no easy task though. Sifting through memories half faded by time is always something that requires focus because you're essentially reliving those moments all over again as if they were real. And it isn't always simple to focus when you've got new spirits suddenly asking you silly questions. (Just like you once did) Whether you're successful or fail, there's always a "down" period that you have to wait for before you can try it again. It's a kind of magic you suppose. You're not exactly sure how it works. What you do know is it's time to try again. You find a relatively isolated area away from any other spirits to lessen the chances of being disturbed and begin to focus... > First memories It's all a haze. You see yourself as a child, but it's hard to tell when exactly. You're maybe five or six right now? It's the earliest you can ever remember, any younger as it's just a mystery. But as with anything that happened in your past life, does it really matter any more? You do remember growing up in an orphanage. You never knew your real parents. At best maybe your birth mother knew she couldn't take care of you and tearfully left you in the hopes that some other family would. At worst, well you wouldn't be the first unwanted child and better that you were at least placed in a half way decent orphanage than just sold on the black market or something. Miss Olga's Home for Lost Children. Lost is sort of a nice way to put unwanted. Makes it sound like you just took a wrong turn and wound up there just waiting for your parents to come pick you up. Though that isn't too far off from what an orphanage does. You wait around for someone declaring themselves as your parents to pick you up. Well that's what happens to some children anyway. Others never do for whatever reason and just eventually age out of the system and get thrown out on the streets. Of course at this age you weren't really thinking about any of that. In fact you snuck away from the orphanage as much as possible. Usually to the nearby park. Nuro's park was pretty nice one. The city really took care of its major green area. So much so that there were signs that clearly warned people to NOT step off certain paths. While there was no real dangerous animals or flowers there, just more of a case of Nuro's council not wanting the beauty of the park trashed. Of course this didn't stop people from straying off the designated areas, usually young folks nipping off to copulate in the bushes or something similar. Of course your reasons were more due to being drawn to observing animals and insects. You watch a couple of squirrels frolicking for a time and eventually finding a morsel of food, the pair of them run off into one of those off limit areas. Making sure nobody is looking or in the area, you quickly sneak off to follow. Eventually the squirrels climb up a tall tree and you lose sight of them, but your attention is drawn to something else. A large amount of purple butterflies fluttering about a bush. You've never seen butterflies like that before. Their coloring is very beautiful. You decide to get closer. When you do, that's when you notice something at the bottom of the bushes. It's furry and not moving. You see the butterflies fluttering all over it. Even at this young age, you understand the concept of death, but you've not seen many direct examples of it. Granted you've seen dead animals before, but this is different. Mainly because this one is covered in these weird purple butterflies rather than the traditional ones. You take a step closer and see that the animal isn't a squirrel like you at first thought, but a cat. The butterflies are swarming around the body. You wonder if they're eating it. Just as you're about to inspect even closer, you suddenly feel a hand grab your shoulder. "There you are just as I suspected! You are always sneaking away to this place after I specifically told you not to! I know this place may be filled with animals and such, but it isn't safe. Anyone could just snatch up a young thing like you. Especially with the demonic types living in this city." You look up and see Miss Olga. The older lady who runs the orphanage hence why it's named after her. She gives you a disapproving look. The same one she has many times before, but you know she's not completely mad at you. She just worries about you as she does with all that live in the orphanage. "I wanted to be here." You answer. "Yes, I know you always do, but you can't keep sneaking away like this, especially at this late hour! I have so many others to look after and worry about. When I'm looking for you, I can't watch out for the others as easily. It's not fair to them that..." At this point you're too focused on the butterflies to completely pay attention to Miss Olga. She recognizes this and finally looks at what's got your attention. Her reaction isn't one of wonder though; it's of minor concern. "What the...Grave Wings? Here? Usually they're only found in more remote areas of wilderness like the Drozz plains. They're not your normal butterflies. They're more like regular flies except they're specifically drawn to death. Doesn't make sense that some are here though. Bah, probably some escaped from an alchemist's lab from the magic college. They're never mindful of their experiments, it's going to be the ruin of us all one day!" As Olga is going on about the magic college, one of the butterflies flaps away from the corpse and towards your direction. You smile and hold a hand out towards it. You think it's going to land, but then Olga once again pulls you away. "Catalina! Don't touch those vile things!" "But they're pretty." "They're carrion eaters! They're filthy and probably crawling with disease! And the city council needs to exterminate them from the park before they breed anymore." "Hey they're glowing!" you shout, still focused on the butterflies. "Yes, they do that when it starts getting dark. Now come on!" As you're pulled away from the Grave Wing gathering, you continue to be fascinated by their fluttering and faint glowing. Eventually you get back to the orphanage where upon Olga tells you that food will be prepared in a few minutes and she expects you to be there as well as going straight to bed soon afterwards. As Olga walks away, Chloe, a little half orc girl about your age approaches you. She's not very popular with the other children most likely because of her heritage. She tends to hang out with you probably because you don't care what she is, but then you don't care about a lot of things most would. "Catalina, did Miss Olga yell at you?" Chloe asks. "Yeah, a little." You answer. "Well I didn't tell her where you were, but Patty said you were at the park." "Of course she did because she's a big fat tattle tale. Doesn't matter, Miss Olga always knows where I sneak off to now." "So why do you keep doing it?" "Because I like the park better. There are all sorts of interesting things there. Like today I saw these purple butterflies! Never seen anything like them before. Miss Olga called them Grave Wings." "Grave Wings? They sound scary." "No! They were pretty and they were eating a dead cat!" "That sounds awful! Poor kitty!" "I'm going to go see them tomorrow!" "Tomorrow? You can't sneak off tomorrow. Tomorrow is adoption day! People will come here to adopt us! Well you they will, nobody will want me." "I'm sure you'll get adopted, but I don't care about it, so I'm going to go see the butterflies." "If you sneak off tomorrow, Miss Olga is going to be furious! You'll be on permanent cleaning punishment for months!" "Hmm, well I don't like cleaning...maybe I can sneak out tonight after bedtime." "Sneak out at night!? That's crazy!" "I won't be gone long, the park isn't far and I know where I'll be going." Chloe sputters a bit, trying to find the words to talk you out of your plan and then you both hear Miss Olga call everyone to dinner at which point you head towards the dining room. After eating, Miss Olga mentions to everyone that people will be arriving tomorrow afternoon and she expects everyone to be dressed in their good clothes and on their best behavior. In fact instead of allowing you all to still play after dinner, you're ordered to go straight to bed. You go to bed as ordered, but not to sleep. You aren't the only one as you can hear the whispering of some of the other girls talking to each other. Meanwhile you're deep in thought about how much you're not looking forward to tomorrow. You don't like the idea of being lined up for a bunch of strangers to inspect you. Something about it seems weird to you. And if you get picked, who knows where you'll be going? The people who adopt you might not even live in Nuro and you won't get to go to the park anymore. Worse, they could be mean or even demons in disguise! As much as you don't care for the orphanage, at least the park is nearby and Miss Olga isn't cruel. A bit more time passes and suddenly you hear Chloe whisper to you. She must have gotten out of her bed. "Hey, you're not still thinking about sneaking out are you?" Chloe asks. "I was going to wait until at least Fatty Patty was asleep, which I'm guessing she is due to all the snoring." You say. "But...but it'll be dark, how will you see them? And how do you know they haven't just flapped away already?" "I dunno, I feel like they will still be there. As for light, they glow! So I'll be able to see them." "Okay, but you still have to get to the park and it'll still be too dark to see really well and dangerous!" "It'll be fine...wait, orcs can see in the dark right?" "Um, yeah?" "Then come with me so I won't be alone and you'll be able to guide better." Chloe nearly raises her voice but then stops herself so as not to wake anyone up. "No, it'll be too scary!" "The dark is nothing to be afraid of. I thought orcs weren't afraid of anything." "I'm only half! And this doesn't sound like a good idea." Chloe's apprehension aside, she'd probably still help you out, though you'd go without her even if she didn't. Of course there is a part of you that isn't completely reckless. If you really thought about it, sneaking about at night might be a little dangerous (and a little scary). You probably could still just as easily sneak away in the morning before all the people show up for the unpleasant adoption process. > You sneak out tonight You have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow and if you'll even have the opportunity to get away for long since Miss Olga will be awake and will probably go looking for you as soon as she's unable to find you in the orphanage. At least she'll be asleep right now. You get out of bed and put on your shoes. Chloe stands in shock for a moment before realizing you're serious about sneaking out. "Cat are you seriously going to do this?" Chloe asks. "Yes, keep your voice down! Now are you going to come with me or not?" you whisper. "No! And this is a really bad idea!" "Fine. I'll go by myself then." "Catalina you can't..." You're already quickly creeping away while Chloe is still disbelieving you're actually going to do this. You manage to leave the sleeping area and into the hallway. You're fairly certain nobody woke up since you still hear Patty snoring. You quickly make your way past Miss Olga's bedroom, which is silent. The bigger challenge is walking down the creaky stairs without waking up everyone. The only thing you can think of to do is to crawl-slide down the bannister to the bottom. It's tricky, but you manage it and soon you're on the ground floor where you quickly make your way to the front door. You unlock the door and slip outside. The park isn't too far away, and while you hear a few sounds of the night, the streets are empty. The only dim light is the moon above, as typical in this area someone hasn't kept up on keeping the street lamps lit. You get down the steps and then hear something behind you. You're fully expecting it to be Miss Olga, but turn and to your relief you see Chloe. "I still don't think this is a good idea." She says as she approaches you. "We won't be gone long. I'm sort of glad you're here though, looks like the lamps aren't lit and the moon isn't that bright tonight. That night vision of yours might come in handy in case someone is lurking in the darkness." You respond. Your words of someone potentially lurking in the darkness don't comfort Chloe, but she comes with you anyway. You and Chloe make your way to the park fairly quickly with no encounters. When you get to the park, it's a lot darker as the excessive amount of trees block the moonlight, and nobody even bothered to light the walkway lamps here either. It's dark enough that you are having a slightly hard time remembering exactly where you saw the butterflies. Chloe manages to help in keeping you from tripping over rocks or falling into small holes in the ground made by small furry animals. "Are you sure this is the right direction?" Chloe asks. "Yeah, I'm...sure...there they are!" you suddenly exclaim midway speaking to Chloe. You see a faint purple glow at the bush you must have seen them before. This isn't a constant glow though, they're fading in and out. Going from a deep purple and back again. Looks like they're all on the bush sleeping perhaps. You leave Chloe who maintains a bit of a distance from you, saying to be careful. You're not paying attention to her though; you're drawn to the glow. You approach closer to the bush focused so much on the grave wings that you forget that they were swarmed over a cat corpse earlier which you trip over. Fortunately the fall isn't too bad since it's partially broken by the bush itself, but you managed to disturb all the grave wings which flutter away. "Catalina! Are you alright?" you hear Chloe shout as you're rolling back over. "Yeah, I think so, I just..." you start to say and then feel something on your leg. It's hard to see in the dark, so you try to bend your leg forward. You feel a sharp pain and give a yelp. "What's going on!?" Chloe shouts. "I dunno, I think...I think I got something in my leg." "Oh no!" "Hurts...hold on..." You grope at your leg and pull whatever it is out. You do so causing yourself to grimace and stifle your cries of pain. You then shakily bring the object closer to your face so you can actually see it. Looks like a piece of bone. Maybe a rib from the cat? You don't really know. You know you're bleeding though. At this point Chloe has overcome her reluctance and finally come over to you. "I knew this was a bad idea! Does it hurt?" she says. "Yeah...can you help me up? Gotta get back before..." Your attention is once again drawn away from the immediate situation and back to the grave wings, which have made their way back to the area. Chloe for whatever reason is really scared of them. "Argh! No!" Chloe screams and moves out of the way so they don't land on her. They don't seem to be focused at all on her, so much as they are at you and several descend on to your bleeding leg, while another lands on your hand. "Pretty..." you say, not realizing that Chloe has run off. You also don't realize that the grave wings are currently feasting your open wound at first until you feel a lightheaded sensation. You look once more at the grave wing on your hand, which seems to glow just a little brighter and then you lose consciousness. When you come to, you see Miss Olga standing over you. You're not in your bed; you're in a spare bed used for when someone is sick. "Thank the gods you're awake, do you even know how much I was worried that you wouldn't?" Miss Olga exclaims. You don't answer, since you're still groggy. "You're lucky Chloe was foolish enough to follow you on your nightly adventure, yet wise enough to run to get me. I told you that grave wings are filthy creatures! You're also lucky I managed to clean out your wound before infection spread. We're going to have to keep an eye on it though. Hopefully, we won't need to take you to a proper doctor." You continue to say nothing, as there's no point in interrupting Olga's rant. You'll just make her madder. "Now I'M going to get the rest prepared for adoption day. I had HOPED that you'd be out there since you obviously need more structure than I can possibly provide. But you're in no condition right now so you're missing this one. Do you have ANYTHING to say for yourself?" If Miss Olga was expecting any sort of apology or introspectiveness on your actions last night, her hopes are dashed as you silently just shake your head. Miss Olga raises her hands up, rolls her eyes, gives an exasperated sigh and leaves. You hear the door being firmly locked afterwards, not that you were going anywhere, since you still feel a little strange. Time passes and you start feel a little better. You look at your leg, which is wrapped up, but it doesn't hurt so much as it just aches. You then hear the door unlock, you expect it to be Miss Olga, but it's Chloe, with a small vase of flowers. "Catalina, I brought these for you." She says, approaching your bed, looking a little downtrodden. "Oh. Put them on that table near the bed I guess." You answer. As Chloe does so you wonder why she's here. "Why aren't you out there standing around for adoption day?" you ask. "Oh, I was for awhile. But um, nobody was coming up to me at all, then Fatty Patty was taunting me about it and I just left. I don't even think Miss Olga noticed I was gone." Chloe says. "So did someone adopt her?" "No, she's just stuffing her face with all the food laid out. I don't think anyone is interested in her either, but doesn't stop her from being mean. Anyway I ended up going to the park and decided to pick some flowers for you." "You went back to the park? Did you see the grave wings?" "No! I didn't even go anywhere near where we went last night. That was scary and I was afraid you died!" Chloe grabs your hand after she says this. You never really noticed how much Chloe values your indifference towards her as "friendship." You suppose it probably is a good thing she was looking out for you. "It's fine Chloe, and thanks for getting help." You say. "So did you need anything else? Some food? I don't think Fatty Patty has eaten it all yet." Chloe asks. "No, in fact you probably should leave. Last thing either of us needs is for Miss Olga to come in and start yelling at both of us." "Yeah, maybe that is a good idea. Okay, you get better." Chloe smiles and leaves. You lie in bed thinking about what compelled you to go see those butterflies so badly. You don't really know. It couldn't have just because you thought they were pretty. The flowers that Chloe just brought in are pretty and you don't feel as strongly about them. You've also been wondering about some of the weird stuff you were seeing while you were sleeping. You don't really remember most of it, but there were images of skulls mixed in the butterflies, cat's corpse, the Nuro graveyard, which you remember seeing once when you wandered off and got lost in the city. (You probably would visit there more than the park if it wasn't so far) and just weird dark shapes in general. And while some of this is a bit scary to you, most of it is just intriguing. Tired of being stuck in bed, you sit up and try to walk around. You use the nearby table to prop yourself up, but when you finally stand on your leg, it's a little weaker than you thought and you stumble, causing the vase to fall and break. "Damn!" you swear. You know you're not supposed to swear, but it just seemed appropriate in this situation especially since you know Miss Olga is going to come in and complain about the mess you've made. With some effort you start picking up shards of the vase and putting in a drawer. When you touch one of the flowers though something interesting happens. It slowly wilts in your hand, causing you to drop it immediately. Hesitantly, you pick up a different flower and the same thing happens. It wilts to the point where the petals actually blacken and fall off. You pick up yet another flower, but nothing happens which confuses you. You set aside the unchanged flower along with the newly dead one and go back to the wilted one that you dropped. It remains the same at first, but then something odd happens, it shows a bit of life again. Still wilted though. "Cool..." > Awakening After a couple weeks of sneaking to the park and recreating your "discovery" on various plants and flowers there, you learn that it doesn't seem to be going away. You think maybe it's due to the grave wings biting you and it could very well be, but you don't really know. In fact, you haven't seen the grave wings at all since that last night you fell unconscious. While you've never been there, you do know that this city has one of the most important magic schools in the world. (Well at least what little you know of it). You once remember seeing someone performing magic in the park for a crowd until a guard ran him off saying how he wasn't allowed off school grounds. Your knowledge is very limited on how this works or even why, but you can only come to the simple conclusion that you must have magic abilities! While this is exciting, even you're aware of how dangerous magic can be. You aren't sure if you should tell Miss Olga or not. If you did maybe you'd go to the magic school? While you're thinking on this, you aren't paying too much attention to what you've been doing to the flowers nearby. "By the gods!" you hear a voice exclaim. You look down and see dead flowers near your hand, then you look where the voice came from and see Chloe standing nearby in shock. You're a little surprised as well since you've been careful to not let anyone see. All you can utter is: "Wha...what are you doing here?" "Miss Olga told me to come get you for lunch since she knows I'd be able to find you quicker than she would...you made those flowers wilt!" Chloe says readdressing the situation. "Shhh! You're the only one who knows so far!" you say. "I am? When did you become magical? Wait, was it after that night?" "Yeah." You fully expect Chloe to get scared, but instead she's curious. "Well...what else can you do? Can you create a fireball?" she asks. "No. I mean...well I dunno. I haven't tried it." You say. "So, you can only kill flowers?" "No, I can make them better too, look." You focus a bit and the dead flowers show some vigor again, but not much. "They still look in pretty bad shape." Chloe says. "Yeah, I can never get them to go exactly back to how they were. I keep trying, but it doesn't seem to work." You reply. "Well...maybe you need to practice?" "I have for a week now, but it's not like I can practice for long periods of time." After saying this to Chloe, you notice something on the ground by some of the dead flower petals. It's a dead bee. You guess you didn't notice it when you were near the flowers before, but you can only guess it was in one of the flowers you wilted and as a result, you killed it too. You get an idea... "What are you doing now?" Chloe asks. "This bee. I think I killed it, when I wilted the flowers. I'm going to see if I can make it better." "What? You...you can't do that!" "Why not? I can bring back flowers...well sorta. Anyway it's worth a shot." "I dunno Cat, this seems like a bad idea. Couldn't you just try to change that rose purple or something?" You ignore Chloe's concerns and focus on the bee. And focus... And focus... "I don't think it's working." "Shhh!" You focus again and after feeling a bit light headed, you see it! You see a wing move, if only for a brief moment! Chloe sees it too and now she's scared. "You...you shouldn't be able to do that." Chloe remarks. "Why?" you ask. "Because...that's like against the rules! Don't you know that story?" "Story about what?" "About the Great Lich Lord and how he nearly conquered the world with the dead!" "I don't remember Miss Olga telling that story before." "You probably were here in the park as usual, but last year she told a scary story about him and why that sort of magic is against the rules. You can get into a lot of trouble doing it." "Oh. Well I'm not doing that. I'm just seeing if I can revive this bee." "I think that's the same thing Cat! Come on, we need to get back anyway for lunch." Reluctantly you leave with Chloe and head back to the orphanage where you're already late. Fatty Patty wastes no time in calling attention to that fact when you both try to quietly go to your chairs in the dinning room. The other children don't say anything, but of course... "Miss Olga! Cat and Chloe are late!" Patty shouts obnoxiously while partially eaten food crumbs fly out of her mouth. Miss Olga comes out of the kitchen frowning, but she seems more annoyed by Patty than you two since it was already obvious you were going to be late. "Well I see you two finally decided to join us. I told you to get Catalina a half hour ago. What happened Chloe, you get lost on the way?" Miss Olga asks. "No Miss Olga." Chloe says looking down. "And as for you, well I'm getting to the point I can see you're just determined to be difficult even after your recent episode. Both of you go take your seats at the table." You and Chloe silently take your seats while Patty and a couple other children snicker. The other children finish before you and Chloe since you came in late, that's when Chloe speaks again. "You going to tell Miss Olga?" Chloe asks. "Huh? Tell her what?" you ask. "About your magic powers. You probably should since she'll know what to do." "What? No! I don't want to tell her, I'll get in trouble!" "Maybe, but I mean magic is serious, you can't just keep it secret!" "Keep what secret?" Miss Olga asks staring at the pair of you. Obviously she only heard the last part, but she knows something's up. You feel anxious. Part of you does want to tell her since you really don't know what you're doing, but you feel like you're going to get locked away forever if you say something. > You tell Miss Olga the truth You don't know what you're doing and you feel like Miss Olga always knows everything. Even if she doesn't, she's going to be able to tell if you're lying. You still think you're going to get into trouble, but maybe the truth will at least lessen it. You tell Miss Olga everything very reluctantly. You're on the verge of tears and your voice quivers a bit, but you keep it together. Miss Olga's eyes widen when you mention magic. In fact she looks concerned until you finish. She remains silent though, which is probably more upsetting to you. Chloe breaks up the silence after you stop talking. "Miss Olga, it's not her fault! Please don't send her to magic jail!" Chloe exclaims. "Chloe, calm down. Nobody is going to jail. But..." Miss Olga sighs heavily. "I am not equipped to help you Catalina. I know you're not some demon spawn or anything like that, but you obviously have a condition that needs people more experienced than I in these matters." "Don't send her to jail! Please!" Chloe yells again. "Chloe, be quiet! I just said I wasn't going to do that. In fact, YOU leave. I need to speak to Catalina privately. And DON'T tell any of the other children about this, you understand?" Chloe nods and leaves the table slowly, she even hugs you before exiting the room. You're left alone with Miss Olga and you're very nervous. Miss Olga shakes her head. "Catalina, your little night time adventure has really complicated things for your life. But what's done it done, now it's my job to at least try to provide help to you, like I always have, contrary to what you might believe." "What are you going to do?" "Well I'm going to have to actively find parents for you as soon as possible, fortunately we live in a city that has the most popular magic college in the world. There's a professor there that can probably help. Haven't seen her in years, but we were on good terms last time we spoke. More importantly I can trust her. At least I hope I can. Well I'm going to have to in any case." You shift in your chair a bit silently, still worrying about what's going to happen. "As for you, you're going to be sticking to me from now on. You'll be sleeping in the extra bed in my room until I can find proper parents for you, you will NOT be sneaking away to the park or anywhere else. You are to remain in this building at all times. And you are definitely NOT to practice ANY sort of magic! I catch you doing any of that and Chloe's concerns about you going away to jail will be a reality. You understand?" You tense up and nod rapidly. "Good. Now get ready for bed." You leave the table and start to exit the room but then turn to tell Miss Olga that you're sorry. Miss Olga maintains her firm composure, but says she's at least glad you told her the truth when you did and that as long as you behave, everything will be fine. As you start to head to Miss Olga's room, everything starts to get hazy for some reason. You don't even remember actually getting into bed, but you're suddenly there when you wake up. How long have you been asleep? Your time at the orphanage seems to be a blur. You're playing with Chloe one moment and you're eating at the table the next. It's all sort of mundane and even a little boring. You briefly think about sneaking off to the park, but you're too afraid now. Not to mention Chloe is always around you now. Is she spying on you for Miss Olga? You don't know how much time passes, maybe a week? You do remember seeing an older lady come into the orphanage to speak to Miss Olga. She had completely white hair and walked with a cane. She had to be even older than Miss Olga. Strange you can't remember her face even though you spoke to her. You get called in and answered a few questions about your magic abilities. The older lady asks, though you can't really understand any of what she says. You still can't make out her face either. You mostly answer in a yes or no way or repeat what you were able to do. The lady casts some sort of magic and then speaks to Miss Olga. You can't understand what she says, but Miss Olga nods and seems relieved. She turns to you. "Catalina, you're going to go stay here another week and then you will meet your new parents. They will be able to help you and train you in the way you need. Until then, just continue to stay in the building and behave okay?" Miss Olga says. "Yes, Miss Olga." You answer. You are told to go play, which you do. Chloe asks what happened, but you can't really explain well. Everything is just hard to focus on. You tell Chloe that nothing happened and that you just need to go lie down. Again, you aren't sure how long you sleep. Has it been days? You just know that something important is happening. Miss Olga comes in and tells you that your new parents are here and they're eager to meet you. You aren't so eager to meet them though. They come in and your attitude changes. You see two well dressed figures and at first you can't make out their faces until they get closer and that's when you see them clearly. Both of them have grinning fleshless skulls rather than faces. Their skeletal arms extend to embrace you and you are filled with a sense of safe familiarity. You waste no time in hugging your new parents, then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Obviously that wasn't how your life went. It was sort of a comforting image though and you briefly wonder how different things would have been if you'd been adopted so early. Then you quickly dismiss such thoughts. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, war, fantasy, grimdark] After a couple weeks of sneaking to the park and recreating your "discovery" on various plants and flowers there, you learn that it doesn't seem to be going away. You think maybe it's due to the grave wings biting you and it could very well be, but you don't really know. In fact, you haven't seen the grave wings at all since that last night you fell unconscious. While you've never been there, you do know that this city has one of the most important magic schools in the world. (Well at least what little you know of it). You once remember seeing someone performing magic in the park for a crowd until a guard ran him off saying how he wasn't allowed off school grounds. Your knowledge is very limited on how this works or even why, but you can only come to the simple conclusion that you must have magic abilities! While this is exciting, even you're aware of how dangerous magic can be. You aren't sure if you should tell Miss Olga or not. If you did maybe you'd go to the magic school? While you're thinking on this, you aren't paying too much attention to what you've been doing to the flowers nearby. "By the gods!" you hear a voice exclaim. You look down and see dead flowers near your hand, then you look where the voice came from and see Chloe standing nearby in shock. You're a little surprised as well since you've been careful to not let anyone see. All you can utter is: "Wha...what are you doing here?" "Miss Olga told me to come get you for lunch since she knows I'd be able to find you quicker than she would...you made those flowers wilt!" Chloe says readdressing the situation. "Shhh! You're the only one who knows so far!" you say. "I am? When did you become magical? Wait, was it after that night?" "Yeah." You fully expect Chloe to get scared, but instead she's curious. "Well...what else can you do? Can you create a fireball?" she asks. "No. I mean...well I dunno. I haven't tried it." You say. "So, you can only kill flowers?" "No, I can make them better too, look." You focus a bit and the dead flowers show some vigor again, but not much. "They still look in pretty bad shape." Chloe says. "Yeah, I can never get them to go exactly back to how they were. I keep trying, but it doesn't seem to work." You reply. "Well...maybe you need to practice?" "I have for a week now, but it's not like I can practice for long periods of time." After saying this to Chloe, you notice something on the ground by some of the dead flower petals. It's a dead bee. You guess you didn't notice it when you were near the flowers before, but you can only guess it was in one of the flowers you wilted and as a result, you killed it too. You get an idea... "What are you doing now?" Chloe asks. "This bee. I think I killed it, when I wilted the flowers. I'm going to see if I can make it better." "What? You...you can't do that!" "Why not? I can bring back flowers...well sorta. Anyway it's worth a shot." "I dunno Cat, this seems like a bad idea. Couldn't you just try to change that rose purple or something?" You ignore Chloe's concerns and focus on the bee. And focus... And focus... "I don't think it's working." "Shhh!" You focus again and after feeling a bit light headed, you see it! You see a wing move, if only for a brief moment! Chloe sees it too and now she's scared. "You...you shouldn't be able to do that." Chloe remarks. "Why?" you ask. "Because...that's like against the rules! Don't you know that story?" "Story about what?" "About the Great Lich Lord and how he nearly conquered the world with the dead!" "I don't remember Miss Olga telling that story before." "You probably were here in the park as usual, but last year she told a scary story about him and why that sort of magic is against the rules. You can get into a lot of trouble doing it." "Oh. Well I'm not doing that. I'm just seeing if I can revive this bee." "I think that's the same thing Cat! Come on, we need to get back anyway for lunch." Reluctantly you leave with Chloe and head back to the orphanage where you're already late. Fatty Patty wastes no time in calling attention to that fact when you both try to quietly go to your chairs in the dinning room. The other children don't say anything, but of course... "Miss Olga! Cat and Chloe are late!" Patty shouts obnoxiously while partially eaten food crumbs fly out of her mouth. Miss Olga comes out of the kitchen frowning, but she seems more annoyed by Patty than you two since it was already obvious you were going to be late. "Well I see you two finally decided to join us. I told you to get Catalina a half hour ago. What happened Chloe, you get lost on the way?" Miss Olga asks. "No Miss Olga." Chloe says looking down. "And as for you, well I'm getting to the point I can see you're just determined to be difficult even after your recent episode. Both of you go take your seats at the table." You and Chloe silently take your seats while Patty and a couple other children snicker. The other children finish before you and Chloe since you came in late, that's when Chloe speaks again. "You going to tell Miss Olga?" Chloe asks. "Huh? Tell her what?" you ask. "About your magic powers. You probably should since she'll know what to do." "What? No! I don't want to tell her, I'll get in trouble!" "Maybe, but I mean magic is serious, you can't just keep it secret!" "Keep what secret?" Miss Olga asks staring at the pair of you. Obviously she only heard the last part, but she knows something's up. You feel anxious. Part of you does want to tell her since you really don't know what you're doing, but you feel like you're going to get locked away forever if you say something. > Lie You are NOT going to risk telling Miss Olga anything, but you're struggling to think of what to say. "Um..." you say. "Well?" Miss Olga asks as Chloe looks at you. "I...well...okay...I found a rabbit in the park and it was so friendly it let me pet and play with it. That's why Chloe was late, since she was playing with it too." "Um...yeah...it was soft and fluffy." Chloe stammers. "I was going to try to go back and get it to sneak it in here since I didn't think you'd let me keep it." Miss Olga looks at you and at Chloe and gives a side eye to both of you, like she isn't sure if you're telling the truth, but ultimately she does believe you. "Well you're certainly right that I wouldn't allow you to keep it. We don't have the space to shelter pets and I won't have one pooping all over the place. Still, I'm glad that you admitted the truth to me. Shows you aren't completely delinquent. A bit unusual that a rabbit would willingly come up to you though. Usually they are timid creatures." You and Chloe say nothing to this statement. "Bah, probably something to do with that magic college, never know what's going on there. That's why I want you to stay close by; I don't drag you from that park because I like being mean. I just want you to be safe. Do you understand?" "Yes, Miss Olga." You respond. "Hm. Of course you understand. I think you always have, but you're determined to be stubborn. I know you don't like it here, and that's why if you behave better you'll be more likely to get out of here quicker and go to a proper family that can provide a better life for you." Again you don't say anything and just eat your food, Chloe follows your example, while Miss Olga just shakes her head and tells the pair of you to stay inside for the rest of the day, especially since it'll be getting dark soon. You and Chloe both obey and go back to your room which is empty since the rest of the children are playing outside or elsewhere. Last thing they want to do is be around their beds if they don't have to sleep. Chloe hasn't said anything, though given that she didn't tell on you, you do appreciate it. "Thanks for not telling Miss Olga." You say. "...you're welcome...but what are you going to do now?" Chloe slowly says. "I dunno. All my practice isn't working. Maybe I need a magic book." "Aren't those all at the college?" "They can't all be in there. It's too far from us anyway. Have a hard enough time sneaking off to the park. Hm. Hey, wait there's a bookstore a few blocks from the park on Conjure Street. Maybe they would have something." "They sell used books don't they?" "Yeah so? Still might have something." "I mean you don't have any money, how are you going to buy it?" "I dunno. I guess I could..." Chloe already knows what you're going say. "No. You can't seriously be thinking about stealing a book!" Chloe says. "Actually I was considering taking Miss Olga's coin purse and buying the book." Chloe looks at you in disbelief. "That...that's even worse!" she exclaims. While stealing from someone you know is worse than stealing from a stranger is debatable, you were just thinking it would be easier to steal from Miss Olga since you know where her coin purse is. While you're pondering if it wouldn't be quicker to directly steal a book, you hear a familiar annoying voice. "What are you two doing in here together? Probably planning to sneak out again like you did before! You know if you do that again, Miss Olga will just send you both to that place for bad kids. You both will probably go there anyway. Especially you pig face!" Patty says. "Shut up Patty! Nobody was talking to you!" Chloe snaps. "I'm telling Miss Olga, you called me a name!" Patty runs out the room, leaving you and Chloe alone again. "Ugh. I hate her. I know the rest of the kids don't like me, but Patty always makes it worse." Chloe says. You nod and agree that Patty is indeed very annoying and go back to pondering what you're going to do about advancing your magic situation. Chloe of course still is advising you against any sort of stealing, so whatever it is you ultimately decide, you'll probably have to do it without Chloe's help. > You steal the coin purse "Okay, okay, I'll figure out something else." You remark. "Good. I don't want you to get into more trouble, you're the only friend I have here!" Chloe says and suddenly hugs you. You weren't expecting a hug, especially that strong of one. You aren't exactly sure how to act, except you give a minor pat on her back. "Okay, you're holding me too tight." You say. "Oh sorry. I didn't hurt you did I? I don't realize how strong I am sometimes." Chloe asks. "No, I'm fine. Anyway, since we're stuck inside, I guess we could play a game. Tafl is over there, might as well bring it over here." Chloe goes over to get the game, to which she expresses a desire to play as the attacker. You figured she would since that's usually what she always plays as, while you play the king's side. Time passes, as your mind is only half into the game as you think about how you're going to go about stealing Miss Olga's coin purse. Eventually other children start walking in since Miss Olga has called that it's time for bed. Patty eventually waddles in makes some snide comments to Chloe as usual causing a few of the others to laugh as well until eventually Miss Olga steps in to order everyone to be quiet and get to bed. You don't go to sleep immediately. You continue to plan what you're going to do. It's actually going to take patience, but you have to do it that way. Starting the next day, you put your plan into action. The first few times you sneak into Miss Olga's room are the most difficult. You think you're going to get caught at any moment. Eventually you manage to slip a copper coin out of her purse and hide it away. Nobody sees you, nobody knows. Not even Miss Olga. It's just a single coin after all. Over the course of a month, you manage to steal enough money that you're certain you'd have enough for a book, but you don't buy one. Instead, you only take a small portion of what you've stolen and instead buy sweets from a sweet shop close to the bookstore. You eat the sweets and keep the wrappers they came in. Nothing else of note happens at the orphanage in this time. It's just the usual things with Miss Olga being overworked, Chloe being friendly and Patty being annoying. Well Patty being REALLY annoying. Though that all changes soon one day. "Miss Olga?" you say as she's busily doing laundry. "Huh? Catalina? What is it, I'm busy with washing these clothes right now." Miss Olga responds. "I...I think there's something you really should see." Miss Olga's never known you to make yourself so readily available to her, let alone actively seeking her out, so she stops what she's doing so you can show her what you're talking about. You go to the sleeping room and point out near the bottom of the headboard of Patty's bed, a small piece of loose wood paneling. "Behind there." You say. Miss Olga looks at you and then crouches down to move the paneling and finds a bunch of coins. "Wha..." Miss Olga says. "I woke up in the middle of the night and saw Patty fumbling around with something there, before slipping back into bed. This morning I guess I got curious and checked since I never saw Patty doing anything like that before since she's usually snoring throughout the night, but when I saw what was behind there, I thought I should tell you." Miss Olga is still looking and gathering the coins as you speak, she then also sees a few sweet wrappers with the coins. "I...thought something was amiss. I didn't want to think it, but..." Miss Olga starts to say to herself and then stands back up with a mad expression. "Where's Patty? Never mind, I know where she probably is." Miss Olga says before storming out the room. She practically pushes Chloe out of the way as she's coming into the room. "What's going on? Miss Olga looks mad and she's heading away from us this time. Which is weird since it's usually the opposite if she's angry." Chloe says. "Let's just say, I don't think Patty's going to be making fun of you anymore." You remark. "Oh? Why's that?" Just as you're about to say something, you both hear loud yelling. This is followed by loud protests of innocence. Chloe looks at you, then looks out the doorway and then runs towards where you're standing. "Miss Olga's heading this way and she's pulling Patty behind her!" Soon Miss Olga returns to the room with Patty nearly crying at this point. A bunch of the other children stand in the doorway watching. "You didn't steal from me huh? Then how do you explain this?! These coins were found here!" Miss Olga points out the small hole in the wall. "What? I didn't even know that was there!" Patty exclaims. "A likely story, Catalina said she saw you messing around with it in the middle of the night. Said all these coins were behind there! It's about how much I seemed to have lost over the course of a month!" "SHE'S A BIG LIAR! I DIDN'T DO NUTHIN!" Patty screams and starts to cry. "I also found these sweet wrappers! I suppose that's why not all of my coin is there. Surprised you didn't just steal the sweets too." "I DIDN'T STEAL NUTHIN! SHE PUT THOSE THERE!" Patty screams and then tries to rush towards you before Miss Olga pulls her back. "For the past month I thought I'd just been getting old and forgetful or possibly even careless. I knew I wasn't losing my mind, just my coin apparently. I shouldn't be surprised since I know you've nicked a few things from the pantry at times...but this. This is something entirely more serious." Miss Olga slaps Patty for swearing. "Catalina's a lot of things, never known her to seek me out for anything though, let alone be a liar. She even confessed to a plan of trying to sneak a pet here once. In any case it's obvious I've failed in my duties to at least keep you from being a criminal. I can't provide the proper help you need. You'll be moved to another facility, in the mean time, you'll be sleeping where I can keep my eye on you." Patty at this point is dragged away kicking and screaming, calling you all sorts of names. A few of the children follow Miss Olga to see what will happen next. A few linger in the room, looking at you. One of the girls who tended to hang out with Patty speaks up. "My bed is right next to Patty's and that fat ass snores all damn night. Everyone knows that. I would have known if she had been waddling around in the middle of the night. I also would have known if she had been stealing from Miss Olga because she tells me everything. She wasn't smart enough to keep something like that a secret for that long." She says accusingly. "Hm. She was smart enough to fool Miss Olga. Smart enough to fool you too apparently. Good thing I helped stop her, who knows what someone like that could do if they REALLY put their mind to it." You reply. Your expression displays a subtle threatening demeanor, which is enough to shut the girl up and cause all of them to back off. They eventually all leave the room, leaving just you and Chloe alone, though even Chloe is looking a bit concerned. "So I'm thinking about going to the park to practice my magic, did you want to come with me? Maybe I'll try to change the color of some flowers." You say. "Um, no. Maybe later." You nod and begin to walk out the bed area, though as you do you hear Chloe call out: "Catalina?" "Yes?" "Thank you." You nod again and quickly make your way to the park, ignoring the rest of the yelling and screaming that's still going on between Miss Olga and Patty with everyone else listening and watching. You eventually get to the secluded part of the park that you always go to and focus... It doesn't even take long, but you change the colors of some yellow flowers to blue. The funny thing is you aren't even surprised by your quick success. It's like you knew somehow that you'd succeed. You try a couple other things like making a patch of grass grow, making more flowers wilt, but that isn't what you really want to try. You head back to that group of bushes where you first saw the grave wings. You around near the bottom and sure enough, the corpse of the cat is still there. It's mostly bones now though and even some of those are missing. You focus on the cat... And focus... And focus... And then you see it. You see it move. Not much, but it moves. Then it begins to try to stand, a little difficult though given that it's missing a whole leg. It also makes strange hissing sounds, though it shouldn't be able to make any sounds at all given that it doesn't have any of the organs left that would allow such a thing. The newly resurrected cat then tries to swipe at you. You pull back before it can hit you. You attempt to control it, but you're unable as it continues to half drag itself towards you. Without thinking, you shoot a bolt of energy from your finger, which at this range causes the skeletal cat to shatter into several pieces. Your hand feels like it's on fire and you even fall backwards from the shock. You rub your hand with the other hoping the pain will go away, which it eventually does. As you stand up, your whole body feels a bit weak now. You don't know if it's because of all the magic you've been doing or what, but you think that's enough today. You're lucky nobody stumbled onto you while you were doing all this. Still though, you've learned that you can do more than just wilt flowers. So much more. You don't know what was different exactly today considering you'd been practicing for weeks and nothing happened. All of a sudden today, you performed more magic than you ever had in less than a day. You don't know if it's because you tapped into something you hadn't before, if you were confident, maybe all that practice actually paid off or maybe it was a combination of all of it. You do know things are going to be different now. > Growing Always hard to recall exactly all the details of a past life in this existence no matter how long you've been at it. So far you've lived through what you're sure was your past. You're fairly certain at least. You'll soon know if you're wrong. Things at the orphanage didn't really change excessively after Patty was transferred. The only thing that changed was that most children were afraid of you even if some of them didn't know why exactly. Nobody knew about your magic powers except Chloe and she never told anyone. She was certainly grateful for being her friend before which is only because you didn't treat her with any antipathy. Still, she was afraid too. Miss Olga wasn't though; she still just wanted you to be in a good home. You didn't really care about that though. If you ever really did. "Prospective parents are coming in today, everyone be on your best behavior! No fighting, no name calling, no nonsense!" Miss Olga exclaims. All the children remain silent or say "Yes Miss Olga." Miss Olga tells everyone to stay within the orphanage walls, and then as everyone is breaking up from the line up, Miss Olga pulls you aside. "As for you, I want YOU to make an effort today." Miss Olga says. "I'm here." You say. "Yes, you're here. You didn't sneak away to the park like you typically do, but you've also been here for several of these days and for whatever reason, nobody seems to want to adopt you. It's like you're actively driving them away." "I'm not doing anything." "Well you're doing something." "If you want me out of here so much, why not just give me to the first couple who comes in?" "It doesn't work like that and you know it. I can't just give you away like an object. I have to see if the prospective parents want you AND if you want to be with them. Maybe other places don't care, but want to make good matches. You NEED to be more outgoing, not just sitting in a corner being anti-social." Miss Olga exhales as if she's really trying to make you understand. "Look, you're a pretty girl who is intelligent enough to be given a better education than this place can provide when I even have the time. You're also still young enough to really enjoy a proper childhood. You can't have that if you're stuck here." "What about Chloe?" "Huh? What about her?" "She tries very hard to get adopted, but nobody picks her. She's nice and smart." "Yes, well it is an unfortunate situation for her. Nobody wants half-breed orc children, at least nobody human does and it isn't like I exactly have orc parents coming in here. It's not surprising she was given to me. I imagine she'll be here until she's legally an adult and then who knows? In any case, you need to worry about YOUR future and staying here until you're an adult isn't the best possible one for you. Will you at least try today?" You don't really reply, causing Miss Olga to just throw up her hands and walk off. Part of you does wonder why you're not trying to get adopted. You don't exactly like it here. There also have been a few adults that seemed okay. If you'd made the effort, you're pretty sure you would have been adopted by now. Miss Olga does seem to want the best for you, but she doesn't understand you though. If she did, she'd have you sent away like she did with Patty or worse. You wonder if maybe part of you is sticking around because of Chloe. You're the only friend she has and even if she is a little afraid of you now, you imagine she'd still miss you if you were gone. Eventually you stop wondering about such things when you hear people entering the orphanage. You walk to the front room and see quite a few adults walking in. Mostly humans of course. Once again, you make no effort to be friendly even if you aren't actively hostile. Most of the couples look over at your way, but don't approach. A few of them do approach, but soon walk away when you're giving them one-word answers to questions. However, one man comes up to you with a smile on his face. "So, I'm guessing you're not a fan of these things?" the man asks. You don't answer at all. "Don't blame you. It's never fun to have to act like a different person. Trust me, I'm a merchant and I have to do it all the time." You continue to not answer, but the man isn't offended or driven away by your demeanor. "So, what do you do?" "Nothing." You finally answer. "I find that hard to believe. Everyone does something. Working, playing, whatever it is, they're doing something for some reason even if they aren't doing it all the time. You don't seem like the rest of your fellows here. They're all eager to leave this place, while you seem to be content where you are, that suggests there must be some reason you're not in a hurry to leave." "I like the park." "Hm. I imagine that is one of the few green areas in this city. Nature lover perhaps? You ever been outside Nuro's walls? There's a lot more to see. Beautiful things." "Where's your wife?" "My wife? What makes you think I'm married?" "Everyone who adopts is married." "Is that a rule?" "It is here. Miss Olga doesn't want perverts coming here." Your accusation causes the man to laugh. "Trust me girl, there are plenty of couples that have ill intent as well. However, yes I am married, but my wife is currently at home. She's been rather sick lately, but we had this appointment and insisted that I go alone and she trusts my judgment." "Well she's going to have to be here, if you actually want to adopt and Miss Olga will know if you just got some whore to pose as your wife." "Wow. You really are a suspicious one. Still, being suspicious isn't the worst thing in the world. Keeps one alive and alert I suppose. Can't imagine it's been easy growing up here. I used to live around here." "You grew up in an orphanage?" "No, I had both my parents, though I might have been better off growing up in one given how they were. I did live a few blocks away though, down at the end of Ragpicker Lane." "Miss Olga tells us not to go near that direction." "Well she's right. Not an area of the city I'd recommend, glad I made it out. So what about you?" "What about me what?" "Wouldn't you like to leave here?" You back away a bit from the man. "You seem awfully interested in me. There's other kids here." You say. "True, but they all seem to be preoccupied with other potential parents. Well except for that one standing against the wall. Poor kid, she can't help she's an orc." The man remarks. "She's only half orc." "I stand corrected, but that more makes sense. Can't imagine orcs give their unwanted children to orphanages when they could eat them instead." "They do?" "Well, I suppose I'm just making assumptions. I probably shouldn't. You can miss out on things if you make too many of them. Well I guess I won't bother you any longer. It's been nice speaking with you, you take care of yourself." The man turns around and heads back towards the crowd of adults and children. You're a little more at ease, though you thought for sure he'd keep talking to you. You think back again to what Miss Olga said about trying to get adopted and finally leaving this place. There's a part of you that was a little intrigued by what the man had to say, even if you didn't give him much time to say a lot. A fleeting thought of what it might be like to have a proper family enters your mind, but only for a moment. You leave the orphanage and go to the park. You want to try something. You go to the usual secluded spot of the park and after looking around, you see a rabbit sitting and eating a few wildflowers. You close you look around again and then stretch your hand out and focus... A jolt of energy comes from your finger. You don't fall backwards this time. You've managed to control it better. You feel numbness in your hand, though it's better than the pain you used to feel in it. You look at the rabbit and see your aim has gotten better as well, since you've fried the furry creature. You don't really like killing animals, but it's the only way to practice. You focus on the dead rabbit. And focus... The dead rabbit starts to stir. It looks around and then at you, making sounds a rabbit wouldn't normally make. Now comes the difficult part. You immediately attempt to hold the dead rabbit in place through sheer force of will. It runs toward you... And then stops. Then it wanders left and to the right. It looks at you again, growls, leaps at your feet before stopping completely again. You back away, step to the side and feel very shaky. You lean up against a tree trying to gather your wits. Part of it is nerves, but what you're doing is very exhausting. The concentration, the energy, everything is just very tiring. Meanwhile the rabbit look at you with dead eyes as if waiting for further commands. You've made some real progress today. Then you suddenly hear laughter approaching, it's two older teenagers who are walking and kissing each other. They haven't seen you or the zombie rabbit yet, but their presence catches you off guard. Enough so that you lose concentration and the rabbit ceases to stay put. Its attention is now not on you, it's on the teenagers and it runs towards them. You can't stop it in time, in fact if you tried, you'd just out yourself and get into major trouble. The only thing you can think of to do is run off before they see you, which they don't because they're too busy screaming about a zombie rabbit viciously attacking them. With the screams of teenagers behind you, you quickly make your way out of the park before anyone really notices you or city guards come running. Part of you is genuinely worried now. Will this be traced back to you? You remember Chloe talking about the type of magic you were messing with being against the rules. Maybe they'll just think the rabbit is rabid. All you want to do is hide and get as far as you can from the park. You don't want to go back to the orphanage since you imagine the adoption day is still going on. Part of you doesn't even want to be in the city right now. You briefly think about leaving the city, but that's just not possible. You have no idea of anything outside Nuro, let alone where to go or how you'd live. You just pick a direction and start walking without paying much attention. You start thinking about all this magic you've been practicing and wondering if you should stop. Though, it's not really all the magic, but one specific type of magic you've had a bit of a compulsion ever since...well since you discovered you had the abilities at all. You can't help it though, there's just this desire within you. You've even been having more dreams lately. Dreams of darkness and death. You'd like to tell someone, but you know you can't. You can't tell Miss Olga, you can only imagine her reaction and it wouldn't be good. You can't even tell Chloe, at least not everything that's been going on with you. She'd be even more scared of you than she already is. They're arguably the closest things you've ever known to family and you still hold them at a distance. The thought goes through your head that while leaving the city isn't really an option; maybe at least running away from the orphanage is in order. It's obviously too confining for your personality. You'd have to figure out where to stay and survive mostly by theft, but you think you could do it. As the day grows darker while you struggle with your thoughts, you know you need to make a choice about what you're going to do. If you're going to leave or go back. > You head back to the orphanage What are you even thinking about? Running away? You don't seriously want to be living on the streets. You're going back. Your concerns about your magic practices have subsided a bit anyway. As least as far as being in immediate trouble over them. You're certain that nobody at the park noticed you and certainly nobody saw you bring the rabbit back to life. Though you believe you'll have to give the park a rest for a while, especially since you figure Miss Olga is going to be angry with you with you get back so late. You'll probably be restricted to indoors until you're old enough to leave by law. As strange as it is, there is a bit of comfort in that idea. Granted you were just thinking about how confining the orphanage can be, but it is home you suppose. You guess maybe that's why you don't really want to leave. It's the only home you've ever known and despite everything, you don't want that to change. You eventually see the orphanage and prepare yourself for the scolding and potentially worse you're going to get when you enter. You get a few steps in and you already hear Miss Olga call you from the kitchen. No point in avoiding the inevitable. You enter the kitchen and see Miss Olga cleaning her pots, plates and other cutlery. She's not even bothering to look at you. "So, you have a nice time in the park today? You must have, if you're coming in this late." Miss Olga says. "Sorry Miss Olga I lost track of time." You say. "You can't tell when the sun is setting?" You don't answer. Miss Olga looks over at you and shakes her head. "I swear I don't know what to do with you. It's bad enough you left in the middle of adoption day as usual, but now you're just coming and going whenever you feel like it." "I'm sorry, I just..." "Just what Catalina? Just decide that you're going to do whatever now? Fine. I'm done with trying to guide you." Your eyes widen and back up when you hear this, thinking you're on a one way trip to where Patty went. Miss Olga once again shakes her and sighs before speaking. "No, not that. Though I'm surprised you're even worried about it given how little you care about getting adopted and how little you seem to respect me." "I...do." "Do what?" "Respect you." "Huh. You have a funny way of showing it then child. In any case, it's obvious I've failed to get through to you. I have several other children I have to worry about and I can't constantly worry about you. So if you want to remain a parentless orphan drifting through and stay here until you have to leave, then fine. But if that's the case, you WILL be pulling your weight more around here starting tomorrow. Go to the park all you want on your free time, but you'll find you will have less of that soon, because you'll be helping me with everything I have to keep up around here." Well you sort of knew there would be repercussions, so you're not exactly surprised. You're just glad Miss Olga isn't sending you away. As far as having more to do around here, well you were going to give the park a break for a while anyway. "Yes, Miss Olga." You say. "Hm. Now head on up to bed and I'm sure Chloe is going to speak to you about her news as soon as you get there, but keep it brief. You're going to have a lot of work tomorrow and you'll need the rest." "News?" "Well if you'd been here, you would have found out she got adopted today. In fact she would have probably left today, but I won't just give her away to some man without proof of him having a wife. So he's coming back tomorrow with her and if everything checks out, Chloe will be going to her new home." You're a bit in shock. Miss Olga sees this immediately. "Yeah, she got adopted before you. Surprised me too. But then, it's what she always wanted." Miss Olga returns to her cleaning and you go to the sleeping area. You don't know how to feel right now. There's a part of you that feels hurt. You know it isn't Chloe's fault, but you just thought she'd always be here with you and now she won't be. From the description of the man, it sounds like the one you spoke to about his wife being sick. You guess he got over those assumptions he made about orcs. You crawl into bed and immediately Chloe get out of bed and goes over to you. "Catalina! Where were you? The park?" Chloe whispers. "Where else would I be?" you answer. "True. Practicing magic I guess too. Well I wanted to tell you that something impossible happened today! I got adopted!" "Yeah, Miss Olga told me. Congratulations. It's what you've always wanted." Chloe senses you're not exactly in a good mood about this news. "Are you mad? Please don't be mad! I...I could stay! Or...wait, he could adopt you too! He said you were talking to him earlier!" Chloe says. You give a brief smile. "No. This is what's best for you. You always wanted this and it was bound to happen that we were going to part ways eventually." "Yeah, but I figured it would be you getting adopted, not me." "Life is full of surprises. Look Chloe, it's fine. I'm really happy for you. I mean it. Now I have to get some rest because Miss Olga is going to start putting me to hard work for all my park trips." "Okay. Well I suppose it's not final yet. Maybe he'll change his mind or something and I'll get to stay." Chloe's words are followed by a pat on your shoulder before she returns to her own bed. You are left with your thoughts of the future, then sleep, then dreams of darkness... The next day, you're awakened from your sleep earlier and put to work by Miss Olga. She has you helping preparing breakfast for everyone. Since you're not exactly knowledgeable on cooking, she still takes care of most of it, while you're mostly doing preparation of the table and such. Most of the day passes with you doing a lot of cleaning. While Miss Olga has children pitching in to do chores, you've never had to do them like this. In fact, you realize all the times you snuck away to the park probably resulted in you doing less chores than the other children. No sneaking off to the park today though. Later on, you see the man who spoke to you yesterday come in with a woman. You're guessing this is his wife. She's pale looking and walking slowly, you're guessing he wasn't joking about her being sick. He sees you and smiles as you sweep the floor. You see Miss Olga greet him and his wife and they disappear into another room where she can presumably make the final judgment. "This is it." You hear Chloe say, causing you to turn around. She looks very nervous. "I'm sure everything will go fine." You reply. While Chloe offered to stay at the orphanage with you last night, now its very apparent what her desires really are. Even in all the mischief she's been involved in with you, this is the most nervous you've ever seen her. You stop working for a moment to try to keep her from completely freaking out. You start talking about all the new stuff she'll soon be able to see and do. She says how much she'll miss stuff here, which then leads to a series of "Remember when..." discussions, which takes her mind of things. Time passes and before you both know it, Miss Olga and Chloe's perspective parents exit the room they were talking in. "Chloe, there you are. Good. Go gather whatever clothes and such you want to take with you, because today you're going home with your new parents, Mr. and Mrs. Moznik or in your case Mom and Dad." Chloe upon hearing the news nearly collapses into tears of joy. You help her back up and her new parents come over to assist. You step aside and they both hug her and tell her to hurry up so they can show her her new room. Chloe quickly nods and runs to get her stuff, which honestly isn't a lot. Just a small bag of clothes. Chloe says goodbye to Miss Olga who smiles and wishes her well. Chloe then goes to you. "I'm going to miss you so much." Chloe says and hugs you tightly. "I'll miss you too...okay that's too tight." You say. "Oh sorry. Hey I won't forget about you! I mean I could still write to you or maybe even visit!" "Sure." Chloe turns to her new parents who take her hand and walk out with her. You stand at the entranceway with the broom still in hand watching her leave and get farther away until she's out of sight. "That could have been you, you know." Miss Olga says, walking to doorway to stand near you. "I know." You reply. "You really don't care do you?" "No, I guess not. Chloe needed it more than me anyway." "Well I suppose she did at that." "I hope it works out for her." "I was a little concerned with Mrs. Moznik's health, but they seem to be good people. I'm sure they'll be fine." You look down and nod. "Catalina, I think you've done enough work for awhile, why don't you go to the park for awhile. You can come back to help set up for dinner." Miss Olga says. "No, I think I'll stay here." You answer "Very well then. You know what time dinner is." You nod and go back to your sweeping. > Changing Things went on like that for a while. You can't remember all the details of course, but you remember how you became very helpful to Miss Olga. While you still practiced your magic, you weren't running off to the park to do so as much anymore. You mostly practiced in quiet to a limited degree in your own room which you got when you got older. By that time you were a teen and all of the children you originally grew up with had been adopted. New and younger children found themselves at the orphanage and you were playing a similar role as Miss Olga most of the time. You performed your new tasks at the orphanage without much complaint. It wasn't really that bad, the children feared you. You never actually did anything to them of course, but there was something about you that was scary to them.

Even when Miss Olga would actively yelled at them, it was always you they seemed genuinely scared of. Miss Olga noticed this too... "Catalina, after you're done, I want to see you." Miss Olga says. "Okay." You answer briefly before returning to the children you're currently speaking to. "I don't want a repeat of yesterday where a vase was broken. I don't care if it was an accident. It better not happen again or else there will be consequences. You all understand?" "Yes Catalina." The children say in unison. "Good. Now go play." The children waste no time in running from you as you turn to speak to Miss Olga in her room. You look at her and she's holding herself up with a walking stick. You know she's been getting slower lately, but she's also been starting to look less healthy. An extra cough here and there. Stopping to catch her breath more. Little things that are obviously a sign of bigger things. She sits down and motions you to do likewise. "Catalina, you've been very helpful around here for a long time now. Very surprising considering how you used to have me tearing my hair out at times. Don't think I don't appreciate it." She starts off saying. You look at her in silence as she takes a deep breath before continuing. "However, I've also noticed a change in you over the years. I'm not talking about you just growing up either. No other way to put this, so I'll just say it." "You're dying." You utter. Miss Olga looks at you with an expression of surprise you've never seen before on her. She's silent for a moment, but quickly regains her composure. "That actually isn't what I was going to say...but that is related to what I want to talk to you about, which is, there is a darkness in you. Maybe it's my fault that I didn't notice it sooner, and obviously I haven't seen you do anything that supports this, but I sense it. The children out there sense it. You give off an aura that isn't just stand offish, it's off putting. I'm not saying you're a hellspawn, evil or even bad, but you scare people and I don't know how you're doing it. I can only guess there's magic involved though." You briefly reposition in your seat, which tells Miss Olga what she correctly guessed long ago. "Now I suppose I could ask you if you have magical abilities and how long you've had them, but I'm not sure what good that would do. I will say that if I'm correct in believing that you probably had them for years, I REALLY wish you had come to me sooner about it, because I would have found a suitable family for you immediately." "You're my family." You say. Once again you catch Miss Olga a bit off guard. "Cat...I'm..." Miss Olga starts to say before a bout of coughing followed by another deep breath follows before she speaks again. "Catalina we're not family. I'm just a caretaker until you're able to take care of yourself. Now normally that would still be at least four more years away, but you're obviously able to take care of yourself. One could even say, you've long been able to take care of yourself..." "Wait...you're kicking me out?" you ask since now you're the one that's surprised. "I'd rather not, trust me. I'd rather find you parents that could guide your magic abilities better, but I don't have time and I don't have the energy anymore. By the end of this month, this place will be taken over by a new caretaker and will be run by the city of Nuro rather than independently like I was running it." "But, what're you going to do?" "Well as you so astutely assessed, I'm going to die. Not right away, but I give myself a year perhaps. I'm going to use what remains of the fortune my late husband left me long ago to live as comfortably as possible. I like to think I did as much good as I could with that bastard's money, but now at this late stage, I think I'm allowed to enjoy what little remains of my life." You aren't sure of how to respond, so Miss Olga just continues. "Now that all being said, I'm not kicking you out. You could even stay and take your chances with the new regime, but I have a strong feeling that won't go well. I just know that this is no place for you any longer. The Nuro appointed caretaker I guarantee is not going to run things like I did and you would definitely have less freedom than I allowed. In short, it won't be home to you any longer. So open that drawer over there, you'll find a purse of coin. Should be enough in there to last you a couple months." You slowly go over to the drawer and take the purse. You think back to how you stole money out of it once and how odd it is to be taking it with permission. You look down at the purse in your hands and wave of anxiety washes over you. "Hm. Never seen you sad. Not even when Chloe left. I didn't think you had it in you. You're just full of surprised today. Perhaps I spoke too harshly about you having darkness in you. That's my own dislike of magic I suppose. It's not your fault you have unnatural talents. I at least know you'll be able to survive thanks to them." Miss Olga gets back up with some effort and walks over to you. She puts a hand on your shoulder. "Just...be good. Okay?" You almost want to hug her, but you resist. There's no reason. She told you, that you weren't family. You suppose she's right. It'll make things easier if you just leave. You turn around and walk out her room and eventually out the door. You look back at the orphanage one last time and quicken your pace as your eyes start to water. Eventually you find an empty alleyway and break down crying. Part of you doesn't even know why exactly. Or you know why, but you don't understand why it hurts more than it should. You guess you cared more than you admitted, even to yourself. The orphanage wasn't much but it was the only home you ever knew. Miss Olga was the only parental figure you ever knew. Now you have nothing. Nothing except some coin to support yourself for a while and your magic, which you haven't been practicing on a steady basis. As you're trying to pull yourself together and ponder your future, you suddenly hear an unfriendly voice. "Well, well, well, what have we here? You out here by yourself little girl? You lost? That why you're crying? Well dry those tears, because we can help...of course like anything, it'll cost." You look and see five men. Well actually just one older man and four boys probably just a few years older than you, but in any case, they obviously don't mean you any well. You start to back away to run, but you suddenly feel a pull when the leader gestures with one of his hands, like a force is drawing you closer. You resist, but in the process you lose your purse, which flies towards him and falls in front of him, spilling all the contents out. "Hey, what's this then? This is a lot of coin for a little girl like you. You make all this picking pockets? Or you got some other skills that people pay a lot for?" the leader says with a grin. Given what he's able to do, the leader is a magic user. You don't know how powerful of one though. "Look you have the coin, I'll just leave your territory." You say and start to back away again. "Not so fast girlie. While this coin might be enough to divide four ways, There's five of us and since I'm most generous to my boys, that means they'll be getting it. So the way I see it, you still need to pay me. And since you have no coin left, you'll have to provide in other ways." The leader says. "Boss, she looks about fourteen, I don't think..." one of the members of his group starts to say before he's pushed with an unseen force against a wall. "Obviously you don't think, because you wouldn't be interrupting me right now boy!" the leader shouts before turning back to you. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way, girlie. The choice is yours." It's funny that during the years you were sneaking away to the park or even other parts of the surrounding area, you never once encountered some predator out to assault you. Now of all days, you're getting a gang of them. You're in no mood for this and you already tried to resolve this without any further conflict. You certainly start feeling something well up inside you. You aren't sure if it's that darkness Miss Olga was talking about, but it's not going to be good for these assholes. "Well I guess the hard way then." You say. "Heh, I was hoping you'd say that." The leader gestures and you feel yourself being pulled towards him. When you're close enough, you raise your own hands and unleash a blast of lightning to his face. He falls to the ground and now released from his telekinetic pull, you proceed to zap another in the chest immediately. "SHIT! She's got spells too! Run!" one of them shouts. The remaining two standing run, but you wave your hand and unleash a small flame wave, which manages to catch not only them on fire, but some of the trash nearby as well. They continue running and screaming while on fire. You walk closer to the leader and see he's dead with the flesh on his face mostly burned off or at least blackened to a smoking crisp. Meanwhile the one he had previously thrown against the wall has recovered. "Oh fuck! Please! Let me go! I tried to stop Jaxon! Look, you killed him! He's dead! Just let me go!" he exclaims. You could. You even sense the fear and sincerity of his words. The urge though to revel in your power is VERY tempting. > You Leave No. You need to get out of here. With the screams and the fire, you've probably drawn enough attention already. You quickly pick up your purse and run off before anyone important actually arrives to see you. You run without any particular idea of where to go, so you do what comes natural and go to your old place in the park. Fortunately there's nobody making out there and you have solitude. You can't stay here forever though. It's not even that far away from the incident you just created so you need to move soon anyway. You think you probably should leave the city like you once briefly thought about before. You'd probably be able to handle yourself even better now given your recent actions. Still though, something about that idea still fills you with anxiety. Maybe it's the idea that you just left your home INSIDE the city and the idea of leaving Nuro entirely is just too much right now. You can't stay in the lower class areas of Nuro though; you're just going to get into more trouble eventually. While you've never really focused on your looks, you're aware enough that you'd attract more unwanted attention from folks like that Jaxon degenerate and you doubt you'd be able to always contain yourself like you did just now. Which means you need to go to a different part of the city entirely. You'd stick out in the richer areas though given your clothing. Though you suppose you could buy yourself or even steal yourself something better to blend in, you still need a permanent place of residence. Then it occurs to you where you'd be able to easily find someplace to hide and still be moderately comfortable. The Nuro Magic College. It's huge from what you've heard; people of all types are there and you could easily just say you're touring the campus as a prospective student if someone questions you. The best thing is it's dedicated to magic; perhaps you'd be able to better learn something there even if you had to just pilfer a few magic books. You've managed to teach yourself this long, no reason why you couldn't still do it. With a new plan in mind, you feel a little better and get up off the grass. You then proceed with your path. The first step is indeed getting new clothes. You decide to go the legitimate route and actually buy them. You also buy a small backpack in the process. You get a few odd looks from the merchants, but happily they're more interested in your coin than anything else. You also get something to eat and drink since you haven't done so all day. The next step is actually travelling to the college itself. By the time you even get to the outskirts of it, it's already starting to get dark. There's a lot more people roaming about. Still older than you, but you figure in a few more years or so, you should fit in even better. You're a little tired from today's events though, so you start to wonder where you can sleep. There are dorms, but you don't think you'd be able to even sneak into one of those. You actually do see several students just sleeping on couches or chairs in various places. Overworked from studying no doubt. As the day grows darker, you see less people wandering around outside at night or else they're all gathered at various buildings with loud noise coming from them. You assume parties are expected in a college. You walk through an area which reminds you a bit of the Nuro park except perhaps more open area for larger crowds to gather and no signs telling people to not stray off a path. As you're struggling to stay awake, you hear voice. "You girl! You look a little young to be at this college. Though you're certainly at the right spot to learn your craft." You turn and see a demon! Or rather what you've heard demons look like since you've never seen one in person. Though he's dressed like a regular person, nothing excessively intimidating about him except his inhuman facial appearance. Still, even you know their reputation and you back away, once again thinking you'll be relying on your magic. The demon however just shakes his head and and puts his hands up. "Heh, I wouldn't bother girl, I don't mean you any harm and you wouldn't be any match anyway. I'm just out here doing business, trying to make my way in this world like everyone else. They call me Big Red around here. What's your name?" The demon says. "A lot of people claim they don't mean any harm and they do it anyway." You answer. "Well that's true. I guess you're a sharp one. Though that still leaves the question of why a young girl such as yourself is wandering the Nuro campus at night. I can sense you have a bit of magic about you, but again you're a little too young to be a student here." "Trying to make my way in the world like everyone else." "Ah, okay. Tight lipped too. Well, I suggest that if you're going to hang out here that you find some place a little more secluded for the night. The best place is probably the old library; it's to the far east of this area. You can't miss it; it's an ugly old crumbling building with a bunch of broken windows surrounded by untended grounds." "Sounds much different than the other buildings I've seen here." "Well, they were supposed to tear it down or repurpose it when the new one got built decades ago, but it's just been crumbling into decay for many years now. Some say they keep it around for nostalgia purposes, others say it's cursed so it's best not to mess with it. Personally I think it was just a case of red tape and laziness." "Wait, cursed?" "Oh yeah. That's where the Great Lich Lord got his start centuries ago. You've never heard this story?" You shake your head, thinking back to how you ignored most of the tales of the evils of magic from Miss Olga and how that particular story was part of the reason for her views. "Oh, well it's a long tale, so I'll give you the short version. Basically the Great Lich Lord who nearly brought death to the world centuries before you were even born used to work there as a simple librarian. I guess he started looking a little too much at some of the dark magic tomes that happily used to be more accessible and getting ideas in his head. Then one day he just stopped coming into work. He was an isolated man of little importance in the scheme of things so he wasn't missed and just replaced." You listen with great interest as Big Red continues his story. "Well a few years later EVERYONE soon knew of him, because he'd amassed an army of undead like this world had never seen. Things were so grim for a while that my people were even brought in to help. That went about as well as it always does though." Big Red chuckles. "So...how was he beaten?" you ask. "Oh it was combination of several things, but I'd say vampires were his main downfall. The alliance he had with them just wasn't going to last. Sure they might be undead, but those biped leeches need the living in order to survive. Realizing if he won, it would be a bad thing, the bloodsuckers came to their senses and basically assassinated the guy. And like with all things involving necromancy, if you kill the leader, you effectively eliminate the entire problem." "Wait. Vampires?" "Yeah. That's not one they really tell in most versions of the story mainly because the vamps themselves keep it that way as they continue to hide and play puppet master to human governments. Oh sure there's stories of so called heroes ultimately bringing him down, but they were vampires and they were saving their own undead asses." "Wouldn't something like that for something so important be more well known?" "By who girl? All the people that managed to survive the Dead War died long ago of natural causes by now. Even elves as long lived as they are and I doubt if even most of them knew what was really going on. Humans dominate the world with their pitiful life spans and even more pitiful memories of what came before, so with the vampires manipulating shit, the truth is theirs to control. Still, even immortality is no cure for short sightedness." Big Red suddenly looks as if he's not completely focused on the conversation. "What do you mean?" you ask. "Nothing. Anyway, just be careful where you step in that library and you should be fine." Big Red says. "And you're claiming this is a good place for me to go to?" "I didn't claim it was a good place, I'm saying it's the best place to go if you don't want to draw attention." "You seem eager for me to go there." "Look Catalina, I'm just making a suggestion. The choice is yours if you want to sleep there or not. I mean you could take your chances and just find one of the couches in one of the study areas to crash on, but if you're found sleeping in a more public area, someone might question it and you don't want to suddenly find yourself grabbed by Nuro college security while you're dozing." You step back again. "How did you know my name?" you ask. "You told me." He says with complete confidence. "No I didn't." "Pretty sure you did, but in any case, I need to get back to business, I'm sure some of the usual crowd are going to want their hobgoblin hashish soon and I can't have a little moppet like you lurking about, so away with you." Big Red waves you away as if you're an annoyance. Your first encounter with a demon and you can say that while it wasn't an overly threatening experience, you're a little unnerved by it a bit. Big Red seemed like he was helping you, but confusing you at the same time. You wonder if all his kind are like that. And you are most definitely certain that you did not tell him your name. Maybe he can read minds? In any case, he's still correct in the choice is ultimately yours if you want to spend the night as the abandoned library or not. > You head to the library Probably a bad idea following the advice of a demon, but you're tired and if you're being honest, you're a little curious about the library now after hearing the story. You make your way to the east side of the campus and Big Red wasn't lying, even in the dark, you can see it looming in the distance. In fact it sort of sits away from the rest of the buildings. The closer you get, the grass becomes a bit more overgrown and wild. All of the vegetation is like that. You sort of wonder why since you have to think it would be a simple matter to keep it looking neat with some spells. This is a magic college after all. Maybe Big Red is correct in that it is just a simple case of laziness. Cautiously you approach the library only to find most of the steps leading up are half broken and uneven. The front door also has giant chain with a lock on it. Not a big deal since you just gesture your hands and focus a bit until you hear a click. You see the chain fall and enter. Not really the best security for a magic school if they wanted to keep people out, but again maybe it really is just laziness and apathy. The moonlight shining in from the broken windows provides a bit of light, but not much. You definitely do have to watch your step as the wooden floor you're walking on creaks and isn't very strong in some places as you quickly remove your foot when it feels like it's going fall through. Outright holes to what you assume is to a lower level of the library are also present. You see a couple of stairways to upper levels, but in one case, nearly nothing is left of the steps themselves. You're not really in the mood to explore right now though, especially in the dark, so the ground floor it is. You make your way past several bookcases, most of which are predictably empty. So far other than it being in great disrepair, there's nothing magical about the library. Of course that doesn't mean there isn't danger since you do hear noises occasionally which sound like the predictable squeaking and scurrying of multiple of rats Eventually you find what was probably a staff room. Some dusty furniture is still around and a serviceable couch is available for you to flop down on. And it's just enough weight to cause the weak wooden floor to completely give way causing you take a trip downward until you hit the bottom of the basement. Fortunately you're more or less unhurt thanks to the sturdy couch and its remarkably intact cushions. Unfortunately, you're now in complete darkness and the sounds of those rats are a lot closer. You never really got the hang of casting "light" since the last thing you wanted to do is potentially attract Miss Olga's attention when you were practicing magic at night in your room. Not to mention you never seemed to be able to make a bright light, the best you could ever do was emulate the dark purple glow of a Gravewing, so that's what you do. A ball of purple light illuminates a small part of the darkness and besides debris, you only see a lot of metal cabinets. Or you assume there's a lot of them, sort of hard to tell when you can only see the immediate area around you. The first thing you need to do is find a way back up and out of here because you're already hearing chittering noises getting closer. You spin around and see small figures scurry nearby. Unlike the weak wood of the ground floor, the basement floor is solid stone, so you waste no time in quickly getting out of this area and looking for a way back up. Of course since you still can't see very well and there's debris all over, you're still tripping every other step until you finally just fall into a pile of bones. A lot of bones. In fact, upon picking yourself up and getting a better look, these bones aren't even of animals. Some of them are clearly humanoid. You look around some more and see a large hole in the wall and it's large enough for something bigger than rats to come in and out of. Then you feel a blow to the back your head causing you to stagger and then collapse once again. You're not sure how much time passes, but when you come to a large cooking fire provides the lighting with a sizable pot hanging over it nearby. You can't tell where you are exactly, but you know that you're in a cage and not in the library anymore, looks like you're still underground though. You also see hunched figures standing near the cooking fire. You can't quite make out what they are, but they're not human based on their rodent like appearance. "Skeez, we don't need no more rat in da pot! Dat's the whole point of havin da girl!" one of them says. "Thought she was for breedin', purposes." Skeez says. "Gaw said she's fer eatin, not breedin!" "Gaw ALWAYS says that, I think Gaw doesn't like girls. Probably ruttin wit Qeesh right now." "Shhhh! Don't let him hear you say dat! He'll eat YOU!" "Pfft, not scared of 'im! Anyways, the clan has lasted fer a long time, hell we even survived most of the Dead War nonsense on the surface, but it ain't gonna last too much longer if we don't start makin more babies. I don't get why we don't just grab some dumb ass college girls." "Cuz we ain't supposed to attract attention. Rich college kids missing might cause some to go looking." "Well fine, we could always use the tunnels to grab some whores down in the poor section of Nuro, nobody's gonna miss them. It's weird, Gaw is all for nabbing people off the street to put in da pot, but when it comes to actually thinking about the future of the clan, he does nothing. There's only what, six of us left now? In the past our clan used to be much larger!" "Yeah but den there's wuz all dat in fighting and even dat purge that tried to wipe us all out. Gaw says we can't risk dat ever happening again." "There won't be nuthin left ta risk if we don't replenish our numbers soon. We're not getting any younger either." "Hrm, maybe you right. But dis one still for da pot. She look too young for breedin anyway." "From what I saw of her, she's barely fer eatin' given how skinny she is. I don't even like humie meat. Rats taste betta. Even one of doze greenskins would be betta." "You gots weird tastes, Skeez." While you were busy eaves dropping, you didn't notice a third rat thing sitting quietly in the shadows. "Hey, you two might wanna shut up, becuz the meat's awake an listening to everything you're fucking saying." At this point the other two look over at you as the third one steps out into the firelight. "Well so she is. Good, better to kill her while she kickin'. Fear make the meat taste better. As the three rat men approach, you back up and prepare to cast your tried and true attack spell. Only for Skeez to start chuckling and make a wave with his own hand, forming a brief blue barrier over himself and his fellows. A protective magic shell of some kind. "What girlie? Youz think we don't know you don't have magic or know it? The clan hasn't been living near the fucking university for so long in secret without knowin da arts! An while I can sense youz a little more talented fer a humie yer age, you ain't no match...hmmm. Mebbe you SHOULD be breedin stock." Skeez says. "Skeez, we been over dis." The one that was arguing with him says. "YOU been over dis Krech! I said I ain't scared of Gaw and we NEED more babies to make the clan live again! This magic girl is young and could probably survive several birthins an her magical blood would only enhance da young! Me and Gaw are the only two with any sort of abilities left an' he'd rather just smash someone in da head. No, I'm sayin, we keep her for breeding stock and I'm gonna have da first crack at her." While the three rat things start arguing about what unsavory action they exactly want to do with you, you once again reminded of what happened earlier with the thugs that tried to assault you in the alley. It was different there. There would have been witnesses and it was out in the open. Here? There are no witnesses, and nobody is going to miss these parasites of civilization. You look around and see all the bones nearby, there's more than enough here and a magic barrier isn't going to protect them from what you have in mind... "LOOK, WEES GONNA EAT 'ER AN DATS IT! Dats whut Gaw said!" Krech shouts. "Dats whut Gaw said. You hear yerself? You takin it in the rump too or you just so far up his, dat you not think fer yerself anymore?" Skeez asks. "Again, would you two shut the..." Suddenly a large rat thing enters with a couple of smaller ones. "What the hell is all dis noise? I'm tryin ta sleep an you lot are squeeking loud enough to wake the fucking dead!" A very accurate choice of last words. Before any of the rat things can answer their fearless leader, Skeez is impaled by the sharp bones of the half skeletons you've managed to raise. You go into a complete trance raising every single half eaten corpse you can in the lair. It isn't much and it's causing you a great deal of energy, but it's enough to cause the ratmen to panic and lose their shit before putting up any sort of proper resistance. "Bitch! Youz doin' dis!" Gaw shouts and smashes aside one of the boney attackers. Gaw does his best to rush at your cage, he even manages to rip the door open, but the big rat man eventually falls to the onslaught his former dinner choices. The dead however are proving somewhat difficult for you to control directly. You hold them back from attacking you and then completely release your power of their animation, giving you a bit of you energy back. You were tired before, now you're exhausted and your short "nap" from getting knocked out didn't help. You stagger out of the cage nearly ready to collapse, but you don't because you still hear something. You go over to the cooking fire which is still burning brightly and heating pot, the bodies of the rat men lie on the floor, but only one is still barely alive. It's Skeez and he's coughing up blood along with bleeding from several vital areas of his body. He's not long for this world. You pick up a nearby broken leg bone. The rat weakly raises a hand and attempts to speak in between the wheezing. You aren't interested in his words, especially after what he had in store. You bring the leg bone down on his head until his head is split open and his brains are leaking out his ears. When it's done, you toss the bone aside and stagger down one of the tunnels, managing to muster up a bit of purple light like you did last time. Fortunately the tunnel you picked leads back to the library basement. Eventually you make your way back to where the couch fell and lay down on it to sleep, like you originally wanted to. You turn out the light and if any rats of any kind have any notions of eating you (or anything else) you can't be bothered to do anything about it because you're out of it. Fortunately when you wake up, you're in one piece and none the worse for wear. Or at least not in any worse condition than you were before. Some light shines down from the hole above, so it must at least be daytime now and you're reminded that you still need to get back up the ground floor, though that should be easier now at least. You still feel a little woozy, but you feel better in general. It's like you finally reawakened something that needed to be unleashed, if only on a minor scale. You realize now, that you need to pursue this branch of magic regardless of where it leads you. You aren't even sure how you're going to control it better or grow in power, but surely you will learn more about magic here in what is considered to be the greatest magical learning center of the world. You don't even have a plan for the future, but you feel very strongly that it all starts here for you. This will be your home until you figure it all out. > Seeking Those were some interesting years of your life. Sneaking about the campus, stealing a magic book here and there, teaching yourself in secret like you had been, but now you at least had some sort of instruction. You managed to figure out a lot more than the inherent talents you seemed to have (Most of which were on the destructive side of things). You learned more about magic in general; indeed you probably were a better all around wizard even if you still had much to learn. However, it wasn't the other branches of magic you were concerned about mastering. It was the one you were called to. While you had some progress, it wasn't much. The best you could do is animate a few deceased things like a dead rat, partial corpses or if you really focused an intact corpse like when you practiced with one of the dead rat men, but in doing so, they nearly got their revenge on you. There weren't exactly books on necromancy lingering around despite looking for them. You learned a bit of a substitute by studying up on enchantment and trying to control the dead using the same concepts. It worked to a limited degree (at least enough to not get yourself killed) but charming the living and controlling the dead are still very different things. Still, it was definitely a branch of magic that came in useful on more than one occasion. Especially since you've been encountering some difficulty walking about on campus. Back when you were living in the orphanage you started scaring the other children even though you never really did anything to them. You're starting to have that affect on grown people. You aren't really social so you didn't really notice it at first, but recently it's been getting to the point where you're just walking around and people are going out their way to avoid walking near you. It's becoming more of a problem more so on the campus due to making the college security starting to take more notice of you and they were doing that anyway due to your age. (Though that reason is less of an issue now) You've been sticking to only walking around on the campus at night now and if you have to go out during the day, you stick to other parts of the city where there's less chance of getting hassled by magic watchmen at least. On top of all this, you still aren't sure what your major plans are. You have this desire to master necromancy, but even when you do, then what? It's not really like you can practice it out in the open or use it for anything other than the obvious and even if you did, it would be a one way ticket for you to be targeted by the civilized world. Not like you can really speak to anyone about any of this though. And yet, you can't be the only person like this. There has to be others like you, maybe they're all hidden though. You imagine anyone that has your sort of power is probably hiding out from major areas of civilization. The only lead you can think of is to potentially ask a demon on campus who tend to be a little more knowledgeable about these things, the problem is most tend to want something in return. There aren't many of them and they typically working as janitors other than Big Red and you're really reluctant to ask him, given his advice years ago that nearly got you killed or worse. You've avoided him since that night, but you always hear his name pop up from time to time on campus as the one to go to if you really need something. Oddly he'd probably be the least demanding in price since he doesn't ask for someone's soul as payment. (Well at least not usually) Eventually you come to the conclusion you'll ask him and you figure if you don't like the price or answer, you can always do your own thing as usual. So you wait until nightfall and you go to the spot where Big Red can typically be found selling whatever he's offering. Before you even reach him, you see him looking up and even sniffing a bit, then he looks over in your direction. "Whoa...you smell DISGUSTING." Big Red says covering his nose. "Excuse me?" you say. "You fucking REEK of rotting death! Granted it's pleasant smell when it's a battlefield full of dead bodies, but something about you necromancers always ruin it and never fail to give off a foul aura. Ugh." You start to sniff at yourself and smell nothing out of the ordinary. While granted you live in an abandoned library and have been practicing raising the dead from time to time, you're fairly regular on your hygiene habits. "I'll have you know I keep myself regularly clean!" you protest. "Girl, you still have much to learn about your powers. You could immerse yourself in all the water in the world and adorn yourself with the fanciest perfume and you'd still smell like a horde of rotting bodies. It's not your body odor; it's your magical aura. Superior magical beings such as myself can sense it better than most. Though I'd wager your deathly aura is starting to become strong enough for even these moron mortals that claim to be masters of magic to start to sense." Your brief glance downward signifies that to be the case even if you didn't know why exactly until Big Red explained it. Also explains why that demonic janitor called you a stinking bitch when you walked by one last week. You figured he was just being an asshole. (Well he still was as far as you're concerned) In any case it's obvious Big Red knows all about your situation so you get to the point. "Look, I need to know if there are others like me, do you have that information?" you ask. "Right to it huh? You know you never did thank me for my free advice years ago when you were a younger ragamuffin. I'm sure sacking out in that old library rent free with nobody really bothering you has been serving your purposes well." Big Red says. "You didn't tell me about the ratmen living there." "And how would I know what was living in there? I never forced you to go there either, you made that choice. I merely pointed it out. Looks like you must have handled them though and grew stronger from it. But rather than even a thanks, you just come here demanding shit. Well that's not how this works Catalina." "Pretty sure I STILL never told you my name either." "And I'm pretty sure you did, so what do you want exactly? You want to know if there are others like you? Of course there are. Your kind always exists in some manner. Drawn to death like grave wings. Now if you want to know if there are any on campus? Well, the answer to that is yes as well. In fact, there's a whole cabal of them. They're a lot better at hiding their stench though, hence why they're freely walking about on campus not driving everyone away. Hell, I'm actually surprised one of them hasn't contacted you yet. Of course I'm equally surprised the campus security hasn't sensed you yet given that you're a walking mortuary. Then again they've never been the brightest with sensing magic auras." Well that was actually easier than you thought. You didn't think Big Red would give you the information so casually or that it would even be so close. "So where are they exactly" you ask. "What, you want me to draw you a map? Track them down yourself, shouldn't be hard even for you. I've already given you free advice TWICE now. You want more information, you're going to have to reciprocate." "Alright, so what do you want exactly? And no, I'm not giving you my soul OR my body." "Pfft, what do you take me for, one of those losers cleaning toilets? Your soul isn't worth much, and while your virginity might entice some, you are not my type. You couldn't handle what I got anyway." "Well what do you want then?" "Simple really, I need you to deliver this to someone. I'd do it myself, but I'm honestly too busy with other things." Big Red pulls out a black cube with ornate gold carvings on it from his coat. "They already paid for it, so just drop it off and come back." "Wait, where would I be taking it?" "Oh, Mr. Demar's office. He's head of the conjuration department. I'm sure you're familiar with the building." "Can't say I've ever lingered around over there." "Hm, I suppose that's not surprising. Anyway, deliver that and you'll get your information." You're a little leery of all this and immediately Big Red senses this. "Or don't and get the fuck out of here anyway because once again you're driving away business." Big Red puts the cube back in his coat pocket and waves you away. If Big Red thinks you're going to change your mind and take whatever that item is, he's sadly mistaken. Or maybe you should just leave Nuro entirely and make your own way, especially if things are getting dicey to stick around here. While Nuro may very well be a large center of magic in the world, it isn't the entire world. Surely there is more out there after all. > You find the others on your own As dangerous things are potentially getting in sticking around in Nuro, there's something about leaving it that still causes you a bit of anxiety. Strange that it should given your past experiences that have been far more life threatening. This now leaves you to do some searching for the cabal of necromancers that Big Red told you about. You aren't sure where to look until it suddenly occurs to you that once again Big Red probably told you indirectly and you might find them in the conjuration building. Of course this also makes you wonder if Big Red is setting you up again somehow. Or he isn't and you're just second guessing because Big Red being a demon would love to fuck with a mortal mind in that way. In any case, it's as good a start as any; so you decide you'll head over there and just be prepared. The conjuration building is on the complete opposite side of the campus of the library you stay at, so it makes sense you never bothered to go over there. Not only that, but you didn't see much point in summoning magical animals, given that's about the only thing conjuration is good for and it's highly restricted anyway. You especially can't summon demons, not that you'd want to. Of course now that you think about it, maybe it does make sense that

other necromancers would hang out in a place where a barely legal form of magic is taught. Eventually you get to the building, which doesn't particularly stand out from the others on campus. You do see a few more demon janitors in there and as usual they start avoiding you and making a few insulting comments as well. While it's late and classes probably aren't in session, you figure that if there is a cabal of necromancers here, there's no reason why they wouldn't still be around somewhere. Of course you're just guessing at all this. Suddenly you hear a voice, at first you think it's another demon janitor insulting you, but instead it's a young woman with red hair. "Ugh! That smell! Sebastian, I thought you... oh. Who the fuck are you?!" she asks demandingly. "Uh, I'm new." You say. "I'll fucking say! Didn't Mr. Demar train all you dead lovers to mask your magic aura? Shit, you smell worse than that ugly ass Sebastian!" "Yeah Mr. Demar said that was the next thing he was going to show me. I...uh forgot where his office is though." "Well it's two lefts, a right, straight ahead, another left, down the stairs, a left and a right. He should still be in there." "Wait, two lefts, a right and what?" "Two lefts, a right, bah never mind I'll just take you there before you get lost and call attention to a campus security guard that decided to patrol here tonight. Though given how you smell, I don't know how the fuck you haven't drawn their attention in the first place." "I...uh use enchantment magic a lot." "Hm, well that's only going to go so far. Come on and quickly, because I don't want to smell you any longer than possible!" The woman says her name is Felsa and quickly tells you to follow her. You heard Big Red mention a Mr. Demar, you can only guess he must be in charge of the cabal of necromancers. You're a little puzzled though by this Felsa that she would be offended by your "smell" if she's a necromancer herself. While you're heading down one of the corridors, Felsa looks over at you and speaks again. "You look a little on the young side and I don't recall ever seeing you in any classes. You a freshman?" Felsa asks. "Yeah, that obvious huh?" you say. "It's beyond obvious. You're lucky Mr. Demar noticed you when he did, because like I said, it's amazing you haven't gotten questioned by campus security. I'm betting you get a lot of people avoiding you though." "Yeah. So how long have you been a necromancer?" "Me? I'm not a fucking dead lover. I'm a demonologist! You couldn't tell?" "Oh. Yeah, I'm still a little bad at sensing others specialties." "Meh, I suppose you couldn't have known, I've been able to completely mask the brimstone. Though we demonologists also have the advantage of there being actual demons on campus so we can always make that excuse. Anyway, watch your step." The pair of you go down the stairs, and now you're a little confused. You thought this was a cabal of necromancers. There's demonologists too? Summoning demons is just as illegal as necromancy, so maybe it's a coalition of such people. Though you're not really keen on associating with demon worshippers. Eventually you get to Mr. Demar's office. Felsa opens up the door and you see an older man busily shuffling some papers around. "Damn it! I thought I locked that door! Felsa, what do you...and what do we have here?" Mr. Demar says taking immediate interest in you. "This newbie...what is your name anyway?" Felsa says. "Catalina." You answer, already expecting your mild deception to be unveiled. "Catalina said she needed to find your office to help train her to mask her necromantic aura. And I'd say not a minute too soon!" "Hm, yes, we do need to take care of that. Thank you Felsa, you may go." Felsa nods and rushes out the door in an effort to get away from the smell, leaving you and Mr. Demar together. Mr. Demar gets up from his seat and makes a small gesture with his hand where upon you hear the door firmly lock. "So...Catalina. How did we miss you? Or rather how did you know to seek us out?" Mr. Demar asks stepping around his desk to approach you. "Big Red..." you start to say before Mr. Demar interrupts. "Ah of course, Big Red. And how is that scheming demon? He's still failed to deliver on some books I paid for." "He tried to get me to deliver a black cube to you, but I didn't trust him." Mr. Demar chuckles. "Well that proves you're smarter than Felsa, who apparently just believed you to be a new student of mine...are you even a student at this college? You look slightly younger than most." "No. I've been living in the old library for a few years now." "Interesting. Y'know I once considered that to be the hiding spot as it were, but then I figured hiding in plain sight worked just as well given the fools on this campus, along with the help of the demonic janitors. In any case Catalina, I can tell you've come here seeking answers, but before you find any, I'm going to have to know more about you. And I mean your whole backstory." "All of it?" "Come now, it can't be that long, you're what? Sixteen or seventeen maybe at most? Just start from the beginning of when you first developed your affinity towards necromancy. I'm sure it's an interesting tale." Seeing little other choice, you sit and proceed to tell Mr. Demar of your history. The grave wings, the orphanage, practicing magic, living in the old library, all of it. While you're telling your tale, Mr. Demar listens intently, not really interrupting other than a few times for clarification on a some things. When you're finished, he looks at you a bit and after a quick stroke of his beard, he speaks. "You took a lot of risks in staying in Nuro, you took an even bigger risk coming here, however it would seem your risk has paid off since I've decided not to destroy you...yet" Mr. Demar says. "Thanks?" You answer. "Don't thank me just yet, because as of right now you've been conscripted into the Dark Order. Such natural magical talent can't be overlooked and will be put to use for our goals." "Which are what exactly?" "Oh I'll get to the details of that soon, but in short our mission is to correct the current order of this world by ensuring the truly powerful rule above the weak. But first, let's take care of your unfortunate aura issue." At first you think he's going to cast something himself, but instead he tells you how to do it. The funny thing is it's so simple; you aren't sure why you didn't think of it yourself. You suppose that's the benefits of learning from a teacher rather than just teaching yourself. "There. You smell better already and could easily fit in with the common learning class on campus, which you'll be doing soon after I see what you can do personally. I want to see exactly how much I need to teach you and the other branches of magic that you know, because it's important to not just rely on a single focus. Not being versatile enough can lead to enemies counter acting your strength and then where will you be? That's why the Dark Order doesn't just consist of a single branch of outlawed magic." Mr. Demar suddenly gets right in your face and both of his hands grab your wrists. "Now if we're going to continue this potential relationship, I think it's time to see your skills put to the test." At first you think he's going to try to molest you in some way, but that's not what he's about. Instead you're teleported to someplace dark with a few undead corpses wandering around. They see you and immediately attempt to attack until Mr. Demar holds them back. "Now that should last a few minutes. But it won't last long after I leave. It's going to be your job to control them. If you can do it, then we'll have a place for you. If not, well, your body will at least serve in the war to come." Mr. Demar teleports away and you're left alone with three corpses and no escape. You have to admit; you've never quite gotten the hang of controlling a single fully intact corpse, let alone three of them. Your first instinct is destroy at least two of them, but you know Mr. Demar wants to see if you're actually capable of improving your necromantic skills. And quite frankly you do too. You focus... The three corpses shamble towards you. With some effort, you manage to stop one in its tracks. However the other two continue towards you. One of them lunges at you and you barely manage to dodge, unfortunately you lose temporary control over the one you managed to hold the first time around. You sprint as far as you can in this dark room and once again order the rotting bags of flesh to stop. You feel lightheaded temporarily like you're going to pass out, but you manage to keep it together. In fact you feel a surge of energy like you never have before and you manage to hold two of them in place. The third one continues to come at you, and you continue to try to control it. The desire to just set this thing on fire is great, but you resist. Even when its decayed hands are within reach of your body, you focus. The thing grabs at your neck even digging in its nails a bit, but you are undeterred. You WILL master this magic once and for all! And then it all clicks just as you're starting to feel the effects of strangulation; the corpse releases its hands from your throat and backs away obediently. It then stands near its fellows. You've done it at last. Mr. Demar soon returns with a smile. "Good. I knew you'd succeed. Now that that's over with, I can introduce you to the rest of your fellows. Never again will you be alone. You are now part of an order that will last forever and YOU will play an important role in it." You're still not quite sure about all this, but for now, this will probably be an easier way to develop your ever-growing skills. > Learning The years of your "college life" were a mixed bag. Being an actual "student" was sort of an interesting experience while it lasted. You got to explore what the fuss was about with college life properly a bit (as opposed to just sneaking about the college like you had been doing). Unfortunately you weren't too impressed with any of it though. Drinking, getting high, fucking, etc., it all seemed like a waste of time, which is why you didn't really engage in any of it. Well except for music concerts. You didn't really mind those, though even then it was because you really liked music (Something you discovered about yourself) rather than the actual "gathering." But other than that, why bother wasting your time on passing pleasures when you could be doing something more worthwhile? You observed that these people were future wizards and most of them barely had more ambition than learning what spells allowed you to drink yourself blind drunk without the repercussions of a hangover or a spell that cured whatever crotch rot you got. You can imagine most of them would go on to just be new faculty at the college or doing something else uninspiring and repetitious like building some lord's castle faster. While you can understand the logic in practical use of magic, you just were bored by those who seemed to be "gifted" with it. The funny thing is your own new family wasn't much better. You're guessing though most of them being in league with demons might have had something to do with it. Conspiring with beings that thrive on the lowest common denominator tends to lead more to degeneracy or at least that seems to be the case even if they originally started out seeking higher knowledge and power. As for your fellow necromancers, they weren't much better. In fact one of them was actually worse. "You see Catalina? I told you my power is growing every day and soon after we take Nuro, I will take an army to conquer the Brot Kingdom." Trelik exclaims as he controls several raised corpses. "The Brot Kingdom huh? And what makes you think after we take Nuro, you're going to be raising an army, let alone taking Brot with it? As I remember Mr. Demar is the one calling the shots and he hasn't said anything about which way to expand, if we are at all." You answer. "Well of course we're going to expand! Nuro is just the first step! And Mr. Demar can't control everything, he's going to have to delegate and since I'm the best necromancer here, I'm obviously going to be in charge of important military matters and have territory of my own to control." "And you really believe that Mr. Demar is going to trust you with this sort of responsibility?" "At this point, it doesn't matter. I shall TAKE what is rightfully mine and be a king of my own!" Trelik's been increasingly talking like he's just as powerful or even more powerful than Mr. Demar, which he is most certainly not. Even if common sense didn't dictate that Mr. Demar obviously has decades more experience, you can personally sense how powerful Mr. Demar is compared to Trelik. And this is why you don't like him. He's over confident in his abilities which to be honest aren't much better than your own. "Oh don't worry though, you lot can still assist me. Especially you Catalina, I'll be needing a queen." Trelik adds to his boasting. "You've got quite the imagination Trelik, a pity you weren't that imaginative when we doing Mr. Demar's assignment to create new spells. Who won that one? Oh right, that was me." You say. "Bah, who needs new spells when the old ones work just fine!" "The old spells do indeed work fine, but my point was I beat you in something that you completely failed to do, so maybe you aren't nearly as great as you THINK you are. There is still much you could learn from Mr. Demar." "There is much you could learn from Mr. Demar" Trelik says in a mocking voice. "I'll grant that the old man knows a lot, but that's just it, he's old. He won't have the stamina to keep up with his plan and eventually those with more vigor will take the lead." "Mr. Demar is knowledgeable in several different types of magic, including the dark arts. He's obviously got stamina to spare if he can train the lot of us in such dangerous magic that requires a lot of discipline." "You seem to know a lot about the old man's stamina. Tell me, is that why he picked you as winner for that contest? You been testing the old man's stamina?" "Excuse me?" "Oh I mean I get it. You want every advantage you can in the hierarchy. Hell, Felsa's been known to sit on the old man's cock from time to time when she's not sucking demon dick. You ladies got the advantage on that front, but mark my words Catalina, you'll eventually see that if you want to maintain a favored position, you'll be wanting to make magic with me rather than someone who barely has more life than those we raise." Trelik's sordid accusations now cause Sebastian to start to say something, but you hardly need defending. "Interesting story. Here's another one since it's funny that you should bring up Felsa. Heard that when you and her hooked up at a party, you barely raised at all, and even then it didn't last very long." "Wha...what?!" "So why the hell would I want to be queen to someone that's so...lacking in energy or power?" Trelik sputters and gets flustered. You take a defensive stance, thinking that today is the day that he's going to finally snap, but he doesn't do anything threatening towards you other than name-calling. "Fucking bitch, you think you have even half the power I have? When the day of reckoning arrives, you'll soon see just how powerful I am. Fucking cunt." "Hey, Trelik, why don't you just leave her alone?" Sebastian suddenly says. Trelik can't believe Sebastian is even directly confronting him. "Shut up, you fucking ass faced idiot! Thought you'd have enough sense to keep your mouth shut, but since you have opinion on this matter, let me give you a hard truth. You're wasting your time playing paladin you pathetic slug, she's not interested in you and you'll never know the please of her embrace." Trelik shouts at Sebastian. "And neither will you." Sebastian quietly replies. And that did it. Unlike his reaction to your defiance, Trelik takes his anger out on poor Sebastian by casting a death bolt at him, which he's only barely able to defend against with a shield spell. Though it's still enough force to cause him to be thrown backwards into a pile of bones. Believing that Trelik is going to start attacking you next, you put up a shield and raise several corpses near you. Even Irwin, who as usual everyone has forgotten about, puts up a personal magic shield. Trelik however is unimpressed, though he doesn't press the issue. "Whatever. I'm more talented than ALL of you combined. I got better things to do than to piss my time away here, because unlike the rest of you I don't need to practice." Trelik takes his leave and you go over to help Sebastian up. "You alright?" you ask. "Yeah I'm fine. Are you okay?" Sebastian asks. "Sure, he didn't nearly kill me." "He wouldn't he's too obsessed with you." "Hm, lucky me." "Still, you should watch yourself around you're alone with him." "Pfft. I'm not worried about him. I've dealt with worse than him and had less ability to defend myself at the time. I'll be fine." "Okay, just know I'll help in anyway I can if things get bad." "I know." Sebastian now starts to look a bit shyer. As if he wants to say more but doesn't. Or rather he does, it just isn't what he really wants to say. "Hey um, just uh, I don't believe what Trelik said about you. I know you're not like that." "You'll have to be specific, since he said a few things about me." "Uh, about you and Mr. Demar." "Oh that. Yeah, again I'm not worried about what he said. Anyway look, I'm going to go study, I need to brush up on a few things before putting them into practice. See you later." "Oh okay." You quickly take your leave before it gets even more awkward between you and Sebastian. You have half a mind to just call him out on his feelings towards you, but if he really desires you, he NEEDS to tell you himself as his fearfulness on this matter is just as undesirable as Trelik's overbearing over compensation. Despite your detached views of "passing pleasures" you're still young and curious about what all the fuss is about. Weakness of the flesh is an unfortunate reality. But you're only going to pick someone you see as worthy of your time and Sebastian hasn't achieved that yet due to his meekness, not his physical appearance since it's not like looks are a big deal to you. Sure physical attractiveness is nice, but since your deeper understanding of necromancy, you understand just how fleeting looks are. Everyone grows old and dies. Even races like elves that sustain their appearance much longer rot in the ground like everyone else. Everyone dies. And you've come to appreciate and even see the beauty in it. Unlike most of your Dark Order "family" you aren't really drawn to the darkness for power. Again, that's a nice extra, but it isn't the main reason. You're attracted to death. Much like a grave wing you suppose. Makes you start to wonder if you should even stay in the Dark Order. You don't exactly have the same goals as everyone here. Then again you don't really have any long-term goals other than perhaps increasing your necromantic knowledge. Overthrowing Nuro and potentially risking war with the entire world isn't exactly something you have a great desire to do even if you don't have any particular objections to it. Just sounds like a big hassle and you imagine at some point you'd be expected to lead armies and (gasp!) leave Nuro from time to time and you hate that idea. Of course leaving Nuro is something you might have to do if you want to avoid "hassle." You've pondered leaving Nuro before several times in past, but ultimately you always stayed. One reason was your irrational anxiety of leaving the familiar, but the other was you weren't really ready. Or at least you felt like you weren't. Now? You're more than able to handle yourself. Your magic skills in not just necromancy but other branches are enough to keep you safe. Especially since you know how to mask your deathly aura. You think you'd be able to overcome your anxiety of leaving Nuro after a few weeks. You don't even think you'd go to another center of "civilization", you'd probably live on your own. You certainly have plenty of knowledge in nature magic to do so. Of course there's still more you could learn here and part of you does feel mildly indebted to Mr. Demar for guiding your magic skills to a higher level faster than you might have achieved otherwise. You respect the man a lot and it doesn't seem right to just abandon him after you were the one who sought him out in the first place. > You leave Nuro You're letting yourself get too attached. You did this before with Miss Olga. You're not making that mistake again. Right or not, you have to do what's best for you and getting involved in a war isn't part of it. You think about where you're going to actually go and the best place you can think of is the Drozz Wasteland. If war breaks out, it's going to involve the powerful nations of the world, so it's best to stay away from those areas. You'll find a secluded spot and make your home there. Will it be permanent? You don't know, but you can figure things out. Maybe a change of scenery away from civilization is just what you need anyway. Of course the Drozz Wasteland is full of a lot of savage orc tribes and such, but those lot tend to give a wide berth to difficult targets with little reward and that's exactly what you'll be. Best way to do this is to just do it as quickly as possible. You go to your quarters and start packing your stuff. When you think you have what you need, you take your leave. Before you get off the campus, you have think, you're going to get stopped by Mr. Demar or someone else, but that doesn't happen. Doesn't happen when you're actually leaving Nuro either. It isn't long after you've left Nuro though when you stop and realize that this is the first time you've been out of the city. This is a completely new experience for you. You have to stop a few times trying to calm yourself down about how anxious you feel. "Get a hold of yourself Cat. It's just like a large park. You're a wizard of considerable skill. There isn't any danger that you won't be able to face." You tell yourself. Eventually you believe it and travel is much easier. Easier is a bit of a relative term since this is the first time you've ever travelled outside of a city or anywhere for that matter. You aren't exactly sure how far you're going to go into the Drozz Wasteland. You figure you'll know when you get there. A few days pass and there's still no sign of anyone coming for you like you half expect there to be. Maybe you weren't really that important in the grand scheme. Just another potential soldier. A minor part of you is a little insulted at this idea, though if that is the case, you also believe it was a good idea you left. Eventually you do start to run into trouble from the inhabitants of Drozz which unsurprisingly are of the orcish variety. You don't have much issue with them though as they don't employ very complex tactics. It isn't killing a few that causes them to start leaving you alone though, its raising them back from the dead that causes them to give pause. You don't have much issue with the greenskins after that. With attacks dying down, you finally decided to put down roots and build a simple home (With the assistance of your newly raised orc corpses) not far from a water source. Your knowledge of nature magic comes in handy as far as growing food. Good thing since there isn't much in the way of food that's easy to come by in this place that doesn't rely on hunting. Fortunately magic makes that a little easier too. Doesn't take long before you're settled in pretty well. The odd thing is you've probably brought a bit more "life" to your surrounding area of the Drozz wasteland thanks to your use of magic to make your own more comfortable. Of course you haven't completely abandoned your necromantic practices. For one, you still have undead orcs patrolling your personal grove. Though you also spend a lot of time practicing odd new spells using a combination of necromantic and nature magic. You perfect your "Death vines" that you were working on during your time in the Dark Order. Gravewings are drawn to your grove which you enjoy as you've always found them to be pretty. A few weeks pass and you settle into a routine of keeping yourself busy. You don't particularly miss having to be social. You lived in the abandoned library for a few years by yourself so being alone isn't really new to you. And yet, you'd be lying if you didn't sometimes wish there was someone else to speak to. Not with mobs of people of course, just one would suit you just fine. You briefly think if you shouldn't have asked Sebastian to come with you. He probably would have followed. You then shake your head. "No. Too meek. Mr. Demar on the other hand..." you say to yourself and just end your statement with a minor chuckle. Besides the weakness of faint biological urges you didn't really get a chance to participate in, you also miss music a bit. You try to fill that void somewhat though by humming the odd tune to yourself. Sometimes it's from a song you remember. Other times you're just making it up. It's during one of these uneventful nights that you suddenly sense a strong deathly presence and it's not the same as the one you've created as your home... You hear your undead orcs spring into action outside your home and you open the door just in time to see a man in his twenties making quick work of them with his sword. He looks human, but given how fast he moved and the unnatural aura you're sensing, he clearly isn't. You've heard of these before. A vampire. You've heard a few things about them over the years and even more during your time in the Dark Order. Mr. Demar said they were to be allies when the time comes. Now you're wondering if this one has been sent to come find you and potentially drag you back to the Dark Order. Or just kill you. In fact, you're betting it's that one. You stay in your home and attempt to hold him in place. "Um, you know that's not going to work on me right? I'm a vampire, not some dumb ass zombie." The vampire says, realizing what you're attempting to do. You'd cast fire at him, but you can't risk setting your grove on fire if he dodges and given how quick he is, he probably will. Staying in your home is you safest immediate move since he can't enter it. "Catalina isn't it? My name is Alec! Look I'm not here to hurt you! I'm just here to talk!" the vampire shouts. "I highly doubt that." You exclaim. "Understandable that you don't trust me, but at least hear me out! I don't want to be out here than you want me out here." "Better hurry up." Alec seems relieved that you're willing to listen, but really you're just stalling for time and hoping to catch him off guard for something you have in mind. You also tell him to stay where he is because you're not going to let him attempt to hypnotize you. You turn a bit to the side so you're not looking straight at him and remember to not stare at his face for too long. "Wow, not taking chances huh? Okay, well like I said I'm not here to hurt you. In fact I'm here to offer you a way out of your situation with your life." Alec says. "I'm not going back to the Dark Order. I'm just not aligned with their goals." You answer. "Heh, well you're not alone. The vampire clans haven't exactly been completely thrilled with the Dark Order's plans. I mean it's still up for debate on if we're going to really be allies or not and from what I've heard Lord Rostov is heavily leaning in the direction of not allying. Potentially maybe even opposing when this all goes down." "Great. So why tell me?" "I was sent to Nuro a few months ago to sort of keep an eye on you lot and gather as much information as I could, but I sort of got sidetracked with the college parties making for easy prey and all. In any case, to my surprise I found out that the Dark Order had lost one of it's flock. The one I knew the least about too seeing as you were a newer member and you really never left the confines of the Dark Order's quarters. In fact, you're not even officially a student at the college and there are no records of you. Hell, there's not even any city records of you. You're a bit of a mystery." "And you still haven't gotten to the point." "I'm getting there. Anyway after learning about how pissed your former mentor is and this situation has caused a bit of stir, I reported back to my own superior and was told to go try to find you. Took me a bit, but fortunately you eventually stopped moving around and...alright I better just get to the point. The vampire clans wanted to know what your intentions were, and now that you stated them quite clearly, I have another offer from them." "Oh?" "Yes. An offer to join." "To join?" "Not as surprising as it might appear. While not a lot is known about your background, I do know you are considered one of the more promising necromancers that the Dark Order had. You obviously aren't afraid of death. Why not take the next logical step?" "Become a vampire. Really?" "Yes really, you would be a valuable asset to us. You're obviously very skilled and we would find a place for you." "A place. Right. As what? Vampire sex slave? I've heard enough about how vampires treat their new acquisitions." "What?! Is that what the Dark Order has been saying about us? No, it wouldn't be like that and the clans just don't pick anyone! True as a new vampire you wouldn't have the most authority, but isn't that just like with anything? When you were in the Dark Order, you weren't near the top immediately right? However as a vampire you'd have more authority than you would ever have as a mere human. Even as a necromancer. Better yet, you would live in the shadows of society and free to pursue what desires you want without fear of exposure. Now, I'd think someone like you would appreciate something like that." There is some appeal to what he's proposing and perhaps what you've heard about vampires from demons and Mr. Demar haven't been completely true. Becoming a vampire would make "life" a lot easier too. You'd certainly have plenty of time to do whatever ultimately tickled your fancy. There's also the idea of being closer to death. And that idea is what intrigues you the most. It's one thing to see death with living eyes, would you appreciate its beauty even more if you were one with it? Still though, you'd be taking a big risk. "So, if I say yes. Who turns me? Your Lord Rostov?" you ask. "Oh, um. No, I was tasked with doing that. Someone like Lord Rostov is a little busy to turn everyone that's picked. Don't worry though I'll be filling you in on everything you need to know." Alec says. "You?" "What's wrong with me?" "Well forgive me for saying so, but seeing as you just said I would be a valuable asset to the clans, I'd think if not Lord Rostov then at least one of royalty or whatever you got ruling you lot would be turning me." Alec shows a little annoyance. "Hey, you'd be glad to get me! You said you were worried about being as sex slave, well if one of the nobility turned you, you'd be at their complete whims and they get bored very often. I wouldn't do that though. You'd be under my protection." Alec says. "Wait. YOU just said the vampire clans don't do that sort of thing." You reply. "What sort of thing?" "Have sex slaves." "I mean yeah they generally don't, but yeah there's unfortunately some bad apples. Like I said, you wouldn't have to worry about that though since you'd be..." "Yeah, yeah under your protection. You said that already. But this brings up the question of why the hell should I believe that YOU wouldn't turn me into your sex slave?" "What? I would never! I...I don't even like girls! You'd be safe from me!" "And even if that's the case, what about YOUR superiors or any vampire that's more powerful than YOU? Surely you can't protect me from them, and if they decide they want to command me, then I'm fucked in more ways than one." "I assure you that wouldn't happen!" "Shit, how do I know you have no intention on turning me and you're just looking for a free meal?" "Catalina! I'm not going to do that! Look I'm trying to give you a way out, because after the Dark Order inevitably fails there will be sweeping repercussions, like renewed fanatical hunts for practitioners of such arts. And while you may believe you're safe out here and can scare the dumb greenskins away. That isn't going to work with everyone. Not to mention there are other things out here that you might not be prepared for. I'm the only option if you want to survive all this." It hasn't gone unnoticed that Alec has been inching closer toward your position, probably hoping to distract you with arguing and catching you with his own gaze, but you haven't been distracted at all, however his recents answers and demeanor have confirmed your suspicions. You finally look at him directly. "Very well come..." You say. Alec smiles believing he's won, but when you wave your hands motioning him to enter your home, he looks very shocked by the impact of something hitting him from behind. He looks down sees a thorny piece of dead vegetation sticking out his chest. He realizes it's also gone through his heart. "...inside." You finish saying and then he explodes into a pile bloody gore. You soon see several gravewings descend from wherever they were to feast on the remains. Having dispatched Alec, you shut the door to your home. While you may be safe for now, you wonder if you shouldn't move just in case you get more vampire visitors. You hate the idea of having to rebuild all over again, but you might have to. Of course Alec did say he had to find you and you didn't exactly give him a chance to report back, so it's still a case of nobody of any importance really knows you're out here. > You Move Better to be cautious about something like this. You make preparations to move. It's not going to be fun potentially being exposed to an attack by the savage tribes around here, but you can handle them easier than a couple more vampires. While you have doubts about Alec's intentions on turning you for your protection, you do wonder if he was telling the truth about the vampire clans and the Dark Order. If that part was true, then it's just as well you left. You had your doubts about the Dark Order winning in the long term anyway, but with the clans potentially muddying the waters then the plan might not even get off the ground. There's a brief thought of you returning to Nuro to warn Mr. Demar, but that's not possible. Even if you were welcomed back and allowed to leave again, it would potentially put you in even more danger and you're trying to avoid that, especially now. After about a day of deciding to pack with you, you abandon your grove and move on to seek another place for yourself in the Drozz Wasteland. Half the day passes and you see some figures in the distance. Or rather you see several, but most of them seem to be lying on the ground. Probably dead bodies, possibly from a battle. A few though are standing or kneeling over the others. They move in a jerky motion and you can't quite tell what they're doing, but they might be looting. You're confident in your abilities that you approach. You're going to need a few bodies to help you build a new home, so this is a lucky find. You sort of thought you were going to have to do it all yourself. You imagine whoever is looting the bodies will run as soon as they see you, but if they don't you'll be ready. You get a little closer and you can now see the looters a little better and they're not other greenskins but they're definitely not human. In fact they're not even quite living and they're not looting the dead of their possessions unless you count their body parts as possessions. These are ghouls. It would appear the Drozz Wasteland is just full of surprises. This particularly alarming though since these are typically created by vampires and if ghouls are here, then there's another vampire in the area. One of the creatures looks up briefly from the body it's eating and screeches at you before suddenly leaping at you in a zig zagging fashion. Doesn't take long before his fellows do likewise. Raising the dead won't help in time before they reach you, and you can't control them since they're already under control by the vampire that created them, so you rely on more direct means and attempt to hold them since of dispatching them, which is trickier than normal due to their odd movement patterns. Still, the beasts aren't exactly the most sturdy, so a blast of lightning to the face is enough to take one out. They get uncomfortably close though before you take out all the attackers. After the battle you are somewhat concerned you're in potentially more danger than you thought if there's another vampire out here with ghouls at his disposal. Lacking another idea, you decide to raise all the dead bodies (minus the dispatched ghouls of course) and travel onward to make a new home quickly. When you believe you've found a good spot, you get your undead group to start building while you start to work on growing a new grove. A few days pass and everything has gone off without any problems. Unfortunately it's just before you're almost finished when you see more ghouls in the distance of your new home. They don't attack though; they just stand around watching safely from afar. You know damn well another attack is coming and moving again won't help matters. You're going to have to just weather this one. The good news is you're more prepared than when you had to deal with Alec. The bad news is if this vampire has ghouls then he's obviously much more powerful than Alec. You build up more defenses and have your small undead company ready to attack as soon as the ghouls move in on you. A week passes and more and more ghouls show up watching your now more heavily fortified grove. You can only imagine this is some sort of psychological tactic. You still haven't seen the vampire yet. Upkeeping your defenses all day and night is getting tiring and at this point you hope that they just get it over with and attack. Win or lose, at least you'll be resting. And eventually that day comes. Or night rather. You hear the awful screeching and that's when you know they're attacking. Unsurprisingly the ghouls greatly outnumber your walking corpses, but they'll have to get past the bramble and walls of razor thorns first. Initially the battle goes well, but eventually enough ghoul bodies have thrown themselves on the thorns that the rest just safely climb on their corpses and jump into combat with your zombies. You naturally assist, taking down several of the ghouls, but they almost seem to be without end. You don't really have time to think about it too much, but if there are this many ghouls, you can't imagine just how powerful the vampire is. You eventually whittle them down to lesser numbers, but you have to retreat back into your home as all your zombie meat shields are truly dead and you're getting exhausted. The ghouls claw at the door, which they will undoubtedly break through, but you should be able to take out the rest. Or at least you would have. As you're backing away from the door, you feel a sinking beneath your feet, as if the ground is soft. It's not soft though so much as it's hollowed out and you soon fall through part of it. "Shit!" you exclaim losing your balance and trying to grip on to something nearby. You see the ghouls break down your door just in time before all the ground around you gives way completely and you fall a short distance before hitting the bottom. It's pitch dark, you can't see and even if you could you're somewhat disorientated anyway. Before you can even get your bearings though, you are suddenly hit by a strong force knocking you back to the ground. You see a pair of glowing red eyes and then bright white fangs and then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Well that wouldn't have been a good fate. Then again most aren't, but that didn't happen anyway. You're having a hard time even remembering some vampire by the name of Alec. You're guessing maybe you knew him? His face was clear enough anyway. As for the ghouls and the Drozz Wasteland, you never did go there. Your beloved most certainly did. He made a temporary alliance with the Ghoul King who was an outcast vampire, but you never met the creature. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, female protagonist] You're letting yourself get too attached. You did this before with Miss Olga. You're not making that mistake again. Right or not, you have to do what's best for you and getting involved in a war isn't part of it. You think about where you're going to actually go and the best place you can think of is the Drozz Wasteland. If war breaks out, it's going to involve the powerful nations of the world, so it's best to stay away from those areas. You'll find a secluded spot and make your home there. Will it be permanent? You don't know, but you can figure things out. Maybe a change of scenery away from civilization is just what you need anyway. Of course the Drozz Wasteland is full of a lot of savage orc tribes and such, but those lot tend to give a wide berth to difficult targets with little reward and that's exactly what you'll be. Best way to do this is to just do it as quickly as possible. You go to your quarters and start packing your stuff. When you think you have what you need, you take your leave. Before you get off the campus, you have think, you're going to get stopped by Mr. Demar or someone else, but that doesn't happen. Doesn't happen when you're actually leaving Nuro either. It isn't long after you've left Nuro though when you stop and realize that this is the first time you've been out of the city. This is a completely new experience for you. You have to stop a few times trying to calm yourself down about how anxious you feel. "Get a hold of yourself Cat. It's just like a large park. You're a wizard of considerable skill. There isn't any danger that you won't be able to face." You tell yourself. Eventually you believe it and travel is much easier. Easier is a bit of a relative term since this is the first time you've ever travelled outside of a city or anywhere for that matter. You aren't exactly sure how far you're going to go into the Drozz Wasteland. You figure you'll know when you get there. A few days pass and there's still no sign of anyone coming for you like you half expect there to be. Maybe you weren't really that important in the grand scheme. Just another potential soldier. A minor part of you is a little insulted at this idea, though if that is the case, you also believe it was a good idea you left. Eventually you do start to run into trouble from the inhabitants of Drozz which unsurprisingly are of the orcish variety. You don't have much issue with them though as they don't employ very complex tactics. It isn't killing a few that causes them to start leaving you alone though, its raising them back from the dead that causes them to give pause. You don't have much issue with the greenskins after that. With attacks dying down, you finally decided to put down roots and build a simple home (With the assistance of your newly raised orc corpses) not far from a water source. Your knowledge of nature magic comes in handy as far as growing food. Good thing since there isn't much in the way of food that's easy to come by in this place that doesn't rely on hunting. Fortunately magic makes that a little easier too. Doesn't take long before you're settled in pretty well. The odd thing is you've probably brought a bit more "life" to your surrounding area of the Drozz wasteland thanks to your use of magic to make your own more comfortable. Of course you haven't completely abandoned your necromantic practices. For one, you still have undead orcs patrolling your personal grove. Though you also spend a lot of time practicing odd new spells using a combination of necromantic and nature magic. You perfect your "Death vines" that you were working on during your time in the Dark Order. Gravewings are drawn to your grove which you enjoy as you've always found them to be pretty. A few weeks pass and you settle into a routine of keeping yourself busy. You don't particularly miss having to be social. You lived in the abandoned library for a few years by yourself so being alone isn't really new to you. And yet, you'd be lying if you didn't sometimes wish there was someone else to speak to. Not with mobs of people of course, just one would suit you just fine. You briefly think if you shouldn't have asked Sebastian to come with you. He probably would have followed. You then shake your head. "No. Too meek. Mr. Demar on the other hand..." you say to yourself and just end your statement with a minor chuckle. Besides the weakness of faint biological urges you didn't really get a chance to participate in, you also miss music a bit. You try to fill that void somewhat though by humming the odd tune to yourself. Sometimes it's from a song you remember. Other times you're just making it up. It's during one of these uneventful nights that you suddenly sense a strong deathly presence and it's not the same as the one you've created as your home... You hear your undead orcs spring into action outside your home and you open the door just in time to see a man in his twenties making quick work of them with his sword. He looks human, but given how fast he moved and the unnatural aura you're sensing, he clearly isn't. You've heard of these before. A vampire. You've heard a few things about them over the years and even more during your time in the Dark Order. Mr. Demar said they were to be allies when the time comes. Now you're wondering if this one has been sent to come find you and potentially drag you back to the Dark Order. Or just kill you. In fact, you're betting it's that one. You stay in your home and attempt to hold him in place. "Um, you know that's not going to work on me right? I'm a vampire, not some dumb ass zombie." The vampire says, realizing what you're attempting to do. You'd cast fire at him, but you can't risk setting your grove on fire if he dodges and given how quick he is, he probably will. Staying in your home is you safest immediate move since he can't enter it. "Catalina isn't it? My name is Alec! Look I'm not here to hurt you! I'm just here to talk!" the vampire shouts. "I highly doubt that." You exclaim. "Understandable that you don't trust me, but at least hear me out! I don't want to be out here than you want me out here." "Better hurry up." Alec seems relieved that you're willing to listen, but really you're just stalling for time and hoping to catch him off guard for something you have in mind. You also tell him to stay where he is because you're not going to let him attempt to hypnotize you. You turn a bit to the side so you're not looking straight at him and remember to not stare at his face for too long. "Wow, not taking chances huh? Okay, well like I said I'm not here to hurt you. In fact I'm here to offer you a way out of your situation with your life." Alec says. "I'm not going back to the Dark Order. I'm just not aligned with their goals." You answer. "Heh, well you're not alone. The vampire clans haven't exactly been completely thrilled with the Dark Order's plans. I mean it's still up for debate on if we're going to really be allies or not and from what I've heard Lord Rostov is heavily leaning in the direction of not allying. Potentially maybe even opposing when this all goes down." "Great. So why tell me?" "I was sent to Nuro a few months ago to sort of keep an eye on you lot and gather as much information as I could, but I sort of got sidetracked with the college parties making for easy prey and all. In any case, to my surprise I found out that the Dark Order had lost one of it's flock. The one I knew the least about too seeing as you were a newer member and you really never left the confines of the Dark Order's quarters. In fact, you're not even officially a student at the college and there are no records of you. Hell, there's not even any city records of you. You're a bit of a mystery." "And you still haven't gotten to the point." "I'm getting there. Anyway after learning about how pissed your former mentor is and this situation has caused a bit of stir, I reported back to my own superior and was told to go try to find you. Took me a bit, but fortunately you eventually stopped moving around and...alright I better just get to the point. The vampire clans wanted to know what your intentions were, and now that you stated them quite clearly, I have another offer from them." "Oh?" "Yes. An offer to join." "To join?" "Not as surprising as it might appear. While not a lot is known about your background, I do know you are considered one of the more promising necromancers that the Dark Order had. You obviously aren't afraid of death. Why not take the next logical step?" "Become a vampire. Really?" "Yes really, you would be a valuable asset to us. You're obviously very skilled and we would find a place for you." "A place. Right. As what? Vampire sex slave? I've heard enough about how vampires treat their new acquisitions." "What?! Is that what the Dark Order has been saying about us? No, it wouldn't be like that and the clans just don't pick anyone! True as a new vampire you wouldn't have the most authority, but isn't that just like with anything? When you were in the Dark Order, you weren't near the top immediately right? However as a vampire you'd have more authority than you would ever have as a mere human. Even as a necromancer. Better yet, you would live in the shadows of society and free to pursue what desires you want without fear of exposure. Now, I'd think someone like you would appreciate something like that." There is some appeal to what he's proposing and perhaps what you've heard about vampires from demons and Mr. Demar haven't been completely true. Becoming a vampire would make "life" a lot easier too. You'd certainly have plenty of time to do whatever ultimately tickled your fancy. There's also the idea of being closer to death. And that idea is what intrigues you the most. It's one thing to see death with living eyes, would you appreciate its beauty even more if you were one with it? Still though, you'd be taking a big risk. "So, if I say yes. Who turns me? Your Lord Rostov?" you ask. "Oh, um. No, I was tasked with doing that. Someone like Lord Rostov is a little busy to turn everyone that's picked. Don't worry though I'll be filling you in on everything you need to know." Alec says. "You?" "What's wrong with me?" "Well forgive me for saying so, but seeing as you just said I would be a valuable asset to the clans, I'd think if not Lord Rostov then at least one of royalty or whatever you got ruling you lot would be turning me." Alec shows a little annoyance. "Hey, you'd be glad to get me! You said you were worried about being as sex slave, well if one of the nobility turned you, you'd be at their complete whims and they get bored very often. I wouldn't do that though. You'd be under my protection." Alec says. "Wait. YOU just said the vampire clans don't do that sort of thing." You reply. "What sort of thing?" "Have sex slaves." "I mean yeah they generally don't, but yeah there's unfortunately some bad apples. Like I said, you wouldn't have to worry about that though since you'd be..." "Yeah, yeah under your protection. You said that already. But this brings up the question of why the hell should I believe that YOU wouldn't turn me into your sex slave?" "What? I would never! I...I don't even like girls! You'd be safe from me!" "And even if that's the case, what about YOUR superiors or any vampire that's more powerful than YOU? Surely you can't protect me from them, and if they decide they want to command me, then I'm fucked in more ways than one." "I assure you that wouldn't happen!" "Shit, how do I know you have no intention on turning me and you're just looking for a free meal?" "Catalina! I'm not going to do that! Look I'm trying to give you a way out, because after the Dark Order inevitably fails there will be sweeping repercussions, like renewed fanatical hunts for practitioners of such arts. And while you may believe you're safe out here and can scare the dumb greenskins away. That isn't going to work with everyone. Not to mention there are other things out here that you might not be prepared for. I'm the only option if you want to survive all this." It hasn't gone unnoticed that Alec has been inching closer toward your position, probably hoping to distract you with arguing and catching you with his own gaze, but you haven't been distracted at all, however his recents answers and demeanor have confirmed your suspicions. You finally look at him directly. "Very well come..." You say. Alec smiles believing he's won, but when you wave your hands motioning him to enter your home, he looks very shocked by the impact of something hitting him from behind. He looks down sees a thorny piece of dead vegetation sticking out his chest. He realizes it's also gone through his heart. "...inside." You finish saying and then he explodes into a pile bloody gore. You soon see several gravewings descend from wherever they were to feast on the remains. Having dispatched Alec, you shut the door to your home. While you may be safe for now, you wonder if you shouldn't move just in case you get more vampire visitors. You hate the idea of having to rebuild all over again, but you might have to. Of course Alec did say he had to find you and you didn't exactly give him a chance to report back, so it's still a case of nobody of any importance really knows you're out here. > You stay put You're not moving, at least not yet. You're fairly certain you're safe from further vampire attacks. The clans might even think the Dark Order killed Alec and that's assuming he told the complete truth about everything. If he did, there's a brief part of you that wants to warn Mr. Demar about potential treachery of the vampire clans, but that's impossible now. As far as anyone else disturbing you, that's not likely given how far you are into the Drozz Wasteland. The only ones remotely nearby are orc tribes and they stay away. Still, there's no reason to not be a little cautious so you make your grove a little more defensible. About a month passes and there's been no sign of any other intruders. You maintain your solitude and work on perfecting and experimenting with new spells. It's a simple life. Or at least it is for a while; you aren't sure how much time passes really, but there comes the day that you get visitors again. And it's a real eye opener. You've been out here cut off from most of civilized world, not really paying attention to anything other than your immediate surroundings. Now your immediate surroundings include at least a dozen hunters and monk types advancing on your position. You can only guess that the Dark Order attempted their take over and failed. It looks like Alec was right about something years ago and that's the rest of the world isn't going to take any chances on any potential necromancers lurking about. It would be pretty meaningless to wonder how they found you out here given that they obviously did. All that matters now is defending yourself against this group of crusaders. The opening of the battle doesn't go too well as they play it pretty safe and just unleash a mixture of fire related spells and explosives. Such things are pretty devastating to your grove full of vegetation (Living and dead), granted it's not too good for your corpses either. You haven't been idle however in your necromantic endeavors and you proceed to summon the spirits of long dead warriors to aid you. Seeing as the Drozz Wasteland is home to several forgotten battlefields, your spell is successful and while your ghosts engage the crusaders, you proceed to try to put out the fires. By the time you put out the fires, half of your grove has been burnt to ash. The magical monks and a few of the hunters have survived their ordeal with your ghosts and you can only guess they banished them with whatever spells they have at their disposal. They advance a bit more towards your home which appears to be less fortified now, but not completely defenseless. You raise up choking black plants that release a toxic cloud catching several of the monks. They clutch their throats and cough up blood as their flesh begins to rot off their bones. This causes the remainder of the group to spread out and hasten their approach. Several of the hunters begin firing their pistols at you. You take cover back inside your home and unleash death bolts at several of them. The hunters however seem to be equipped with some sort of anti-magic protection. The corpses the recently dead monks rise up from the death magic brought on by the plants and manage to catch a couple of the hunters who weren't paying attention. Eventually there's one hunter left, and he's not deterred. He strikes down his newly raised comrades before turning his attention back to you. With one more explosive, he throws it directly into your home. You quickly cast a personal shield just before it goes off, completely destroying your home and blowing you back with the debris until you hit a tree. Fortunately your shield holds and you're none the worse for wear. The hunter fires upon you as you're attempting to recover, catching you in arm. He quickly follows up by throwing several daggers at you. You feel two of them sink into your body and you fall back to the ground. It's not ending like this. As the hunter approaches with a blade in his hand to finish you off. You pull one of the daggers out of your side and use your blood to cast a spell that is most certainly going to get past his anti-magic protection. You summon a Blood Specter, one of the more powerful forms of undead and not one for an amateur necromancer to summon. You're of course no amateur, but your weakened state makes it risky. Still, you're desperate. The blood specter appears and wastes no time in approaching the hunter who stops stops in his tracks. Before he can react with a more appropriate weapon, the malevolent spirit shrieks causing the hunter to immediately clutch his face. He screams as he begins bleeding from his eyes, his ears, his nose and probably other areas as well. Even you experience a little of the spirit's shriek and your nose starts to bleed, but you've protected yourself though you're struggling to do so. With the hunter writhing on the ground in agony, you can take it from here and attempt to dispel the blood specter before you can't control it. It makes one last shriek before oblivion takes it. You then grab the sword that the hunter dropped and bring it down on the hunter's head several times until it's just a collection of broken skull with brains and blood spilling out. You're exhausted and severely wounded, but victorious. Then you hear a loud crack and feel a sting to your chest. You look down and see blood pour out from the wound. You never see your assailant from afar. You just slowly fall to the ground and everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Well that wouldn't have been a good fate. Then again most aren't, but that didn't happen anyway. You're having a hard time even remembering some vampire by the name of Alec. You're guessing maybe you knew him? His face was clear enough anyway. As for the Drozz Wasteland, you never did go there. Your beloved most certainly did though. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, female protagonist, fantasy, war, villain protagonist] The years of your "college life" were a mixed bag. Being an actual "student" was sort of an interesting experience while it lasted. You got to explore what the fuss was about with college life properly a bit (as opposed to just sneaking about the college like you had been doing). Unfortunately you weren't too impressed with any of it though. Drinking, getting high, fucking, etc., it all seemed like a waste of time, which is why you didn't really engage in any of it. Well except for music concerts. You didn't really mind those, though even then it was because you really liked music (Something you discovered about yourself) rather than the actual "gathering." But other than that, why bother wasting your time on passing pleasures when you could be doing something more worthwhile? You observed that these people were future wizards and most of them barely had more ambition than learning what spells allowed you to drink yourself blind drunk without the repercussions of a hangover or a spell that cured whatever crotch rot you got. You can imagine most of them would go on to just be new faculty at the college or doing something else uninspiring and repetitious like building some lord's castle faster. While you can understand the logic in practical use of magic, you just were bored by those who seemed to be "gifted" with it. The funny thing is your own new family wasn't much better. You're guessing though most of them being in league with demons might have had something to do with it. Conspiring with beings that thrive on the lowest common denominator tends to lead more to degeneracy or at least that seems to be the case even if they originally started out seeking higher knowledge and power. As for your fellow necromancers, they weren't much better. In fact one of them was actually worse. "You see Catalina? I told you my power is growing every day and soon after we take Nuro, I will take an army to conquer the Brot Kingdom." Trelik exclaims as he controls several raised corpses. "The Brot Kingdom huh? And what makes you think after we take Nuro, you're going to be raising an army, let alone taking Brot with it? As I remember Mr. Demar is the one calling the shots and he hasn't said anything about which way to expand, if we are at all." You answer. "Well of course we're going to expand! Nuro is just the first step! And Mr. Demar can't control everything, he's going to have to delegate and since I'm the best necromancer here, I'm obviously going to be in charge of important military matters and have territory of my own to control." "And you really believe that Mr. Demar is going to trust you with this sort of responsibility?" "At this point, it doesn't matter. I shall TAKE what is rightfully mine and be a king of my own!" Trelik's been increasingly talking like he's just as powerful or even more powerful than Mr. Demar, which he is most certainly not. Even if common sense didn't dictate that Mr. Demar obviously has decades more experience, you can personally sense how powerful Mr. Demar is compared to Trelik. And this is why you don't like him. He's over confident in his abilities which to be honest aren't much better than your own. "Oh don't worry though, you lot can still assist me. Especially you Catalina, I'll be needing a queen." Trelik adds to his boasting. "You've got quite the imagination Trelik, a pity you weren't that imaginative when we doing Mr. Demar's assignment to create new spells. Who won that one? Oh right, that was me." You say. "Bah, who needs new spells when the old ones work just fine!" "The old spells do indeed work fine, but my point was I beat you in something that you completely failed to do, so maybe you aren't nearly as great as you THINK you are. There is still much you could learn from Mr. Demar." "There is much you could learn from Mr. Demar" Trelik says in a mocking voice. "I'll grant that the old man knows a lot, but that's just it, he's old. He won't have the stamina to keep up with his plan and eventually those with more vigor will take the lead." "Mr. Demar is knowledgeable in several different types of magic, including the dark arts. He's obviously got stamina to spare if he can train the lot of us in such dangerous magic that requires a lot of discipline." "You seem to know a lot about the old man's stamina. Tell me, is that why he picked you as winner for that contest? You been testing the old man's stamina?" "Excuse me?" "Oh I mean I get it. You want every advantage you can in the hierarchy. Hell, Felsa's been known to sit on the old man's cock from time to time when she's not sucking demon dick. You ladies got the advantage on that front, but mark my words Catalina, you'll eventually see that if you want to maintain a favored position, you'll be wanting to make magic with me rather than someone who barely has more life than those we raise." Trelik's sordid accusations now cause Sebastian to start to say something, but you hardly need defending. "Interesting story. Here's another one since it's funny that you should bring up Felsa. Heard that when you and her hooked up at a party, you barely raised at all, and even then it didn't last very long." "Wha...what?!" "So why the hell would I want to be queen to someone that's so...lacking in energy or power?" Trelik sputters and gets flustered. You take a defensive stance, thinking that today is the day that he's going to finally snap, but he doesn't do anything threatening towards you other than name-calling. "Fucking bitch, you think you have even half the power I have? When the day of reckoning arrives, you'll soon see just how powerful I am. Fucking cunt." "Hey, Trelik, why don't you just leave her alone?" Sebastian suddenly says. Trelik can't believe Sebastian is even directly confronting him. "Shut up, you fucking ass faced idiot! Thought you'd have enough sense to keep your mouth shut, but since you have opinion on this matter, let me give you a hard truth. You're wasting your time playing paladin you pathetic slug, she's not interested in you and you'll never know the please of her embrace." Trelik shouts at Sebastian. "And neither will you." Sebastian quietly replies. And that did it. Unlike his reaction to your defiance, Trelik takes his anger out on poor Sebastian by casting a death bolt at him, which he's only barely able to defend against with a shield spell. Though it's still enough force to cause him to be thrown backwards into a pile of bones. Believing that Trelik is going to start attacking you next, you put up a shield and raise several corpses near you. Even Irwin, who as usual everyone has forgotten about, puts up a personal magic shield. Trelik however is unimpressed, though he doesn't press the issue. "Whatever. I'm more talented than ALL of you combined. I got better things to do than to piss my time away here, because unlike the rest of you I don't need to practice." Trelik takes his leave and you go over to help Sebastian up. "You alright?" you ask. "Yeah I'm fine. Are you okay?" Sebastian asks. "Sure, he didn't nearly kill me." "He wouldn't he's too obsessed with you." "Hm, lucky me." "Still, you should watch yourself around you're alone with him." "Pfft. I'm not worried about him. I've dealt with worse than him and had less ability to defend myself at the time. I'll be fine." "Okay, just know I'll help in anyway I can if things get bad." "I know." Sebastian now starts to look a bit shyer. As if he wants to say more but doesn't. Or rather he does, it just isn't what he really wants to say. "Hey um, just uh, I don't believe what Trelik said about you. I know you're not like that." "You'll have to be specific, since he said a few things about me." "Uh, about you and Mr. Demar." "Oh that. Yeah, again I'm not worried about what he said. Anyway look, I'm going to go study, I need to brush up on a few things before putting them into practice. See you later." "Oh okay." You quickly take your leave before it gets even more awkward between you and Sebastian. You have half a mind to just call him out on his feelings towards you, but if he really desires you, he NEEDS to tell you himself as his fearfulness on this matter is just as undesirable as Trelik's overbearing over compensation. Despite your detached views of "passing pleasures" you're still young and curious about what all the fuss is about. Weakness of the flesh is an unfortunate reality. But you're only going to pick someone you see as worthy of your time and Sebastian hasn't achieved that yet due to his meekness, not his physical appearance since it's not like looks are a big deal to you. Sure physical attractiveness is nice, but since your deeper understanding of necromancy, you understand just how fleeting looks are. Everyone grows old and dies. Even races like elves that sustain their appearance much longer rot in the ground like everyone else. Everyone dies. And you've come to appreciate and even see the beauty in it. Unlike most of your Dark Order "family" you aren't really drawn to the darkness for power. Again, that's a nice extra, but it isn't the main reason. You're attracted to death. Much like a grave wing you suppose. Makes you start to wonder if you should even stay in the Dark Order. You don't exactly have the same goals as everyone here. Then again you don't really have any long-term goals other than perhaps increasing your necromantic knowledge. Overthrowing Nuro and potentially risking war with the entire world isn't exactly something you have a great desire to do even if you don't have any particular objections to it. Just sounds like a big hassle and you imagine at some point you'd be expected to lead armies and (gasp!) leave Nuro from time to time and you hate that idea. Of course leaving Nuro is something you might have to do if you want to avoid "hassle." You've pondered leaving Nuro before several times in past, but ultimately you always stayed. One reason was your irrational anxiety of leaving the familiar, but the other was you weren't really ready. Or at least you felt like you weren't. Now? You're more than able to handle yourself. Your magic skills in not just necromancy but other branches are enough to keep you safe. Especially since you know how to mask your deathly aura. You think you'd be able to overcome your anxiety of leaving Nuro after a few weeks. You don't even think you'd go to another center of "civilization", you'd probably live on your own. You certainly have plenty of knowledge in nature magic to do so. Of course there's still more you could learn here and part of you does feel mildly indebted to Mr. Demar for guiding your magic skills to a higher level faster than you might have achieved otherwise. You respect the man a lot and it doesn't seem right to just abandon him after you were the one who sought him out in the first place. > You Stay No, you're not going to leave. For good or ill, this place is still your home and you aren't going to leave it due to having doubts or especially boredom. You also still feel grateful to Mr. Demar which you even acknowledge might be foolish on your part of getting attached like you did with Miss Olga. Though that attachment was a little different. You were younger and you certainly didn't have any other feelings. "What the fuck is going on with you girl? That man is more than twice your age. Shit. Things were so much easier when I wasn't suddenly thinking with parts other than my brain." You say to yourself. It's unfortunate that you seem to be tethered to the same sort of urges as everyone else. Normally you'd take matters like this into your own hands, but you're starting to wonder if you need to just get it over with to satisfy the curiosity part. So what are you going to do? Go into Mr. Demar's office naked telling him to just take you there on his desk? While you're tempted to do exactly that, that would be pretty awkward if he wasn't interested. And you're pretty sure he's not given that you've never detected any hint of attraction to you. (Makes you wonder if he is fucking Felsa like Trelik claimed though) In any case, you really don't want to deal with potential complications like a "relationship" or all the gossip. Honestly hooking up with any fellow Dark Order members would just cause the same potential complications, maybe the key is to just pick up some boring random stranger to get it over with, that's what most people in this college do anyway. To hell with it, you're going to go get laid, however since you don't want to be a complete degenerate, you avoid asking the demonologists where the best hang outs and parties are and decide to just visit one of the more popular spots on campus where the college folk gather. You wait until night and head to a place called the Alkymist. Someone's idea of a cute play on words for a place that mostly serves wizards you suppose. Surprisingly the Alkymist isn't very lively tonight. The hobgoblin tending the bar asks what you want to which you order something that isn't going to dull your senses since you're trying to get laid, not raped. You aren't exactly sure how to proceed since you were expecting more people to be here, but from past experience you figure eventually some guy will come up to you attempting to impress you in some way. So you wait at a table by yourself. And wait. And wait. And any other damn time some creep is attempting to make unwanted advances. Maybe you would have been better off going into Mr. Demar's office naked. Just as you're about to give up on this endeavor, you sense a strong deathly presence enter the bar. At first you think it's someone from the Dark Order, but the person who enters isn't familiar. It's a man in who looks to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Pale. Fairly handsome looking. You can't say you've had any contact with one before, but from the stories you've heard from Dark Order members, this man seems to be a vampire. The Dark Order is supposed to have an alliance of sorts with them. Why one is here you have no idea, maybe they're spying on you or something. In any case, you'll soon learn why because he sees you and immediately approaches. "Hello, my name is Alec. I haven't seen you here before." He says. "Because I've never been in here before." You answer. "Ah, that would explain it. So what brings you here tonight? I figured most would be at the Manticore House party tonight. People on campus couldn't stop talking about getting ready for it." "Oh. I wasn't aware of it. I don't keep up much on the latest campus stuff." "So, you here with someone?" "No." "Ah so, you looking to meet someone? I mean that's one of the main reasons people come here. Well that and to get drunk, though the drinks here aren't as good as they used to be." "Well I'm sure you wouldn't find them to be your taste that's for sure." Alec is silent a moment at your comment. He also sits across from you without asking to. "And...why do you say that?" Alec asks. You nearly stare at Alec in disbelief for playing dumb, but you continue to refrain from staring directly into his eyes. "Please. I know what you are." You say. "Hm. Yes, I suppose you'd be able to tell right away. But then, YOUR kind have an affinity towards those of my state of being don't they?" Alec smiles while you don't answer. "You see, I know what you are too. I could sense an appealing deathly aura about you." Alec whispers. "Of course you do. So instead of all this pointless attempt at trying to charm me, why don't you get to the point? Why has a representative of the vampire clans come here? If you want to speak to Mr. Demar, he's probably still at the conjuration building right now." "The clans? You mean that old aristocratic asshole club? Pfft, I'm not part of them. Or at least I haven't been since the one who created me got himself killed. Free to do what I want nowadays and I sure as hell don't want to be part of some stodgy system. Mind you I do have to not step on their toes in whatever little schemes they got cooked up, but that's easy enough to do since I don't have much in the way of grand ambition. Probably why they don't give a shit that I'm not around actually." Well this is interesting to keep your attention, assuming he's telling the truth of course. "So you're telling me, you're just some vagabond vamp with no ties to anything other than your thirst." You say. "Well I like to think I'm MORE than just what I eat. I have other interests. For example, I come to this place often whenever I'm in Nuro because it brings back fond memories of when I was younger. Used to hang out here with my friends playing darts, getting drunk, telling jokes, and occasionally going home with a lovely lady. You know the usual things one does in one's misspent youth." Alec says. "Hm. Wouldn't know much about that seeing as I'm still young and I try not to misspend any of it." "Yep, you're definitely a necromancer." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Gloomy, dour, and generally no fun. Well with a few exceptions, but then those type tend to be arrogant dickheads who are no fun in other ways." "Well if I'm no fun, don't let me keep you. I'm sure you got better things to do. Why don't you try the Manticore House party you mentioned? It's probably lively with a bunch of dumb unsuspecting co-eds who you can lure into a dark alley or something." "Why repeat myself?" You have to admit, there's a part of you that found that amusing. "Okay I saw you smile at that comment." Alec adds. "So is this how you get your prey? Try to wear them down with attempts at humor?" you ask. "No, I generally just use the gaze for that. This is how I try to get a lady I'm genuinely interested in." "You don't even know me." "I know you're pretty, I know you're obviously intelligent. Hell, we even know one secret about each other already." "At this rate, it'll be the only one." "Oh come on! I know you're not here to just enjoy the ambiance of this place. You obviously aren't the type to do anything without a major purpose. You were here to meet someone." You can see Alec's not going to leave you alone about this, so you indulge him a little longer. "Okay, fine. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with socializing and shit. And yeah, that also included potentially meeting someone." "Alright and how the hell did you think you were going to accomplish that by sitting in a dark corner away from everyone?" "What difference does it make? Nobody was here anyway." "Okay, but what if this place had been crowded? I'm betting you would have done the same thing, am I right?" "Perhaps, but given past experiences without even trying, I'm sure someone would have come up to me." "Oh I'm sure they would have. And what would you have done? Probably given them a hard time and put up a wall like you're doing with me right now." "If they couldn't deal with my personality then they obviously aren't worth my time. And as for you, you're a fucking vampire. Of course I'm going to be EXTRA careful around you." "I don't believe that." "Don't believe what?" "I don't believe you're worried about me being a vampire. If you were, you wouldn't still be talking to me since I imagine you don't spend this long shutting someone down." "And I'm probably not going to spend too much longer on you either." Alec sits back a moment. He's obviously trying to figure out a different tactic. And you of course are still curious enough to see if he's going to finally impress you. "Alright, I can see I'm antagonizing you." Alec says. "You leaving for easier prey?" you ask. "No, I ate before I came here. I'm going to tell you a little more about myself. Obviously I don't have time to go into decades of the past, but maybe this will put you at ease." "Not really. You could just make it all up." "Well then at least you'll hear a good story." "Fair enough. I'll listen." "Thanks for giving me a chance...um...this would be easier with your name." "It's Catalina. Hey wait, did you know the Great Lich Lord?" "What? No. I'm not THAT old. And that's an appropriate name to match your beauty." Alec goes a little bit into his life before he was a vampire. Mentions he wasn't actually a student at the magic college, but rather was a city worker that happened to have a few buddies that had some magic skills so he was usually along for the festivities. He goes into a bit about how before he was turned he didn't really think too much about anything that lay outside the walls of Nuro since he had pretty much all he needed here. You notice he doesn't quite go into detail about the vampire that made him (or even why) and only really mentions brief details. And even in those details you get the impression the "relationship" wasn't the most positive one other than all the new things he saw and places he travelled to. Honestly though, you're only half paying attention to most of it. Mainly because you don't really care about any of it, because your foremost purpose was to just get laid in the first place. And just your luck, this vampire so far is your only suitor tonight. He is quite alluring and it isn't due to any sort of "vampire charm" he's attempting. It's the fact that he's also giving off a powerful deathly aura, even more so than Mr. Demar. You can only imagine that's due to him actually being dead. You've always seen the beauty in death and a vampire would certainly be a good embodiment of it. Part of you just wants to throw caution to the wind and go off with Alec right now, of course you're still entirely there since you are still very aware of the danger of this. It would help if you could determine if he's being sincere about anything. "So how about you?" Alec asks. "How about me what?" you answer temporarily being brought out of your own thoughts "About yourself? I've been droning on about myself and not letting you get in a word edgewise. We're supposed to be getting to know each other better right?" > You talk about yourself Well Alec doesn't seem to be in a rush, so why should you? Probably best you do interact with Alec more anyway so you can continue evaluating him. You begin to go into your past a little bit more. You mention the orphanage and what ultimately led you to the Nuro magic college. Basically the same story you told Mr. Demar when he asked about you. Alec for his part listens quietly, only interrupting for clarification on some things. About the only thing you really don't mention is the Dark Order, especially since you probably said too much just mentioning it when you initially met. Eventually you finish up your tale. "Well, you've certainly had an interesting life for your short time here. Honestly a lot more interesting than mine, before I was turned of course." Alec says. "Interesting I suppose would be one way of describing it." You reply. Alec starts to say something, but then stops himself. Of course this causes you to continue. "Well...I was going to ask what exactly the Dark Order was since you mentioned it when you thought I was spying on you for the clans. But I suppose you left it out of your story for a reason so I won't press the issue." "Is this your attempt to get me to trust you better?" "Is it working?" "Heh. Somewhat. All I'll say is they're currently the closest thing to family and despite my mixed feelings about them, I have grown in my magical abilities thanks to them." "Yeah, I suppose I could say something similar about the clans. I don't agree with a lot of the stuff they do, but my existence is probably better now due to being involved with them at one time. Probably would have just drank myself to death if I hadn't been turned." "Funny, now you drink to live." This causes Alec to laugh out loud. "See? This is why I was drawn to you." Alec says. "I thought it was my deathly aura." You say. "That too, but I could just tell you were going to be an engaging person and I was right." "Thought you said I was like all the other necromancers you encountered." "Eh, I mean you put on that front, but there's much more after you let that wall down, I do wonder though, what exactly draws you to necromancy? I mean in just about every case, necromancers are always in it to dominate and power. But you obviously don't care too much about those things." "I suppose I find a beauty in death. Always have even as far back when I saw those grave wings eating that dead cat." Alec nods and smiles a bit. You look at him and return the smile. He reaches out to touch your hand, you're hesitant at first, but then something about this seems to make perfect sense. You take his hand, which is cool to the touch. His other hand covers yours and you look at each other again knowing there is a connection. "Catalina, I have no ill intent. I only want to spend time with you." You believe him. Alec stands up, still holding your hand. You follow his example and stand up as well. "I have a place in the city I go to when I'm here. We can go there together." You nod and follow Alec out the bar and to the destination, which you soon learn, is a crypt. This doesn't really surprise you though and it certainly doesn't bother you. If anything you feel even more comfortable here. You and Alec get to a nicer part of the crypt, which has a very fancy coffin with a comfortable looking interior. "I'm afraid I only have the one coffin available, but trust me, there's definitely room for two." Alec says. You don't say anything. You just continue to stare at him. In fact there's a part of you that realizes you stopped avoiding his gaze as much when you started talking about yourself. As he approaches closer and wraps his arms around you tightly, you also realize you've fallen under said gaze. That part of your brain is screaming for you to break away, but it's too late. He's managed to slowly and subtlety get you under his control. Alec senses your powerless resistance. "Don't worry Catalina, I didn't lie. I mean you no ill intent. You'll see that this will be the best thing for you and then we can be together forever in death." Alec says. Alec then quickly lunges at your neck and everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Well that was certainly foolish letting a vampire lure you into a conversation like that. In fact that whole event in your life was pretty foolish. You were lucky things didn't turn out like that. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

No, you're not going to leave. For good or ill, this place is still your home and you aren't going to leave it due to having doubts or especially boredom. You also still feel grateful to Mr. Demar which you even acknowledge might be foolish on your part of getting attached like you did with Miss Olga. Though that attachment was a little different. You were younger and you certainly didn't have any other feelings. "What the fuck is going on with you girl? That man is more than twice your age. Shit. Things were so much easier when I wasn't suddenly thinking with parts other than my brain." You say to yourself. It's unfortunate that you seem to be tethered to the same sort of urges as everyone else. Normally you'd take matters like this into your own hands, but you're starting to wonder if you need to just get it over with to satisfy the curiosity part. So what are you going to do? Go into Mr. Demar's office naked telling him to just take you there on his desk? While you're tempted to do exactly that, that would be pretty awkward if he wasn't interested. And you're pretty sure he's not given that you've never detected any hint of attraction to you. (Makes you wonder if he is fucking Felsa like Trelik claimed though) In any case, you really don't want to deal with potential complications like a "relationship" or all the gossip. Honestly hooking up with any fellow Dark Order members would just cause the same potential complications, maybe the key is to just pick up some boring random stranger to get it over with, that's what most people in this college do anyway. To hell with it, you're going to go get laid, however since you don't want to be a complete degenerate, you avoid asking the demonologists where the best hang outs and parties are and decide to just visit one of the more popular spots on campus where the college folk gather. You wait until night and head to a place called the Alkymist. Someone's idea of a cute play on words for a place that mostly serves wizards you suppose. Surprisingly the Alkymist isn't very lively tonight. The hobgoblin tending the bar asks what you want to which you order something that isn't going to dull your senses since you're trying to get laid, not raped. You aren't exactly sure how to proceed since you were expecting more people to be here, but from past experience you figure eventually some guy will come up to you attempting to impress you in some way. So you wait at a table by yourself. And wait. And wait. And any other damn time some creep is attempting to make unwanted advances. Maybe you would have been better off going into Mr. Demar's office naked. Just as you're about to give up on this endeavor, you sense a strong deathly presence enter the bar. At first you think it's someone from the Dark Order, but the person who enters isn't familiar. It's a man in who looks to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Pale. Fairly handsome looking. You can't say you've had any contact with one before, but from the stories you've heard from Dark Order members, this man seems to be a vampire. The Dark Order is supposed to have an alliance of sorts with them. Why one is here you have no idea, maybe they're spying on you or something. In any case, you'll soon learn why because he sees you and immediately approaches. "Hello, my name is Alec. I haven't seen you here before." He says. "Because I've never been in here before." You answer. "Ah, that would explain it. So what brings you here tonight? I figured most would be at the Manticore House party tonight. People on campus couldn't stop talking about getting ready for it." "Oh. I wasn't aware of it. I don't keep up much on the latest campus stuff." "So, you here with someone?" "No." "Ah so, you looking to meet someone? I mean that's one of the main reasons people come here. Well that and to get drunk, though the drinks here aren't as good as they used to be." "Well I'm sure you wouldn't find them to be your taste that's for sure." Alec is silent a moment at your comment. He also sits across from you without asking to. "And...why do you say that?" Alec asks. You nearly stare at Alec in disbelief for playing dumb, but you continue to refrain from staring directly into his eyes. "Please. I know what you are." You say. "Hm. Yes, I suppose you'd be able to tell right away. But then, YOUR kind have an affinity towards those of my state of being don't they?" Alec smiles while you don't answer. "You see, I know what you are too. I could sense an appealing deathly aura about you." Alec whispers. "Of course you do. So instead of all this pointless attempt at trying to charm me, why don't you get to the point? Why has a representative of the vampire clans come here? If you want to speak to Mr. Demar, he's probably still at the conjuration building right now." "The clans? You mean that old aristocratic asshole club? Pfft, I'm not part of them. Or at least I haven't been since the one who created me got himself killed. Free to do what I want nowadays and I sure as hell don't want to be part of some stodgy system. Mind you I do have to not step on their toes in whatever little schemes they got cooked up, but that's easy enough to do since I don't have much in the way of grand ambition. Probably why they don't give a shit that I'm not around actually." Well this is interesting to keep your attention, assuming he's telling the truth of course. "So you're telling me, you're just some vagabond vamp with no ties to anything other than your thirst." You say. "Well I like to think I'm MORE than just what I eat. I have other interests. For example, I come to this place often whenever I'm in Nuro because it brings back fond memories of when I was younger. Used to hang out here with my friends playing darts, getting drunk, telling jokes, and occasionally going home with a lovely lady. You know the usual things one does in one's misspent youth." Alec says. "Hm. Wouldn't know much about that seeing as I'm still young and I try not to misspend any of it." "Yep, you're definitely a necromancer." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Gloomy, dour, and generally no fun. Well with a few exceptions, but then those type tend to be arrogant dickheads who are no fun in other ways." "Well if I'm no fun, don't let me keep you. I'm sure you got better things to do. Why don't you try the Manticore House party you mentioned? It's probably lively with a bunch of dumb unsuspecting co-eds who you can lure into a dark alley or something." "Why repeat myself?" You have to admit, there's a part of you that found that amusing. "Okay I saw you smile at that comment." Alec adds. "So is this how you get your prey? Try to wear them down with attempts at humor?" you ask. "No, I generally just use the gaze for that. This is how I try to get a lady I'm genuinely interested in." "You don't even know me." "I know you're pretty, I know you're obviously intelligent. Hell, we even know one secret about each other already." "At this rate, it'll be the only one." "Oh come on! I know you're not here to just enjoy the ambiance of this place. You obviously aren't the type to do anything without a major purpose. You were here to meet someone." You can see Alec's not going to leave you alone about this, so you indulge him a little longer. "Okay, fine. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with socializing and shit. And yeah, that also included potentially meeting someone." "Alright and how the hell did you think you were going to accomplish that by sitting in a dark corner away from everyone?" "What difference does it make? Nobody was here anyway." "Okay, but what if this place had been crowded? I'm betting you would have done the same thing, am I right?" "Perhaps, but given past experiences without even trying, I'm sure someone would have come up to me." "Oh I'm sure they would have. And what would you have done? Probably given them a hard time and put up a wall like you're doing with me right now." "If they couldn't deal with my personality then they obviously aren't worth my time. And as for you, you're a fucking vampire. Of course I'm going to be EXTRA careful around you." "I don't believe that." "Don't believe what?" "I don't believe you're worried about me being a vampire. If you were, you wouldn't still be talking to me since I imagine you don't spend this long shutting someone down." "And I'm probably not going to spend too much longer on you either." Alec sits back a moment. He's obviously trying to figure out a different tactic. And you of course are still curious enough to see if he's going to finally impress you. "Alright, I can see I'm antagonizing you." Alec says. "You leaving for easier prey?" you ask. "No, I ate before I came here. I'm going to tell you a little more about myself. Obviously I don't have time to go into decades of the past, but maybe this will put you at ease." "Not really. You could just make it all up." "Well then at least you'll hear a good story." "Fair enough. I'll listen." "Thanks for giving me a chance...um...this would be easier with your name." "It's Catalina. Hey wait, did you know the Great Lich Lord?" "What? No. I'm not THAT old. And that's an appropriate name to match your beauty." Alec goes a little bit into his life before he was a vampire. Mentions he wasn't actually a student at the magic college, but rather was a city worker that happened to have a few buddies that had some magic skills so he was usually along for the festivities. He goes into a bit about how before he was turned he didn't really think too much about anything that lay outside the walls of Nuro since he had pretty much all he needed here. You notice he doesn't quite go into detail about the vampire that made him (or even why) and only really mentions brief details. And even in those details you get the impression the "relationship" wasn't the most positive one other than all the new things he saw and places he travelled to. Honestly though, you're only half paying attention to most of it. Mainly because you don't really care about any of it, because your foremost purpose was to just get laid in the first place. And just your luck, this vampire so far is your only suitor tonight. He is quite alluring and it isn't due to any sort of "vampire charm" he's attempting. It's the fact that he's also giving off a powerful deathly aura, even more so than Mr. Demar. You can only imagine that's due to him actually being dead. You've always seen the beauty in death and a vampire would certainly be a good embodiment of it. Part of you just wants to throw caution to the wind and go off with Alec right now, of course you're still entirely there since you are still very aware of the danger of this. It would help if you could determine if he's being sincere about anything. "So how about you?" Alec asks. "How about me what?" you answer temporarily being brought out of your own thoughts "About yourself? I've been droning on about myself and not letting you get in a word edgewise. We're supposed to be getting to know each other better right?" > You just get to it Fuck it. You're just going to do it. There's no safe way to fuck a vampire and tonight that's exactly what you've decided to do. "Look Alec, you said you're just passing through and you're not looking for dinner, you're looking to get laid right?" you ask. "Well...yes, but..." Alec says before you interrupt. "Good, so am I. So let's drop all the getting to know you stuff and just get to it. You got a place we can go to? Can't really go back to mine, I live with a bunch of other people and you showing up might cause issues." "Yes, I have place." "Good, let's get out of here then." You stand up first and start walking out the door; Alec soon catches up saying to wait up. Alec soon takes the lead and it doesn't take long before the pair of you are heading to the city graveyard. You can't say you're too surprised. "Graveyard? Seems a bit on the nose doesn't it?" you say. "Heh, don't worry, we won't be out in the open. There's a crypt this way I use when I'm in town, this way." You follow Alec to the crypt and after a walk down some stairs and through a few catacombs; you eventually reach a well "kept" area with a fancy coffin. You look around and see despite the bricked interior of the room; nature is still finding a way inside as several large tree roots are breaking through the old weakened brick. "You might want to be careful with where your coffin's location is Alec, a tree could come crashing down on it." You say. "Yeah, this place has seen better days, but I certainly call it home when I'm here. Really need to do something about the grave wings flying about the catacombs though. I don't remember there being so many before. Ugh, there's even a few in here." "You don't like them? I've always thought they were pretty." "Hm, maybe that's because they don't bite you." "I didn't see them bite you when we were walking down here." "They usually don't, but...well given a vampire's state of existence and what grave wings typically feast on and let's just say the occasional curious or hungry one isn't adverse to nipping one of my kind occasionally." "Heh, I guess I can see why that would make you a little apprehensive with a large number of them around. So...should I just take my clothes off and get in the coffin then?" "Sheesh, you work fast for someone who's never done this before." You stay silent in your response, but Alec answers for you. "I know you're a virgin Catalina. I can smell your purity." "Excuse me? Just because I'm a necromancer doesn't mean I'm forego bath..." "No, no, no, it's your blood. The blood never lies." Alec interrupts. "How would those two things even...nevermind, guessing it's one of your vamp powers. So that another reason you were drawn to me? Like 'em fresh huh?" "And you like the dead." You notice Alec's staring at you intently during your conversation and you catch yourself looking directly at him and look away. "Y'know intimacy is going to be very difficult if you're going to insist on not looking at me. You going to keep your eyes closed the entire time? That's no way to experience your first time." Alec remarks. "Well how about you just lift up my dress and bend me over your coffin then? That way I'll be able to keep my eyes open the entire time. I would have thought someone of your years would be a little more imaginative in various sexual positions." you answer. "Oh trust me, I could get very imaginative with such things...but since you're insistent on being so blunt, I suppose I might as well do the same." Alec stands up a bit straighter and you feel a decidedly different demeanor. A more predatory one. "So. You were looking for prey after all." You say backing away. "No, actually I wasn't. As I said, I already ate before I entered the Alkymist. However, I am in need of companionship." Alec says. "I thought that's what we were going to do." "Mm, yes but I would like a more permanent arrangement. You see, I'm starting to get to a point in my existence where I would like to share it with someone. Who better than a necromancer?" "I'm flattered, but I just don't feel I'm ready to make such a commitment. I can see this was a bad idea. I'll just be going..." you say, but before you can step past him, he moves to block the doorway. The true colors are showing. "Come now. While I know you avoided giving too much away about yourself. Even I can tell how drawn you are to death. Why be a necromancer dabbling with death when you could literally be the embodiment of it? Just think of the new places you could go and things you could do. That WE could do. You'd achieve what necromancers often only dream of. Immortality. And you'd remain as beautiful as you are now." While you're realizing what a terrible idea this was, you're also just mentally shaking your head at the fact that you not only pick a vampire, but you pick one that wants you to spend the rest of eternity with him. This might even be romantic if it was under different circumstances. "Honeyed words, and let's say you're telling the truth. Wouldn't you have power over me as my creator?" "I would never abuse such power." "You're abusing it right now." "How?" "By not letting me leave! You're attempting to intimidate me into going along with your plan without a fuss. Look, if you really do desire me the way you say you do, then let me leave and at least let me think about your proposal." Alec's eyes begin to turn a darker red and while he still keeps his distance, he's obviously attempting to hold back his anger. "And have you disappear completely because you let fear limit you? You're telling me you didn't come here expecting something like this to happen? Did you really believe we were going to just have sex and part ways? You're either very stupid...which I don't believe, OR more likely THIS is something you really want but are too scared to make that final step. Trust me Catalina, there is nothing to fear." "Alright Alec, just stay back." You say noticing he's starting to walk towards you. "Catalina, I'm faster than you are. I could easily reach you before you could even get off a spell. You know this. It won't hurt I'll be gentle as possible I promise." "Alec, last chance to back off..." "I don't want to hurt you, but you're making me do this." "Same." And just as Alec locks his gaze on you and is about to lunge for your throat, he stops when he sees a thick piece of dead wood coming through his chest. You'd been manipulating the roots coming through the crypt's bricks as soon as he started blocking the doorway. He makes a few hissing sounds then his whole body goes limp causing the weight of it to break the rest of the root as he falls to the stone floor. You step aside and take a look at Alec as he remains impaled through the back and unmoving. You're curious to as why he's paralyzed and not outright dead though since you see his eyes still moving. "Hm, I guess I only nicked your heart huh? Damn, I meant to kill you instantly. Ah well." You step away looking at his body. "Well I can't leave you like this. I already did one stupid thing tonight and I'm not about to do a second one leaving a pissed off vampire alive. Especially one a bit obsessed with me." You figure the quick way would be to just manipulate the piece of wood already in his chest though that seems a bit too quick now. Dragging him to the surface so he can explode in the sun might be fitting, but it also could cause attention. You briefly look around room for a moment and then smile when you realize Alec and yourself aren't the only ones in here. Normally you don't attempt to control living animals with your nature magic skills, but you don't think the gravewings will mind. You first call the ones in the room to land on Alec. They immediately start biting his ear. Soon your chant calls forth many more of them from the catacombs. In fact there's enough of them that they resemble a glowing green ball of light. The swarm descends on Alec's body for a big feast. "Y'know Alec, it really didn't have to end this way. I wouldn't have disappeared on you, I really would have thought about your proposal because I can even admit; there was a large appeal to it. I can't say for certain if I would have said yes, but because you couldn't have just been a little more patient, neither of us will ever know. What I do know though, is I won't be trusting your kind in the future and you won't be having a future." What follows next is you watching Alec slowly being eaten alive as he remains in his fixed prone position. He can't scream, but his eyes are darting back and forth the entire time he watches the hungry insects eat his flesh. Well at least until they start eating his eyes. Of course it would take a few days for the gravewings to eat a body as big as Alec's (the poor things can't possibly eat it all in one sitting) so eventually you do end Alec's torment and manipulate another root to go through his chest, this one going directly through his heart, at which point he exploded into a heap of gore, though given that part of him was eaten anyway there's not as much as there would have been. With little else here for you, you leave the crypt only to find that dawn is breaking. "Another day, and still as chaste as the day I was born. Which ever that one was." You say to yourself and head back to the college. When you get back you bump into Sebastian in the hallway. "You're up early." Sebastian says. "Eh, didn't really sleep. I was busy with...a new spell." You answer. "Oh really? What is it?" "Nothing important really. Just a little experiment with nature magic and necromancy." "I think you really are the first one to mix such divergent branches of magic." "And I still don't think they're that opposite from each other. Everything living eventually dies, that's certainly part of nature. It's all part of the cycle. It's just nobody sees the beauty in death like they do in nature." "I suppose not, but beauty is everywhere. Well in any case some new corpses came in. Some idiots apparently died playing the mystery potion game at last night's Manticore House party. A rarity we get bodies so fresh to practice necromancy on." "Indeed. Oh, are you familiar with a vampire by the name of Alec? Looks about late twenties to early thirties, black hair, pale, on the handsome side of looks." "That could describe most vampires from what I've seen of some of the reps from the vampire clans. Can't remember one called Alec though. You meet one or something?" "You could say that, though he claimed he was independent of the clans." "Also possible. Well in any case you better tell Mr. Demar as soon as possible just in case." "Okay." "Oh, probably not now though, I think he's still sleeping in with Irwin." "Wait...Irwin? You mean Mr. Demar is..." "Yeah. You really didn't know?" "No, why would I? I barely remember Irwin is even here most of the time. And Trelik implied Felsa routinely slept with Mr. Demar." "And he also implied the same nasty rumor about you and that wasn't true either right? Trelik's an idiot who only pays attention to his own little sad world." "True. Very well, I'll tell him later then, I probably should get some sleep anyway." As you start to leave, Sebastian suddenly speaks up again. "Um Catalina..." "Yes?" you ask. "Uh..." Is this it? Is he actually going to do it? Today after the night you've had? If he is then even as tired as you are, this would be his lucky day because you'd be willing at this point. However, Sebastian still seems to be failing, so you attempt to meet him half way. "Is there something you would like to tell me Sebastian? Something that's been on your mind for quite some time? Hmm?" you say even making an uncharacteristic blinking of your eyes. (Though some of that is due to being tired) Unfortunately this is all too much for poor Sebastian, who just runs away gagging uncontrollably and nearly throwing up in the process. Anxiety is a bitch and while there's part of you that feels sorry for him a bit since you have issues of your own, you just don't really have time for his too. It's obvious Sebastian is never going to be brave enough even when directly confronted. And as for Mr. Demar, well it's good thing you never seriously considered going into his office naked. You head to your quarters and flop down on the bed. You're tired, but you still can't sleep. You're just so disappointed in yourself for nearly getting killed over something really stupid. Sure it all worked out, but it doesn't make things any better in your mind. You think if you'd at least achieved your goal last night, it would have all been worth it. You don't think you'll try this again. You'll be better off practicing your necromancy on the fresh corpses that just came in. "Wait a minute. Why the hell didn't I think about that before?" you say to yourself suddenly being inspired before finally going to sleep. The next night... You motion your lover to lie down in the coffin, which he does without hesitation. You then remove your own clothing and get in the coffin as well after casting a spell to make him more "functional" for this task. You then proceed to have an interesting time until you've achieved your goal. At which point you then get out of the coffin and put your clothes back on. You realize that it was a hassle getting him here without anyone noticing he was a zombie, so you might as well leave him in the coffin. You release him from his animation and cast preservation spell. You then close up the coffin and figure you can use him again if you ever feel the need. Alec apparently spared no expense on getting a nice coffin; at least it's not going to waste. "Wish I'd done that to begin with." You say and leave the crypt. > Revolting The past memories are starting to become clearer and more vivid. You feel like you're starting to get closer to goal. Well you knew it was going to come to this one day, though perhaps there was a part of you that believed it was going to always just stay in the "talk" mode. Still, somehow you knew when he joined the Dark Order, it was the beginning of the end. Azrael. You aren't exactly sure what happened, but apparently he and Felsa fucked up Mr. Demar's talk with a rep from the vampire clans severely to the point where the rep was killed and now the plan to take over Nuro has to be now or never. (You're just glad it wasn't you who fucked up that potential alliance and Alec had indeed been telling the truth about being independent) You admit you still aren't sure how you feel about Azrael. First time you actually met him was outside the Dark Order when he miserably failed to impress you. Honestly, you were more than a bit surprised to see him when he joined the Dark Order given how horrible he is of a magic user. Still, somehow he's got a real skill for necromancy. Took you a long time to master what you're able to do with it. Even Trelik struggles with achieving some of the things you've seen Azrael do with seeming ease. It's like it comes natural to him. Maybe he's an idiot savant of some sort. In any case, Mr. Demar's called you in for a private discussion. You aren't exactly sure what about, but you're sure you'll find out. You enter Mr. Demar's office who is in the middle of writing something. "Ah, you're here. Good. Sit, I'll be done in a second." You sit down and wait for Mr. Demar to finish what he's doing which doesn't take long. He then puts away his quill and parchment and focuses his attention on you. "Okay, Miss Catalina first I want to say is how impressed I've seen you grow in your abilities. I took a risk on you and I'm glad to see it paid off. I know we haven't spoken much one on one with each other in these last couple years, but that's partly because you haven't really needed the supervision or extra guidance. I knew after the first few months of you joining, you were capable of being left to your own devices." "Well I was doing it long before I joined the Order." You say. "Indeed. That's why you're going to be playing an important role in the take over of Nuro, which is what I want to go over with you." Mr. Demar tells you the over all strategy of the plan. Quayle's job is to slow down time for everyone in the city (except the Dark Order), making them easier to take out. The demonologists will be doing the initial attack by opening portals to the infernal realm to unleash demons on the city. This chaos will put most in a state of panic and allow you and the rest of the necromancers to take advantage of the dead that the demons leave in their path. This momentum should be more than enough to bolster your numbers. "...And that should be enough to take over Nuro with minimal resistance as well as having enough defense for any immediate counter attack." Mr. Demar says, but you detect a tone in his voice that makes it seem like he's not sure of his own plan anymore. "We're going to win." You say as if to reassure him. He looks at you and smiles at what you're attempting to do. "Heh, that obvious huh? I suppose I do have my concerns. Not so much about taking Nuro, but more about keeping it. I really do wish we had at least another year to prepare. Hammer out that contract with Velzix and give another thorough read through of it for example. Maybe try to find a few more necromancers." Mr. Demar says. "I'll admit when I first joined I thought there would be more." You answer. "Well that is one of the reasons I took a chance on you. It's why you're going to be in charge of doing crowd control around the city close to the university." "Me?" "Yes. Why are you surprised? While I've said you're one of the better necromancers here, I feel you're probably the most versatile. And I don't mean just amongst the necromancers, I mean in the entire Order. I want someone who is better able to adapt to a situation as it unfolds. Sebastian isn't as skilled as you. Irwin...well the boy is pretty, but he's probably the weakest member among your ranks. Trelik, I'm going to have with me along with Felsa when we face the dean and whatever other faculty that opposes us." "Um, Felsa and Trelik?" "Yes, I understand your concerns on that, but Felsa is the best demonologist and I'm going to need her assistance in controlling Velzix for the attack on the dean's tower. She actually works better under my supervision anyway. As for Trelik, the closer I keep him near me, the less likely he's going to let his arrogance get the better of him and do something stupidly overconfident." "As you say." "Then there's Azrael. The newest to the Order and another I took a chance on, though I really don't know what to make of him still." "Same." "He is a very skilled necromancer, unnaturally so. I'm sure you can sense it. It's odd since he's at best a mediocre wizard in any other branch. Downright terrible in some branches. In a perfect world, I would have had a little more time to assess him better. I suppose if this all works out, I'll be able to." "So is he going to be under my command?" "Yes and no. I still consider you to be in charge of the necromancy end of things, but I feel Azrael would be better off working on his own. He's powerful enough that you won't need to supervise him directly. I'm going to send him a little closer to downtown area of the city. He can raise the dead from the graveyard along with whomever the demons kill." "Okay then." "Just a few extra things. I want to say. The first is more of a favor if possible." "What is it?" "Well I know it's not much of a secret about Irwin and myself. He's not the best necromancer, but he's not without talent. Still I told him I wasn't going to play favorites, so he has to pull his weight just like everyone else. However, if it is possible, look out for him. I don't mean at the cost of the overall goal, he knows the risks. But I would appreciate it if he came out of this alive." You're a little hesitant about being entrusted with someone's safety. "You sure it wouldn't be safer to have him with you then?" "Heh, no it would actually be worse since I'm going up against the best wizards in the world and I can't be distracted with worrying about keeping Irwin alive. I'll leave that to you." "Gee I'm...honored." "You sound it. But as I said, if things get tricky and it's a matter of saving Irwin or achieving a win in battle, sacrifice him yourself if necessary." "Got it. Anything else?" Mr. Demar leans forward and actually pats your hand. "Don't die. Make the others die and then make them serve you." "I will." A week later... "Sebastian watch the right side, there's mage guards coming down the street. Irwin raise these bodies, we're running low and apparently the demon lovers can't control their fucking summons." You exclaim. You, Sebastian, and Irwin are all in close proximity to each other making sure you keep an eye out on all sides for attacks. So far the battle hasn't been going as planned. Several things have gone wrong already. Quayle's time spell is having inconsistent effects for one thing. It hasn't slowed down your enemies as planned. The more major issue is the demons are not under demonologist control at all. They thankfully haven't attacked your side, but most of them are just following their own desires rather than any organized attack. For your part you've been doing your best to take out the Nuro's mage guards, but it's not been easy, especially when they're also backed up by regular rank and file militia. You look up at the nearby buildings in front of you and see a sizable amount of archers appear. In fact, here's more than enough to rain down on you all. You look to your right again and Sebastian is struggling to take out the mage guards. And then the archers unleash their arrows. You don't have the time to cast a barrier over the three of you, so you do the next best thing and summon a strong plague wind to at least blow the arrows away from your position, along with taking out the archers. It works for the most part. Some of the arrows are even blown back at the archers (who are choking to death anyway), one somehow even manages to find its way in the neck of a mage guard, providing some relief for Sebastian. Unfortunately unlike a magic barrier, it doesn't cover the entire area you needed. Some of the arrows still found their mark. Specifically Irwin who was still busily attempting to raise the nearby dead strayed away from you a bit and he was hit not once, not twice, but by several of them. You look to the left and see Irwin lying on the ground bleeding to death with probably several vital organs punctured. He's still alive, but he won't be for long. "Shit." You utter. As dangerous as it is to try to save Irwin right now, you have to try. You promised Mr. Demar you'd try. You run over to Irwin whose eyes are watering up and blood is coming from his mouth. He looks so scared right now. Like he realizes that up until now he's not just playing with the dead, he's about to become one with them. "Oh gods...I'm dying...(gurgle) I don't..." Irwin sputters. "You're not dying if I can help it. You'll see Mr. Demar again." You say and begin casting. Necromancers aren't generally known for healing magic, which has always been amusing to you since it's not that much different than raising the dead. You're just preventing the body from getting to the state when you have to raise it. Still Irwin's wounds are very severe. He's almost dead, but you begin to focus... And focus... "Damn it! Come on!" you mutter before. It's no use; you can't heal him from wounds this bad. Irwin's eyes roll up into his head and he makes a final gurgling sound before finally dying. "Fuck!" you exclaim. You feel a hand on your shoulder causing you to turn around nearly blasting Sebastian in the face. "Hey! Hold on! Wait! It's just me! We've put down the resistance in this section for now, but I think we better move to a different location, there are undoubtedly more Nuro guards of the magical and regular kind on their way and I'd hate to get surrounded like we almost did this time." Sebastian says. "Yeah, I guess. Fuck." You answer, still looking over at Irwin's body. "Hey that's not your fault." "I know it isn't, but I'm still going to hate having to tell Mr. Demar...wait is that who I think it is?" You see Azrael with a large horde of undead. At least someone's been doing well in this battle. Figures it would be that lucky fool. He asks where Irwin is, to which you point at his body. To your minor surprise Azrael raises it from the dead to join his horde. You aren't sure if Mr. Demar would approve or condemn, but you figure you won't have to answer for it either way. Azrael starts giving you and Sebastian orders like he's suddenly in charge, though his suggestions of him subduing the rest of the fighting force in the city while you both assist at the college isn't a bad idea given Mr. Demar probably could use assistance and nobody knows what's going on with Quayle's time magic. Since Azrael seems to have confidence in his abilities to take out Nuro's existing fighting force, you and Sebastian allow him to take control of the remainder of your undead and head towards the college. The college is in ruins even more so than other parts of the city. While the carnage and destruction is hardly surprising, what's more alarming is the fact that you're seeing buildings phase in and out of existence. You're also seeing plants grow and wither at accelerated rates. The eastern side of the college is displaying worse signs of the abnormality, and you're sensing Quayle is over on that side somewhere. "Shit, this is worse than I thought." Sebastian says. "I don't even know what to make of this. Obviously something's gone very wrong with Quayle's spell." You say. "Mr. Demar is probably over in the dean's tower if the explosions are any indication, we probably should help him and he can better help with the Quayle situation." Sebastian says. "If we don't do something about Quayle now though, there might not even BE a city left." Sebastian looks really reluctant to go anywhere near where Quayle might be, granted you are as well, but someone has to try to do something about this. "Sebastian you go assist Mr. Demar, I'll see what's going on with Quayle." You say. "What? I really don't think..." Sebastian says before you interrupt him. "Just fucking go alright? I'll be fine." Sebastian looks very reluctant to leave you and once again he looks like he wants to say more to you. Potentially even do more, but he's unsure. You roll your eyes and grab his hand with your own while patting the top of it with your other hand. He's a little surprised by your physical reassurance. "If we both survive this, you REALLY need to work on your self-confidence." You say and take your leave. As you quickly make your way through the eastern side of the college, you realize how damn dangerous this is due to the time holes popping in and out causing severe changes in the landscape. The only good thing about all this is nobody is around to attack you. Everyone is either dead or stayed out of this area. Still, a little protection might be in order. > You cast a magic shield You cast a strong magic shield around you and hope it gets you through this. You proceed to head east watching the very landscape change around you. It's actually making you feel slightly dizzy. There is one building that isn't changing though. It's a small gray building sitting apart from the others. You don't even remember seeing it before during your time here, but that hardly matters since you're getting a very strong feeling that's where you're going to find Quayle. You get closer though there is some disturbance going on with your shield. You maintain it, but it's getting harder to do so as you go along. Eventually you're within a short walk of entering the gray building, but the disturbances are popping in and out even quicker. You can't readily keep track of where they're located. Hoping your shield holds, you take a deep breath and run to the entrance. Unfortunately you get caught up in not one, but several of the time disturbances before you even reach the entrance. Your shield provides little to no protection against such strong chronomagic. You feel your body change and one look at your right hand and you've aged considerably. Or at least part of you has. You nearly collapse from the weakness and drop your shield as you can't keep it up and it isn't protecting you anyway. You feel another change in your body except this feels like...shrinking? Your left leg has reverted to the size of a child's, You can't survive this much longer, your only hope is somehow Quayle can help you. Determined to survive, you manage to drag and crawl your way into the building. And there you see him sitting in one of the auditorium classrooms in a lotus like position on the floor in a trance. A strange white field of energy surrounds him. Barely managing to prop yourself up against a wall, you hop towards his position and then he speaks. "You...are not supposed to be here...this is not the time..." Quayle says in an echoed voice. "Quayle! You need to fix whatever it is you fucked up and more importantly fix me!" you shout. "Can't fix you...you're dead..." "What? I'm not dead, but I soon will be if you don't stop this!" "No...all was going as planned...miscalculation...wait...ah...there we go..." "Wha..." "Another way Catalina...you will be reunited...not this way..." You hear these cryptic words from Quayle and then suddenly everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Well that was strange. You aren't quite sure what to make of all that, but Quayle seemed very sure you didn't belong there. And how did he know that? And he said you were dead. How did he know that too? You can only chalk this one up to Quayle somehow having insight into not just time, but multiple dimensions or something. You don't know, even in your spiritual state, the complex theories of chrono magic field is making your head hurt. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, female protagonist] The past memories are starting to become clearer and more vivid. You feel like you're starting to get closer to goal. Well you knew it was going to come to this one day, though perhaps there was a part of you that believed it was going to always just stay in the "talk" mode. Still, somehow you knew when he joined the Dark Order, it was the beginning of the end. Azrael. You aren't exactly sure what happened, but apparently he and Felsa fucked up Mr. Demar's talk with a rep from the vampire clans severely to the point where the rep was killed and now the plan to take over Nuro has to be now or never. (You're just glad it wasn't you who fucked up that potential alliance and Alec had indeed been telling the truth about being independent) You admit you still aren't sure how you feel about Azrael. First time you actually met him was outside the Dark Order when he miserably failed to impress you. Honestly, you were more than a bit surprised to see him when he joined the Dark Order given how horrible he is of a magic user. Still, somehow he's got a real skill for necromancy. Took you a long time to master what you're able to do with it. Even Trelik struggles with achieving some of the things you've seen Azrael do with seeming ease. It's like it comes natural to him. Maybe he's an idiot savant of some sort. In any case, Mr. Demar's called you in for a private discussion. You aren't exactly sure what about, but you're sure you'll find out. You enter Mr. Demar's office who is in the middle of writing something. "Ah, you're here. Good. Sit, I'll be done in a second." You sit down and wait for Mr. Demar to finish what he's doing which doesn't take long. He then puts away his quill and parchment and focuses his attention on you. "Okay, Miss Catalina first I want to say is how impressed I've seen you grow in your abilities. I took a risk on you and I'm glad to see it paid off. I know we haven't spoken much one on one with each other in these last couple years, but that's partly because you haven't really needed the supervision or extra guidance. I knew after the first few months of you joining, you were capable of being left to your own devices." "Well I was doing it long before I joined the Order." You say. "Indeed. That's why you're going to be playing an important role in the take over of Nuro, which is what I want to go over with you." Mr. Demar tells you the over all strategy of the plan. Quayle's job is to slow down time for everyone in the city (except the Dark Order), making them easier to take out. The demonologists will be doing the initial attack by opening portals to the infernal realm to unleash demons on the city. This chaos will put most in a state of panic and allow you and the rest of the necromancers to take advantage of the dead that the demons leave in their path. This momentum should be more than enough to bolster your numbers. "...And that should be enough to take over Nuro with minimal resistance as well as having enough defense for any immediate counter attack." Mr. Demar says, but you detect a tone in his voice that makes it seem like he's not sure of his own plan anymore. "We're going to win." You say as if to reassure him. He looks at you and smiles at what you're attempting to do. "Heh, that obvious huh? I suppose I do have my concerns. Not so much about taking Nuro, but more about keeping it. I really do wish we had at least another year to prepare. Hammer out that contract with Velzix and give another thorough read through of it for example. Maybe try to find a few more necromancers." Mr. Demar says. "I'll admit when I first joined I thought there would be more." You answer. "Well that is one of the reasons I took a chance on you. It's why you're going to be in charge of doing crowd control around the city close to the university." "Me?" "Yes. Why are you surprised? While I've said you're one of the better necromancers here, I feel you're probably the most versatile. And I don't mean just amongst the necromancers, I mean in the entire Order. I want someone who is better able to adapt to a situation as it unfolds. Sebastian isn't as skilled as you. Irwin...well the boy is pretty, but he's probably the weakest member among your ranks. Trelik, I'm going to have with me along with Felsa when we face the dean and whatever other faculty that opposes us." "Um, Felsa and Trelik?" "Yes, I understand your concerns on that, but Felsa is the best demonologist and I'm going to need her assistance in controlling Velzix for the attack on the dean's tower. She actually works better under my supervision anyway. As for Trelik, the closer I keep him near me, the less likely he's going to let his arrogance get the better of him and do something stupidly overconfident." "As you say." "Then there's Azrael. The newest to the Order and another I took a chance on, though I really don't know what to make of him still." "Same." "He is a very skilled necromancer, unnaturally so. I'm sure you can sense it. It's odd since he's at best a mediocre wizard in any other branch. Downright terrible in some branches. In a perfect world, I would have had a little more time to assess him better. I suppose if this all works out, I'll be able to." "So is he going to be under my command?" "Yes and no. I still consider you to be in charge of the necromancy end of things, but I feel Azrael would be better off working on his own. He's powerful enough that you won't need to supervise him directly. I'm going to send him a little closer to downtown area of the city. He can raise the dead from the graveyard along with whomever the demons kill." "Okay then." "Just a few extra things. I want to say. The first is more of a favor if possible." "What is it?" "Well I know it's not much of a secret about Irwin and myself. He's not the best necromancer, but he's not without talent. Still I told him I wasn't going to play favorites, so he has to pull his weight just like everyone else. However, if it is possible, look out for him. I don't mean at the cost of the overall goal, he knows the risks. But I would appreciate it if he came out of this alive." You're a little hesitant about being entrusted with someone's safety. "You sure it wouldn't be safer to have him with you then?" "Heh, no it would actually be worse since I'm going up against the best wizards in the world and I can't be distracted with worrying about keeping Irwin alive. I'll leave that to you." "Gee I'm...honored." "You sound it. But as I said, if things get tricky and it's a matter of saving Irwin or achieving a win in battle, sacrifice him yourself if necessary." "Got it. Anything else?" Mr. Demar leans forward and actually pats your hand. "Don't die. Make the others die and then make them serve you." "I will." A week later... "Sebastian watch the right side, there's mage guards coming down the street. Irwin raise these bodies, we're running low and apparently the demon lovers can't control their fucking summons." You exclaim. You, Sebastian, and Irwin are all in close proximity to each other making sure you keep an eye out on all sides for attacks. So far the battle hasn't been going as planned. Several things have gone wrong already. Quayle's time spell is having inconsistent effects for one thing. It hasn't slowed down your enemies as planned. The more major issue is the demons are not under demonologist control at all. They thankfully haven't attacked your side, but most of them are just following their own desires rather than any organized attack. For your part you've been doing your best to take out the Nuro's mage guards, but it's not been easy, especially when they're also backed up by regular rank and file militia. You look up at the nearby buildings in front of you and see a sizable amount of archers appear. In fact, here's more than enough to rain down on you all. You look to your right again and Sebastian is struggling to take out the mage guards. And then the archers unleash their arrows. You don't have the time to cast a barrier over the three of you, so you do the next best thing and summon a strong plague wind to at least blow the arrows away from your position, along with taking out the archers. It works for the most part. Some of the arrows are even blown back at the archers (who are choking to death anyway), one somehow even manages to find its way in the neck of a mage guard, providing some relief for Sebastian. Unfortunately unlike a magic barrier, it doesn't cover the entire area you needed. Some of the arrows still found their mark. Specifically Irwin who was still busily attempting to raise the nearby dead strayed away from you a bit and he was hit not once, not twice, but by several of them. You look to the left and see Irwin lying on the ground bleeding to death with probably several vital organs punctured. He's still alive, but he won't be for long. "Shit." You utter. As dangerous as it is to try to save Irwin right now, you have to try. You promised Mr. Demar you'd try. You run over to Irwin whose eyes are watering up and blood is coming from his mouth. He looks so scared right now. Like he realizes that up until now he's not just playing with the dead, he's about to become one with them. "Oh gods...I'm dying...(gurgle) I don't..." Irwin sputters. "You're not dying if I can help it. You'll see Mr. Demar again." You say and begin casting. Necromancers aren't generally known for healing magic, which has always been amusing to you since it's not that much different than raising the dead. You're just preventing the body from getting to the state when you have to raise it. Still Irwin's wounds are very severe. He's almost dead, but you begin to focus... And focus... "Damn it! Come on!" you mutter before. It's no use; you can't heal him from wounds this bad. Irwin's eyes roll up into his head and he makes a final gurgling sound before finally dying. "Fuck!" you exclaim. You feel a hand on your shoulder causing you to turn around nearly blasting Sebastian in the face. "Hey! Hold on! Wait! It's just me! We've put down the resistance in this section for now, but I think we better move to a different location, there are undoubtedly more Nuro guards of the magical and regular kind on their way and I'd hate to get surrounded like we almost did this time." Sebastian says. "Yeah, I guess. Fuck." You answer, still looking over at Irwin's body. "Hey that's not your fault." "I know it isn't, but I'm still going to hate having to tell Mr. Demar...wait is that who I think it is?" You see Azrael with a large horde of undead. At least someone's been doing well in this battle. Figures it would be that lucky fool. He asks where Irwin is, to which you point at his body. To your minor surprise Azrael raises it from the dead to join his horde. You aren't sure if Mr. Demar would approve or condemn, but you figure you won't have to answer for it either way. Azrael starts giving you and Sebastian orders like he's suddenly in charge, though his suggestions of him subduing the rest of the fighting force in the city while you both assist at the college isn't a bad idea given Mr. Demar probably could use assistance and nobody knows what's going on with Quayle's time magic. Since Azrael seems to have confidence in his abilities to take out Nuro's existing fighting force, you and Sebastian allow him to take control of the remainder of your undead and head towards the college. The college is in ruins even more so than other parts of the city. While the carnage and destruction is hardly surprising, what's more alarming is the fact that you're seeing buildings phase in and out of existence. You're also seeing plants grow and wither at accelerated rates. The eastern side of the college is displaying worse signs of the abnormality, and you're sensing Quayle is over on that side somewhere. "Shit, this is worse than I thought." Sebastian says. "I don't even know what to make of this. Obviously something's gone very wrong with Quayle's spell." You say. "Mr. Demar is probably over in the dean's tower if the explosions are any indication, we probably should help him and he can better help with the Quayle situation." Sebastian says. "If we don't do something about Quayle now though, there might not even BE a city left." Sebastian looks really reluctant to go anywhere near where Quayle might be, granted you are as well, but someone has to try to do something about this. "Sebastian you go assist Mr. Demar, I'll see what's going on with Quayle." You say. "What? I really don't think..." Sebastian says before you interrupt him. "Just fucking go alright? I'll be fine." Sebastian looks very reluctant to leave you and once again he looks like he wants to say more to you. Potentially even do more, but he's unsure. You roll your eyes and grab his hand with your own while patting the top of it with your other hand. He's a little surprised by your physical reassurance. "If we both survive this, you REALLY need to work on your self-confidence." You say and take your leave. As you quickly make your way through the eastern side of the college, you realize how damn dangerous this is due to the time holes popping in and out causing severe changes in the landscape. The only good thing about all this is nobody is around to attack you. Everyone is either dead or stayed out of this area. Still, a little protection might be in order. > You raise the nearby dead No reason to let these bodies go to waste. They'll act as your shields. Besides, who knows if this area is entirely deserted, you might need active defenders. You raise up as many dead bodies as you see in the area and more as you see them heading further east. You proceed to head east watching the very landscape change around you. It's actually making you feel slightly dizzy. There is one building that isn't changing though. It's a small gray building sitting apart from the others. You don't even remember seeing it before during your time here, but that hardly matters since you're getting a very strong feeling that's where you're going to find Quayle. You get closer though a few of your zombies undergo drastic changes. The less alarming are the times when they walk into a time hole that accelerates their age turning them into dust. More interesting are where time reverses and they're living again. Not for long though since they eventually revert even further into embryos then nothing. Eventually you're within a short walk of entering the gray building, but the disturbances are popping in and out even quicker. You can't readily keep track of where they're located. Since you're certainly not going to risk walking through an area with a bunch of time holes, you start sending your remaining zombies to try to mark a safe way through. Unfortunately you don't have many left, and you soon run out before you can determine a secure path. While you're pondering your next move to proceed, you're mildly surprised to see Azrael approaching you again with several more corpses. You're guessing he must have succeeded in quelling the remainder of Nuro resistance. Impressive. "I see you chose to check on Quayle." Azrael says. "Yeah, I think he's in that small gray building over there, the only one that seems to be stable. I can't get to him though, well at least I'm not risking it, I sent some of my troops in there and I watched them either accelerate in rot and disintegrate, or even stranger actually turn back into their living selves until they eventually became babies and then nothing. In fact I'm getting out of here as it only seems to be getting worse. This plan sucks." You reply. "Well someone's gotta go in, so I guess I'll do it. I've risked too much already to fail. I suggest you go help Mr. Demar." Once again Azrael's giving orders like he's in charge. Not that his demanding suggestions aren't unreasonable, especially since you'd rather check Mr. Demar than deal with this time madness anyway. Still, it's a little presumptuous. "Wow, this whole thing has really made you really authoritative. You've come a long way since Enchantment class." You say. "Yeah well I've had a revelation that I'm really good at this necromancy stuff and I won't be denied my career in it before it's truly begun." Before you can reply, Azrael suddenly grabs you and kisses you on the lips. You always wondered what your first kiss might be like. Not bad, but he's still crossed a line. You push Azrael away and slap him in the face. Another time, you might've been more inclined to do more damage, but he's sort of necessary right now. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?! Just because you're not incompetent at one thing, doesn't automatically mean I'm wet for you!" you exclaim. "Well let me show you I'm not incompetent in two things then!" he replies. There's something inherently so silly about his advances that it's almost amusing. Or it would be any other time, not right now though. "Ha ha. Maybe later, like next century. Nice try though. But I will go help Mr. Demar seeing as that would be the best course of action for me. Good luck with the time storm there." You respond. You turn around and leave Azrael to deal with the Quayle situation. Hopefully he has as much focus on dealing with Quayle as he has on watching your ass as you leave. You head towards campus where various explosions are taking place, there's plenty of dead, though the corpses aren't in the best condition since most are in several pieces. However, you do find one intact corpse. You see Sebastian lying on the ground not far from administration building. He's got several severe burns and his innards are leaking out of him. He's beyond healing at this point. "Damn, Sebastian. You probably deserved better." You say and briefly ponder raising him, but decide not to. You enter the administration building. Smoke, fire and body parts look all around. In the distance you hear shouting followed by magic blasts. "TRELIK YOU TREACHEROUS BASTARD!" you hear Mr. Demar shout. "Ha ha! You're weak old man and I'm taking over this shit!" you hear Trelik shout back. You can't say you're too surprised that Trelik has betrayed Mr. Demar, though you thought Trelik might at least be smart enough to wait until AFTER securing the city. His arrogance will be his undoing. You go down a corridor where you think the voices are coming from, turn a corner and nearly run right into Trelik, who is somewhat surprised by your arrival. "YOU! Good, I could use a recharge!" Trelik says grabbing your wrist and attempts to drain your life force; you feel an immediate effect and drop to your knees. "See, had you gotten in that position sooner, you might have saved your miserable life!" Trelik laughs. And there it is, Trelik's arrogance being his undoing. You might be weakened, but you're certainly not defenseless. You mumble a few words turning your hand and part of your arm to bark, this is followed by razor sharp thorns coming out, slicing Trelik's hand enough that he has no choice but to let go. "BITCH!" he exclaims backing off and clutching his shredded hand. You think you might have even cut off a few bits of his fingers. Mr. Demar arrives just as you're getting up off the floor. Trelik looks around and sees he's trapped between the pair of you. With only one good hand, he realizes he's not going to win this fight. "This isn't over!" he shouts and pulls out a small vial in his belt, uncorking it with his teeth downing the contents making him intangible. Trelik then runs through the nearby wall. Mr. Demar rushes over to you to see if you're okay. "Catalina, you alright?" Mr. Demar asks. "Yeah, just woozy. Fuck, Trelik got away." you respond. "We'll have to get him later, my guess though is he's a non-factor for the rest of this battle. Underestimated his arrogance and stupidity though, I guess you were right about that. In any event, what are you doing here? I hope things aren't going badly outside the college too. Where's everyone else?" "Sebastian's dead and so is Irwin... my apologies Mr. Demar, I really tried to keep him alive." Mr. Demar looks down briefly in disappointment, but isn't overly concerned. "Hm, well the boy surviving this wasn't a certainty. I'm sure you did your best. Is there ANY good news?" "Azrael managed to put down the rest of the city's resistance and is currently attempting to handle the time anomalies due to Quayle. I don't know how he's doing on that front though since I came over to help you." "Knowing Azrael he'll probably come out of all this unscathed. Hope so because at this point it sounds like most of the Dark Order is dead. In any case, since you're here we need to finish off the remainder of the faculty." "Wait, you had Felsa with you, she's dead too?" "I'd be surprised if she isn't. When we first engaged the dean, I told her to stay close by even after he retreated. That idiot went chasing after him by herself, I would have followed if only to make sure she didn't get herself killed, but that's when the treacherous bastard Trelik attempted to kill me." "Okay, so where's the dean so we can take him out?" "He's probably cowering in his office, but I'll be taking care of him, I need you to hunt down a couple of other faculty members that split off from the dean during the initial battle. I don't think they got far since they both were wounded. Still, I don't want any of the senior staff getting away. The more skilled wizards we take out now, the less we have to deal with later." "You know where they went?" "Pretty sure they'll be trying to make it to conveyance building, it's the closest means of escape without leaving through the city gates. Before that double crossing demon left, I'm fairly certain Velzix destroyed the transport portals there, but it's possible he didn't get all of them or the escapees might even try to salvage together something there to get them out of the city quickly. I'd advise you head there first and show that there is no escape from the Dark Order." You nod and set out to conveyance building, which isn't that far from the administration building. You've never really been into conveyance magic. It's actually one of the harder forms to master and if you mess up, you could suddenly find yourself in a brickwall. You practiced it a couple times and it always made you nauseous. Not like you really want to travel long distances anyway. As you remember, the portal area of the building should be on the ground floor, so they shouldn't be far, though you're hoping they haven't already escaped. You get closer to your destination and that's when you hear some voices. You cautiously peak around the corner and see two humans, one heavily wounded male on the floor and a less wounded female fumbling around with one of the broken portals. The female looks pregnant. "I think I can get this working. I just need charge it up and we can probably at least teleport to the Brot Kingdom. David! You still with me?" the female says. "Huh...yeah yeah, I'm here Maggie. I...just...I dunno..." David responds. "Hey! We're gonna get out of this okay? All three of us! We'll get..." Maggie's attention shifts and sees you enter the room. You can sense fear in her, but she's definitely ready for a fight if she has to. "You...you're one of Demar's students aren't you? You're a bit younger than the rest I've seen." Maggie says. "Still old enough to end the pair of you." You reply. "Wait! Look, just let us leave. We're no threat to you. My husband and I aren't even important. Just let us go and we will not cause you any trouble." "Perhaps, but I can't take that chance. The best I can offer is to make it quick. Your husband isn't going to make it anyway. I can already sense that's he's near death." You fully expect her to try to attack next, but she doesn't. Instead she falls to her knees, crawling over to David and holding one hand over her stomach. "Please! I beg mercy! If not for either of us, then for my child! I swear to all the gods that we will never seek revenge or join any force against you in the future!" Maggie looks at you with tears in her eyes as she partially holds on to her husband, who looks like he's going to die soon. He's struggling to keep his eyes open, but manages to turn his head towards you and has a slackjaw expression. It's a rather pitiful sight and then comes the crying. Which then starts to get very loud very quickly. "Shit." You say and start to hold your ears. The bitch has cast some sort of sonic scream spell and it's enough to break any sort of concentration you have. You barely avoid a lightning blast and scramble to duck back behind the entryway for cover. "Dark art using cunt! Come out coward!" you hear Maggie shout followed by feeling the force of the wall you're hiding behind being hit. You aren't sure what she's casting, but it's obvious she's not going to let the walls stop her. She's unlikely to come out after you, but at this point she doesn't really need to. You'll have to move soon. You just aren't sure if you should just attack right now, or wait for an opening. > Attack You're not going to just wait until she blows the walls apart; you step out of cover and begin unleashing your own barrage of offensive spells. Maggie puts up a magic shield to stop your attacks, but you don't let up, you won't let her get a chance to retaliate. Eventually you hit her with a blast so strong, it pushes her off balance and her magic shield goes down as she awkwardly attempts to not fall down on her stomach. You allow yourself a small smile as her concern for her unborn child has put her at a disadvantage, you prepare to finish her off, but you are then suddenly hit by a jolt of lightning. It's not a fatal hit or even one serious enough to cause permanent damage, but it knocks you to the ground. David, who wasn't quite dead yet, managed to unleash one last attack of his own to help his wife. He sees you fall and then collapses back into unconsciousness for the last time. You attempt to get back up but this distraction was all Maggie needed to recover and now you're no longer in cover. You feel a great force, which slams you into a nearby wall. You hit your head hard enough that your vision is blurry. You attempt to put up a magic shield of your own, but you don't get the chance. Another great force hits you. This time it feels like your skull and bones being crushed against the wall and then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Well that's definitely not how that battle went. Though it certainly could have given that it only takes one wrong decision to get yourself killed in combat. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

No reason to let these bodies go to waste. They'll act as your shields. Besides, who knows if this area is entirely deserted, you might need active defenders. You raise up as many dead bodies as you see in the area and more as you see them heading further east. You proceed to head east watching the very landscape change around you. It's actually making you feel slightly dizzy. There is one building that isn't changing though. It's a small gray building sitting apart from the others. You don't even remember seeing it before during your time here, but that hardly matters since you're getting a very strong feeling that's where you're going to find Quayle. You get closer though a few of your zombies undergo drastic changes. The less alarming are the times when they walk into a time hole that accelerates their age turning them into dust. More interesting are where time reverses and they're living again. Not for long though since they eventually revert even further into embryos then nothing. Eventually you're within a short walk of entering the gray building, but the disturbances are popping in and out even quicker. You can't readily keep track of where they're located. Since you're certainly not going to risk walking through an area with a bunch of time holes, you start sending your remaining zombies to try to mark a safe way through. Unfortunately you don't have many left, and you soon run out before you can determine a secure path. While you're pondering your next move to proceed, you're mildly surprised to see Azrael approaching you again with several more corpses. You're guessing he must have succeeded in quelling the remainder of Nuro resistance. Impressive. "I see you chose to check on Quayle." Azrael says. "Yeah, I think he's in that small gray building over there, the only one that seems to be stable. I can't get to him though, well at least I'm not risking it, I sent some of my troops in there and I watched them either accelerate in rot and disintegrate, or even stranger actually turn back into their living selves until they eventually became babies and then nothing. In fact I'm getting out of here as it only seems to be getting worse. This plan sucks." You reply. "Well someone's gotta go in, so I guess I'll do it. I've risked too much already to fail. I suggest you go help Mr. Demar." Once again Azrael's giving orders like he's in charge. Not that his demanding suggestions aren't unreasonable, especially since you'd rather check Mr. Demar than deal with this time madness anyway. Still, it's a little presumptuous. "Wow, this whole thing has really made you really authoritative. You've come a long way since Enchantment class." You say. "Yeah well I've had a revelation that I'm really good at this necromancy stuff and I won't be denied my career in it before it's truly begun." Before you can reply, Azrael suddenly grabs you and kisses you on the lips. You always wondered what your first kiss might be like. Not bad, but he's still crossed a line. You push Azrael away and slap him in the face. Another time, you might've been more inclined to do more damage, but he's sort of necessary right now. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?! Just because you're not incompetent at one thing, doesn't automatically mean I'm wet for you!" you exclaim. "Well let me show you I'm not incompetent in two things then!" he replies. There's something inherently so silly about his advances that it's almost amusing. Or it would be any other time, not right now though. "Ha ha. Maybe later, like next century. Nice try though. But I will go help Mr. Demar seeing as that would be the best course of action for me. Good luck with the time storm there." You respond. You turn around and leave Azrael to deal with the Quayle situation. Hopefully he has as much focus on dealing with Quayle as he has on watching your ass as you leave. You head towards campus where various explosions are taking place, there's plenty of dead, though the corpses aren't in the best condition since most are in several pieces. However, you do find one intact corpse. You see Sebastian lying on the ground not far from administration building. He's got several severe burns and his innards are leaking out of him. He's beyond healing at this point. "Damn, Sebastian. You probably deserved better." You say and briefly ponder raising him, but decide not to. You enter the administration building. Smoke, fire and body parts look all around. In the distance you hear shouting followed by magic blasts. "TRELIK YOU TREACHEROUS BASTARD!" you hear Mr. Demar shout. "Ha ha! You're weak old man and I'm taking over this shit!" you hear Trelik shout back. You can't say you're too surprised that Trelik has betrayed Mr. Demar, though you thought Trelik might at least be smart enough to wait until AFTER securing the city. His arrogance will be his undoing. You go down a corridor where you think the voices are coming from, turn a corner and nearly run right into Trelik, who is somewhat surprised by your arrival. "YOU! Good, I could use a recharge!" Trelik says grabbing your wrist and attempts to drain your life force; you feel an immediate effect and drop to your knees. "See, had you gotten in that position sooner, you might have saved your miserable life!" Trelik laughs. And there it is, Trelik's arrogance being his undoing. You might be weakened, but you're certainly not defenseless. You mumble a few words turning your hand and part of your arm to bark, this is followed by razor sharp thorns coming out, slicing Trelik's hand enough that he has no choice but to let go. "BITCH!" he exclaims backing off and clutching his shredded hand. You think you might have even cut off a few bits of his fingers. Mr. Demar arrives just as you're getting up off the floor. Trelik looks around and sees he's trapped between the pair of you. With only one good hand, he realizes he's not going to win this fight. "This isn't over!" he shouts and pulls out a small vial in his belt, uncorking it with his teeth downing the contents making him intangible. Trelik then runs through the nearby wall. Mr. Demar rushes over to you to see if you're okay. "Catalina, you alright?" Mr. Demar asks. "Yeah, just woozy. Fuck, Trelik got away." you respond. "We'll have to get him later, my guess though is he's a non-factor for the rest of this battle. Underestimated his arrogance and stupidity though, I guess you were right about that. In any event, what are you doing here? I hope things aren't going badly outside the college too. Where's everyone else?" "Sebastian's dead and so is Irwin... my apologies Mr. Demar, I really tried to keep him alive." Mr. Demar looks down briefly in disappointment, but isn't overly concerned. "Hm, well the boy surviving this wasn't a certainty. I'm sure you did your best. Is there ANY good news?" "Azrael managed to put down the rest of the city's resistance and is currently attempting to handle the time anomalies due to Quayle. I don't know how he's doing on that front though since I came over to help you." "Knowing Azrael he'll probably come out of all this unscathed. Hope so because at this point it sounds like most of the Dark Order is dead. In any case, since you're here we need to finish off the remainder of the faculty." "Wait, you had Felsa with you, she's dead too?" "I'd be surprised if she isn't. When we first engaged the dean, I told her to stay close by even after he retreated. That idiot went chasing after him by herself, I would have followed if only to make sure she didn't get herself killed, but that's when the treacherous bastard Trelik attempted to kill me." "Okay, so where's the dean so we can take him out?" "He's probably cowering in his office, but I'll be taking care of him, I need you to hunt down a couple of other faculty members that split off from the dean during the initial battle. I don't think they got far since they both were wounded. Still, I don't want any of the senior staff getting away. The more skilled wizards we take out now, the less we have to deal with later." "You know where they went?" "Pretty sure they'll be trying to make it to conveyance building, it's the closest means of escape without leaving through the city gates. Before that double crossing demon left, I'm fairly certain Velzix destroyed the transport portals there, but it's possible he didn't get all of them or the escapees might even try to salvage together something there to get them out of the city quickly. I'd advise you head there first and show that there is no escape from the Dark Order." You nod and set out to conveyance building, which isn't that far from the administration building. You've never really been into conveyance magic. It's actually one of the harder forms to master and if you mess up, you could suddenly find yourself in a brickwall. You practiced it a couple times and it always made you nauseous. Not like you really want to travel long distances anyway. As you remember, the portal area of the building should be on the ground floor, so they shouldn't be far, though you're hoping they haven't already escaped. You get closer to your destination and that's when you hear some voices. You cautiously peak around the corner and see two humans, one heavily wounded male on the floor and a less wounded female fumbling around with one of the broken portals. The female looks pregnant. "I think I can get this working. I just need charge it up and we can probably at least teleport to the Brot Kingdom. David! You still with me?" the female says. "Huh...yeah yeah, I'm here Maggie. I...just...I dunno..." David responds. "Hey! We're gonna get out of this okay? All three of us! We'll get..." Maggie's attention shifts and sees you enter the room. You can sense fear in her, but she's definitely ready for a fight if she has to. "You...you're one of Demar's students aren't you? You're a bit younger than the rest I've seen." Maggie says. "Still old enough to end the pair of you." You reply. "Wait! Look, just let us leave. We're no threat to you. My husband and I aren't even important. Just let us go and we will not cause you any trouble." "Perhaps, but I can't take that chance. The best I can offer is to make it quick. Your husband isn't going to make it anyway. I can already sense that's he's near death." You fully expect her to try to attack next, but she doesn't. Instead she falls to her knees, crawling over to David and holding one hand over her stomach. "Please! I beg mercy! If not for either of us, then for my child! I swear to all the gods that we will never seek revenge or join any force against you in the future!" Maggie looks at you with tears in her eyes as she partially holds on to her husband, who looks like he's going to die soon. He's struggling to keep his eyes open, but manages to turn his head towards you and has a slackjaw expression. It's a rather pitiful sight and then comes the crying. Which then starts to get very loud very quickly. "Shit." You say and start to hold your ears. The bitch has cast some sort of sonic scream spell and it's enough to break any sort of concentration you have. You barely avoid a lightning blast and scramble to duck back behind the entryway for cover. "Dark art using cunt! Come out coward!" you hear Maggie shout followed by feeling the force of the wall you're hiding behind being hit. You aren't sure what she's casting, but it's obvious she's not going to let the walls stop her. She's unlikely to come out after you, but at this point she doesn't really need to. You'll have to move soon. You just aren't sure if you should just attack right now, or wait for an opening. > You Wait You've never been one to just go head first into battle without a plan of some sort, besides Maggie's not the only one in there. Her husband might be at death's door, but knowing how things can go to shit quickly, it would be just your luck that he recovers enough to help out his wife if you step in there. You move over from the portion of wall you're behind since you fully expect Maggie to bring it down, but then you hear someone say something and then the attacks stop. You then see a bright light appear at the entryway to the room, and then hear movement in the portal room. You cautiously approach the entryway and find that they've erected a magical barrier. David is still on the floor and Maggie has gone back to attempting to fix one of the portals to escape. You don't think you'd get through this barrier before Maggie can fix the portal, but you've got an idea. David's dead. You can tell his life force has finally let go of his mortal shell. You don't think Maggie's even realized it yet since she's focused on getting the portal working. It doesn't matter though; it won't change what you're going to do. You focus... Maggie says something about getting out of Nuro soon. David's body sits up. Maggie turns around briefly and sees David sitting up. She tells him to just rest and to save his strength. She says she's got everything under control before returning to work on the portal. She doesn't realize David isn't even alive anymore. David stands up and begins to walk towards Maggie. You begin your attempt of bringing down the barrier. "David, I said save your...David wha...BY THE GODS! NO!" you hear Maggie scream followed by nonsensical groans by David's corpse. A physical scuffle ensues. You doubt if David's corpse is going to kill her, but it's enough of a distraction to give you time to get the barrier down. By the time you get back in the room, Maggie has managed to dispatch her husband's corpse, which is now beheaded. She stands before you with some sort of magic blade in her hand. "You evil bitch! I'm going to...argh...agh..." Maggie starts to clutch her belly and begins bleeding. Apparently the high stress and physical trauma of this whole situation has finally taken a toll on her condition. Her magic blade disappears, as her concentration is broken. She falls to the floor in pain and you walk slowly over to her. She somehow manages to cast a few bolts at you, but you easily block them with a magic shield. "Your baby has joined your husband." You say. "Fuck you! Fuck you!" Maggie cries. "This could have been easier for you all, but don't worry. You'll ALL be together soon." You focus... Maggie begins clutching her belly again as the pain becomes unbearable. She screams out as her dead child is dead no longer. The result is gory and horrific as the undead half formed infant rips its mother's insides up attempting to get out in a non-traditional way. Maggie's screams become dying wails mixed with coughs of blood, she lives long enough to see the baby rip through her stomach. The undead abomination crawls out making unnatural growls. "Congratulations. It's a boy." You say and then walk away having accomplished your task. Now you can only hope that Mr. Demar and Azrael have accomplished their own goals. You make your way back to the administration building, which looks even more destroyed than when you left it. However, you notice it's the new library where you're hearing the sounds of battle now. You aren't sure how the battle transferred to there, but you imagine the huge hole in the side of the library has something to do with it. You enter the library through the large hole and see the sight of two men throwing spells at each other. Amazing stamina for their age, but much to your dismay, Mr. Demar doesn't look like he has the upper hand. You see Mr. Demar struggling to block the dean's attacks. He trips over a fallen bookshelf giving the dean time to hit him with several magic bolts before he can shield himself. Fortunately the dean is so busy trying to kill Mr. Demar, he doesn't see you at all and you set him on fire with a cone of flame to his back. The unexpected immolation causes him to scream and panic which considering he's surrounded by books, the fire just spreads even more. He soon collapses and you put out the fire with a strong gust of frosty wind. You hope that's it, because you're exhausted. You go over to Mr. Demar who is struggling to get up, but he doesn't look well. He's bloody and burned severely. You help him up. "Thanks...ugh...I could've taken that bastard if...only been a little younger and...agh..." Mr. Demar says clutching his side. "Save your strength, he's dead now. The battle's been won." You say. "You succeeded in your task then?" "Yes." "Good. What about Azrael?" "I don't know. Though I haven't noticed any more temporal anomalies so maybe that's a good sign." "Maybe...help me over to that chair." As you assist Mr. Demar, you can't help but look at him in a completely different light. You once respected this man a great deal, and if you're being honest with yourself, you were even attracted to his skill in necromancy. But now? You see nothing but a frail old man who made many mistakes in his pursuit to rule. Maybe his will was stronger than his body, which will soon be joining the way of all flesh. Still, there is always a beauty in that. "Catalina..." Mr. Demar says as he gets to the chair. "Yes?" you respond. "You could probably still get out of here and start a new life for yourself. I doubt if anyone would know who you are." "Hm, perhaps. But Nuro has always been my home. The death and destruction on a grand scale has now made it seem even more like home. This is where I belong." "You're a strange girl Cat...so do you intend on taking over the Dark Order?" "Mr. Demar, we could still heal your wounds." "No. That's only going to prolong the inevitable. My plan didn't go as planned and I'm tired. Very tired. I just don't have the motivation or energy to go on. Listen, if you intend on staying, then you will need to take over what remains of the Dark Order. You're the most skilled wizard in it." "What about Azrael? He's become quite... shall I say confident in the couple times I've seen him during the battle." "Ah yes, the savant. Well if he lives, then I'd advise that you use him as a powerful weapon and point him in the direction of your enemies. If his power is growing the way it seems to be, I believe he will be a bigger target. Sometimes you can run things without being the leader. Maybe that's what I should have done." "What makes you think he'll listen to me?" Mr. Demar laughs. "You're joking right? The boy obviously has passion for you and I don't think it's just physical. Azrael, Trelik, Sebastian, you really are a heart breaker aren't you? Strange that you don't age like most necromancers of your power. Even as young as you are, you would start displaying the signs like gray or white hair, wrinkles and such. Potentially looking like someone at least five years or a decade older. You using magic to hide your true appearance? Trelik did that, I'm sure so did Irwin." "No. Never occurred to me." "Hm, interesting. Wonder if it's due to your affinity to nature magic, or maybe you're just lucky...agh... I'm just going to rest here a moment. You should start securing what remains of the city. If you see Azrael though, send him to me. Hopefully I'll be around to speak to him one last time." You nod and begin to take your leave. "Goodbye Catalina. I hope your desires, whatever they may ultimately be come true. And you were right. We did win." You hear Mr. Demar say. You exit the library wondering what your next move should be. You see a couple of figures dressed in red robes approaching you. They're demonologists. You're not sure if you should be glad to see some of them survived, you suppose you'll see if they attack or not. "Hey! You're that necromancer girl, Catalina right?" one of them asks. "Yes. Can't say I remember either of you though." You respond. "Oh my name is Hessan and this is Belial. Is that other necromancer still alive? I ran into him earlier after he wiped out Nuro's remaining security. Azzy or something." "Azrael. And I don't know yet, but I imagine he'll pop up. So what's with all the questions and do you have any info on the status of the rest of the city?" Hessan goes into some detail of what the situation with the rest of the city as well surviving members of the Dark Order. He mentions that most of the demonologists still alive are ready to switch over to necromancy since it seems more reliable than summoning demons. (Including himself) All of this is good news since you weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of having demonologists in the Dark Order given their spectacular failure during this battle. You tell Belial that he should find the rest of his fellow demonologists and tell them to come back to the university immediately so defenses can be prepared. After Belial leaves, you continue speaking with Hessan who goes on to say that the city is half destroyed, but all resistance is gone. You thank him for the information and tell him to go help Belial. You then suddenly sense a strong aura of death approaching. You turn your head and see Azrael with a small horde of dead behind him. He survived just like you figured. "Huh, took you long enough. You missed all the major battle while you were playing around with Quayle." You say. "Playing around? You don't even want to know what I've been through, and I'll wager it wasn't nearly as...disturbing as what you went through." Azrael replies. "Doubt it, by the time I got here Mr. Demar had already lost Felsa, Trelik had betrayed him, and Sebastian was killed. Luckily I was here to provide back up for the final battle with the Dean. We've won, but Mr. Demar is very weak right now, I dunno if he's going to survive his wounds." "Shit, sounds like I did miss a lot, so is Trelik dead?" "Nope, the coward ran off when he realized he couldn't beat Mr. Demar." "Can I see him?" "Sure I guess, he's in library, or what's left of it." You watch Azrael enter the library after commanding his dead to stay put. Your mind begins forming plans and ideas of what you're going to do next. It's almost a bit overwhelming. But somehow you feel confident that one of the biggest obstacles has been overcome. You now have a home where you can do whatever you want. There is no limitation or hiding any longer. You can truly appreciate the beauty of death as it is all around you now. You know you're going to have to defend your home, but when haven't you had to fight against those that would try to limit you? This will be no different and you aren't going to shy away from the challenge. Eventually you see Azrael come back out of the library. "So what's going on?" you ask. "I'm in charge, that's what's going on." Azrael replies. You're still a little surprised by how blunt Azrael's gotten about his ambition, but that surprise is disappearing much quicker now. He's definitely going to be a useful weapon in the struggles to come. You'll just need to guide him a bit. "Well, I suppose we could do worse...so what's next fearless leader?" "Good question." Well maybe a lot. > Ruling You sit in your garden, listening to your music and contemplating. It's the first major attempt you've tried with making a "band" and so far it's not horrible. These corpses were musicians in their past life so you've managed to keep their skills somewhat intact. The strings and percussions sound fine. A pity you can't really have a woodwind or brass section, but the undead don't really have the lung capacity for such things. At some point you'll have to find a pianist. However, you aren't contemplating your future plans for an entire symphony right now. You're contemplating what you're going to do about Azrael. You still aren't sure about how you feel about him. The positives are he's been entrusting you with more responsibility. You thought you'd have more trouble trying to guide him into such a thing, but that's actually not much of a problem as it was in the beginning. He largely leaves you to run the day-to-day operations of Aftermath now that he's decided that it's time to "expand." Honestly you question if he even plans much at all so much as he just suddenly decides to do it. It's little wonder that he decided to just let you do most of the more detailed work. Which brings you to the negative that he recently just decided to make an alliance with a fucking vampire, who are supposed to be your enemies. He claims that this "Ghoul King" is an outcast of his kind and will help, but you're not so sure. You've had experience with vampires and you haven't found them to be trustworthy. Even if he's letting you primarily run things, you're going to be cleaning up after him all the damn time if he's going to be making a habit of making impulsive reckless decisions. He could very well fuck up things despite you guiding him in the direction you think he should go. You know Mr. Demar advised you to play puppet master, but there's a part of you that wonders if things wouldn't be easier if you took direct control. Sure it would give you even more work to do, but at least then you'd have complete power over your own destiny. Of course something like that could only be achieved by killing Azrael, which leads to the other problem. You sort of like him. After your past experiences with potential partners, you haven't had much luck in that area. It's just been easier to just fuck a zombie every now and then and be done with the physical aspect. Azrael's necromantic aura is very alluring to you though. Even more than Mr. Demar, it's almost like he's already undead. He's also been relentless in still trying to woo you, which is oddly immature. He actually sent you a note once saying he liked you and asked if you liked him. You think that was his goofy way of trying to make you laugh while also continuing to express his feelings. The damnedest thing is for some reason it did make you laugh and it really shouldn't have given how dumb it was, but maybe that was the point. You even kissed him on the cheek voluntarily not that long ago. You like to think you were just trying to keep him under your influence, but it was a little more than that. You'd be lying to yourself if it weren't, in fact the more time you spend within his presence; the more you're drawn to him. Not just on a physical level either since you do get the idea that he really does have strong feelings for you. He even found a couple of the skeletal musicians currently playing for you. The funny thing is he's probably so clueless, he doesn't even realize just how close he's succeeding in winning you over completely. And that's one thing that scares you, potentially even more than leaving the walls of Aftermath. There's the idea of would you lose "yourself" in the process of having a relationship with him. You've been fairly self-sufficient most of your life and the idea of becoming reliant on anyone emotionally isn't appealing. But what worries you more is, you've been close to people in the past and when there was a parting, it wasn't pleasant for you. Granted those instances were different and not romantic, but still close enough that it sucked a lot and you'd rather not have to mentally go through anything like that again. Given what path you and Azrael have chosen, there is a very real possibility that he could get killed by any number of enemies. Would you get over it if it happened? You like to think you'd be strong enough to, but who knows how attached you'd be at that point? Maybe grief would cripple and destroy you if he died. Death is natural and inevitable for everyone. Even the undead aren't immortal. They can be killed or decay into nothing. So why the hell are you even having these feelings of fear for potential loss? Even sillier is you aren't even officially with this idiot, and you're having these feelings! You hate this weakness. Right now while you have a fondness for him, you aren't irrevocably attached yet. You're pretty sure you could kill him if you chose to go that route. Except you aren't sure how you're going to proceed yet, you just know you can't go on as things are with Azrael for much longer. > You kill him You take a deep breath, close your eyes and exhale. You can do this. You open your eyes. You will do this. You wave your hand and instantly the music stops as all the corpses cease their animation. You aren't going to enjoy it though. It's just necessary. Now you contemplate about HOW you're going to do it. You half wonder if you shouldn't recruit the rest of the Dark Order to help you, or at least some of them. The problem with this approach though is then you have to trust that lot to not turn on you before the ambush or even during or immediately after the ambush. There's also the chance that they'll just make things worse by bungling. If you take out Azrael yourself, you're fairly confident though that the rest of the Dark Order won't oppose you since you will have proven yourself more powerful. The problem with that is Azrael might not be the best wizard, but he's really damn powerful at one type of magic and that's more than enough. You aren't sure you'd be able to take him in a one on one fight. It occurs to you that you're going to have to resort to trickery, but something that you know damn well he's going to go fully into without thinking too hard about it. You leave your garden and head to your bedroom first to prepare a few things and then go see Azrael, mentally preparing yourself for what you need to do. You find Azrael going through one of Mr. Demar's old necromantic tomes. When he sees you enter the room, he turns his attention completely to you. "Catalina. What's going's on? Has there been another Grand Alliance army spotted?" he asks. "No, I just want to speak to you about something." You reply. "Look Cat, if this is about the Ghoul King alliance again, I really don't want to fucking argue about that. It's done and we'll see what happens. As I said, Hessan is with him and I told him to end the blood sucker if there's the slightest hint of betrayal." "Yes, I'm sure that will all work out, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about though. It's about us." "What about us?" At this point you move around his desk and put your arms around him. You're not exactly an expert at this whole "seduction" thing, but fortunately you don't have to be in his case. "Well...this is friendlier than you usually are." Azrael says. "I've been thinking lately I should be even friendlier. I think my hostility towards you has just been my way of being cautious. I don't have the best experience with guys." You remark. "Completely understandable, but as I've said I..." You interrupt by kissing him. "No more talking." You say and then drop to your knees. He's surprised at first, but soon gets into it and falls back into his chair. While you have complete control over the situation, the problem is he's still looking at you. It takes awhile, but eventually he gets to the point where his head has rolled back in ecstasy and that's when you move your hands up to caress his chest. You then slam your hands on his chest and using all your focus, you begin draining the life from his body. Azrael is completely unprepared for this and he doesn't even react so much as he seizes up as his heart can't take this direct necromantic energy you're unleashing. After it's all said and done, you've killed him by literally sucking (and swallowing) the life force out of him. A bit unconventional, but honestly a sexual encounter was the only way you were going to catch him off guard and you think if you'd actually gone all the way with regular sex, you might have gotten too intimate and backed out of the plan. Even now as you look upon Azrael's corpse, you feel...weird. Not just because of how you killed him, but that you did at all. You lean back on the desk, and start to tear up a bit. Then you allow yourself to cry altogether. Why does this hurt so much when you weren't even really together? Was there another way? Could you have had a relationship with him and it worked out? Those questions are all moot now because what's done is done. You've chosen to live without any sort of potential weakness. Whatever happens now, your destiny is truly your own. And yet, your feelings aren't going away. They won't either, not immediately at least. You look at Azrael. He's still intact (If a little withered). You could still have him. It might even be better. He'd be yours and you wouldn't have to worry about any sort of power struggle or anything else because you'd always be in control. However, you wonder if that's really a good idea. Maybe you should just move on completely. > You move on No. He's dead and while there's beauty in that, it's different. It wouldn't be the same and holding on to something that you were trying to avoid in the first place wouldn't really be the mentally healthiest thing to do. You'll burn his body yourself privately. He deserves that much. After some preparation and moving the body, you nearly kiss Azrael goodbye on the lips, but again you're afraid that you'll end up keeping him around. Instead you give him a quick peck on the cheek. "Goodbye Azrael. Maybe in another life." You say and proceed to burn his body until it's nothing but ashes. It's done. Now you have to pick up the pieces. The first thing on the agenda is gathering members of the Dark Order and establish who is in charge now. Your announcement is met with surprise. Nobody opposes your rule for various reasons. Most of them due to figuring if you took out Azrael, then you must be even more powerful and they aren't in any hurry to challenge you. (You naturally left out the exact details of how you managed it) The other minor reason is you did train most of them and you were in the Dark Order a lot longer than Azrael, so they're a little more comfortable around you anyway. With the new hierarchy in place, your next problem is a bit more dire. When you killed Azrael, you lost more than half of your undead army. You didn't really realize just how much necromantic power he was using to upkeep it. In fact Dark Order some members were running around trying to figure out what happened since they saw whole platoons suddenly just collapse. You still have enough of an army to defend Aftermath, but Azrael's plans of expanding aren't going to be happening anytime soon. Not that you had any major desire to expand since that was more his idea than yours. You also send Belial to check on Hessan who is stationed in the Drozz wasteland. (And still unaware of everything) You're still not exactly keen on the alliance that Azrael set up with the Ghoul King, but since it's already in motion, you might as well see what the arrangement change might be now that Azrael is dead. A week later, Hessan return a little on the ragged side. Apparently with Azrael dead, the Ghoul King lost faith in the idea of an alliance with the Dark Order if its leader could be killed and replaced so easily. He decided to play a little game Hessan and Belial of allowing them to live if they could make it out of his territory (Which was much bigger now thanks to slaughtering several tribes) before his ghouls catch and kill them. Only Hessan made it out. With the Ghoul King's new found power and confidence, he becomes yet another independent faction. The only good thing about this is it's probably going to be more of a potential target for the Grand Alliance or even the Vampire clans. You decide your best course of action is to just focus on defense for now. Three years pass and it's all been a blur of the events that have happened. The main issues have been a few vampire assassination attacks, which while you've managed to fend off; you've lost a vital number of necromancers in the process. In fact, the last attack seemed focused more on them than you. Whittling you down little by little, hoping to weaken your position. And it's certainly having that effect because you just barely managed to beat back the last Grand Alliance attack. The only upside is the Grand Alliance has been distracted between you, Velzix, Trelik and even the Ghoul King (Though he's of a more minor concern due to mostly staying in the Drozz Wasteland) Still, last you heard Trelik isn't going to last much longer. In desperation he sent a message to you practically begging for an alliance. Even apologized for his actions from before. Hard to believe given how proud you knew him to be, things must be very grim for him. As bad as things are for you, you aren't going to ally with Trelik. Even if he's being sincere, his earlier betrayal has not been forgotten. (Not to mention that you never liked him in the first place) Still, you don't have the highest hopes of fending off another focused Grand Alliance attack. Two more years pass and you find that your predictions aren't quite correct though the result is somewhat the same. Aftemath is besieged, but instead it's by the Ghoul King and hundreds of his ghouls swarming the walls. This in itself would be managable, but you're also attacked by vampire assassins who as usual target the last of your remaining necromancers first. This immediately collapses most of your defenses allowing for the ghouls to overrun the place. Last you heard the Ghouls King was supposed to be on the outs with the Vampire Clans, but it looks like they came to some sort of understanding. Doesn't matter because ultimately you're confronted by several assassins and ghouls running around everywhere. You manage to hold your own for a while, but the last thing you feel is a sharp pain to your back with an arm suddenly going around your head. Then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. You know this didn't happen. In fact you're almost distressed by this experience, not due to dying as you've been there before, but the fact that you killed your beloved. It almost seems impossible that such a scenario could have happened. However, everyone has those dark thoughts even towards those they love and there was a very brief time when you did ponder the possibility. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, fantasy] You take a deep breath, close your eyes and exhale. You can do this. You open your eyes. You will do this. You wave your hand and instantly the music stops as all the corpses cease their animation. You aren't going to enjoy it though. It's just necessary. Now you contemplate about HOW you're going to do it. You half wonder if you shouldn't recruit the rest of the Dark Order to help you, or at least some of them. The problem with this approach though is then you have to trust that lot to not turn on you before the ambush or even during or immediately after the ambush. There's also the chance that they'll just make things worse by bungling. If you take out Azrael yourself, you're fairly confident though that the rest of the Dark Order won't oppose you since you will have proven yourself more powerful. The problem with that is Azrael might not be the best wizard, but he's really damn powerful at one type of magic and that's more than enough. You aren't sure you'd be able to take him in a one on one fight. It occurs to you that you're going to have to resort to trickery, but something that you know damn well he's going to go fully into without thinking too hard about it. You leave your garden and head to your bedroom first to prepare a few things and then go see Azrael, mentally preparing yourself for what you need to do. You find Azrael going through one of Mr. Demar's old necromantic tomes. When he sees you enter the room, he turns his attention completely to you. "Catalina. What's going's on? Has there been another Grand Alliance army spotted?" he asks. "No, I just want to speak to you about something." You reply. "Look Cat, if this is about the Ghoul King alliance again, I really don't want to fucking argue about that. It's done and we'll see what happens. As I said, Hessan is with him and I told him to end the blood sucker if there's the slightest hint of betrayal." "Yes, I'm sure that will all work out, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about though. It's about us." "What about us?" At this point you move around his desk and put your arms around him. You're not exactly an expert at this whole "seduction" thing, but fortunately you don't have to be in his case. "Well...this is friendlier than you usually are." Azrael says. "I've been thinking lately I should be even friendlier. I think my hostility towards you has just been my way of being cautious. I don't have the best experience with guys." You remark. "Completely understandable, but as I've said I..." You interrupt by kissing him. "No more talking." You say and then drop to your knees. He's surprised at first, but soon gets into it and falls back into his chair. While you have complete control over the situation, the problem is he's still looking at you. It takes awhile, but eventually he gets to the point where his head has rolled back in ecstasy and that's when you move your hands up to caress his chest. You then slam your hands on his chest and using all your focus, you begin draining the life from his body. Azrael is completely unprepared for this and he doesn't even react so much as he seizes up as his heart can't take this direct necromantic energy you're unleashing. After it's all said and done, you've killed him by literally sucking (and swallowing) the life force out of him. A bit unconventional, but honestly a sexual encounter was the only way you were going to catch him off guard and you think if you'd actually gone all the way with regular sex, you might have gotten too intimate and backed out of the plan. Even now as you look upon Azrael's corpse, you feel...weird. Not just because of how you killed him, but that you did at all. You lean back on the desk, and start to tear up a bit. Then you allow yourself to cry altogether. Why does this hurt so much when you weren't even really together? Was there another way? Could you have had a relationship with him and it worked out? Those questions are all moot now because what's done is done. You've chosen to live without any sort of potential weakness. Whatever happens now, your destiny is truly your own. And yet, your feelings aren't going away. They won't either, not immediately at least. You look at Azrael. He's still intact (If a little withered). You could still have him. It might even be better. He'd be yours and you wouldn't have to worry about any sort of power struggle or anything else because you'd always be in control. However, you wonder if that's really a good idea. Maybe you should just move on completely. > You keep Azrael around Yes. You can still have him, why deny yourself and put yourself through any excessive pain? Besides, now he's attractive in a whole new way. You waste no time and cast a preservation spell on him, then raise him back from the dead. His eyes open and he stares at you. There is nothing behind the eyes but devotion to your commands now. Your mood improves and your previous sadness soon disappears. However, there's a very brief feeling of unease as his dead eyes stare through you. You dismiss this though as this being a bit of an unusual situation. The first thing on the agenda is gathering members of the Dark Order and establish who is in charge now. Your announcement is met with surprise. Nobody opposes your rule for various reasons. Most of them due to figuring if you took out Azrael, then you must be even more powerful and they aren't in any hurry to challenge you. (You naturally left out the exact details of how you managed it) The other minor reason is you did train most of them and you were in the Dark Order a lot longer than Azrael, so they're a little more comfortable around you anyway. With the new hierarchy in place, your next problem is a bit more concerning. When you killed Azrael, you lost just a little less than half of your undead army. You didn't really realize just how much necromantic power he was using to upkeep it. In fact Dark Order some members were running around trying to figure out what happened since they saw whole platoons suddenly just collapse. Not long after the initial collapse however something odd happened which is some of the dead had arisen again and stayed put. Nobody knows why this happened with some of the dead and not others, as there didn't seem to be a reason. You silently have a theory that perhaps by bringing Azrael back to life, some of his lingering necromantic energy allowed for saving some of your losses. Good thing you decided to keep him around, not just for your own personal reasons. Still, you have lost a significant amount of your army. You still have enough of an army to defend Aftermath, but Azrael's plans of expanding aren't going to be happening anytime soon. Not that you had any major desire to expand since that was more his idea than yours. And yet... There's a part of you that realizes you do need to expand if you're really going to cow the Grand Alliance and the rest of your enemies into submission. You just need more troops to do so. And you'll get those from the Ghoul King. You're still not exactly keen on the alliance that Azrael set up with the Ghoul King, but since it's already in motion, you might as well keep up the arrangement. You'll have to go meet with him though because obviously you need to establish the fact that you are just as powerful as Azrael was. Hessan is still stationed there as well, so you need to update him as well. Belial is the most competent so you leave him in charge while you personally go to the Drozz wasteland. You also visit with Azrael in your bedroom before leaving. "I'll be fine. I know I don't like leaving the city, but this is important right? You set this up and the least I can do is see to it that it wasn't in vain, especially since we need the extra support right now." You say. Azrael doesn't answer. "I know, I know, I'll be careful. I've dealt with vampires before. Stop worrying so much about me. I'll be back before you know it and we can spend some time together. Okay?" Azrael still doesn't answer, but you give him a kiss goodbye. Your meeting with the Ghoul King and Hessan is surprising to both of them. Hessan especially since he's now under a new leadership, but isn't going to oppose you. The Ghoul King is a different situation. One odd thing is his face keeps mildly changing. It's like his face is a blur. You think he's hairless with red eyes, but other details are sketchy. He mentions why should he have faith in an idea of an alliance with the Dark Order if its leader could be killed and replaced so easily. You point out that you are better necromancer otherwise you wouldn't have been able to overthrow Azrael in the first place, you then say you can prove your claim by doing what Azrael said he would be able to do, which is raise a giant from the dead. The Ghoul King is impressed by your confidence enough and says he has a few giant corpses laying around and if you are as powerful as you claim then the alliance will stay. You've never done this before, but you feel confident that you can do it. In fact, the whole time you've been outside the walls of the city, you haven't even experienced any anxiety. It's like something within you has changed. It requires all your focus and your nose starts bleeding and you feel incredibly drained afterwards, but you manage to raise a single giant back from the dead. The huge creature stands attention waiting for your commands. Hessan and even the Ghoul King look on in amazement by your powers. With this great show of power, you keep the alliance in place and plan on raising more giants to eventually expand to take the Brot Kingdom. You return home exhausted, but filled with a new confidence that you made the right decision. You immediately go to your bedroom. "Azrael, I told you I'd be back and everything went well! I believe in a few months we should be able to expand to take the Brot Kingdom and finally take out that asshole Trelik for good." Azrael says nothing and embrace him tightly. "I couldn't have done this without you. I think it's time to consummate our relationship officially." You say casting a spell on Azrael to do just that. Two years pass and it's all been a blur of the events that have happened. Your attempts at expansion were never quite successful. You just never had enough troops to take the Brot Kingdom, even with the few giants you managed to raise. The Grand Alliance always fucked up your plans to keep you and Trelik weak. Eventually you had to pull back and just focus on defense. Which was just as well since vampire assassins attempted to murder you on several occasions, though the last attack focused on some of the other necromancers to wear down your defenses. Really though, those are the least of your problems. Ever since you raised Azrael back, your mind has grown increasingly erratic. At first everything seemed on the upswing, but with things getting worse, you haven't been feeling yourself. You talk to Azrael whenever you get the chance now. He doesn't actually respond back, but you feel like he does. Like he's communicating to you on some faint level through your mind. You frequently go from asking for advice to blaming everything on him to apologizing and making up physically with him. It's a vicious cycle and one you can't even easily break now, because his mere presence is upkeeping a lot of defenses. And you hate him for it or at least you would if you didn't love him so much. Your behavior hasn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the Dark Order. They often hear you ranting on occasion to seemingly nobody, but they do hear the name Azrael being mentioned sometimes and rumors are soon whispered. Another year passes and you barely come out of your bedroom anymore, just spending all your time with Azrael. (Which isn't a secret any longer) Belial and Hessan both came to you saying that you needed to become more active again as the Grand Alliance now has taken out Trelik and armies are starting to march on Aftermath directly. Even the Ghoul King has not been lending his ghouls as assistance as he once was. You didn't listen to them though; you just demanded to be left alone and even killed Belial in the process. This act was enough for Hessan to gather up the rest of the Dark Order and just leave Aftermath. He didn't think he could oppose you even with more numbers, but he sure wasn't going to stick around anymore. You didn't care or even notice though. Now you had even more time alone with Azrael. But that time wouldn't be for long as more vampire assassins easily entered Aftermath and confronted you. You manage to hold your own for a while, but during the attack, Azrael's body takes several throwing blades to the body, one even decapitating him. You scream out in anguish and this temporary distraction is all one of the vampires needs to sneak up behind you and everything going black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. You know this didn't happen. In fact you're almost distressed by this experience, not due to dying as you've been there before, but the fact that you not only killed your beloved, but that you went completely mad in the process. You can't imagine just losing so much control like that, but if you really did hang on like that, you suppose it could very well happen that you'd lose yourself. In fact, it almost seems impossible that such a scenario could have happened. However, everyone has those dark thoughts even towards those they love and there was a very brief time when you did ponder the possibility. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

You sit in your garden, listening to your music and contemplating. It's the first major attempt you've tried with making a "band" and so far it's not horrible. These corpses were musicians in their past life so you've managed to keep their skills somewhat intact. The strings and percussions sound fine. A pity you can't really have a woodwind or brass section, but the undead don't really have the lung capacity for such things. At some point you'll have to find a pianist. However, you aren't contemplating your future plans for an entire symphony right now. You're contemplating what you're going to do about Azrael. You still aren't sure about how you feel about him. The positives are he's been entrusting you with more responsibility. You thought you'd have more trouble trying to guide him into such a thing, but that's actually not much of a problem as it was in the beginning. He largely leaves you to run the day-to-day operations of Aftermath now that he's decided that it's time to "expand." Honestly you question if he even plans much at all so much as he just suddenly decides to do it. It's little wonder that he decided to just let you do most of the more detailed work. Which brings you to the negative that he recently just decided to make an alliance with a fucking vampire, who are supposed to be your enemies. He claims that this "Ghoul King" is an outcast of his kind and will help, but you're not so sure. You've had experience with vampires and you haven't found them to be trustworthy. Even if he's letting you primarily run things, you're going to be cleaning up after him all the damn time if he's going to be making a habit of making impulsive reckless decisions. He could very well fuck up things despite you guiding him in the direction you think he should go. You know Mr. Demar advised you to play puppet master, but there's a part of you that wonders if things wouldn't be easier if you took direct control. Sure it would give you even more work to do, but at least then you'd have complete power over your own destiny. Of course something like that could only be achieved by killing Azrael, which leads to the other problem. You sort of like him. After your past experiences with potential partners, you haven't had much luck in that area. It's just been easier to just fuck a zombie every now and then and be done with the physical aspect. Azrael's necromantic aura is very alluring to you though. Even more than Mr. Demar, it's almost like he's already undead. He's also been relentless in still trying to woo you, which is oddly immature. He actually sent you a note once saying he liked you and asked if you liked him. You think that was his goofy way of trying to make you laugh while also continuing to express his feelings. The damnedest thing is for some reason it did make you laugh and it really shouldn't have given how dumb it was, but maybe that was the point. You even kissed him on the cheek voluntarily not that long ago. You like to think you were just trying to keep him under your influence, but it was a little more than that. You'd be lying to yourself if it weren't, in fact the more time you spend within his presence; the more you're drawn to him. Not just on a physical level either since you do get the idea that he really does have strong feelings for you. He even found a couple of the skeletal musicians currently playing for you. The funny thing is he's probably so clueless, he doesn't even realize just how close he's succeeding in winning you over completely. And that's one thing that scares you, potentially even more than leaving the walls of Aftermath. There's the idea of would you lose "yourself" in the process of having a relationship with him. You've been fairly self-sufficient most of your life and the idea of becoming reliant on anyone emotionally isn't appealing. But what worries you more is, you've been close to people in the past and when there was a parting, it wasn't pleasant for you. Granted those instances were different and not romantic, but still close enough that it sucked a lot and you'd rather not have to mentally go through anything like that again. Given what path you and Azrael have chosen, there is a very real possibility that he could get killed by any number of enemies. Would you get over it if it happened? You like to think you'd be strong enough to, but who knows how attached you'd be at that point? Maybe grief would cripple and destroy you if he died. Death is natural and inevitable for everyone. Even the undead aren't immortal. They can be killed or decay into nothing. So why the hell are you even having these feelings of fear for potential loss? Even sillier is you aren't even officially with this idiot, and you're having these feelings! You hate this weakness. Right now while you have a fondness for him, you aren't irrevocably attached yet. You're pretty sure you could kill him if you chose to go that route. Except you aren't sure how you're going to proceed yet, you just know you can't go on as things are with Azrael for much longer. > You Wait There's more than a few practical reasons not to kill Azrael besides your personal ones. You quickly dismiss your fleeting thought of murder. You're going to take a wait and see approach and actually trust that he knows what he's doing sometimes. It's a risk, but then this whole situation is. Right now the situation is seemingly under control, so now you're going to enjoy relaxing in your garden listening to your music and watching the gravewings flutter about. A few months pass and Azrael receives a letter via bat from the Ghoul King saying that it's important. Azrael takes his leave and entrusts you to take charge while he's away. (Not that you don't even while he is here anyway) Azrael is gone for a week and then you expect him to be back. But he doesn't come back. When it starts approaching a second week, you begin to get genuinely concerned. On top of Azrael not having come back yet, the Grand Alliance recently took back the Brot Kingdom from Trelik and it's very likely they're going to attack you next. You send someone to the Drozz Wasteland to find out what's happened and boost the defenses at Aftermath telling everyone to be ready for a potential attack. A few days later and you get word about the Brot Kingdom being attacked by a horde of undead giants. Apparently Brot has been overrun and the Grand Alliance has lost control of it. There was also only one necromancer seen in the chaos and the descriptions fit Azrael. That asshole went and attacked Brot without any back up or even telling you! That was very foolish of him to besiege entire fucking kingdom without any extra help even if it was in a very weakened state. If he survives, you're going to definitely have some words with him. Eventually Azrael returns victorious and you head out to meet him. "What the hell did you think you were doing risking your life like that? You should've come back to Aftermath for more soldiers before taking on the Brot Kingdom AND the Grand Alliance all by yourself!" you scold. "Why? Were you worried about me?" Azrael smiles smugly. You hate to admit such a thing especially with that smirk all over his fce. "Well... um...no! But, you should've told me!" "I did tell you. I told you I had everything worked out and look...I did." Azrael says putting his arm around you. And that's it. You don't push him away or slap him. You're not even resisting anymore. His ever-growing necromantic aura combined with what you know his feelings to be for you combined with your own feelings and well...it just doesn't make sense to keep denying what's staring you in the face. You're accepting Azrael as your mate and wherever that may eventually lead. And he better not disappoint you. > Dominating A lot of conflict between the various factions for a few years after you and Azrael made things official. It's mostly been a stalemate, but you're hoping that may change pretty quickly. Azrael just eliminated Velzix and currently is on another mission to eliminate the Vampire Clans. That will definitely be a relief if only to put an end to their continued assassination attempts. You sort of wonder if Azrael should have rushed in to attack them so quickly after taking care of Velzix. You got the impression that allying with his dad who then died during the mission had an effect on him. Maybe he should have taken at least a day or so to rest. Azrael could still stand to plan things out a bit more rather than making impulsive decisions all the time. You're just glad he managed to get better at other forms of magic with your help though. Never hurts to have more than one tool even if one does favor a hammer most of the time. However, you've learned to trust Azrael's judgment a bit more so if he wants to do something he usually can handle it. His decision to ally with the Ghoul King seems to have worked out as it lead to finding out the hideout of the Vampire Clans. With Azrael gone you keep up the usual routine of maintaining the defenses of Aftermath and such. You haven't had a major direct attack by the Alliance in at least a year or so though. After going through the standard procedures, you retire to your garden to relax a bit. You've also been trying to compensate for the lack of certain elements in your undead symphony by having banshee voices fill in for particular instruments. So far things could be better, but you figure eventually you should get at least a few of them to emulate flutes or piccolos. While you're attempting to get one of the banshees to shriek at a slightly lower tone, you sense a presence that immediately causes you raise your defenses. "Hello Catalina, at last we meet." A woman before you says. The woman looks about your age and is dressed in black with a pale appearance. It's fairly obvious she's a vampire, but there's something more about her. Familiar somehow. "Like looking into a mirror isn't it?" the woman says. "Not sure what you mean, but the only thing I'm looking at is another soon to be dead leech. How many are there this time?" you reply. "Just me. It was decided that perhaps you could be reasoned with and that you would not need to be destroyed like your mate." "That's amusing since that's what he's on his way to do to you lot." "I don't think so. As we speak, your mate has most likely already been dispatched by Lord Rostov. You need not join him though...you really don't realize who I am do you?" "Nope, and in a moment it won't matter." "I suppose if I hadn't given you up as a baby, we wouldn't be here now." The woman stares at you after saying these words and then you realize what she's implying. "Bullshit. You're not her." You say. "Oh? And how would you know exactly? You've never seen me before, however you see me now and I KNOW you see a resemblance. Hell, I see the resemblance in you. You look very much like I did when I was your age; well I suppose I still look like you, a cup size bigger though." "So, I'm supposed to just believe you're my mother? Where's my father then?" "I dunno, it was a wild party that night. I'm going to guess though he must have been a wizard of some sort given that I met him here at a party. Hell maybe when he got older he was even one of the faculty you killed. Wouldn't that be something?" "Yes it would be quite a twist of fate. Just like my mother suddenly showing up after all these years as a vampire would be quite a twist of fate. Speaking of which, are you going to tell me I'm actually part vampire too?" "No, of course not. Vampires can't reproduce, well not in the usual way anyway. Thank the gods for that, because once was enough for me. I was bitten not long after I gave you up. Similar frat party but got luckier with the choice of man that time. He was fun for awhile, showed me all sorts of things, but eventually we parted ways. Just glad he wasn't possessive, I might've been really fucked with him being my creator and all." "Judging from what little you've said to me, it sounds like you were used to going through life getting fucked. Probably was for the best that you gave me up." The woman's eyes narrow. "Catalina, look I can't make up for abandoning you, but I'm trying to save your existence now. The Clans are going to put an end to your lover, but YOU can still live forever!" "What? By becoming one you?" "Why not? Catalina, you're a sensible woman and you have great skill. You have so many traits that would be highly valued by the Clans. You would have access to anything you desired, live lifetimes, and most importantly you'd look as beautiful as you are now." "I already have all that I want." The woman looks around and waves her arms in the air, pointing at your nearby banshees, skeletons and rotting garden. "What, this? THIS is truly all you want? You're surrounded by death. There is nothing here but a gloomy parody of life. Have you even left this city since you destroyed it? What are you afraid of Catalina? There is SO much to see and do outside these walls. There is so much of life to experience" the woman says. "The irony of a vampire lecturing me about being surrounded by death and experiencing life is...well it's something." you respond. "Catalina, I'm really trying here." "Well you're failing really badly at trying to convince me that you're really my mother, let alone join your little vampire club." "I see. What if I could prove that I'm your mother? Will you at least hear me out a little more?" The woman looks at you with hope in her eyes and a concerned expression, like she really wants you to at least give her a chance. > You hear her out Given how much of an advantage you have on her, you figure you can humor her a little longer. You're curious to what she's actually going say to prove herself. "Very well, you've got a couple more minutes." You say. "Thank you. Now I left you with a Miss Olga soon after I birthed you in an alleyway." The woman remarks. "Wait, I was born in a fucking alley?" "Yes...look I know, I was a shitty mother, it's why I gave you up. I knew you'd be better off without me raising you." You almost shake your head at this, but you just continue look at her. "Well go on." You say. "Okay, so I left you with a Miss Olga who ran an orphanage. Surely she told you of how despite not being ready to be a mother, I wanted to make sure you went to a good home." The woman says. "Nope. She never mentioned you at all to me. In fact she never mentioned the biological parents to any of the orphans as far as I know. I imagine she figured why bother." The woman just looks at you as if she doesn't have a response for this. You look at her back, knowing she doesn't. She's clearly lying. However, you and her have maintained a lot of direct eye contact. You haven't really realized it mainly because you don't interact with vampires like this usually. Not to mention that as a fairly powerful necromancer, you're a bit more resistant to their gaze than you were in the past. Still, you're not totally immune and this particular vampire, (whoever she is) has taken advantage of distracting you long enough to quickly close the gap between you two. You suddenly see the woman in front of you, feel two sharp points in your neck, then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. You can't imagine you would have been so foolish to let a vampire get so close to you at that stage of your life. Still, you suppose you always were a little curious about who your parents really were even if it ultimately didn't matter. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, war] A lot of conflict between the various factions for a few years after you and Azrael made things official. It's mostly been a stalemate, but you're hoping that may change pretty quickly. Azrael just eliminated Velzix and currently is on another mission to eliminate the Vampire Clans. That will definitely be a relief if only to put an end to their continued assassination attempts. You sort of wonder if Azrael should have rushed in to attack them so quickly after taking care of Velzix. You got the impression that allying with his dad who then died during the mission had an effect on him. Maybe he should have taken at least a day or so to rest. Azrael could still stand to plan things out a bit more rather than making impulsive decisions all the time. You're just glad he managed to get better at other forms of magic with your help though. Never hurts to have more than one tool even if one does favor a hammer most of the time. However, you've learned to trust Azrael's judgment a bit more so if he wants to do something he usually can handle it. His decision to ally with the Ghoul King seems to have worked out as it lead to finding out the hideout of the Vampire Clans. With Azrael gone you keep up the usual routine of maintaining the defenses of Aftermath and such. You haven't had a major direct attack by the Alliance in at least a year or so though. After going through the standard procedures, you retire to your garden to relax a bit. You've also been trying to compensate for the lack of certain elements in your undead symphony by having banshee voices fill in for particular instruments. So far things could be better, but you figure eventually you should get at least a few of them to emulate flutes or piccolos. While you're attempting to get one of the banshees to shriek at a slightly lower tone, you sense a presence that immediately causes you raise your defenses. "Hello Catalina, at last we meet." A woman before you says. The woman looks about your age and is dressed in black with a pale appearance. It's fairly obvious she's a vampire, but there's something more about her. Familiar somehow. "Like looking into a mirror isn't it?" the woman says. "Not sure what you mean, but the only thing I'm looking at is another soon to be dead leech. How many are there this time?" you reply. "Just me. It was decided that perhaps you could be reasoned with and that you would not need to be destroyed like your mate." "That's amusing since that's what he's on his way to do to you lot." "I don't think so. As we speak, your mate has most likely already been dispatched by Lord Rostov. You need not join him though...you really don't realize who I am do you?" "Nope, and in a moment it won't matter." "I suppose if I hadn't given you up as a baby, we wouldn't be here now." The woman stares at you after saying these words and then you realize what she's implying. "Bullshit. You're not her." You say. "Oh? And how would you know exactly? You've never seen me before, however you see me now and I KNOW you see a resemblance. Hell, I see the resemblance in you. You look very much like I did when I was your age; well I suppose I still look like you, a cup size bigger though." "So, I'm supposed to just believe you're my mother? Where's my father then?" "I dunno, it was a wild party that night. I'm going to guess though he must have been a wizard of some sort given that I met him here at a party. Hell maybe when he got older he was even one of the faculty you killed. Wouldn't that be something?" "Yes it would be quite a twist of fate. Just like my mother suddenly showing up after all these years as a vampire would be quite a twist of fate. Speaking of which, are you going to tell me I'm actually part vampire too?" "No, of course not. Vampires can't reproduce, well not in the usual way anyway. Thank the gods for that, because once was enough for me. I was bitten not long after I gave you up. Similar frat party but got luckier with the choice of man that time. He was fun for awhile, showed me all sorts of things, but eventually we parted ways. Just glad he wasn't possessive, I might've been really fucked with him being my creator and all." "Judging from what little you've said to me, it sounds like you were used to going through life getting fucked. Probably was for the best that you gave me up." The woman's eyes narrow. "Catalina, look I can't make up for abandoning you, but I'm trying to save your existence now. The Clans are going to put an end to your lover, but YOU can still live forever!" "What? By becoming one you?" "Why not? Catalina, you're a sensible woman and you have great skill. You have so many traits that would be highly valued by the Clans. You would have access to anything you desired, live lifetimes, and most importantly you'd look as beautiful as you are now." "I already have all that I want." The woman looks around and waves her arms in the air, pointing at your nearby banshees, skeletons and rotting garden. "What, this? THIS is truly all you want? You're surrounded by death. There is nothing here but a gloomy parody of life. Have you even left this city since you destroyed it? What are you afraid of Catalina? There is SO much to see and do outside these walls. There is so much of life to experience" the woman says. "The irony of a vampire lecturing me about being surrounded by death and experiencing life is...well it's something." you respond. "Catalina, I'm really trying here." "Well you're failing really badly at trying to convince me that you're really my mother, let alone join your little vampire club." "I see. What if I could prove that I'm your mother? Will you at least hear me out a little more?" The woman looks at you with hope in her eyes and a concerned expression, like she really wants you to at least give her a chance. > You kill her There are too many holes in this woman's story. The major thing though that's given you pause isn't her story; it's what she's trying to do. You realize that she's trying to maintain eye contact with you for as long as possible to mesmerize you into dropping your defenses. "Y'know what? Fuck you and your big tits." You say rubbing your eyes with one hand and bringing forth your garden to attack the vampire with your other hand. Several vines spring from the ground rooting her to the spot, and then followed by several branches impaling her. She screams and hisses until one hits her heart causing her to disintegrate. With the bloodsucker dead, you go over to the ashes pondering the woman's story again. Was it possible she was your mother? You doubt it mainly because you can't imagine a party whore like this woman was claiming to be would have risen so high in the Vampire Clans, if indeed they would have even bothered. This woman was also powerful enough to attempt to mesmerize you so she had to be a lot older and thus more powerful vampire than what your mother would have been even if vampirism stopped her aging. More likely some sort of magical facial alteration along with some superficial knowledge of your background was used to try to trick you by tugging at your emotions. Wouldn't have worked even if she had really been your mother. Your biological mother didn't raise you, that task belonged to a woman long dead and much more respected. And you can imagine that woman would definitely not approve of how your life turned out. Makes you wonder about who your parents might have been though. Were they wizards? Did they perform necromancy? Are they still alive or dead? Did you indirectly or directly kill them? Did they know about you? Did they think of you at all? You suppose none of it matters now. Feeling somewhat out of the mood of enjoying your music and garden, you return to the citadel fully expecting Azrael to show up soon. You dismiss all the claims the woman made about the Vampire Clan putting an end to him. He's survived worse, and he'll survive this too. You haven't gotten back to the citadel long when all of sudden Azrael shows up just like you knew he would. He's different though. You sense it immediately. You notice he's got some severe wounds on his body causing you to make a remark of the obvious. "Catalina, I'm fucking dead." Azrael says sharply and enters his study without another word. And that would be what you sensed. No life. Apparently he didn't survive. But he did. You reflect on what this possibly might mean. As far as you know other than vampires, the only other forms of higher undead are liches and the process of becoming one is very difficult and complex. Very few necromancers have succeeded in doing it and the last one that did was The Great Lich Lord who lead the Dead War centuries ago. Azrael couldn't have performed such a complex spell in the middle of not only destroying Velzix, but presumably the Vampire Clan as well, could he? You intend on finding out, so you enter Azrael's study and find him at his desk with a quill and parchment. "I need some time alone. I have to write a letter to my mom and sister. They should know about what really happened with my dad, even if the rest of the world won't." Azrael says, not looking up. "I'll leave you alone as soon as you clear some things up about what happened to you and the Vampire Clans." You remark. Azrael looks up and puts down his quill. "Well it's very simple Catalina. I foolishly trusted the wrong person, went head first into battle and got myself fucking killed. Then I came back to life and killed every leech in that hidden lair of theirs." "You killed all the vampires?" "Oh I'm sure there probably were a few that weren't there, but that hardly matters. They'll all be hunted down and put to death eventually. Everything will." "Are you alright?" "Yes, I'm fine, I'm just dead." "I'm not talking about your newly acquired physical status so much as I'm asking about your mental state." "As I said, I'm fine. I'm just tired." "Tired?" "Yes, and I'm well aware how strange that may seem given that I'm dead and all now, but nevertheless it's true. Everything's strange though now." "What do you mean?" "I don't know how to explain it, at least not yet. I'm still trying to figure it all out. I don't even know how I came back to life. I just did. What does this mean? If I'd gotten killed before Lord Rostov snapped my neck, would I have come back anyway or did I just get to a point where it was possible? I performed no ritual that would cause me to ascend to lichdom. Shit, I never even bothered to look into it too deeply. Everything I do when it comes to necromancy just comes so naturally. Was my ascension to this state natural too? Is fate or destiny at work?" You've not seen Azrael quite like this, even you aren't sure how to respond. "Are you in pain?" you ask. "No. I don't feel anything at all. Well, I suppose I shouldn't say nothing at all, but everything is muted now. There's something else though, I'm not exactly sure what it is yet, but I imagine without feelings getting in the way of things, I'll reach it." Azrael says. "I see. So...what of your feelings for me?" Azrael looks at you and you see concern on his face. Mortal emotions haven't disappeared completely. "Those remain Catalina. Those will never leave me. I won't let them." Azrael says and he goes to embrace you. You hold him tightly and you can already feel the difference, the cold dead flesh. It feels like you're in paradise. You look up at him and passionately kiss him. He kisses you back, and yes, the desire is still there, but again, it's different. There's part of you that wonders if his feelings for you will dull in time, but it doesn't matter. Your feelings won't. His deathly glory just keeps growing greater and there is no way you'd ever be able to resist it at this point. "I guess I'm more attractive to you than ever now right?" Azrael says with a grin. You're glad to see he hasn't lost his same goofy sense of humor. "Mmm, why don't we pick this up later? I know I distracted you from an important task." You say. "Yes, I suppose I should finish that, but I'll be with you soon." "I'll be waiting." "Oh, while I was gone, did anything of importance happen here?" Azrael asks. "Not really. There was a very minor vampire assassination attempt, but I took care of it personally since it was just one." You answer. "Hm. Just one huh? Unusual, since they usually sent several in the past, but maybe most of them were at their secret fortress just to ambush me." "Maybe. Well one less for you to worry about hunting down." "True. Okay, I need to write this letter. I don't even know what the hell to say to my mom and sister. I doubt I'll get a response. Catalina, you really are lucky that you were an orphan." "Yeah, I suppose so." And with those words, you take your leave of the study and head to the bedroom. > Loving You sit in your garden relaxing to your music. You do that a lot more nowadays now that all major threats are gone. All the demons are dead, all the vampires have been hunted down, and the civilizations of the living have all been destroyed. Even that fool Trelik who surprisingly turned out to still be alive (and completely mad from his use of chronomagic) had been taken care of again. You're somewhat surprised when he popped up again that he never tried to attack you like he once threatened the last time you saw him, though you guess all his obsessive hatred was towards Azrael at that point. Life still exists, but the clock is ticking on it. The remnants now huddle together in enclaves, thinking that's going to protect them. Like somehow the Great Lich Lord won't find them and they can just wait this out. They can't. Death is inevitable. Your beloved will see to that. Even now his aura can be felt and he's currently not even in Aftermath. He's not even near Aftermath, he's half way across the other side of the world rooting out a stronghold of the living no doubt. He will bring beauty to the entire world. You watch the gravewings flutter about as the banshees wail. It's almost like they're in unison with each other. You didn't train them to do that though. You had a hard enough time getting the banshees to emulate instruments. Still not perfect, but it works well enough to compliment the string section. You suddenly sense a large group of living approaching. This would be most odd since Aftermath hasn't had any living subjects in a very long time and all the other necromancers eventually left to be assigned to other locations during the Grand Alliance war. Can't possibly be an attack. Who the hell would still be organized enough to dare? Let alone even get past the defenses of the city. They would be killed before they even got into the gates. "Catalina? Are you in your garden?" you hear a voice shout. Sounds like Hessan, though you haven't seen him in like over a decade you think. You can't imagine what he's doing here though, you though he was currently overseeing the Retlad Kingdom (or what remains of it). "Hessan, is that you?" you shout back. "Yes! I didn't want to enter since I know how you enjoy the solitude of your garden." Hessan shouts back. "Well you might as well enter since you've already disturbed me. Why are you here anyway?" "Well that's what I've come to speak with you about." "Okay...so come on in and talk then, I'm not going to spend this unannounced meeting shouting." "Um...well it's not just me. It's all of us from the Dark Order. Wouldn't want all of us accidentally trampling all over your lovely garden." "Yes, I sensed there were others with you. The rest can stay out, I presume I only need to speak with you." "Actually, several of us need to speak with you, it really would be better if you came out here." You shake you head. "I'm coming, but this better be important." You say with exasperation. You make your way towards the entrance of where Hessan's voice was coming from and just outside the walls of your garden, you see Hessan, Belial and the rest of what remains of the Dark Order. They all look old. Like much older than they should be. These people weren't but a few years older than you and you still look as young as you did in your twenties. Necromancy takes a toll on the body, but you remember a theory that Mr. Demar mentioned before he died that perhaps due to your strong ties to nature magic, it didn't affect you as much. You never gave it much thought really. For all you know, you've remained unaging due to your pure love for death. "Wow, not to be out of line, but you look great Catalina. Some of us have tried magic to restore our youth, but it doesn't seem to last very long to be worth it. What spells do you use?" Hessan remarks in an attempt to flatter you obviously. "I don't, and what do you want?" you ask still standing within the boundaries of your garden. "Catalina, we come to you with all respect. All of us were originally in the Dark Order together." "Get to the point Hessan." "It's about Azrael." "Yes, what about him?" "He's killing the world." "And?" "And? Don't you see that there might be a problem with this?" "Not really." You look at Hessan who still looks a bit concerned. Belial's face is showing a different expression though and looks back at the other Dark Order members. It's a more defiant expression. "Catalina, it's not just that he's killing our enemies. He's killing ALL the living. Just last week he snuffed out all the lives of several subservient living peasants in our territories." "So? Raise them and have them continue to work. You're necromancers right?" you say. "Yes, we're necromancers but the point of all this was to RULE over everyone, we can hardly do that if all our subjects are dead." "Rule over the dead. It's the same thing. Better in fact, since they don't typically rebel." "But...there are draw backs to this." "Such as?" "Well...the dead don't feel pain. At least not really. You can hardly strike fear in something that's dead." "Yeah! Without the screams of children, I can hardly reach climax!" someone shouts. "Shhh!" Hessan says. You start laughing. "Wait, so this is what you lot are bitching about? You're upset that your degeneracy has been inconvenienced? You lot haven't changed since college." You say. "Big words coming from the woman who fucks a walking corpse. You haven't changed since college either." A female Dark Order member says. "SHUT UP!" Hessan shouts. "Aww, someone upset that she doesn't have demon cock to suck anymore?" Hessan immediately points to the woman and basically tells her to shut up before she can even retort. You notice Belial shaking his head and rolling his eyes. It's apparent Hessan is still trying to maintain order, but he's losing control of the situation. "Catalina, it's not just that. It's just...we're fucking DYING." Hessan remarks. "We're all dying, Hessan." You say. "No, I mean Azrael's presence is starting to literally kill us. Surely being so close to him, you've noticed yourself starting to get weaker. I don't know what he's doing, but at the rate he's going, there won't be ANYTHING left alive on this world!" "Can't say I've felt the effects, Hessan. You know MAYBE it's because none of you were real necromancers. I mean face it, you lot only started practicing it because the demon shit didn't work out for you. Maybe if you lot fully embraced the beauty of death, you wouldn't be complaining about this." Hessan struggles to respond, but Belial interrupts him. "I told you this was pointless Hessan, this bitch is crazy and she's not going to help us." Belial says. "Wait, you lot actually came here thinking that I'd help you kill Azrael? Maybe you have embraced death more than I thought." You say. "SHUT THE FUCK UP Belial!" Hessan screams. Once more Hessan addresses you still with hope that you'll listen. "Catalina, I'm just asking you to speak with Azrael to pull back a little so we can prepare ourselves for the world he's creating. We can get used to everything. I mean I have no problem becoming a lich, I'm sure none of us do. I mean I'm sure that's what your plan is, right?" The funny thing is despite everything that's happened, you still haven't considered lichdom. "I mean...fuck I'm big enough to admit it. I'm scared of fucking dying. I thought I was going to be a lord of hell, then shit got all fucked up and here we are. I made a pact and betrayed it. Now maybe you aren't scared that you're going to hell to be tortured for all eternity, but I KNOW there has to be some small part of you that's not blinded by your love of Azrael or death. There's a part of you that's afraid of what IS awaiting you. Shit, you might even end up where we're going. Not like you're an angel in all this." > Attack You look at these traitors with disgust and you're done even entertaining their half-assed attempts at treachery. You waste no more words and blast Hessan with dark energy, reducing him to a husk immediately. Belial and the rest put up their own defenses and start to scatter, but they aren't retreating so much as they're just trying to regroup to a better position. You call upon the dead in the city to assist you, though you know with the Dark Order they'll undoubtedly be able to turn some of your troops to their side. You block the entrance to the garden with brambles and move back to the heart of it where you feel you'll be safest. Unfortunately the Dark Order starts lobbing fireballs over the garden walls, setting everything aflame. You manage to put it out bringing forth a cold blast covering the area, but your garden is mostly destroyed by this point and the plants can't be used as a means of defense like you planned. Meanwhile outside the walls of the garden, you hear the sounds of battle taking place. No doubt the undead under your control are doing battle with the Dark Order. Eventually several holes are put into the garden walls and undead start pouring in. You manage to take control of most of them again, but the main problem is as powerful as you are, you're still very outnumbered. Some of the Dark Order get inside the garden and then a few more. You manage to take out most of them, but then you feel several magic bolts hit you, followed by a lightning blast. Another dark spell literally rips half the flesh off your body. You collapse to the ground and in your current blurry vision, you see Belial approaching you with several skeletal warriors. You struggle to regain control of them and it's just enough to cause one to suddenly run him through. He curses in agony as the rest of the skeletons stab him repeatedly. You laugh as you see the remaining few Dark Orderites run off. "You can't run you fools, death gets everyone eventually." You laugh and then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Nope, that wasn't how things went. You were severely outnumbered; you definitely would have tried to get a better starting advantage if you were going to take them all on like that. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, war, female protagonist] You sit in your garden relaxing to your music. You do that a lot more nowadays now that all major threats are gone. All the demons are dead, all the vampires have been hunted down, and the civilizations of the living have all been destroyed. Even that fool Trelik who surprisingly turned out to still be alive (and completely mad from his use of chronomagic) had been taken care of again. You're somewhat surprised when he popped up again that he never tried to attack you like he once threatened the last time you saw him, though you guess all his obsessive hatred was towards Azrael at that point. Life still exists, but the clock is ticking on it. The remnants now huddle together in enclaves, thinking that's going to protect them. Like somehow the Great Lich Lord won't find them and they can just wait this out. They can't. Death is inevitable. Your beloved will see to that. Even now his aura can be felt and he's currently not even in Aftermath. He's not even near Aftermath, he's half way across the other side of the world rooting out a stronghold of the living no doubt. He will bring beauty to the entire world. You watch the gravewings flutter about as the banshees wail. It's almost like they're in unison with each other. You didn't train them to do that though. You had a hard enough time getting the banshees to emulate instruments. Still not perfect, but it works well enough to compliment the string section. You suddenly sense a large group of living approaching. This would be most odd since Aftermath hasn't had any living subjects in a very long time and all the other necromancers eventually left to be assigned to other locations during the Grand Alliance war. Can't possibly be an attack. Who the hell would still be organized enough to dare? Let alone even get past the defenses of the city. They would be killed before they even got into the gates. "Catalina? Are you in your garden?" you hear a voice shout. Sounds like Hessan, though you haven't seen him in like over a decade you think. You can't imagine what he's doing here though, you though he was currently overseeing the Retlad Kingdom (or what remains of it). "Hessan, is that you?" you shout back. "Yes! I didn't want to enter since I know how you enjoy the solitude of your garden." Hessan shouts back. "Well you might as well enter since you've already disturbed me. Why are you here anyway?" "Well that's what I've come to speak with you about." "Okay...so come on in and talk then, I'm not going to spend this unannounced meeting shouting." "Um...well it's not just me. It's all of us from the Dark Order. Wouldn't want all of us accidentally trampling all over your lovely garden." "Yes, I sensed there were others with you. The rest can stay out, I presume I only need to speak with you." "Actually, several of us need to speak with you, it really would be better if you came out here." You shake you head. "I'm coming, but this better be important." You say with exasperation. You make your way towards the entrance of where Hessan's voice was coming from and just outside the walls of your garden, you see Hessan, Belial and the rest of what remains of the Dark Order. They all look old. Like much older than they should be. These people weren't but a few years older than you and you still look as young as you did in your twenties. Necromancy takes a toll on the body, but you remember a theory that Mr. Demar mentioned before he died that perhaps due to your strong ties to nature magic, it didn't affect you as much. You never gave it much thought really. For all you know, you've remained unaging due to your pure love for death. "Wow, not to be out of line, but you look great Catalina. Some of us have tried magic to restore our youth, but it doesn't seem to last very long to be worth it. What spells do you use?" Hessan remarks in an attempt to flatter you obviously. "I don't, and what do you want?" you ask still standing within the boundaries of your garden. "Catalina, we come to you with all respect. All of us were originally in the Dark Order together." "Get to the point Hessan." "It's about Azrael." "Yes, what about him?" "He's killing the world." "And?" "And? Don't you see that there might be a problem with this?" "Not really." You look at Hessan who still looks a bit concerned. Belial's face is showing a different expression though and looks back at the other Dark Order members. It's a more defiant expression. "Catalina, it's not just that he's killing our enemies. He's killing ALL the living. Just last week he snuffed out all the lives of several subservient living peasants in our territories." "So? Raise them and have them continue to work. You're necromancers right?" you say. "Yes, we're necromancers but the point of all this was to RULE over everyone, we can hardly do that if all our subjects are dead." "Rule over the dead. It's the same thing. Better in fact, since they don't typically rebel." "But...there are draw backs to this." "Such as?" "Well...the dead don't feel pain. At least not really. You can hardly strike fear in something that's dead." "Yeah! Without the screams of children, I can hardly reach climax!" someone shouts. "Shhh!" Hessan says. You start laughing. "Wait, so this is what you lot are bitching about? You're upset that your degeneracy has been inconvenienced? You lot haven't changed since college." You say. "Big words coming from the woman who fucks a walking corpse. You haven't changed since college either." A female Dark Order member says. "SHUT UP!" Hessan shouts. "Aww, someone upset that she doesn't have demon cock to suck anymore?" Hessan immediately points to the woman and basically tells her to shut up before she can even retort. You notice Belial shaking his head and rolling his eyes. It's apparent Hessan is still trying to maintain order, but he's losing control of the situation. "Catalina, it's not just that. It's just...we're fucking DYING." Hessan remarks. "We're all dying, Hessan." You say. "No, I mean Azrael's presence is starting to literally kill us. Surely being so close to him, you've noticed yourself starting to get weaker. I don't know what he's doing, but at the rate he's going, there won't be ANYTHING left alive on this world!" "Can't say I've felt the effects, Hessan. You know MAYBE it's because none of you were real necromancers. I mean face it, you lot only started practicing it because the demon shit didn't work out for you. Maybe if you lot fully embraced the beauty of death, you wouldn't be complaining about this." Hessan struggles to respond, but Belial interrupts him. "I told you this was pointless Hessan, this bitch is crazy and she's not going to help us." Belial says. "Wait, you lot actually came here thinking that I'd help you kill Azrael? Maybe you have embraced death more than I thought." You say. "SHUT THE FUCK UP Belial!" Hessan screams. Once more Hessan addresses you still with hope that you'll listen. "Catalina, I'm just asking you to speak with Azrael to pull back a little so we can prepare ourselves for the world he's creating. We can get used to everything. I mean I have no problem becoming a lich, I'm sure none of us do. I mean I'm sure that's what your plan is, right?" The funny thing is despite everything that's happened, you still haven't considered lichdom. "I mean...fuck I'm big enough to admit it. I'm scared of fucking dying. I thought I was going to be a lord of hell, then shit got all fucked up and here we are. I made a pact and betrayed it. Now maybe you aren't scared that you're going to hell to be tortured for all eternity, but I KNOW there has to be some small part of you that's not blinded by your love of Azrael or death. There's a part of you that's afraid of what IS awaiting you. Shit, you might even end up where we're going. Not like you're an angel in all this." > You Talk You look at these traitors with contempt, but they have a numerical superiority and as powerful as you are, you don't think you'd be able to take them all out. One thing you can see though is despite most of them trying to give you intimidating looks, they're ALL afraid. They all made pacts with hell that they most certainly didn't honor and it isn't going to go well for them when they die. (Honestly it wouldn't have gone well for them regardless, but you imagine it will definitely be worse now) Hessan might be the only honest one in that regard. He's also not wrong about you either. You don't dwell on it much, but there is small part of you that fears death despite your love of it. There have been times when you've been around Azrael and you've felt fear. Being around the being he's become (and still becoming) is a bit intimidating at times, but it's not just that. "You're right Hessan, I do have some fears about Azrael." You say. Your admission seems to surprise everyone. Hessan even looks a bit hopeful now. "Then...you do understand!" he remarks. "Yes. I understand why you're all afraid of death, but you don't understand why I am." You say. Now Hessan's face loses the optimistic expression again. "I'm not afraid of death because I'm afraid of where I'm going. I'm afraid of what I'll be leaving behind. This city is practically all I've ever known. I've barely ever left these walls and I still don't have any desire to if I can help it. The comfort this place has brought to my life and especially after its lovely transformation has been just one of the major blessings I've experienced. The second would be Azrael. The thought of leaving him is an even more difficult concept to accept, but I'm getting there." "But...you could become a lich! That's what we all can do!" Hessan says. "No. When my time comes, I will embrace its beauty and ascend to that next stage, whatever that may be. Much like how a coffinpillar becomes a gravewing, I'm not afraid of that." You say. Belial says something again about you being crazy, causing Hessan to once again tell him to be quiet. You continue to speak. "Now, Hessan, I believe that you came to me in good faith. You've always been the most competent of the Dark Order. I can talk to Azrael, but I can't guarantee anything. It's the best I can offer. However, I will say, if you lot have plans on killing me as some act of pettiness, I probably wouldn't be able to take all of you on." "Damn right you wouldn't." Belial snorts. "However, I would imagine the retribution Azrael would bring down on my killers would be considerable and excruciating. I suppose that would be one way to ensure your life though since I imagine he'd keep you alive to suffer for as long as possible. And then on top of all that, you have hell to look forward to." "What makes you so sure we couldn't beat your dead lover?" You laugh. "If you really believed that Belial, you wouldn't have come here with Hessan who is begging me to try to whisper mercy into my beloved's ear. Try to kill me if you wish, but as I've already said, you'll gain nothing from it other than beloved's wrath." Your words only server to anger Belial and a few others further, but Hessan once again shakes his head. "Are you fools!? This woman is literally the only thing that might save us!" Hessan shouts. "Are you a fucking coward? You really think she's going to talk to Azrael about this incident in a positive light? It's obvious he's going to kill us all anyway at this point, I say we get some form of revenge ahead of time by killing this bitch! Who cares if he tortures us? We're already going to face worse in hell anyway!" Belial exclaims. "And I'm not going to let YOU potentially fuck up MY chance of immortality!" Hessan unleashes a blast of dark energy at Belial, catching him off guard. He drops to the ground as a husk of his former self. A few other Dark Order members start hurling spells of their own. Amazingly they've all forgotten about you and are too busy trying to kill each other. You just sort of back away behind a spell shield and watch the mayhem. After a few more bodies drop, Hessan and those that agree with his plan manage to win the infighting. He looks over at you. "So you'll talk to Azrael?" Hessan asks. "I will." You answer. Hessan nods and with that he and the rest of the Dark Order leaves. You return to solitude of your garden. About a day later, Azrael returns home. "Hello Azrael. I trust the purge of that dwarven stronghold went well." You say. "Yeah, hardy, stubborn little bastards. Lot of anti-magic runes. Anyway, nothing happened here I trust." Azrael says. "Oh actually something did. The Dark Order came here making demands." "Oh yes, they were quite insistent on certain things. They couldn't agree on what though, so a fight broke out. Anyway I'm fine and they all went back to their homes I imagine." "Those traitorous assholes! They're lucky I even allow them to rule over their lands. Well no more, we haven't needed any of them for decades, one wonders if we ever did. I'm going to pay each one of them a visit now!" "I left a list on your desk of which ones are still alive." "Huh? Oh thanks, I'll grab it before I go." "Oh, one more thing. Hessan tried to be a voice of reason, if misguided. Make his death quick and painless. He deserves that much." "Alright." Azrael kisses you before leaving to make the world more beautiful. You suppose you'll have to eventually tell Azrael that you won't be becoming a lich, but for now this distraction will give you time to figure out how to tell him. It will undoubtedly be the hardest thing you'll have to do, but you'll get through it. You both will. > Dying You lay in your bed watching a single gravewing fly around your room. It's the last one left. All of its fellows have died. Eventually it lands near your hand, its glowing starting to dim Won't be long now. Won't be long for you either. Azrael's aura is killing the world. What life remains is but a fraction of what once was. You imagine in a few decades all major forms of life will be extinct. In a century? All life of any kind. A pity you won't be around to witness such beauty. Your own powers can no longer sustain or protect you, but you knew they couldn't hold forever. You don't have any regrets and you have no fears. This is how it was always meant to be. This was how it was always going to end. This is it. You see Azrael enter the room. He knows too. He gently strokes your hair and holds your hand. You'll miss that cold touch. He never lost his feelings for you. He never lost that love. And neither did you. That's how you know you made the right decisions. Still, there is a part of you that's sorry you can't stay with him, even if he wants you to. "Life" as a lich however, just wouldn't be the same. You would lose that spark and even Azrael knows, that only he can live forever. You and Azrael exchange a few words. You don't need many though; you know how each other feels. It feels a little silly, but you still can't help but worry about his well-being. "Are you going to be alright? I mean what are you going to do?" you ask. "Me? I'll be fine. I'll stick around and oversee things I guess. Watch the world die. I have to carry this out to end." Azrael responds. "I know you do...maybe we'll meet again? On the other side?" "I'm sure if it's possible. We will." Your eyes briefly glance over to the gravewing. You see it glow one last time, then cease altogether. "I love you..." you say as everything starts to dim. You feel Azrael's cold lips touch yours one last time and everything goes black. > Epilogue NecRomantic You look around and see Azrael standing before you and you embrace him. Even in your incorporeal form you can feel his presence as if you were solid. "I see you finally made it back to me again." Azrael says. "I always will." You answer. You know you don't have much time, but what time you do have, you make the most of. Azrael mostly goes on about what he's been doing. Something about a potential war on a cosmic scale and mentions it's a really big deal. You aren't entirely sure what it's all about, but you're spending time with him and he tells you that it's nothing that you have to worry about, and that's good enough for you. You also spend time reminiscing about your "old life" with Azrael. Memories that have been talked about many times before, but it doesn't matter. They never get old when you're with him. The pair of you make the moment last as long as you can, until you both know that it'll be soon time for you to leave again. "Time for me to go." You say. "I wish these moments were longer." Azrael replies. "I'm sure eventually these moments will be permanent." "The work never ends, I question if that moment will ever come." You touch his skeletal face with your ghostly hand. "It will Azrael. It will." You say with a smile before fading away. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, war, fantasy, grimdark] Those were some interesting years of your life. Sneaking about the campus, stealing a magic book here and there, teaching yourself in secret like you had been, but now you at least had some sort of instruction. You managed to figure out a lot more than the inherent talents you seemed to have (Most of which were on the destructive side of things). You learned more about magic in general; indeed you probably were a better all around wizard even if you still had much to learn. However, it wasn't the other branches of magic you were concerned about mastering. It was the one you were called to. While you had some progress, it wasn't much. The best you could do is animate a few deceased things like a dead rat, partial corpses or if you really focused an intact corpse like when you practiced with one of the dead rat men, but in doing so, they nearly got their revenge on you. There weren't exactly books on necromancy lingering around despite looking for them. You learned a bit of a substitute by studying up on enchantment and trying to control the dead using the same concepts. It worked to a limited degree (at least enough to not get yourself killed) but charming the living and controlling the dead are still very different things. Still, it was definitely a branch of magic that came in useful on more than one occasion. Especially since you've been encountering some difficulty walking about on campus. Back when you were living in the orphanage you started scaring the other children even though you never really did anything to them. You're starting to have that affect on grown people. You aren't really social so you didn't really notice it at first, but recently it's been getting to the point where you're just walking around and people are going out their way to avoid walking near you. It's becoming more of a problem more so on the campus due to making the college security starting to take more notice of you and they were doing that anyway due to your age. (Though that reason is less of an issue now) You've been sticking to only walking around on the campus at night now and if you have to go out during the day, you stick to other parts of the city where there's less chance of getting hassled by magic watchmen at least. On top of all this, you still aren't sure what your major plans are. You have this desire to master necromancy, but even when you do, then what? It's not really like you can practice it out in the open or use it for anything other than the obvious and even if you did, it would be a one way ticket for you to be targeted by the civilized world. Not like you can really speak to anyone about any of this though. And yet, you can't be the only person like this. There has to be others like you, maybe they're all hidden though. You imagine anyone that has your sort of power is probably hiding out from major areas of civilization. The only lead you can think of is to potentially ask a demon on campus who tend to be a little more knowledgeable about these things, the problem is most tend to want something in return. There aren't many of them and they typically working as janitors other than Big Red and you're really reluctant to ask him, given his advice years ago that nearly got you killed or worse. You've avoided him since that night, but you always hear his name pop up from time to time on campus as the one to go to if you really need something. Oddly he'd probably be the least demanding in price since he doesn't ask for someone's soul as payment. (Well at least not usually) Eventually you come to the conclusion you'll ask him and you figure if you don't like the price or answer, you can always do your own thing as usual. So you wait until nightfall and you go to the spot where Big Red can typically be found selling whatever he's offering. Before you even reach him, you see him looking up and even sniffing a bit, then he looks over in your direction. "Whoa...you smell DISGUSTING." Big Red says covering his nose. "Excuse me?" you say. "You fucking REEK of rotting death! Granted it's pleasant smell when it's a battlefield full of dead bodies, but something about you necromancers always ruin it and never fail to give off a foul aura. Ugh." You start to sniff at yourself and smell nothing out of the ordinary. While granted you live in an abandoned library and have been practicing raising the dead from time to time, you're fairly regular on your hygiene habits. "I'll have you know I keep myself regularly clean!" you protest. "Girl, you still have much to learn about your powers. You could immerse yourself in all the water in the world and adorn yourself with the fanciest perfume and you'd still smell like a horde of rotting bodies. It's not your body odor; it's your magical aura. Superior magical beings such as myself can sense it better than most. Though I'd wager your deathly aura is starting to become strong enough for even these moron mortals that claim to be masters of magic to start to sense." Your brief glance downward signifies that to be the case even if you didn't know why exactly until Big Red explained it. Also explains why that demonic janitor called you a stinking bitch when you walked by one last week. You figured he was just being an asshole. (Well he still was as far as you're concerned) In any case it's obvious Big Red knows all about your situation so you get to the point. "Look, I need to know if there are others like me, do you have that information?" you ask. "Right to it huh? You know you never did thank me for my free advice years ago when you were a younger ragamuffin. I'm sure sacking out in that old library rent free with nobody really bothering you has been serving your purposes well." Big Red says. "You didn't tell me about the ratmen living there." "And how would I know what was living in there? I never forced you to go there either, you made that choice. I merely pointed it out. Looks like you must have handled them though and grew stronger from it. But rather than even a thanks, you just come here demanding shit. Well that's not how this works Catalina." "Pretty sure I STILL never told you my name either." "And I'm pretty sure you did, so what do you want exactly? You want to know if there are others like you? Of course there are. Your kind always exists in some manner. Drawn to death like grave wings. Now if you want to know if there are any on campus? Well, the answer to that is yes as well. In fact, there's a whole cabal of them. They're a lot better at hiding their stench though, hence why they're freely walking about on campus not driving everyone away. Hell, I'm actually surprised one of them hasn't contacted you yet. Of course I'm equally surprised the campus security hasn't sensed you yet given that you're a walking mortuary. Then again they've never been the brightest with sensing magic auras." Well that was actually easier than you thought. You didn't think Big Red would give you the information so casually or that it would even be so close. "So where are they exactly" you ask. "What, you want me to draw you a map? Track them down yourself, shouldn't be hard even for you. I've already given you free advice TWICE now. You want more information, you're going to have to reciprocate." "Alright, so what do you want exactly? And no, I'm not giving you my soul OR my body." "Pfft, what do you take me for, one of those losers cleaning toilets? Your soul isn't worth much, and while your virginity might entice some, you are not my type. You couldn't handle what I got anyway." "Well what do you want then?" "Simple really, I need you to deliver this to someone. I'd do it myself, but I'm honestly too busy with other things." Big Red pulls out a black cube with ornate gold carvings on it from his coat. "They already paid for it, so just drop it off and come back." "Wait, where would I be taking it?" "Oh, Mr. Demar's office. He's head of the conjuration department. I'm sure you're familiar with the building." "Can't say I've ever lingered around over there." "Hm, I suppose that's not surprising. Anyway, deliver that and you'll get your information." You're a little leery of all this and immediately Big Red senses this. "Or don't and get the fuck out of here anyway because once again you're driving away business." Big Red puts the cube back in his coat pocket and waves you away. If Big Red thinks you're going to change your mind and take whatever that item is, he's sadly mistaken. Or maybe you should just leave Nuro entirely and make your own way, especially if things are getting dicey to stick around here. While Nuro may very well be a large center of magic in the world, it isn't the entire world. Surely there is more out there after all. > You leave Nuro As much as you'd rather not, you feel leaving Nuro is the smartest choice if only to keep yourself safer from those that would seek to stomp out your magic choice of interest. You head back to your "home" and pack up your belongings. You aren't sure where you're going to go. You have some knowledge of the areas surrounding Nuro based on what you've read and overheard, but leaving the city is an idea that really gives you a lot of anxiety and concern. You don't even know why exactly. You've dealt with far more dangerous situations. You ultimately decide to travel to the Tulan Kingdom since from what you've heard; it has a somewhat more "relaxed" policy on dark magic. Or at least it openly consorts with demons more readily than other places. Any place like that is more likely to be easier to keep a low profile in while still maintaining the civilized world conveniences. (You're still a city girl and you're not exactly keen on the idea of living off the land) It's going to be a long journey though and you're certainly not going to walk all the way. The next morning, you seek out one of those carriages to transport you, luckily manage to find one. The driver is wearing cloth over his face and some sort of goggles. When you approach he looks down at you and tells you the price. It's a little high but then money hasn't really ever been an issue for you since you learned to live on your own. You pay the driver who takes your coins. He tells he'll be leaving as soon as he gets more passengers. You step into the carriage which is a lot more roomy than it looked from the outside. You take a seat and try to keep yourself calm about the upcoming trip. It won't be so bad. You got used to not living in the orphanage, you'll get used to not living Nuro. Maybe you need a change of scenery anyway. Doesn't take long before someone enters the carriage, two in fact. It's a woman and her young daughter. The mother sees you and tells her daughter to sit on the other side of the carriage after which she does likewise. "I'm going to see my daddy in the Tulan Kingdom!" the little girl exclaims to you. "Shhh! What did I tell you about talking to strangers? Just sit there quietly for the trip and don't open your mouth." Her mother scolds and then looks at you before looking through her purse for something. She gives you another dirty look before pulling out a book to read. A few moments later, another person enters the carriage. This one is a fatter young man probably a few years older than you. Unsurprisingly he sees you and sits right next to you. "Well hello ladies. You all heading to the Tulan Kingdom as well?" he asks, though he doesn't get an answer from any of you. (The little girl nearly answers until her mother glares at her) Doesn't stop him from continuing to pester you though. "Hey, you look familiar. Do you go to the magic college?" he asks you. "Uh, no." you answer. "Hm, could have swore I'd seen a pretty girl like you around the campus before. I guess you do look a little on the younger side to be attending a college. Anyway, I just finished my first year and heading back home for a family visit even though I'd rather not, but you know how family can be right? Always want you to check in and all." You ignore his comment and go back to looking out the window, hoping the carriage starts rolling soon. One more person enters the carriage and there's just enough room for him to squeeze in next to the mother. He's an older man wearing traveller clothing and a sword and brace of pistols are openly displayed on his person. If you had to guess, maybe he's some sort of bounty hunter. He says nothing, but he does give you a long stern looks when you glance over at him. He's even worse than the mother in this regard. You look at the mother again who is reading her book. The daughter who was more talkative before has now become quiet and when you look at her even she backs herself up more against her seat and looks away. You realize that maybe this hostility stems from the "dark aura" Big Red said you were giving off. Pity it's NOT working on the fat young man sitting near you because he's still trying to engage you in conversation. He start to mention how he's majoring in illusions when the driver shouts that he's leaving. As the carriage leaves Nuro, you look out the window taking in the wilderness for the first time. It's much different than the Nuro park. You're actually a little fascinated by it all. Of course looking out the window is a lot more desirable than looking at your travelling companions who are either hostile or overly talkative. You can't keep staring out the window the whole trip though so you try the next best way of escape by closing your eyes to sleep. You aren't sure how much time passes, but the next time you open your eyes, it's getting dark. You glance at the three sitting across from you and the older man and the mother both look at you with the same dislike in their eyes. The little girl is asleep. You turn your head and the fat young man smiles at you. "Well, you're awake again. I thought you had been ignoring me earlier until I realized you had just fallen asleep. Like I was saying, you have to have a really high intelligence level to master illusions. The willpower to make illusions feel like reality is just...well I'll just show you!" It would appear that one is unfortunately still too friendly towards you. He immediately starts to cast a small spell creating flowers which then dissipate into a mist of colors. Doesn't impress you, but he's gotten the little girl's attention who apparently woke up from all the noise he was making. "Ohhh pretty! Do it again!" she exclaims. "Yeah, do it again. You seem to enjoy trying to impress girls much younger than yourself." You say in an attempt to shut down this annoying idiot for good. Your remark gets a look of shock from him, but also from the mother. "Wha..." he says. "Excuse me?! I don't want my daughter to hear you talk such filth!" she says. "Why are you giving me grief? This one is the one that's been creeping on me the whole time despite the fact he himself said I'm too young to be in college. If anything I've called him out on being a pervert. You oughta be giving him the stink eye not me!" you exclaim. At this point the mother starts yelling at you, while the fat young man who has been hitting on you starts to protest his innocence. "Hey now, I was just being friendly, no need for name calling and accusations. Just calm down darling." These hollow words followed by patting you on the leg to get his point across was a very poor judgment on his part. While he probably figured copping a feel would be worth a potential slap, he didn't count on you reacting in a much more violent way. You look at his hand and then your mind goes into a darkness. "ROT" you utter and suddenly the young man's hand shrivels before everyone. He screams holding his decrepit boney hand. The mother and daughter scream as well and hold each other, but the bounty hunter springs into action. "I knew it! I knew you were a necromancer!" he shouts and pulls one of his pistols. The carriage though hits a bumpy patch causing the hunter to miss you and shoot the fat man in the face. Blood splatters on you, but you're not fazed at all and cast a bolt black at the hunter, killing the man instantly. Your attention turns the mother and daughter now. Gone is the disgust and only the fear remains on the mother's face. "Maybe you were right after all." You say and do the same thing to them that you did to the hunter. The pair die in each other's arms screaming. The carriage continues its bumpy journey and you're now sharing its interior with four corpses. You push the fat one's body away from you. You're mildly annoyed you didn't get to kill him personally. You briefly wonder why the carriage hasn't stopped, the driver surely had to hear all the commotion. You don't wonder for long though since the carriage does stop. "Alright, we're here. Everyone out." You hear him shout. You look outside the window and see...well nothing. It's pitch black outside. The most you can make out is the road immediately near the carriage. "Well Catalina? Aren't you getting out? You're at your destination." How the hell did the driver know your name? Something is wrong here and if this driver has any tricks up his sleeve, he's going to be joining the rest of the passengers here. You step out of the carriage. And that's when you see that you are not in the Tulan Kingdom. You're not even on the road. You're in a huge graveyard and somewhat confused. You turn around back to the carriage and see the driver still sitting on top of it. He's fiddling with his face wrap though. "What's wrong? This was your true destination was it not?" he says and removes his face wrap revealing a grinning skull. The goggles come off next exposing hollow sockets. The four dead bodies inside the carriage start to exit the carriage and move towards the graveyard, ignoring you completely. "Young, old, male, female, fat, thin, doesn't really matter does it? That's where they all end up. Beautiful isn't it?" The driver says. Suddenly the driver appears right before you. "And that's where you're going to help send all of them. Help them see the beauty." The driver whispers and then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Interesting, but that didn't happen. These false memories are sometimes very bizarre. You can only guess its all-mental images mixing with bits of reality and imagination. Hell, you've been here for who knows how long now and you still haven't got it all figured out yet. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

No. You need to get out of here. With the screams and the fire, you've probably drawn enough attention already. You quickly pick up your purse and run off before anyone important actually arrives to see you. You run without any particular idea of where to go, so you do what comes natural and go to your old place in the park. Fortunately there's nobody making out there and you have solitude. You can't stay here forever though. It's not even that far away from the incident you just created so you need to move soon anyway. You think you probably should leave the city like you once briefly thought about before. You'd probably be able to handle yourself even better now given your recent actions. Still though, something about that idea still fills you with anxiety. Maybe it's the idea that you just left your home INSIDE the city and the idea of leaving Nuro entirely is just too much right now. You can't stay in the lower class areas of Nuro though; you're just going to get into more trouble eventually. While you've never really focused on your looks, you're aware enough that you'd attract more unwanted attention from folks like that Jaxon degenerate and you doubt you'd be able to always contain yourself like you did just now. Which means you need to go to a different part of the city entirely. You'd stick out in the richer areas though given your clothing. Though you suppose you could buy yourself or even steal yourself something better to blend in, you still need a permanent place of residence. Then it occurs to you where you'd be able to easily find someplace to hide and still be moderately comfortable. The Nuro Magic College. It's huge from what you've heard; people of all types are there and you could easily just say you're touring the campus as a prospective student if someone questions you. The best thing is it's dedicated to magic; perhaps you'd be able to better learn something there even if you had to just pilfer a few magic books. You've managed to teach yourself this long, no reason why you couldn't still do it. With a new plan in mind, you feel a little better and get up off the grass. You then proceed with your path. The first step is indeed getting new clothes. You decide to go the legitimate route and actually buy them. You also buy a small backpack in the process. You get a few odd looks from the merchants, but happily they're more interested in your coin than anything else. You also get something to eat and drink since you haven't done so all day. The next step is actually travelling to the college itself. By the time you even get to the outskirts of it, it's already starting to get dark. There's a lot more people roaming about. Still older than you, but you figure in a few more years or so, you should fit in even better. You're a little tired from today's events though, so you start to wonder where you can sleep. There are dorms, but you don't think you'd be able to even sneak into one of those. You actually do see several students just sleeping on couches or chairs in various places. Overworked from studying no doubt. As the day grows darker, you see less people wandering around outside at night or else they're all gathered at various buildings with loud noise coming from them. You assume parties are expected in a college. You walk through an area which reminds you a bit of the Nuro park except perhaps more open area for larger crowds to gather and no signs telling people to not stray off a path. As you're struggling to stay awake, you hear voice. "You girl! You look a little young to be at this college. Though you're certainly at the right spot to learn your craft." You turn and see a demon! Or rather what you've heard demons look like since you've never seen one in person. Though he's dressed like a regular person, nothing excessively intimidating about him except his inhuman facial appearance. Still, even you know their reputation and you back away, once again thinking you'll be relying on your magic. The demon however just shakes his head and and puts his hands up. "Heh, I wouldn't bother girl, I don't mean you any harm and you wouldn't be any match anyway. I'm just out here doing business, trying to make my way in this world like everyone else. They call me Big Red around here. What's your name?" The demon says. "A lot of people claim they don't mean any harm and they do it anyway." You answer. "Well that's true. I guess you're a sharp one. Though that still leaves the question of why a young girl such as yourself is wandering the Nuro campus at night. I can sense you have a bit of magic about you, but again you're a little too young to be a student here." "Trying to make my way in the world like everyone else." "Ah, okay. Tight lipped too. Well, I suggest that if you're going to hang out here that you find some place a little more secluded for the night. The best place is probably the old library; it's to the far east of this area. You can't miss it; it's an ugly old crumbling building with a bunch of broken windows surrounded by untended grounds." "Sounds much different than the other buildings I've seen here." "Well, they were supposed to tear it down or repurpose it when the new one got built decades ago, but it's just been crumbling into decay for many years now. Some say they keep it around for nostalgia purposes, others say it's cursed so it's best not to mess with it. Personally I think it was just a case of red tape and laziness." "Wait, cursed?" "Oh yeah. That's where the Great Lich Lord got his start centuries ago. You've never heard this story?" You shake your head, thinking back to how you ignored most of the tales of the evils of magic from Miss Olga and how that particular story was part of the reason for her views. "Oh, well it's a long tale, so I'll give you the short version. Basically the Great Lich Lord who nearly brought death to the world centuries before you were even born used to work there as a simple librarian. I guess he started looking a little too much at some of the dark magic tomes that happily used to be more accessible and getting ideas in his head. Then one day he just stopped coming into work. He was an isolated man of little importance in the scheme of things so he wasn't missed and just replaced." You listen with great interest as Big Red continues his story. "Well a few years later EVERYONE soon knew of him, because he'd amassed an army of undead like this world had never seen. Things were so grim for a while that my people were even brought in to help. That went about as well as it always does though." Big Red chuckles. "So...how was he beaten?" you ask. "Oh it was combination of several things, but I'd say vampires were his main downfall. The alliance he had with them just wasn't going to last. Sure they might be undead, but those biped leeches need the living in order to survive. Realizing if he won, it would be a bad thing, the bloodsuckers came to their senses and basically assassinated the guy. And like with all things involving necromancy, if you kill the leader, you effectively eliminate the entire problem." "Wait. Vampires?" "Yeah. That's not one they really tell in most versions of the story mainly because the vamps themselves keep it that way as they continue to hide and play puppet master to human governments. Oh sure there's stories of so called heroes ultimately bringing him down, but they were vampires and they were saving their own undead asses." "Wouldn't something like that for something so important be more well known?" "By who girl? All the people that managed to survive the Dead War died long ago of natural causes by now. Even elves as long lived as they are and I doubt if even most of them knew what was really going on. Humans dominate the world with their pitiful life spans and even more pitiful memories of what came before, so with the vampires manipulating shit, the truth is theirs to control. Still, even immortality is no cure for short sightedness." Big Red suddenly looks as if he's not completely focused on the conversation. "What do you mean?" you ask. "Nothing. Anyway, just be careful where you step in that library and you should be fine." Big Red says. "And you're claiming this is a good place for me to go to?" "I didn't claim it was a good place, I'm saying it's the best place to go if you don't want to draw attention." "You seem eager for me to go there." "Look Catalina, I'm just making a suggestion. The choice is yours if you want to sleep there or not. I mean you could take your chances and just find one of the couches in one of the study areas to crash on, but if you're found sleeping in a more public area, someone might question it and you don't want to suddenly find yourself grabbed by Nuro college security while you're dozing." You step back again. "How did you know my name?" you ask. "You told me." He says with complete confidence. "No I didn't." "Pretty sure you did, but in any case, I need to get back to business, I'm sure some of the usual crowd are going to want their hobgoblin hashish soon and I can't have a little moppet like you lurking about, so away with you." Big Red waves you away as if you're an annoyance. Your first encounter with a demon and you can say that while it wasn't an overly threatening experience, you're a little unnerved by it a bit. Big Red seemed like he was helping you, but confusing you at the same time. You wonder if all his kind are like that. And you are most definitely certain that you did not tell him your name. Maybe he can read minds? In any case, he's still correct in the choice is ultimately yours if you want to spend the night as the abandoned library or not. > You sleep elsewhere Yeah, you're not following this demon's advice. You'll take your chances sacking out in one of the student study areas. Doesn't actually take you long to find a relatively secluded area, which doesn't even have anyone hanging out at it. You find a sofa and make yourself comfortable. You don't go to sleep right away due to expecting someone to bother you, but eventually your tiredness wins out. You sleep for quite awhile and when you wake up you find that nothing has happened. It's morning and there's still nobody even in this room. Not too bad for the first night. The spend the rest of the day learning the layout of the university. You still maintain a low profile though as there's no reason to be foolish. One of your major stops though is the library (and not the abandoned one Big Red told you to sleep in). This is going to be the first step to your expanded knowledge of magic. You can probably easily read through a few books in a quiet part of the library or even nab a few of the books if needed. Days...weeks...months pass? You actually aren't sure how much time has gone by. Things are hazy as you're constantly on the move trying to sneak about trying to keep a low profile yet not really having a "place" to rest for a long period of time. Sleeping in empty classrooms, bathroom stalls, under bleachers or even maintenance closets might keep a low profile, but it's not very comfortable and you wake up achy every time you do it. Which in turn makes studying any sort of magic without proper rest a bit more of a chore. Sleeping in study areas hasn't been without drawbacks either. Granted, you try to be careful with picking one, but you can't do it flawlessly all the time and there's been more than one occasion where you've awakened to others being in the room with you. Most of the time they're just students that ignore you. At most you might get some odd looks (as you do walking on campus sometimes) but there's been on more than one occasion that someone much older, probably faculty has actually awakened you asking who you are. You've managed to lie a few times saying you're the little sister of one of the students here and that you either got lost or your older sibling said they would be right back. The lies vary as needed, and while you're fairy good at thinking them up and evading further questioning, the truth is, you're becoming more noticeable. And eventually the day comes where your presence is no longer ignored. You've stolen enough books from the library and sacked out in the open enough that even the campus guards start putting things together. You barely manage to wake up in time to see several campus guards along with a member of the faculty heading towards the couch you're sleeping on. You don't think, you just cast a blast of flame at the group, but one of them simply waves her hand up to block your attack. You turn to run only to feel frozen in place. You can't move at all no matter how hard you try. The stern looking female professor approaches you and motions the guards to rummage through your backpack, which of course has stolen library books. "So the little thief thinks she's also a wizard eh? What other powers do you believe you have?" she asks. You say nothing. "Come now, I just froze your body, you can still speak. In fact you better start doing so before your frozen state becomes permanent." You still say nothing and just focus on her. "The university takes a dim view on stolen property and an even dimmer view on attacking staff. Answer me now and you MIGHT only escorted off the campus and delivered to the nearest juvenile detention center." You focus; trying tap into that darkness that you know is in you. And it's not just pretty balls of flame or flashes of energy. The professor continues to drone on about how much trouble you're in, but soon she's going to know just how much trouble she's in... And that's when her nose starts to bleed. She then reels back in pain and feels her face which if she could see, she'd probably be more horrified. As it stands she sees how withered her hands are and that's enough to break her concentration allowing you to get free. "Nec..NECROMANCER! STOP HER!" she cries as you make a break for the closest door. You make a good run for it, but ultimately your actions of casting necromantic magic has made you an even bigger threat. The college wastes no time raising an alarm of the situation and it isn't long before the entire city is on lockdown making even escape impossible. Though you aren't a fugitive for long as eventually you are captured. Due to your age however, you aren't killed (even if there was some long debate about doing that too) you're instead taken to some sort of asylum. You're defiant the entire time, but eventually you're given a shot of something placed under sort of drug or spell, which completely clears your mind. You no longer think about magic or anything really. They've completely lobotomized you. Or so they think. You still see it in your mind. The darkness. The death. It's all still there. They can't stop it. It's coming. Turning you into a turnip has failed. You'll get out of here at some point and that's when it'll really get fun. You see visions of gravewings flutter before you and then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Well that wasn't exactly pleasant. Certainly wasn't how your life went thankfully. Still, getting thrown into an asylum is definitely something that could have happened had you not been as careful. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, female protagonist] Things went on like that for a while. You can't remember all the details of course, but you remember how you became very helpful to Miss Olga. While you still practiced your magic, you weren't running off to the park to do so as much anymore. You mostly practiced in quiet to a limited degree in your own room which you got when you got older. By that time you were a teen and all of the children you originally grew up with had been adopted. New and younger children found themselves at the orphanage and you were playing a similar role as Miss Olga most of the time. You performed your new tasks at the orphanage without much complaint. It wasn't really that bad, the children feared you. You never actually did anything to them of course, but there was something about you that was scary to them. Even when Miss Olga would actively yelled at them, it was always you they seemed genuinely scared of. Miss Olga noticed this too... "Catalina, after you're done, I want to see you." Miss Olga says. "Okay." You answer briefly before returning to the children you're currently speaking to. "I don't want a repeat of yesterday where a vase was broken. I don't care if it was an accident. It better not happen again or else there will be consequences. You all understand?" "Yes Catalina." The children say in unison. "Good. Now go play." The children waste no time in running from you as you turn to speak to Miss Olga in her room. You look at her and she's holding herself up with a walking stick. You know she's been getting slower lately, but she's also been starting to look less healthy. An extra cough here and there. Stopping to catch her breath more. Little things that are obviously a sign of bigger things. She sits down and motions you to do likewise. "Catalina, you've been very helpful around here for a long time now. Very surprising considering how you used to have me tearing my hair out at times. Don't think I don't appreciate it." She starts off saying. You look at her in silence as she takes a deep breath before continuing. "However, I've also noticed a change in you over the years. I'm not talking about you just growing up either. No other way to put this, so I'll just say it." "You're dying." You utter. Miss Olga looks at you with an expression of surprise you've never seen before on her. She's silent for a moment, but quickly regains her composure. "That actually isn't what I was going to say...but that is related to what I want to talk to you about, which is, there is a darkness in you. Maybe it's my fault that I didn't notice it sooner, and obviously I haven't seen you do anything that supports this, but I sense it. The children out there sense it. You give off an aura that isn't just stand offish, it's off putting. I'm not saying you're a hellspawn, evil or even bad, but you scare people and I don't know how you're doing it. I can only guess there's magic involved though." You briefly reposition in your seat, which tells Miss Olga what she correctly guessed long ago. "Now I suppose I could ask you if you have magical abilities and how long you've had them, but I'm not sure what good that would do. I will say that if I'm correct in believing that you probably had them for years, I REALLY wish you had come to me sooner about it, because I would have found a suitable family for you immediately." "You're my family." You say. Once again you catch Miss Olga a bit off guard. "Cat...I'm..." Miss Olga starts to say before a bout of coughing followed by another deep breath follows before she speaks again. "Catalina we're not family. I'm just a caretaker until you're able to take care of yourself. Now normally that would still be at least four more years away, but you're obviously able to take care of yourself. One could even say, you've long been able to take care of yourself..." "Wait...you're kicking me out?" you ask since now you're the one that's surprised. "I'd rather not, trust me. I'd rather find you parents that could guide your magic abilities better, but I don't have time and I don't have the energy anymore. By the end of this month, this place will be taken over by a new caretaker and will be run by the city of Nuro rather than independently like I was running it." "But, what're you going to do?" "Well as you so astutely assessed, I'm going to die. Not right away, but I give myself a year perhaps. I'm going to use what remains of the fortune my late husband left me long ago to live as comfortably as possible. I like to think I did as much good as I could with that bastard's money, but now at this late stage, I think I'm allowed to enjoy what little remains of my life." You aren't sure of how to respond, so Miss Olga just continues. "Now that all being said, I'm not kicking you out. You could even stay and take your chances with the new regime, but I have a strong feeling that won't go well. I just know that this is no place for you any longer. The Nuro appointed caretaker I guarantee is not going to run things like I did and you would definitely have less freedom than I allowed. In short, it won't be home to you any longer. So open that drawer over there, you'll find a purse of coin. Should be enough in there to last you a couple months." You slowly go over to the drawer and take the purse. You think back to how you stole money out of it once and how odd it is to be taking it with permission. You look down at the purse in your hands and wave of anxiety washes over you. "Hm. Never seen you sad. Not even when Chloe left. I didn't think you had it in you. You're just full of surprised today. Perhaps I spoke too harshly about you having darkness in you. That's my own dislike of magic I suppose. It's not your fault you have unnatural talents. I at least know you'll be able to survive thanks to them." Miss Olga gets back up with some effort and walks over to you. She puts a hand on your shoulder. "Just...be good. Okay?" You almost want to hug her, but you resist. There's no reason. She told you, that you weren't family. You suppose she's right. It'll make things easier if you just leave. You turn around and walk out her room and eventually out the door. You look back at the orphanage one last time and quicken your pace as your eyes start to water. Eventually you find an empty alleyway and break down crying. Part of you doesn't even know why exactly. Or you know why, but you don't understand why it hurts more than it should. You guess you cared more than you admitted, even to yourself. The orphanage wasn't much but it was the only home you ever knew. Miss Olga was the only parental figure you ever knew. Now you have nothing. Nothing except some coin to support yourself for a while and your magic, which you haven't been practicing on a steady basis. As you're trying to pull yourself together and ponder your future, you suddenly hear an unfriendly voice. "Well, well, well, what have we here? You out here by yourself little girl? You lost? That why you're crying? Well dry those tears, because we can help...of course like anything, it'll cost." You look and see five men. Well actually just one older man and four boys probably just a few years older than you, but in any case, they obviously don't mean you any well. You start to back away to run, but you suddenly feel a pull when the leader gestures with one of his hands, like a force is drawing you closer. You resist, but in the process you lose your purse, which flies towards him and falls in front of him, spilling all the contents out. "Hey, what's this then? This is a lot of coin for a little girl like you. You make all this picking pockets? Or you got some other skills that people pay a lot for?" the leader says with a grin. Given what he's able to do, the leader is a magic user. You don't know how powerful of one though. "Look you have the coin, I'll just leave your territory." You say and start to back away again. "Not so fast girlie. While this coin might be enough to divide four ways, There's five of us and since I'm most generous to my boys, that means they'll be getting it. So the way I see it, you still need to pay me. And since you have no coin left, you'll have to provide in other ways." The leader says. "Boss, she looks about fourteen, I don't think..." one of the members of his group starts to say before he's pushed with an unseen force against a wall. "Obviously you don't think, because you wouldn't be interrupting me right now boy!" the leader shouts before turning back to you. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way, girlie. The choice is yours." It's funny that during the years you were sneaking away to the park or even other parts of the surrounding area, you never once encountered some predator out to assault you. Now of all days, you're getting a gang of them. You're in no mood for this and you already tried to resolve this without any further conflict. You certainly start feeling something well up inside you. You aren't sure if it's that darkness Miss Olga was talking about, but it's not going to be good for these assholes. "Well I guess the hard way then." You say. "Heh, I was hoping you'd say that." The leader gestures and you feel yourself being pulled towards him. When you're close enough, you raise your own hands and unleash a blast of lightning to his face. He falls to the ground and now released from his telekinetic pull, you proceed to zap another in the chest immediately. "SHIT! She's got spells too! Run!" one of them shouts. The remaining two standing run, but you wave your hand and unleash a small flame wave, which manages to catch not only them on fire, but some of the trash nearby as well. They continue running and screaming while on fire. You walk closer to the leader and see he's dead with the flesh on his face mostly burned off or at least blackened to a smoking crisp. Meanwhile the one he had previously thrown against the wall has recovered. "Oh fuck! Please! Let me go! I tried to stop Jaxon! Look, you killed him! He's dead! Just let me go!" he exclaims. You could. You even sense the fear and sincerity of his words. The urge though to revel in your power is VERY tempting. > You Embrace This fool sought to harm you and now he begs for his miserable life? It doesn't matter if he was just weak willed follower, he must now pay the debt for his poor judgment. You feel the surge of power and you fully intend on using it. Now everyone will learn of your power. You wave your hand at the begging coward and slam him against the wall again. He's not dead, but he slumps down from the force of the blow. You then focus on Jaxon's corpse. "I've done this before, I can do this properly now. Rise." You utter. You then see the dead body twitch. You focus more and then it stands back up completely under your power. You've done it. You command the corpse of Jaxon to walk towards the last living member of the gang who is barely conscious, but when sees that which should be dead approaching he starts to try to gather himself, but it's too late as the corpse starts to attack him. He manages to let out one scream before it rips his throat out. You then try to focus on his body and bring him back as well. It's all very easy now. You raise this one up immediately, just in time too because the city guards have showed up thanks to all the noise . You command the two corpses you raised to attack and cast a few offensive spells. You take down a few of them, but the city guards are tougher than a simple street gang made up of teenagers. And of course this being Nuro, the city guards do have a bit of skill in magic of their own. Eventually your corpses are cut down, more guards arrive and you are overwhelmed. You feel a couple of well-placed blows causing you to crumple to the ground where you are held down by the guards. You struggle but it's no use, and you're unable to cast any spells. You fully expect to be killed on the spot given that you've just displayed necromancy, but then one of the guards speaks. "Calm down girl, we're not here to hurt you. We're on your side." The guard says. "What?" you respond. The guard then lifts his helmet, and it's that of a skull. It occurs to you how every guard has a full-face helm, which they are all now lifting up. Skeletal faces are revealed and then a deep surrounding voice is heard. "We just think you're going about this the wrong way. Your time will come Catalina and soon you will earn your place in this soon to be dead world." You hear and then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Well your life certainly didn't turn out like that. You're fairly certain that you wouldn't have been able to raise two corpses at that point anyway. You still had a ways to go before you could do it with such ease. More than likely you would have been executed for being so open with raising the dead. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, grimdark] Always hard to recall exactly all the details of a past life in this existence no matter how long you've been at it. So far you've lived through what you're sure was your past. You're fairly certain at least. You'll soon know if you're wrong. Things at the orphanage didn't really change excessively after Patty was transferred. The only thing that changed was that most children were afraid of you even if some of them didn't know why exactly. Nobody knew about your magic powers except Chloe and she never told anyone. She was certainly grateful for being her friend before which is only because you didn't treat her with any antipathy. Still, she was afraid too. Miss Olga wasn't though; she still just wanted you to be in a good home. You didn't really care about that though. If you ever really did. "Prospective parents are coming in today, everyone be on your best behavior! No fighting, no name calling, no nonsense!" Miss Olga exclaims. All the children remain silent or say "Yes Miss Olga." Miss Olga tells everyone to stay within the orphanage walls, and then as everyone is breaking up from the line up, Miss Olga pulls you aside. "As for you, I want YOU to make an effort today." Miss Olga says. "I'm here." You say. "Yes, you're here. You didn't sneak away to the park like you typically do, but you've also been here for several of these days and for whatever reason, nobody seems to want to adopt you. It's like you're actively driving them away." "I'm not doing anything." "Well you're doing something." "If you want me out of here so much, why not just give me to the first couple who comes in?" "It doesn't work like that and you know it. I can't just give you away like an object. I have to see if the prospective parents want you AND if you want to be with them. Maybe other places don't care, but want to make good matches. You NEED to be more outgoing, not just sitting in a corner being anti-social." Miss Olga exhales as if she's really trying to make you understand. "Look, you're a pretty girl who is intelligent enough to be given a better education than this place can provide when I even have the time. You're also still young enough to really enjoy a proper childhood. You can't have that if you're stuck here." "What about Chloe?" "Huh? What about her?" "She tries very hard to get adopted, but nobody picks her. She's nice and smart." "Yes, well it is an unfortunate situation for her. Nobody wants half-breed orc children, at least nobody human does and it isn't like I exactly have orc parents coming in here. It's not surprising she was given to me. I imagine she'll be here until she's legally an adult and then who knows? In any case, you need to worry about YOUR future and staying here until you're an adult isn't the best possible one for you. Will you at least try today?" You don't really reply, causing Miss Olga to just throw up her hands and walk off. Part of you does wonder why you're not trying to get adopted. You don't exactly like it here. There also have been a few adults that seemed okay. If you'd made the effort, you're pretty sure you would have been adopted by now. Miss Olga does seem to want the best for you, but she doesn't understand you though. If she did, she'd have you sent away like she did with Patty or worse. You wonder if maybe part of you is sticking around because of Chloe. You're the only friend she has and even if she is a little afraid of you now, you imagine she'd still miss you if you were gone. Eventually you stop wondering about such things when you hear people entering the orphanage. You walk to the front room and see quite a few adults walking in. Mostly humans of course. Once again, you make no effort to be friendly even if you aren't actively hostile. Most of the couples look over at your way, but don't approach. A few of them do approach, but soon walk away when you're giving them one-word answers to questions. However, one man comes up to you with a smile on his face. "So, I'm guessing you're not a fan of these things?" the man asks. You don't answer at all. "Don't blame you. It's never fun to have to act like a different person. Trust me, I'm a merchant and I have to do it all the time." You continue to not answer, but the man isn't offended or driven away by your demeanor. "So, what do you do?" "Nothing." You finally answer. "I find that hard to believe. Everyone does something. Working, playing, whatever it is, they're doing something for some reason even if they aren't doing it all the time. You don't seem like the rest of your fellows here. They're all eager to leave this place, while you seem to be content where you are, that suggests there must be some reason you're not in a hurry to leave." "I like the park." "Hm. I imagine that is one of the few green areas in this city. Nature lover perhaps? You ever been outside Nuro's walls? There's a lot more to see. Beautiful things." "Where's your wife?" "My wife? What makes you think I'm married?" "Everyone who adopts is married." "Is that a rule?" "It is here. Miss Olga doesn't want perverts coming here." Your accusation causes the man to laugh. "Trust me girl, there are plenty of couples that have ill intent as well. However, yes I am married, but my wife is currently at home. She's been rather sick lately, but we had this appointment and insisted that I go alone and she trusts my judgment." "Well she's going to have to be here, if you actually want to adopt and Miss Olga will know if you just got some whore to pose as your wife." "Wow. You really are a suspicious one. Still, being suspicious isn't the worst thing in the world. Keeps one alive and alert I suppose. Can't imagine it's been easy growing up here. I used to live around here." "You grew up in an orphanage?" "No, I had both my parents, though I might have been better off growing up in one given how they were. I did live a few blocks away though, down at the end of Ragpicker Lane." "Miss Olga tells us not to go near that direction." "Well she's right. Not an area of the city I'd recommend, glad I made it out. So what about you?" "What about me what?" "Wouldn't you like to leave here?" You back away a bit from the man. "You seem awfully interested in me. There's other kids here." You say. "True, but they all seem to be preoccupied with other potential parents. Well except for that one standing against the wall. Poor kid, she can't help she's an orc." The man remarks. "She's only half orc." "I stand corrected, but that more makes sense. Can't imagine orcs give their unwanted children to orphanages when they could eat them instead." "They do?" "Well, I suppose I'm just making assumptions. I probably shouldn't. You can miss out on things if you make too many of them. Well I guess I won't bother you any longer. It's been nice speaking with you, you take care of yourself." The man turns around and heads back towards the crowd of adults and children. You're a little more at ease, though you thought for sure he'd keep talking to you. You think back again to what Miss Olga said about trying to get adopted and finally leaving this place. There's a part of you that was a little intrigued by what the man had to say, even if you didn't give him much time to say a lot. A fleeting thought of what it might be like to have a proper family enters your mind, but only for a moment. You leave the orphanage and go to the park. You want to try something. You go to the usual secluded spot of the park and after looking around, you see a rabbit sitting and eating a few wildflowers. You close you look around again and then stretch your hand out and focus... A jolt of energy comes from your finger. You don't fall backwards this time. You've managed to control it better. You feel numbness in your hand, though it's better than the pain you used to feel in it. You look at the rabbit and see your aim has gotten better as well, since you've fried the furry creature. You don't really like killing animals, but it's the only way to practice. You focus on the dead rabbit. And focus... The dead rabbit starts to stir. It looks around and then at you, making sounds a rabbit wouldn't normally make. Now comes the difficult part. You immediately attempt to hold the dead rabbit in place through sheer force of will. It runs toward you... And then stops. Then it wanders left and to the right. It looks at you again, growls, leaps at your feet before stopping completely again. You back away, step to the side and feel very shaky. You lean up against a tree trying to gather your wits. Part of it is nerves, but what you're doing is very exhausting. The concentration, the energy, everything is just very tiring. Meanwhile the rabbit look at you with dead eyes as if waiting for further commands. You've made some real progress today. Then you suddenly hear laughter approaching, it's two older teenagers who are walking and kissing each other. They haven't seen you or the zombie rabbit yet, but their presence catches you off guard. Enough so that you lose concentration and the rabbit ceases to stay put. Its attention is now not on you, it's on the teenagers and it runs towards them. You can't stop it in time, in fact if you tried, you'd just out yourself and get into major trouble. The only thing you can think of to do is run off before they see you, which they don't because they're too busy screaming about a zombie rabbit viciously attacking them. With the screams of teenagers behind you, you quickly make your way out of the park before anyone really notices you or city guards come running. Part of you is genuinely worried now. Will this be traced back to you? You remember Chloe talking about the type of magic you were messing with being against the rules. Maybe they'll just think the rabbit is rabid. All you want to do is hide and get as far as you can from the park. You don't want to go back to the orphanage since you imagine the adoption day is still going on. Part of you doesn't even want to be in the city right now. You briefly think about leaving the city, but that's just not possible. You have no idea of anything outside Nuro, let alone where to go or how you'd live. You just pick a direction and start walking without paying much attention. You start thinking about all this magic you've been practicing and wondering if you should stop. Though, it's not really all the magic, but one specific type of magic you've had a bit of a compulsion ever since...well since you discovered you had the abilities at all. You can't help it though, there's just this desire within you. You've even been having more dreams lately. Dreams of darkness and death. You'd like to tell someone, but you know you can't. You can't tell Miss Olga, you can only imagine her reaction and it wouldn't be good. You can't even tell Chloe, at least not everything that's been going on with you. She'd be even more scared of you than she already is. They're arguably the closest things you've ever known to family and you still hold them at a distance. The thought goes through your head that while leaving the city isn't really an option; maybe at least running away from the orphanage is in order. It's obviously too confining for your personality. You'd have to figure out where to stay and survive mostly by theft, but you think you could do it. As the day grows darker while you struggle with your thoughts, you know you need to make a choice about what you're going to do. If you're going to leave or go back. > You run away You're going to do it. You're running. No looking back. But where to go? You wonder if heading to the magic college might be a good idea as you've heard it's big and there probably would be a place you could hide out. Not to mention it would certainly have material where you could learn more magic. Perhaps even something that could help you control it better. Of course it's pretty late already and if you tried to get there right now, it would definitely be night. You still aren't sure of the exact directions to get there let alone where to go when you get there. Getting lost in the city or on the campus wouldn't be desirable. Your best bet would just be finding an abandoned building in your area and sacking out there at least for the night until you figured out something more long term. Not exactly ideal, but then again you're going to need to learn how to rough it soon anyway. You head towards the poorer part of the city where such places are easy to find. You're a little concerned for your safety of course, so you're looking all around expecting the worst. Eventually passing by several bums, drunks, and other disreputable looking types, you eventually think you find a relatively secluded place. It's a mostly boarded up house, but upon closer inspection, you see a small opening in the back of it that you can crawl into. You figure the worst thing you're going to encounter is maybe rats or potentially other children that have discovered it as well. There isn't much light other than some holes in the roof, but the floor seems pretty solid thankfully. You walk about some of the rooms and find that it's mostly empty with just a few pieces of broken furniture. You see a bed though that while dusty, doesn't look completely disgusting. You're so tired from the day you've had and you flop down on it. You start to close your eyes still going over things and your situation in your mind. You've got so much to do tomorrow. It's going to be difficult, but for now you need to sleep. You close your eyes and suddenly you feel a force holding your limbs down. You immediately open your eyes and see a figure looming over you, but you can't make out the face in the darkness. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? Another lost little lamb seeking shelter? Mmm, and such a pretty one as well. I'm going to have so much fun with you for a while. Don't bother getting up, I'll be joining you in bed shortly." Panic and fear overtakes you as you try to scream out, but you can't. This figure who obviously means to do you harm has magical powers much stronger than yourself. Never before have you felt so helpless and all you can do is hope all of this will go away and then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Thankfully that wasn't how your life went. Something about the predator seemed a bit familiar, though you're pretty sure the encounter went a whole lot differently. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, female protagonist] You are NOT going to risk telling Miss Olga anything, but you're struggling to think of what to say. "Um..." you say. "Well?" Miss Olga asks as Chloe looks at you. "I...well...okay...I found a rabbit in the park and it was so friendly it let me pet and play with it. That's why Chloe was late, since she was playing with it too." "Um...yeah...it was soft and fluffy." Chloe stammers. "I was going to try to go back and get it to sneak it in here since I didn't think you'd let me keep it." Miss Olga looks at you and at Chloe and gives a side eye to both of you, like she isn't sure if you're telling the truth, but ultimately she does believe you. "Well you're certainly right that I wouldn't allow you to keep it. We don't have the space to shelter pets and I won't have one pooping all over the place. Still, I'm glad that you admitted the truth to me. Shows you aren't completely delinquent. A bit unusual that a rabbit would willingly come up to you though. Usually they are timid creatures." You and Chloe say nothing to this statement. "Bah, probably something to do with that magic college, never know what's going on there. That's why I want you to stay close by; I don't drag you from that park because I like being mean. I just want you to be safe. Do you understand?" "Yes, Miss Olga." You respond. "Hm. Of course you understand. I think you always have, but you're determined to be stubborn. I know you don't like it here, and that's why if you behave better you'll be more likely to get out of here quicker and go to a proper family that can provide a better life for you." Again you don't say anything and just eat your food, Chloe follows your example, while Miss Olga just shakes her head and tells the pair of you to stay inside for the rest of the day, especially since it'll be getting dark soon. You and Chloe both obey and go back to your room which is empty since the rest of the children are playing outside or elsewhere. Last thing they want to do is be around their beds if they don't have to sleep. Chloe hasn't said anything, though given that she didn't tell on you, you do appreciate it. "Thanks for not telling Miss Olga." You say. "...you're welcome...but what are you going to do now?" Chloe slowly says. "I dunno. All my practice isn't working. Maybe I need a magic book." "Aren't those all at the college?" "They can't all be in there. It's too far from us anyway. Have a hard enough time sneaking off to the park. Hm. Hey, wait there's a bookstore a few blocks from the park on Conjure Street. Maybe they would have something." "They sell used books don't they?" "Yeah so? Still might have something." "I mean you don't have any money, how are you going to buy it?" "I dunno. I guess I could..." Chloe already knows what you're going say. "No. You can't seriously be thinking about stealing a book!" Chloe says. "Actually I was considering taking Miss Olga's coin purse and buying the book." Chloe looks at you in disbelief. "That...that's even worse!" she exclaims. While stealing from someone you know is worse than stealing from a stranger is debatable, you were just thinking it would be easier to steal from Miss Olga since you know where her coin purse is. While you're pondering if it wouldn't be quicker to directly steal a book, you hear a familiar annoying voice. "What are you two doing in here together? Probably planning to sneak out again like you did before! You know if you do that again, Miss Olga will just send you both to that place for bad kids. You both will probably go there anyway. Especially you pig face!" Patty says. "Shut up Patty! Nobody was talking to you!" Chloe snaps. "I'm telling Miss Olga, you called me a name!" Patty runs out the room, leaving you and Chloe alone again. "Ugh. I hate her. I know the rest of the kids don't like me, but Patty always makes it worse." Chloe says. You nod and agree that Patty is indeed very annoying and go back to pondering what you're going to do about advancing your magic situation. Chloe of course still is advising you against any sort of stealing, so whatever it is you ultimately decide, you'll probably have to do it without Chloe's help. > You steal a book You have to admit, stealing from Miss Olga does feel a bit wrong. If you're going to steal, you'll just steal the book itself. Assuming the book store you're thinking of has one. Still, you need to calm Chloe down before she gets all upset. "Hm, I guess I'll just continue to practice in the park. I have to get better at some point." You remark. "Good. I don't want you to get into more trouble, you're the only friend I have here!" Chloe says and suddenly hugs you. You weren't expecting a hug, especially that strong of one. You aren't exactly sure how to act, except you give a minor pat on her back. "Okay, you're holding me too tight." You say. "Oh sorry. I didn't hurt you did I? I don't realize how strong I am sometimes." Chloe asks. "No, I'm fine. Anyway, since we're stuck inside, I guess we could play a game. Tafl is over there, might as well bring it over here." Chloe goes over to get the game, to which she expresses a desire to play as the attacker. You figured she would since that's usually what she always plays as, while you play the king's side. Time passes and eventually other children start walking in since Miss Olga has called that it's time for bed. Patty eventually waddles in makes some snide comments to Chloe as usual causing a few of the others to laugh as well until eventually Miss Olga steps in to order everyone to be quiet and get to bed. The next day you eventually sneak off to the park as you do, except you sneak off to the used bookstore on Conjure Street instead. You've never been in here, though you've seen it before. You enter the store and see the middle-aged man running the place. He's balding and on the heavier side. Odd...you can't get a good handle on his face though. It's almost like it's blurred. Sometimes you get glimpses. He has a moustache? In any case, he watches you come in and immediately speaks. And now you can't quite understand what he's saying. Maybe he's speaking a language you don't know. With some effort you think he's asking you what you're looking for. You mention you're just looking which seems to agitate him a bit, but then a few others come walking in and ask for something specific turning his attention to them allowing you to slip away. You disappear into the stacks, not exactly sure of where to look. You just know you have to be quick before you catch the attention of the store clerk again. Eventually you make your way towards the back of the old shop and see a doorway with a curtain separating it from the rest of the store. You don't think you're supposed to just go in there, but the clerk is still pre-occupied with the other customers, so you nip inside. You see more books, at first glance of some of them, you realize these are not magic books as the contents involve pictures of...well stuff you're probably not supposed to be looking at. Still, there's something here. You can just sense it. And that's when you notice that on another wall away from all the naked people books, a couple of shelves of some very old looking books. A few of them are easily in reach, but it's the one on the top shelf that catches your eye. It's big black book lying by itself on its side. Surely THAT one is the one you're looking for. It's high up though, you can't reach it unless you attempt to climb on the other shelf. You aren't sure if it will hold your weight though. > You climb to get the black book You MUST have that book, that's the one that calls to you! You know everything you will need to know will be in THAT book! You push the books aside and carefully pull yourself up on the bottom shelf. So far it seems sturdy. You then stand up on that shelf to try to reach the black book on the top. One problem is you're still too short to properly reach it, the second problem is the book is huge and even with attempting to pull at the edge to get a better grip, it's definitely not easy. It's not light either. Eventually you manage to get somewhat of a grip, but the weight of the book unbalances you, combined with putting some extra pressure on the shelf you're standing on and well...it doesn't take long for it to all go wrong. The creaking groan of the wooden shelf can be heard just before it breaks causing you to fall with all the books following you and the large black book nearly landing on your head. A small fortune since you're already pretty banged up from falling hard on the floor. You're in a bit of pain, though you try not to cry since you don't want to make any noise, but that hardly matters due to all the noise caused by the fall in the first place. You've only managed to sit up when the bookstore owner comes to investigate. Even worse is what follows is a deep inhuman sounding voice. You look and the bookstore clerk seems different. You could have sworn he wasn't as tall and you certainly don't remember his voice being that deep. One very major thing has changed which is his face. You actually can see his face and it isn't human or maybe it WAS human at one time. Or elven? In any case, it's melting before your eyes. "So little one, you've come here seeking forbidden magic have you? Well you've found you've found death. Now embrace it!" Suddenly the entire room disappears into blackness and you see images of people you know like Chloe and Miss Olga standing before you and their bodies withering away and rotting before your eyes. Gravewings flutter all around you and you're spinning in the darkness just witnessing scenes of decay. Finally you see yourself and you begin to also decay. Gravewings land all over you and everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Obviously that wasn't how your life went. You definitely didn't try to steal a book, at least not that early in life and not at some used bookstore. You also doubt some forbidden necromantic tome would just be sitting so casually in said store, then again it wasn't like you actually went there. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, fantasy] You have to admit, stealing from Miss Olga does feel a bit wrong. If you're going to steal, you'll just steal the book itself. Assuming the book store you're thinking of has one. Still, you need to calm Chloe down before she gets all upset. "Hm, I guess I'll just continue to practice in the park. I have to get better at some point." You remark. "Good. I don't want you to get into more trouble, you're the only friend I have here!" Chloe says and suddenly hugs you. You weren't expecting a hug, especially that strong of one. You aren't exactly sure how to act, except you give a minor pat on her back. "Okay, you're holding me too tight." You say. "Oh sorry. I didn't hurt you did I? I don't realize how strong I am sometimes." Chloe asks. "No, I'm fine. Anyway, since we're stuck inside, I guess we could play a game. Tafl is over there, might as well bring it over here." Chloe goes over to get the game, to which she expresses a desire to play as the attacker. You figured she would since that's usually what she always plays as, while you play the king's side. Time passes and eventually other children start walking in since Miss Olga has called that it's time for bed. Patty eventually waddles in makes some snide comments to Chloe as usual causing a few of the others to laugh as well until eventually Miss Olga steps in to order everyone to be quiet and get to bed. The next day you eventually sneak off to the park as you do, except you sneak off to the used bookstore on Conjure Street instead. You've never been in here, though you've seen it before. You enter the store and see the middle-aged man running the place. He's balding and on the heavier side. Odd...you can't get a good handle on his face though. It's almost like it's blurred. Sometimes you get glimpses. He has a moustache? In any case, he watches you come in and immediately speaks. And now you can't quite understand what he's saying. Maybe he's speaking a language you don't know. With some effort you think he's asking you what you're looking for. You mention you're just looking which seems to agitate him a bit, but then a few others come walking in and ask for something specific turning his attention to them allowing you to slip away. You disappear into the stacks, not exactly sure of where to look. You just know you have to be quick before you catch the attention of the store clerk again. Eventually you make your way towards the back of the old shop and see a doorway with a curtain separating it from the rest of the store. You don't think you're supposed to just go in there, but the clerk is still pre-occupied with the other customers, so you nip inside. You see more books, at first glance of some of them, you realize these are not magic books as the contents involve pictures of...well stuff you're probably not supposed to be looking at. Still, there's something here. You can just sense it. And that's when you notice that on another wall away from all the naked people books, a couple of shelves of some very old looking books. A few of them are easily in reach, but it's the one on the top shelf that catches your eye. It's big black book lying by itself on its side. Surely THAT one is the one you're looking for. It's high up though, you can't reach it unless you attempt to climb on the other shelf. You aren't sure if it will hold your weight though. > You just grab one on the bottom shelf You don't have much time and you aren't going to risk hurting yourself climbing on a shelf. You grab one of the books on the lower shelf that appears to be filled with drawings, lists of ingredients, symbols and words you probably can't pronounce. This looks like a magic book to you, so you take it and exit out the room. Fortunately the clerk is still preoccupied with help the others customers, so you manage to sneak out the front door with the book partially hidden under your arm. From there you head to your favorite area in the park eager to try something out. You flip through the pages, but it's all pretty complicated. You can't even read some of it as it's in a language you don't understand. Still, you keep looking and eventually you think you find something that looks easy. There are no words, its just diagrams of hand gestures followed by a picture of a jar floating off a table. Maybe this is a levitating spell? You look around and see a nearby rock. You make your gestures and focus like you would when you wilted the flowers. You focus... And focus... And then you see it lift up! You feel a little dizzy though and this break in concentration causes you to drop the rock and sit down for a while. A period of tiredness has happened before during your practicing of magic so this isn't new. You practice a few more times after resting a bit, then you decide to head back to the orphanage before it gets too late and Miss Olga is waiting for you by the door ready to yell at you as usual. You head back to the orphanage trying to make sure there isn't anyone around to see you come in since you can't exactly hide the book entirely. You manage to get to the sleeping room and so far the coast has been clear surprisingly. You figure you can hide this under your mattress and look at it when you can... "Hey creepy, whatcha doin' over by your bed?" an annoying voice shouts. It's Patty. "Nothing. I'm just fixing my sheets." You say trying to shove the book under the mattress quicker, it's getting caught on something though. And that something is a spring, which causes a tearing sound. "You're not fixing your sheets, you're hiding something, what is it?" Patty exclaims and starts walking over to you. "Patty I'm not hiding anything, just leave me alone." You say. "Catalina, you've always been creepy. You're hiding something and I'm going to tell Miss Olga!" You turn to face Patty directly. "Patty, you're not going to say anything to Miss Olga. I'm going to give you one warning that you better leave me AND Chloe alone from now on." "Pfft. I'll do as I please to you and your pigfaced friend! What're YOU going to do about it?" Patty exclaims, getting closer and now pretty much daring physical confrontation rather than tattling. Patty is going to give you problems if you don't shut her up. The only thing you can think of is displaying your power to her so she becomes afraid and doesn't dare speak against you. Part of you has honestly been waiting for this moment. You waste no time in doing your newly learned hand gestures and focusing on lifting the fat girl. You focus... You focus... "What are you trying to do?" Patty asks. You focus... You focus... "Hey Patty, what's going on?" another kid asks coming into the room with a few others. "This retard is being creepy as usual. Look at her!" Patty laughs as you continue to gesture at her wildly with no result. There's an audience now, but you don't care if they all see what you can do. You're going to teach Patty and anyone like her some respect. You focus... Your nose starts bleeding and you begin to feel light headed. At this point you're getting mocked by Patty and some of the others but you don't even hear them all you're trying to do is attempting to lift this fat girl and finally... "Hey what..." You see Patty lift up a few inches and you smile as you continue doing the hand gesture repeatedly. However, due to the pressure you're under along with the distraction, you don't do the gestures exactly. Little do you realize that a similar group of gestures causes a very different effect. And that's when you see Fatty Patty explode spectacularly all over the room. Fresh warm entrails and blood splatter all over you as you collapse from the exhaustion. You hear the screaming of the other kids as you lay on the floor awash in gore. You feel like you're going to lose consciousness and you don't care. You showed her, you showed them all. Then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Obviously that wasn't how your life went. While it probably would have been satisfying to explode that fat little girl like a bloated tick, you didn't actually do that. In fact something like that would have certainly resulted in you getting thrown in some asylum where they would've lobotomized you at best. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, war, female protagonist] It's all a haze. You see yourself as a child, but it's hard to tell when exactly. You're maybe five or six right now? It's the earliest you can ever remember, any younger as it's just a mystery. But as with anything that happened in your past life, does it really matter any more? You do remember growing up in an orphanage. You never knew your real parents. At best maybe your birth mother knew she couldn't take care of you and tearfully left you in the hopes that some other family would. At worst, well you wouldn't be the first unwanted child and better that you were at least placed in a half way decent orphanage than just sold on the black market or something. Miss Olga's Home for Lost Children. Lost is sort of a nice way to put unwanted. Makes it sound like you just took a wrong turn and wound up there just waiting for your parents to come pick you up. Though that isn't too far off from what an orphanage does. You wait around for someone declaring themselves as your parents to pick you up. Well that's what happens to some children anyway. Others never do for whatever reason and just eventually age out of the system and get thrown out on the streets. Of course at this age you weren't really thinking about any of that. In fact you snuck away from the orphanage as much as possible. Usually to the nearby park. Nuro's park was pretty nice one. The city really took care of its major green area. So much so that there were signs that clearly warned people to NOT step off certain paths. While there was no real dangerous animals or flowers there, just more of a case of Nuro's council not wanting the beauty of the park trashed. Of course this didn't stop people from straying off the designated areas, usually young folks nipping off to copulate in the bushes or something similar. Of course your reasons were more due to being drawn to observing animals and insects. You watch a couple of squirrels frolicking for a time and eventually finding a morsel of food, the pair of them run off into one of those off limit areas. Making sure nobody is looking or in the area, you quickly sneak off to follow. Eventually the squirrels climb up a tall tree and you lose sight of them, but your attention is drawn to something else. A large amount of purple butterflies fluttering about a bush. You've never seen butterflies like that before. Their coloring is very beautiful. You decide to get closer. When you do, that's when you notice something at the bottom of the bushes. It's furry and not moving. You see the butterflies fluttering all over it. Even at this young age, you understand the concept of death, but you've not seen many direct examples of it. Granted you've seen dead animals before, but this is different. Mainly because this one is covered in these weird purple butterflies rather than the traditional ones. You take a step closer and see that the animal isn't a squirrel like you at first thought, but a cat. The butterflies are swarming around the body. You wonder if they're eating it. Just as you're about to inspect even closer, you suddenly feel a hand grab your shoulder. "There you are just as I suspected! You are always sneaking away to this place after I specifically told you not to! I know this place may be filled with animals and such, but it isn't safe. Anyone could just snatch up a young thing like you. Especially with the demonic types living in this city." You look up and see Miss Olga. The older lady who runs the orphanage hence why it's named after her. She gives you a disapproving look. The same one she has many times before, but you know she's not completely mad at you. She just worries about you as she does with all that live in the orphanage. "I wanted to be here." You answer. "Yes, I know you always do, but you can't keep sneaking away like this, especially at this late hour! I have so many others to look after and worry about. When I'm looking for you, I can't watch out for the others as easily. It's not fair to them that..." At this point you're too focused on the butterflies to completely pay attention to Miss Olga. She recognizes this and finally looks at what's got your attention. Her reaction isn't one of wonder though; it's of minor concern. "What the...Grave Wings? Here? Usually they're only found in more remote areas of wilderness like the Drozz plains. They're not your normal butterflies. They're more like regular flies except they're specifically drawn to death. Doesn't make sense that some are here though. Bah, probably some escaped from an alchemist's lab from the magic college. They're never mindful of their experiments, it's going to be the ruin of us all one day!" As Olga is going on about the magic college, one of the butterflies flaps away from the corpse and towards your direction. You smile and hold a hand out towards it. You think it's going to land, but then Olga once again pulls you away. "Catalina! Don't touch those vile things!" "But they're pretty." "They're carrion eaters! They're filthy and probably crawling with disease! And the city council needs to exterminate them from the park before they breed anymore." "Hey they're glowing!" you shout, still focused on the butterflies. "Yes, they do that when it starts getting dark. Now come on!" As you're pulled away from the Grave Wing gathering, you continue to be fascinated by their fluttering and faint glowing. Eventually you get back to the orphanage where upon Olga tells you that food will be prepared in a few minutes and she expects you to be there as well as going straight to bed soon afterwards. As Olga walks away, Chloe, a little half orc girl about your age approaches you. She's not very popular with the other children most likely because of her heritage. She tends to hang out with you probably because you don't care what she is, but then you don't care about a lot of things most would. "Catalina, did Miss Olga yell at you?" Chloe asks. "Yeah, a little." You answer. "Well I didn't tell her where you were, but Patty said you were at the park." "Of course she did because she's a big fat tattle tale. Doesn't matter, Miss Olga always knows where I sneak off to now." "So why do you keep doing it?" "Because I like the park better. There are all sorts of interesting things there. Like today I saw these purple butterflies! Never seen anything like them before. Miss Olga called them Grave Wings." "Grave Wings? They sound scary." "No! They were pretty and they were eating a dead cat!" "That sounds awful! Poor kitty!" "I'm going to go see them tomorrow!" "Tomorrow? You can't sneak off tomorrow. Tomorrow is adoption day! People will come here to adopt us! Well you they will, nobody will want me." "I'm sure you'll get adopted, but I don't care about it, so I'm going to go see the butterflies." "If you sneak off tomorrow, Miss Olga is going to be furious! You'll be on permanent cleaning punishment for months!" "Hmm, well I don't like cleaning...maybe I can sneak out tonight after bedtime." "Sneak out at night!? That's crazy!" "I won't be gone long, the park isn't far and I know where I'll be going." Chloe sputters a bit, trying to find the words to talk you out of your plan and then you both hear Miss Olga call everyone to dinner at which point you head towards the dining room. After eating, Miss Olga mentions to everyone that people will be arriving tomorrow afternoon and she expects everyone to be dressed in their good clothes and on their best behavior. In fact instead of allowing you all to still play after dinner, you're ordered to go straight to bed. You go to bed as ordered, but not to sleep. You aren't the only one as you can hear the whispering of some of the other girls talking to each other. Meanwhile you're deep in thought about how much you're not looking forward to tomorrow. You don't like the idea of being lined up for a bunch of strangers to inspect you. Something about it seems weird to you. And if you get picked, who knows where you'll be going? The people who adopt you might not even live in Nuro and you won't get to go to the park anymore. Worse, they could be mean or even demons in disguise! As much as you don't care for the orphanage, at least the park is nearby and Miss Olga isn't cruel. A bit more time passes and suddenly you hear Chloe whisper to you. She must have gotten out of her bed. "Hey, you're not still thinking about sneaking out are you?" Chloe asks. "I was going to wait until at least Fatty Patty was asleep, which I'm guessing she is due to all the snoring." You say. "But...but it'll be dark, how will you see them? And how do you know they haven't just flapped away already?" "I dunno, I feel like they will still be there. As for light, they glow! So I'll be able to see them." "Okay, but you still have to get to the park and it'll still be too dark to see really well and dangerous!" "It'll be fine...wait, orcs can see in the dark right?" "Um, yeah?" "Then come with me so I won't be alone and you'll be able to guide better." Chloe nearly raises her voice but then stops herself so as not to wake anyone up. "No, it'll be too scary!" "The dark is nothing to be afraid of. I thought orcs weren't afraid of anything." "I'm only half! And this doesn't sound like a good idea." Chloe's apprehension aside, she'd probably still help you out, though you'd go without her even if she didn't. Of course there is a part of you that isn't completely reckless. If you really thought about it, sneaking about at night might be a little dangerous (and a little scary). You probably could still just as easily sneak away in the morning before all the people show up for the unpleasant adoption process. > You wait until morning You think on it, the danger of the city at night, Chloe's words, potential trouble with Miss Olga...yeah it's probably not worth it. "Yeah, maybe you're right Chloe. I'll wait until tomorrow morning at least." You say. "I still think that's a bad idea, but I guess it's better than going at night." Chloe says. Seeing that you're not sneaking out, Chloe returns to her bed and you roll over to try to sleep. Except you can't sleep. You're too wound up from having the idea of sneaking out and then not acting on it. Not to mention Fatty Patty's snoring is keeping you from even trying to sleep. You close your eyes and try to sleep, but it just isn't working. All that keeps going through your mind is seeing the butterflies again. With Patty's snoring going on and your active mindset, you can't lay in bed all night. You MUST go to the park now; it's worth risking the consequences. You figure you'll wait a little while longer until you're sure Chloe is probably asleep and THEN you'll leave. You don't want her trying to stop you again. You aren't sure how much time passes, but eventually you look up to see if everyone is actually asleep now and feeling confident that they are, you get up and sneak out the room. You head towards the stairway and then on reflex, you let out a big yawn as now of all times the wave of sleep hits you. Worried that you might have awakened Miss Olga, you quicken your pace and head down the stairs. Which unfortunately results in you tripping down them, not enough to break anything, since you manage to catch yourself from tumbling completely, but certainly enough to be unpleasant. Surprisingly you don't cry, but you definitely hurt. This also has the effect of most certainly waking up Miss Olga. "What's going on? What's all this sneaking around?" you hear Miss Olga say before seeing you laying sprawled out near the bottom of the stairs. Then she quickly descends to get you to see if you're all right. After seeing that you haven't broken anything, she begins scolding and questioning you. About the only thing you can think of is that you were going to the bathroom and thought you heard a noise downstairs. Fortunately she doesn't dwell on it too much and just carries you back to bed exclaiming how you should have come to her immediately if you heard a strange noise in the night. The some of the children temporarily wake up when you're returned to bed (save for Patty who is still snoring) Chloe asks what happened and if you're okay, Miss Olga just tells her you're fine and to go back to sleep. She tells everyone to go back to sleep. Meanwhile, you ache and you're tired enough now that you don't want to go anywhere except lay in bed. You'll sleep and tomorrow morning you'll go to the park. That's the new plan. You just need some sleep. Eventually... "Catalina! Catalina! Wake up! Wake up!" you hear Chloe say. You groggily wake up. "What's going on?" you ask. "You feeling okay? Miss Olga said you fell down the stairs last night." "Huh? Oh. Yeah I did." "I'm guessing you tried to sneak out anyway, but I didn't tell! Are you feeling okay though?" "Yeah, yeah, just ache still, but I'm fine. What time is it?" "It's like close to noon. A bunch of adults are coming in to adopt already." You begin to stir a little more and realize you've overslept. "What?! Noon? Why wasn't I awakened before now?" "Miss Olga said you'd probably need the rest more and you don't eat much breakfast anyway. I think Patty ate yours. Anyway Miss Olga told me to try to wake you up for adoption though since she's busy greeting everyone." Well there goes your idea to sneak away. The grave wings might very well be gone by now. You suppose there's nothing for it now except go downstairs, maybe there will be an opportunity to sneak away later. Chloe mentions that you should wear your best clothes for the best opportunity to get adopted. Not that you're really running around in rags anyway, but you're not really concerned with getting adopted, so you just wear clothes you normally wear. Eventually you go downstairs and see a bunch of adults and your fellow orphans. Miss Olga sees you and walks over to you immediately. "Catalina are you feeling alright?" Miss Olga asks. "Somewhat, I still ache a bit." You respond. "Hm, well at least you're walking around. Here, I want you to meet two people, I think you'll like them. Come." Miss Olga pulls you away from Chloe and towards a group of adults, two of them in particular stand out, but it's odd. You can't make out their faces and you're clearly close enough to them. In fact everything is starting to seem off. Something isn't right here. > You run away Everything about this situation feels wrong, you know it. As soon as Miss Olga lets go of you, you immediately take off running for the front door! "Catalina! Stop!" you hear Miss Olga shout, but you ignore her. Fatty Patty is standing near the door stuffing her face and you somehow manage to shove her out of the way, though as you grab the door handle you see her fall to the floor and her head cracking open like a fragile egg causing blood and brains to leak out all over. Shocked by this event, you run out the door as you hear laughter all around you, even as you run down the street, which is starting to look hazy. You need to get to the park. It's the only place you'll be safe. You run in the direction that you usually go to the park, but it feels like you're not getting any closer. In fact everything is starting to look unfamiliar. Did you somehow take a wrong turn somewhere in your haste? You hear Miss Olga shouting your name, but it doesn't completely sound like her. In fact the voice is getting deeper and more menacing. It also seems to be all around you. Eventually you see the park, but something is seriously wrong. You see the park completely devoid of life. The trees, the bushes, the flowers, even grass are dead. You don't hear or see any animals either. Not even insects. This isn't how it should be. At least not yet? Was it always like this? You don't remember it being like this. Suddenly you feel a hand grip your shoulder, you turn and see Miss Olga except she's a rotting corpse. It's pretty startling. "You wanted to see the grave wings? Well here they are!" Miss Olga exclaims. And then a bunch of them come flying out of Miss Olga's decayed mouth and straight at you. Everything is purple for a moment then it goes completely black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Obviously that wasn't how your life went though. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy] You think on it, the danger of the city at night, Chloe's words, potential trouble with Miss Olga...yeah it's probably not worth it. "Yeah, maybe you're right Chloe. I'll wait until tomorrow morning at least." You say. "I still think that's a bad idea, but I guess it's better than going at night." Chloe says. Seeing that you're not sneaking out, Chloe returns to her bed and you roll over to try to sleep. Except you can't sleep. You're too wound up from having the idea of sneaking out and then not acting on it. Not to mention Fatty Patty's snoring is keeping you from even trying to sleep. You close your eyes and try to sleep, but it just isn't working. All that keeps going through your mind is seeing the butterflies again. With Patty's snoring going on and your active mindset, you can't lay in bed all night. You MUST go to the park now; it's worth risking the consequences. You figure you'll wait a little while longer until you're sure Chloe is probably asleep and THEN you'll leave. You don't want her trying to stop you again. You aren't sure how much time passes, but eventually you look up to see if everyone is actually asleep now and feeling confident that they are, you get up and sneak out the room. You head towards the stairway and then on reflex, you let out a big yawn as now of all times the wave of sleep hits you. Worried that you might have awakened Miss Olga, you quicken your pace and head down the stairs. Which unfortunately results in you tripping down them, not enough to break anything, since you manage to catch yourself from tumbling completely, but certainly enough to be unpleasant. Surprisingly you don't cry, but you definitely hurt. This also has the effect of most certainly waking up Miss Olga. "What's going on? What's all this sneaking around?" you hear Miss Olga say before seeing you laying sprawled out near the bottom of the stairs. Then she quickly descends to get you to see if you're all right. After seeing that you haven't broken anything, she begins scolding and questioning you. About the only thing you can think of is that you were going to the bathroom and thought you heard a noise downstairs. Fortunately she doesn't dwell on it too much and just carries you back to bed exclaiming how you should have come to her immediately if you heard a strange noise in the night. The some of the children temporarily wake up when you're returned to bed (save for Patty who is still snoring) Chloe asks what happened and if you're okay, Miss Olga just tells her you're fine and to go back to sleep. She tells everyone to go back to sleep. Meanwhile, you ache and you're tired enough now that you don't want to go anywhere except lay in bed. You'll sleep and tomorrow morning you'll go to the park. That's the new plan. You just need some sleep. Eventually... "Catalina! Catalina! Wake up! Wake up!" you hear Chloe say. You groggily wake up. "What's going on?" you ask. "You feeling okay? Miss Olga said you fell down the stairs last night." "Huh? Oh. Yeah I did." "I'm guessing you tried to sneak out anyway, but I didn't tell! Are you feeling okay though?" "Yeah, yeah, just ache still, but I'm fine. What time is it?" "It's like close to noon. A bunch of adults are coming in to adopt already." You begin to stir a little more and realize you've overslept. "What?! Noon? Why wasn't I awakened before now?" "Miss Olga said you'd probably need the rest more and you don't eat much breakfast anyway. I think Patty ate yours. Anyway Miss Olga told me to try to wake you up for adoption though since she's busy greeting everyone." Well there goes your idea to sneak away. The grave wings might very well be gone by now. You suppose there's nothing for it now except go downstairs, maybe there will be an opportunity to sneak away later. Chloe mentions that you should wear your best clothes for the best opportunity to get adopted. Not that you're really running around in rags anyway, but you're not really concerned with getting adopted, so you just wear clothes you normally wear. Eventually you go downstairs and see a bunch of adults and your fellow orphans. Miss Olga sees you and walks over to you immediately. "Catalina are you feeling alright?" Miss Olga asks. "Somewhat, I still ache a bit." You respond. "Hm, well at least you're walking around. Here, I want you to meet two people, I think you'll like them. Come." Miss Olga pulls you away from Chloe and towards a group of adults, two of them in particular stand out, but it's odd. You can't make out their faces and you're clearly close enough to them. In fact everything is starting to seem off. Something isn't right here. > You Stay This isn't right, but you get the impression that running won't help. So you stay put and hope you can deal with this situation. Miss Olga starts speaking positively about you, probably exaggerating a bit, but she doesn't actually lie. Meanwhile the adult couple listens intently and occasionally smiles at you. Well you think they're smiling, you still can't make out their faces. At some point one of them speaks to you and asks you questions. The voice is muffled and distorted though. You can't make out their voices anymore than you can make out their faces. Nevertheless, you give them answers that you believe they're asking for. It's mostly yes or no. Miss Olga goes on to say how you're a little on the shy side hence why you're not elaborating much. Honestly you're really having a hard time focusing on any of what's going on. It's all sort of a blur and before you know what's going on, you've been adopted. You think you have anyway. Have you? Chloe says how she'll miss you and gets a little weepy when you say goodbye to her. Miss Olga mentions that how the couple check out and that they will be very good parents to you. Were they? You don't remember. There's an image of you going home with them. It's a nice home. Seems familiar somehow, but it's not how you remember it. Everything is made of bones for one. The chairs, the table, the beds, everything. Your new parents are now visible. Their fleshless faces are clear as day. You feel so safe with them. They're hugging you and then everything goes black. You look around and find yourself back in the present, whatever that means in a place like this. Obviously that wasn't how your life went. It was sort of a comforting image though and you briefly wonder how different things would have been if you'd been adopted so early. Then you quickly dismiss such thoughts. After a bit of reflection on what just happened, you realize you'll have to try again to reconnect later. When will that be? You never can tell. But it'll happen again. You'll reunite with your beloved. It's only a matter of time.

[Themes: historical, historical, RPG, serious] Note: This game is an update of the original version of The Price of Freedom: Innocence Lost, published in 2014. The update contains three more stats, a choice of names for your character, the option to play as either male or female, two extra chapters, far more background and character development, and is over twice as long as the original, with a total of over 100,000 words. You can keep track of your character's progress by clicking the "STATS" button at the top of the screen. Warning: This game contains scenes of extreme violence, abuse and strong language, and is not suitable for players under the age of 16. > Chapter 1: A Child's Memories "He's still here," a voice tells you, the owner of the voice repeatedly shaking your shoulder, trying to rouse you from your sleep. "Wake up!" he orders in an awkward attempt to shout and whisper at the same time. "The man's still here, talking to father. I can hear them." You give a half conscious groan, opening your eyes to see the face of your little brother looming over you. "Go back to sleep, Alexius," you tell him as you roll onto your side on the cold, stone floor and try to get some rest. "They're talking about us," Alexius tells you. "Really strange things. He was asking father if either of us ever had the pox or a fever when we were babies." "Why would he care if we ever had the pox?" you mumble in annoyance. "That's what I want to know," your brother replies, heading back to the door and putting his ear against it, trying to make out the conversation on the other side. It's too late for this. Your father already woke you up in the middle of the night to meet some eccentric old man who claimed to be a friend of the family, despite the fact you've never seen him before in your life. The man had a strange, Roman accent and spent about half an hour poking and prodding you and your brother, ruffling your hair, commenting on how healthy your teeth looked, feeling how strong your arms were and suggesting your father wasn't feeding you well enough. It seemed like forever before your father sent you back to bed, and you'd only just gotten to sleep when Alexius woke you up again. "Did we ever have pox when we were babies?" your brother asks you, apparently still contemplating the significance of this strange man's question. "How am I supposed to know?" you ask him irritably. After all, you don't remember being a baby. You know nothing about those first few months of your life, besides what your mother told you. You were born on the first day of the Summer, you know that much. A beautiful baby... > STATS General: Name: Unknown Age: 10 Gender: Unknown Skills: Strength: 0 Speed: 0 Accuracy: 0 Intelligence: 0 Stealth: 0 Relationships: Alexius: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 "He's still here," a voice tells you, the owner of the voice repeatedly shaking your shoulder, trying to rouse you from your sleep. "Wake up!" he orders in an awkward attempt to shout and whisper at the same time. "The man's still here, talking to father. I can hear them." You give a half conscious groan, opening your eyes to see the face of your little brother looming over you. "Go back to sleep, Alexius," you tell him as you roll onto your side on the cold, stone floor and try to get some rest. "They're talking about us," Alexius tells you. "Really strange things. He was asking father if either of us ever had the pox or a fever when we were babies." "Why would he care if we ever had the pox?" you mumble in annoyance. "That's what I want to know," your brother replies, heading back to the door and putting his ear against it, trying to make out the conversation on the other side. It's too late for this. Your father already woke you up in the middle of the night to meet some eccentric old man who claimed to be a friend of the family, despite the fact you've never seen him before in your life. The man had a strange, Roman accent and spent about half an hour poking and prodding you and your brother, ruffling your hair, commenting on how healthy your teeth looked, feeling how strong your arms were and suggesting your father wasn't feeding you well enough. It seemed like forever before your father sent you back to bed, and you'd only just gotten to sleep when Alexius woke you up again. "Did we ever have pox when we were babies?" your brother asks you, apparently still contemplating the significance of this strange man's question. "How am I supposed to know?" you ask him irritably. After all, you don't remember being a baby. You know nothing about those first few months of your life, besides what your mother told you. You were born on the first day of the Summer, you know that much. A beautiful baby... > Boy. Boy, much to your father's delight. He's always been old fashioned, and prayed for a son over a daughter, to carry on the family name. Your mother, of course, couldn't have cared less, so long as you were healthy and happy. Your parents were so proud, they decided to name you after your late grandfather. > STATS General: Name: Unknown Age: 10 Gender: Male Skills: Strength: 0 Speed: 0 Accuracy: 0 Intelligence: 0 Stealth: 0 Relationships: Alexius: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0

[Themes: historical, historical, serious, RPG] Boy, much to your father's delight. He's always been old fashioned, and prayed for a son over a daughter, to carry on the family name. Your mother, of course, couldn't have cared less, so long as you were healthy and happy. Your parents were so proud, they decided to name you after your late grandfather. > Andreas. Andreas. The name your mother gave you. While you might not remember much about your earliest stage of infancy, you know you couldn't have asked for a more contented existence. Your father worked hard to provide for his family, and your mother completely adored you. You were her first born child, the light of her life and never short of love or affection. Still, as all children should, you eventually had to learn how to share. Your cot, your toys and the attention of your mother were quickly snatched away from you and given over to a smaller, cuter version of yourself. You were only two years old when Alexius was born. He was such a tiny thing, curled up in your mother's arms, but he made such a loud noise! It was like listening to a dying animal every time he got hungry or sleepy or soiled himself. Still, despite his wailing, your mother cooed over him like he was the most beautiful creature she'd ever laid eyes on in her life. Meeting your little brother for the first time is the earliest memory you have and you still remember exactly how you felt. > STATS General: Name: Andreas Age: 10 Gender: Male Skills: Strength: 0 Speed: 0 Accuracy: 0 Intelligence: 0 Stealth: 0 Relationships: Alexius: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0

Andreas. The name your mother gave you. While you might not remember much about your earliest stage of infancy, you know you couldn't have asked for a more contented existence. Your father worked hard to provide for his family, and your mother completely adored you. You were her first born child, the light of her life and never short of love or affection. Still, as all children should, you eventually had to learn how to share. Your cot, your toys and the attention of your mother were quickly snatched away from you and given over to a smaller, cuter version of yourself. You were only two years old when Alexius was born. He was such a tiny thing, curled up in your mother's arms, but he made such a loud noise! It was like listening to a dying animal every time he got hungry or sleepy or soiled himself. Still, despite his wailing, your mother cooed over him like he was the most beautiful creature she'd ever laid eyes on in her life. Meeting your little brother for the first time is the earliest memory you have and you still remember exactly how you felt. > Excited Even though he was too small to walk or talk or play, you absolutely adored your new baby brother. You spent hours just sitting next to your mother, looking down at the baby, admiring how tiny he was, presenting him with toys whenever he cried and asking your mother how much longer it would be before you were allowed to hold him. All this helped you to develop a strong bond with Alexius, even before he learned how to talk back. You have gained 5 approval with Alexius. > STATS General: Name: Andreas Age: 10 Gender: Male Skills: Strength: 0 Speed: 0 Accuracy: 0 Intelligence: 0 Stealth: 0 Relationships: Alexius: 5 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0

[Themes: historical] Even though he was too small to walk or talk or play, you absolutely adored your new baby brother. You spent hours just sitting next to your mother, looking down at the baby, admiring how tiny he was, presenting him with toys whenever he cried and asking your mother how much longer it would be before you were allowed to hold him. All this helped you to develop a strong bond with Alexius, even before he learned how to talk back. You have gained 5 approval with Alexius. > Heroes and legends. Of course, Alexius wasn't a baby forever, and as he got older, he became a much better playmate. The pair of you used to go on adventures together, running through the streets, causing mischief and playing at being your favourite heroes from the old legends your mother told you. Do you remember who your favourite hero was when you were a child? > STATS General: Name: Andreas Age: 10 Gender: Male Skills: Strength: 0 Speed: 0 Accuracy: 0 Intelligence: 0 Stealth: 0 Relationships: Alexius: 5 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0

Of course, Alexius wasn't a baby forever, and as he got older, he became a much better playmate. The pair of you used to go on adventures together, running through the streets, causing mischief and playing at being your favourite heroes from the old legends your mother told you. Do you remember who your favourite hero was when you were a child? > Hercules, the son of Zeus and the most powerful hero of all time! He was so strong, he actually killed the Nemean lion with his bare hands. Well, of course he was! Hercules was the greatest hero of all time, and you were determined to be just like him. Mostly your training involved a lot of sword-stick fighting and wrestling matches with your little brother. The Gods never sent you on a mission to do twelve impossible tasks, but you did gain a little bit of fighting experience. You have gained 5 Strength. > STATS General: Name: Andreas Age: 10 Gender: Male Skills: Strength: 5 Speed: 0 Accuracy: 0 Intelligence: 0 Stealth: 0 Relationships: Alexius: 5 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0

[Themes: historical, serious] Well, of course he was! Hercules was the greatest hero of all time, and you were determined to be just like him. Mostly your training involved a lot of sword-stick fighting and wrestling matches with your little brother. The Gods never sent you on a mission to do twelve impossible tasks, but you did gain a little bit of fighting experience. You have gained 5 Strength. > First day on the job. Sadly, you couldn't stay an infant forever. When you were about six years old, you had to leave your little adventures behind to go to school. It was boring at times, but you learned how to read and write and basic mathematics. Everything a boy needs to know in order to make a living once he becomes a man. You also got to assist your father with his job from time to time. What did your father do for a living? > STATS General: Name: Andreas Age: 10 Gender: Male Skills: Strength: 5 Speed: 0 Accuracy: 0 Intelligence: 0 Stealth: 0 Relationships: Alexius: 5 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0

[Themes: historical, serious] Sadly, you couldn't stay an infant forever. When you were about six years old, you had to leave your little adventures behind to go to school. It was boring at times, but you learned how to read and write and basic mathematics. Everything a boy needs to know in order to make a living once he becomes a man. You also got to assist your father with his job from time to time. What did your father do for a living? > He was a fisherman. Your father used to take you out on his little fishing boat to teach you the trade. It could get quite tiresome, sailing the boat from one spot to another and waiting for the fish to get caught up in the nets. Still, with all the time you spent keeping the boat steady and waiting for the fish to come to you, you at least learned the value of patience. You have gained 5 Stealth. > STATS General: Name: Andreas Age: 10 Gender: Male Skills: Strength: 5 Speed: 0 Accuracy: 0 Intelligence: 0 Stealth: 5 Relationships: Alexius: 5 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0

[Themes: historical, historical, serious, RPG] Your father used to take you out on his little fishing boat to teach you the trade. It could get quite tiresome, sailing the boat from one spot to another and waiting for the fish to get caught up in the nets. Still, with all the time you spent keeping the boat steady and waiting for the fish to come to you, you at least learned the value of patience. You have gained 5 Stealth. > All work and no play. Life wasn't too hard though. Between helping your father and your education, you managed to find a little spare time to enjoy yourself. What did you do for fun? > STATS General: Name: Andreas Age: 10 Gender: Male Skills: Strength: 5 Speed: 0 Accuracy: 0 Intelligence: 0 Stealth: 5 Relationships: Alexius: 5 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0 Unknown: 0

[Themes: fantasy, serious, anti-hero, fantasy, humor] Once upon a time in a city called Klyton, there was a young man who wanted to be a doctor. He studied hard in school and his parents supported his dreams for he was intelligent and hard working and they knew he could succeed if given the chance. They also wanted him to have a more stable and comfortable life than they did. (Much like their parents before them) Despite the high costs of a formal education of a person growing up in his middle class background, his parents who ran an inn, scraped together enough money to send him to a university and for awhile the young man was able to pursue his dreams. Unfortunately life doesn't always go as planned and one day the young man's father died and to make matters worse it turned out his father who only had the best intentions for his son, had been borrowing from a dangerous loan shark. With his mother in danger of losing the inn, the young man had to put his dreams on hold and help his mother. It was a time of great stress for the young man, but in time he was able to not only keep the inn afloat and pay off the debt, but he was also able to turn enough profit to re-enroll at the university and eventually become the doctor he always wanted to be. During his time as an innkeeper however, he had become very close to a young barmaid by the name of Eliza. While their love didn't blossom immediately, he soon realized his feelings before it was too late and the two became romantically involved and in time they married. For various reasons together they moved away from the city and to a quieter smaller town called Teckleville. There the young man opened a private practice and became a respected member of the community and had twins with Eliza. These twins, a boy and a girl, had possibly even more of a loving home than their father did and they certainly had even more comforts and advantages. Truly when they grew up, they could be anything they set their minds to. However, once again life is not always so simple. As they grew up, these twins became the scourge of Teckleville, always getting into mischief. Granted some misbehavior is expected from youth as they find their purpose in life, but it would seem no matter what, these two were bound and determined to pursue the life of crime. The pair of them were rogues through and through and as they got older it was apparent they had no desire to change. And that's where our tale begins... [Author's Note: From humble beginning to infamy and beyond! Additional notes: This story is a fully self contained one and can easily be read on its own, however it also acts as a "sequel" to Innkeeper. As with any of my writings, the story comes before the game. However while there isn't a complex inventory and all of that, you can technically "win" by getting one of the 12 epilogues.] > You Continue Year 16 As you sit counting your ill-gotten loot from the latest traveling merchant in town, your twin sister is watching you with a slightly distracted expression. She's been looking like that a lot lately. You know she can't be concerned about getting into trouble. The pair of you have been doing this since you were kids. You've got this routine down pretty well at this point. While most of your small town is fully aware of your roguish ways, you're fortunate that you're both still young and your father is a good doctor and has some measure of influence in keeping you out of the local jail. Plus, it helps that you long since stopped stealing from the town itself and focused on stealing from people passing through Teckleville instead. Still, it isn't like either of your parents are pleased with your recreational criminal activities and have tried to steer you in a different direction with little success. While it tends to go in one ear and out the other with you, sometimes your sister listens occasionally. And you're pretty sure that's the cause of her distraction in-between your jobs. Something is on her mind and has been for a while now and today is the day she says as much. "We need to talk bro." your sister says. "Uh oh. You sound like mom. Which means this doesn't sound good." You reply. "I really wish you wouldn't set a negative tone to this already difficult situation. I've been going back and forth about this multiple times, making myself sick over it actually." "Very well, let's get this over with." You sister exhales deeply and sits next to you. "There's nothing here for me in this town." "Gee thanks, sis." "That's not what I mean, I just...(Sigh) look I know you don't listen to mom or dad, but I've been thinking they've got a point. I mean, what am I doing? What are WE doing? I mean when we were little kids, this was fun. Working together in near perfect harmony and avoiding trouble, but we're both sixteen now. We really going to be doing this for another sixteen years?" "We weren't doing this straight out of the womb, sis." "You know what I mean! What does the future hold for us? How long before dad just gets fed up and tells the town guard to throw us in jail for our own good?" "Mom, wouldn't allow that." "Yeah, well I think even mom has her limits. Besides, neither one may have a choice in protecting us, if we really fuck up one day." "We're too good at this, we're not going to fuck up." "Yeah well, even if that is the case, I don't see staying here in Teckleville robbing travelling merchants as a stable future." "So what are you saying exactly?" "I'm saying I'm getting out. I'm leaving town." You're silent for a moment. You knew that's where this was heading, but hearing it makes it real. "Where are you going to go?" you ask. "I dunno. Anywhere! Maybe Klyton, or Holgard or even the Delantium Kingdom. I'll figure it out during my travels. Just anywhere, but here." "Oh? And just how exactly are you going to support yourself?" "Half of that stuff we steal is mine you know." Your sister points out. "Yeah, I know that, but that's not going to last forever and it isn't that much." You say. "Well mom has always stressed how nice my voice is and how creative I am. And I think you know I've been practicing my lute a lot more lately. I figured I might be a bard..." "A bard?" "Yeah, you know. Singing tales, telling stories and getting into adventures..." "...okay...Yes, you've got many talents. I mean it's why we work so well together. You distract folks with your charm and I do the rest. I've always known that and I get that you've always liked the attention you get from the marks more than the actual thievery. But I thought you said you were seeking a more stable future. Being a wandering bard doesn't exactly qualify." "Well okay, maybe stable wasn't the right word, maybe DIFFERENT was more accurate. My point is, this is something I want to do and I can't be a proper bard unless I travel and experience the world! I can't stay here any longer." Your sister is quite serious about this and you know that there is going to be no deterring her from this path. This is going to change everything, but you're willing to roll with it. "Well...okay I suppose if this is something you want to do, I'll have to support it. You're probably right about sticking around here anyway, I know I get pretty bored in between waiting for the next mark. I assume you're probably already getting ready to leave soon. Just let me get my things together and I'll be ready..." "Not this time. I'm going by myself." Now you're really surprised. "What?! But you can't! I mean...who's going to look out for you? Don't you know how dangerous it is out there?" you exclaim. "How would you know? You've never left this town either!" your sister points out. "Yeah, well I've heard things!" "And so have I. Look...I'm well aware that it isn't a safe world out there, but that's part of what I need to experience. I mean even here, with that overly aggressive asshole Klint hitting on me every other day, I know I'm safe from him because you, mom and dad are around." Your sister continues. Look, I need to do this on my own. I need to fail or succeed on my own. I need to take care of myself, I mean don't you think I've got the skills to do it?" "Yeah, but...I dunno...I guess it'll just be sort of strange. We've been a team for so long." "I know. It'll be strange for me too since we're so close, but maybe this will be for the best anyway. I mean have you heard some of more recent ugly rumors about us just because we're twins?" "Yeah, sort of twisted where people's minds go. (Sigh) I guess this is goodbye. Are you leaving tonight, are you telling mom and dad?" "Yes, as you correctly guessed I will be leaving tonight. As for telling mom and dad, I thought about it...but I can only imagine the chaos that might cause with mom getting weepy and dad forbidding me to go anywhere. Hell, he might actually have the town guard throw me in jail just so I'd have to stay! No, better just leave a note and take off in the middle of the night." "Probably the safest bet for you. Though of course you realize I'm going to catch the fallout of this plan of yours. In fact I'll probably somehow get blamed for it." "Yeah, I suppose you will...apologies." Your sister says. "Meh, don't worry about it. I'll muddle through like I always do." "Y'know you could leave too. I mean not with me of course, but you're a resourceful guy, I'm sure you could make it outside this one horse town too. You did say you get bored here." Your sister says. "Yeah, but I dunno. I'm not exactly multi-talented as you are and I doubt if I'd be able to try my hand at a life not involving crime somehow. Plus, here I'm probably the best thief in town. Elsewhere? I'm probably an amateur that would get eaten alive by the bigger criminals. Besides, I still got a good thing going here. I admit though it's not going to be the same without your help." Your sister pats you on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. Just remember what I said. You've got more talent than you think and you could definitely do well out there too." Maybe there is some truth to that, but in any case, this is where you part ways with your blood partner in crime. You both hug knowing that you both are going to feel like part of you is gone, but perhaps your sister is right. Perhaps it will ultimately be better for you in the long term. At least for her since she does have talent other than petty thievery. Later that night, your sister takes off to parts unknown and you prepare yourself for the hell that your parents are no doubt going to raise. Truth be told, if you left, they probably wouldn't cause as much fuss...okay well maybe that's not entirely true, but still, your sister has always been the favorite so they're going to take this hard. They won't be the only one. > Time Passes... Six months later... As you sit counting your ill-gotten loot from the latest traveling merchant in town, your girlfriend is watching you with an exasperated expression. Of course she tends to look like that a lot. "Ugh. This part is soooo boring! I dunno why you didn't steal the jewelry, I liked some of those necklaces." Annah exclaims. "Because you know I prefer hard coin in my possession rather than anything else." You reply trying not to lose count. "So? You're not the only one involved in doing this you know! You couldn't just think about ME for once and steal some pretty items?" "Annah, if you wanted one of those necklaces so bad, you could have just stolen it yourself. You were closer to the merchant and easily had him distracted." "He was gross. Breathing heavy and touching my legs, it was all I could do not to vomit...y'know you could have defended my honor." It's going to be one of those days... "(Sigh) And how exactly was I going to do that while I was breaking into his lockbox in his tent? The whole point is for me not to attract any sort of attention and that's getting more difficult to do what with a lot of the merchants hiring more guards nowadays." Annah rolls her eyes. It's no secret that Annah was certainly drawn to you because she's a little on the wild side and doesn't have the best of reputations herself. While she certainly lets you do things to her that are a lot of fun, she's not the partner in crime that your sister was and she certainly complains a lot more. A LOT more. Annah's got the looks and flirting down, but that's about it. Your sister actually had the talent to get the attention of people even if they weren't some weak willed slob that went nuts over the latest sweet young thing that batted their eyes at them. She could lure them with a tale or a song and keep a whole entourage captivated if need be. You suppose Annah's lack of skill has had the benefit of increasing your own since you've definitely had to be quicker and sneakier. Still, it isn't just her lack of skill and bitching that's the problem since that you can deal with. It's the fact that she's way more maintenance than you thought she'd be and she's been getting worse in that aspect. You know you're probably going to have to give her a little bit more this time around just to keep her appeased. At this point you haven't really been saving much at all and you were planning on moving out of your parents home by now because that situation hasn't gotten any better since your sister left. Lately you've been starting to wonder if you shouldn't just do what your sister did and leave. It's just getting to be too much hassle to steal in this town and it definitely isn't as much fun as it used to be. Where you would go though, you aren't sure. You're going to have to figure it out. In the meantime, you hand over Annah's share. "Okay, here you go...so what do you want to do now?" you ask. "Well since you were unwilling to steal me one of those nice necklaces, I guess I'll have to buy a cheap ass one from that hag that runs Sparkling Treasures." Annah replies. "So, we're going to Jasmine's shop." "Yeah, and she's going to be giving me the evil eye the entire time. Thinking I'm going to steal something." "Well to be fair, you can't blame her. I'll come with you, but as far as I know I'm still banned from the place ever since I stole a bracelet for my sister's birthday. Of course that was before we decided that the town was completely off limits." "Whatever, I don't really want to hear about how you spoiled your other girlfriend right now. It's bad enough that continually criticize me and say I'm not as good as sister." "What the...first of all I'm sick of these rumors about me and her when it wasn't even like that! Second of all, I just said ONCE that our capers might run smoother if you had a better array of talents rather than just relying on your looks." "There you go again putting me down! I don't see you complaining about my talents when you're having your five minutes of fun..." "Now don't even start with that! Look, I don't want to fight! Let's just go get your necklace." "I need more money!" "What?!" "What you gave me isn't enough for the one I want!" "Didn't you just say Jasmine sells cheap quality shit?" "Yeah, but that old bitch charges an arm and leg for it, so I need more money!" You shake your head and reach into your pocket. "(Sigh) Fine. Here, take it! Take it all!" you exclaim and hand over most of your coins to Annah, who takes them without blinking an eye. At this point you're wondering why if she thinks you're such a bad bum to her that why is she with you at all. "Thanks baby!" Annah beams and kisses you. Well that answers your question. As Annah grabs your arm while you walk to Jasmine's shop, you continue to think about leaving here. The only thing is, are you going to do it like your sister did and just leave in the middle of the night, or are you going to actually say goodbye first? You sort of think with as much grief as you give your parents, they might actually like to at least say goodbye to you seeing as they didn't get that chance with your sister. Of course that might be just wishful thinking on your part. "Okay, since you said you're not allowed in, just wait outside and I'll be out soon." Annah says as you get to Sparkling Treasures. "I'll be here." You remark. Annah hasn't been gone long when you encounter more trouble. "Well if it isn't the notorious thief of Teckville. Shouldn't you be skulking around in the shadows stealing from little old ladies?" It's Klint and ever since your sister left, he's been even more of an asshole to you and you're not really sure why. "Klint, seriously what the hell is your problem? I don't understand this continued antagonism towards me. I don't go over to your family's chicken farm and steal the cocks out of your hand." Klint as usual is slow on the uptake and doesn't even get the double meaning insult you just said, but he's mad at you anyway. "Because it's all your fucking fault! I could have gotten with your sister if YOU hadn't been around!" "Oh for fuck's sake, if my sister had ANY attraction to you, she certainly would have showed it. She didn't and now she's GONE, okay? Get the hell over it already..." Klint at this point starts getting closer to you and raising his voice and you begin to take a more defensive stance. "FUCK YOU! It was ALL your fault! How could I have a chance with her when YOU corrupted her! Tell me...did she smell like flowers when you embraced her? Did she taste like honey when you kissed her? Did the very heavens move when you plunged into her?" he asks with a mixture of anger and resentment, but also with a glint of eagerness that you'll tell him. While you knew Klint was always a bit obsessed with your sister, you never quite knew how bad it was until just now. He's totally lost it. "Klint, contrary to what the rumors are, none of that happened you sick fuck. Look, just go home before something bad happens..." you say. "Oh something bad is gonna happen alright sister fucker!" He says and then brandishes a knife partially covered in blood and with a few feathers stuck to it. And of course nobody is around to see all this despite it being broad daylight. Or maybe they're just watching from windows and don't care. You're not exactly popular after all. "Klint, put that knife back and just walk away now." You say stepping back. "Everyone in this town hates you, y'know. Even that whore you hang around with now. She came on to me the other night saying how she wanted a proper fuck as opposed to your pathetic attempts. I didn't fuck her though; I just let her suck my dick. Did she kiss you today? Ha ha ha ha!" You ignore Klint's ramblings and continue to focus on his knife, which is now aiming towards your face, even if you are trying to widen the gap between you two. "Klint, last chance to get that knife out of my face." "Or you'll what?" Well it's a good question, what are you going to do? > You draw your own dagger This asshole is trying to kill you! You're not taking any chances. No sooner have you drawn your own dagger when Klint swings at you a couple times and you barely have time to dodge. Luckily for you, despite his size Klint isn't all that skilled in combat. While you've never really been in more than a few scuffles as a kid yourself, you've taught yourself what you THINK is adequate fighting knowledge. Also the very real threat of Klint seemingly trying to kill you is causing a survival instinct to kick in. You don't think, you just see an opportunity causing you to swing with your dagger. It's a hit and Klint touches the side of his face and looks at the fresh blood from the medium slash you landed on his cheek. For a moment, Klint is in disbelief. He begins shaking and breathing hard. You think he's going to start crying or even run away because he realizes that this is a real fight with real consequences. Klint instead screams with rage until his face is beet red. It's sort of unnerving, but you stand your ground. Swinging his knife wildly, he charges at you still screaming the entire time. You dodge out of the way, but your leg doesn't completely clear the charge and you fall to the ground face first. Fortunately you trip up Klint in the process, who instead of taking advantage, continues to stumble in the direction he was already running in. Unfortunately, Annah was just coming out of Jasmine's shop at the time. "Hey what's...AH!" Annah yelps as Klint's knife goes straight into her stomach. You recover just in time to see Klint hovering near her body with his knife in it. She's lying up against the door of Jasmine's shop as blood seeps out and dyes her clothing red. "Annah?" you utter, but she doesn't answer she just looks down at her wound, holding it and then looks at you with a mixture of shock, pain and sadness. Klint on the other hand turns to you with a face that's now completely drained of all its rage and is a little shock himself. "I didn't...I didn't mean..." is all he stutters. ANNAH!" you shout and now you're the one that's going out of your mind. Klint tries to defend himself, but you're relentless. Klint falls backwards as you attack and ignoring any sort of pain he's caused with his fists or feet you begin stabbing him in the chest like a madman. Klint screams are now ones of pleading rather than anger. It doesn't matter if it was an accident. It doesn't matter that he just said she cheated on you with him (Which might've been a lie anyway). It doesn't even matter that she's bitching at you all the time and you were strongly considering leaving her soon anyway. The fact is, you did have a relationship with her and to some small degree you did care. He begs you to stop killing him, but you've snapped. He's caused you nothing but trouble for your sister and yourself. You're ending it today and with one more strike, you thrust your dagger in his throat and then pull it out. Klint's screams become gurgles as he clutches his bloody throat. His body convulses a bit as you stand up drenched in blood. You don't stand there and watch him die however, you instead run over to Annah who is still bleeding out with a knife in her belly. "Shit, shit, Annah, it's gonna be okay. My dad's a doctor remember? He...he...he'll fix this. I'm gonna go get him. Just...just hang on baby..." you say before you're suddenly pulled away by two strong hands. "GET AWAY FROM HER MURDERER!" a gruff voice shouts from behind. Still at a heightened state of alert, you stab at whoever it is behind you, and just manage to nick their arm before twisting away. You now see that your fight with Klint has drawn out a lot of the townsfolk. Bastards were probably watching the entire time. The man who tried to pull you away was the Wilfred the pub owner. It's a good thing he's not one of the appointed town watch, but it probably won't be long. "You little bastard! You see that? He tried to kill me too! Someone get the town watch! Someone go get Klint's family too, they need to know what this murderer did to their boy!" Wilfred shouts as he clutches his bleeding arm. Several other townsfolk go running off shouting about your deeds, and a few others look as if they're going to take their chances apprehending you themselves and while Wilfred is a fat out of shape barkeep, you don't know if you'd do as well against the blacksmith who is now approaching you with a hammer in hand. With a lynch mob starting to form, you do the only thing you can and that's run. After a few moments of running and backtracking, you've managed to make it home and lose most of the ones that were half heartedly trying to nab you, but it won't be long before what passes for real law enforcement around here is beating down your door. You only have a short time to gather what you can and get the hell out of here. Of course as soon as you come in, your mother sees you covered in blood and demands to know what is going on. "By the gods! What have you done!? What have you DONE?!" your mother shouts. "I didn't do anything! Where's dad?!" you ask. "I'm right here....oh shit. Fuck! What the hell did you do now?!" your dad says walking into the room. "I didn't do anything! But Annah is severely wounded, you gotta help her. She's got a knife in her stomach and she's over by Jasmine's shop! Please! You have to hurry!" you exclaim. "Are you the one who stabbed her?" your father asks. "What?! NO! Klint stabbed her, but everyone thinks....look... I gotta get outta here, just go help her!" you say and push both of your parents out of the way to go gather a few things from your room. Surprisingly your father doesn't say much more, he just gathers up his emergency physician's bag and mutters to himself. You think you hear him saying how you're a fuck up before he leaves, but that's about it. Your mom on the other hand as you're hastily grabbing a few items, is tearfully going on about how you (And your sister) wasted your potential and she doesn't know where she and your father went wrong. You have little time and it isn't much, but you try to reassure her that it isn't either of their faults. You'd like to calm her down some more, but there are a bunch of people soon banging at the door. "STOP HIDING BEHIND YER MAMA'S SKIRT AND GET OUT HERE MURDERER!" you hear a voice shout. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything. I...I gotta go." You say as you leave your mother crying and go to climb out your window. You manage to just get out of your backyard when you hear someone else shout that they see you and you're soon off and running from a mob again. It takes a bit of stealth and hiding on your part (along with distancing yourself from Teckleville) but eventually as the sky goes dark, you're fairly certain nobody from the town is still chasing you, or if they are, they might have made camp for the night. As for you, you're in the middle of a wood, still wearing your bloody clothes (fortunately you managed to grab some spare in your pack though) unsure of where you're going to go exactly. On top of it all you still don't know if Annah's dead. You're so tired. You can't even process all of it anymore. You have to rest. You find a tree that looks sturdy and high enough, so you climb it and prepare to sleep for the night. You just hope that anyone that might still be looking for you at this late hour doesn't think to look up. As you drift off to sleep, your thoughts go to your sister. "Well sis, whether things are working out for you or not right now, at least your exit wasn't like this." > Next day You wake up fairly early, but then you didn't really sleep much to begin with. This was more of a brief rest anyway. After a quick check to see if anyone is in the area, you get out of your bloody clothes and change into some new ones. You might not be properly clean, but it's better than you were. You then check your supplies, which aren't much. You've got a few coins, but you aren't excessively worried about that since food and water are more important out here in the wilderness. You've got a little food and water, but it isn't going to last long. The only weapon you have currently is your dagger. Part of you is only just now starting to feel the various negative emotions involving your parents and Annah. You can only imagine the shitstorm they're facing because of your actions. You just hope that they don't suffer the consequences of what you did. Then there's Annah. You feel like you should be feeling a lot sadder about her, maybe even crying a bit, but maybe you got all those emotions out of your system when you killed Klint. Still seems a bit surreal that you killed someone. Not just anyone, but someone you knew since childhood, even if you didn't like him. You definitely don't feel bad about it and while that can be due to several understandable factors, you can't help but wonder if you could do it again under different circumstances. You may have to, especially now, though your mind certainly went to a dark place during that time. Whatever the near future holds, you'll have to deal with it when it happens. Right now you have to make a decision on where you're going to go because you're not exactly hot on the idea of staying out here in the wilderness. Your first thought is to head west to the city-state of Klyton. It's certainly the closest city and it's the direction you ran from Teckleville anyway. The problem is if anyone from Teckleville is still searching for you, that's going to be the first place they look. Still, Klyton is the only place you really have any basic knowledge about thanks to your parents both being originally from there. Your father never really spoke too much about it, just saying that the only thing worthwhile that he got there was your mother and he was glad when they finally moved to Teckleville to be closer to your grandmother at the time. Your mother on the other hand didn't speak so ill of the place, which is surprising since she grew up in a lower class area than your father did. She even said that sometimes she missed the times when she worked at the inn where she met your father in the first place. Of course her knowledge about the city is bound to be a bit out of date. Also, while Klyton has no jurisdiction over Teckleville, it has been known to apprehend wanted criminals from elsewhere trying to hide out there. Not to mention the place in general has a fairly good reputation (And they want to keep it that way) as far as its own security goes. The Delantium Kingdom to the east isn't really high on your choice list. For one thing, you'd have to backtrack around Teckleville to go in that direction. From what you've overheard, the kingdom has been slowly trying to expand again which sounds a lot like more soldier types running around and that's the last thing you need. Still, the kingdom is a big place and they can't possibly be everywhere. Sivak is the closest major city there. The only other nearby bastion of major civilization you can think of that's close is another city state by the name of Holgard. It's to the south and in terms of existence, it's only a little older than you are. It was founded by a noble from the Delantium Kingdom. Originally it was most likely supposed to be some sort of outpost or colony for the DK. But whatever the original intent, the noble soon set himself up as absolute ruler with no ties to the kingdom at all. For whatever reason, the DK hasn't taken any action against him, whether that's because the cost wouldn't be worth it, they've got more important things to deal with or they're simply glad to have him gone is unknown. The third possibility isn't entirely out of the question either, since you've overheard travelling merchants say that Baron Varsakken is a very unlikable man and it's amazing he hasn't suffered any assassination attempts. His children are apparently little better. Still, you've also heard the place is filled with corruption so it would probably be a better place to do your work than Klyton. > Klyton You figure it might be best to head somewhere that you can at least get your bearings about what you're going to do in the long term with your life. Still, it would be best to stay off the road and stick to the wilderness. With a new goal, you head in the direction of Klyton and hoping nobody from Teckleville is tracking you. You stick to the woods figuring that it will provide you with more cover. You keep alert for possible denizens that lurk in the woods themselves, but besides a lot of birds and a few normal animals, you don't encounter anything out of the ordinary. You even manage to get a good night's sleep, well as good as you can get with as paranoid as you are. Unfortunately the woods eventually begins to thin and if you continue walking the way you are going, you're going to be in the open plains and if you're going to march across the open fields, you might as well just walk on the road since you'll be just as exposed. Since you're not exactly in danger of starving or anything and the woods themselves seem fairly safe, you decide to play it cautiously by staying in the woods for the rest of the day and travel in the open at night. Hopefully it won't be a much longer trek to Klyton. You take the opportunity to rest up some more and when the only light in the sky is that of the dim moon, that's when you leave the edge of the woods. The trees around you soon disappear and all that's left is you in the open countryside and the occasional sounds of nocturnal animals. You walk across the fields for a while, but as the grass starts getting knee high, you start hearing unfamiliar sounds. While you hope it is only a harmless nocturnal animal (or rather several of them judging by the noises) you get concerned that you might be at a disadvantage if it isn't, so you quickly make your way back towards the road where you have better vision of any potential low to the ground threats. The road is just as empty as the plains you just left. You continue to keep aware of your surroundings by keeping an ear out for various sounds. You still have this idea that you're suddenly going to hear Teckleville watchmen on horses galloping on your position. You continue down the road and once again you see something out of the ordinary. This time though it's a hanging cage along side the road. You've heard of those before. Klyton apparently uses them when the jails are full and the criminal hasn't done anything bad enough to deserve outright death. So they get put in these cages until they eventually die of starvation, exposure or someone grants the mercy of killing them. Either way they aren't the city's problem anymore. Seems like it would be kinder to kill them immediately. You walk a little further and you see a few more of them on both sides of the road. Well if there's anyone inside them, they're going to be safely locked in a cage. First couple cages you pass are empty. The next one has a decaying smell as you pass, but nobody is in it. You notice on the other side of the road a couple of the cages have bodies in them, but seeing as they aren't moving, you can only guess you're probably walking by corpses. At least you think you are. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any extra water would you?" you suddenly hear one of the slumping figures in the cage say. Well you may have decided to travel at night, but it would seem you're encountering more people than you thought. "Uh, no not really." You answer. "That sounded really convincing there son. Come on, if you got any you could spare some. You always got the luxury of grabbing yourself a drink at the first tavern in Klyton...assuming you're even old enough...I can't quite see you, but you sound fairly young." The figure in the cage says. "I'm not young, I'm a grown man!" you exclaim. "Oh. Well apologies then. So can you please spare any water, I'm dying of thirst over here." "Why should I trust you? You're in a cage meant for criminals." "So? What, do you think I'm going to suddenly attack you or something? Even if I had the strength to grab you from between the bars and choked you out or something, that wouldn't exactly help my situation now would it? If anything it would just be harder to beg for water from the next person that passed by given that your corpse would be near my cage." Strangely that logic makes a bit of sense to you. "I'm not a violent criminal anyway. I'm just in here because I was a little down on my luck and stole some food. Unfortunately Klyton is pretty overzealous when it comes to their laws." The man goes on to say. "So you're a thief?" you ask. "Only out of survival." "Explains why you got caught. You're not a professional." You say. "Oh? Well more apologies then, I didn't realize I was speaking to a master fucking thief. Of course if you're so good, why the hell are you wandering out here in the boonies? Shouldn't you be stealing the King of Delantium's jeweled chamber pot or something?" "Hey, if you're still expecting me to give you any water you're doing a piss poor job at convincing me." You say getting a bit agitated and stepping closer to the cage. From this distance you get a better visual on the man in the cage. He looks about of average build, and he's a lot older than you. In fact he looks like he might be around your dad's age. Of course he gets a better look at you as well. "Heh. You barely have any stubble on your face! I knew you were just a kid! Something about you though...you look strangely familiar." The man remarks. "I don't think so, I've never been to Klyton." You say. "No, you don't look like you have. You look more like someone from a small town...say you wouldn't be from Teckleville would you? That is the closest town around here." "...um no why?" you say and then silently cursing yourself that your lie didn't come out natural. "I'll take that slight pause as a yes and you really need to work on your attempts at misdirection and lying. What sort of thief are you?" "Better one than you obviously, you can't even pick the easy lock on your cage." "Yeah, yeah, so Teckleville huh? Hmm....wait a minute!" The man suddenly asks if you know a doctor from Teckleville, and then goes into a description somewhat matching your dad, even mentions him by name. Does this man know your father? Since you seem to be messing up on your lies right now, you just go ahead and confirm his suspicions. "The gods are truly merciful this night! I knew your father! You look a lot like him when he was young. My name's Tom and I used to go to school with your father!" "You mean in the university?" "No, I used to go to primary and high school with him. I was one of his friends during childhood. I mean sure we drifted apart obviously, even more so when I dropped out altogether, but me and him were always alright with each other! I heard he moved to Teckleville years ago and had a family. Didn't know his son was a thief though...how the hell did that happen?" "Long story." "Hm, I'll bet...so you were saying this big ass lock on my cage looked easy?" "Yeah, I've picked more complex merchant lockboxes." You say confidently. At this point Tom stops slouching and begins to move towards you as much as he can in his cage. "That's good...that's good....so hey instead of water, how about you set me free?" "What? Why should I do that?" "Oh come on! I was a friend of your father's! Surely he's mentioned all the fond memories of us playing smash sphere after school." "Well, actually my father doesn't speak much about Klyton or the past at all. He prefers to forget it. Says it was mostly stressful." "Oh....well hey how about this deal then? You've never been to Klyton, so how about in exchange for my freedom I give you some basic information on some of the neighborhoods and potential places you could easily go burgle. I mean obviously I'm rubbish at it, but if you're as good as you say you are, they should be easy for you. You might have less of a problem with releasing him if you could somehow confirm he is who he says he is. Tom certainly seems to know bits about your father that would be hard to know by some complete stranger. Your father never said anything about former childhood friends though, or if he did you weren't paying attention. > You release Tom The promise of loot is always a helpful push in any direction. Even if he's lying about being a friend of your father's, dying a slow death in a cage is still a pretty horrible way to die just for stealing food. And while he could also be lying about that as well you're confident in your abilities that if he tries anything, you'll be able to defend yourself if necessary. At worst he's probably going to just run off. "Okay, I'm going to take big risk here, but I'm going to release you, but if you try anything I'm more than capable of defending myself. I've killed before!" you exclaim. "Whoa there son, I'm not going to do anything! If anything I'm going to be your best friend for life if you set me free. Look I'll even step as far back as I can in this cage and put my hands behind my back while you pick the lock!" You're still a little wary, but you pull out your little lock pick set and begin to work on the big lock. "So...you're a killer along with being a thief huh? That's quite the combination kid. I'm sort of having a hard time believing it." "Why? Because I don't look like one? Because I'm young?" you say. "Heh, neither of those. Known a lot of killers that don't look the part. Also known a lot of killers younger than yourself. Just having a hard time believing it because of who your father is. While your father certainly wasn't some goody two shoes as a kid, he certainly didn't go seeking out major trouble. Never did anything illegal as far as I know. I sort of figured if he ever had kids of his own, he'd teach them the same." You continue working on the lock while only really half listening to Tom's ramblings about your father. "He was always was focused on his goal of becoming a doctor. Heard even when he ran his dad's inn temporarily he did nothing but work hard all the time while still attending his classes. Yep, your dad certainly had his shit together by thinking about his long term future." "Guess so if you like boring." You mutter. "Boring huh? I suppose stability would be a little dull to some, still there are benefits. So is that why you're going around stealing and killing people? Running away from your boring small town and heading to the big city? Is this your form of rebellion?" Now you're getting irritated. "Look, I'm trying to work on this fucking lock and I'm having a hard enough time doing this in near darkness without you trying analyze my home life." "Okay, okay, I'll shut up." Tom remarks. After a bit of silence, you speak up again. "And for the record, I don't go around killing people for fun. I've only killed one and that's because the sonofbitch stabbed my girlfriend." You say. "...well shit kid. That's pretty damn horrible. Guess you did what you had to then, I can respect that. Did she..." "I dunno...hope not. Maybe my dad got to her in time. I had to sort of leave town in a hurry though." "Ah. I see." And with that, the big rusty lock makes a satisfying click and you back away from the cage. "There, it's done." Tom wastes no time he immediately opens the door and starts pacing and stretching. "Damn, you don't know how good it is to be out of that fucking thing! I should have been out of there yesterday." "Wait, what? You mean someone was already coming to get you?" "Well that was the pact I had set up with some friends of mine. If any of us ever got thrown in one of these cages, one of the others would help as soon as possible." "So how long you been in there?" "Oh about a couple days." "Couple days? You acted like you were in there for weeks!" "Yeah, well I was really thirsty, besides I still didn't know some stranger was going to set me free. By the way, thanks a lot and nice work on that lock." You shake your head at this situation. "Let me guess, you weren't caught stealing food either." "Stealing yes, food no. It was a job and well I'll tell you on the way back to Klyton. Come on kid." "Wait, you're going back and you expect me to just follow?" "Well sure, didn't you at least want to know the ins and outs of the city, best places to steal from, the neighborhoods and all that? Look, I know I lied a bit, but you helped me out and with your skill set I got a feeling you'd do really well in our organization." "Organization?" "Yeah, I'm a very important member of the Crimson Talons!" Tom says with some pride, you on the other hand look blank. "The Crimson Talons. By the gods kid, surely you've heard of us. I know your dad didn't exactly hang out with outlaws, but the Talons were pretty infamous in Klyton! Used to maintain control over all criminal activity in the city!" Tom remarks. "Used to?" you ask. "I mean they still do...it's just um...well things are a bit different now...look you're gonna wanna make good connections in this line of work and right now I'm giving you a perfect opportunity to make some fucking great ones at no cost! You come with me, meet a few people and if you feel like we're not your style, well I promise you can just walk away. You really don't have anything to lose." As much as Tom as been telling half-truths and outright bullshit, he's sort of right in that you don't really have much to lose. You're already an outlaw from your own home and everything you own is on your person and that isn't much. Not to mention you probably would have lied to gain help in the same situation. You suppose there isn't much harm in going to see what the Crimson Talons are all about. Still, you're going to take whatever Tom is saying with a grain of salt, because on top of all the other lies he's already told, you have a hard time believing that he's really all that important in the organization. "Okay, I'm interested, but how are you sneaking past the city gates. I can't imagine the city guards are going to just let someone in that just escaped from a hanging cage." You say. "Oh, there's better way to get in and out of the city. We're going through a secret tunnel." Tom remarks. "That would certainly solve that problem. Well let's go, I guess." "Great, I'm anxious to get back. They're probably going to be surprised to see me, but believe me, I'm gonna have my own questions of why they didn't come get me sooner! Now let me go over how to act and the boss' personality just so you're prepared..." And with that, you and Tom are on your way to see his Crimson Talon cohorts... > Later... "Ah, here we are, just up these stairs and through that door." Tom says. "And here I was just getting used to walking through shitty water." You say. "Hey, the sewers are the best way to get around the city. The guards don't patrol as much down here and even when they do, they don't patrol certain areas." "Can't say as I blame them, I've been on the verge of puking since we entered your secret tunnel which you neglected to mention was actually a foul forgotten sewer drain entrance." "Hey, this is the business we're in kid. It ain't always convenient and comfortable. Besides you get used to the smell. Come on." Tom and you walk up some stone stairs and Tom bangs on a sturdy looking wooden door. "Hey! It's me! Open up!" Tom shouts, a few moments pass and a scruffy looking man rubbing his head opens the door. "What the fuck you banging on the door like the city watch for? Wait...Tom? What the fuck are you doing here? Weren't you taken to cages?" "Yeah Vaughn, and where the hell were you guys? I thought you were supposed to come get me yesterday!" "The heat was still pretty bad, so we decided to lay low." Tom barges past Vaughn who follows and then you follow both as they continue to talk. You must be above the sewers now though this looks like it might be an abandoned building of some sort so far. It barely looks better than the sewers you just left. You see a few people who you assume are Crimson Talons, but they're either completely passed out or look like in various stages of being drunk or hung over. Bottles of spirits are all over the place and now you're starting to wonder just how "powerful" the Crimson Talons are really supposed to be. "Decided to lay low huh? Looks more like you lot stayed down here, had a party, got liquored up and forgot about me!" Tom remarks. "Now that's just not true! We didn't even spend your cut of the loot! You can even check your room! Nothing's been touched!" "I swear I'm not here for a few days and this place goes to shit. Where's David?" "David? Um...he's dead." "What?! He wasn't even on the job at the time. He was here!" "Yeah, well when the rest of us were coming back from the job, he apparently got into an argument with the boss. A really bad one about how he didn't like the way Edmond was running things. It didn't go well for either of them. Edmond might have been old, but he managed to overpower David and killed him. Unfortunately I guess it was all a bit too much exertion, because the boss died of a heart attack like almost immediately afterwards." "Wait...you're saying the boss is ALSO dead?!" "Yeah. We took both of their bodies to the usual spot if you wanted to say a few things to David..." "I'm sure the rats have stripped both corpses by now...(sigh) so who's the new boss?" "Um, nobody. We haven't really gotten around to figuring it out yet...but hey your name came up as a potential candidate! I don't think anyone else wants the job." At this point you start laughing. "I'm sorry I doubted you Tom. I obviously was way off about not believing that you weren't one of the most important people in this organization." "Who's this asshole?" one of the nearby members asks stirring from his hang over. "Someone who actually helped me out, Jake." Tom says shaking his head at all this new information and just tells you to come with him while he checks his room. Tom's room in this dump isn't quite as bad as the rest of the place. It even looks like he's taken great pains to make it look "neat." After looking through his drawers and small chest, he breathes a sigh of relief. "Well, as shocking as it is. All my stuff is actually still here, even my cut. Glad to see I'm somewhat respected around here." "Yeah, they just forgot to spring you from a cage." "Yeah well, I'm here now." "And so am I. So now what? You brought me here to potentially join your little organization, but so far I'm not really impressed with the organization part. I thought you guys were supposed to be infamous or something." Tom sits down and exhales deeply, rubbing his face. "Yeah, we once were. The truth is, even by the time I got involved with his organization, it was on the decline. Still had the vicious rep at least though, maybe a bit too vicious since it probably encouraged Klyton's crackdowns and tightening up of security. Things just got worse over the years as more skilled members got arrested, killed or just quit for better pastures." Tom explains. "People could just quit? I sort of though joining something like this was a for life type of thing." "It typically is, which is why you can see how much trouble we're in if people can just up and quit! It didn't really help when the Ebony Claw Syndicate showed up here briefly." "Who the hell are they?" "Another criminal outfit. Much larger than us by far. They're based in the Delantium Kingdom, but I believe they have a strong presence in Holgard too. Edmond was an idiot when dealing with them, though I guess that was mainly pride." "What did he do?" "Well the Ebony Claw had heard of the Talons and their problems with Klyton's improved security. However, they also knew of our reputation even if it was a bit tattered at that point. Out of respect, they offered to help the Talons. The deal was we'd still have reign over Klyton, keep our identity and have to access to Ebony Claw resources, but we'd have to give a cut of all the profits we made to them. Not sure what the percentage was, but Edmond wasn't pleased with it. Though like I said, it could have been free and he probably would have turned them down." "So did they cause you a lot damage as well?" "If they did, it wasn't directly. Their representative just left and we haven't heard anything from them since. Despite never seeing any signs of the Claw again, Edmond got even more paranoid than he already was. Started organizing riskier jobs and accepting anyone who was desperate enough to join. He was convinced we were going to have to deal with the Claw again so we needed to be prepared. All that ultimately happened was with all the new unskilled people we got sloppier and caused even more heat to bear down on us and well, this is what we're reduced to today." Sheesh, this is pretty damn depressing. It's almost enough to make you rethink your own career choice. Almost. At this point Tom stands up. "Shit, I have no idea what comes next. If I was smart I suppose I'd get out. Of course if I was smart, I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place." Tom says. "Can't you just start over elsewhere?" you ask. "I thought about heading to Hessla, but that place is overrun by pirates nowadays. Spending days at sea isn't exactly my thing. Nah, Klyton's my home and for better or worse I'm staying here." "So are you taking over the Talons as boss?" "I dunno, I never really thought of myself as a leader since it seems like a lot of headache, but I suppose out of all of us that are left, I do have the most experience and years on my side. I suppose given that my face is more well known now due to being thrown in a cage by the city watch, being the boss has appeal since I won't have to risk going out in public as much. I guarantee if I get nicked again, it'll probably be the death penalty. Well anyway what're your plans? You still interested in joining or is that a silly question?" Not too silly though since despite the deplorable state the Crimson Talons are in, you sort of wonder about the potential. Before you though maybe if you joined such an organization, you'd probably be considered just another low ranking flunky. However through barely any effort on your part, you may have just secured a high ranking position in the organization by helping out the new leader of it. You think if you joined and made a go of it, you'd at least have a lot of input. Who knows, maybe the organization will get back on its feet. If it did, you'd be even better off. Of course this is going to be a lot of work and you are still new. While Tom might like you, the other members may see you as an upstart. Getting a knife in the back from a bunch of folks who are supposed to be watching it is a real possibility. You might be better off going off on your own. > You join the Crimson Talons There is an opportunity here and you're not passing it up. "Well, this isn't exactly how I expected to start out here in this city, but I'd be a fool to dismiss the potential help. I could probably learn a few things while I'm here. In fact I'm used to working with a partner anyway." You say. "Really? I figured you for a loner." Tom says. "Well I sort of got forced into that situation. Before that, my twin sister and I used to steal from travelling merchants in Teckleville all the time before she left to pursue her dreams of being a bard. Worked with my girlfriend after that, but she wasn't quite as good at it...you know the rest." "Hm, well I can honestly say I'm glad you decided to join. Your skills are going to come in useful and as you can already tell I'm going to need all the help I can get. Guess since I'm the boss, I'll take Edmond's old room. You can have this one. It's one of the better ones in this place so consider it part of your reward for rescuing the leader of Crimson Talons." Tom chuckles. "Is the other part money?" "Yeah, you greedy little bastard. Here and I think I don't have to tell you not to brag about getting this room or the coinage. Last thing I need is people getting jealous of others, especially when they haven't been here as long." Tom says and hands you some gold coins from a small pouch. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this. Hell, I can't even believe David's dead, let alone the boss. (Sigh) Damn idiot. Still...I'm gonna miss him." "Was David your friend?" "Yeah, I suppose he was. He was an asshole most of the time towards me. Always thought it was funny to sat untrue things about my mother, but I knew him since childhood too and he was often there to help if I needed it. If he had still been alive, I would have been out of that cage on time. I'm guessing your father never mentioned him either." "Not that I can recall." "Well no matter, I guess we need to introduce you to the rest and I need to make my formal declaration that I'm going to be running things." Tom says. "Okay, let's go then." And so begins your life with the Crimson Talons... > Time passes... Year 17 "Another good haul!" Jake laughs. "Yeah, that old man didn't know what hit him." Vaughn remarks. "Old bastard is lucky we didn't kill him." Zalmora says. Meanwhile you just shake your head at the lot you've hooked up with. While you knew this organization had some problems, you thought there was going to be an attempt at restructuring it by Tom. He seems content however on just taking a hands off approach, or at least an approach that doesn't involve a lot of rules. Which you guess is good in some ways, but it's not exactly doing this organization any favors, especially with this lot who barely plan anything out. If it wasn't for you being so cautious, you think the militia would have apprehended most of this crew already. Most of them don't seem to realize that this city is too damn secure to just go on the way they've been going on. A lot more subtlety and a lot less smash and grab is in order. Still, you feel like you've already invested a bit in this organization by sticking around this long so you're not willing to bail out just yet, but something is going to have to change soon and you're going to bring it up to Tom. "Hey lockboy, why're you so quiet over there?" Vaughn remarks. "Just thinking about something." You respond. "You do a lot of that don't you?" Zalmora says. "He does a whole lot of nothing. Don't know why Tom even sent you with us on this job, you were pretty useless." Jake says. "Well, I agree my skills do go to waste when the plan isn't followed. I was supposed to pick the lock to the door and then one of you was supposed to quietly subdue the old man if he woke up and the others cleaned out the place. Instead what YOU did, was break the window on the door and unlock it that way. When that inevitably woke up the old man, you lot spent a bunch of unnecessary time taunting and beating him unconscious." You say. Jake stops walking back to the Talon hideout and walks over to you. "Yeah? And what of it? Listen you little shit; you're just some small town snot nosed punk. You know exactly fuck all about what it means to be a Crimson Talon. If you don't like the way we do things, you can just leave. Not like you'd be missed." "Hold on, hold on. We had a good night. No need for all this, let's just get back to Tom, okay?" Vaughn says getting a little bit in between the pair of you. Jake's been on your case since day one. You just know you're going to have to deal with him someday. Maybe today is that day. > You take a swing at Jake This guy reminds you of Klint, another bully who thinks he can just talk shit louder than everyone else to scare them into submission. Well, it ultimately didn't work out for Klint and if Jake makes this difficult for you, it's not going to work out for him as well. You punch at Jake, but due to Vaughn being in the way, your fist doesn't quite connect and you just tap Jake in the face a bit to knock his head back briefly. "Too bad. That was your best chance." He says and lunges. "Hold on! SHIT!" Vaughn shouts as he gets out of the way of Jake and yourself. Jake tackles you to the ground and you try to throw another punch, but this time Jake catches your fist. His grip is very strong. A lot stronger than you thought he'd be actually. "Not this time." He says and then smashes his fist into your nose, breaking it and causing blood to flow from your nostrils. You have a hard time catching your breath, but that's a secondary feeling when Jake proceeds to break your wrist and then punch you in the face again. "Jake! Stop! You made your point!" Zalmora shouts. "Come on Jake, get off..." Vaughn says attempting to move Jake off of you. You feebly throw a punch with your one good hand, but again you don't connect very well and only manage to his Jake's side. Meanwhile Jake punches your two more times in the face nearly knocking you out completely and certainly knocking out several teeth. Eventually Vaughn and Zalmora pull Jake off of you who is laughing. "Knew you weren't shit. Good luck picking a lock with one good hand for awhile!" Jake says and begins walking away. Zalmora comes back to you and helps you up. It's actually amazing that you're able to stand though you're having a hard time with the balance. Your vision is blurry and your face looks like its been through a meat grinder. "Hey, pit fighting champ! You okay? You see me? You know where you're at?" Zalmora asks. You hear her just fine, you're just trying to gather what strength you have and keep your focus on that laughing asshole Jake who is continuing to walk away from you. You draw your weapon. "No! Wait!" Zal says before you push her aside and sprint towards Jake fully intent on revenge. Unfortunately Vaughn and Zal shout at you to stop, which gives Jake enough warning to turn around. Jake falls to the ground and trips you with his legs. You fall face first and drop your weapon. You don't get another chance to get up before Jake takes advantage of your position by jumping on your back and wraping his arms around your neck. "Stupid fucker, you brought all this on yourself. Jake says and then with a quick twisting motion he snaps your neck like a twig.

[Themes: fantasy, fantasy] Year 17 "Another good haul!" Jake laughs. "Yeah, that old man didn't know what hit him." Vaughn remarks. "Old bastard is lucky we didn't kill him." Zalmora says. Meanwhile you just shake your head at the lot you've hooked up with. While you knew this organization had some problems, you thought there was going to be an attempt at restructuring it by Tom. He seems content however on just taking a hands off approach, or at least an approach that doesn't involve a lot of rules. Which you guess is good in some ways, but it's not exactly doing this organization any favors, especially with this lot who barely plan anything out. If it wasn't for you being so cautious, you think the militia would have apprehended most of this crew already. Most of them don't seem to realize that this city is too damn secure to just go on the way they've been going on. A lot more subtlety and a lot less smash and grab is in order. Still, you feel like you've already invested a bit in this organization by sticking around this long so you're not willing to bail out just yet, but something is going to have to change soon and you're going to bring it up to Tom. "Hey lockboy, why're you so quiet over there?" Vaughn remarks. "Just thinking about something." You respond. "You do a lot of that don't you?" Zalmora says. "He does a whole lot of nothing. Don't know why Tom even sent you with us on this job, you were pretty useless." Jake says. "Well, I agree my skills do go to waste when the plan isn't followed. I was supposed to pick the lock to the door and then one of you was supposed to quietly subdue the old man if he woke up and the others cleaned out the place. Instead what YOU did, was break the window on the door and unlock it that way. When that inevitably woke up the old man, you lot spent a bunch of unnecessary time taunting and beating him unconscious." You say. Jake stops walking back to the Talon hideout and walks over to you. "Yeah? And what of it? Listen you little shit; you're just some small town snot nosed punk. You know exactly fuck all about what it means to be a Crimson Talon. If you don't like the way we do things, you can just leave. Not like you'd be missed." "Hold on, hold on. We had a good night. No need for all this, let's just get back to Tom, okay?" Vaughn says getting a little bit in between the pair of you. Jake's been on your case since day one. You just know you're going to have to deal with him someday. Maybe today is that day. > You let it go As much as you might feel the urge to do so, you resist starting a fistfight. With a guy like Jake, it's likely to turn into something a little more fatal and this isn't like the situation with Klint. Jake isn't just some loudmouth bully with a chip on his shoulder. He's a real violent criminal and has loads more skill than you in a street fight. "Yeah..." you say still looking at Jake before walking past. When you get back, you're about to go straight to Tom who is in his office, but before you can Zalmora stops you. "Hey where are you going deep thinker? Aren't you going to celebrate our successful job?" "You guys seem to have a handle on that, besides don't really feel like celebrating with Jake." You respond. "Well how about just a private celebration between us then?" Zalmora says and moves in closer to you. You weren't aware Zalmora had any kind of attraction to you before, but it's definitely apparent now. "What? Seriously? Weren't aware you were interested in me." You say. "Hah, don't flatter yourself. I just want a quick tumble and I don't feel like finding myself some rent boy or dealing with Jake's usual asshole behavior right now. Plus, you're young and a lot less repulsive...hey are you a virgin?" Zalmora says. "Not that it's any of your business, but no." "Pity, might have been fun to deflower you." "I'm sure, but I'm not interested..." "What? You seriously can't be saying there's something wrong with the way I look! Oh shit, you're not like Vaughn are you?" "No...wait, how is Vaughn like?" "He's into guys. Thought that was obvious." "Never noticed, but no, I just got something important business to talk to Tom about." "Like what? More ideas about how to improve things around here? I know how you're not satisfied with how things are around here, but then I suppose you aren't the only one." "Well if everyone here isn't satisfied with how things are, why aren't changes being made? I mean Tom even said he was going to start reorganizing the Crimson Talons." "Hah. Tom's no leader. He's just leader because nobody else wants the hassle. Well except maybe Jake, but nobody really wants to follow him either." "So why stick around?" "Why not? What else are we going to do, get real jobs? Besides, things are actually going a little bit better than they were with Edmond. Tom's not likely to start executing folks over small mistakes at least. Plus in this line of work it's a lot better to have a few people watching your back. Now how about we stop all this talking and go to your room where you can watch my back up close?" Zalmora now puts her hand directly on your cock, which is definitely interested even if you claimed that you weren't. Well, you can think with one head or the other, but you can't do both. And like most guys your age (Or guys in general) you make your most important decision with your dick. You figure you can always talk to Tom later, but Zalmora might not be in the mood later if you turn her down now. She's actually attractive in a trashy sort of way (Sort of reminds you of Annah in that way), it's just she seemed sort of inaccessible since she was several years older and never paid much attention to you before. You and Zalmora go back to your room and get into it pretty quickly. You also learn a few things, which is a fun process even if she's a bit bossy about it. Eventually you're entirely spent and satisfied. "That it? Figured we'd go around a third time." Zalmora says. "Maybe in a few minutes. Um, you uh...good?" You ask. "More or less. You guys always fall a bit short, but at least I wasn't dealing with Jake's whiskey dick this time around. Thanks for asking though at least." You don't reply to that and instead just keep quiet, not wishing to dwell on any potential bedroom failings on your part, let alone Jake's dick. Zal soon breaks up the silence though. "So, Mr. ideas, what exactly were you going to bring up to Tom as far as changes and such?" Zal asks. "Why do you want to know?" you ask. "Because I'm a Crimson Talon and if you're going to be whispering ideas into Tom's head and I'm going to be affected by those changes, in the unlikely event he even listens of course. Besides, I might have a few ideas of my own." "If you have ideas, why not bring them to Tom's attention?" "I have. I don't think he likes me though. In fact I think he's got a deep-seated dislike of women in general. I'm sure it has something to do with his mother being a lesbian or something." "Wait, Tom's mother was a lesbian?" "Yeah. You didn't know that? His buddy David used to tell stories about her and make jokes all the time back when he was still alive. She used to work as a miner and had a girlfriend who Tom always insisted was just her roommate even though they slept in the same bed. Still in denial about it, though he might actually be that clueless. Y'know, I don't think he ever knew who his father was. Now that I think about it, I'm sort of wondering how Tom was even conceived in the first place considering from what I heard his mother was firmly into pussy." Well there's another bit of information you can add to your mental notes. "But getting back to my point Tom doesn't really want to be bothered to change things too much because as I said, he lacks the ambition to be a true leader. Still, he seems to like you since you rescued him from that cage and you generally don't give him grief, so maybe there's a chance. Come on, I let you into this temple I call a body, you can at least let me into that head of yours a bit." "You got a way with words Zal. Well okay, I suppose this stuff isn't really top secret or anything." You begin to tell Zalmora about your concerns with how things are done regarding robberies. There is little finesse, nobody sticks to a plan and it's more outright thuggery. You go on to mention that it might not be as much of a problem if you weren't in a city fanatical about curbing crime, but since you are, this is kind of a big problem in the long term. "Yeah...I hear you there. I admit we've all sort of gotten lazy about that over the years. I remember when I first joined I was one of the best cat burglars here. As things slowly deteriorated, guess I just said fuck it. So what else you think needs changing around here?" Zalmora asks. "Well for a criminal organization we aren't exactly diverse. Granted I don't know much about running something like this, but I have heard the old Crimson Talon glory day stories. The Talons used to have fighting pits, used to sell Green Lotus and Yellow Devil, we had whores, I mean a whole bunch of shit that brought in a steady revenue of coinage." Zalmora nods her head. "Yeah, you're right about that as well. I wasn't a member when they still had the fighting pits, but I do remember seeing a few when my dad bet on them. Even as a little girl I knew I liked seeing two big guys get all sweaty and bloody, beating the shit out of each other. I know there are the Klyton gladiators, but they wear so much damn armor that they barely get hurt and it's very rare to see a fatality. Pretty sure it's all fixed anyway. The Klyton Council probably makes a shitload of money off that racket. Too bad we aren't politicians." Zalmora says. "Well what about the other stuff?" "The drugs? Well Green Lotus or a milder form of it is legal here now, so that's out. Yellow Devil as far as I know was never a big money maker due to it having a major chance of causing the user's innards to melt and bleed from every orifice. Of course Blue Dream is the big one nowadays, but the Ebony Claw Syndicate mostly has a monopoly on its production and distribution. None of us knows how to make it or has connections. But then drugs have never been an interest of mine. The Talons actually did control a few whorehouses at one time, until government shut them all down and then built some nicer, fancier and Klyton run ones. Being a whore has never been more respectable. Okay, maybe not. But the point is, the Klyton Council effectively destroyed the Talons by legalizing shit and taking it over more than they ever did with just the militia." Before you can go into some of your other ideas, Zalmora stops you with some of her own. "While I'm impressed that you're thinking a lot more about this shit than most people here, I'm of the mind that for now, we should play more on our current strengths. We can diversify again later." Zalmora says. "Our current strengths are basically smashing people in their face and taking their shit. I thought we established that isn't exactly good in the long term." You remark. "It isn't in Klyton, but we could always start doing it outside of Klyton. Robbing caravans and such on the roads. It isn't like Jake is going to care where he does it and those two half elf whores will probably be ecstatic about working outside the city. Also, the militia isn't going to be as fanatical about tracking down shit that goes on outside the city." "Hmm, well that style would favor road robberies a lot more. It's still not really what I'm about though." "Well, you could always gather the intelligence for us. Find out what caravans and wagons are leaving, which way they're going, how well protected, all that stuff. Plus maybe you can start actively look for recruits." "Me?" "Why not? You spend most of your time walking around the city anyway when you're pilfering pocket in your free time. Not saying that you have to be the one to speak with them, but you could bring it to Tom's attention and I'm sure he'll be receptive. I'm sure when we build up our numbers AND wealth we can start branching out a bit more again. Like property and fronts." "So...is this all what I should propose to Tom?" you ask. "The plans to move our activities to mainly outside Klyton, yes. The rest of it, I'd keep a lid on until later. It will be better to not overwhelm him with suggestions. So, you ready for another round stud, or do we have to waste more time talking?" "Huh? Oh yeah, sure!" you say and immediately move on to more important matters. After spending more fun time with Zalmora, you do eventually get around to speaking with Tom and just like Zal predicted, he's actually receptive to your ideas. He says that it probably would be better to start reigning in the loot and pillage tactics in the city. "Really should have thought about doing it before. I was just so concerned about keeping everyone together and happy, I neglected to remember that I'm supposed to be improving our position as leader, not just being content on survival. Anyway, I'm sure this will be something everyone can get on board with, well the majority of them anyway. And yes, since you came up with all this, you can still keep your activities to Klyton while you seek out potential new members. I know you won't make a damn mess of things and generally keep your head down." Tom remarks. "Thanks. I'm really going to do my best to make this work." "I know you will kid, you've always been a good earner. Looks like Yag really blessed me when you I met you in that cage that night. Good thing the rest of that lot out there were late after all." "I guess so." You answer. "Okay, well let me go address this new change to everyone." Tom announces the changes and like with any change, everyone has an opinion. Mostly for the better thankfully. Jake complains the loudest, but when it's pointed out that it doesn't matter if he kills people as much, he grumbles slightly less. Zalmora is certainly pleased about all this and says she knew you' d be able to convince Tom better than anyone else. Only time will tell if any of these changes mean shit though. > Time passes... Year 21 "The Bloody Smiles are lead by a vicious bandit calling himself the Grinning Man. Nobody has gotten a really good look at him as most don't survive his attacks, but based on this crude sketch, I implore anyone seeing him to run and contact Klyton militia immediately! This man and his band of cutthroats have been plaguing the roads and the surrounding area for years and hopefully now that his identity is known..." You suddenly receive one of the many sketches a concerned citizen is handing out. You take one look at the sketch as you walk away from the crowd and shake your head. "Doesn't even look like that asshole." You say and toss it in a nearby bin. Jake's job has really been doing the trick as far as distracting the Klyton militia, though maybe it's been going a little too well. You suggested that Tom to pull him back from this two years ago, but predictably he never did. Zalmora and Vaughn returned pretty quickly after this plan went into action, though in Zal's case it seemed to be more because she wanted to get back into regular burglary again. Vaughn said he couldn't deal with Jake anymore and was getting too crazy. Now, he's given himself a nickname, gone on to call his group the Bloody Smiles and doesn't report back to Tom for months. When he does, he just sends one of the newer Talons with some goods and loot. While Tom as usual is taking a laid back approach to this figuring as long as he's still sending shit back then everything is good, you question whether Jake is even thinking about the Talons anymore. Meanwhile, you've been more or less successful in building up the Talon's numbers. Not as much as you'd like, but since you're the only one doing it, it is what it is. Despite all this extra help however, it's not being utilized properly. Most of it is being sent to help Jake as his numbers get whittled down every now and then and that's really a waste you believe. The ones you insist on keeping around to train are fewer in number and you're also the only one bothering to train them properly. You never thought you'd be in that sort of position. Occasionally Zal and Vaughn help out, but it's mostly fallen on you. Basically, it's a case where the opportunity to expand is there, but once again Tom is failing to pull the trigger on it. You should be setting up another underground fighting pit, setting up gambling dens or even running a protection racket. Something needs to be done about Jake because the Crimson Talons can't proceed if half of the members aren't even Talons anymore and have declared allegiance to another leader. "Something has to be done about Jake." You remark. "Like what?" Vaughn asks. "I dunno, but Tom can't just sit on his ass anymore about it. Jake hasn't done it yet, but it's only a matter of time before he splits off from the Crimson Talons altogether and takes half of our members that were assigned out there with him. Ideally we could just tell him to come home and his purpose out there is no longer necessary, but I doubt if he'll listen." "So...what? You just going to go in there and tell Tom what he needs to do?" Zalmora asks. "Someone needs to tell him something! As I remember it was me who told him to start changing shit up last time too." "That's true, but doesn't that sort of mean you're sort of responsible of what's going on with Jake? Pretty sure that's what Tom will point out as well." Vaughn says. You're about to tell Vaughn to shut the hell up when Zalmora interrupts. "While you have some good ideas as usual, honestly, I'm not sure why anything needs to be done about him. I say if Jake has split from the Crimson Talons, well that's more for us." Zalmora remarks. "Actually that's LESS for us since he won't even be sending his cut anymore." You say. "Maybe in the short term, but you're not thinking long term. The militia hasn't been as much of a problem in the city for us because they've been focused mainly on catching Jake and the rest. That gives us a little more freedom to expand like you said. Hell, now that Jake has foolishly started to give his group their own name, they aren't even directly connected to the Talons anymore." "So? If he gets caught he could still blab his mouth about our secret hideout." "Jake's a lot of things, but he ain't no rat. Chances are they won't even take him in alive anyway." "Okay, so maybe Jake's no rat, but what about some of others with him? I mean sure, we've all stressed how important loyalty is to the new recruits, but if Jake's gained their trust somehow, then they're loyal to him not to the Talons and they aren't going to think twice about ratting us out to save their own skin." "Hmm, you might have a point there." Vaughn says. "Look, all I'm saying is Jake not causing shit for us in the city and running around out there like a mad man is better for us. If he's gone, then the militia is just going to refocus more of their attention on the city again. I mean maybe it might be best to make it an official break up. Let Jake know he can go his way and we go ours. Might diffuse any potential problems with Jake. Dunno if Tom will be into that though." Zalmora says. "That's true too." Vaughn remarks. You rub your hands through your hair. "I dunno. Maybe. Something still needs to be brought up to Tom though." You say. "Oh I agree with you on that. It is time to give him a little push again." Zalmora remarks. "Well? Aren't either of you coming in with me?" you ask. "Um...I hadn't planned to. I mean it sounds like you've got this under control on what to discuss. I think me being there is just going to look like we're ganging up on him." Vaughn says. "Yeah. And as you know, Tom has never been fond of me. So I would be more of a detriment. Just go in and talk to him, you did fine last time remember?" Zalmora says nudging into you a bit. "(Sigh) Why do I feel like I'm the only one who cares about this organization?" "Hey! That's not even true! I just gave you my fucking thoughts on the situation didn't I? You bring up whatever you want to Tom. I'm sure everything will work out fine, he likes you after all." And with that, Zal and Vaughn leave to let you go speak with Tom. You swear you never thought the day would come where you would be known as the "diplomat." You guess your sister's charm rubbed off on you just a little bit. You sometimes wonder how she's doing. Probably better than you are at any rate. Mentally preparing yourself, you head to Tom's office, though when you think more about it, you don't know why you're mentally preparing yourself. It isn't like Tom's going to even threaten to kill you if he doesn't agree with what you have to say. At this point you're practically his second in command anyway and you're still baffled by this since you haven't been here nearly as long, though you suppose with all these new folks coming in, you are starting to become a "vet" as it were. "Hey Tom." You say entering his office. "Hey kid, any new blood you need me to check out and make a final decision on?" "Uh, no not today. I wanted to speak with you about another matter...it's about Jake." Tom's head drops down briefly with a deep sigh and then he looks up. "Yeah...I figured it might be getting close to dealing with that situation. Trust me, I HAVE been giving some thought to it, even though I'd rather not." Tom says. "Well I'm afraid something is going to have to be done about him. You can't just have a divided organization with half of it's members calling themselves something else and primarily pledging allegiance to another leader." You say. "Maybe it isn't that bad! I mean he's still providing a share of the loot to us right?" Tom says hopefully. "Perhaps, but think how much longer the intervals are starting to get, not to mention how much is he actually holding back? How long before he just stops sending altogether? No, we have to do something." "Are you suggesting an attack? Because while I know around where he's currently located, I'm not entirely sure of the exact area. He may have even moved since he has to do that a lot anyway. Fairly certain not only would he have the advantage, but even if we win, we're going to suffer heavy losses which sort of defeats the purpose." "I was thinking more of a stealthy assassination." "And you're going to do that?" "I could try. Maybe I could take a few others with me to help." "No offense kid, but even if he didn't have half our numbers with him and you had help I don't think you could take Jake. Jake is the best fighter we have and he's probably only gotten better since being out there. I'm not risking anyone in a foolish assassination attempt, let alone an internal conflict. Although...no...that's not an option..." Tom says trailing off. "What? What is it?" "Well...if we DID go this route, and I'm not saying we are. I know a few outside folks that might be able to do it without problems. Damn, I just wish there was a less messy way of handling this." "(Sigh) Well I hate to bring this up, but I have thought of a diplomatic solution which might be possible." You say. "Oh?" You explain to Tom about a potential split with Jake altogether and just letting him go his own way since he seems happier anyway. Tom isn't too fond of the idea since it no longer means gaining a cut of Jake's looting profits, but he's not outright dismissing it. In fact out of all the options, Tom still seems to think the best plan is to do nothing. At this point, you're wondering why you're bothering. > Assassination Something has to be done and the best way to do it is to kill Jake. Not like you were ever friends with him. "Look, we can't do nothing and if you aren't fond of diplomacy, then we need to kill Jake. So who are these independent assassins you know?" you ask. "Really only know two and out of those two, only one is a proper assassin and I don't know if it's even possible with him." Tom says. Frustration increases... "Okay, so tell me about the guy who isn't a proper ass

assin." you ask. "He goes by the name Olaf. He's actually an ex-Talon associate but after the fight pits closed down he went back to working as a leg breaker for Mr. Reynolds full time. You familiar with that man?" Tom asks. "Vaguely. Some sort of moneylender with connections in high places so the militia doesn't fuck with him. Actually, I think I remember my mother telling me my father's family was in debt to him at one point." "They did with the inn. Actually I even worked for the man briefly before I joined the Talons, but that's ancient history. Olaf is a big ass ogre who pretty much retired undefeated during his fighting pit days. He's older of course now, but I don't doubt that he couldn't take care of Jake and scare everyone else into submission. Hell, he probably could scare Jake into submission too. He'd probably even do it for free or at the least very cheap. He really likes hurting people." "Sounds good, so what's the catch?" "Well obviously Mr. Reynolds isn't going to just let him go wandering off so we'd probably have to pay him and that's what isn't going to be cheap. Plus, knowing Mr. Reynolds he'll have some other weird stipulation. You'll probably find out when you talk with him. Could be anything." This is sounding complicated already. You almost hesitate to ask about the other one. "Okay, so what about this other guy. The real assassin?" you ask. "You familiar with Sotakians?" Tom asks. "Just stories of them being lizard people that live in the swamps and fight with elves all the time." "Well, the old boss, Edmond actually acquired an egg and raised a Sotakian from a hatchling. Trained him to be a very literal cold-blooded assassin bodyguard. We all just called him Scales, but he never really had a proper name. He was very loyal too until he had some unknown disagreement with Edmond and just took off. Ed never told anyone to go get him either. Just said to let it go." "That doesn't sound very useful if he disappeared to parts unknown." "Oh he didn't go far. He actually lives in the Klyton sewers. Abandoned part granted, but he's actually part of the reason why the militia doesn't patrol down there that much and only in certain areas. Ol' Scales isn't very welcoming to intruders to his home." "Well how's this lizard going to be of any help then?" "Most of the time when Scales got a little obstinate Edmond showed him the broken egg that he hatched from. Not sure why it worked. Maybe it was a reminder that Edmond was the one who helped hatch him or something. Still have the broken egg just in case, you know? Maybe if someone approached him with the broken egg, Scales might be willing to listen to that person. Dunno, who would have the balls to go risk it though." "That vicious huh?" "Let's just say, Olaf USED to have an equally bad ass barbarian buddy by the name of Silence. Silence didn't like it when he lost a staring contest to Scales and things got violent. Olaf and Silence were best friends and Olaf didn't even ATTEMPT to attack Scales when he ripped out Silence's throat in five seconds. He just left the room and I can't be certain, but I think he might have even cried. Of course nobody was going to ask. Olaf certainly brutalized folks more than average in the fighting pits over the next few days after that though." So those are your choices and they both sound shitty. Honestly, you wish you could just take care of Jake yourself, but Tom is probably right about the fact that something like that isn't really your specialty, but talking to others and trying to convince them to do what you want is apparently a newer one you've acquired or at least one you've been thrust into. > You hire Olaf If Scales is killing people just for trespassing, you don't fancy your chances. At least with this ogre you're not going to get killed just for showing up. (You hope) Along with giving you the location of where Jake is supposed to be currently camped out, Tom gives you the directions to Mr. Reynolds place, though you've passed it a few times before during your stretch here in Klyton so you know where it is. From what you've heard, Mr. Reynolds hasn't changed his location in decades and he wasn't young when your grandfather (And later father) owed him money. While you've also heard he looks human, there are rumors that he isn't or he's at least cheating the aging process somehow. You aren't really interested in all that though; you just hope you won't have to pay some outrageous price for Olaf's services. You bid Tom goodbye and head on out to Mr. Reynolds' place which is a simple walk to one of the more rundown areas of Klyton. When you enter his simple place of business, you see a well dressed man with a goatee standing just inside the entrance flipping a knife into the air and catching it by the handle every time. He begins staring at you, but never stops flipping and catching his knife. You look to your right and see a large humanoid in an oversized chair, arms folded and snoring heavily. You wonder if this must be Olaf. He's certainly big and ugly enough to be an ogre, though in this state he almost looks peaceful rather than the menacing brute you heard about. "Ah, a customer! Well don't just stand there looking at my employees, come forward and let me see what I can do for you." A voice calls out from across the room. You see who could only be Mr. Reynolds. He's even better dressed than the employee flipping the knife. As you approach he doesn't look any older than his mid forties. Who know though and that's not why you're here. He smiles when you get to his desk. "Somehow. Somehow I KNEW you were going to come in here one day. You look like your father around the same time we did business. How is he anyway?" he asks. You don't even ask how he knows who you are. "He's uh...good I guess. Doctor now." You respond. "Good for him. Glad to hear things ultimately worked out after our business was concluded. And they say loans are a bad thing. So what can I do for you today? I assume it can't be for money as I know you're quite the skilled thief around town. I must say the Crimson Talons must be doing better nowadays. Pity you have that fool Tom in charge, but then these things are never permanent are they?" Mr. Reynolds says. "I guess not. Look I was told that you might be willing to let Olaf do some work for the Talons." "Hmm, must be pretty serious if you're looking for an ogre to take care of this work and not doing it yourself. What's this all about exactly?" You didn't really expect him to pry, but you feel like he's probably not even going to entertain the idea unless you tell him everything about the plan. So you tell him and he listens intently. Meanwhile Olaf is still snoozing and the other man is continuing to watch you. "Well that's certainly an interesting plan you got there and I can only assume the initial set up of it was equally as interesting. I just don't think I can loan you Olaf though. Sorry." Mr. Reynolds says. "What? We can pay your price. I mean as you said we're doing a lot better now." You say. "And I believe you, but I don't feel comfortable putting one of my employees at risk like that. He could very well die." "I was told Olaf was a champion pit fighter and this would be easy for him." "Of course he was a champion. Decades ago. Look at him, that beautiful white mane and beard he has isn't just for show, it denotes age! He's old and not the young killing machine he used to be. Oh sure he's good for intimidating a few deadbeats and even knocking them around a bit, but if I let him go do what you want him to do, he's going to die even if he somehow manages to succeed. And while Olaf wouldn't mind such a proud warrior's death, I happen to be good friends with his wife and she'd be very upset and I can't have that on my conscience." "Didn't know female ogres were so sensitive." "He's married to a Halfling, but my point is, Olaf isn't going anywhere." Well you certainly weren't expecting this. "(Sigh) So there's no way you can help me?" you ask. "Ah, now I didn't say that. While I can't loan you Olaf, I can allow you the services of my other employee Henry over there. Henry! Stop playing with your knife and get over here. Got work for you." Henry slowly walks over to the desk still never taking his eyes off you the whole time. He then takes his knife and stabs it into the desk as hard as he can. This action causes you to step back a bit and you prepare to draw your own weapon until Mr. Reynolds calms everyone down. "Relax. Relax, nobody is stabbing anyone here. My son is a little excitable at times." Mr. Reynolds says. "Your son? This man is your son?" you reply. "Sure. Can't you see the resemblance? Meh, I guess he does look a lot more like his mother Wendy. Anyway, not important. What is important is that Henry here has what they call a natural talent. He's been honing it since he was a child, I was so proud when he finally sought me out to join the family business. Now, he might not be as big and strong as ol' Olaf over there, but I guarantee he'll get the job done." "I dunno..." "Trust me. You came here because I could help you solve your problem. Maybe not the way you thought, but the job WILL get done. I promise." "Well since I know your name and reputation mean a lot to you, I'm going to go ahead and believe you, so how much is all this going to cost?" "Five hundred gold coins, but since I can tell you're a bit apprehensive about all this, you can pay me after the job is done. If the results aren't to satisfaction, well I'm sure Tom can pay what he feels is an appropriate amount. Now, why don't you tell Henry about the job and what you want done exactly?" You give Henry the instructions and he listens without saying a word still giving you that icy stare the entire time. While a little unnerving, you can't actually say you're getting pants shitting intimidated. Henry could very well be the badass killer his dad claims, but right now he seems like he's trying too damn hard. Mr. Reynolds tells you that the job will be done by the end of the week, and you and Tom can return to his office at that time. You leave the office a little concerned about all this, but it's done now. When you get back you inform Tom, who doesn't seem at all concerned, just a little surprised that it isn't Olaf, but he has confidence in Mr. Reynold's choice of assassin and is sure it will be worth it. Vaughn and Zalmora are the only other people that know about this plan and while Vaughn is a go with the flow type guy as well, Zalmora still thinks getting rid of Jake in this manner was a bad idea. Unfortunately, it turns out that she's right. Instead of being discreet or even just killing Jake and scaring the others into returning to the fold, Henry turned the Bloody Smiles camp into a graveyard. He got the job done, but killing every fucking body wasn't what was wanted. You complain quite loudly, which doesn't frazzle Mr. Reynolds in the least. Tom attempts to calm you down. When that fails, he tells you to go wait outside and he'll speak to Reynolds in private. Henry glares at you as you leave. As much as you'd like to punch the guy, you know that wouldn't be a smart move considering what he just did. You wait outside for a long time and eventually Tom exits the building. He says to you that you'll speak when you get back to headquarters. You walk back in silence. As soon as you enter though he starts scolding you for losing your temper in front of Mr. Reynolds and disrespecting him as head of the organization. You defend why you're getting mad about the situation and don't understand why he isn't since it's fucked up the plans that were supposed to be set in motion. When you find out he paid the five hundred coins anyway you get even angrier. Various Crimson Talon members stop what they're doing to watch this spectacle. "You still PAID him?! You paid him for doing a half assed job?! What the fuck?!" you exclaim. "You don't know shit kid. Staying on Reynolds' good side is..." Tom starts to say before you're interrupted. "No, stop fucking talking! You're a terrible fucking leader and EVERYONE here knows it!" "Is that right? I don't see anyone else stepping up to do this fucking job!" "Yeah, well maybe that needs to change." "So what? You gonna be the one to do that? Pfft. Fuck you kid. You tried to pull that I'm a killer shit when you first met me in that hanging cage. Didn't buy it then and I'm certainly not buying it now." "Oh yes, the cage that I rescued your ass from, because nobody here gave a shit! And your leadership is a good example of why nobody does, because you're ultimately a weak leader who is content on coasting and leeching off others." Tom doesn't say any more he just throws a punch at you. You dodge and follow up with a punch of your own. The fight isn't stopped, because it's obvious people either want to see a change in leadership or Tom prove that he's still got what it takes to lead the Talons. Despite the ongoing past criticism of Tom of how he's a weak leader, he's not really a weak man because he dominates the fight for the most part. He's certainly a better fighter than you. His problem is he still doesn't want it as bad as you. Though Tom was pissed at you and knew he had to kick your ass, he never had any intention on killing you. All of his blows against you were normal kicks and punches. Never once does he say, pull out a dagger and stab you in the face with it. Because that's exactly what you do to him. He screams, wails and flails around the room for a moment before you tackle him back down to the floor. As he begs for you to stop killing him all you can think of is Klint doing the same thing and you drive your short sword through his chest telling him to shut the fuck up and die the entire time. When Tom finally stops breathing, you get up and declare yourself the new leader of the Crimson Talons. "And we're gonna start doing things differently around here." > Time passes... Year 25 "Well, what the hell do these folks expect? If they want outlandish theatrics they can pay out the ass to watch a Klyton Gladiator match where the minimum bets are much higher. At least here we have fights where we'll accept a five copper bet." You say. "Yes, but at the arena, people don't have the deal with the bums they've bet on to puke in the middle of the ring and pass out causing the other to win by default." Zalmora says. "That happened ONE time." You remark. "Well there's also the ongoing smell of the sewers that puts people off." "Yeah, well the Klyton council just increased the city's militia numbers recently and stepped up patrols. So keeping business in the sewers is about the safest place to do all this if we want to avoid sudden raids." "It might not have been necessary to wallow in the sewers if they had another distraction." "So you've said many times in the past, but I think things still worked out with me in charge." "We're doing okay I suppose, but I'm still not sure if bum fight gambling and going back to selling Yellow Devil was the way to go about it." "Hey we've got whores too." "Ah yes, those mostly tie into the Yellow Devil trade. I shudder to think about the hopeless cases that actually pay to fuck YD junkies." "Hey not everyone can afford the high priced Klyton brothels. Look, I saw that the only way we were going to survive is to have steady businesses. The Klyton Council are the biggest criminal overlords and nobody says shit because they effectively legalized everything and control the biggest gang to protect their interests. I mean there wasn't really any way to feasibly compete except offer similar things at lower the prices and cater to the lower class." Zalmora looks at nearby group betting and getting excited over a giant roach race. "Pretty sure some of these folks are under the lower class." Zalmora replies. "Yeah, well a coin's a coin, don't you have a house to break into or something?" you say. "Always, but I don't understand why you don't come on these things like you used to." "Because I gotta look after shit around here. I just can't drop everything to go rip off a store. I'm not Tom, I don't just sit on my ass doing nothing." "I didn't say you were, but you used to be a little more fun at least. Like those first few years when you got here. Remember?" Zalmora says with a bit of a smile. "Yeah, well I'm not a damn stupid teenager anymore that gets distracted by a pretty girl that wiggles her ass at me." Zalmora steps back from you a bit giving a slightly perturbed look. "Okay Mr. bossman, if you hadn't initially taken my advice in the first place you wouldn't even be in this position." Zal says. "OR if I hadn't taken your advice, I might have been in this position a lot sooner. In fact despite you always bringing it up, I'd say not listening to you turned out to be a lot better " you remark. "Right, because this is such a great position to be in." "I'm in charge ain't I? Y'know what your problem is? You thought you were going to manipulate me into doing whatever you wanted just because you threw a little pussy my way. And now you're bitter that didn't happen. If you really want control of the Talons, you could always challenge me Zal." "Oh no, not me! Never would I challenge your insurmountable wisdom boss. Obviously you've got things under control more than little ol' me could ever handle." Zal says with obvious sarcasm in her voice. "If you don't want to take over and you don't like how I'm running things, why don't you just leave then? Not like I'm going to try to kill you for leaving." "Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind. You know why I'm even still in the Talons? Because deep down I'm actually hoping you know what you're doing. So far you're ahead, but I'm just wondering for how long. Edmond was pretty much running things like you are now. Granted you are less of a violent asshole than he was, but I'm seeing the same pattern." "I'm not sure what to tell you Zal, I mean we're fucking criminals doing illegal shit. This is sort of way things are done." "(Sigh) Yeah, I know...guess I'm just starting to wonder why I ever thought this was fun. I'll leave you to your drugs and whores." Zalmora walks away. You sometimes forget that Zal is at least around fifteen years older than you now. She's probably starting to worry about age catching up. Probably didn't see herself mucking about through sewers at this age taking orders from someone a lot younger. Weird, because Vaughn doesn't seem to have a problem with it, but then Vaughn's never been one to make waves. As you walk back to the Crimson hideout thinking about the future, you have to admit, it isn't as bright as you once thought. All things considered you are doing well right now, but there just doesn't seem to be any let up on the laws being passed to turn this city into a huge prison camp. Part of that you imagine is due to the rebellion in Holgard. You're certainly glad you didn't decide to go there given what you heard. At one time, you did toy with the possibility of going "legit" somehow. Like maybe buying an inn and running it. Maybe even the one your family once owned. It would sure be a complete circle if you did that. Of course it wasn't so much going "legit" as it was the idea of having a place to run your activities without it being in an abandoned building or recently the fucking sewers. Though that's a riskier endeavor nowadays and would result in needing to re-organize things again. Might be better to stick with your current set up. It isn't perfect, but it's working. > You change up the business again Zal's got a bit of a point. This isn't exactly the most glamorous of a position and you could certainly do better than hiding out in these filthy sewers. You've got more than enough saved and have enough connections that you could easily open up a real business front. You'd just need to keep everything low key and change a few things. The more you think about it, the more you feel this is the right decision. The next day you gather Zal and Vaughn to discuss this new direction. "An inn certainly sounds better than the sewers." Vaughn says. "Well, we're still probably going to have some of our operations down there, but I figure we can at least start making an attempt to climb out of them. I'm thinking that we probably should stop dealing in Yellow Devil too." You say. Zamora nods her head. "I agree. The profits aren't worth the risks on that racket. A lot less sudden body meltdowns and diseased junkie whores lingering around as well." Zal remarks. "So what about the location? Are we buying out an existing inn or starting from scratch? We could probably buy back the old place, the Troll's Breath Tavern. Edmond used to run the Talons from there before the militia raided the place and shut it down." Vaughn remarks. "Wouldn't it be a little obvious, if the Talons set up there again?" You ask. "Nah, they'd never expect the same place twice! Besides, it's called the Clean Mug Tavern now. It's run by two siblings, one of them even comes here to bet on the races and fights sometimes. The place is barely scraping by, so I think they would be receptive to selling it to us for cheap." "Instead of buying it outright, I'd suggest just getting the owners to work with us. That way nothing really changes up front, but we don't spend money and we're the ones really running things." Zalmora says. "Definitely sounds like a better idea, but I know what place you're talking about, and it seems a little on the small side, I was thinking some place bigger like my old family's inn which is still abandoned. We wouldn't have to deal with anyone." You say. "Seems like more hassle. You'd still have to buy it from the city which could present some problems. Assuming they didn't ask many questions, you'd still have to fix the place up before we could start using it proper. Wouldn't we need to get an alcohol supplier and hire people as well?" Vaughn remarks. "Not really, we know more than enough folks that we could have cheap employees. Some of them are hopeless gamblers with debts in fact, so that's no problem. As for alcohol, we could easily make it ourselves and bypass a supplier. Most folks coming wouldn't be there for the booze anyway, so it isn't like we're going to need hundreds of barrels of the stuff every month. Of course your family's old inn is in a slightly better part of Klyton, so my concern would be the greater likelihood of militia just stumbling in for a drink now and then." Zal remarks. > You buy the old family inn It's a risk either way, but you figure owning the business outright at least makes you less concerned about somebody else fucking things up, plus you can fix things up the way you want a lot quicker. "Guess I got an appointment with city hall or something...is that where I go?" You ask. "Yes, I believe there is some sort of department that takes care of all that stuff. We should probably get married first though." Zal remarks. You and Vaughn both look at Zalmora. "What?" You ask. "If you're married, it might not be as suspicious if you're just handing over bags of money for this property." Zalmora says. "I don't understand why they would care. Wouldn't they just be glad to get their money?" you ask. "You been in Klyton long bossman?" Zalmora asks sarcastically. "Even before the council had militia crawling all over the city, this place was always a bit wary of non-citizens buying up property. Especially out of the blue. Surely you've already formed a story for all this." "Well somewhat, but this seems like extra complexity." "Marriage will be good idea, trust me. I've been a citizen of this city since birth. I even own a small place of residence." "You do?" "Yes, I have for quite sometime. While I know you've been busy playing crime lord, not everyone spends all their life here at the headquarters. What I'm saying though is, with me as your wife, you won't look quite like the suspicious outsider, since despite you living here for years, you still aren't even officially a citizen of this city." This is all taking you a bit

by surprise. "Wait, so when would we get married?" You ask. "Oh we can do that right now, we can just go to a church dedicated to Joachim the Pure. They usually always have someone on duty to do a quick marriage. Though I suppose if you have another preferred faith, we could go there instead, but I've never known you to be particularly religious." Zal says. "No, I suppose that would be fine...but I dunno about this..." "Well if you got another girl in mind then marry her instead. I only suggested myself, because I can't say I've actually seen you with a steady one and certainly not one with the intelligence to go along with this plan or back up a reasonable story. If you're worried about this meaning something else, I can assure you that this is purely a business arrangement. We can always get divorced later." You're really at a loss of words. You look over at Vaughn who just shrugs and just says whoever you decide to marry, he'll attend the wedding in support. Trusting Zal's judgement on this and lacking any other ideas, you end up agreeing to this set up, at which point Zalmora says great and starts dragging you to a church while busily explaining what story you should come up with when you buy the property. The wedding itself is a whirlwind. You can honestly say you NEVER saw yourself ever getting married, let alone under these circumstances. Despite it being a "fake" wedding, Vaughn still gets a bit emotional saying he always saw you two ending up together. The next step is heading to the city property clerk, which you do the next day after rehearsing your story with Zalmora who also goes over the potential questions that might be asked. As the clerk asks you the first basic questions, you notice that he's studying you. At first you chalk this up to him being suspicious, but when you mention you wish to buy the inn because your family once owned it and you'd like to rebuild it again, he suddenly speaks out with a bit of a smile. "I knew it! I knew I knew you from somewhere...well not you per say, but I knew your father, we had a few classes together at the university! You look almost like him! How's he doing?" The clerk asks. "Oh he's doing well. He's a doctor with his own practice in a smaller town, but he's happy." You say. "That's good. I remember how he was always struggling to go to class and run that inn. Couldn't have been easy. Hell, I didn't even have all that responsibility and I still flunked out of medical school. Lucky I managed to land a city job. Still though, he did help me a few times during class, so he was always okay in my book." The rest of the conversation goes fairly well with the clerk (Or Quincy as you learn his name) and he doesn't ask too many more questions. He just suggests that you get yourself registered as a proper Klyton citizen as soon as you can so you can participate in elections and similar functions. You hand over a large sum of coins to him and he hands over the deed and keys to you. "Well it seems like you're a motivated young man with a plan ahead of you. Hope everything goes okay for you and your wife. We definitely need more upstanding citizens such as yourselves trying to build up this city rather than contributing to its decline. We don't want to end up like Hessla or Holgard!" Quincy remarks. "Definitely not." You say as you both exchange pleasant goodbyes. As you leave city hall, Zalmora speaks up. "Now I'm wondering if I should make a donation to Yag's temple, because his luck was definitely with us today. That went way better than I thought it would." Zal says. "Yeah, too bad I'm not on good terms with my dad. I'd actually send a letter home to thank him for being such a good guy. Have no idea how the hell we're related sometimes." You say. "Hmm, well luckily for you you've got his looks apparently." "So, I guess we need to get started on setting up the new business." "You're the boss, but I thought you'd want to go get divorced as quick as possible, given how reluctant you were to get married." "Oh yeah. Eh, I think maybe we should stay married for now, just in case something pops up. We can always do it later, right now there's other stuff that takes priority." "Okay fearless leader. I'm sure Vaughn will be happy to hear we're staying together for his sake." Zal chuckles. "Hah! Yeah, what the hell was that all about?" "Vaughn's actually always been a bit of a romantic. He's never been very lucky in that regard so he gets a bit weepy when he thinks he sees it in others at times." You and Zal walk to your newly acquired inn. You've seen it from the outside several times which is in fairly good shape despite it being abandoned for years. When you get inside, you find that it isn't in too bad of condition inside either though very dusty obviously. "Yeah, I think this place will do just fine." You say to yourself. "Shouldn't take long to get it up and running." Zal remarks. You and Zal wander around a bit looking at the inn. Eventually you go upstairs and find Zal looking through one of the rooms you believe is where your father and grandparents lived. There's even still a bed and some furniture still here. You look over at Zal who is currently bent over looking through a chest. You then look over at the bed. "So um...Zal..." You start to say. "Yes?" Zalmora responds turning around. "You want to celebrate our honeymoon?" Zal smirks at your offer. "Really? Aren't you concerned that I'll be manipulating you with my magical vagina?" Zal asks. "I'm willing to take that risk." You say. Zal looks at you for a moment in silence. "Meh, why not? Not like I got anything better to do." She says and starts taking her clothes off. > Time passes... Year 30 "Are you sure?" You ask. "I'm positive. My boyfriend said the militia are going to do an intensive sweep of this district in a week. The Klyton Council wants to prove they're tough on crime again. Apparently there have been complaints that things have been getting too lax." Vaughn remarks. "See? This was useful info. And YOU got angry when you found out Vaughn was going out with a militia man." Zal says. "Never mind all that, we gotta start cleaning shit up around here. Vaughn, I want you to start dismantling the stills and moving the tubs from the basement and into the sewers. Just glad we have a lot of already filled barrels down there. We should be good on that front. Zal, you dismantle the gambling tables and wheels and move them into the sewers as well." "I'm not mucking about in the sewers. Those days are over." Zal huffs. "(Sigh) Fine then get someone else to do it! Why do you have to fight me on this right now? I'm going to go see the girls and tell them they got the week off or at least they got the week off here. Don't really care if they whore somewhere else." You immediately come out of your office and start running around telling your employees (Both legal and criminal) what to do. There predictably is a lot of yelling, grumbling and rushing back and forth. About ten minutes in, you've worked yourself up into a frenzy. "WATCH IT WITH THOSE! You break one of those wheels and I'm going to break your fucking arms! By the gods, I'm surrounded by fucking incompetents! And what the hell are you doing? Are you fucking retarded or something? Don't just stand around with a thumb up your ass, go fucking help Vaughn!" You shout in between hitting one poor employee desperately trying to get out of your way. "Oh dear husband! Can I speak with you for a moment?" You hear Zal shout in a sing song voice from upstairs. You hate it when she does that, because it usually means she's going to scold you or give you some unwanted advice and you really don't have time for that right now. Still, if you don't go see her now, you'll have to hear even more shit later. So you better see her now. Good thing she's still your wife, because you'd hate to take this sort of aggravation from someone you weren't fucking on a regular basis. You stomp upstairs and meet Zal in your bedroom. You then close the door. "WHAT?!" You exclaim. "While I'm sure you're having a good time running around abusing your underlings, I'm wondering if it's even necessary." Zal remarks. "Of course it is! You know how this lot is, I gotta kick a little ass sometimes!" "Yes, I'm aware, but have you really thought about WHY that is? Why you have to go on these rampages every few months or so?" "Yeah, so we all don't get fucking pinched by the law!" "Exactly. I'm saying maybe it's time for us to stop worrying about that." "So what're you getting at exactly?" "I'm saying maybe it's time to get out." "Get out? Now? You're joking." "Why is that so crazy?" "Because you don't walk away from this life." "Says who? You can walk away from ANYTHING as long as you aren't in prison or the grave and either of those places are exactly where you'll be heading if this keeps up." "If that's true, then you're going to be there right along side with me." "Not bloody likely. I've been thinking about this for a long time and ever since we got this inn together, I've been thinking about it even more. The time has come and I'm out." And there it is. You have to admit, you're only half surprised, but this is terrible timing. "Zal, do we really have to do this now?" You say. "Yes. Oh don't worry, I'm not going to interrupt anything, we're still moving all incriminating evidence out of here, but we're just doing it permanently." Zalmora responds. "What the...Zal I think you've forgotten who is not only head of this organization, but who is also owner of this fucking inn!" "And I think you've forgotten that as your wife, it's also partially mine." "My name is on the deed!" "Yeah, and you're still not a citizen of Klyton. And after the divorce, I guess we'll see who ends up with what, and if you think I won't drag you through the mud and make this hell for you, then you haven't learned very much during our time together." You can't believe this. You knew you should have gotten a divorce a long time ago. You just kept putting it off for other things you thought were more important at the time. You didn't think about the potential consequences. "You would really fucking do this to me wouldn't you? You probably planned this! Fucking bitch..." You mutter trying hard not to do something violent towards Zal. "Hey, I wasn't the one who initiated consummating the marriage multiple times. I really don't WANT to do this to you at all, but this is the ONLY way you're going to listen!" Zalmora exclaims. "Fine, so convince me. That is what you've always been good at isn't it?" You remark and sit down. Zalmora sits down next to you and exhales. "This inn that we run makes us a pretty good living and that's even before all the illegal shit like providing whores for the traveling merchants or running gambling games in the back. I mean aren't you getting tired of all this? Getting tired of looking over your shoulder thinking the Klyton militia is going to raid the place at any moment?" Zalmora asks. "It's the life we've chosen." "Yes, and I'm saying we don't have to live that way anymore. We could go completely legit and live comfortably rather than living in paranoia of going to jail or hanging in a cage." "I can't believe you're the same woman I met over a decade ago." "Yeah, I already know what you think. That I'm getting old and fearful and I've lost my will for this lifestyle. Well maybe all of that is true to some extent, but I don't see why that's such a bad thing. I mean I had the thrill of being a criminal and all that, well I'm done with that part of my life now. I don't find any joy in it anymore. I grew out of it. Happens to the best of us and I don't see why you don't see the logic in going legit either. You don't seem particularly all that happy and you're constantly going into these frenzies. Can you honestly say this life is as much fun as it was say ten years ago? I mean you'd at least have less worry if you weren't living this life." "So...what then? We just settle into life of married mediocrity and live the rest of our lives like average assholes?" "Yeah, I guess we do. Or we don't. Look, I've never been quite sure how deep your feelings have ever been towards me. To be honest I suppose I'm not quite sure of my own feelings are towards you. I like to think we do have a fondness for each other on some level. I mean we stayed married longer than some people I've know that we're head over heels in love with each other. Not exactly sure if what we have is love, but I guess in some way I think it's close, all things considered." Zalmora continues "That being said, if you don't want to stay together that's fine. I always thought this was going to be temporary anyway. I mean I think I could even work it out if you still wanted to manage this place. My point is though, this inn is going to be a legitimate business from now on and if you're not willing to at least go that route, well we need to say goodbye now." "You know on my end, this could be settled really easily." You say. "Mm, true. Could have also been settled easily on my end too, but as I already said, I like to think we have enough fondness for each other that murder isn't a serious option." Once again Zal is right on that part. You don't even know why you said such an empty threat. Perhaps a last minute act of a desperate man still not sure of what he wants in the future. Going "legit" isn't really going to be as easy as Zal is making out though. You would take a much severe loss in profit than perhaps she thinks. Maybe you could make it, but it wouldn't come easy. You'd have to work hard, but then you work just as hard now and have the constant paranoia added to it. Of course maybe that's the entire problem. You're working too hard period. It might not be the lifestyle, but more the location and job. You remember the more carefree years when you or you and a few others broke into a store and nicked a few items and coins, or picked the pockets of some rich merchant. You took just enough to live well for awhile and then you went out and did it all over again. None of the stress of dealing with day to day shit of running an entire criminal organization. Maybe you just need to get back to basics and walk away from it all. > You walk away Fuck this inn, fuck the Crimson Talons, fuck this city and fuck your fake marriage. You've had enough of all of it. You walk up to Zal and look into her eyes then you put your arms around her before kissing her deeply. She holds you tightly until you finish and slowly pull away. "It was fun, but I think it's time for a change of scenery. Goodbye Zal, and good luck." You say and walk away. Zalmora doesn't try to stop you, she probably knew this was a possibility. You gather a few belonging, some money and leave the inn. You figure Zal can fill everyone in on the changes she intends to make. You can't imagine how much she's going to have to deal with, but you know Zal's got a strong will and mind, so you're sure that she'll succeed or at least come out ahead. You make your way out of Klyton wondering where to travel. Holgard comes to mind, but there's always some sort of rebellion or power struggle going on there. You'd rather not have to deal with being in the middle of that mess. The Delantium Kingdom is at war with some other nation, so you'd rather avoid the possibility of suddenly getting press ganged or conscripted into military service. The only other place that comes to mind is Hessla which for one thing is a whole lot closer, but it also still has a reputation of being a haven for thieves, pirates, and other criminal types. Seems like you'd fit in real well. You first think about taking a carriage there to save yourself a walk, but then you figure you'd rather save the money. It'll be good to for you to get some regular exercise for a change as well. For several years you feel like you've just been slowly letting yourself go to pot while you were running the Crimson Talons from the inn. With a new goal in mind, a check on your rations, your flintlock pistol and a couple daggers along with your sword, you set off. The trip to Hessla is surprisingly uneventful. You half figured you'd at least run into a few idiots trying to rob you on the road, but other than travellers, and a few merchants, you don't encounter anyone else on it. When you finally get to Hessla, its actually a little nicer looking than you thought it was going to look. You expected it to be filled with run down homes with unsavory types located on every corner. If anything, the town has locations that are fancier looking than some of the better parts of Klyton. After spending a few days in Hessla you also learn that this place really isn't as disorderly as it's reputation would imply. Granted it's far from being as repressive as Klyton, but there actually is a "force" that makes sure it isn't a free for all. The Hessla Headsmen report directly to the governor who apparently is an ex-pirate that controls everything in town. If anything the crime is less than one might think mainly because most are pirates and pillaging other places rather than here. You are surprisingly finding the place a bit easy on the pick pocket and theft front, of course a lot of folks are either half drunk or plain drunk most of the time. Also most folks don't seem to own that many personal belongings. You guess with most making their living at sea, they keep essentials on their ships, spend it all on booze and whores or otherwise live a very basic life, so despite you finding the town a bit easy pickings, you aren't getting rich doing it. Shops however are very well protected by the Headsmen since you guess Governor Tolen has a slice of all the businesses here. Fights are pretty common, though they aren't necessarily always to the death like you'd expect. Just a lot of disagreement and drinking make for a rowdy town. So far you've avoided pissing anyone off and kept a low profile. You aren't sure if you're actually going to stay here long or not, but so far it's better than Klyton. Well at least you THINK you were maintaining a low profile... "Hey you with the hood." A voice says. You turn around a see a scruffy man wearing a rag on his head, shabby clothing and a few tattoos on his arms. A cutlass hangs by his side. He looks appropriately piratey. "What?" You ask. "Just wondering if you really think you're going to be getting away with pilfering things forever in this town." He says. "If I was doing such a thing, I'm not sure why it would matter to you." "It doesn't, but if someone like me noticed you were doing it, I'm sure others have too. Now I know this place has a certain reputation, but punishment for thievery in this town is pretty damn severe. We might mostly be cutthroats and vagabonds here, but we don't shit where we eat. We all have to live here with a certain measure of trust. If we don't, well the whole place goes to shit now doesn't it?" Interesting culture here. Almost reminds you of the set up you unofficially had back in your home town where they barely tolerated your thievery as long as you kept it to outsiders. "Hmm, you seem very helpful towards a stranger. Makes me wonder if you don't have an angle." You say. "Well, not much of one I suppose. I'm currently trying to find new recruits for my captain. Not much luck so far though. You wouldn't be interested would you?" "I'm afraid I've never been at sea, so I don't think I'd make much of a sailor." "Everyone's gotta start somewhere, besides we're not really being picky right now. Had a big loss recently and we need all the help we can get." "What would I be doing exactly?" "Helping around the ship obviously and the usual pillaging of coastal villages or ships. You do have some fighting skills and would have no problem with something like that I assume." "Well, I'm not a stranger to combat and I'm not going to say that I haven't done some pretty immoral things, but I'm not raping anyone." "Hey, that's your right. It's not a qualification for the job. More for someone else as they say." "Hmm, I dunno. I still think my background isn't going to mesh well. I'm not really a slash and burn type. I'm more of a pick a lock and sneak out in the middle of the night kind of guy." "Well, we could have use for that too. I remember once we raided a town that actually had a very tough safe that none of us knew how to crack. We couldn't even blow it open until we hauled one of the cannons off the ship and dragged it to the location. By the time we did get it open, the valuable contents inside were destroyed and the town had called for help from a more militaristic city that sent a strong force that chased us back to the ship. Could have all been avoided with someone like you aboard." "Maybe. Not sure if I like the idea of taking orders though. I was already part of an organization like that once. Eventually I even ran it, but ultimately I left it because I found I preferred working on my own without a bunch of people around." "Well, I suppose I can't convince you if your mind is already made up. Still, if for some reason you do change your mind, just head to a ship called the Steadfast. It's not the biggest ship in the harbor, but like it's name, it always gets to where it has to go and back." With those last words, the man takes his leave and you're pondering this new possibility. You have to admit part of you is curious what it would be like since you've never ever considered being a pirate. Might be an interesting change of pace. Still, along with all the other concerns you have. The guy trying to recruit you didn't exactly spin this in the best of light and most of the crew are apparently dead so what the hell is the captain like if he's getting everyone killed? > You stick to land You have enough problems on land, no need to add being surrounded by water as one of them. Hessla in general seems to be a bit of a bust. You figure you'll stick around for a few more days and then make your way elsewhere. You make a mental note that you'll need to be more careful if you pick anymore pockets though, apparently you're rusty enough in that endeavor that you're getting caught even if it isn't by the folks you're actually doing it to. Unfortunately for you your actions have already attracted attention and the day before you're about to leave, you are suddenly seized by the Hessla Headsmen who burst in the room you're staying at. Six of them in fact, though it only takes two of them to hold you down as they shackle you. "Well, well, well, you have been busy haven't you?" One of them says going through your pack. "Another idiot outsider thinking they can just rip us off. Honestly don't know what goes through their heads. I mean we're a pirate town! Would YOU steal from anyone in a town full of fucking pirates?" Another says. "I sure wouldn't be stupid enough to stick around as long as this one did." "So what's the damage with this one?" A Headsman with a couple extra decorations asks. "It's mostly coins, but there are a few personal items some reported stolen. Not to mention we've got more than a few people that said they saw this asshole stealing from folks when he thought nobody was watching." "Okay. Guess we can do this here then." The Headsman officer tells the others to place you into a kneeling position and put your head down. Of course you try to resist, but you just get some punches for your trouble. "If you keep resisting, I'm not going to make a clean cut and it's going to take more than one blow to take your head off." The officer says as he prepares his axe. You attempt to bargain, but it's no use. The Headsmen have heard shit like this all before and the officer eventually smashes you head with the bottom of his two handed axe. Dazed and brought low by this hit, the officer manages to nearly make a clean cut. "Shit." The officer says as the axe only goes half way through your neck, which kills you though in order to take your head completely off the officer just stomps hard on the back of your head while sawing through your neck with the axe.

[Themes: fantasy, humor] Fuck this inn, fuck the Crimson Talons, fuck this city and fuck your fake marriage. You've had enough of all of it. You walk up to Zal and look into her eyes then you put your arms around her before kissing her deeply. She holds you tightly until you finish and slowly pull away. "It was fun, but I think it's time for a change of scenery. Goodbye Zal, and good luck." You say and walk away. Zalmora doesn't try to stop you, she probably knew this was a possibility. You gather a few belonging, some money and leave the inn. You figure Zal can fill everyone in on the changes she intends to make. You can't imagine how much she's going to have to deal with, but you know Zal's got a strong will and mind, so you're sure that she'll succeed or at least come out ahead. You make your way out of Klyton wondering where to travel. Holgard comes to mind, but there's always some sort of rebellion or power struggle going on there. You'd rather not have to deal with being in the middle of that mess. The Delantium Kingdom is at war with some other nation, so you'd rather avoid the possibility of suddenly getting press ganged or conscripted into military service. The only other place that comes to mind is Hessla which for one thing is a whole lot closer, but it also still has a reputation of being a haven for thieves, pirates, and other criminal types. Seems like you'd fit in real well. You first think about taking a carriage there to save yourself a walk, but then you figure you'd rather save the money. It'll be good to for you to get some regular exercise for a change as well. For several years you feel like you've just been slowly letting yourself go to pot while you were running the Crimson Talons from the inn. With a new goal in mind, a check on your rations, your flintlock pistol and a couple daggers along with your sword, you set off. The trip to Hessla is surprisingly uneventful. You half figured you'd at least run into a few idiots trying to rob you on the road, but other than travellers, and a few merchants, you don't encounter anyone else on it. When you finally get to Hessla, its actually a little nicer looking than you thought it was going to look. You expected it to be filled with run down homes with unsavory types located on every corner. If anything, the town has locations that are fancier looking than some of the better parts of Klyton. After spending a few days in Hessla you also learn that this place really isn't as disorderly as it's reputation would imply. Granted it's far from being as repressive as Klyton, but there actually is a "force" that makes sure it isn't a free for all. The Hessla Headsmen report directly to the governor who apparently is an ex-pirate that controls everything in town. If anything the crime is less than one might think mainly because most are pirates and pillaging other places rather than here. You are surprisingly finding the place a bit easy on the pick pocket and theft front, of course a lot of folks are either half drunk or plain drunk most of the time. Also most folks don't seem to own that many personal belongings. You guess with most making their living at sea, they keep essentials on their ships, spend it all on booze and whores or otherwise live a very basic life, so despite you finding the town a bit easy pickings, you aren't getting rich doing it. Shops however are very well protected by the Headsmen since you guess Governor Tolen has a slice of all the businesses here. Fights are pretty common, though they aren't necessarily always to the death like you'd expect. Just a lot of disagreement and drinking make for a rowdy town. So far you've avoided pissing anyone off and kept a low profile. You aren't sure if you're actually going to stay here long or not, but so far it's better than Klyton. Well at least you THINK you were maintaining a low profile... "Hey you with the hood." A voice says. You turn around a see a scruffy man wearing a rag on his head, shabby clothing and a few tattoos on his arms. A cutlass hangs by his side. He looks appropriately piratey. "What?" You ask. "Just wondering if you really think you're going to be getting away with pilfering things forever in this town." He says. "If I was doing such a thing, I'm not sure why it would matter to you." "It doesn't, but if someone like me noticed you were doing it, I'm sure others have too. Now I know this place has a certain reputation, but punishment for thievery in this town is pretty damn severe. We might mostly be cutthroats and vagabonds here, but we don't shit where we eat. We all have to live here with a certain measure of trust. If we don't, well the whole place goes to shit now doesn't it?" Interesting culture here. Almost reminds you of the set up you unofficially had back in your home town where they barely tolerated your thievery as long as you kept it to outsiders. "Hmm, you seem very helpful towards a stranger. Makes me wonder if you don't have an angle." You say. "Well, not much of one I suppose. I'm currently trying to find new recruits for my captain. Not much luck so far though. You wouldn't be interested would you?" "I'm afraid I've never been at sea, so I don't think I'd make much of a sailor." "Everyone's gotta start somewhere, besides we're not really being picky right now. Had a big loss recently and we need all the help we can get." "What would I be doing exactly?" "Helping around the ship obviously and the usual pillaging of coastal villages or ships. You do have some fighting skills and would have no problem with something like that I assume." "Well, I'm not a stranger to combat and I'm not going to say that I haven't done some pretty immoral things, but I'm not raping anyone." "Hey, that's your right. It's not a qualification for the job. More for someone else as they say." "Hmm, I dunno. I still think my background isn't going to mesh well. I'm not really a slash and burn type. I'm more of a pick a lock and sneak out in the middle of the night kind of guy." "Well, we could have use for that too. I remember once we raided a town that actually had a very tough safe that none of us knew how to crack. We couldn't even blow it open until we hauled one of the cannons off the ship and dragged it to the location. By the time we did get it open, the valuable contents inside were destroyed and the town had called for help from a more militaristic city that sent a strong force that chased us back to the ship. Could have all been avoided with someone like you aboard." "Maybe. Not sure if I like the idea of taking orders though. I was already part of an organization like that once. Eventually I even ran it, but ultimately I left it because I found I preferred working on my own without a bunch of people around." "Well, I suppose I can't convince you if your mind is already made up. Still, if for some reason you do change your mind, just head to a ship called the Steadfast. It's not the biggest ship in the harbor, but like it's name, it always gets to where it has to go and back." With those last words, the man takes his leave and you're pondering this new possibility. You have to admit part of you is curious what it would be like since you've never ever considered being a pirate. Might be an interesting change of pace. Still, along with all the other concerns you have. The guy trying to recruit you didn't exactly spin this in the best of light and most of the crew are apparently dead so what the hell is the captain like if he's getting everyone killed? > You be a pirate Why not, it isn't like you got anything else important going on. The man who was recruiting is still visible, so you hurry your pace to catch up to him. You say you'll join and he is glad you changed your mind. He mentions his name is Scully and leads you to the Steadfast. When Scully said the Steadfast wasn't the biggest ship in the harbor, he wasn't kidding. Not that it's a rowboat and it definitely needs a crew to sail it, but compared to some of the others you've seen, you can tell you're not exactly going to be sailing with anyone of great infamy. You imagine that's why Scully said they mostly raid small coastal villages. Other than being a smaller ship, it doesn't look like it's falling apart so it's at least in good shape. Feels weird just being on it though you don't feel sick. Hopefully you won't when it's actually sailing. You meet a few other milling crew members, but they don't say much to you other than some grunts. One of them mentions where the sleeping quarters are and says don't worry about which hammock to take because most of them are no longer in use anyway. "Scully mentioned something about a lot of the crew getting killed, what happened exactly?" You ask. "Mermaids." He mutters, but doesn't elaborate and just tells you he's got work to do. You don't know anything about mermaids other than a few tales you've heard. You would ask one of the other crew members, but they don't seem all that talkative to the likes of you. A few hours pass as you wander the ship a bit and generally stand around doing nothing. You sort of thought someone would order you to do some work or earn your keep, but that hasn't happened yet. You almost feel like you're a passenger rather than a proper crew member. Not that you're complaining. You eventually see Scully again who says the Captain wants to meet you. So you head back above deck where you meet the captain who doesn't look like you thought. He's practically an old man who is having a hard time walking with a cane. He's dressed better than everyone else on the ship, but that isn't saying much since even his fancy overcoat has patches sewn on it. He introduces himself as Captain Rifiv and says he hopes you prove to be a better crewman than the lot that got themselves killed recently. Especially since you're apparently the ONLY person Scully was able to recruit! "What exactly happened anyway?" You ask. "Mermaids or sirens. I dunno, whatever those underwater singing fish bitches are called. We were far to the southwest and coming back from a relatively successful haul. Everything was going well, and then someone said their heard singing. I instantly knew what the hell it was and told everyone to start shoving wax in their ears and don't look over the sides of the ship because those scaly sluts got a way of hypnotizing most men and making them do their bidding." "Sounds like logical precautions." "You'd think so, except some of my genius crew thought they'd be heroes or something and they started looking over the side and firing their pistol into the water. Yeah, they saw one of those bitches, fell in love and before I know it, they're not only removing the wax from their ears, but they start attacking others and removing their wax or outright killing them. After it was all said and done, half of the crew was dead. Now I gotta recruit all over again and stick to places that have virtually no resistance until strength is built back up. You know what kind of places those are? Places that are poor as shit!" Captain Rifiv at this point starts ranting in general as he goes back to his quarters. Meanwhile a few of the crew roll their eyes and mutter to themselves. "You'll have to excuse the captain, he just really hates set backs. It's really not as bad as all that, we'll hit a few easy targets and in time things will start picking up again." Scully says in a positive tone. "Are we going to have to worry about mermaids?" You ask. "Oh no, we're going to be sticking to more familiar northern waters for awhile. Those lovely creatures won't be a problem where we're going." Scully seems to be a bit lost in thought when he mentions the mermaids. Looks like they really had an effect on him, but he doesn't seem shaken by the experience. The opposite actually, like he vaguely seems disappointed that you probably won't be encountering them on this trip. Well given what the captain said happened, you at least HOPE you won't be encountering them. > Time passes... Year 31 If you ever get back to Hessla, you swear to the gods that you're leaving and never setting foot on a ship again. When you left a year ago, you figured it would be a couple months maybe. You didn't know how far away all these places you're raiding were going to be. These raids are practically slaughters and you're not particularly getting any thrill out of doing them especially since there's barely been any loot to be had. Last raids you did go on we're more about scavenging the town's fruit supplies and medicine rather than valuables. Maybe you'd get more out of these raids if you were of the rapey nature, but curse your parents for raising you to at least adhere to some sort of moral standard. Though some of them seem content on buggering each other. (And no matter how long you've been at sea, you can honestly say there's nothing that would even make you THINK about sticking it to any of this loathsome lot you're with!) You also had problems with not just a major storm, but a few larger ships that apparently thought it would be fun to open fire on you for the shits and giggles. Doesn't help that the navigator got killed during that exchange and you got severely off course while attempting to outrun the superior ships. Not to mention repairs on the open sea with only half the crew also take a long damn time. On the plus side, you've learned your way around a ship a lot more, though you fully intend on never using this knowledge again if you can help it. And at least you haven't encountered any mermaids you guess. As you lean against the ship's railing look out at the setting sun, you try to keep your own sanity by thinking of happier times with your sister or Zalmora. You hope either of them are doing a hell of a lot better than you are right now because this is without a doubt the WORST idea you ever had. Right along the idea where you left the fucking inn because you didn't want to settle down and live like some regular jerk off. Would it really have been so terrible? It couldn't have been worse than THIS. "You're right, it couldn't be worse than this. Come back, I forgive you." You suddenly hear a voice say that sounds exactly like Zalmora. You look around and then hear it again. "Come back to me my love." The voice says in more melodic tone. Your head starts to feel odd and you begin to hear faint little song. You can't even make it out, it's just an ongoing tone seeping into your skull... Without thinking you look at the waters below and see a couple of splashes and a glimpse of a large fishtail. "Regina! I knew you'd come back to me! I'm coming darling!" You suddenly hear a voice shout which fortunately breaks your concentration. You look over to your left and see Scully jump over the side of the ship. This is soon followed by the Captain coming out of his quarters. "FISH BITCHES! WAX! WAX! WAX! DON'T LOOK AT THE WATER!" He shouts nearly falling over in the process. Fortunately, Captain Rifiv was so paranoid about them from last encounter that he made everyone carry some with them at all time. Scully was either wrong about mermaids not being in northern waters or you're more off course than you thought. Either way it doesn't matter because you're being assaulted by them and you're shoving wax in your ears. The wax doesn't quite drown out the song completely, but it's helping enough that you at least don't feel like you're falling under some sort of enchantment now. Captain Rifiv is using a telescope to look past the nearby mermaid infested waters in the hopes of finding some sort of land. Meanwhile most of the crew is busily filling their own ears with wax. Unfortunately most doesn't mean all... Even with wax in your ears you can still hear the nearby gunshot of an enchanted crew member shooting one of his fellows. "WEAK MINDED FOOLS!" You can hear Rifiv's muffled shouts. Doesn't take long before there is chaos on the ship and you're also fighting off your fellow enchanted crew mates. Well "fellow" might be too strong of a word since you didn't even like most of them. You then hear a loud explosion coming from below, the entire boat rocks and you fall to the deck. You aren't sure what happened, but it can't be good because the smell of smoke is very prominent and while you aren't entirely sure yet, but you think the boat might be starting to sink. As you attempt to get up, Captain Rifiv is doing his best to hobble over in your direction. "One of those charmed fools just lit a fucking powder keg below deck! This ship is going down! Come on, help me to the emergency rowboat! I saw a patch of land to the north!" Rifiv shouts before he stumbles to the floor of the ship. He's having a hard time getting up, and you see yet another charmed crewman walking over to finish him off. You look over to the emergency rowboat and you realize you could probably get to it a lot quicker by yourself. > You run to the lifeboat This is everyman for himself time, besides you didn't particularly like the old bastard anymore than you liked your other crewmates. You run over to the rowboat, get in and deploy it. It drops a lot faster than you intended and you land hard, but there is no damage and all you get is a little wet from the splash back. As you row away from the burning, sinking, and sometimes still exploding ship, you can still hear the mermaid song and it feels like it's getting through now. You can't think of anything else to do, so you start shouting nonsense at the top of your lungs. This seems to work somewhat, but you start to run into trouble when you see a green hand grab the side of the boat. And then several more on both sides. You really begin to panic when you start to have a hard time moving the oars. The mermaids are determined to stop you. You close your eyes and draw your sword, shouting and hacking wildly. "Get away! Get away! Back!" You shout, but you're not really having an effect. The mermaids are easily avoiding your blind attacks and with all your wild swings you don't have the best balance. Doesn't take long before a few of the mermaids closest to your side of the boat grab you and pull. This action combined with the mermaids on the other side pushing the boat, you fall overboard into the water. Despite now losing your sword and being in the water, you still refuse to give up, you continue to keep your eyes closed and struggle against the mermaids pulling you down. It is at this point you begin to hear their laughing in your head. Somehow you actually manage to get your head above water and you open your eyes just long enough to see the faintest sign of land in the distance. The scent of brine and fish fill your nose as you feel a mermaid latch on to your back as you try to swim away. You can do nothing as you feel scaly fingers start to dig out the wax you stuffed in your ears. This is followed by a lick and a nibble on those same ears. Your arms are feeling like anchors, but you continue to swim with a fish bitch on your back. Your head is filled with a haunting chorus that you're desperately trying to drown out with nonsensical shouting. Quite frankly you're doing better than most men would be able to in your position, but unfortunately you're only human and the mermaids are relentless. "Join us...under the sea...everything's better with us under the sea..." The melodic voices continue to pierce your brain and then you feel the weirdest pleasurable sensation below. One of the mermaids has started to undo your trousers and taken the worm in her mouth as it were. How you're even getting turned on by this in this scenario is either a testament to the oral skills of mermaids or you had some unknown twisted desires. Whatever the reason, the mermaids are winning this one. You can't fight an underwater blowjob along with everything else. Even you know it's over when another mermaid appears right in front of you and you lock eyes directly with her. (Right after you stare at her green scaly tits for a split second of course) Her facial features are partially fishy in nature, but humanoid enough looking that you fall under the unnatural spell. Now instead of just smelling fish and brine, you taste it as well as she embraces you with a kiss. With one mermaid on your back nibbling your ear, another one swallowing your cock, and the third planting a kiss on your lips, you just let go and cease swimming. The mermaids do the rest by pulling you down. Water fills your lungs, you struggle to breathe, death soon comes and so do you as the "hooked" mermaid at least has the decency to finish you off before everything goes black. Your life was ended by mermaids.

Year 31 If you ever get back to Hessla, you swear to the gods that you're leaving and never setting foot on a ship again. When you left a year ago, you figured it would be a couple months maybe. You didn't know how far away all these places you're raiding were going to be. These raids are practically slaughters and you're not particularly getting any thrill out of doing them especially since there's barely been any loot to be had. Last raids you did go on we're more about scavenging the town's fruit supplies and medicine rather than valuables. Maybe you'd get more out of these raids if you were of the rapey nature, but curse your parents for raising you to at least adhere to some sort of moral standard. Though some of them seem content on buggering each other. (And no matter how long you've been at sea, you can honestly say there's nothing that would even make you THINK about sticking it to any of this loathsome lot you're with!) You also had problems with not just a major storm, but a few larger ships that apparently thought it would be fun to open fire on you for the shits and giggles. Doesn't help that the navigator got killed during that exchange and you got severely off course while attempting to outrun the superior ships. Not to mention repairs on the open sea with only half the crew also take a long damn time. On the plus side, you've learned your way around a ship a lot more, though you fully intend on never using this knowledge again if you can help it. And at least you haven't encountered any mermaids you guess. As you lean against the ship's railing look out at the setting sun, you try to keep your own sanity by thinking of happier times with your sister or Zalmora. You hope either of them are doing a hell of a lot better than you are right now because this is without a doubt the WORST idea you ever had. Right along the idea where you left the fucking inn because you didn't want to settle down and live like some regular jerk off. Would it really have been so terrible? It couldn't have been worse than THIS. "You're right, it couldn't be worse than this. Come back, I forgive you." You suddenly hear a voice say that sounds exactly like Zalmora. You look around and then hear it again. "Come back to me my love." The voice says in more melodic tone. Your head starts to feel odd and you begin to hear faint little song. You can't even make it out, it's just an ongoing tone seeping into your skull... Without thinking you look at the waters below and see a couple of splashes and a glimpse of a large fishtail. "Regina! I knew you'd come back to me! I'm coming darling!" You suddenly hear a voice shout which fortunately breaks your concentration. You look over to your left and see Scully jump over the side of the ship. This is soon followed by the Captain coming out of his quarters. "FISH BITCHES! WAX! WAX! WAX! DON'T LOOK AT THE WATER!" He shouts nearly falling over in the process. Fortunately, Captain Rifiv was so paranoid about them from last encounter that he made everyone carry some with them at all time. Scully was either wrong about mermaids not being in northern waters or you're more off course than you thought. Either way it doesn't matter because you're being assaulted by them and you're shoving wax in your ears. The wax doesn't quite drown out the song completely, but it's helping enough that you at least don't feel like you're falling under some sort of enchantment now. Captain Rifiv is using a telescope to look past the nearby mermaid infested waters in the hopes of finding some sort of land. Meanwhile most of the crew is busily filling their own ears with wax. Unfortunately most doesn't mean all... Even with wax in your ears you can still hear the nearby gunshot of an enchanted crew member shooting one of his fellows. "WEAK MINDED FOOLS!" You can hear Rifiv's muffled shouts. Doesn't take long before there is chaos on the ship and you're also fighting off your fellow enchanted crew mates. Well "fellow" might be too strong of a word since you didn't even like most of them. You then hear a loud explosion coming from below, the entire boat rocks and you fall to the deck. You aren't sure what happened, but it can't be good because the smell of smoke is very prominent and while you aren't entirely sure yet, but you think the boat might be starting to sink. As you attempt to get up, Captain Rifiv is doing his best to hobble over in your direction. "One of those charmed fools just lit a fucking powder keg below deck! This ship is going down! Come on, help me to the emergency rowboat! I saw a patch of land to the north!" Rifiv shouts before he stumbles to the floor of the ship. He's having a hard time getting up, and you see yet another charmed crewman walking over to finish him off. You look over to the emergency rowboat and you realize you could probably get to it a lot quicker by yourself. > You defend the captain Maybe you're having some "good deed" moment during this dark hour, but the old guy actually has been more or less alright with you. You run over to the captain and block the charmed crewman's sword with your own, then you follow up with a thrust with your dagger that's in your other hand. It sinks deep into the assailant's chest and as he slumps to the deck, you help the captain up. "Come on! Come on! You're too fucking slow! Move your ass!" He orders. You start to wonder if you should have just left him! With the captain in tow (And shouting in your wax filled ear) you make your way to the rowboat, get in and deploy it. It drops a lot faster than you intended and you land hard, but there is no damage and all you get is a little wet from the splash back. "Row! Row! Row northward and don't do anything else! Don't look at anything except down at the floor of this boat!" Rifiv shouts. Between the wax, the captain's shouting and some more explosions from the ship as it sinks, you're not hearing the mermaids anymore. It suddenly occurs to you, maybe that's why Rifiv is still doing all this shouting. Now you're glad you helped him. Still, blocking your hearing is only part of the solution. Now you're in a rowboat which is a lot lower to the water. You see a green hand reach out from the water and grab the side of the boat... "Damn it man, I told you not to look! Close your damn eyes! Just keep rowing, we're almost there! Get back sea sluts! Yargh! Yargh! Get back! You'll not get me with your wiles!" You do exactly what Rifiv says and try to focus on just rowing as you close your eyes. It isn't easy though since you can still hear the sounds of battle and the captain shouting the entire time. You also feel a bit of pulling at not just the oars, but your arms as well. You don't know how the old man is holding out so well. "Stop! No...YOU'RE NOT MY WIFE!" You hear the captain shout. And then nothing but a loud splash. You call out to the captain, but hear no answer. This causes you to row faster with all your strength while still keeping your eyes closed. "Come to us...let go..." You start to hear in those melodic voices again. You can't think of anything else to do so you start singing various bawdy songs you've heard over the years at the top of your lungs as you row for your life. As silly as it is for you to be singing loudly in the middle of the fucking ocean about a priest's daughter losing her anal virginity, it's keeping you alive. This must go on for at least an hour or so. Eventually you hit something, or rather something scrapes the bottom of your boat. At first you think it's the mermaids trying to tip it over or something, but you risk opening your eyes and find that you've hit land or at least the rocks near it. In fact you've damaged the boat and you once again find yourself aboard a sinking ship. Fortunately, the mermaids seem to have stopped harassing you and the water isn't too deep so you make it to shore. Even so, you run pretty far inland before you stop to take a better look at your surroundings. You cautiously remove the wax from your ears and you don't hear any mermaid songs trying to bewitch you any longer. You do hear the sounds of a few birds though. Wherever you are, you're in a wooded area with a large amount of trees and bushes. You aren't sure how big this patch of land is though; for all you know it could be a small island or a large continent. One thing is for sure though, it's cold and you're a long damn way from home. While this isn't the best situation, you're not giving in to despair. As soon as you figure out how to survive here, maybe you can somehow figure out a way to get back. Or maybe you'll just stay here. You'll see how it turns out. Either way your days of being a rogue are over.

Year 30 "Are you sure?" You ask. "I'm positive. My boyfriend said the militia are going to do an intensive sweep of this district in a week. The Klyton Council wants to prove they're tough on crime again. Apparently there have been complaints that things have been getting too lax." Vaughn remarks. "See? This was useful info. And YOU got angry when you found out Vaughn was going out with a militia man." Zal says. "Never mind all that, we gotta start cleaning shit up around here. Vaughn, I want you to start dismantling the stills and moving the tubs from the basement and into the sewers. Just glad we have a lot of already filled barrels down there. We should be good on that front. Zal, you dismantle the gambling tables and wheels and move them into the sewers as well." "I'm not mucking about in the sewers. Those days are over." Zal huffs. "(Sigh) Fine then get someone else to do it! Why do you have to fight me on this right now? I'm going to go see the girls and tell them they got the week off or at least they got the week off here. Don't really care if they whore somewhere else." You immediately come out of your office and start running around telling your employees (Both legal and criminal) what to do. There predictably is a lot of yelling, grumbling and rushing back and forth. About ten minutes in, you've worked yourself up into a frenzy. "WATCH IT WITH THOSE! You break one of those wheels and I'm going to break your fucking arms! By the gods, I'm surrounded by fucking incompetents! And what the hell are you doing? Are you fucking retarded or something? Don't just stand around with a thumb up your ass, go fucking help Vaughn!" You shout in between hitting one poor employee desperately trying to get out of your way. "Oh dear husband! Can I speak with you for a moment?" You hear Zal shout in a sing song voice from upstairs. You hate it when she does that, because it usually means she's going to scold you or give you some unwanted advice and you really don't have time for that right now. Still, if you don't go see her now, you'll have to hear even more shit later. So you better see her now. Good thing she's still your wife, because you'd hate to take this sort of aggravation from someone you weren't fucking on a regular basis. You stomp upstairs and meet Zal in your bedroom. You then close the door. "WHAT?!" You exclaim. "While I'm sure you're having a good time running around abusing your underlings, I'm wondering if it's even necessary." Zal remarks. "Of course it is! You know how this lot is, I gotta kick a little ass sometimes!" "Yes, I'm aware, but have you really thought about WHY that is? Why you have to go on these rampages every few months or so?" "Yeah, so we all don't get fucking pinched by the law!" "Exactly. I'm saying maybe it's time for us to stop worrying about that." "So what're you getting at exactly?" "I'm saying maybe it's time to get out." "Get out? Now? You're joking." "Why is that so crazy?" "Because you don't walk away from this life." "Says who? You can walk away from ANYTHING as long as you aren't in prison or the grave and either of those places are exactly where you'll be heading if this keeps up." "If that's true, then you're going to be there right along side with me." "Not bloody likely. I've been thinking about this for a long time and ever since we got this inn together, I've been thinking about it even more. The time has come and I'm out." And there it is. You have to admit, you're only half surprised, but this is terrible timing. "Zal, do we really have to do this now?" You say. "Yes. Oh don't worry, I'm not going to interrupt anything, we're still moving all incriminating evidence out of here, but we're just doing it permanently." Zalmora responds. "What the...Zal I think you've forgotten who is not only head of this organization, but who is also owner of this fucking inn!" "And I think you've forgotten that as your wife, it's also partially mine." "My name is on the deed!" "Yeah, and you're still not a citizen of Klyton. And after the divorce, I guess we'll see who ends up with what, and if you think I won't drag you through the mud and make this hell for you, then you haven't learned very much during our time together." You can't believe this. You knew you should have gotten a divorce a long time ago. You just kept putting it off for other things you thought were more important at the time. You didn't think about the potential consequences. "You would really fucking do this to me wouldn't you? You probably planned this! Fucking bitch..." You mutter trying hard not to do something violent towards Zal. "Hey, I wasn't the one who initiated consummating the marriage multiple times. I really don't WANT to do this to you at all, but this is the ONLY way you're going to listen!" Zalmora exclaims. "Fine, so convince me. That is what you've always been good at isn't it?" You remark and sit down. Zalmora sits down next to you and exhales. "This inn that we run makes us a pretty good living and that's even before all the illegal shit like providing whores for the traveling merchants or running gambling games in the back. I mean aren't you getting tired of all this? Getting tired of looking over your shoulder thinking the Klyton militia is going to raid the place at any moment?" Zalmora asks. "It's the life we've chosen." "Yes, and I'm saying we don't have to live that way anymore. We could go completely legit and live comfortably rather than living in paranoia of going to jail or hanging in a cage." "I can't believe you're the same woman I met over a decade ago." "Yeah, I already know what you think. That I'm getting old and fearful and I've lost my will for this lifestyle. Well maybe all of that is true to some extent, but I don't see why that's such a bad thing. I mean I had the thrill of being a criminal and all that, well I'm done with that part of my life now. I don't find any joy in it anymore. I grew out of it. Happens to the best of us and I don't see why you don't see the logic in going legit either. You don't seem particularly all that happy and you're constantly going into these frenzies. Can you honestly say this life is as much fun as it was say ten years ago? I mean you'd at least have less worry if you weren't living this life." "So...what then? We just settle into life of married mediocrity and live the rest of our lives like average assholes?" "Yeah, I guess we do. Or we don't. Look, I've never been quite sure how deep your feelings have ever been towards me. To be honest I suppose I'm not quite sure of my own feelings are towards you. I like to think we do have a fondness for each other on some level. I mean we stayed married longer than some people I've know that we're head over heels in love with each other. Not exactly sure if what we have is love, but I guess in some way I think it's close, all things considered." Zalmora continues "That being said, if you don't want to stay together that's fine. I always thought this was going to be temporary anyway. I mean I think I could even work it out if you still wanted to manage this place. My point is though, this inn is going to be a legitimate business from now on and if you're not willing to at least go that route, well we need to say goodbye now." "You know on my end, this could be settled really easily." You say. "Mm, true. Could have also been settled easily on my end too, but as I already said, I like to think we have enough fondness for each other that murder isn't a serious option." Once again Zal is right on that part. You don't even know why you said such an empty threat. Perhaps a last minute act of a desperate man still not sure of what he wants in the future. Going "legit" isn't really going to be as easy as Zal is making out though. You would take a much severe loss in profit than perhaps she thinks. Maybe you could make it, but it wouldn't come easy. You'd have to work hard, but then you work just as hard now and have the constant paranoia added to it. Of course maybe that's the entire problem. You're working too hard period. It might not be the lifestyle, but more the location and job. You remember the more carefree years when you or you and a few others broke into a store and nicked a few items and coins, or picked the pockets of some rich merchant. You took just enough to live well for awhile and then you went out and did it all over again. None of the stress of dealing with day to day shit of running an entire criminal organization. Maybe you just need to get back to basics and walk away from it all. > You go legit You can't go back to those "good old days" even though you might wish to. Really, the good old days were long over the day you got chased out of Teckleville, and perhaps they were over even before that when your sister left. You hope she's doing well. Zal isn't the only one that's gotten older. True you're still relatively young in comparison and perhaps the roguish streak hasn't quite left you yet, but her transformation and everything else that's gone on...well quite frankly it is time to start thinking about a more stable future that doesn't involve criminal endeavors. As for being married...well you could do worse than being married to a woman who's been giving you sound advice for over a decade, even if she has been a bit manipulative at times. You'd be lying if you didn't like that quality slightly. She obviously cares about you on some level and the feeling is mutual. After all, if you didn't, you would have divorced long ago. You grab Zal's hand, squeezing it while nodding silently. It's all you have to do to give an answer. Zal seems pretty happy with your answer and hugs you which you return. "(Sigh) Considering I'm actually allowing myself to submit to this, I guess it's just as well I'm getting out too. I'm obviously too soft to be a crime lord anymore." You say as Zal smiles. "Oh you're not going soft, you're just playing the odds and the odds are in favor of a better life if you get out of this game now." Zal says in an attempt to reassure you. "I suppose. I do hope you know that this isn't going to be as easy as you believe though. Good thing we've got a lot saved up, because if we're going totally legit, we're probably going to be taking a major loss for awhile." "I know, but I truly think this is going to be for the best in the long run." "It's not just that though, we've got other people to think about. I mean the folks who aren't Talons aren't going to be a problem, like some of the waitresses. Even some of the Talons aren't going to be a problem. Hell, I can see someone like Vaughn being completely okay with this direction, but there are a few of the younger more ambitious members that aren't going to go along with this." "Well that's tough shit." "Perhaps, but they're going to be pretty mad about this and when they are, I can't say I'm going to entirely blame them. Still, we can deal with that later. Right now, priority is making this place respectable before the Klyton militia sweep." You and Zal get back to that task at hand. Later on in the week after the noise has died down from Klyton's most recent repressive tactics, you call a meeting to address everyone of the new changes that are going to be taking place. It goes well for the most part, but predictably there are complaints. "So wait, if this place is going legit, does that mean we can't fuck the merchants that come in here anymore?" A whore asks. "You ladies can fuck anyone you want, but if you're going to be doing it here, you better be doing it for fun rather than profit. There is to be no more whoring here. If you want to pursue that line of work, you do it elsewhere. Better yet, the Klyton Kitty is hiring right now. You ladies could go there and be completely legal prostitutes at that establishment." "What?! They wouldn't hire me and I can't compete with the bitches that hoity toity place! They're all twenty years younger, got all their teeth, magically enhanced tits, and don't have a rash on their..." "Hey look, that's not my fucking problem! The best I can do is if any of you want jobs as waitresses, I can accommodate in that respect, but you if you want to go whore, you do it on your own time and away from this place!" As the whores grumble, one of the more unkept employees raises their hands. "Um, does this mean those of us who owed gambling debts don't have to work here anymore?" One of the "indentured servants" asks. "No! You deadbeat fuckers still owe! I'm not absolving anyone of their debts and don't think I won't still enforce that! However, only part of it will be taken out of your pay. If and when you finish paying off your debt, you can either continue working here for your full pay or go on your way." You say. Finally, there is the group that you were expecting the most trouble from. "This a bunch of fucking bullshit." Camid exlaims. Camid is one of the younger Crimson Talons. He's always been a bit outspoken about how things should be run, but he's more or less always complied. A few other Talons with his mindset also express their dissatisfaction. "Which part?" You ask humoring this asshole. "All of it. How fuck are we just going to walk away from all the money we're making and become regular blue collar bums? The working man is a sucker and this is just fucking stupid." Camid says. "Yeah, I figured some of you would feel that way, so think of this as my retirement as head of the Crimson Talons. Camid, if you want the job you got it. If not, well I'm sure those of you who still want to go out and do illegal shit can decide who's going to run the organization. Good luck to you." "I gotta say, I never agreed with all your decisions, but I never thought I'd see the damn day when you'd go fucking limp dick soft. What, so the Klyton militia assholes come sweep the place and you lose your damn balls?" Camid remarks. "Pfft, he didn't lose them, he knows exactly where they are. In his old bitch of a wife's purse!" Another Talon remarks. At this point Zalmora, Vaughn and a couple of the ex-Talons on your side begin to yell, but you calm everyone down. "It's fine, it's fine. You done?" You ask. "No, I'm not fucking done. This inn is a fucking Crimson Talon business! Now if you want to step down and live like some regular jerk off fine. But YOU don't get to take this with you! This is OUR place." Camid remarks. "That's not what it says on the deed, and last time I remember I wasn't married to your ass. Look Camid, you got the damn sewers. You're gaining the bum fights, you can run whores and gambling there. Shit, you can even sell Yellow Devil again or whatever else you want, but YOU don't get this place. I was the one who scratched and worked for it. You want someplace that doesn't smell like shit and covered in slime, well you're going to have to work for it too." At this point Camid and you are face to face and it's half expected that someone is going to go for a weapon. Camid is obviously severely tempted, but he's not quite confident enough to believe he'll survive the exchange. "You're going to regret this." He says and then backs away slowly towards the door as likeminded folks follow. You wave your hand away dismissively and tell your remaining people to go on with their work. You head to your office, though Zalmora and Vaughn follow you. "I hate to say this, but I don't think Camid's going to just go away." Zalmora says. "Yeah, I got that impression. (Sigh) This is why I didn't think this was going to just go smoothly." You say. "Do you think we could just make a one time pay off for him to forget about us?" Vaughn asks. "Vaughn you know damn well that isn't going to work. That fucker will just see that as weakness and start demanding payment on a weekly basis. Besides, we're already going to be losing money in the near future, I'm not parting with any more than I have to." "Well, there's always the obvious solution." Zal suggests. "But I thought the whole point was to get away from doing shit like that. I mean I'm with you guys on going legit, but if we start making exceptions, we're not really changing are we?" Vaughn says. "So what are you suggesting?" You ask. "We get the law to work for us for a change. Look, we all know Camid isn't going to be inventive enough to pick a new location to do business. He's probably going to go right back to that old location in the sewers. All I have to do is tell Gregory about the large Crimson Talon hideout there and boom. The militia takes care of our problem. Plus you know Camid, he'll probably go down fighting." "Who's Gregory?" You ask. "Vaughn's militia man. Got to admit, that's not a bad plan. Just...I dunno. Seems weird ratting them out like that to solve the issue." Zal remarks. "What difference does it make as long as it gets the job done? Besides, as I said, I thought we weren't Talons anymore. There's no code of silence being broken." Vaughn remarks as Zal reluctantly agrees. Seems that Zal hasn't quite gotten all the "rogue" out of her system despite everything she's claimed. You can certainly relate, but not so much because you're against ratting them out, but more because killing them is a more final solution to a potential problem. > You snitch on the Crimson Talons It occurs to you that snitching them out to the militia is most likely the same thing as wiping them out. The Klyton militia isn't exactly known for showing restraint when it comes to things like this. And as Vaughn said, Camid will most likely be foolish enough to go down fighting and take everyone under his command with him. "Fuck it, we're law abiding citizens concerned with the criminal element in this city. There's no reason we should risk our lives, let the militia do their job. Go talk to your boyfriend." You say. Your response is a bit of a surprise to Vaughn and a bigger surprise to Zalmora who both figured you'd ultimately want to take care of the problem directly. Vaughn however seems happy that his life won't be at risk now. Zal doesn't argue with your decision, but seems a little distracted by it. Later that night you address it directly before you both go to bed. "Zal, this really is the less messy solution. If we're getting out like you wanted us to, we can't go around committing a mass murder that could potentially get one or more of us killed in the process. I mean how fucked up would it be if I died or worse, YOU died during the hit? Camid left with a little over half of the Talons, we would have been outnumbered. Let those militia assholes waste their lives. Better them than us, and as I said before, especially you." You say caressing the side of Zal's face. "I know. I know. And I'm glad you were concerned about me." Zal says embracing you. In the next few days, Vaughn lets you know that everything has been set in motion and the Klyton militia is going to launch a full scale assault on the location. They apparently want this to go so successfully they're doing their best keeping it secret. (Though Vaughn's boyfriend Gregory has a big mouth and told him everything anyway.) Within the week you get the news from the paper about how the Crimson Talons were absolutely crushed by the Klyton militia. A big announcement is made of how the Talons are no longer a threat in the Klyton and have at last been brought down after decades of terrorizing the city. All Talon members were killed in the raid along with several Yellow Devil junkies, whores, and gamblers who were there betting on a bum fight. But as usual nobody really cares about some dregs of society getting massacred in the process because justice has been served! You smile and point out to Zal this success. "See? Told you this was the best way to handle it." You say. "Actually it was Vaughn who suggested it in the first place." Zal remarks. "Being the boss means you always get to take the credit." You chuckle. "Boss? We're not Crimson Talons anymore remember?' "I'm still boss of this inn and I'm boss of your fine ass." You say slapping Zal on the ass. "Oh yeah? Well you better come closer and prove that because I'm not convinced." You and Zal proceed celebrate your victory and new lives as productive law abiding citizens in a physical way. Year 33 "Where the hell has Vaughn been? He hasn't come in for the past three days. Did he say he was sick or something?" You ask. "Last time I saw him he was fine. Never said anything about being sick." Zalmora remarks. "I'm gonna have to go over to his home or something because he can't just disappear like this. We're trying to run a business here." "It's odd for him to just disappear though. Maybe we should contact the militia on this." "His boyfriend is a militia guy. I'm sure if it was really serious, he would have already let us know. He's probably just got some minor cold and decided it would be a good excuse to take off from work. He's done that before you know." "So you going over to his home?" "Maybe later when things here at the inn die down a bit. Too much to do right now." You spend most of your work day tending to usual business. Still feels weird at times working a real job, but you're pretty much used to it now. Being with Zal certainly has made this transition easier for you. If only your parents could see you now, they probably wouldn't believe it. You don't think your sister would either. Your thoughts sometimes still wander towards them and wonder how they all are at times. By night fall the inn has gotten a little quieter. Normally that's not the case, but you know there's some major party going on at the Madcap Tavern tonight so most of the rowdier folks are there. You decide this will be a good time to go check on Vaughn. You say goodbye to Zal and leave the inn. As you walk to Vaughn's place you pass a couple of patrolling guards. You still remember when you first came to this city it still wasn't quite as restrictive as it is now. You guess it's good you got out of the life when you did. Along the way, a man with a full beard and mustache and raggedy clothing comes up to you. "Hey boss, can you spare a copper?" He asks. "Don't have any. Get a job." You say still walking. "I had a job boss, but the business got shut down by the government and in this environment, it's hard to get work." He says following you. "Yeah, well things are tough all over." "Well things look like they're going good for you boss. You got money, a nice business, a pretty wife even if she is a little on the older side." You suddenly stop walking and it occurs to you that he isn't just calling you "boss" as some term of deference of social status. "Never thought I'd get an easy chance to get you like this, you never leave that fucking inn." The man says in a nastier tone. Your instincts kick in, and you swing at the man, but you're a little rusty in the combat area. This man however isn't and dodges your swing and then smashes you in the face with some brass knuckles. You feel the crunch of your nose breaking as you fall to the ground. You then feel a boot to the side of your head nearly knocking you unconscious. In your dazed state you feel yourself being dragged into a nearby alley. You attempt to stop your assailant, but are only met with more stomps to your face. He only stops in order to take out his flintlock pistol. While you have no idea who this man's name is, you know he has to be an ex-Talon. Probably some young recruit that you never really paid attention to, which is probably why you never recognized him right away either, even if he does look like a vagrant now. Apparently the Klyton militia wasn't as thorough as they claimed in the papers all those years ago. "Been waiting a long time for this. Say hello to Vaughn in hell when you see him and don't worry your snitch bitch of a wife will be joining both of you soon too." He says and then puts a bullet in your head.

[Themes: fantasy, serious, humor] You can't go back to those "good old days" even though you might wish to. Really, the good old days were long over the day you got chased out of Teckleville, and perhaps they were over even before that when your sister left. You hope she's doing well. Zal isn't the only one that's gotten older. True you're still relatively young in comparison and perhaps the roguish streak hasn't quite left you yet, but her transformation and everything else that's gone on...well quite frankly it is time to start thinking about a more stable future that doesn't involve criminal endeavors. As for being married...well you could do worse than being married to a woman who's been giving you sound advice for over a decade, even if she has been a bit manipulative at times. You'd be lying if you didn't like that quality slightly. She obviously cares about you on some level and the feeling is mutual. After all, if you didn't, you would have divorced long ago. You grab Zal's hand, squeezing it while nodding silently. It's all you have to do to give an answer. Zal seems pretty happy with your answer and hugs you which you return. "(Sigh) Considering I'm actually allowing myself to submit to this, I guess it's just as well I'm getting out too. I'm obviously too soft to be a crime lord anymore." You say as Zal smiles. "Oh you're not going soft, you're just playing the odds and the odds are in favor of a better life if you get out of this game now." Zal says in an attempt to reassure you. "I suppose. I do hope you know that this isn't going to be as easy as you believe though. Good thing we've got a lot saved up, because if we're going totally legit, we're probably going to be taking a major loss for awhile." "I know, but I truly think this is going to be for the best in the long run." "It's not just that though, we've got other people to think about. I mean the folks who aren't Talons aren't going to be a problem, like some of the waitresses. Even some of the Talons aren't going to be a problem. Hell, I can see someone like Vaughn being completely okay with this direction, but there are a few of the younger more ambitious members that aren't going to go along with this." "Well that's tough shit." "Perhaps, but they're going to be pretty mad about this and when they are, I can't say I'm going to entirely blame them. Still, we can deal with that later. Right now, priority is making this place respectable before the Klyton militia sweep." You and Zal get back to that task at hand. Later on in the week after the noise has died down from Klyton's most recent repressive tactics, you call a meeting to address everyone of the new changes that are going to be taking place. It goes well for the most part, but predictably there are complaints. "So wait, if this place is going legit, does that mean we can't fuck the merchants that come in here anymore?" A whore asks. "You ladies can fuck anyone you want, but if you're going to be doing it here, you better be doing it for fun rather than profit. There is to be no more whoring here. If you want to pursue that line of work, you do it elsewhere. Better yet, the Klyton Kitty is hiring right now. You ladies could go there and be completely legal prostitutes at that establishment." "What?! They wouldn't hire me and I can't compete with the bitches that hoity toity place! They're all twenty years younger, got all their teeth, magically enhanced tits, and don't have a rash on their..." "Hey look, that's not my fucking problem! The best I can do is if any of you want jobs as waitresses, I can accommodate in that respect, but you if you want to go whore, you do it on your own time and away from this place!" As the whores grumble, one of the more unkept employees raises their hands. "Um, does this mean those of us who owed gambling debts don't have to work here anymore?" One of the "indentured servants" asks. "No! You deadbeat fuckers still owe! I'm not absolving anyone of their debts and don't think I won't still enforce that! However, only part of it will be taken out of your pay. If and when you finish paying off your debt, you can either continue working here for your full pay or go on your way." You say. Finally, there is the group that you were expecting the most trouble from. "This a bunch of fucking bullshit." Camid exlaims. Camid is one of the younger Crimson Talons. He's always been a bit outspoken about how things should be run, but he's more or less always complied. A few other Talons with his mindset also express their dissatisfaction. "Which part?" You ask humoring this asshole. "All of it. How fuck are we just going to walk away from all the money we're making and become regular blue collar bums? The working man is a sucker and this is just fucking stupid." Camid says. "Yeah, I figured some of you would feel that way, so think of this as my retirement as head of the Crimson Talons. Camid, if you want the job you got it. If not, well I'm sure those of you who still want to go out and do illegal shit can decide who's going to run the organization. Good luck to you." "I gotta say, I never agreed with all your decisions, but I never thought I'd see the damn day when you'd go fucking limp dick soft. What, so the Klyton militia assholes come sweep the place and you lose your damn balls?" Camid remarks. "Pfft, he didn't lose them, he knows exactly where they are. In his old bitch of a wife's purse!" Another Talon remarks. At this point Zalmora, Vaughn and a couple of the ex-Talons on your side begin to yell, but you calm everyone down. "It's fine, it's fine. You done?" You ask. "No, I'm not fucking done. This inn is a fucking Crimson Talon business! Now if you want to step down and live like some regular jerk off fine. But YOU don't get to take this with you! This is OUR place." Camid remarks. "That's not what it says on the deed, and last time I remember I wasn't married to your ass. Look Camid, you got the damn sewers. You're gaining the bum fights, you can run whores and gambling there. Shit, you can even sell Yellow Devil again or whatever else you want, but YOU don't get this place. I was the one who scratched and worked for it. You want someplace that doesn't smell like shit and covered in slime, well you're going to have to work for it too." At this point Camid and you are face to face and it's half expected that someone is going to go for a weapon. Camid is obviously severely tempted, but he's not quite confident enough to believe he'll survive the exchange. "You're going to regret this." He says and then backs away slowly towards the door as likeminded folks follow. You wave your hand away dismissively and tell your remaining people to go on with their work. You head to your office, though Zalmora and Vaughn follow you. "I hate to say this, but I don't think Camid's going to just go away." Zalmora says. "Yeah, I got that impression. (Sigh) This is why I didn't think this was going to just go smoothly." You say. "Do you think we could just make a one time pay off for him to forget about us?" Vaughn asks. "Vaughn you know damn well that isn't going to work. That fucker will just see that as weakness and start demanding payment on a weekly basis. Besides, we're already going to be losing money in the near future, I'm not parting with any more than I have to." "Well, there's always the obvious solution." Zal suggests. "But I thought the whole point was to get away from doing shit like that. I mean I'm with you guys on going legit, but if we start making exceptions, we're not really changing are we?" Vaughn says. "So what are you suggesting?" You ask. "We get the law to work for us for a change. Look, we all know Camid isn't going to be inventive enough to pick a new location to do business. He's probably going to go right back to that old location in the sewers. All I have to do is tell Gregory about the large Crimson Talon hideout there and boom. The militia takes care of our problem. Plus you know Camid, he'll probably go down fighting." "Who's Gregory?" You ask. "Vaughn's militia man. Got to admit, that's not a bad plan. Just...I dunno. Seems weird ratting them out like that to solve the issue." Zal remarks. "What difference does it make as long as it gets the job done? Besides, as I said, I thought we weren't Talons anymore. There's no code of silence being broken." Vaughn remarks as Zal reluctantly agrees. Seems that Zal hasn't quite gotten all the "rogue" out of her system despite everything she's claimed. You can certainly relate, but not so much because you're against ratting them out, but more because killing them is a more final solution to a potential problem. > You wipe out the Crimson Talons No point in taking chances... "I appreciate the input Vaughn, but I believe a more permanent solution is needed here." You say. "Well okay, but how are we going to do it? Camid just left with a little more than half the old gang. Besides us three, we only got a couple guys left and honestly I don't really have confidence in them if it's going to be a knock down drag out fight." "There are more around guns nowadays you know. Don't need to be a good fighter to just shoot someone. I acquired one myself soon after I bought the inn." You say. "Yeah, but Camid and his group could have the same idea. Pretty sure Camid owns one and will probably acquire more for the rest of the Talons. Plus most of them are one shot weapons. If anyone misses, it's going to come down to a real fight and we're going to be out numbered." "Well, I guess we better make sure our aim is true shouldn't we then? Look, if this is going to be a concern, we could always go get some of those repeating crossbows. They cost a damn fortune, but..." Suddenly Zal speaks up. "Maybe we shouldn't risk our lives on this. It would be kind of tragic to get this far only to get brought down at the finish line." Zalmora says. "So what are you saying? You saying you want to go with Vaughn's plan now?" You ask. "No, I'm for getting rid of them, but I just don't think we should be the ones to do the deed if we don't have to." "Okay. So you're saying you want a hired assassin? Great. You know any? Because I sure don't." "Yes we do. In fact you hired him already once." You exhale deeply. "And in order to hire THAT guy again, I'm going to have to deal with Mr. Fucking Reynolds and who knows what damn price he's going to ask for." You say. "He was actually pretty reasonable last time." Zal remarks. "He also didn't tell me everything last time. There's always a catch with him. In fact weren't you against dealing with him last time?" "I was, but that was a different time under different circumstances. I mean can it hurt to even inquire?" "No, but I wish there was another alternative." "We could always look for Scales." Vaughn jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I don't think Scales is even alive anymore, if he was even lurking down in the sewers to begin with. I think Tom was the only one who was ever convinced of it. I mean we were in the sewers for years and never ran afoul of a supposedly territorial lizard. (Sigh) Alright, I'll go see Mr. Reynolds tomorrow and see what the price is." The next day you walk into Mr. Reynolds' office. As soon as you walk in, you see a strange ogrish looking creature, but much shorter than one. In fact if it wasn't for the oversized teeth and general monstrous appearance, you might mistake it for a very muscular dwarf. You also see Henry, or at least you assume it's Henry. He hasn't changed much since the last time you saw him, though he's sporting a few scars across his face now. Finally you see Mr. Reynolds and he certainly hasn't changed. Once again he stands up smiling at his desk. "Well what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit from the head of the infamous Crimson Talons this fine day?" Mr. Reynolds says. "I need some people killed." You say. "Hm, straight to business I see. Okay then, I assume there is some reason why you aren't having your own people taking care of this?" "Let's just say, most of my so called people are the ones I want to have killed." "Ah, an internal struggle? Interesting. Well, I'm not sure what you want me to do about it." You haven't been here five minutes, and he's already playing mind games... "What the hell do you think..." You start to shout, but then you stop and then calm yourself before continuing. "Mr. Reynolds, with all due respect, I have come here asking for assistance on this matter as I once did in the past. Your son did a marvelous job last time even if... I didn't quite appreciate its thoroughness last time. I have now come to respect it much more and I would like to implement his magnificent skills again on others that would see harm to me and my business." Mr. Reynolds listens intently and smiles. "I'm glad to see that wisdom has come with your age. That's good. Last time our business together was less than cordial. That's okay though, I still got paid. As I said, I would love to help you again in this matter, but I'm afraid, this isn't my call this time. Last time when Henry worked for you, you insulted his work and I'm afraid, my son takes things a bit more personal than I do. He won't work for you again." "What?! But isn't he your employee? Can't you just order him?" "Yes, but he's also my son! Really now sir, would YOU force your son to do something he doesn't want to? Yes, business is always important, but sometimes, just sometimes family comes first. Now if Henry wants to work for you on this, I suppose we can start coming up with a price, but I don't think it's likely." You look over to Henry who just gives you a cold glance before walking away altogether. "I think there's your answer." Mr. Reynolds says. "Great. So I guess you can't help me." You say. "Well now, I wouldn't say that exactly, I still have one employee willing to cause mayhem on your behalf." Mr. Reynolds points over to the ogre looking creature. "And who is that?" You ask. "Who is that? Don't you see the family resemblance? This fine gentleman is the late great Olaf's son!" Mr. Reynolds exclaims. "The late Olaf?" "Yes, it was a sad day when Olaf passed a few years ago. Died right here in the office in his sleep in fact. He will be missed. But anyway his son Olaf Jr. has been following in his father's large footsteps and I don't mind saying he's been doing a fine job for me and his own mother is very proud of him." You remember that Mr. Reynolds once said Olaf was married to a halfling. You can't imagine how that birth was even possible let alone how she survived the process. It does however explain Junior's strange appearance by ogre standards. (Or any standards actually) Mr. Reynolds goes on to explain that while Junior doesn't have the same size as his father or quickness that Henry has, he assures you that he has more than enough skill to do the job you require. However, unlike last time Mr. Reynolds asks for a thousand gold coins in advance. It's a hell of a lot of money and you have no real certainty. You're starting to think you might have more piece of mind investing in some weapons and doing this yourself. > You hire Junior As crazy as this is, you know Mr. Reynolds values his word. If he says Junior will wipe out all the targets, then he'll do it. There's also the fact that you haven't completely dismissed what Zal said about failing at the finish line. You could be as prepared as possible and still get yourself killed in the battle or perhaps even Zal would get killed. You have to admit you'd be pretty upset if that occurred. Maybe you are in love after all. So it's with a slight reluctance that you once again take Mr. Reynolds up on his offer... "Okay, it's deal, but I'll have to come back later with the money. I also have to do a little reconnaissance so I know where exactly to have Junior go find his targets. I'll be giving you a list of names and physical descriptions as well." You say. "Sure. Sure. Take all the preparations you need, we'll be here. And as usual, it's been a pleasure doing business with you." Mr. Reynolds says. You return to the inn and explain the situation to Zal and Vaughn. Vaughn says it shouldn't be any problem to locate where Camid and the rest finally settle down at, though he says once again that it will most likely be the old sewer location. "Why couldn't you get the other guy?" Zal asks. "I told you, personal differences. I don't doubt that this ogre...or ogrfling isn't capable of doing the job. Mr. Reynolds prides himself too much on his word." You say. "Thousand gold pieces is a lot of money." "Yeah, well if it keeps you...I mean us safe, it's a good investment." You say. Zalmora smiles a bit. "Wait, were you more worried about me?" Zal asks. "Well you are my wife. I'm not going to live like a regular jack off alone. Especially since it was your idea in the first place." You respond. "I'll take that as a yes." Zal responds and kisses you. You return to Mr. Reynolds' office in the next few days with the money and all the necessary information. "Ah, quite a few of them I see. Henry really should have taken this job, he would have loved it, but there's no getting through to the boy at times. (Sigh) Anyway, yes Junior will have no problems with this. Probably can get it done tonight. Come back tomorrow and we'll have proof." Lacking anything else to do, you head back to the inn and get back to work, which still feels weird to you. Though more than anything else your mind is preoccupied with if that ogre freak is going to be successful. You have a little anxiety that he's not going to get the job done and one of those assholes gets away only to shoot you in the back a year later just when you think everything is going good. Zalmora senses your concern and later that night you try to find reassurance and comfort in her embrace. It helps. The next morning you wake up and you head over to Mr. Reynolds' place. You notice a lot of Klyton militia patrolling about. You also come across a young boy with a bunch of papers shouting about a vigilante. "Hey mister, you need to buy the paper today! It's special edition!" The boy shouts. "What's so special about it?" You ask. "It's a breaking story that happened just last night! Some vigilante wiped out the infamous Crimson Talons!" The boy exclaims. "Really?" "Yeah! My boss suddenly got the scoop in the middle of the night! Anonymous tip or something. Anyway, the details are inside!" "I don't have any money on me right now, but I might be back to get one later." "Okay mister, but you better hurry up, these are selling fast!" You leave the boy and continue on your destination. When you enter Mr. Reynolds' office, he's reading the paper. "There you are. You didn't happen to see this morning's paper did you?" Mr. Reynolds asks. "No, but I heard what the headline is." You respond. "Heh, yes. I thought it would be the best way to deal with this one. After Henry disposed of the Bloody Smiles, people thought there was a blood stalker lurking in the woods for years. It's amazing what people's imagination can come up with." "Mm, the imagination is a powerful thing. So where's Junior?" "Oh I gave him a much needed day off. He was up all night fighting crime I'm sure you're aware. He even took a bullet or two. Still, nothing serious for a strong young creature like himself. He did leave the proof of his deed, do you want to see?" "I can only imagine what he took as proof, but what the hell, I did pay for all this." "It's over in the chest over there." You look over to your left and see a medium sized chest. You cautiously open it and cough a bit when a smokey smell of charred flesh hits your nose. You then see a bunch of what looks to be blackened ears. Well some of them are a little more than just blackened ears and still have some of the side of the faces attached. "(Cough cough) Shit! What did Junior do exactly?" You ask. "Well according to the paper it says the vigilante used a hellfire thrower to wipe out the Talon enclave, but there is also evidence that firebombs were also used." Mr. Reynolds says. "Wait, he burned everyone?" "Yes, and blew them up with explosives. What? Did you think that he was just a simple brute that was going to bludgeon them all with a club?" "Well, sort of." "Oh no my dear boy. Junior isn't his father. He's very much into technology that causes the most amount of casualties in the quickest time possible. Though I believe he probably did bludgeon a few that didn't die right away." "Judging by the number of ears here, I'm going to guess he didn't just stop at the assigned targets." "Yes, I think there was one of those classless bum fights going on at the time when he arrived. Large crowd, but don't worry, he got them all." "Yeah, I believe it." You say closing the chest. You face Mr. Reynolds who stands up from his desk. "So I trust our business is concluded and you're satisfied with the results?" Mr. Reynolds asks. "You said he'd get the job done and as usual, you're a man of your word." You answer. "Well I certainly try to be and I guess this closes the chapter on the Crimson Talons?" "Guess so, or it does for me at any rate." "Hm, well I wish you well on your new endeavor of running your inn successfully like your family once did and being just an average Klyton citizen...but then you never did officially become a citizen of this great city did you?" "Nope, never got around to it." "Well you really should, there's a Klyton Council election coming up in a few years and I'm thinking about running. I'll need all the votes I can get." "You're running for the Klyton Council? Why now?" "Oh I've been doing this job for so long and I think it's time to move on to bigger things. Just time for a change. Maybe you even inspired me a bit. How about that eh? Anyway, my son will be taking over this old business. He's more than qualified. Don't worry, if you ever need a loan for your inn, I've already told him that he can't refuse to do proper business with someone just because he doesn't like them. If that was the case, I wouldn't have done business with anyone at all!" Mr. Reynolds laughs, and you make a mental note that you're NEVER going to take out any sort of loan from this place no matter what the circumstances. As you leave Mr. Reynolds calls to you one more time about how you should go register as a citizen of Klyton soon. You get the strong impression that it wasn't a suggestion so much as it was an order. Looks like you know who you'll be voting for in the future. You knew there was going to be a catch, still you suppose it's a small price in the scheme of things. Well at least you hope so. You'll worry about it later; right now you have more immediate if mundane concerns. Your days as a rogue are over. > Epilogue Epilogue 1: Son of Innkeeper Year 36 Another day, another coin. Well hopefully more than one, but business has been okay lately. Could always be better, but you can't complain. You never thought the day would come where you would be content on doing an honest day's work. Those roguish days of youth seem like a lifetime ago. And yet it wasn't that long ago at all. It's only been six years since you changed your life for the woman you love. And you do love Zalmora. You both don't think you were certain of your feelings until that day when you both left "the life" permanently. Still there are times when you wonder "what if" on certain events that you experienced during your life. You often keep such scenarios to yourself and quickly dismiss them however since in the scheme of things you have a good life and you worry that you might con yourself into believing that you missed out on some grand adventure. Of course when you think of adventure, you also think of your sister who left home to deliberately seek it out. You often wonder what happened not just to her, but to your parents. It's odd to think that not only did you finally straighten your life out, but you're running the old family inn. Assuming they're still alive, you can't even tell them either, because as far as you know you're still wanted for murder in your home town. So many questions... And fortunately for you today some of them are answered. "Hey! Who's the owner of this overpriced shitty establishment!?" You suddenly hear a female voice shout. You look up from the bar ready to tell whoever it is to get the hell out and that's when you see a face that you could never forget no matter how much time has passed. "By the fucking gods! Is it really you I see there before me?" You ask. "Yep, it's your sister from the same mister! Well don't just stand there wiping glasses, give me a hug!" Your sister responds. You practically leap over the bar to embrace her. This is definitely a reunion you never thought would come. Your employees never see you act this way normally, so they're a little surprised, but go about their work. "It's good to see you after what twenty years?" You say. "Too damn long bro. Too damn long. Hey don't squeeze too tight, I got my mandolin on my back and it's pretty unique." Your sister says. "Well you look good anyway, not sure about your clothing though, a little too colorful for my tastes, but then you always were the flashy one." "Oh ho! Well at least I can still fit into my clothing from twenty years ago! What the hell have you been eating?" Your sister remarks poking your belly a bit. "Hey I'm still quick, you saw me leap over that bar didn't you?" "Yeah, but let's sit down and talk, I'm sure you're winded after that." You and your sister laugh and sit down at a secluded table to catch up. Your sister goes first and briefly goes into some of the places she's been. She says she actually came to Klyton when she first left home, but didn't stay long due to her not finding it very interesting. Seems as if you two just missed each other when you arrived here. When you ask how she found you in the first place she just says, as a bard she's always got her ear to the ground on various bits of information, plus it helped that you own a well known inn. She also mentions that she recently visited your parents and besides being glad to see her, they also told her what happened with you a few months after she left. What's fascinating to you though is apparently you were cleared of murder months after you left! Your father managed to save Annah's life and with her statement and a few others who saw everything reluctantly stepped up to tell the truth, your actions were considered a justified crime of passion rather than outright murder. "So wait, am I still wanted there?" You say. "Well...a lot of time has passed and that sheriff who hated you is long dead now. Klint's father also isn't there anymore, so I think you're in the clear legally, but I wouldn't exactly say you're wanted if you know what I mean. Though Annah apparently still thinks highly of you." "Heh, glad she survived. What about mom and dad?" "They're fine. I suppose this would be a good time to tell you, we got a new brother." "WHAT?! They had another child?! When?!" You exclaim. "I guess shortly after we both left. I think he's about twenty or around that age. He's okay, a bit on the straight laced side. Guess mom and dad finally got the well behaved child they always wanted." "I guess so...sheesh...do you think they'd even want to see me?" "I'm sure mom wouldn't mind seeing you. Dad, well he probably wouldn't mind either seeing as you're not a criminal anymore. You aren't are you?" "No, he isn't." A voice says and you turn around and see Zalmora. "Zal, what's up? I thought you were in the office." You say. "Vaughn told me he saw you laughing and talking to a pretty blonde dressed in colorful clothing with a mandolin strapped to her back. Naturally I came out here to see who this bitch was who had obviously captured your attention." Zal says. "Wow, so who's this one?" Your sister asks. You grab Zal's hand and squeeze a bit. "This my dear sister, is the woman who turned me from a life of crime. This is my wife Zalmora." You exclaim. "Very impressive. You must be one special lady to have accomplished that feat." Your sister remarks. "Indeed. So you're the infamous twin sister I've heard so much about. I guess you can stay for now." "Well thanks for your permission." Your sister says with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. Zalmora turns her attention to you and reminds you that a new shipment of rum will be coming in a few hours and Vaughn will need to help bringing it in. She then kisses you before heading back to the office. "Gotta say bro, didn't see you marrying one like that. Didn't see you marrying anyone actually." Your sister remarks. "Yeah, well we've been through a lot together." You say. "So how is it running the old family business? Being married and generally being an average working class citizen?" "I'm happy sis. I really am." "Good. I'm glad. Who knew you'd find it here though huh? Strange how things work out. I gotta ask though, The Crims Inn? Nice little play on words, but how'd you come up with that name?" You chuckle. "Long story." You say. "Best ones usually are, I've found." Your sister responds. You begin your tale...

[Themes: fantasy, serious, fantasy] No point in taking chances... "I appreciate the input Vaughn, but I believe a more permanent solution is needed here." You say. "Well okay, but how are we going to do it? Camid just left with a little more than half the old gang. Besides us three, we only got a couple guys left and honestly I don't really have confidence in them if it's going to be a knock down drag out fight." "There are more around guns nowadays you know. Don't need to be a good fighter to just shoot someone. I acquired one myself soon after I bought the inn." You say. "Yeah, but Camid and his group could have the same idea. Pretty sure Camid owns one and will probably acquire more for the rest of the Talons. Plus most of them are one shot weapons. If anyone misses, it's going to come down to a real fight and we're going to be out numbered." "Well, I guess we better make sure our aim is true shouldn't we then? Look, if this is going to be a concern, we could always go get some of those repeating crossbows. They cost a damn fortune, but..." Suddenly Zal speaks up. "Maybe we shouldn't risk our lives on this. It would be kind of tragic to get this far only to get brought down at the finish line." Zalmora says. "So what are you saying? You saying you want to go with Vaughn's plan now?" You ask. "No, I'm for getting rid of them, but I just don't think we should be the ones to do the deed if we don't have to." "Okay. So you're saying you want a hired assassin? Great. You know any? Because I sure don't." "Yes we do. In fact you hired him already once." You exhale deeply. "And in order to hire THAT guy again, I'm going to have to deal with Mr. Fucking Reynolds and who knows what damn price he's going to ask for." You say. "He was actually pretty reasonable last time." Zal remarks. "He also didn't tell me everything last time. There's always a catch with him. In fact weren't you against dealing with him last time?" "I was, but that was a different time under different circumstances. I mean can it hurt to even inquire?" "No, but I wish there was another alternative." "We could always look for Scales." Vaughn jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I don't think Scales is even alive anymore, if he was even lurking down in the sewers to begin with. I think Tom was the only one who was ever convinced of it. I mean we were in the sewers for years and never ran afoul of a supposedly territorial lizard. (Sigh) Alright, I'll go see Mr. Reynolds tomorrow and see what the price is." The next day you walk into Mr. Reynolds' office. As soon as you walk in, you see a strange ogrish looking creature, but much shorter than one. In fact if it wasn't for the oversized teeth and general monstrous appearance, you might mistake it for a very muscular dwarf. You also see Henry, or at least you assume it's Henry. He hasn't changed much since the last time you saw him, though he's sporting a few scars across his face now. Finally you see Mr. Reynolds and he certainly hasn't changed. Once again he stands up smiling at his desk. "Well what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit from the head of the infamous Crimson Talons this fine day?" Mr. Reynolds says. "I need some people killed." You say. "Hm, straight to business I see. Okay then, I assume there is some reason why you aren't having your own people taking care of this?" "Let's just say, most of my so called people are the ones I want to have killed." "Ah, an internal struggle? Interesting. Well, I'm not sure what you want me to do about it." You haven't been here five minutes, and he's already playing mind games... "What the hell do you think..." You start to shout, but then you stop and then calm yourself before continuing. "Mr. Reynolds, with all due respect, I have come here asking for assistance on this matter as I once did in the past. Your son did a marvelous job last time even if... I didn't quite appreciate its thoroughness last time. I have now come to respect it much more and I would like to implement his magnificent skills again on others that would see harm to me and my business." Mr. Reynolds listens intently and smiles. "I'm glad to see that wisdom has come with your age. That's good. Last time our business together was less than cordial. That's okay though, I still got paid. As I said, I would love to help you again in this matter, but I'm afraid, this isn't my call this time. Last time when Henry worked for you, you insulted his work and I'm afraid, my son takes things a bit more personal than I do. He won't work for you again." "What?! But isn't he your employee? Can't you just order him?" "Yes, but he's also my son! Really now sir, would YOU force your son to do something he doesn't want to? Yes, business is always important, but sometimes, just sometimes family comes first. Now if Henry wants to work for you on this, I suppose we can start coming up with a price, but I don't think it's likely." You look over to Henry who just gives you a cold glance before walking away altogether. "I think there's your answer." Mr. Reynolds says. "Great. So I guess you can't help me." You say. "Well now, I wouldn't say that exactly, I still have one employee willing to cause mayhem on your behalf." Mr. Reynolds points over to the ogre looking creature. "And who is that?" You ask. "Who is that? Don't you see the family resemblance? This fine gentleman is the late great Olaf's son!" Mr. Reynolds exclaims. "The late Olaf?" "Yes, it was a sad day when Olaf passed a few years ago. Died right here in the office in his sleep in fact. He will be missed. But anyway his son Olaf Jr. has been following in his father's large footsteps and I don't mind saying he's been doing a fine job for me and his own mother is very proud of him." You remember that Mr. Reynolds once said Olaf was married to a halfling. You can't imagine how that birth was even possible let alone how she survived the process. It does however explain Junior's strange appearance by ogre standards. (Or any standards actually) Mr. Reynolds goes on to explain that while Junior doesn't have the same size as his father or quickness that Henry has, he assures you that he has more than enough skill to do the job you require. However, unlike last time Mr. Reynolds asks for a thousand gold coins in advance. It's a hell of a lot of money and you have no real certainty. You're starting to think you might have more piece of mind investing in some weapons and doing this yourself. > You do it yourself Maybe Reynolds has confidence in this guy, but you're not so sure especially at the price that's being charged. If it was Henry, you'd be fine with it because at least you know what he can do. Too bad you hurt his feelings, who knew psychopaths had them? "I think I'm going to have to take a pass, Mr. Reynolds, but I thank you for your time." You say. "Oh. Okay then. Well if you change your mind, you know where to find me. If you don't , well good luck to you." Mr. Reynolds says. You walk out of Mr. Reynolds' office and head back home. There's nothing else for it. You're going to have to do this yourself. Good thing you've still got a few shady connections who can get you some proper weapons for this fight, because to be honest you don't want to have to be rolling around in the sewers with Camid as you try shoving daggers in each other's faces. It wasn't pleasant when you did it with Tom and you didn't particularly get any enjoyment when you had to do it to Klint. Being a killer isn't something you ever really desired doing, but it's something that you've found necessary in this line of work. Might be why you saw the wisdom of following Zal's advice and decided to get the hell out. Of course you're hoping you're going to get out. You just have to do this one last thing. When you return to the inn, you inform Zal and Vaughn of what happened. "So, I guess it's one last job then?" Vaughn remarks. "Looks like it, if we're going to all live happily ever after." You say. "Well, I guess it has to be done." Zal remarks. You look over at Zal and touch her hand. "Zal, you don't need to come when this goes down. I mean someone should be here to hold down the fort anyway." You say. "How the hell can you even say that? Look, it's sweet that you're obviously concerned about me, but I'm a big girl and this whole thing was something I talked you into in the first place. So I can't just let you risk your life for this by yourself. We're all in this together. Besides, you're going to need all the help you can get." Zal says. You know Zal is not going to budge on this, so you just accept it. She's right as usual anyway. "Okay. Well let's start talking strategy." You say. You tell Vaughn that you need to be certain where Camid and the rest are going to be setting up shop in the sewers. You all think that Camid is going to be predictable and set up in the old location, but you want to be sure, because you need to wipe them all out. The next step is to acquire some repeating crossbows and even some protective armor. Granted if Camid's crew end up packing flintlocks, it might not matter, but it's better to be safe in this instance. You spend a small fortune on gearing up for this hit. In fact by the time you get everything you think you'll need, it would have been cheaper to hire Junior, but then you know there would have been a catch. With Mr. Reynolds there is always a catch. You, Zal, Vaughn and the rest of the old guard that was loyal spend some time practicing for the big event. In the meantime, Camid has indeed set up in the old location. He's also been busy recruiting more folks too. You have no idea if he's planning to hit you soon or he's just trying to gather strength, but in any case, you can't waste too much more time. You need to strike soon. You make plans to hit Camid during one of the "slower business" days. Last thing you want is having to deal with crowds of bum fight bystanders and whores while you're trying to kill Camid and his crew. The night before the reckoning, you and Zal spend a good portion of time together as a husband and wife do, since neither of you knows if you're going to survive. Funny that up until now, both of you spent most your lives practically dismissive of the ongoing possibility of death. This is different though. As Zal said, this is the "finish line." Then the days comes. You know Camid's folks are more active at night, so it'll be best to hit them during the day when some of them are probably still half hung over. You all get prepared, descend down into the sewers and make your way to your location. It's actually been a while since you've gone slinking around in the darkness, but you and your group try to remain as stealthy as you can. You manage to get well within the new Crimson Talon territory before one of the members suddenly stumbles upon you. "Hey, you're not...Urgh!" A Talon says before being interrupted by a bolt to the neck. You manage to dispatch a few more Talons in relative silence before one of the Yellow Devil junkie whores wandering around starts screaming her head off. It isn't even about you either. The whore's insane ramblings are so loud it calls wanted attention, and by the time you put a bolt in her head to shut her up, your presence has been discovered and a major alarm has already been raised. "Shit! We're being attacked! Get your gear! Move! Move!" One of the Talons shouts. At this point stealth is discarded altogether and all out battle takes place. To their credit, Camid and what remains of the Talons don't try to run away. They're determined to fight it out, so at least you won't have to chase any of them down. Camid had the same idea as you did and invested in more weapons. You learn this first hand when a firebomb is lobbed at you and you have to dive out of the way and into foul waters. The noise is deafening as the explosion echoes throughout the sewers. You barely have time to find more suitable cover when you see several Talons running out from an archway firing flintlock pistols at you. Thankfully their aim isn't great. Still clutching your own weapon, you manage let loose several more bolts and catch a Talon in the process. You then trip over something and after scrambling to get back up you realize you've got blood all over you. It isn't yours however, it's part of one of your people you was blown apart by the bomb. You just tripped over his bloody torso. A slight panic comes over you not because of the obvious reasons, but more because you've lost track of where everyone else is, namely Zal. A Talon comes screaming at you with a sword raised above his head, and you shoot him twice in the chest, but he keeps coming. He gets close enough for you to see him foaming yellow shit from his mouth and blood coming from his eyes. The guy's on Devil. You dodge the wild sword swing, trip the drug addled fool to the stone floor and then stomp the back of his head with your boot. A life ending crunch is heard and he's finally stopped. You rush back to where you hear the rest of the fighting. Another firebomb goes off in the distance followed by someone screaming. Another one of your people, though you don't know who yet. You finally get back to the sewer cross way near where the bum fights are held and that's when you see Vaughn on the floor attempting to tie up his bloody leg. It's in pretty bad shape. "Camid ran into the old Talon barracks, I think Zal went after him." He says grimacing in pain. You immediately leave Vaughn and run to the Talon barracks. You see a dead body on the floor and then another slumped over the bed. You cautiously go through the room and then head into where you used to have your old office. Then your heart sinks. You see Zal on the floor with several wounds on her body. Some are from the dagger still in her stomach, another is a gunshot to the upper chest. The armor wasn't enough and despite her still struggling to stay alive you already know she's going to die soon. "(Cough) Good...you're a...live...I got that bast..ard..." She coughs and points over to another body in the corner which is Camid's. His brains are blown out through his eye socket and partially on the wall. You run over to her apologizing and on the verge of tears. You knew something like this was going to happen. If only you'd done something different. Zal however in her dying breaths tells you it's not your fault and at least she got to enjoy her time with you while she was here. "Just...go live your life...okay?" Zal says before finally closing her eyes forever. Right now, part of you doesn't feel like living your life is going to be worth it without her around. You know you'll eventually get over this and move on, but it's not going to be for a long time. > Epilogue Epilogue 2: Back to Basics Year 36 Another slow day at your inn. It's days like this where you don't even want to be bothered and would just rather let Vaughn run everything. Actually, everyday is starting to get like that. After Zal's death, you continued to run this place mainly because it seemed pointless to abandon something that such a high price was paid for. In some ways you thought you were honoring her memory. You thought as the years went by you'd finally settle into this life, but so far you haven't. Not that every day is a living hell or anything like that, it's just an ongoing sense of dissatisfaction. You aren't sure what the solution is though. Going back to your old "profession" just doesn't seem like an option anymore especially since you've long since allowed those talents to rust, not to mention you're not exactly in the shape you once were. Though it's more than just the physical. The drive isn't there either. You don't really want for anything so why go back to something that could potentially fuck that up? You do realize that you're luckier than most that dabbled in the life of crime, you got out not permanently maimed and you came out ahead. Not many can say that. Still, doesn't make your feelings about your current situation any better though. You spend a lot of time dwelling on the past during happier days. Not so much the time you spent with Zal, because that just tends to make you miss her more, but the time before you even came to Klyton. The carefree days with your sister. Now that's when it was really fun and you were up for almost anything. You wonder what happened to her and where she is right... "Hey! Who's the owner of this overpriced shitty establishment!?" You suddenly hear a female voice shout. You look up from the bar ready to tell whoever it is to get the hell out and that's when you see a face that you could never forget no matter how much time has passed. "By the fucking gods! Is it really you I see there before me?" You ask. "Yep, it's your sister from the same mister! Well don't just stand there wiping glasses, give me a hug!" Your sister responds. You practically leap over the bar to embrace her. This is definitely a reunion you never thought would come. Your employees never see you act this way normally, so they're a little surprised, but go about their work. "It's good to see you after what twenty years?" You say. "Too damn long bro. Too damn long. Hey don't squeeze too tight, I got my mandolin on my back and it's pretty unique." Your sister says. "Well you look good anyway. I see you're still into colorful clothing, but then you always were the flashy one." "Just glad I can still fit into my clothing from twenty years ago. Speaking of which what the hell have you been eating?" Your sister remarks poking your belly a bit. "Yeah, I know. Age hasn't been kind to all of us sis." "Oh, I was joking. Don't worry, you're not as bad as all that." You and your sister sit down at a secluded table to catch up. Your sister goes first and briefly goes into some of the places she's been. She says she actually came to Klyton when she first left home, but didn't stay long due to her not finding it very interesting. Seems as if you two just missed each other when you arrived here. When you ask how she found you in the first place she just says, as a bard she's always got her ear to the ground on various bits of information, plus it helped that you own a well known inn. She also mentions that she recently visited your parents and besides being glad to see her, they also told her what happened with you a few months after she left. What's fascinating to you though is apparently you were cleared of murder months after you left! Your father managed to save Annah's life and with her statement and a few others who saw everything reluctantly stepped up to tell the truth, your actions were considered a justified crime of passion rather than outright murder. "So wait, am I still wanted there?" You say. "Well...a lot of time has passed and that sheriff who hated you is long dead now. Klint's father also isn't there anymore, so I think you're in the clear legally, but I wouldn't exactly say you're wanted if you know what I mean. Though Annah apparently still thinks highly of you." "Heh, I'm glad she survived. Really glad. What about mom and dad?" "They're fine. I suppose this would be a good time to tell you, we got a new brother." "WHAT?! They had another child?! When?!" You exclaim. "I guess shortly after we both left. I think he's about twenty or around that age. He's okay, a bit on the straight laced side. Guess mom and dad finally got the well behaved child they always wanted." "I guess so...sheesh...do you think they'd even want to see me?" "I'm sure mom wouldn't mind seeing you. Dad, well he probably wouldn't mind either seeing as you're not a criminal anymore. You aren't are you?" You sit back and chuckle a bit. "Do I look like a criminal anymore sis?" You say. "Hey looks can be deceiving, you could be one of those crime lords that doesn't have to leave his office and sends his underlings out to do his bidding." Your sister remarks. "Heh, I could be...but I'm not. At least not anymore. Nope, I just run this inn nowadays. It's a relatively uneventful real job and I'm just a regular jerk off. It's exactly what mom and dad always wanted." You say with a bit of a sigh. "Geez bro, you make it sound like your life is already over." Your sister says. "Sometimes it sure feels that way. (Sigh) Sorry, I'm being a downer, why don't you tell me more about your travels. Sounds like you've had all the exciting adventures. Did I hear you mention something about being a pirate?" "Not exactly, and I can certainly tell you that story, but I'm more concerned about you. I mean are you really alright? You don't seem happy." "I'm okay I suppose...I just...I dunno..." You say trailing off. There's a moment of silence as your sister just looks at you. "When was the last time you left the city? Hell, when was the last time you left this inn? Maybe you need a change of scenery." Your sister remarks. "Maybe, but while I'm glad to hear I'm not a wanted murderer in Teckleville anymore, I'm not sure if I want to take a trip there right now." You say. "Not home, I mean why don't you come with me for a little while?" "What? Seriously?" "Sure, why not?" "Because last time I remember you distinctly saying you wanted to travel by yourself." "Yeah, well there were a lot of times I wish I hadn't said that, because there were a lot of times it would have been very useful to have someone I trusted to watch my back. I mean I wouldn't take back my experiences, but I can honestly say if you had been there they might have been less scary for me." Your sister says touching your hand. You smile a bit and slight warm feeling comes over you. "Well thanks." You say. "So, are you going to come with me?" Your sister asks. "...um...well where are we going?" "Anywhere you want or we can just walk until we get there. Come on, it'll be fun, like old times!" "Trust me, it's real tempting. Just wondering about the inn...hold on, I'll be back." You get up and head downstairs. As expected you find Vaughn doing inventory and as usual he's adjusting his wooden leg. "You okay Vaughn?" You ask. "Yeah, this damn leg as usual. Might have to get a new one again. We're supposed to get in a new shipment of rum today. Might need your help moving it down here unless you're busy with your lady friend." Vaughn remarks. "Oh. Saw me speaking with my sister did you?" "Before I came down here, I saw you leap over the bar to embrace her. Gotta say, that's the most enthusiasm I've seen out of you in a long time. So that's the twin I've heard you speak about a few times huh?" "Yeah that's her." "Pretty. Like her wardrobe too. Very colorful and cheery." "Hey Vaughn, do you think you can manage this place by yourself?" "I suppose so, why?" "I'm going to go away for a little while. Not really sure where. Not really sure when I'll be back either." "Hm. I see. You sure you're even coming back?" "...now that you mention it, I suppose I'm not sure of that either. Guess I'm asking if you want this inn." Vaughn hobbles over towards you. "Tell you what. I'll take the inn, but if you do come back, you'll always have a job managing it again. Don't worry about your private quarters, it won't be disturbed either." Vaughn remarks. "Thanks Vaughn." You say. "It's no problem. I'm just glad you're finally following Zalmora's advice and living your life." You and Vaughn return to your office where you sign over the property to him. You then shake hands before saying goodbye. Gathering up a few belonging and some money, you go meet your sister. "Let's go." You say and the pair of you leave. As you make your way out of Klyton, you finally feel a spark again. Like a great weight has been lifted. You aren't sure how long this is going to last, but you have a positive feeling about you and look forward to whatever lies ahead. "This was a good idea sis. I'm feeling really upbeat about this." You say. "That's good, I'm glad. I'm looking forward to traveling with you too after all these years. I was meaning to ask though, I notice you wear a ring on your finger. You aren't married are you?" Your sister asks. "Oh. Sometimes I forget that's it's even there. I probably should take it off, but yes, I was married many years ago." "Gotta say I never saw you as the marrying type." "I would have still been married had she not passed away." "Sorry to hear it. She must have been some sort of special lady if you married her in the first place though. So how did you two meet and all that?" "It's a long story." "Well, why don't you tell me? We got a long journey ahead and I can't be the only one with interesting stories." You begin your tale...

[Themes: fantasy, anti-hero, serious] Zal's got a bit of a point. This isn't exactly the most glamorous of a position and you could certainly do better than hiding out in these filthy sewers. You've got more than enough saved and have enough connections that you could easily open up a real business front. You'd just need to keep everything low key and change a few things. The more you think about it, the more you feel this is the right decision. The next day you gather Zal and Vaughn to discuss this new direction. "An inn certainly sounds better than the sewers." Vaughn says. "Well, we're still probably going to have some of our operations down there, but I figure we can at least start making an attempt to climb out of them. I'm thinking that we probably should stop dealing in Yellow Devil too." You say. Zamora nods her head. "I agree. The profits aren't worth the risks on that racket. A lot less sudden body meltdowns and diseased junkie whores lingering around as well." Zal remarks. "So what about the location? Are we buying out an existing inn or starting from scratch? We could probably buy back the old place, the Troll's Breath Tavern. Edmond used to run the Talons from there before the militia raided the place and shut it down." Vaughn remarks. "Wouldn't it be a little obvious, if the Talons set up there again?" You ask. "Nah, they'd never expect the same place twice! Besides, it's called the Clean Mug Tavern now. It's run by two siblings, one of them even comes here to bet on the races and fights sometimes. The place is barely scraping by, so I think they would be receptive to selling it to us for cheap." "Instead of buying it outright, I'd suggest just getting the owners to work with us. That way nothing really changes up front, but we don't spend money and we're the ones really running things." Zalmora says. "Definitely sounds like a better idea, but I know what place you're talking about, and it seems a little on the small side, I was thinking some place bigger like my old family's inn which is still abandoned. We wouldn't have to deal with anyone." You say. "Seems like more hassle. You'd still have to buy it from the city which could present some problems. Assuming they didn't ask many questions, you'd still have to fix the place up before we could start using it proper. Wouldn't we need to get an alcohol supplier and hire people as well?" Vaughn remarks. "Not really, we know more than enough folks that we could have cheap employees. Some of them are hopeless gamblers with debts in fact, so that's no problem. As for alcohol, we could easily make it ourselves and bypass a supplier. Most folks coming wouldn't be there for the booze anyway, so it isn't like we're going to need hundreds of barrels of the stuff every month. Of course your family's old inn is in a slightly better part of Klyton, so my concern would be the greater likelihood of militia just stumbling in for a drink now and then." Zal remarks. > You seize the old Talon tavern Now that you're rethinking this, the less paper work the better and you are probably going to be better off located in the poorer area of the city too. "So who is this hopeless gambling case who owns this property exactly?" You ask Vaughn. "His name's Carl and you probably have seen him, you just didn't know his name. He's a short grubby guy. His face almost looks a little orcish, but he smells worse than one half the time." Vaughn remarks. "Oh, him? That disgusting little grub owns a tavern? Thought he lived here in the sewers. In fact I was wondering why he wasn't in the ring fighting with the other bums." You say. "Disgusting is right, the little shit tried to grab my ass once and made a bunch of stupid sexual innuendo. He's lucky I didn't cut his dick off and only stabbed his hand." Zalmora says. "Hm, well I suppose if he gives us any shit, we know who he's already afraid of. You said he had a sibling, what's the story on that one?" "Um, dunno much. I think her name's Annie and I do know she swears more than the three of us put together. She came down here to retrieve her brother a couple times and every other word that came out of her mouth was some variation of fuck." Vaughn says. "Well that's very interesting, but I was wondering if she was likely to give us any shit if we try to muscle in on the tavern. I mean are we going to have to take care of this bitch or not?" "I dunno, I mean she's got a mouth on her, but she's just a skinny thing and I can't see her giving us any trouble if we seriously threaten her." "Well, it would seem the goal is clear. I'll go have a talk with these siblings about the facts of life." You say. "You don't want anyone to come with you?" Zal asks. "Nah, it'll be fine." "As you say." Zal says almost implying that you don't know what you're doing. The next day, you enter the Clean Mug Tavern which can't possible be true given that you feel like you need to jump in a river just by setting foot in the place. Which is saying a lot considering you do most of your business in the fucking sewers. The floors are sticky with filth and the walls in this dim light don't seem much better. A family of rats scurry past you as you walk further in making you wonder if you've left the sewers at all. The place is empty save for a few drunks face down on tables. A frowning thin girl with a pale complexion sit behind a bar. It's already apparent she isn't welcoming. "What the fuck do you want?" She asks. "Do you greet all your potential customers that way?" You ask. "Don't fucking like it, you can get the fuck out." "Yeah, you must be Annie. Where's your slug of a brother?" "Probably fucking a whore instead of taking care of fucking business as usual. And how do you know my fucking name? Who the fuck are you and what the fuck do you want?" "I'm your new business partner. Or in your words, I'm your new fucking business partner." Annie's frown somehow manages to turn even further downward as she just stares at you. "Alright, before you go on a fuck tirade, I'll try to explain it so simple that you'll understand." You explain that her and her brother's tavern is now going to be a front for Crimson Talon operations. In exchange you'll fix this place up and make it at least somewhat more appealing. The tavern will be making more money with the influx of people that are sure to come in, but you'll be taking most of the profits of course. "So wait, you're gonna just fucking come in and take over completely? You get the fucking tavern and all the fucking money? What the fuck do we get?" Annie asks. "You get your health for one thing. Which I assume would be the most important. However, if it isn't, I would still point out that YOU will most likely still be making more of a profit than you are now with this rat palace. Also, the tavern will still be legally yours. We'll just be using it and basically paying for the place. Now, that should make you feel a little bit better about this non-negotiable deal shouldn't it?" Annie is silent again for a moment and still frowning. Her eyes look down briefly, which implies she might be thinking about going for whatever weapon she has stashed under there. You still aren't worried, because even if she doesn't see the wisdom of the deal, you're confident that you'll be quick enough to reach over the bar and stab her first. Fortunately, it doesn't come to that. "Well, looks like I don't have much of a fucking choice. I imagine even if I killed you, some other fucking asshole would just take your place and probably wouldn't be as fucking understanding as you." Annie says. "Glad to see you're a woman of forethought. Anyway, I'll be back later and I'll inform you with more details as we get set up. I trust you can tell your brother about this business when he shows up?" You say. "Yeah, but I can I ask for ONE fucking request?" "I'll entertain the thought. What is it?" "Well since I figure I'm already getting fucked, the least you could do is do me proper." Now you're silent for a moment. "Um...what exactly are you saying?" You ask, sort of already knowing, but just wanting confirmation. "I'm fucking saying, if you're already bending me over and horse fucking me in this business endeavor, you could at least do it to me literally as well." Annie says. "...Are you being serious right now?" "Of course I'm being fucking serious! You're young, easy on the eyes and I don't get out much. Besides, I know I'm not that fucking ugly." This is just bizarre. You didn't expect this sort of request. Annie's correct in that she's not ugly, but her stringy greasy looking hair, plain looks, and emaciated appearance aren't exactly traits that come to mind when you're thinking of attractiveness. Though apparently she finds you attractive which is always a nice ego boost. "Well...um...shit..fuck it. Alright. Not like I got anything better to do." You say. "The sad thing, is that's the best offer I've had in years." Annie remarks a bit despondently. Hell, now you feel like you're doing a good deed. After giving Annie a thrill big enough to cause her to actually stop frowning for a moment, you head back to the sewers where you feel a lot less dirty. "So how did it go?" Zal asks. "It went well. We aren't going to get a bunch of problems." You say. "You talked to them both?" "Nah, just the sister. The brother was elsewhere. Pretty sure she was the one to deal with anyway though since she's the main one running that place. I satisfied her." "Satisfied?" "Erm, I mean dealt with her. She won't be a problem." "Okay...so are we moving everything there then?" "Well I imagine the bum fighting will still be held down here, but that tavern is big enough to have gambling games and whores set up. We're really going to have to fix that place up first though, because as it stands now, the place isn't much better than the sewers." "Damn shame. I remember Tom saying the place was fairly nice back when Edmond ran the Talons out of there." "It will be again and in time when we get a few more recruits and things are running smoothly we can do the same thing with another place." With the tavern secured, you take your next steps in this plan. > Time passes... Year 26 "What?!" You exclaim in disbelief. "Carl and Annie's mother showed up at the tavern last night and pitched a bitch. I mean she raised holy hell. Literally too. She had a book of Joachim in hand the entire time." Vaughn says. "So did she do any actual physical damage?" Zalmora asks. "Not really. She mostly beat the shit out of Carl and Annie, saying she didn't scrimp and save for the tavern just so they could turn it into a den of sin. She then left saying if they didn't take care of this, she would." Vaughn remarks. "Wait, so do the siblings actually even own this place?" Zalmora asks. "Apparently it's always been in their mother's name and she did run it briefly before she started having health problems and let her children run it instead. She mostly stayed out of the day to day operations, but every now and then she leaves her home to drop in on her children...and well you know the rest." "I don't get it. Why would a Joachim fearing woman buy a tavern, let alone let her children run it in the first place?" "Apparently that's sort of a newer development. The old lady has gotten a bit religious over the past few years. Probably brought on by failing health." You just put your face in the palms of your hands. "Why the hell didn't either of you fucking idiots know any of this? And more importantly why didn't you stop the old bitch?" You ask. "ME? This was all Vaughn's idea and YOU signed off on it! I've barely been involved in it! All you've had me do is seeking out other potential taverns to take over and monitor the bum fights from time to time. I haven't stepped foot in that damn tavern since we first set up shop there! Besides, aren't you regularly fucking that skeletal bitch that runs the place anyway? Figured you pumped her for information along with just pumping her." Zalmora exclaims. "(Sigh) No. I'm not fucking Annie. That's an ugly rumor that delusional bitch probably started in the first place. I can see I'm going to have to set her ass straight." "Hm, if you say so." Zal says giving you a look like she doesn't quite believe you. You knew it was a bad idea to pity fuck Annie a few more times. In any case, Zal's right in that it's not her fault at all, this is mostly Vaughn's fuck up, but really it's yours as well because you really should have learned all the facts first. You are the one running the Talons after all. You exhale deeply and get up from your desk. "What's the old woman's name and where's she live?" You ask. "Her name's Wendy and she lives in a small house over by the Greenwood park. I think it's like the only house still standing there since most of the others are abandoned." Vaughn says. "I'll find it." You say. "Wait, are you going to go over and kill her?" Vaughn asks. "Well I was going to see if I can find a diplomatic way of dealing with this, but if murdering the old lady is what it takes then so be it." "Hold on, maybe you should send someone else. I mean maybe I could go take care of this." Zal says. "No, because as you have already pointed out, this isn't your fault at all and I don't trust Vaughn to not fuck it up, so I'll do it myself." You head over to Wendy's home, wondering how you're going to handle this. You really don't want to murder an old lady if you can help it, but if that's what it takes then that's what's going to have to happen. Given that she's a follower of Joachim though, you don't hold out much hope that blood isn't going to be shed. Eventually you get over to Wendy's house and knock on the door. You hear a lot of grumbling as you wait. "Hold on, hold on, I'm...by Joachim, you haven't aged!" a short old woman exclaims when she opens her door. "Um, thanks?" You say a bit confused. "What are you doing here? Are you in the city just for a visit? Where is Eliza? Are you still married to her?" "Wait, who do you think I am?" You ask. Wendy mentions your father's name and squints a bit as she looks closer at you. You realize, this is one of the waitresses at your father's old inn! You remember your mother mentioning working with her in some of her old stories to you and your sister, but then you never did pay much attention to those. Maybe you can work this in your favor after all. "No, I'm afraid you've confused me with my father. But my mother and father are still married and well." You say. "Oh. That's good. They were a nice couple, if a bit slow on the uptake as far as how they really felt about each other. Still, I guess it all worked out, given that you're here. You look a lot like your father. Well come on in and tell me what brings you to my doorstep." Wendy says. Wendy invites you in and tells you to excuse the mess as she doesn't do much cleaning nowadays. You find a chair to sit in and she does likewise. "So. What would the son of my old employer want with me?" Wendy asks. "Well, after working for so many other people, I've sort of come to the conclusion that I'd like to try to work for myself for a change. I was sort of inspired by the old family business and I've done a lot of research on the matter along with asking my parents questions of course. I got quite a bit of money saved up from over the years and I was looking for a place to buy and get a business started. I thought your tavern would be a good place." You say. "My tavern? You've been there?" "Oh yes. When I was shopping around for potential places. Your children...Um...Carl and Anika..." "Annie." "Yes, Annie said that it was actually yours and if I wanted to buy it, that I should speak with you. They mentioned how you used to work for my father too, so I figured I'd at least make an offer to you first before anyone else." "...Mmm hmm...but why didn't you just buy your old family inn? I believe it's still abandoned and for sale surprisingly enough." "Heh, I tried, but apparently the city is planning to knock it down and build something else there. Would have been nice, but I got here a little too late it seems." "Uh huh...let's cut the bullshit." "Pardon?" "You think I was born yesterday? You may be the son of Eliza, but you sure ain't anything like her OR your father. They were decent people. While YOU are a lying criminal scumbag just like my worthless children. It seems a little too fucking convenient that you show up on my doorstep the day after I find out what's going on at my tavern. I'm not really surprised by my son Carl. He's a miserable gambler with a weakness for whores. Annie, however I thought at least had a little more sense. Guess you're really putting it good on her if she's gone along with this shit." "I assure you, I don't..." "Don't insult me with more lies. I already saw what was going on at my tavern. In all her hysterics yesterday, I heard Annie babble to me about how she has a handsome man that loves her more than I ever did. I have to imagine that's probably you since you stand out a bit from the rest of the unwashed rabble I saw in that den of inequity. Ungrateful little bitch. Well, whatever charms you think you have ain't gonna work on me, I'm a Joachim fearing woman! Tch. Gotta say I never thought your parents would raise someone so far from the path of righteousness." The jig is up. "Yeah, I'm a big disappointment to them, but as you said, let's cut the bullshit and come to some sort of arrangement. How much you want for the tavern?" You ask. "And why would I sell to a heathen like you?" Wendy retorts. "Because I already own the place in all but name already. Look, the place was barely making any money to before I showed up and now that you know the truth, you won't want to have any more connection to the place. So I'm making you a generous offer since you're an old family friend to buy it. Two thousand gold pieces. You know that this is the best offer you're going to get and let's be honest, you don't have a choice. What are you going to do? Report us to the militia? We'll be gone...or at least I won't be around and all that's going to happen is the city of Klyton is going to arrest your children and seize the place, leaving you with no steady income whatsoever." Much like her daughter, Wendy's wrinkled face frowns at you in silence. She doesn't like this, but her silence is a good sign. It means despite her belief in Joachim she's still pragmatic enough to consider your offer. You just hope she isn't TOO much like her daughter because... "Five thousand gold pieces for the tavern." Wendy says. "Five thousand?" You answer "That's my price. I might be old and not in the best of health, but two thousand isn't going to sustain me until I die. I know a big time crime lord such as yourself probably has that kind of money." "Five thousand...seems a bit greedy. Isn't that against the will of Joachim?" "First of all, you don't know shit about his glory, so don't think to say shit to me about it. Second of all, some of that is going to his church so at least some good can come out of this wickedness." "Ah, I see. Buying your way into the afterlife. Whatever. I don't care, but I'm afraid five thousand is fucking unreasonable." "And that's still my final offer. You don't like it, well you better go crawl in whatever hole you hide in from the militia because I am NOT going to let you use the place while it's still in my name. So it's five thousand or you're leaving my tavern either peacefully or by the militia. I got nothing to lose. You're in this position because YOU chose a life of wickedness. Deal with the consequences." "I don't think you realize the position YOU'RE in." You warn. Wendy starts to smile, followed by a laugh. "What? You're going to kill me? Pfft. I'm already dying with how my health is going and my three kids are fucking disappoinments. As I said I have nothing to lose and my soul is prepared for Joachim's eternal glory. You won't get away with it anyway, Joachim always finds a way to punish the wicked." > You pay the money The old bat drives a hard bargain and she's called your bluff. As much as you might try to be some ruthless crime lord, there's still some things you can't bring yourself to do. Murdering an old lady in cold blood is one of them. "(Sigh) Fine. You got me by the short and curlies. I'll pay your damn price out of respect for all the years of service you gave to my family." You say. "Yeah, see what that got me. Still, I'm glad to see that you have some sort of morality. Maybe there's still hope for you. Remember it's never too late to turn your soul over to Joachim." Wendy says. "I'll keep that in mind. I'll be back tomorrow, you just have the deed." You leave Wendy's house and return to your sewer headquarters. You're starting to wonder if you shouldn't have just bought your family's old inn in the first place. At least it would have been big enough for you to make your home in. "So how did it go?" Zal asks. "She's willing to sell, so no murder was necessary." You say. "Really? Wow, I'm actually impressed that you managed to talk a religious old lady into working with you...or did you just fuck this one into submission too?" Zalmora starts laughing immediately after her comment. Vaughn stays silent though. "Fuck you Zal, just fuck you." You say. "Interesting, that wasn't a denial." Zal remarks with a smirk. "Hey boss, I just want you to know I'm not judging you if you did. We all have our own carnal desires and I know you seem to like the older ladies. I mean between Annie and Zal..." Vaughn starts to say. "What the fuck Vaughn, don't put me in the same category as that weathered corpse!" Zal exclaims suddenly getting angry. "Both of you shut the fuck up, in fact don't the pair of you got some work to do? No wonder things are falling to shit here." Zal and Vaughn walk off, leaving you alone for the rest of the night. The next day you go over to Wendy's house and complete the transaction. "Here you go heathen." Wendy remarks handing you the deed. "Thanks hypocrite." You answer and start to leave. Wendy isn't quite finished yet though and she grabs your arm before you leave. "Hey, I wasn't joking yesterday when I said it isn't too late to seek Joachim's forgiveness. Maybe your wicked deeds are profiting you today, but there is going to come a reckoning someday and you'll have to answer for your evil ways. Out of respect for your parents, I urge YOU to turn from this path before it's too late." You pull your arm away. "Yeah, I'll get right on that." You say and walk off. Eventually you return back to your sewer headquarters and spend some time on inner contemplation. "(Sigh) I really need to get the hell out of these sewers. I'm the damn head of a budding criminal empire. One of those tavern gambling rooms is getting turned into a new office." You say to yourself. > Time passes... Year 28 "Yeah, so the Broken Glass owner says he'll comply." Vaughn remarks. "Excellent. We can add another tavern to our list." You say. "Did we really need another one?" Zal asks. "That's a silly question Zal. We can always use more income and taverns provide the best cover." "I dunno, I just think we're extorting too many businesses within a short period of time. I mean have you forgotten that the Klyton militia is still pretty active?" "So what're you saying? You want to go back and hide in the shit filled sewers like we were doing? I thought you'd be happy to get out of there completely since you were the main one bitching about it. Look, as long as we keep a low profile we're fine. We've been doing well so far right?" "Yeah, I'm sure Edmond thought the same thing once." "Here we go with that. Look Zal, we've been through all this before three years ago. I actually took your advice and you're still not happy, so let me make this easy for you. You're out." Zal's face is one of surprise. Vaughn is a little surprised as well. "What? Are you serious?" Zalmora says. "Yes, I'm fucking serious. I'm sick of your bitching, your sarcasm, your smart ass remarks that attempt to undermine my authority in general. You seem to think because we once shared a bed together that somehow allows you to say anything you want to me. Combine that with the obvious fact that you don't really have the stomach for this business anymore, well there isn't much use for you is there? So with all respect and no ill will, goodbye Zal. You were a valued member of the Crimson Talons while you were part of us, but your services are no longer required." Zalmora takes your words in silence. She looks at you with a mixture of feelings and you can't quite tell if it's betrayal, anger, sadness or even relief. She just walks over to you and touches your face before leaving. About a few minutes after she leaves, Vaughn speaks up. "Come on boss, aren't you going to go after her? You're just mad because you were feeling good about how things are going and in typical Zal fashion she was a bit of a downer. You know that's how she is. I also know Zal and she's just putting on a brave front. She really doesn't want to leave any more than you really want her to leave. It's pretty obvious you value her advice, even if she is difficult at times." You look over at Vaughn. You've never known him to be that insightful, but he's hitting all the points right now. You stand up. "Aw hell...you're right. She probably hasn't gone too far yet. Vaughn can you... What the hell is going on out there?!" You say suddenly hearing a bunch of noise outside the office. You open up the door and everyone is running around attempting to avoid the horde of Klyton militia piling through the front door. They aren't fucking around either because they're outright shooting or stabbing folks that are only barely resisting. Annie and Carl from what you see have already given up and are kneeling on the floor with their hands behind their heads. "Oh shit! Vaughn! Help me barricade the door! We gotta get the fuck outta here!" You shout and slam the door shut. As you and Vaughn push the desk up against the door, you already hear the crashing behind it. From the other side, you hear your name being called out telling you to surrender or face consequences. "What kind of logic is that? If I surrender, I'm going to face the consequences too. Vaughn, open up the trap door, I'm going to get as much as I can from the safe." You say. After Vaughn opens up the escape hatch to the sewers, you try to maintain your cool as you fiddle with your safe and unload its contents all the while axes, halberds and bullets are piercing the barricaded door. "Come on! Leave it! Let's just go!" Vaughn remarks. "Go on ahead, I'm almost done, I'll be right behind!" You say waving Vaughn away. You finish packing and are heading towards the escape hatch when the door is finally partially broken. A bullet whizzes by you and into the wall. You whirl around to fire your own flintlock at your assailants. You hit one, but then are shot yourself. It's only in the leg, but given how close you are to an open hatch, you fall back, slip and tumble down it. You probably would have broken your neck had Vaughn not been in the way to break your fall. Of course you probably surprised the hell out of him as he was climbing down the ladder. The pair of you land hard on the stone sewer floor with you being right on top of Vaughn. "Shit...my leg...my fucking leg...Vaughn I might need you to...Vaughn?" You say and slowly move yourself off of him. You check, and you see his head at an unnatural angle. He's broken his neck. "Damn it, Vaughn..." You say and then another bullet flies near your head and into the floor. One of the militia men is firing at you from the top of the hatch. Seeing that Vaughn still has his own pistol holstered, you grab it, point upward and fire. You somehow manage to hit the guy in the face and then you realize the folly of that as you desperately roll out of the way of his falling body. The militia man's body partially hits Vaughn's and the stone floor. At this point you're just trying to get away which is difficult with one good leg. With some effort you manage to stand yourself up and hobble away. You already hear several of the militia climbing down the ladder and shouting. "SHIT!" You shout as your wounded leg gives way due to lack of strength and a slimy stone floor. Falling on your face, you already know you aren't getting away at this rate. Best case scenario, you get taken in, tried and instead of executing you, they shove you in one of those cages where you first found Tom. MAYBE if you're lucky you might be able to pick the lock and escape, but you doubt if you'll just have access to your tools. Maybe you could do what Tom managed to do and convince a wanderer to release him...but then again you know how that situation ultimately ended for him. Actually, if you knew letting him out was going to lead to this end result, you would have left him there. Who knows, maybe he would have even been better off since the other Talons were supposed to get him out eventually. It's all a very long shot anyway and you've already come to the conclusion that you're not going quietly. The strange thing in all this is now you're glad you told Zalmora to leave when you did. You hope she managed to evade capture. You think she probably had enough time to run before the militia converged on the place. You're kneeling on your good leg and leaning up against a wall in an attempt to get back up, when the militia finally catch up to you. You feel a hard blow to your back and you crash to the floor. Several militia surround your prone body. "We'll get promotions for this!" You hear one exclaim. "Hope they also have an award for getting wounded in the line of duty." You remark and pull a dagger stabbing him in the foot. It's all the excuse the militia needs to start running you through repeatedly with their spears and swords and stomping your head into mush. You're a holey bloody mess by the time they're through. It isn't exactly the most pleasant death, but at least it eliminates all the waiting.

[Themes: fantasy, anti-hero] Year 26 "What?!" You exclaim in disbelief. "Carl and Annie's mother showed up at the tavern last night and pitched a bitch. I mean she raised holy hell. Literally too. She had a book of Joachim in hand the entire time." Vaughn says. "So did she do any actual physical damage?" Zalmora asks. "Not really. She mostly beat the shit out of Carl and Annie, saying she didn't scrimp and save for the tavern just so they could turn it into a den of sin. She then left saying if they didn't take care of this, she would." Vaughn remarks. "Wait, so do the siblings actually even own this place?" Zalmora asks. "Apparently it's always been in their mother's name and she did run it briefly before she started having health problems and let her children run it instead. She mostly stayed out of the day to day operations, but every now and then she leaves her home to drop in on her children...and well you know the rest." "I don't get it. Why would a Joachim fearing woman buy a tavern, let alone let her children run it in the first place?" "Apparently that's sort of a newer development. The old lady has gotten a bit religious over the past few years. Probably brought on by failing health." You just put your face in the palms of your hands. "Why the hell didn't either of you fucking idiots know any of this? And more importantly why didn't you stop the old bitch?" You ask. "ME? This was all Vaughn's idea and YOU signed off on it! I've barely been involved in it! All you've had me do is seeking out other potential taverns to take over and monitor the bum fights from time to time. I haven't stepped foot in that damn tavern since we first set up shop there! Besides, aren't you regularly fucking that skeletal bitch that runs the place anyway? Figured you pumped her for information along with just pumping her." Zalmora exclaims. "(Sigh) No. I'm not fucking Annie. That's an ugly rumor that delusional bitch probably started in the first place. I can see I'm going to have to set her ass straight." "Hm, if you say so." Zal says giving you a look like she doesn't quite believe you. You knew it was a bad idea to pity fuck Annie a few more times. In any case, Zal's right in that it's not her fault at all, this is mostly Vaughn's fuck up, but really it's yours as well because you really should have learned all the facts first. You are the one running the Talons after all. You exhale deeply and get up from your desk. "What's the old woman's name and where's she live?" You ask. "Her name's Wendy and she lives in a small house over by the Greenwood park. I think it's like the only house still standing there since most of the others are abandoned." Vaughn says. "I'll find it." You say. "Wait, are you going to go over and kill her?" Vaughn asks. "Well I was going to see if I can find a diplomatic way of dealing with this, but if murdering the old lady is what it takes then so be it." "Hold on, maybe you should send someone else. I mean maybe I could go take care of this." Zal says. "No, because as you have already pointed out, this isn't your fault at all and I don't trust Vaughn to not fuck it up, so I'll do it myself." You head over to Wendy's home, wondering how you're going to handle this. You really don't want to murder an old lady if you can help it, but if that's what it takes then that's what's going to have to happen. Given that she's a follower of Joachim though, you don't hold out much hope that blood isn't going to be shed. Eventually you get over to Wendy's house and knock on the door. You hear a lot of grumbling as you wait. "Hold on, hold on, I'm...by Joachim, you haven't aged!" a short old woman exclaims when she opens her door. "Um, thanks?" You say a bit confused. "What are you doing here? Are you in the city just for a visit? Where is Eliza? Are you still married to her?" "Wait, who do you think I am?" You ask. Wendy mentions your father's name and squints a bit as she looks closer at you. You realize, this is one of the waitresses at your father's old inn! You remember your mother mentioning working with her in some of her old stories to you and your sister, but then you never did pay much attention to those. Maybe you can work this in your favor after all. "No, I'm afraid you've confused me with my father. But my mother and father are still married and well." You say. "Oh. That's good. They were a nice couple, if a bit slow on the uptake as far as how they really felt about each other. Still, I guess it all worked out, given that you're here. You look a lot like your father. Well come on in and tell me what brings you to my doorstep." Wendy says. Wendy invites you in and tells you to excuse the mess as she doesn't do much cleaning nowadays. You find a chair to sit in and she does likewise. "So. What would the son of my old employer want with me?" Wendy asks. "Well, after working for so many other people, I've sort of come to the conclusion that I'd like to try to work for myself for a change. I was sort of inspired by the old family business and I've done a lot of research on the matter along with asking my parents questions of course. I got quite a bit of money saved up from over the years and I was looking for a place to buy and get a business started. I thought your tavern would be a good place." You say. "My tavern? You've been there?" "Oh yes. When I was shopping around for potential places. Your children...Um...Carl and Anika..." "Annie." "Yes, Annie said that it was actually yours and if I wanted to buy it, that I should speak with you. They mentioned how you used to work for my father too, so I figured I'd at least make an offer to you first before anyone else." "...Mmm hmm...but why didn't you just buy your old family inn? I believe it's still abandoned and for sale surprisingly enough." "Heh, I tried, but apparently the city is planning to knock it down and build something else there. Would have been nice, but I got here a little too late it seems." "Uh huh...let's cut the bullshit." "Pardon?" "You think I was born yesterday? You may be the son of Eliza, but you sure ain't anything like her OR your father. They were decent people. While YOU are a lying criminal scumbag just like my worthless children. It seems a little too fucking convenient that you show up on my doorstep the day after I find out what's going on at my tavern. I'm not really surprised by my son Carl. He's a miserable gambler with a weakness for whores. Annie, however I thought at least had a little more sense. Guess you're really putting it good on her if she's gone along with this shit." "I assure you, I don't..." "Don't insult me with more lies. I already saw what was going on at my tavern. In all her hysterics yesterday, I heard Annie babble to me about how she has a handsome man that loves her more than I ever did. I have to imagine that's probably you since you stand out a bit from the rest of the unwashed rabble I saw in that den of inequity. Ungrateful little bitch. Well, whatever charms you think you have ain't gonna work on me, I'm a Joachim fearing woman! Tch. Gotta say I never thought your parents would raise someone so far from the path of righteousness." The jig is up. "Yeah, I'm a big disappointment to them, but as you said, let's cut the bullshit and come to some sort of arrangement. How much you want for the tavern?" You ask. "And why would I sell to a heathen like you?" Wendy retorts. "Because I already own the place in all but name already. Look, the place was barely making any money to before I showed up and now that you know the truth, you won't want to have any more connection to the place. So I'm making you a generous offer since you're an old family friend to buy it. Two thousand gold pieces. You know that this is the best offer you're going to get and let's be honest, you don't have a choice. What are you going to do? Report us to the militia? We'll be gone...or at least I won't be around and all that's going to happen is the city of Klyton is going to arrest your children and seize the place, leaving you with no steady income whatsoever." Much like her daughter, Wendy's wrinkled face frowns at you in silence. She doesn't like this, but her silence is a good sign. It means despite her belief in Joachim she's still pragmatic enough to consider your offer. You just hope she isn't TOO much like her daughter because... "Five thousand gold pieces for the tavern." Wendy says. "Five thousand?" You answer "That's my price. I might be old and not in the best of health, but two thousand isn't going to sustain me until I die. I know a big time crime lord such as yourself probably has that kind of money." "Five thousand...seems a bit greedy. Isn't that against the will of Joachim?" "First of all, you don't know shit about his glory, so don't think to say shit to me about it. Second of all, some of that is going to his church so at least some good can come out of this wickedness." "Ah, I see. Buying your way into the afterlife. Whatever. I don't care, but I'm afraid five thousand is fucking unreasonable." "And that's still my final offer. You don't like it, well you better go crawl in whatever hole you hide in from the militia because I am NOT going to let you use the place while it's still in my name. So it's five thousand or you're leaving my tavern either peacefully or by the militia. I got nothing to lose. You're in this position because YOU chose a life of wickedness. Deal with the consequences." "I don't think you realize the position YOU'RE in." You warn. Wendy starts to smile, followed by a laugh. "What? You're going to kill me? Pfft. I'm already dying with how my health is going and my three kids are fucking disappoinments. As I said I have nothing to lose and my soul is prepared for Joachim's eternal glory. You won't get away with it anyway, Joachim always finds a way to punish the wicked." > You kill Wendy You're not going to be threatened or blackmailed by some superstitious old lady. If she's ready to die, then this makes it all the more easier. "Okay, well say hello to Joachim for me!" You say and you lunge at Wendy with a dagger. Wendy's survival instinct kicks in a bit and she tries to struggle, but it isn't much of one. "Not so eager to die now eh? Where's your Joachim now?" You sneer and easily end her life with a dagger to her throat. It's done and you quickly make your way out of the house and return to your sewer headquarters. "So how did it go?" Zal asks. "The old bitch is dead. Vaughn head over to the house with some people and search it for the tavern deed and anything else valuable. I would have done it myself, but I wanted to distance myself from a crime scene as soon as possible obviously." you say. "Oh. Okay, did you want the body disposed of too?" Vaughn asks. "If you want to be bothered I suppose you could, but I'm not really worried about the Klyton militia tracking me down for it. I mean if they ever did find me, it would be for a whole bunch of other shit first." Vaughn leaves and it's just Zalmora who keeps looking at you. "What?" You ask. "Nothing. Just still hoping you know what you're doing." Zal remarks. "(Sigh) Damnit, why do you ALWAYS do this? Something gets taken care of and YOU always say something that suggests different and completely undermines morale?" "Alright fine, I'll stop being a downer. I just want you to be more careful. I mean I didn't notice it immediately, but you've got some blood on your clothing and even your hands. I certainly hope you were careful about being seen." "Yes, yes, of course I was. Sheesh, you act like this I'm some damn neophyte at this. I'm not worried about the fucking militia." "Okay. Apologies. You got everything under control, I'm done with my caution." Zalmora takes her leave and you're free of her usual mother hen routine. You getting a little tired of that occurrence. You're also getting a little tired of these sewers. You're supposed to be the head of a budding criminal Empire. As soon as you can, you're clearing out one of those gambling game rooms at the tavern and making it into an office. One month later... "Where the hell are Carl and Annie? I haven't seen either of those losers for days. Did they still want jobs at this place? Because I can easily get any slob to replace what they do. And in Carl's case that ain't much to begin with." You say. "Well maybe their taking their mother's...um disappearance hard." Vaughn remarks. "I doubt it. There was no love between her or them. Wendy distinctly said they were disappointments to her when she tried to get more money out of me. Besides, it's been a couple weeks since they discovered she was missing and they didn't seem all that concerned before." "Maybe it's a delayed reaction. Like they figured she'd show up by now and because she hasn't, reality is setting in that she might not just be missing, but she might be dead." "Nah, Annie spoke to me about a few days before she stopped coming in. She didn't give that impression. The opposite actually." Zalmora remarks. "Oh? Never known you two to talk. What did she say exactly?" You ask. Zal smirks at your request. "She told me she hoped that her mother actually WAS dead, because then she would never get in the way of your love for her." Zal chuckles. "Fuck you Zal, just fuck you." You say. "I'm serious! She actually said that to me!" "I told her to stop spreading that fucking rumor! That's it, if she does show up again, she's out on her ass. If she gives me shit about that, she'll join her mother! I'm not having her telling delusional lies about me anymore!" "I know you keep denying and I'd really like to take your word. However, she's already told me about some very intimate things about your body and I think I'd know if she was lying or not." "The crazy bitch walked in on me changing once and she made up some twisted fantasy!" "Nice save. Okay, have it your way." Zal remarks and takes her leave before you start yelling at her. Vaughn not wishing to be your second choice for verbal abuse takes his leave as well. Two weeks later... "Camid, I want every able body we have to look for Vaughn AND Zalmora! They didn't just fucking disappear and if the militia pinched them we would have known about it! I dunno what the fuck's going on, but if we got some rival organization like the Ebony Claw Syndicate setting up shop here, we need to get on this quick!" You shout. "Yes sir!" Camid remarks before leaving. This has been stressful week. Both your best lieutenants have gone missing and in this line of work, that probably means they're dead. You'd probably feel a little worse about it, if you weren't so angry. Who the hell is doing this? You didn't think much about it when Carl and Annie disappeared. If anything you were somewhat happy you didn't have to deal with them anymore. This however is something different. You've taken to hiding in the sewers again, with guards constantly posted outside your office to make yourself less of a potential target. In fact, you've actually gotten very paranoid recently that maybe it isn't something of this world doing this, but maybe, just maybe Wendy's warning was right... Days pass and you still have no idea who is doing this. Soon Camid stops reporting in and you start losing Talons. With your loss of manpower, you aren't able to run much of anything. Eventually it's just you as the Talons still left alive have fled your side fearing that they'll be next on this list of mysterious disappearances. You have lost everything and the militia wasn't even involved. You end up spending most of your days in the sewers jumping at shadows and armed all the time. You barely sleep and when you do, you still wear heavy armor that you invested in after Vaughn and Zalmora first disappeared. However, the fateful day comes when you do finally have a sound sleep, when you open your eyes however, you are met with a grisly sight on the floor of your room. You see the bloody heads of the various people that have gone missing. Carl, Annie, Vaughn, Zalmora, Camid and others under your command. You reach for your weapon and then a figure loom over your head punching you in the face several times. He then proceeds to break your arms, before dragging you off your bed and then breaking your legs. Bones stick out of the skin, your screams are loud and the pain is great, but you're in the sewers and there will be no help. It isn't until all your limbs are broken that you finally get a good look at the person doing this to you. "...you..." Is all you can utter. "I've taken everything away from you. Now I'm sending you to a very dark place and I'm going to enjoy sending you there." Henry whispers as he starts stripping off your armor. You never thought about it at the time, but only now do you remember Wendy mentioned she had three children. You also remember Mr. Reynolds saying Henry's mother's name was Wendy. Odd that Carl or Annie never spoke of him at all, but perhaps they were too scared of him to even say his name and it's easy to see why. Perhaps Wendy never had any love for this ruthless monster of a son, but it's apparent he had love for her...or perhaps this was just the excuse to kill you. After all he never liked you after you criticized his work. Whether this is somehow the twisted divine work of Joachim or just a coincidence of a son seeking revenge on his mother's killer, it hardly matters. How he learned that it was you who did the deed doesn't matter either. What matters is Henry keeps his promise of enjoying sending you to a dark place because he keeps you alive a whole three days torturing the shit out of you before your body just gives out.

Year 25 "Well, what the hell do these folks expect? If they want outlandish theatrics they can pay out the ass to watch a Klyton Gladiator match where the minimum bets are much higher. At least here we have fights where we'll accept a five copper bet." You say. "Yes, but at the arena, people don't have the deal with the bums they've bet on to puke in the middle of the ring and pass out causing the other to win by default." Zalmora says. "That happened ONE time." You remark. "Well there's also the ongoing smell of the sewers that puts people off." "Yeah, well the Klyton council just increased the city's militia numbers recently and stepped up patrols. So keeping business in the sewers is about the safest place to do all this if we want to avoid sudden raids." "It might not have been necessary to wallow in the sewers if they had another distraction." "So you've said many times in the past, but I think things still worked out with me in charge." "We're doing okay I suppose, but I'm still not sure if bum fight gambling and going back to selling Yellow Devil was the way to go about it." "Hey we've got whores too." "Ah yes, those mostly tie into the Yellow Devil trade. I shudder to think about the hopeless cases that actually pay to fuck YD junkies." "Hey not everyone can afford the high priced Klyton brothels. Look, I saw that the only way we were going to survive is to have steady businesses. The Klyton Council are the biggest criminal overlords and nobody says shit because they effectively legalized everything and control the biggest gang to protect their interests. I mean there wasn't really any way to feasibly compete except offer similar things at lower the prices and cater to the lower class." Zalmora looks at nearby group betting and getting excited over a giant roach race. "Pretty sure some of these folks are under the lower class." Zalmora replies. "Yeah, well a coin's a coin, don't you have a house to break into or something?" you say. "Always, but I don't understand why you don't come on these things like you used to." "Because I gotta look after shit around here. I just can't drop everything to go rip off a store. I'm not Tom, I don't just sit on my ass doing nothing." "I didn't say you were, but you used to be a little more fun at least. Like those first few years when you got here. Remember?" Zalmora says with a bit of a smile. "Yeah, well I'm not a damn stupid teenager anymore that gets distracted by a pretty girl that wiggles her ass at me." Zalmora steps back from you a bit giving a slightly perturbed look. "Okay Mr. bossman, if you hadn't initially taken my advice in the first place you wouldn't even be in this position." Zal says. "OR if I hadn't taken your advice, I might have been in this position a lot sooner. In fact despite you always bringing it up, I'd say not listening to you turned out to be a lot better " you remark. "Right, because this is such a great position to be in." "I'm in charge ain't I? Y'know what your problem is? You thought you were going to manipulate me into doing whatever you wanted just because you threw a little pussy my way. And now you're bitter that didn't happen. If you really want control of the Talons, you could always challenge me Zal." "Oh no, not me! Never would I challenge your insurmountable wisdom boss. Obviously you've got things under control more than little ol' me could ever handle." Zal says with obvious sarcasm in her voice. "If you don't want to take over and you don't like how I'm running things, why don't you just leave then? Not like I'm going to try to kill you for leaving." "Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind. You know why I'm even still in the Talons? Because deep down I'm actually hoping you know what you're doing. So far you're ahead, but I'm just wondering for how long. Edmond was pretty much running things like you are now. Granted you are less of a violent asshole than he was, but I'm seeing the same pattern." "I'm not sure what to tell you Zal, I mean we're fucking criminals doing illegal shit. This is sort of way things are done." "(Sigh) Yeah, I know...guess I'm just starting to wonder why I ever thought this was fun. I'll leave you to your drugs and whores." Zalmora walks away. You sometimes forget that Zal is at least around fifteen years older than you now. She's probably starting to worry about age catching up. Probably didn't see herself mucking about through sewers at this age taking orders from someone a lot younger. Weird, because Vaughn doesn't seem to have a problem with it, but then Vaughn's never been one to make waves. As you walk back to the Crimson hideout thinking about the future, you have to admit, it isn't as bright as you once thought. All things considered you are doing well right now, but there just doesn't seem to be any let up on the laws being passed to turn this city into a huge prison camp. Part of that you imagine is due to the rebellion in Holgard. You're certainly glad you didn't decide to go there given what you heard. At one time, you did toy with the possibility of going "legit" somehow. Like maybe buying an inn and running it. Maybe even the one your family once owned. It would sure be a complete circle if you did that. Of course it wasn't so much going "legit" as it was the idea of having a place to run your activities without it being in an abandoned building or recently the fucking sewers. Though that's a riskier endeavor nowadays and would result in needing to re-organize things again. Might be better to stick with your current set up. It isn't perfect, but it's working. > You stick with what you are doing The sewers are good enough for you. If you start trying to set up shop up top, you're just going to bring down the heat eventually. You've got a good thing going on and nobody fucks with you down here. If worst comes to worst, you're confident that you could easily lose the militia if they actually ever made an effort to patrol down here. Still, maybe you could figure out a way to make this place somewhat less...well like a sewer. You already have made a base in the best abandoned area you can find though. You suppose you could start manually expanding underground further away from the sewers themselves of course that would be a pretty extensive and expensive undertaking and it isn't like you're familiar with the details of excavation. Although... This city used to have a fairly large active miner population once. In fact your family made money serving them at their inn. At some point long after your parents had left the city and the inn closed down, the mining trade dried up completely in Klyton for a variety of reasons resulting in a lot of unemployed miners. In fact some of the bums in your fights are ex-miners. You wouldn't want to rely on just them though, but surely you could scour the city for other ex-miners down on their luck or working jobs they hate. They probably would work cheap. You suppose if you really needed more you could shell out the money for some outside help, but you'd rather keep the costs as low as possible. Later when you approach Zal and Vaughn with this idea, they're caught off guard by this plan, but don't seem put off by it. Well Vaughn doesn't at least. Zal of course has her usual concerns. "Okay, I know that look. Out with it." You say. "It's just...well do you think this is even feasible?" Zal asks. "I'm not saying it's not going to take effort, but again this is a long term plan. I mean going up top, trying to set up false businesses and store fronts is just not going to work in Klyton. The place is just too damn repressive, but we all know people still WANT to do illegal shit like whoring, drugs, gambling..." "Erm, actually all those things are legal in Klyton." Vaughn interrupts. "(Sigh) You know what the fuck I mean! All that high priced shit is easily accessible for the rich folks, but WE cater to the poor and who needs affordable distraction more than they do?" "So...wait. Are we defenders of the down trodden now?" Zal asks. "I didn't say all that, but we ARE providing for them in a way. I mean we can start out by digging ourselves out a proper headquarters where we don't have to be constantly bombarded by the smells of the sewer and has a solid defense, but I'm thinking in time we could just build a whole underground town." Zalmora and Vaughn look at each other and then you. "A TOWN?!" They exclaim. "Well maybe not town in the traditional sense, but a place where we can do our business AND live without even worrying about the Klyton militia raiding the place because we would be so damn entrenched that they wouldn't be able to do shit even if they wanted to. We wouldn't just be the criminal organization that skulks around in the Klyton sewers, we would be a whole separate community...bah maybe I'm not explaining it well, but I envision it in my head!" You say. "No. No, I get what you mean. I have to say, this is really damn ambitious. I mean I can't say I'm not impressed by your plan...but again I just have my concerns if it's going to be possible...but fuck it, I'm in." Zal says. "Glad to hear it. So, we're going to need miners and equipment which is the easy part, but we're also going to need a genuine engineer so the whole damn thing doesn't fall on our heads. So anyone know of any?" You remark. "Yeah, Red Nose Rob." Vaughn remarks. "Who's that?" You ask. "One of the bums that participates in the fights." "There's a bum who used to be an engineer? What the hell happened?" "He was actually a miner, but he had a natural gift when it came to engineering. Which was good for the company since they just used his talents for creating very sound mine supports and they didn't have to pay for a real one. He probably could have been building new structures in Klyton, but he just didn't have the formal education." "Interesting. But how do you know so much about him?" You ask. "He has his lucid moments. Plus, um...we used to...meet up..." "Ew Vaughn. You fucked a disgusting bum?" Zalmora remarks. "No! I fucked him when he was strapping miner! Sheesh Zal!" "Never mind all that, would he be able to do the job?" You ask "I think so. Probably wouldn't have to pay him much more than we do to fight, but we'd definitely have to dry him out a bit though." Vaughn says. You start making notes of various ideas as you ask more questions. "Okay, so we got one potential overseer for this project. You got any more engineer ex-lovers?" You ask. "Not that I know of boss." Vaughn remarks. "I think I got a potential suggestion." Zal says. "Oh? You been fucking engineers too?" You ask. "Even better. Been fucking dwarves. Grahk Kazek is the one that comes to mind." "Well that's nice that you're so open minded with your choice of sex partners, but is this dwarf an actual engineer? Contrary to popular belief, I don't think all of them dig big holes in mountains for a living." "This one does. Or at least he did before he retired. He makes a monthly trip from the Cloudpeake Mountains to Klyton because he REALLY likes the pastries from Stovo's Bakery. Buys up a bunch then goes back home. That's where we met actually." "Didn't know you had ongoing long distance relationship, Zal." You say. "Lots you don't know about me, but I wouldn't exactly say Grahk and I are in a relationship, we just had a bit of fun together. In fact I haven't seen him in years. I just know he still goes to that bakery since Stovo has mentioned him a few times when I go in there." "So would he be interested?" "He's a dwarf and used to construct tunnel ways in the Cloudpeake Mountains. Fairly certain if we throw enough money at him, he'll be willing to oversee the construction of what we're doing. Besides, I can be pretty persuasive." "Hmm, don't I know it." You say. The dwarf sounds good, but he sounds like he's going to be really expensive. At lot more than the bum anyway. Of course the bum might be unreliable. You say you'll think about both as you go ask other Talons if they know anybody. You don't have much luck though. Your other Talons aren't quite as "worldly" as your top lieutenants. There is one who has a lead though. "Yeah, I think I might know someone boss. This chick called Madeline. She actually attends Klyton University and she's an engineering student." Camid remarks. "A student?" You ask. "Yeah, but she's really fucking smart. Top of her class or some shit. I don't even understand what she's talking about half the time. Of course I'm just staring at her tits most of the time anyway." "How the hell do you even know her?" "Oh, she's a little rich girl that likes slumming. Likes to watch the bum fights and get high on Yellow Devil. The usual. Oh and we fuck sometimes." Of course they do. It would certainly be a strange break in the "theme" if they didn't. The drug bit concerns you though. "Wait, you say she takes Yellow Devil? How the hell is she not a near drooling idiot yet? I don't need someone melting into a pile of goo in the middle of an important project." You say. "Don't worry boss. That wouldn't happen." Camid says. "And how do you know?" "Because...um...I make sure she doesn't actually get Yellow Devil. I mean she does, but it's a VERY small amount. Almost nothing. The rest of it is cut severely with various common shit I get from the apothecary. She feels good for a little while and feels rebellious and she doesn't get really hurt." "...You like this girl don't you?" You ask causing Camid to look away a bit. "(Sigh) It didn't start out that way. First time I saw her, I thought she was so damn pretty that I just wanted a chance to fuck her before she turned into a Yellow Devil mess, so I didn't give her the real shit. But in time...well I dunno shit happened...and I'm probably an idiot..." Camid says trailing off a bit. "Probably, but fortunately your love sick idiocy has worked in your favor, so do you think she'd help?" "Oh definitely. She'd feel like she would be a real criminal working for a dangerous organization and all. She'd do it for free too, not like she needs the money." "Actually she would be a real criminal if she was helping us in this capacity. Good to know about the price. I'll keep her in mind." Well you got a big decision to make based on your underlings recommendations because unfortunately for you, you haven't been lucky enough to fuck someone with engineering skills. > Red Nose Rob While you have your concerns about Rob, he seems the most affordable, accessible and most importantly, at your mercy. The dwarf you just know is going to ask for a shitload of money and the girl is just a wild child university student. Who knows what kind of chaos that will invite? You return to Vaughn with your decision. "Okay Vaughn, we're going to try your guy, so go tell him what's going on, sober him up, clean him up and have him come see me about further details. I also want you to stress that while he doesn't really have a choice in this matter, he'll be making more money and won't have to be getting punched in the face for living." You say. "Got it boss." Vaughn remarks and leaves to carry out your orders. A couple days later Vaughn brings in a man with a lot of messy hair, raggedy clothing, a full beard and mustache and red nose. He also has a few bruises on his face. Must be Rob. "And at last Vaughn has brought you to me, I trust he's filled you in on the basics of what's going on." You say. "Yes sir." Rob replies without emotion. "Good. What happened to your face? Did Vaughn do that?" "Um, no sir. I was in a match three days ago and the other guy got in a few good punches." "Oh yes, you were doing that bum fight business. Well, you won't have to be doing that anymore. You'll get to use your other natural talent." "Yes sir." Rob once again replies without emotion. "Sort of thought you'd be a bit happier about this opportunity." "Apologies sir, but I'm still having a hard time being completely sober right now. It's been awhile and I feel sort of weird." "Hm, okay. I should tell you, I don't actually expect you to go completely off the stuff. I just wanted you sober for today while I speak to you. I also expect you to not drink on the job and generally be a functional human being. Now you're going to have some help in this matter since Vaughn here is going to be personally responsible for you. Making sure you stay focused and such." Rob just nods. "Okay I'm sensing something more is wrong than you just not being used to being sober." You say and then Vaughn breaks into the conversation. "Um, yeah. I think Rob is just a bit nervous being within your presence. You know how you have a reputation and all boss." Vaughn remarks. "I don't think I can do the job sir." Rob blurts out. "Ha ha ha ha! He's just joking...he..." "Vaughn, will you shut the hell up? Now Rob, what do you mean you can't do the job exactly?" You ask. "I mean Vaughn's told me what you want and I just don't think I can do it. I don't have the skill or knowledge." "Vaughn told me, you had natural talent and were well respected by the mining company because of it." "Yeah, well if that was the case they wouldn't have fired me along with everyone else. Look, I don't want to disobey you sir, but I don't want to pretend I'm something I'm not. I mean you'd be even more pissed if you found out I didn't know what the fuck I''m doing." "Heh, well you're right on that one. I actually appreciate the honesty. However, I've never really known Vaughn to step up and speak so favorably of someone. I mean I understand you guys had something once, but Vaughn's not one to stick his neck out and tends to play things safe. I have to believe he must be telling the truth to some degree. I mean you can't be a complete idiot." "No, maybe not a complete one, but I'm sure not that smart, otherwise I wouldn't be in this situation...(Sigh) I mean if you were asking me to build simple tunnels and rooms and making sure they don't collapse, then yeah I guess I could do that, but I don't know about building an underground city." "Okay. Let's stop right there. The underground city is probably a long damn way off. Don't even think about it. We're going to start simple and get more complex later. Tell you what we're going to do..." You proceed to tell Rob that you're just looking to hollow out an underground area to serve as the Crimson Talon headquarters right now and it doesn't have to be fancy. It just needs to be structurally sound. You tell him by that time, you'll probably have gotten a hold of some other engineers that can help Rob if he doesn't feel up to the more complex task of building that underground city. Rob seems a little more receptive to this and says he'll try to do his best. You say he's free to go and as he leaves you tell Vaughn to stay behind. "Vaughn, are you absolutely fucking sure he can do this job?!" You ask. "Yes! He's just been in the gutter for so long his self esteem is low! I mean once he gets back in action he'll be fine!" Vaughn exclaims. "For your sake, I hope so. Because I'm not here to hold someone's hand and build up their confidence. That's going to be YOUR job. So you better be giving him pep talks, motivational hugs, or inspirational blow jobs. Whatever it is YOU gotta do, you better be doing it, because I'm going to be keeping a close eye on progress of this project." With this new order Vaughn is of course totally compliant as usual and takes his leave. As you're making further preparations for your ambitious plan, Zalmora of course puts her two copper in. "I still don't know why you didn't go with my guy. Relying on Vaughn and his bum miner boyfriend just seems like a bad plan." Zalmora says. "Your guy would be very expensive and I'm trying to keep the costs down as much as I can. If it looks like things are going to shit, well then I'll consider your guy again." "Okay, but won't you have already wasted time and money with this Rob if he turns out to be a failure?" "(Sigh) Yes Zal, but it's my fucking call and my fucking risk alright? Stop fucking questioning me every other sentence! Here, that's a list of some of the equipment we're going to need. Take some of the boys and go acquire some." You say shoving a piece of paper at Zal who takes it. "...pick axes, lanterns, shovels, ropes, lumber? How the hell are we supposed to steal a shitload of heavy ass lumber?" "I dunno, just get it. Go raid a wood mill. Pay for it. Rip out support beams from abandon buildings. Seduce a lumber jack. Cut down fucking trees yourself and drag them back here. I don't give a shit HOW you do it, just fucking do it! You said you were on board with this, well start fucking contributing." You order. Zal doesn't say another word she just turns away in a huff. While you aren't deterred yet, you're seriously starting to wonder if this is all really worth it. > Time passes... Year 27 "Okay, Rob was the better choice in terms of costs. My guy would have still been better though." Zalmora remarks. "Half an admission of defeat, but probably the best I'm going to ever hear from you. I'll take it." You say smiling. You walk through the relatively smooth tunnels of the new Crimson Talon headquarters. Lanterns light your way as you look around at how far it's all come. The rooms that were created still need some more detailed work since they're very basic, but for a guy who started out not being sure if he could do any of this, he's done a good job so far. You guess Vaughn was right, once Rob got going he gained confidence. (Either that or Vaughn was giving a lot of inspirational blow jobs, but you'd rather not dwell on that) "Are we going to brick up the dirt walls of these rooms or something similar? Not that I don't appreciate the work that's gone into this, but right now the aesthetics are more underground goblin lair, rather than secret criminal headquarters." Zal says. "Yeah, we're doing that, adding doors, adding tiled floors and all that stuff, but that's going to get taken care of later when the basic layout is finished." You say. "I thought that was complete?" "It's almost complete. Rob's finishing up the last rooms which are a lot bigger. One of them is going to be the fighting arena." "Arena?" "Well okay, it isn't going to be the Klyton coliseum, but it'll be a proper fighting area where we can put a ring and have people watching and betting without them accidentally stepping in shit water." "Hm, well that would be an improvement. Speaking of which, now that this place is on the verge of being complete are we moving all our operations here?" "Well I'm thinking the gambling games and the fighting arena will be eventually, but the Yellow Devil lab can stay out in those sewer storage rooms along with the junkies. I'm not having melted junkies mess up the floor when we finally get around to putting proper ones down. Mostly though, it's going to be where we can rest and relax without the smell. See how all the potential sleeping areas were built very far away from the sewer wall that was knocked down for the entrance." You say. "Yes, the smell is much better in this place. More earthy, less shitty." As you and Zal are speaking about the Crimson Talon's future, Vaughn walks up to both of you. "Hey guys, I've been looking for you both. Rob just finished what will be the fighting arena location. You should see it!" Vaughn remarks. "Oh good a big dirt room instead of a small one." Zalmora remarks. "Aw come on Zal, he worked really hard on it! He even improved upon the original layout!" Vaughn exclaims. "Went above and beyond huh? Guess he really is getting sure of himself. Might as well see for ourselves." You say. You, Vaughn and Zal head to the arena. Along the way you notice that the rough tunnel is sloping downward. Vaughn says that Rob really wanted to impress you since you gave him a chance and in order to do that he needed to expand downward a bit to create the fighting arena. "Sheesh, did he have the miners dig all the way to Nichan? How deep is this going?" Zal remarks. "He said he wanted to make it like an underground version of the Klyton coliseum." Vaughn says. "He certainly went off script for this, but if it's as impressive as you said he's trying to make it, I'll certainly be pleased." You say. Eventually the tunnel stops sloping and evens out. You walk a little more and already in the dim light you can see the room ahead is going to be bigger than you thought. You enter the place and find yourself in a large oval room with several long wooden support beams stretching from the floor to the ceiling. The ceiling is actually a lot higher than you expected. If there were seats and stairs encircling the room, it actually might resemble the Klyton coliseum on a smaller scale. Rob stands on top of a high platform near one of the walls and waves. "Hey! So what do you think?" He shouts and starts climbing down a ladder to meet you. "Definitely bigger than I thought it would be. I'm just wondering how the hell did I not notice all the dirt being hauled out and dumped from this endeavor. Apparently I wasn't as observant as I thought I was. Just as well I guess, since this is a nice surprise." You remark walking around and looking upward. "Yeah, I was trying to keep this part of the project a bit under wraps to surprise you. Really glad you like it. As I mentioned to Vaughn, this part was my way of saying thank you for dragging me out of the fighting ring and giving my real life meaning again." Rob says. "And they say the Crimson Talons are nothing but a menace to society. We gave this man his life back. Hell, we gave several folks their lives back. How many miners work for us now?" You say with a chuckle. You continue looking around as Vaughn gives Rob a bit of praise about his work on the project. Meanwhile Zalmora finds something to analyze. "Um, these support beams. I just touched this one and it doesn't feel secure. Is this place even safe?" Zal asks. "Oh yes, this place is definitely safe. Most of these beams aren't even necessary anymore, but none of them are going to slip out of place anyway. Look!" Rob and then runs over to a beam and then putting all his weight behind his body, leans hard against it. You tense up slightly when you see him do this, but nothing happens. "See? Solid!" Rob says. "Natural talent, boss. All he needed was the confidence boost. I guarantee he'll be able to build that underground city better than any dwarf could or Klyton university egghead with an over priced edu..." Vaughn starts to say and then suddenly the beam that Rob is leaning against cracks. Before he can even get off of it, the beam breaks and he falls to the ground as the rest of the beam falls on him, followed by parts of the ceiling. "OH SHIT RUN!" Zal shouts and makes haste towards the room's exit as the ceiling begins to completely collapse. Vaughn follows suit, leaving Rob who has either been knocked unconscious or killed. You are unfortunately at the far end of the room and while you try to make it to the exit, you just aren't fast enough and you're crushed by large clumps of packed dirt and rocks. You actually manage to dig a few inches through the dirt before you suffocate.

The sewers are good enough for you. If you start trying to set up shop up top, you're just going to bring down the heat eventually. You've got a good thing going on and nobody fucks with you down here. If worst comes to worst, you're confident that you could easily lose the militia if they actually ever made an effort to patrol down here. Still, maybe you could figure out a way to make this place somewhat less...well like a sewer. You already have made a base in the best abandoned area you can find though. You suppose you could start manually expanding underground further away from the sewers themselves of course that would be a pretty extensive and expensive undertaking and it isn't like you're familiar with the details of excavation. Although... This city used to have a fairly large active miner population once. In fact your family made money serving them at their inn. At some point long after your parents had left the city and the inn closed down, the mining trade dried up completely in Klyton for a variety of reasons resulting in a lot of unemployed miners. In fact some of the bums in your fights are ex-miners. You wouldn't want to rely on just them though, but surely you could scour the city for other ex-miners down on their luck or working jobs they hate. They probably would work cheap. You suppose if you really needed more you could shell out the money for some outside help, but you'd rather keep the costs as low as possible. Later when you approach Zal and Vaughn with this idea, they're caught off guard by this plan, but don't seem put off by it. Well Vaughn doesn't at least. Zal of course has her usual concerns. "Okay, I know that look. Out with it." You say. "It's just...well do you think this is even feasible?" Zal asks. "I'm not saying it's not going to take effort, but again this is a long term plan. I mean going up top, trying to set up false businesses and store fronts is just not going to work in Klyton. The place is just too damn repressive, but we all know people still WANT to do illegal shit like whoring, drugs, gambling..." "Erm, actually all those things are legal in Klyton." Vaughn interrupts. "(Sigh) You know what the fuck I mean! All that high priced shit is easily accessible for the rich folks, but WE cater to the poor and who needs affordable distraction more than they do?" "So...wait. Are we defenders of the down trodden now?" Zal asks. "I didn't say all that, but we ARE providing for them in a way. I mean we can start out by digging ourselves out a proper headquarters where we don't have to be constantly bombarded by the smells of the sewer and has a solid defense, but I'm thinking in time we could just build a whole underground town." Zalmora and Vaughn look at each other and then you. "A TOWN?!" They exclaim. "Well maybe not town in the traditional sense, but a place where we can do our business AND live without even worrying about the Klyton militia raiding the place because we would be so damn entrenched that they wouldn't be able to do shit even if they wanted to. We wouldn't just be the criminal organization that skulks around in the Klyton sewers, we would be a whole separate community...bah maybe I'm not explaining it well, but I envision it in my head!" You say. "No. No, I get what you mean. I have to say, this is really damn ambitious. I mean I can't say I'm not impressed by your plan...but again I just have my concerns if it's going to be possible...but fuck it, I'm in." Zal says. "Glad to hear it. So, we're going to need miners and equipment which is the easy part, but we're also going to need a genuine engineer so the whole damn thing doesn't fall on our heads. So anyone know of any?" You remark. "Yeah, Red Nose Rob." Vaughn remarks. "Who's that?" You ask. "One of the bums that participates in the fights." "There's a bum who used to be an engineer? What the hell happened?" "He was actually a miner, but he had a natural gift when it came to engineering. Which was good for the company since they just used his talents for creating very sound mine supports and they didn't have to pay for a real one. He probably could have been building new structures in Klyton, but he just didn't have the formal education." "Interesting. But how do you know so much about him?" You ask. "He has his lucid moments. Plus, um...we used to...meet up..." "Ew Vaughn. You fucked a disgusting bum?" Zalmora remarks. "No! I fucked him when he was strapping miner! Sheesh Zal!" "Never mind all that, would he be able to do the job?" You ask "I think so. Probably wouldn't have to pay him much more than we do to fight, but we'd definitely have to dry him out a bit though." Vaughn says. You start making notes of various ideas as you ask more questions. "Okay, so we got one potential overseer for this project. You got any more engineer ex-lovers?" You ask. "Not that I know of boss." Vaughn remarks. "I think I got a potential suggestion." Zal says. "Oh? You been fucking engineers too?" You ask. "Even better. Been fucking dwarves. Grahk Kazek is the one that comes to mind." "Well that's nice that you're so open minded with your choice of sex partners, but is this dwarf an actual engineer? Contrary to popular belief, I don't think all of them dig big holes in mountains for a living." "This one does. Or at least he did before he retired. He makes a monthly trip from the Cloudpeake Mountains to Klyton because he REALLY likes the pastries from Stovo's Bakery. Buys up a bunch then goes back home. That's where we met actually." "Didn't know you had ongoing long distance relationship, Zal." You say. "Lots you don't know about me, but I wouldn't exactly say Grahk and I are in a relationship, we just had a bit of fun together. In fact I haven't seen him in years. I just know he still goes to that bakery since Stovo has mentioned him a few times when I go in there." "So would he be interested?" "He's a dwarf and used to construct tunnel ways in the Cloudpeake Mountains. Fairly certain if we throw enough money at him, he'll be willing to oversee the construction of what we're doing. Besides, I can be pretty persuasive." "Hmm, don't I know it." You say. The dwarf sounds good, but he sounds like he's going to be really expensive. At lot more than the bum anyway. Of course the bum might be unreliable. You say you'll think about both as you go ask other Talons if they know anybody. You don't have much luck though. Your other Talons aren't quite as "worldly" as your top lieutenants. There is one who has a lead though. "Yeah, I think I might know someone boss. This chick called Madeline. She actually attends Klyton University and she's an engineering student." Camid remarks. "A student?" You ask. "Yeah, but she's really fucking smart. Top of her class or some shit. I don't even understand what she's talking about half the time. Of course I'm just staring at her tits most of the time anyway." "How the hell do you even know her?" "Oh, she's a little rich girl that likes slumming. Likes to watch the bum fights and get high on Yellow Devil. The usual. Oh and we fuck sometimes." Of course they do. It would certainly be a strange break in the "theme" if they didn't. The drug bit concerns you though. "Wait, you say she takes Yellow Devil? How the hell is she not a near drooling idiot yet? I don't need someone melting into a pile of goo in the middle of an important project." You say. "Don't worry boss. That wouldn't happen." Camid says. "And how do you know?" "Because...um...I make sure she doesn't actually get Yellow Devil. I mean she does, but it's a VERY small amount. Almost nothing. The rest of it is cut severely with various common shit I get from the apothecary. She feels good for a little while and feels rebellious and she doesn't get really hurt." "...You like this girl don't you?" You ask causing Camid to look away a bit. "(Sigh) It didn't start out that way. First time I saw her, I thought she was so damn pretty that I just wanted a chance to fuck her before she turned into a Yellow Devil mess, so I didn't give her the real shit. But in time...well I dunno shit happened...and I'm probably an idiot..." Camid says trailing off a bit. "Probably, but fortunately your love sick idiocy has worked in your favor, so do you think she'd help?" "Oh definitely. She'd feel like she would be a real criminal working for a dangerous organization and all. She'd do it for free too, not like she needs the money." "Actually she would be a real criminal if she was helping us in this capacity. Good to know about the price. I'll keep her in mind." Well you got a big decision to make based on your underlings recommendations because unfortunately for you, you haven't been lucky enough to fuck someone with engineering skills. > Grahk Kazek It's going to be expensive, but if you want this done right, a dwarf would be the way to go with this. Plus Zalmora does tend to have the best suggestions. "Okay, let's get your dwarf." You say returning to Zalmora with your decision. "About time you listened to my advice again. You're going to have to give me a month though." Zalmora says. "Shit, did we just miss his last visit?" "Oh no, he actually should be making his visit here in a few days, but while I am the persuasive sort I'm going to need the time to do it. By then, he should be pliable enough to listen to you. Also, I should warn you in advance, the man is very professional about his work and a perfectionist so when he speaks to you on what he's going to need, he's not going to be submissive or even polite about it. He's going to be very direct and probably less than respectful. I'm warning you in advance so you don't go killing him because you think he's challenging your authority or whatever." "Wonderful. (Sigh) Look, this goes both ways. So you let him know this; I'll tolerate some of his shit behind closed doors because he's the expert, but he better not be doing it while I'm in the company of others. Otherwise I'll have to kill him to set an example and I'll draw it out too because I'll be really pissed that I'll have to hire Vaughn's drunk bum to finish the job!" "I think he'll understand that." "He better. Well let's go acquire the miners and equipment in the meantime." You say dismissing Vaughn and Zalmora. Month later... "Can't be done." Grahk says as he finishes looking at the layout you made. "Excuse me?" you respond. "Your layout is shit, your equipment and materials are subpar and I've seen the lot you've acquired as miners. A bunch of drunks, bums, and other miscreants whose good days are behind them, assuming they ever had them to begin with. You're going to have constant problems with potential tunnels collapses and that's the best case scenario." "Well isn't that why you're here? To make sure that doesn't fucking happen?" "Yeah, but I'm used to working with superior dwarf equipment and dwarves who also know what the hell they're doing. As far as I can tell I'm the only one here that's competent in this field. You humans literally don't know your asses from a hole in the ground when it comes to this shit. I'd feel safer working with goblins." "Oh well I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was going to be in the presence of the king of the little beardy shits! Excuse me your highness!" "Zal, I thought you told me this guy was reasonable." Grahk asks Zal in an unruffled voice. "He is, most of the time. Boss, will you just calm down for a moment?" Zal asks. "Calm down? What the fuck for? He just said this shit couldn't be done! And I guess that's it, considering he's the expert and all!" you yell. "You didn't let me finish my first sentence, you just interrupted and got everything off track. What I was going to say is it can't be done by what you've got here. It CAN be done if I bring in my people and equipment." "I thought you retired?" Zal asks. "Me? Nah I just stopped working for Cloudpeake government. I still have a small business on the side that keeps me busy. Can't just lounge about for days on end." "Great, so now I'm paying for more of you bearded runts and your high priced equipment. And how the hell are we supposed to sneak in hundreds of you lot into the fucking sewers? Even using the secret outside entrance is running a risk of someone noticing that there are a legion of dwarfs carrying digging equipment being seen marching towards the city. Klyton will probably think it's a fucking invasion." You say. "First of all, there are only twenty dwarves that work for me, but we might as well be a legion compared to a hundred humans. Second of all, I already had it figured out as soon as Zal told me all about your plan." Grahk says. "Well you want to enlighten the rest of us?" "Gladly." Grahk says the Klyton sewers are in terrible condition (Not surprising since they're human made). He says he knows an old acquaintance on the Klyton Council and all he has to do is approach him about doing some work on the sewers for a low price. The Council will accept because they know dwarves do good work and they'll be getting a hell of a deal. In reality, Grahk's crew aren't going to do much except do some cosmetic patchwork to make it look like they're doing more than they actually are. (Which is what a human crew would do anyway, Grahk adds) This plan of course is a cover for what is really going to go on which is creating your little Crimson Talon hideout. "Won't they check up on you?" you ask. "Who those fops on the council? Hardly. They aren't going to give a shit about a bunch of dwarves mucking about in the sewers as long as the job gets done. In fact they'll probably tell the militia to not even patrol the sewers as much because they'll know we're not going to want anyone in the way of our work and we're bringing in our own security." Grahk says. "You seem very sure of all this and it's quite likely that this attempt to trick the Council and bringing them in is going to result in them sniffing around and it will all end in disaster and our heads on the fucking chopping block." "(Sigh) I thought I was dealing with the boss of a criminal organization, not the timid rent boy in the brothel. Why the hell are you hooked up with these losers Zal?" Grahk asks Zalmora. You've had it with the insults; you unsheathe your flintlock pistol and point it at Grahk who doesn't show fear. "What, so am I supposed to be scared of you now? I've fought trolls in hand to hand combat. I'm not going to be intimidated by the likes of you drawing a pistol on me." Grahk remarks. "And I don't give a shit if you're scared or not, I'm warning YOU, one more insult. One. And you aren't leaving this room alive." You say. "You're both pretty princesses, can we stop with the pissing contest?" Zal says. Grahk looks over at Zal, looks back at you, and puts up his hands and nods. "Fine. Apologies. Shouldn't have insulted you in your own home, but it was my understanding that you're a man that takes risks. I mean you had the vision for this project and your very career choice involves risk. Besides, you're forgetting that you're not the only one taking a chance here. You don't think I won't suffer consequences if the Klyton Council finds out what I'm really doing? Trust me, I'm going to be making sure things are going very smoothly. All you really have to worry about is coming up with the coins for all this." Grahk says. "You'll get paid. Don't worry about that. Just do the job." You respond putting away the pistol. "So we have an agreement?" "Yes." And with that deal done, the work begins. > Time passes... Year 27 You have to admit, despite the close calls, the stress of changing the layout, and the several times you almost wanted to kill Grahk, he came through and this place is a lot better than you could have expected, if much smaller. This place is less of a "budding underground town" and more of an underground mini-fortress and really maybe that was a more realistic goal anyway. You have sturdy walls, rooms, and a hidden entrance within the sewer with a couple of durable security doors just in case the militia does the find the place. You also have an escape route dug out far enough that you'd be able to getaway long before they broke in. But that's just your headquarters. There is another secret area where you hold the gambling games, races and fights. Besides it being a better idea to keep the actual activities (and the plebs) away from your main base, Grahk actually said it would be better structural wise to build two separate and smaller hidden locations rather than just one big one which be a lot more costly to maintain and keep from collapsing. So that's what you did. Still, you decided to keep one business out of both of the new areas. Namely the Yellow Devil creation and distribution. You aren't having any junkies going in either to get their fixes and YD stinks something awful that it would defeat the damn purpose of leaving the sewers if you were creating it in these nice new areas. Due to all the expenses you had to pay for with the dwarves, you had to go back to the old methods of pulling heists and burglary because the drugs, gambling games and fights weren't enough. Of course that was mostly you, Zal and Vaughn doing those, because you wanted to make sure it was done right. On the plus side, it's kept you in shape and your skills sharp. It also raises your respect among the rest of the Crimson Talons since they know you're willing to get right in the thick of things and aren't just delegating. The downside is you're still not exactly rolling in coin and you don't think you've had real rest since this project began and you're always vaguely tired, but then as they say no rest for the wicked. The other side effect is you've created a minor "crime wave" throughout Klyton to the point where things are getting out of hand for the militia slightly. Besides the ongoing breaking into shops and homes, your increased production of Yellow Devil has created an epidemic of "meltbrains" as they are called. Didn't help that you got the idea from Camid to start cutting the drug to make it less lethal, while still keeping most of it's "positive" effects for the user. Still causes a lot of irreversible long-term damage that most aren't coming back from, which now probably makes it even worse. Junkies are living long enough to cause real problems hence the crime wave. You've been extremely fortunate that the authorities have mostly been turning the city upside down and making mass arrests to every petty criminal they can get their hands on, but so far they haven't done much with the sewers. There were a few close calls with some minor patrols, but Grahk's crew has been pretty good in keeping their real activities (and you) secret. Grahk's Council buddy must have an incredible amount of trust in him or maybe he's just corrupt. You have no idea, you've never met him. Still, Klyton's uncharacteristic lackadaisical alertness on this matter is going to be coming to an end. Grahk is done with the task and will be leaving soon, which means Klyton will probably be stepping up their patrols down here. Not even the rumors of a killer reptile man is going to scare them away. (You question if this Scales is even down here, surely you would have run afoul of him, with all this work the dwarves have been doing) But the only concern you have right at this moment is the information you've just heard. "What?! You're leaving?!" you exclaim. "Figured I should let you know. Despite our differences at times, I respect you enough to not just disappear." Zalmora says. "Hold on you're going to have to re-explain this again. This is just out of nowhere." You say and take a seat. "It really isn't. Grahk and I have been seeing each other for quite some time since he got here for this project." "Yes, I've seen you two speaking with one another every so often. Sometimes it looked a little more than that, but I didn't take you for the running off and getting married sort!" "What can I say? Grahk made a very good offer." "Given what comes out of his mouth half the time, he doesn't even like humans." "Well he likes me and I'm very fond of him. Also, I've realized that this life...well it isn't the one I want any more." Zal says waving her arms in the air and making motions about her surroundings. "So...what? You're going to go pop out a bunch of bearded babies and be a nice little housewife in some dark underground cavern?" "I'm already practically living in an underground cavern now! And dwarves and humans can't reproduce with each other...well as far as I know. Besides, he's already got a couple of children from his deceased wife, so that isn't going to be an issue anyway." "But what are you going to DO with yourself? I mean I'm guessing you're going to go back to the Cloudpeake Mountains. Dwarves aren't known for being all that accepting of outsiders at the best of times. You're not likely to have any friends." "Yeah, well it isn't like I really have any here either." You're a little taken aback. "Wha...? What? What about me and Vaughn? What about all the Talons that respect your abilities?" you say. "Those are subordinates, not my friends. You're my boss, not my friend. And as for Vaughn...well okay, you're right about him, but he's hardly enough to keep me around here waiting for the inevitable." Zalmora responds. "And what's that exactly?" "This whole place is going to raided and all of you are either going to get pinched or killed. Best case scenario, you escape with nothing." "That's some severe lack of confidence in your soon to be dwarf husband's abilities. Besides, you were originally enthusiastic about this whole project and the potential." "I know I was at first, but the original goal has changed now hasn't it? Look, maybe everything won't be all doom and gloom and maybe everything does go smoothly, but the fact that I realize is that I'm getting old and I'm enjoying this type of life less and less. I soon learned that on the last heist we did and I nearly got my head blown off by the militia." "You're hardly old Zal, I mean you're acting like you're ready for the grave." "If I keep on this way, I soon will be. Look, I've been giving this a lot of thought for quite some time." "So again, I ask what are you going to do with your time? I mean I really can't envision you as some housewife. You're going to get bored and dissatisfied." "And how do YOU know that? Maybe I'll find it a great relief not worrying about which shop to rob or whether or not if I'm going to get arrested or killed. And who says I'm not going to find something to do while I'm up there? Grahk owns his own business you know. I'm sure I can help with that in some way." A moment of silence comes over you and you cease looking at Zalmora. You can't believe you might be losing your best "employee." It would appear you took it for granted that she'd always be around. Though you did always consider the possibility that she might die in the service of the Crimson Talons just like anyone, but something about this is much different and you don't like this form of parting of the ways. At least not without trying to do something about it. "What would it take for you to stay?" you ask. "Nothing. I told you, I've made up my mind about this." Zal says. "Bullshit. You wouldn't have told me at all, if you didn't want me to make the attempt to at least come up with an offer." "...I...I don't know where you got that idea from, but I already told you that I came to you about this because I respected you enough to not sneak off in the middle of the night." Zalmora sputters. "And I'm not buying it. I don't buy that you're ready to settle down and live a boring ordinary life. I mean I've SEEN you get the thrill even during that last heist where you almost got your head blown off. I mean maybe the safe life does have its advantages, and if you were marrying a Delantium prince who was going to shower you with jewels and a royal palace I'd say congrats and just let you go without a fight. Hell, if you said that you LOVED this dwarf I wouldn't stand in the way, but you didn't say that. You just claimed fondness. You're not moving up, you're just trading one life of compromise for another." "You seem to be very interested in my well being...are you actually jealous? Is this some crush you've been harboring because if it is, I'm going to tell you right now that..." "No! It's nothing like that. While you don't consider me your friend, I consider you mine, because quite frankly I don't have any either and it's hard enough to have someone trustworthy and reliable in this business as it is. You were the one who gave me all the most important advice that resulted in rebuilding the Crimson Talons to be a viable organization again. And yeah, maybe I didn't listen to all of it, but I do acknowledge that I wouldn't have gotten this far without you and I can't see me getting too much further without you by my side either. I need you." Now Zalmora is speechless and looks away. You stare at her, but she makes sure to not look in your direction. You know she must be trying to hide obvious signs of being upset. "Are you alright?" you ask. "I...I...yes...I'm fine." Zal says and then turns around and quickly wipes one of her eyes. Zalmora composes herself a bit and then speaks. "Very well. I do have one request if I'm going to consider staying. We have to stop selling Yellow Devil." Zal says. "What? But that's what kept us afloat! If we hadn't been selling it, we wouldn't have been able to afford the new headquarters!" you reply. "Yes, and now that project is over with. We can get by without dealing it. Yellow Devil is going to cause us nothing but trouble in the future. I'm already seeing that, don't you?" "Well I'll admit, its got its share of problems, but it's the biggest money maker and a lot of the Talons aren't going to be happy about no longer selling it. Specifically Camid." "Look, this isn't a negotiation. This is my stipulation. I'll leave you to deal with the repercussions as you see fit. Grahk is leaving in a week. You've got three days to tell me your decision, because if you value my friendship as much as you claim and you do decide to stop selling, then I'm going to need the rest of the week to deal with Grahk before he leaves, because I'll be breaking not just his heart but an agreement and you know how serious dwarves are about those." > You stop selling Yellow Devil This might not be the best of business decisions, but if this is what it's going to take then so be it. There will always be other opportunities, but reliable folks you can count on, not so much. "Alright, fine. You don't need to wait three days. I'll take care of it now." You say. "Are you sure? Because don't just make a rash decision in some misguided effort to play white knight. This is your organization, run it how you see fit, I don't need saving." "(Sigh) I'm not playing white knight. If anything I'm playing black guard by stealing the princess away from her husband to be if we're going to use that comparison. You said to stop selling Yellow Devil is what will keep you around, well I'm willing to make the sacrifice because that's just how much I value your presence here." "So...I'm a princess eh?" Zal says with a smirk. "Yes, so go break the squat prince's heart already so we can get back to business." "Hey, that's still not going to be easy. I do have feelings for Grahk and he feels strongly for me!" "Yeah, but you don't love him. You still haven't said that you did and I wouldn't believe it at this point anyway, because if you did you wouldn't be willing to drop him like this. You were seeking an easy way out of this life, but this wasn't the way and you would have regretted it." "Yeah, well...I guess we'll never know now. (Sigh) You're right though, I didn't really love him I suppose. Still going to be difficult." "Pfft. You want difficult, I'm going to have to convince everyone to be happy that we're out of the drug trade now and taking a loss." "We all have our burdens to bear. Good luck with yours." Zalmora says and starts to leave, but then walks back over to hug you. You weren't expecting it, but you return the hug. "Thank you for your words." Zal says. "Okay, okay, I think we've done enough bonding and getting our feelings out for today." You say not wishing to get too emotional. Zal kisses you on the cheek and leaves. Now you have to just go find Vaughn and discuss what changes are to come and who is going to be the most troublesome over it. Camid is the obvious one, but probably his closest "circle" as well. Later... "But we've got this impenetrable hidden headquarters now! Let the militia fumble around here in the sewers looking for us! Even if they do, they aren't going to get in without severe losses!" Camid exclaims. "And they can take a lot more losses than we can too and if they do get determined enough they WILL get in here. Things are too hot up top right now and we need for them to cool down a bit. Hence why we need to stop selling Yellow Devil. It's causing too many problems. We still got the rest, and we can possibly look into other opportunities or..." "This is fucking bullshit!" Camid exclaims which is echoed by a few others. "This isn't up for debate." You say. "But we are making coin hand over fist! If anything we should be abandoning everything else and just focusing on selling Yellow Devil! In fact I got an idea for a new drug! It's..." "I don't want to hear it! I made my decision and it's fucking final! What don't you understand?" "I don't understand why we're being stupid about this! Wasn't the whole point of building this headquarters was to help usher in some new era of the Crimson Talons? Seems like you had us waste a shitload of coin that could have been better spent doing other things." "Like what for example? You got any ideas Camid? What would have you liked to do instead? You want to run this organization?" Camid doesn't say it out loud, but he mutters something. "What? What was that?!" you shout. "I said no." Camid says. "That's what I thought..." you start to say before you're interrupted. "Because I wouldn't want to make Zalmora cry when I it took from her." Camid says which causes laughter by his fellows. You're silent for a moment as Camid stares at you defiantly. He's doubled down on challenging you and already he's pulling out his sword. You could just shoot him or even tell your loyal Talons to kill him since a lot of them are close enough, but you know that isn't going to solve the problem, if anything it's going to make it worse. You're going to have to beat him in a fair fight. You draw your own weapon and face Camid in combat. It isn't much of a contest though. While Camid has some above average fighting skills, he hasn't been keeping them sharp like you've been doing. That sort of happens when you have to fight off private night security and dodge militia bullets and arrows on a regular basis. It takes all of two minutes before you've given Camid a cut on his face, severed part of his sword hand and got your boot on his chest. "Stop! I yield! I surrender! I surrender! You're the boss!" Camid shouts holding up his good arm begging you for mercy. "Damn right." You reply. Then you pull out your flintlock and shoot him in the head. "Take every fool that was laughing at this asshole's joke about Zal really running things around here and kill them. Think of this as a pay increase for the rest of you." You say. Your loyalists don't need anymore prodding than that and waste no time in grabbing Camid's cohorts and dragging them off. You turn to Vaughn and tell him to go oversee the rest of this mess and make sure your orders are carried out and how you want all the Yellow Devil labs destroyed and if any junkies come sniffing around kill them too. Five days later... Zalmora steps into your office. "Ah, you're here. Wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow." You say. "I had to make sure Grahk left with no hard feelings. It would have been very easy for him to cause trouble for us, but...well you know me." Zalmora replies. "Yes, you're very convincing. Guess he really took it hard huh?" "You don't even know. Actually I was a little surprised myself, but I think in a way it helped him confirm that humans are the scum of the world though. Makes him a little less contradictory." "Always nice to have your world views reinforced." "Don't think he's ever coming back here though. Not even for Stovo's pastries." "Yeah, well I'm sure there are other Halfling bakers to buy from. It's big world out there." "Speaking of buying and selling. How did Camid take it about the Yellow Devil distribution?" "He took it in the head and the rest of the ones that agreed with him are also no longer with us. It's done." "Hm. I see. Well, I guess everything is settled." "For now at least. Glad to have you back Zal." "I'm glad to be back too." The pair of you smile at each other and get back to Crimson Talon business. With the new changes and Zalmora still at your side, you're fairly confident that the future will at least be productive. > Time passes... Year 30 "We should expand." You say. "Can we do that?" Vaughn remarks. "It's probably not a bad idea. Now that shit here has calmed down to a manageable level in Klyton, we could probably spare a few people to open a new Crimson Talon chapter elsewhere. The problem is we don't have many viable choices." Zalmora says. "What're you talking about, there's Hessla, Holgard, the entire fucking Delantium Kingdom for starters." You say. "The Delantium Kingdom is Ebony Claw Syndicate territory, have you forgotten?" "No, but the kingdom is a big fucking place. Surely they can't control all of the damn underworld there." "Probably not, but I doubt if potentially stepping on their toes is a great idea for us. Same situation in Holgard. They got a chapter there as well." "Hasn't that place undergone a couple of rebellions?" Vaughn asks. "Yeah, but as far as I know the Ebony Claw still has a presence." Zalmora says. "Alright, alright, I get it. We're not big enough to fuck with the ECS. (Sigh) I know our limitations unfortunately. Okay, so what about Hessla? The Claw doesn't have a presence there." You ask. "Sure, but the Headsmen control that place for Governor Tolen. I'm not sure if you know much about Hessla other than the typical misconceptions. But the place is just as orderly as Klyton. In some aspects maybe even more so. Yeah, it's a haven for pirates and such, but as a general rule the major crimes take place outside the town. The Headsmen catch you stealing there for example and they chop off both your hands at best." Zalmora says. "Well there's always risk. I mean we risk the militia here." "True, but Hessla also has the same problem Klyton does, namely everything is legal except again even more so. I'm not exactly sure what we could do there, in the scheme of things given that most of our profit comes from illegal gambling and stealing shit." "We could go back to selling Yellow Devil. I mean we wouldn't be selling it here. Just in Hessla." Vaughn remarks. Zal just stares at Vaughn with mild disapproval. "What? I'm just contributing here!" Vaughn. "I'm still not convinced that the drug trade is the way to go, but I'll admit it isn't the worst idea. It wouldn't be shitting where we eat at least. However, Governor Tolen would probably take a cut of anything we make just for operating there." Zal says. "Sounds like if this Tolen asshole wasn't around we'd be able actually do something in that town." You say. "Why don't we just kill him like we had Jake killed? I mean that guy you hired seemed pretty damn effective." Vaughn suddenly says which causes a bit of surprise from you and Zal. Vaughn doesn't often contribute this many serious ideas in these sessions, let alone the really aggressive ones. You can only imagine the Crimson Talon success (and relative safer location) has encouraged him a little bit assertive. "Not only would I have to deal with that creepy fuck, Mr. Reynolds again, I'm sure he'd want me to pay out the ass or some other price that will have a catch." You say. "Well, if we are going to expand in Hessla, getting rid of Tolen would solve some major issues. Hessla is sort of a delicate system. Cut off the head and it's going to descend into anarchy...at least for a while. I assume his second in command, but I dunno who that might be. Wouldn't be too hard to find out with some investigation. Tell you what. Before we do anything, why don't I go to Hessla and check out what the situation is like there first?" Zal says. "Couldn't hurt I suppose. You gonna be okay going there by yourself?" "I'll be fine. Better if I just go alone. I know how to blend in better and it's been a long time since I was in Hessla. Wouldn't mind updating my knowledge first hand anyway. Might take me about a month to gather what I need to know." "Okay, but just remember you're not there to sight see." The three of you agree to this plan and while Zal goes off on her mission, you and Vaughn return to your usual tasks. A little more than a month passes and just as you start to get a little concerned Zal returns. You actually give her a hug when you see her. "You thought I wasn't coming back, didn't you?" she asks. "No, I'm glad to see you is all! Can't one friend hug another? Look, so what did you learn?" you reply. "More than I expected to." Zal goes into the situation at Hessla which as she predicted was indeed a delicate one. Governor Tolen does rule the town with an iron fist, but it's barely a secret that his second in command Captain Illam would actually be worse. It's just a good thing for the town that he's at sea most of the time and isn't in charge. The third person down the chain is a little more hopeful. Zal said she actually managed to speak with a Captain Yan who apparently was wooed by Zal's charms when she tried to recruit her as part of her crew. After spending a few interesting nights with her, Captain Yan blabbed just about everything. Yan made it pretty clear that she would like Tolen out of the picture entirely and his shake down of anyone that comes through or docks there. She says that he's basically getting rich just sitting on his ass, while all the hard working sailors are paying him for safe harbor. Captain Yan said if she could she'd make Hessla freer than it claims to be, but she doesn't have the support to attempt a coup of any sort, plus she wouldn't really want to be in charge of a town. Her love of the sea is too great to be stuck in some town. Zal didn't bring it up that she belonged to the Crimson Talons, but she got the very real distinction that if the Talons came in to help Yan, she'd go through with her plan. Yan certainly has the inside knowledge of the Governor's mansion and such. Plus Yan now seems to have a bit of a crush on Zal. "What the hell is it with you?" Vaughn asks. "Hey, I just know how to lay it down like that." Zal remarks. "Well this is all certainly useful information. If what you're saying is true. We could get rid of this Tolen AND possibly have free reign of the town if this Yan isn't actually going to stick around to govern. What about this Illam guy though?" you ask. "Don't know. I mean I assume we kill him too. Yan's not an admirer of him either." "That's a lot of fucking people to kill. I mean this isn't a simple assassination. We're talking a full-scale assault and we can't expect to not take losses ourselves." "Well nobody said it was going to be easy." "No...but I think we're going to need help after all." You say with a heavy sigh. "Wait, so you're going to go to Mr. Reynolds?" "Hey, I don't necessarily want to, but if I think it would help to have a highly skilled bloodthirsty assassin on our side, I'm not going to just dismiss the possibility." "Well, it's up to you boss man." You figure at the very least you can pay him a visit. If you don't like what he says, you can always leave. You'd rather have the extra help if possible. Zal and Vaughn defer to your decision and the next day you walk into Mr. Reynolds' office. As soon as you walk in, you see a strange ogrish looking creature, but much shorter than one. In fact if it wasn't for the oversized teeth and general monstrous appearance, you might mistake it for a very muscular dwarf. You also see Henry, or at least you assume it's Henry. He hasn't changed much since the last time you saw him, though he's sporting a few scars across his face now. Finally you see Mr. Reynolds and he certainly hasn't changed. Once again he stands up smiling at his desk. "Well what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit from the head of the infamous Crimson Talons this fine day?" Mr. Reynolds says. "I might need some people killed." You say. "Hm, straight to business I see. Okay then, I assume there is some reason why you aren't having your own people taking care of this?" "Let's just say, I think we might need some help on this one." "Hm, Sounds serious, you planning on taking out the Klyton Council?" he chortles. "No, just the Governor of Hessla...well and his second in command." As you go into a little more you manage to get a genuine look of interest on Mr. Reynolds face. "Ambitious. Though I'm not sure I can help. You see I mostly deal in matters concerning Klyton. Although...well I'm not sure you'd be interested in that..." You haven't been here five minutes, and he's already playing mind games... "Just fucking spit it..." You start to shout, but then you stop and then calm yourself before continuing. "Mr. Reynolds, with all due respect, I have come here asking for assistance on this matter as I once did in the past. Your son did a marvelous job last time even if... I didn't quite appreciate its thoroughness last time. I am willing to pay your costs if they appear to be reasonable." You say. Mr. Reynolds listens intently and smiles. "I'm glad to see that wisdom has come with your age. That's good. Last time our business together was less than cordial. That's okay though, I still got paid. As I said, I would love to help you again in this matter, but I'm afraid due to this being an outside job as it were, the cost is going to be quite high. Not just because of that however, but also because my son Henry takes things a bit more personal than I do. Though I'm sure I can convince him for the right price." Mr. Reynolds says. "Okay, but what is the price? How much?" you ask. "Oh no, there won't be any money for this...well okay one thousand gold coins should do it on that front." "A thousand? Is that all?" "No. Of course not. You have to leave Klyton." "Me?" "Well you and all your little Talon buddies. Basically I want YOU out of this city and set up shop in Hessla which should be wide open after I help you." "This is ridiculous! My goal is expansion not relocation! Why the hell should I move and why do you want me to anyway?" "My reasons are my own, but that's my price. Besides, I'm also going to throw in that fine gentleman over there to help." Mr. Reynolds points over to the ogre looking creature. "And who is that?" You ask. "Who is that? Don't you see the family resemblance? This fine gentleman is the late great Olaf's son!" Mr. Reynolds exclaims. "The late Olaf?" "Yes, it was a sad day when Olaf passed a few years ago. Died right here in the office in his sleep in fact. He will be missed. But anyway his son Olaf Jr. has been following in his father's large footsteps and I don't mind saying he's been doing a fine job for me and his own mother is very proud of him." You remember that Mr. Reynolds once said Olaf was married to a halfling. You can't imagine how that birth was even possible let alone how she survived the process. It does however explain Junior's strange appearance by ogre standards. (Or any standards actually) Mr. Reynolds goes on to assure you that he has more than enough skill to help do the job you require especially since the ogre is unlike his father and has embraced technology. He particularly has a great love of weapons that do damage on a massive scale. "Really, with both Henry AND Junior working with you, you probably won't suffer any losses at all. Just think, you'll have an entire town at your mercy. Really, what are you losing by leaving Klyton? Despite all your precautions, you still live hiding in the shadows and eking out a lesser existence than you could be. The milita and the Council will always be a problem for you, but at Hessla? YOU could be the law. You're a natural leader obviously. In the right environment you could truly thrive to your full potential." Flattering words to get you to do what he wants no doubt, but he isn't entirely wrong. > You take the help "Alright fine, but this is a big thing. We're replacing an entire regime. Your people better be all in on wiping out every fucker that stands against us." You say. "Oh of that you can be assured." Mr. Reynolds remarks. "Good, because if I think they're doing anything less than that, I'm going to be less inclined to just pick up and leave here. Also, I need to run this by one of my people so she can go inform the other people that are against Tolen. It would at least help if we had a little coordination in this endeavor." "Sure, sure. Just return with the payment and let me know when you're ready. Don't take too long though; I do need these fine gentlemen for other jobs. Look forward to working with you again." You can't say you feel the same, but you feel a little more confident in your chances with Mr. Reynolds' psycho son and his pet ogre half-breed. Now you just have to run this over with Zalmora and try to coordinate. "We're leaving Klyton?!" Zalmora exclaims. "Gee boss that seems a bit extreme." Vaughn adds. "Yeah well that's the decision. We're going all in on this because if we pull it off, we've got an entire town to play around with rather than what we got here. Building an underground complex was a good attempt, but I realize now that in order to be a proper force in this world, we need to be unrestrained. Anyway, this isn't up for debate and we're doing this in a week so Zal, you need to get going back to Hessla and tell all your little pirate friends to get prepared." You explain. "A week? We might need longer than that to properly plan!" "Well you've got seven days. Should be more than enough time and whether they're ready or not, we're hitting Hessla and hitting it hard. If they aren't going to be with us, they can stay the fuck out of the way." Zal and Vaughn are both a bit flabbergasted at your rather extreme approach to all this. You know Zal wants to argue and Vaughn probably even wants to say something, but they can both see how you're not going to budge on this so they just comply. "Okay, fine. Whether I convince them or not I'll meet you a few miles away from Hessla near the copse of trees off the side of the road. You'll know it when you see it. And I also just want to say I still think this is a bad idea." Zal says before leaving. Well you knew she'd get in the last word. You have Vaughn use up some of the treasury to acquire some more gunpowder weapons (and traditional ones as well), meanwhile you take your payment to Mr. Reynolds who tells you that his people will meet you at Hessla as they prefer to travel by themselves. "Don't worry, they'll be ready by the time you arrive at Hessla." Mr. Reynolds says. You return to your headquarters and inform Vaughn to gather everyone tonight because you're making your way to Hessla tomorrow. Later that night when you have all the Talons in your presence, you give a last minute speech about how this is a positive move and it will only be beneficial for the organization in the long run. While most members had already been informed about this new development the same day you accepted Mr. Reynolds' help, most of them are still processing it and naturally some are still unsure of the whole leaving Klyton thing. "Do you mean we really can't return here ever? Like not even to visit?" someone asks. "Well, we aren't going to be able to take everything from here in one day and it wouldn't make sense to anyway given that we're going into a full scale battle. So what we're probably going to do when we've settled everything in Hessla, is come back over the course of maybe a week and move all our remaining shit out of here through the escape tunnel. That's it though." You explain. "But, I mean me mum lives here and she needs me to take care of her." Someone else says. "Yeah, and I got a wife and kid!" shouts another. "I don't like Hessla, I've been to there once and all their whores got that weird sea smell. Feels like I'm fucking a mermaid or some shit." replies another. "This seems like a bad idea boss, I mean I don't want to step out of line, but..." "ENOUGH! This is what the fucking plan is and it's not up for fucking debate! You got tonight to settle your shit, make arrangements and take whatever you need because tomorrow we're leaving. If you don't fucking like it, then you can get the fuck out right now! We can get along without you AND if I see any of you deserters in Hessla in the future, you're fucking dead!" you shout. There isn't too much more grumbling or debating after that. As for you, you don't have much to take. About the only thing you wish you could take is all this shit that you had built. Seems like it was all a damn waste of money now, but what's done it done. After packing what you need, you get some rest because it's going to be the start of an eventful week tomorrow. The next day, you take a head count of who is around and see that some of them decided to abandon you which isn't surprising considering you really expected some of them would. You just hope Zal comes through with her pirate friends and Reynolds' psychos for hire are at the top of their game. You all start to exit through the escape tunnel fully armed and prepared. You almost feel like a military general leading an army. You just wish you inspired more loyalty and not just because some of your members deserted you, but because as soon as you exit the escape tunnel there's a contingent of Klyton militia waiting for you. Looks like one of the deserters wasn't taking any chances on you possibly having him killed so he snitched on you. Musket fire rings out and you and several of your people are shot. You take a hit to the upper part of your leg and you fall the ground shouting in agony. Not far from your body is Vaughn who was lucky enough to get killed immediately with a shot to his head. The Crimson Talons who weren't killed or otherwise incapacitated desperately attempt to escape either through the wilderness or back through the tunnel. Hardly matters though since the militia is in full force and everywhere. You're not getting taken in alive though. Even if they bother to heal your leg, you know you're going to just get thrown in one of those hanging cages outside of Klyton at best. At worst they're just going to publicly execute you anyway. You manage to get off a couple shots with your flintlocks, and even manage to stab one the militiamen in the leg from your prone position, but eventually you catch another musket ball in the chest and soon one of the militia finishes you off with a spear to your throat.

[Themes: fantasy, humor] Year 30 "We should expand." You say. "Can we do that?" Vaughn remarks. "It's probably not a bad idea. Now that shit here has calmed down to a manageable level in Klyton, we could probably spare a few people to open a new Crimson Talon chapter elsewhere. The problem is we don't have many viable choices." Zalmora says. "What're you talking about, there's Hessla, Holgard, the entire fucking Delantium Kingdom for starters." You say. "The Delantium Kingdom is Ebony Claw Syndicate territory, have you forgotten?" "No, but the kingdom is a big fucking place. Surely they can't control all of the damn underworld there." "Probably not, but I doubt if potentially stepping on their toes is a great idea for us. Same situation in Holgard. They got a chapter there as well." "Hasn't that place undergone a couple of rebellions?" Vaughn asks. "Yeah, but as far as I know the Ebony Claw still has a presence." Zalmora says. "Alright, alright, I get it. We're not big enough to fuck with the ECS. (Sigh) I know our limitations unfortunately. Okay, so what about Hessla? The Claw doesn't have a presence there." You ask. "Sure, but the Headsmen control that place for Governor Tolen. I'm not sure if you know much about Hessla other than the typical misconceptions. But the place is just as orderly as Klyton. In some aspects maybe even more so. Yeah, it's a haven for pirates and such, but as a general rule the major crimes take place outside the town. The Headsmen catch you stealing there for example and they chop off both your hands at best." Zalmora says. "Well there's always risk. I mean we risk the militia here." "True, but Hessla also has the same problem Klyton does, namely everything is legal except again even more so. I'm not exactly sure what we could do there, in the scheme of things given that most of our profit comes from illegal gambling and stealing shit." "We could go back to selling Yellow Devil. I mean we wouldn't be selling it here. Just in Hessla." Vaughn remarks. Zal just stares at Vaughn with mild disapproval. "What? I'm just contributing here!" Vaughn. "I'm still not convinced that the drug trade is the way to go, but I'll admit it isn't the worst idea. It wouldn't be shitting where we eat at least. However, Governor Tolen would probably take a cut of anything we make just for operating there." Zal says. "Sounds like if this Tolen asshole wasn't around we'd be able actually do something in that town." You say. "Why don't we just kill him like we had Jake killed? I mean that guy you hired seemed pretty damn effective." Vaughn suddenly says which causes a bit of surprise from you and Zal. Vaughn doesn't often contribute this many serious ideas in these sessions, let alone the really aggressive ones. You can only imagine the Crimson Talon success (and relative safer location) has encouraged him a little bit assertive. "Not only would I have to deal with that creepy fuck, Mr. Reynolds again, I'm sure he'd want me to pay out the ass or some other price that will have a catch." You say. "Well, if we are going to expand in Hessla, getting rid of Tolen would solve some major issues. Hessla is sort of a delicate system. Cut off the head and it's going to descend into anarchy...at least for a while. I assume his second in command, but I dunno who that might be. Wouldn't be too hard to find out with some investigation. Tell you what. Before we do anything, why don't I go to Hessla and check out what the situation is like there first?" Zal says. "Couldn't hurt I suppose. You gonna be okay going there by yourself?" "I'll be fine. Better if I just go alone. I know how to blend in better and it's been a long time since I was in Hessla. Wouldn't mind updating my knowledge first hand anyway. Might take me about a month to gather what I need to know." "Okay, but just remember you're not there to sight see." The three of you agree to this plan and while Zal goes off on her mission, you and Vaughn return to your usual tasks. A little more than a month passes and just as you start to get a little concerned Zal returns. You actually give her a hug when you see her. "You thought I wasn't coming back, didn't you?" she asks. "No, I'm glad to see you is all! Can't one friend hug another? Look, so what did you learn?" you reply. "More than I expected to." Zal goes into the situation at Hessla which as she predicted was indeed a delicate one. Governor Tolen does rule the town with an iron fist, but it's barely a secret that his second in command Captain Illam would actually be worse. It's just a good thing for the town that he's at sea most of the time and isn't in charge. The third person down the chain is a little more hopeful. Zal said she actually managed to speak with a Captain Yan who apparently was wooed by Zal's charms when she tried to recruit her as part of her crew. After spending a few interesting nights with her, Captain Yan blabbed just about everything. Yan made it pretty clear that she would like Tolen out of the picture entirely and his shake down of anyone that comes through or docks there. She says that he's basically getting rich just sitting on his ass, while all the hard working sailors are paying him for safe harbor. Captain Yan said if she could she'd make Hessla freer than it claims to be, but she doesn't have the support to attempt a coup of any sort, plus she wouldn't really want to be in charge of a town. Her love of the sea is too great to be stuck in some town. Zal didn't bring it up that she belonged to the Crimson Talons, but she got the very real distinction that if the Talons came in to help Yan, she'd go through with her plan. Yan certainly has the inside knowledge of the Governor's mansion and such. Plus Yan now seems to have a bit of a crush on Zal. "What the hell is it with you?" Vaughn asks. "Hey, I just know how to lay it down like that." Zal remarks. "Well this is all certainly useful information. If what you're saying is true. We could get rid of this Tolen AND possibly have free reign of the town if this Yan isn't actually going to stick around to govern. What about this Illam guy though?" you ask. "Don't know. I mean I assume we kill him too. Yan's not an admirer of him either." "That's a lot of fucking people to kill. I mean this isn't a simple assassination. We're talking a full-scale assault and we can't expect to not take losses ourselves." "Well nobody said it was going to be easy." "No...but I think we're going to need help after all." You say with a heavy sigh. "Wait, so you're going to go to Mr. Reynolds?" "Hey, I don't necessarily want to, but if I think it would help to have a highly skilled bloodthirsty assassin on our side, I'm not going to just dismiss the possibility." "Well, it's up to you boss man." You figure at the very least you can pay him a visit. If you don't like what he says, you can always leave. You'd rather have the extra help if possible. Zal and Vaughn defer to your decision and the next day you walk into Mr. Reynolds' office. As soon as you walk in, you see a strange ogrish looking creature, but much shorter than one. In fact if it wasn't for the oversized teeth and general monstrous appearance, you might mistake it for a very muscular dwarf. You also see Henry, or at least you assume it's Henry. He hasn't changed much since the last time you saw him, though he's sporting a few scars across his face now. Finally you see Mr. Reynolds and he certainly hasn't changed. Once again he stands up smiling at his desk. "Well what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit from the head of the infamous Crimson Talons this fine day?" Mr. Reynolds says. "I might need some people killed." You say. "Hm, straight to business I see. Okay then, I assume there is some reason why you aren't having your own people taking care of this?" "Let's just say, I think we might need some help on this one." "Hm, Sounds serious, you planning on taking out the Klyton Council?" he chortles. "No, just the Governor of Hessla...well and his second in command." As you go into a little more you manage to get a genuine look of interest on Mr. Reynolds face. "Ambitious. Though I'm not sure I can help. You see I mostly deal in matters concerning Klyton. Although...well I'm not sure you'd be interested in that..." You haven't been here five minutes, and he's already playing mind games... "Just fucking spit it..." You start to shout, but then you stop and then calm yourself before continuing. "Mr. Reynolds, with all due respect, I have come here asking for assistance on this matter as I once did in the past. Your son did a marvelous job last time even if... I didn't quite appreciate its thoroughness last time. I am willing to pay your costs if they appear to be reasonable." You say. Mr. Reynolds listens intently and smiles. "I'm glad to see that wisdom has come with your age. That's good. Last time our business together was less than cordial. That's okay though, I still got paid. As I said, I would love to help you again in this matter, but I'm afraid due to this being an outside job as it were, the cost is going to be quite high. Not just because of that however, but also because my son Henry takes things a bit more personal than I do. Though I'm sure I can convince him for the right price." Mr. Reynolds says. "Okay, but what is the price? How much?" you ask. "Oh no, there won't be any money for this...well okay one thousand gold coins should do it on that front." "A thousand? Is that all?" "No. Of course not. You have to leave Klyton." "Me?" "Well you and all your little Talon buddies. Basically I want YOU out of this city and set up shop in Hessla which should be wide open after I help you." "This is ridiculous! My goal is expansion not relocation! Why the hell should I move and why do you want me to anyway?" "My reasons are my own, but that's my price. Besides, I'm also going to throw in that fine gentleman over there to help." Mr. Reynolds points over to the ogre looking creature. "And who is that?" You ask. "Who is that? Don't you see the family resemblance? This fine gentleman is the late great Olaf's son!" Mr. Reynolds exclaims. "The late Olaf?" "Yes, it was a sad day when Olaf passed a few years ago. Died right here in the office in his sleep in fact. He will be missed. But anyway his son Olaf Jr. has been following in his father's large footsteps and I don't mind saying he's been doing a fine job for me and his own mother is very proud of him." You remember that Mr. Reynolds once said Olaf was married to a halfling. You can't imagine how that birth was even possible let alone how she survived the process. It does however explain Junior's strange appearance by ogre standards. (Or any standards actually) Mr. Reynolds goes on to assure you that he has more than enough skill to help do the job you require especially since the ogre is unlike his father and has embraced technology. He particularly has a great love of weapons that do damage on a massive scale. "Really, with both Henry AND Junior working with you, you probably won't suffer any losses at all. Just think, you'll have an entire town at your mercy. Really, what are you losing by leaving Klyton? Despite all your precautions, you still live hiding in the shadows and eking out a lesser existence than you could be. The milita and the Council will always be a problem for you, but at Hessla? YOU could be the law. You're a natural leader obviously. In the right environment you could truly thrive to your full potential." Flattering words to get you to do what he wants no doubt, but he isn't entirely wrong. > You go it alone Whatever Reynolds reasons are you aren't going to just abandon everything you built here. "Yeah, I don't think so. We'll get by." You say. "As you say. Good luck on your little endeavors." Mr. Reynolds replies with a little nod before going back to his work. You return to Zal and Vaughn and tell them you'll be doing this on your own. Zal seems to be a lot more pleased with this idea. Zal tells you it would be best if you all met with Captain Yan so you can coordinate this coup. In the meantime, she says she'll return to see Yan and hammer out when to meet so Yan doesn't just suddenly go sailing off to sea. Another couple weeks pass before you hear from Zal again and now she's telling a new tune... "What the fuck do you mean it's off?!" you exclaim. "I'm sorry, but there have been some changes and Yan isn't sure if..." Zal starts to say. "Oh fuck this is just perfect. This bitch gets cold feet and it's our dicks just swinging in the freezing air. What the hell kind of pirate is she anyway? Shouldn't she be jumping at the chance to slaughter her enemies?" You say. "We waited too long." Vaughn says. "To hell with it, we can do this ourselves. Me, you, and you. We're going to sneak into the Governor's mansion or whatever the fuck he lives in and we'll assassinate him." You say and start getting ready by putting various objects into a pack. "Wait! I really don't think that's a good idea! The Governor has protection up the ass! We need Yan's support if we're going to do anything! Seriously I can fix this!" Zalmora says trying to calm you. "How Zal? What are you going to do? More of your persuasive talking skills? Lick this Yan bitch into submission? Fuck this, we need to act. I'm not going to be limited to just THIS little shitty piece of Klyton because some are too fucking afraid to grab their destiny!" "Will you listen to yourself? What's all this about destiny? Did Reynolds get into your head or something? Going in half cocked is not the way and you KNOW this! Listen. I can fix this. I'm confident that I can get Yan to see it my way again. She's just so used to the status quo she's afraid to take that next step even if she wants to. She just needs a little push. Remember, sort of like the one I gave you years ago? That turned out alright it would seem." You stare at Zal in silence for a moment and then stop hastily putting shit into a pack. You inhale and exhale to gain your composure. "Okay. I'm calm. Very well Zal, you usually know best. I'll give you another chance to convince this wishy washy bitch, but if you don't succeed, we're going through with my plan." You say. "I understand, but just don't do anything until I come back with news. At the very least I can try to find a better way to assassinate Governor Tolen than just storming in his home and hoping we don't get killed in the process." You nod and dismiss Zal, confident that she'll come through for you. A couple weeks pass and there isn't any word. Vaughn begins to wonder if she didn't get killed, like maybe Yan double-crossed her or something. You think though if something like that happened you would have gotten a warning of some sort. Like Zal's head sent to you as a threat to not enter Hessla again. You decide to give it a little more time and if she doesn't return soon, then you'll go to Hessla yourself. Turns out the trip won't be necessary and you're hit with another unexpected bit of news. This time via messenger who approached Vaughn when he was going about business topside. "I dunno, the guy said it was from Zal. She told him to find me and give me the letter. Not sure how he knew where to find me though." Vaughn says giving you a scroll. "Probably because Zal knows you've been taking your rent boys to the same location to fuck them for years and told him exactly where you'd be. Plus she knows better than to give away the location to our headquarters to some stranger and knows I barely ever leave this place. (Sigh) Well let's see what this says...why do I feel it isn't going to be good news?" you say opening the scroll. Your thoughts aren't wrong, but you never expected...this... First off, I just want you and Vaughn to know that I'm okay. I'm better than okay actually. The pair of you have both been good friends in this unglamorous life we've chosen. I know we've had our differences in the past, but ultimately we've always been there for each other. I suppose that's why I stayed with the Talons as long as I did. I didn't have much, but I knew I at least had you guys. And this is what makes this all the harder. I have to leave. I'm going to leave with Yan. She's been in a similar situation here in Hessla, though in her case Governor Tolen is an outright asshole so it's an easy decision for her to just hoist the sails and leave Hessla and never return. We've found a lot in common with one another and we enjoy each other's company. I mean I dunno if this is love or what, but I feel I need to at least take this chance. I need to move on with my life. If I don't, I'll get talked out of it again like I did with Grahk, though I still think you were right in that case. But this is different. I can't explain it, and I don't think you'd understand really. Right now I'm sure you're already pissed. You're probably already planning to come in full force to Hessla and raise fucking hell. Please don't though, I'm already gone. Just take care of yourselves okay? And if you ever see an opportunity that can take you to a better life. Take it and don't look back. Goodbye, and I love you both. Zalmora You trail off a bit as you finish reading the message out loud. You're a bit dumbstruck. Vaughn is in the same boat. Eventually you just neatly roll the scroll back up and put the ribbon back on it, then you gently place it in your desk drawer and sit back down. You then start going over your profit gains for this year. "Boss?" Vaughn says. "Vaughn, you'll be handling the shit that Zal was in charge of, if you need extra help I trust you'll be able to promote the appropriate folks." You respond calmly. "But...what are we going to do?" "What can we do? Zal took off on a fucking ship to parts unknown. I don't exactly have a magical crystal ball to see where she went, and I wouldn't bother anyway. She obviously wasn't happy here, so it's better off that she's gone. Don't need her anyway." "Boss...now you don't mean that. Look, I don't wanna step outta line here and I know you didn't want to show it for some reason, but I know you had stronger feelings for her than just being friends with her. I mean aren't you pissed at this betrayal?! Aren't you upset? Don't you wanna go kill this Yan bitch for stealing away Zal? I mean I never saw this coming! Did you?" "No...at least not like this. But what's done is done and that's a funny notion you have about my feelings towards Zal there Vaughn. I'm fine. Best to just move on." "Well what about Hessla? Are we still going through with the plan?" "Oh that. No. Obviously we don't have the support now and Zal was probably right that we'd only just get ourselves killed if we tried ourselves. No, we'll just seek further opportunities here in Klyton when they arise." Vaughn can't believe how you're taking all this. Eventually he leaves you be and goes off to perform his duties. When he leaves you lock the door and read the scroll again. You sigh heavily and you wipe a few tears come from your eyes. "It's okay Zal. Not mad. I get it. Good luck." You say. > Time passes... Year 34 "Shit, that's the fifth patrol down here this week!" you say. "I know, the militia has actually managed to round up a few of our guys too recently. Really hoping nobody is going to snitch us out at this point." Vaughn remarks. While your members are generally pretty loyal, it's always a bit of a concern and you're not exactly filled with confidence. The last few years have just been getting worse with the militia patrols, you don't understand why since you were keeping a low profile. That was the whole point of getting out the drug trade. Your gambling game room hasn't gotten raided yet, but you're getting the uneasy impression that it won't be long if this keeps up. "Okay, we're going to have to make some changes maybe. I dunno. Maybe we need to hire another..." Before you can complete this thought, one of your other members comes rushing into the room. "Boss! Someone is knocking at the wall and they keep saying in a taunting voice that they know we're in here. They also say they want to speak to you directly. They said that he's coming to YOU with a deal this time." Dorian remarks. You don't even need to know who that might be. "Shit, fucking Reynolds. Okay, we're going to let him in..." "What?!" Vaughn exclaims. "He's already here and knows. If we just ignore him he'll just make things worse for us. I never like dealing with him either, but I usually at least hear him out. However, we're not going in this unprepared. Everyone in this place get yourself armed and ready. Load up any crossbows and firearms and keep them close! Dorian, I want people by the front entrance AND I want them in the escape tunnel just in fucking case. I wouldn't put it past Reynolds to know about that shit." "Got it boss, anything else?" Dorian asks. "Yeah, ONLY let him in. If he's got a creepy ass guy with a goatee or a weird looking ogre with him don't let them in. Vaughn you better go with him." "On it." Vaughn says and the pair of them leave, while you're rechecking your flintlock and grab your spare. You practice a few times pulling your pistols as quick as you can along with drawing your sword because you have no idea how this is going down. Eventually Vaughn enters with Mr. Reynolds who looks smug as usual. "Mmm, this isn't a bad little place. Your dwarven friend did a nice job. I assume that's what all those dwarves were really doing down here years back. Certainly couldn't be fixing the sewers. I swear if you took the Council's collective intelligence together you might have enough brains to put your shoes on the right feet assuming you didn't drool all over yourself first. Well, things are going to change when I get elected." Mr. Reynolds remarks. "Elected? Wait? YOU'RE running?" you say. "Oh yes, I feel it's time someone started doing things right in this city for a change. I mean sure Klyton is better off than a place like Holgard or definitely Hessla, but we can always do better you know? I've lived here a long time and I think the only way things are going improve is if I can be in a better position. Of course I'll have to give up my old business, but Henry is willing to take that over. He's come along nicely in that regard." "Okay, so what's all this got to do with me?" you ask. "Quite a bit actually...you seem tense. Everyone here seems tense. Relax everyone, I came here alone and my presence here is a good thing." Mr. Reynolds reassures you. "I find that hard to believe...but state your agenda." "Always to the point. That's why I think I've always enjoyed not just doing business with you, but your family in general. Anyway, the Crimson Talons are a black eye on this good city. Now granted I understand you aren't really hurting anyone and you do keep a relatively low profile, but well...you guys need to go. Getting rid of you lot would really help show I'm dedicated to cleaning up scum. No offense of course." "...I see..." "Now wait, before you start threatening violence, I have a proposal. Instead of just reporting your exact location to the militia and being active in your execution or incarceration, it would be even better for me, if I could...what's the word...tame...no civilize...no... ah assimilate you lot instead. It would prove that this city doesn't need to waste most of its money on security. I mean come on, they hardly need half the force they employ to even take you guys out to begin with." Reynolds says with a chuckle. You're hardly amused. "Yes, I can see you want me to get to the point. Fine. I'm not unsympathetic to the plight of the poor folks. I understand that there needs to be an entertainment place that caters to the lesser clientele. You and your Talons do provide that service a bit. So what I'm proposing is you guys do it legitimately. I'm opening up a new gambling hall as part of my Council election and I want all you lot to work there. And you m'boy get to run the place. Now how's THAT sound to you?" Reynolds says. "Sounds too good to be true and that there has to be a catch." You answer. "Well...you lot WOULD have to vote for me. And in your case you'd need to go register as a proper Klyton citizen. Don't believe you were actually born here were you? Other than that? None at all. I mean I would get some of the profits obviously since I would own the place, but really what's that compared to your freedom?" "Freedom" You're sure that Mr. Reynolds finds the use of that word amusing considering you're essentially at his mercy. He's probably been planning this for a while. Makes sense now that he wanted you completely out of Klyton the last time you nearly dealt with him. Still it's not a bad deal considering your time as a rogue is obviously coming to an end here in Klyton. You sometimes feel more like a manager than a crime boss nowadays anyway. What's one more step to legitimacy? Though it also rubs you the wrong way of getting forced into this situation and part of you just wants to kill Mr. Reynolds for his presumption. You don't doubt that he's more than he appears, but he's also over confident and he's in here with not just you, but several others ready to do your bidding. > You kill Mr. Reynolds You had it with this asshole. You don't say anything; you just pull out your flintlock. Mr. Reynolds' eyes flinch a bit and he moves his hand up in front of him, but he doesn't quiet do it quick enough before you manage to catch him in the shoulder. He falls backwards in his chair. Before you can follow up with your other pistol, Vaughn has no missed a beat and has taken it upon himself to shoot Reynolds with his own pistol. He gets a headshot, splattering part of Reynolds face and brain matter on your floor. At which point Reynolds begins making these horrible screeching sounds and twitching violently. They aren't normal human sounds of pain either. Indeed if Mr. Reynolds was human he shouldn't be making any more noise at all. Of course you always suspected there was something more to him. You and Vaughn both start chopping and stabbing him repeatedly to make sure he's dead, until you start hearing noise, shouting and screams coming from outside your office. With Reynolds no longer moving, you and Vaughn rush out of your office and see several of your people running away from where the escape exit is located. "What the hell is going on?" you shout at the nearest Talon running by. "Someone broke in through the escape tunnel and is killing our people!" "The militia?" "No! It's just one guy!" the Talon says and runs past you. "Fuck, it's that asshole's son. So much for Reynolds claiming he didn't come alone." You say. "Shit, that's guy's a fucking killer." Vaughn remarks. "Yeah, well you can run if you want, but I'm not." You say and head back to your office where you have a little something extra for Henry. Vaughn reluctantly follows and stands by the door. He's got his faults, but he's always loyal. You open up one of your safes and grab two firebombs. No sooner have you also grabbed a torch off the wall, you hear Vaughn shouting and the sounds of combat. You turn around and see Vaughn up against a wall struggling to not get a dagger pushed into his throat by Henry. You don't think, you just act. "Sorry Vaughn." You whisper, light the bomb with the torch and throw it in the direction of Vaughn and Henry. You then duck down behind your desk for cover. A loud deafening explosion soon follows. While your desk protects you from the immediate detonation, it is blasted enough that part of it is no longer covering you at all and you probably would have had large wood splinters and chunks embedded into your flesh had you not been wearing appropriate protection. You slowly get up despite your ears still ringing. There's smoke everywhere though the small fires burning lumps of bloody flesh are allowing you to see through it. Mr. Reynold's body which was a bloody mess to begin with, is now practically just a smeared blood stain on your floor. A little further where the door to your office once was lies Vaughn in several burning pieces. After coughing a bit from the smell and the smoke, you finally see your target, Henry who apparently still isn't dead. He's burnt, bloody, and attempting to crawl away with one arm intact, but some how still alive. He's making the same horrible raspy sounds his dad was making when you killed him. You take your sword and walk over to the charred form that is Henry and drive it through the back of his neck. His sounds cease altogether. As you're pulling your sword back out, your hearing is starting to return back to normal which allows you to receive the sounds of shouting. It sounds far away, but it's coming from the front entrance. Upon a quick glance, you see that the fools who ran off didn't bother shutting the wall properly and now combined with the noise of the explosion your headquarters is probably going to be crawling with any militia that was patrolling down here. Time to go. As you're muttering about how much this situation sucks, you silently are just glad you've got an alternative way out of this place. You pass several bodies as you make your way towards the escape tunnel. Henry really did a damn job on your people. It's just a good thing you had people near the escape tunnel otherwise Henry might have caught even you unawares. Still, while it doesn't surprised you that Reynolds knew about it, you're wondering HOW he found out. Part of you even wonders if maybe he had connections to that dwarven bastard Grahk. You guess it hardly matters at this point. You've worn out your welcome at this city and you're going to have to find some place new. Perhaps Hessla? You get to the door to the tunnel and are surprised to find it closed. You would have thought with all the running and killing nobody would have bothered. You open it up. "Oh shit." You see standing before you Junior holding some sort of weapon you've never seen before but flames flicker from the barrel. He's wearing goggles, some sort of weird one piece suit covering his massive body and flashes a toothy smile. Before you can close the door, Junior pulls the trigger on his weapon and a gout of flame envelopes your entire body. You turn and scream as your skin and hair burn and sizzle. Your attempts to roll on the ground to put out the fire are useless since Junior just follows you from a safe distance and keeps immolating you. Eventually your burning body joins the other lifeless ones around you.

[Themes: fantasy, fantasy] Year 34 "Shit, that's the fifth patrol down here this week!" you say. "I know, the militia has actually managed to round up a few of our guys too recently. Really hoping nobody is going to snitch us out at this point." Vaughn remarks. While your members are generally pretty loyal, it's always a bit of a concern and you're not exactly filled with confidence. The last few years have just been getting worse with the militia patrols, you don't understand why since you were keeping a low profile. That was the whole point of getting out the drug trade. Your gambling game room hasn't gotten raided yet, but you're getting the uneasy impression that it won't be long if this keeps up. "Okay, we're going to have to make some changes maybe. I dunno. Maybe we need to hire another..." Before you can complete this thought, one of your other members comes rushing into the room. "Boss! Someone is knocking at the wall and they keep saying in a taunting voice that they know we're in here. They also say they want to speak to you directly. They said that he's coming to YOU with a deal this time." Dorian remarks. You don't even need to know who that might be. "Shit, fucking Reynolds. Okay, we're going to let him in..." "What?!" Vaughn exclaims. "He's already here and knows. If we just ignore him he'll just make things worse for us. I never like dealing with him either, but I usually at least hear him out. However, we're not going in this unprepared. Everyone in this place get yourself armed and ready. Load up any crossbows and firearms and keep them close! Dorian, I want people by the front entrance AND I want them in the escape tunnel just in fucking case. I wouldn't put it past Reynolds to know about that shit." "Got it boss, anything else?" Dorian asks. "Yeah, ONLY let him in. If he's got a creepy ass guy with a goatee or a weird looking ogre with him don't let them in. Vaughn you better go with him." "On it." Vaughn says and the pair of them leave, while you're rechecking your flintlock and grab your spare. You practice a few times pulling your pistols as quick as you can along with drawing your sword because you have no idea how this is going down. Eventually Vaughn enters with Mr. Reynolds who looks smug as usual. "Mmm, this isn't a bad little place. Your dwarven friend did a nice job. I assume that's what all those dwarves were really doing down here years back. Certainly couldn't be fixing the sewers. I swear if you took the Council's collective intelligence together you might have enough brains to put your shoes on the right feet assuming you didn't drool all over yourself first. Well, things are going to change when I get elected." Mr. Reynolds remarks. "Elected? Wait? YOU'RE running?" you say. "Oh yes, I feel it's time someone started doing things right in this city for a change. I mean sure Klyton is better off than a place like Holgard or definitely Hessla, but we can always do better you know? I've lived here a long time and I think the only way things are going improve is if I can be in a better position. Of course I'll have to give up my old business, but Henry is willing to take that over. He's come along nicely in that regard." "Okay, so what's all this got to do with me?" you ask. "Quite a bit actually...you seem tense. Everyone here seems tense. Relax everyone, I came here alone and my presence here is a good thing." Mr. Reynolds reassures you. "I find that hard to believe...but state your agenda." "Always to the point. That's why I think I've always enjoyed not just doing business with you, but your family in general. Anyway, the Crimson Talons are a black eye on this good city. Now granted I understand you aren't really hurting anyone and you do keep a relatively low profile, but well...you guys need to go. Getting rid of you lot would really help show I'm dedicated to cleaning up scum. No offense of course." "...I see..." "Now wait, before you start threatening violence, I have a proposal. Instead of just reporting your exact location to the militia and being active in your execution or incarceration, it would be even better for me, if I could...what's the word...tame...no civilize...no... ah assimilate you lot instead. It would prove that this city doesn't need to waste most of its money on security. I mean come on, they hardly need half the force they employ to even take you guys out to begin with." Reynolds says with a chuckle. You're hardly amused. "Yes, I can see you want me to get to the point. Fine. I'm not unsympathetic to the plight of the poor folks. I understand that there needs to be an entertainment place that caters to the lesser clientele. You and your Talons do provide that service a bit. So what I'm proposing is you guys do it legitimately. I'm opening up a new gambling hall as part of my Council election and I want all you lot to work there. And you m'boy get to run the place. Now how's THAT sound to you?" Reynolds says. "Sounds too good to be true and that there has to be a catch." You answer. "Well...you lot WOULD have to vote for me. And in your case you'd need to go register as a proper Klyton citizen. Don't believe you were actually born here were you? Other than that? None at all. I mean I would get some of the profits obviously since I would own the place, but really what's that compared to your freedom?" "Freedom" You're sure that Mr. Reynolds finds the use of that word amusing considering you're essentially at his mercy. He's probably been planning this for a while. Makes sense now that he wanted you completely out of Klyton the last time you nearly dealt with him. Still it's not a bad deal considering your time as a rogue is obviously coming to an end here in Klyton. You sometimes feel more like a manager than a crime boss nowadays anyway. What's one more step to legitimacy? Though it also rubs you the wrong way of getting forced into this situation and part of you just wants to kill Mr. Reynolds for his presumption. You don't doubt that he's more than he appears, but he's also over confident and he's in here with not just you, but several others ready to do your bidding. > Work for Mr. Reynolds While it might be satisfying to kill Mr. Reynolds, it's hardly the smart play and you're just going to bring more trouble on yourself. Maybe you've gotten like Zal did, you're starting to question whether to go on with this lifestyle. It was fun in the beginning and now its just work. And if you're going to work, you might as well not worry about getting arrested or killed by the militia or slinking about underground where even if you aren't walking around in shit as much, you still have to do it more than the average person. You're done. You want something better and while you aren't convinced that this is it. It will at least be better than what you have now. "Alright Reynolds, I'll agree to all this, but under two conditions. I want to at least name this new place." You say. "Hah. Fine. I was never the best with names anyway." Mr. Reynolds says. "And I want to be able to walk away at any time." "By the gods son. This isn't some life binding contract I'm holding you under." "Yeah, well I never know with you." "Fine, if it will put your mind at ease, you're personally free to leave if you like. Not sure why you'd want to, but as I said, you're free to do so." "Okay then, so where is this new place and when do we make the transition?" "Oh I think you'll like it. It's your family's old inn. It'll be converted a little of course, but that's where it's going to be." You let out a little chuckle at that bit of information. Mr. Reynolds says you can continue your activities down here until the renovation on your family's old inn is finished. He says you shouldn't have to worry about militia patrols anymore though. After Mr. Reynolds explains a bit more information he bids you goodbye. Vaughn approaches you immediately. "Boss, are you sure about this? I mean are we really trusting him?" "Yes, I'm sure. It's what's best for the organization. Just because we're going legit doesn't mean we've suddenly disappeared. We'll probably all be making a better living than we are now anyway. And as far as trusting him? Sure why not? We trusted Zal and you see what happened there. Reynolds is a fucking snake, but if he's lying at least I won't be disappointed. Fairly sure he's been direct though, besides he's very careful about making deals and not breaking them." A few months pass and eventually you and your people move to your family's old inn. You knew it had been abandoned ever since it shut down, so you never saw what it looked like originally. What it looks like now however is fairly nice though. Lot nicer than sewers or underground tunnels at any rate. As you and your people get set up, you find that the private rooms upstairs where your father and grandparents must have lived weren't changed much. Some of the furniture is even still around. You might as well live here. You sit down on a nearby dusty chair and just think on how you got here. You can only imagine what your parents or sister would say if they could see you now. "Well, it took me a long time, but I'm finally a working man with a real job and I hope you're all doing well right now." You say to yourself. > Epilogue Epilogue 3: Crimson Casino Year 36 Another busy day at The Crimson Casino. Then again it's always a busy day here. If it isn't the day-to-day operations, it's the occasional "unofficial" operations that Mr. Reynolds has you perform. Though to be honest, you knew as soon as you dealt with him he was going to tack on more conditions. That was never more apparent during the election where you went around strong-arming and blackmailing folks. But that was okay. The Crimson Talons might officially be "gone" but most folks know better than to really believe that. If anything, you lot are stronger than ever, even if you aren't really in charge anymore. But that's okay, it's why you insisted on being able to leave free of consequence if you ever got tired of his shit. Still, sometimes you miss the old days when you were a little more independent and directly active, like breaking into a shop or pick pocketing some unsuspecting merchant, but things change and the best way to deal with that is by adapting. And that's what you did. You adapted and thrived. "Hey boss, there's some woman out here insisting that she's your sister." Vaughn says suddenly entering your office. "My sister? Here?" you ask a bit surprised. "That's what she claims. She's got long blonde hair, dressed very colorfully and is carrying a mandolin or lute or something. I mean from how you've described her in some of your stories about her, it seems like her." "Well send her in, I'll soon know." As Vaughn leaves to go get her, a sense you haven't felt in a long time starts to well up inside you. Like a nervousness. You don't know why either. You hastily try to clean up some of your area and make yourself presentable. A woman soon enters and no matter how much time has passed, you'd never forget that face. It's her. "By the fucking gods! Is it really you I see there before me?" You ask. "Yep, it's your sister from the same mister! Well don't just stand there, give me a hug!" Your sister responds. You practically leap over the desk to embrace her. This is definitely a reunion you never thought would come. Vaughn sees that this is a private moment so he leaves you and your sister alone. "It's good to see you after what twenty years?" You say. "Too damn long bro. Too damn long. Hey don't squeeze too tight, I got my mandolin on my back and it's pretty unique." Your sister says. "Well you look good anyway. I see you're still into colorful clothing, but then you always were the flashy one." "Just glad I can still fit into my clothing from twenty years ago. You doing okay though? You got a lot more gray than I would expect." Your sister remarks picking at your hair a bit. "Yeah, I know. Age hasn't been kind to all of us sis." "Oh, I was joking. Don't worry, you're not as bad as all that." You and your sister sit down and catch up. Your sister goes first and briefly goes into some of the places she's been. She says she actually came to Klyton when she first left home, but didn't stay long due to her not finding it very interesting. Seems as if you two just missed each other when you arrived here. When you ask how she found you in the first place she just says, as a bard she's always got her ear to the ground on various bits of information, plus it helped that you own a well known casino and that it used to be your family's old inn. She also mentions that she recently visited your parents and besides being glad to see her, they also told her what happened with you a few months after she left. What's fascinating to you though is apparently you were cleared of murder months after you left! Your father managed to save Annah's life and with her statement and a few others who saw everything reluctantly stepped up to tell the truth, your actions were considered a justified crime of passion rather than outright murder. "So wait, am I still wanted there?" You say. "Well...a lot of time has passed and that sheriff who hated you is long dead now. Klint's father also isn't there anymore, so I think you're in the clear legally, but I wouldn't exactly say you're wanted if you know what I mean. Though Annah apparently still thinks highly of you." "Heh, I'm glad she survived. Really glad. What about mom and dad?" "They're fine. I suppose this would be a good time to tell you, we got a new brother." "WHAT?! They had another child?! When?!" You exclaim. "I guess shortly after we both left. I think he's about twenty or around that age. He's okay, a bit on the straight-laced side. Guess mom and dad finally got the well behaved child they always wanted." "I guess so...sheesh...do you think they'd even want to see me?" "I'm sure mom wouldn't mind seeing you. Dad, well he probably wouldn't mind either seeing as you're not a criminal anymore. You aren't are you?" You sit back and chuckle a bit. "Well sis, that's a complicated question. Technically I'm not...but shit sometimes happens. And if dad knew who I was working for, he REALLY wouldn't want to see me. Guess I'll pass on the visit, but if you see them again, you can tell them I'm okay and I'm glad to hear they're okay." You say. "Alright and of course I'll be sure to not go into great detail." Your sister responds. "So sis, sounds like you've had all the exciting adventures. Did I hear you mention something about being a pirate?" you ask. "Not exactly, but I was travelling with some. I'm sort of trying to write a song about it. Well actually I have, but I just haven't performed it in front of an audience yet." Your sister replies. "Well why don't you do that here?" "What? You mean at this casino?" "Sure, there are plenty of regulars here that appreciate a good tale accompanied by music. Also it would be nice to book a proper bard here for a change. Most of the time, we got this pathetic asshole who sings horribly and plays equally as bad about the latest mishap that occurred in his life." "Sheesh, why do you still book him?" "His tales of woe essentially make everyone else feel better about themselves and they like to laugh at him. But anyway I think you'd be a nice change of pace. You can stick around right?" "Sure I'm in no hurry. Do you have some place I can stay?" "Yeah, there are some rooms upstairs, where dad and our grandparents used to sleep back when they owned this place. You can stay there." "Sounds good to me." You smile and pat your sister's hand who returns the smile back. You're really glad to see her again. It's comforting to know that despite all the changes your life has gone through, there are still some things are remain constant. "So, what about your adventures of how you became this successful casino owner? At the same building our family's inn used to be no less." your sister asks. "Oh that. Well that's a long story." "The best ones usually are I've found. You might as well go ahead and tell me, I'm apparently going to be here awhile." You begin your tale...

[Themes: fantasy, anti-hero, serious, fantasy] Year 27 You have to admit, despite the close calls, the stress of changing the layout, and the several times you almost wanted to kill Grahk, he came through and this place is a lot better than you could have expected, if much smaller. This place is less of a "budding underground town" and more of an underground mini-fortress and really maybe that was a more realistic goal anyway. You have sturdy walls, rooms, and a hidden entrance within the sewer with a couple of durable security doors just in case the militia does the find the place. You also have an escape route dug out far enough that you'd be able to getaway long before they broke in. But that's just your headquarters. There is another secret area where you hold the gambling games, races and fights. Besides it being a better idea to keep the actual activities (and the plebs) away from your main base, Grahk actually said it would be better structural wise to build two separate and smaller hidden locations rather than just one big one which be a lot more costly to maintain and keep from collapsing. So that's what you did. Still, you decided to keep one business out of both of the new areas. Namely the Yellow Devil creation and distribution. You aren't having any junkies going in either to get their fixes and YD stinks something awful that it would defeat the damn purpose of leaving the sewers if you were creating it in these nice new areas. Due to all the expenses you had to pay for with the dwarves, you had to go back to the old methods of pulling heists and burglary because the drugs, gambling games and fights weren't enough. Of course that was mostly you, Zal and Vaughn doing those, because you wanted to make sure it was done right. On the plus side, it's kept you in shape and your skills sharp. It also raises your respect among the rest of the Crimson Talons since they know you're willing to get right in the thick of things and aren't just delegating. The downside is you're still not exactly rolling in coin and you don't think you've had real rest since this project began and you're always vaguely tired, but then as they say no rest for the wicked. The other side effect is you've created a minor "crime wave" throughout Klyton to the point where things are getting out of hand for the militia slightly. Besides the ongoing breaking into shops and homes, your increased production of Yellow Devil has created an epidemic of "meltbrains" as they are called. Didn't help that you got the idea from Camid to start cutting the drug to make it less lethal, while still keeping most of it's "positive" effects for the user. Still causes a lot of irreversible long-term damage that most aren't coming back from, which now probably makes it even worse. Junkies are living long enough to cause real problems hence the crime wave. You've been extremely fortunate that the authorities have mostly been turning the city upside down and making mass arrests to every petty criminal they can get their hands on, but so far they haven't done much with the sewers. There were a few close calls with some minor patrols, but Grahk's crew has been pretty good in keeping their real activities (and you) secret. Grahk's Council buddy must have an incredible amount of trust in him or maybe he's just corrupt. You have no idea, you've never met him. Still, Klyton's uncharacteristic lackadaisical alertness on this matter is going to be coming to an end. Grahk is done with the task and will be leaving soon, which means Klyton will probably be stepping up their patrols down here. Not even the rumors of a killer reptile man is going to scare them away. (You question if this Scales is even down here, surely you would have run afoul of him, with all this work the dwarves have been doing) But the only concern you have right at this moment is the information you've just heard. "What?! You're leaving?!" you exclaim. "Figured I should let you know. Despite our differences at times, I respect you enough to not just disappear." Zalmora says. "Hold on you're going to have to re-explain this again. This is just out of nowhere." You say and take a seat. "It really isn't. Grahk and I have been seeing each other for quite some time since he got here for this project." "Yes, I've seen you two speaking with one another every so often. Sometimes it looked a little more than that, but I didn't take you for the running off and getting married sort!" "What can I say? Grahk made a very good offer." "Given what comes out of his mouth half the time, he doesn't even like humans." "Well he likes me and I'm very fond of him. Also, I've realized that this life...well it isn't the one I want any more." Zal says waving her arms in the air and making motions about her surroundings. "So...what? You're going to go pop out a bunch of bearded babies and be a nice little housewife in some dark underground cavern?" "I'm already practically living in an underground cavern now! And dwarves and humans can't reproduce with each other...well as far as I know. Besides, he's already got a couple of children from his deceased wife, so that isn't going to be an issue anyway." "But what are you going to DO with yourself? I mean I'm guessing you're going to go back to the Cloudpeake Mountains. Dwarves aren't known for being all that accepting of outsiders at the best of times. You're not likely to have any friends." "Yeah, well it isn't like I really have any here either." You're a little taken aback. "Wha...? What? What about me and Vaughn? What about all the Talons that respect your abilities?" you say. "Those are subordinates, not my friends. You're my boss, not my friend. And as for Vaughn...well okay, you're right about him, but he's hardly enough to keep me around here waiting for the inevitable." Zalmora responds. "And what's that exactly?" "This whole place is going to raided and all of you are either going to get pinched or killed. Best case scenario, you escape with nothing." "That's some severe lack of confidence in your soon to be dwarf husband's abilities. Besides, you were originally enthusiastic about this whole project and the potential." "I know I was at first, but the original goal has changed now hasn't it? Look, maybe everything won't be all doom and gloom and maybe everything does go smoothly, but the fact that I realize is that I'm getting old and I'm enjoying this type of life less and less. I soon learned that on the last heist we did and I nearly got my head blown off by the militia." "You're hardly old Zal, I mean you're acting like you're ready for the grave." "If I keep on this way, I soon will be. Look, I've been giving this a lot of thought for quite some time." "So again, I ask what are you going to do with your time? I mean I really can't envision you as some housewife. You're going to get bored and dissatisfied." "And how do YOU know that? Maybe I'll find it a great relief not worrying about which shop to rob or whether or not if I'm going to get arrested or killed. And who says I'm not going to find something to do while I'm up there? Grahk owns his own business you know. I'm sure I can help with that in some way." A moment of silence comes over you and you cease looking at Zalmora. You can't believe you might be losing your best "employee." It would appear you took it for granted that she'd always be around. Though you did always consider the possibility that she might die in the service of the Crimson Talons just like anyone, but something about this is much different and you don't like this form of parting of the ways. At least not without trying to do something about it. "What would it take for you to stay?" you ask. "Nothing. I told you, I've made up my mind about this." Zal says. "Bullshit. You wouldn't have told me at all, if you didn't want me to make the attempt to at least come up with an offer." "...I...I don't know where you got that idea from, but I already told you that I came to you about this because I respected you enough to not sneak off in the middle of the night." Zalmora sputters. "And I'm not buying it. I don't buy that you're ready to settle down and live a boring ordinary life. I mean I've SEEN you get the thrill even during that last heist where you almost got your head blown off. I mean maybe the safe life does have its advantages, and if you were marrying a Delantium prince who was going to shower you with jewels and a royal palace I'd say congrats and just let you go without a fight. Hell, if you said that you LOVED this dwarf I wouldn't stand in the way, but you didn't say that. You just claimed fondness. You're not moving up, you're just trading one life of compromise for another." "You seem to be very interested in my well being...are you actually jealous? Is this some crush you've been harboring because if it is, I'm going to tell you right now that..." "No! It's nothing like that. While you don't consider me your friend, I consider you mine, because quite frankly I don't have any either and it's hard enough to have someone trustworthy and reliable in this business as it is. You were the one who gave me all the most important advice that resulted in rebuilding the Crimson Talons to be a viable organization again. And yeah, maybe I didn't listen to all of it, but I do acknowledge that I wouldn't have gotten this far without you and I can't see me getting too much further without you by my side either. I need you." Now Zalmora is speechless and looks away. You stare at her, but she makes sure to not look in your direction. You know she must be trying to hide obvious signs of being upset. "Are you alright?" you ask. "I...I...yes...I'm fine." Zal says and then turns around and quickly wipes one of her eyes. Zalmora composes herself a bit and then speaks. "Very well. I do have one request if I'm going to consider staying. We have to stop selling Yellow Devil." Zal says. "What? But that's what kept us afloat! If we hadn't been selling it, we wouldn't have been able to afford the new headquarters!" you reply. "Yes, and now that project is over with. We can get by without dealing it. Yellow Devil is going to cause us nothing but trouble in the future. I'm already seeing that, don't you?" "Well I'll admit, its got its share of problems, but it's the biggest money maker and a lot of the Talons aren't going to be happy about no longer selling it. Specifically Camid." "Look, this isn't a negotiation. This is my stipulation. I'll leave you to deal with the repercussions as you see fit. Grahk is leaving in a week. You've got three days to tell me your decision, because if you value my friendship as much as you claim and you do decide to stop selling, then I'm going to need the rest of the week to deal with Grahk before he leaves, because I'll be breaking not just his heart but an agreement and you know how serious dwarves are about those." > You let Zalmora go This is the business you've chosen and sometimes that business takes priority over friendship. You appreciate Zalmora and all, but you're not going to just give up your best moneymaker that is not only going to result in a loss, but also cause discord within the organization. Not to mention, you are sort of wondering what kind of postion you'll be putting Zal in, if she has to break up with a dwarf. They aren't fond of broken promises after all. He could not only make trouble for her, but you as well. The cons are outweighing the pros. "You know what, I'm being a selfish asshole. I want you here for my own purposes and I'm trying to talk you out of having a happy life. That's not what a real friend does, and who the hell am I to question your feelings for the dwarf? Not like I'm an expert on relationships. So I think you should go and leave this life behind. You deserve good things Zal." You say. Zal looks at you in silence for a moment. "Fuck you." She says and starts to leave, which causes you to immediately try to stop her. "What?! What did I say? I just wished you well!" you exclaim. "Yeah, and did you really think I was going to fall for that shit right after your initial speech? I'm not a fucking idiot, thought you knew that by now. You were right about one thing though; you are being a selfish asshole. I ask you for one fucking thing. ONE. And one that will be beneficial in the long run, but do you give it up? No. Obviously you don't give a fuck like you claim and then you tried that totally transparent it's not you it's me shit. Yeah, I'm done. Have a nice life running this place without me boss man." Zal says and pushes you out of the way. You briefly think about trying to stop her again, but you think that's going to result in real violence. You sort of fucked up. You laid it on a bit too heavy, and you probably should have just been straight with her. At least the goodbye wouldn't have been as bad. Well there's nothing for it now. You'll just have to move on. Year 28 The militia's increased activities have put a serious dent in your non-drug related endeavors. People would rather not get caught up in the middle of a war between a violent criminal organization and a violent government organization so the gambling games have dwindled to near nobody and that includes the bum fights too and to be honest most of your bum fighters are Yellow Devil addicts now. Realizing that now Yellow Devil is the only major money maker, you made your gambling games location into the new Yellow Devil lab since nobody is going to be using it for it's intended purpose anymore. Your main lab is also be better protected and hidden in this way as well. Of course recently the name "Yellow Devil" has come into question... "Yellow Angel?" you ask. "Yes! I've been thinking, we've already been changing basic YD so much that it's not really the same product anymore. It might as well have a new name. Also it sounds a lot nicer don't you think? I mean what could be better than one of those friendly angels that the Joachim priests talk about? An angel that takes you and flies you up higher than you've ever been. Makes it sound a lot more enticing than a devil dragging you down to hell or melting you." Camid says excitedly. You have to admit, it's one of the better ideas he's had. "Hmm, yeah. Actually I've been wondering if we should start expanding and I'm not talking about just here. I'm talking to other places like Hessla, Holgard or even the Delantium Kingdom. I might send you Vaughn to go get another Crimson Talon chapter started." You say. "Me? I dunno boss. I mean I suppose Hessla would be okay, but Holgard and the Delantium Kingdom? Isn't that Ebony Claw territory?" Vaughn remarks. "What if it is? The kingdom is a big fucking place. They don't get to have all of it and who knows what's going on in Holgard and who's in charge there. The place keeps having rebellions and revolutions. Seems like the place is up for grabs for anyone." "If you say so boss. I feel I should also inform you that the militia has been stepping up patrols in the sewers and starting to go into areas they previously were leaving alone." "Yeah, we're going to be directly dealing with that. I want us to start trapping the patrol locations first. No direct attacks yet, but those might be coming soon." "By the gods, we're actually taking on the militia?" Vaughn asks. "We are, because that's the only way we're going to get them off our backs at this point. We need to make it so bad for them that the costs are going to outweigh the benefits and they'll be better off going back to busting meltbrains than trying to wipe us out." "But taking on the militia is surely going to require all the resources we have. I mean if you send me and a few others to open up another Crimson Talon chapter elsewhere, won't you be risking getting overwhelmed by the militia?" "Well that is certainly a risk, but if you're successful where I send you, that's extra revenue and support in the long run which will help in fighting off those militia bastards." Vaughn looks a little unconvinced, but like the loyal member he's always been, he just agrees with you. He doesn't really have a choice anyway. Your choice is determining where to send him. The Delantium Kingdom might be a bit far for right now. You figure Hessla or Holgard will be good enough. You actually even think about Teckleville, though you aren't sure if a small town like that would be that ideal. Also, despite the fact you got run out of there, you still consider it home and you're a little hesitant to start flooding it with Yellow Angel and recruiting from there. So you immediately dismiss the idea. > Expand to Hessla Vaughn is going to be more comfortable going to Hessla and it's closer so that's probably the best place to expand. After supplying Vaughn with a good portion of Yellow Angel, you send him and a couple outright thugs and one of Camid's "apprentices" on their way to Hessla. You tell him you want someone to send you a report on the situation by the end of the month. In the meantime you have everyone available to start trapping portions of the sewers and continue business as usual. One month later You finally get a report from Vaughn and he tells you that things aren't going as well as hoped. Hessla apparently isn't quite as lawless as imagined It actually does have it's own security called the Headsmen. They're fairly vigilant and they report directly to governor Tolen who has complete control over everything that goes on in the town. What this all means is selling your Yellow Angel there is perfectly fine, in fact it's even getting popular, but Tolen is taking fifty percent of the profits! There isn't much Vaughn can do though, for now he says you can't expect much profit funneling in from Hessla at this time though he's looking for potential opportunities. You don't hold out much hope though given that this is Vaughn and has never excelled in that field. On the Klyton front things aren't much better. The militia has suffered some set backs, but it's clear they aren't going to give up. Camid has made steps to set up smaller labs not just in the sewers, but even topside in the more run down areas of Klyton. The best way to keep them off balance is to not let them focus too much attention on any one location. You think your next investment is going to be in more gunpowder weapons. Year 29 "So what does Vaughn say?" Camid asks. "He says that he's finally worked out a better deal with Governor Tolen, but it's going to require me to be there to hammer out the details." You say after reading the message scroll. "Oh. So when are you going?" "Not sure. As soon as possible given how important this is, but I almost hate to leave since I'll be concerned about everything that's going on here without me." "Don't worry about it boss! I can look after things while you're gone." "Hmmm, I'm sure." While Camid might be genuinely trying to be helpful, ever since the complete transfer to selling Yellow Angel, he's been getting puffed up with his own relative importance. A guy like him and ambition are a dangerous combo. He already seems eager for you to leave, is he planning something? Still, this is a pretty important meeting and honestly things are probably never going to completely be calm in Klyton. You're just going to have to have a measure of confidence in Camid that he'll be able to handle shit and isn't smart enough to plot anything meaningful against you. "Alright Camid, you're up, but we're going to go over so fucking ground rules of how I expect shit to be run around here in my absence." You reply. You spend a good portion of the day going over plans, routines and what to do in certain events. He's up to speed on most of the stuff, and is at least making the effort to seem completely compliant to your orders. With some slight apprehension, you pack some of your stuff and leave for Hessla the next day. You wish you could take a carriage to get there quicker, but given the situation with the militia; you'd rather not risk being seen in public around Klyton at all. Your journey to Hessla doesn't take too long however and it's relatively uneventful. Vaughn told you in the message to meet him at the Sensual Siren tavern and he'd be there every day until you showed up. As you're asking for directions and walking about the town, you see that Hessla is indeed much different than you imagined. It's more orderly and many times you see groups of the infamous Headsmen that Governor Tolen employs to keep the peace. Eventually you reach the Sensual Siren and after looking about the dark tavern, a familiar voice calls over to you. "Hey Boss! Over here!" Vaughn shouts and waves you over. It's been a year since you've seen him, but Vaughn look a lot different. He's shaved his facial hair in a fancier style and is dressed more..."piratey." You also notice several Headsmen in the tavern who are watching everything going on in the place. "Well looks like you've gone native." You say sitting down. "Oh. Yeah all this. I figured I should look more the part around here. It doesn't hurt." Vaughn remarks. "Hey, I don't care. Dress how you like. So are we going to go see Tolen now? I'm a little anxious to get this meeting over with because I'd rather not have Camid running things for too long while I'm gone." "Yeah, I understand. How is everything in Klyton anyway?" "Same old shit. Trying to stay one step ahead of the militia and still keep everything running." "Well I think this new deal I've struck with the governor will put an end to some of that hassle." "Sounds good, so let's go see the man." "Okay, um these gentlemen will be accompanying us. The governor's sort of a stickler about security." Vaughn says pointing to the Headsmen in the tavern. You look around and see they're starting gather near you. "Oh, yeah I figured the governor would have a shit load of his men around at all times. Whatever makes him feel safe I guess, let's get going." You say. You, Vaughn and a small group of Headsmen all leave the tavern. As you head towards the mansion where the governor, Vaughn talks about how well the Crimson Talon chapter here is doing and that there is possibility of extending to a city called Jicol which lies across the sea. He says the place sounds like it's open territory. While you're listening to Vaughn, you start to notice that you're taking a lot of turns that don't seem necessary to get to the mansion, which appeared to be a relatively straightforward walk from what you could tell. You look around and you start to feel uneasy as the streets start to get narrow. No sooner have you start to put your hand by your weapon when Vaughn suddenly shoves you aside and runs forward. It isn't enough to knock you down, but it's enough to catch you off balance and the Headsmen have taken advantage by nabbing you. You struggle to get free, but the Headsmen have firmly got you restrained. Followed by a few punches and kicks, along with taking away all your weapons and you have the distinct impression that you were paranoid about the wrong person betraying you. You look up and see Vaughn now standing before you with a dagger in hand. He doesn't look happy, but he isn't exactly upset about this either. "Gotta say, didn't see this coming from you. Guess more than just your style changed." You say. "Stand him up." Vaughn remarks which causes the Headsmen to do just that. "Better deal huh Vaughn? Was this the governor's idea, or yours? Probably the governor. You never would have had the balls to think of doing this without help." You say. "Shut up." Vaughn says and approaches you with the dagger. "What for? I'm going to shut up forever soon. I will say this, at least you're doing this yourself and looking me in the eye." When you say this, Vaughn drops his guard and looks away a bit. "Heh, I was right, this wasn't your idea. Fucking pathetic." You say. Vaughn then musters up his resolve and shoved the dagger into your stomach. He then pulls it out and stabs you several more times. You never cry out once and you never stop looking at him the whole time despite the fact he tries to advert his gaze downward most of the time. He never says anything else. Eventually several of your vital organs have been punctured enough and your blood is leaking out of several holes. The Headsmen that were restraining you drop your body and leave it for the street cleaners to dispose of properly.

[Themes: fantasy, fantasy, humor] This is the business you've chosen and sometimes that business takes priority over friendship. You appreciate Zalmora and all, but you're not going to just give up your best moneymaker that is not only going to result in a loss, but also cause discord within the organization. Not to mention, you are sort of wondering what kind of postion you'll be putting Zal in, if she has to break up with a dwarf. They aren't fond of broken promises after all. He could not only make trouble for her, but you as well. The cons are outweighing the pros. "You know what, I'm being a selfish asshole. I want you here for my own purposes and I'm trying to talk you out of having a happy life. That's not what a real friend does, and who the hell am I to question your feelings for the dwarf? Not like I'm an expert on relationships. So I think you should go and leave this life behind. You deserve good things Zal." You say. Zal looks at you in silence for a moment. "Fuck you." She says and starts to leave, which causes you to immediately try to stop her. "What?! What did I say? I just wished you well!" you exclaim. "Yeah, and did you really think I was going to fall for that shit right after your initial speech? I'm not a fucking idiot, thought you knew that by now. You were right about one thing though; you are being a selfish asshole. I ask you for one fucking thing. ONE. And one that will be beneficial in the long run, but do you give it up? No. Obviously you don't give a fuck like you claim and then you tried that totally transparent it's not you it's me shit. Yeah, I'm done. Have a nice life running this place without me boss man." Zal says and pushes you out of the way. You briefly think about trying to stop her again, but you think that's going to result in real violence. You sort of fucked up. You laid it on a bit too heavy, and you probably should have just been straight with her. At least the goodbye wouldn't have been as bad. Well there's nothing for it now. You'll just have to move on. Year 28 The militia's increased activities have put a serious dent in your non-drug related endeavors. People would rather not get caught up in the middle of a war between a violent criminal organization and a violent government organization so the gambling games have dwindled to near nobody and that includes the bum fights too and to be honest most of your bum fighters are Yellow Devil addicts now. Realizing that now Yellow Devil is the only major money maker, you made your gambling games location into the new Yellow Devil lab since nobody is going to be using it for it's intended purpose anymore. Your main lab is also be better protected and hidden in this way as well. Of course recently the name "Yellow Devil" has come into question... "Yellow Angel?" you ask. "Yes! I've been thinking, we've already been changing basic YD so much that it's not really the same product anymore. It might as well have a new name. Also it sounds a lot nicer don't you think? I mean what could be better than one of those friendly angels that the Joachim priests talk about? An angel that takes you and flies you up higher than you've ever been. Makes it sound a lot more enticing than a devil dragging you down to hell or melting you." Camid says excitedly. You have to admit, it's one of the better ideas he's had. "Hmm, yeah. Actually I've been wondering if we should start expanding and I'm not talking about just here. I'm talking to other places like Hessla, Holgard or even the Delantium Kingdom. I might send you Vaughn to go get another Crimson Talon chapter started." You say. "Me? I dunno boss. I mean I suppose Hessla would be okay, but Holgard and the Delantium Kingdom? Isn't that Ebony Claw territory?" Vaughn remarks. "What if it is? The kingdom is a big fucking place. They don't get to have all of it and who knows what's going on in Holgard and who's in charge there. The place keeps having rebellions and revolutions. Seems like the place is up for grabs for anyone." "If you say so boss. I feel I should also inform you that the militia has been stepping up patrols in the sewers and starting to go into areas they previously were leaving alone." "Yeah, we're going to be directly dealing with that. I want us to start trapping the patrol locations first. No direct attacks yet, but those might be coming soon." "By the gods, we're actually taking on the militia?" Vaughn asks. "We are, because that's the only way we're going to get them off our backs at this point. We need to make it so bad for them that the costs are going to outweigh the benefits and they'll be better off going back to busting meltbrains than trying to wipe us out." "But taking on the militia is surely going to require all the resources we have. I mean if you send me and a few others to open up another Crimson Talon chapter elsewhere, won't you be risking getting overwhelmed by the militia?" "Well that is certainly a risk, but if you're successful where I send you, that's extra revenue and support in the long run which will help in fighting off those militia bastards." Vaughn looks a little unconvinced, but like the loyal member he's always been, he just agrees with you. He doesn't really have a choice anyway. Your choice is determining where to send him. The Delantium Kingdom might be a bit far for right now. You figure Hessla or Holgard will be good enough. You actually even think about Teckleville, though you aren't sure if a small town like that would be that ideal. Also, despite the fact you got run out of there, you still consider it home and you're a little hesitant to start flooding it with Yellow Angel and recruiting from there. So you immediately dismiss the idea. > Expand to Holgard If anything you've learned here in Klyton, it's that it isn't so much the law and order that makes being a criminal suck, it's when everything is legalized that makes it suck. Despite the rebellion problems in Holgard, you know there is always some sort of iron fisted tyrant in charge that puts restrictions on shit. You'll probably get a better price for Yellow Angel there rather than Hessla where every substance is acceptable and most likely cheap. While the Ebony Claw is a concern, you can't quake in fear of them. In fact other than the story Tom told you a long time ago, they have never been a factor in Klyton. Maybe it's time to see if they live up to their reputation. After supplying Vaughn with a good portion of Yellow Angel, you send him and a couple outright thugs and one of Camid's "apprentices" on their way to Holgard. You tell him you want someone to send you a report on the situation by the end of the month. In the meantime you have everyone available to start trapping portions of the sewers and continue business as usual. One month later "Hey boss, news from Vaughn. One of our boys is here." Dorian tells you. "Finally. I hope he's got good news. Send him in." you say. "Um, okay, but I should add, he doesn't look so good. He says there's some problems" "Wonderful. Well he can tell me himself, just send him in already." As you wait for the messenger. You just ponder what the hell the problems could be. You're guessing maybe with the ECS. If Vaughn is asking for more help, your answer is going to be you can't spare it. You're having a hard enough time with the militia who haven't let up despite you making things difficult for them. When the messenger comes in, he's carrying a box held closely to his chest. You notice he's not only missing an eye, but he's also missing a hand. You don't remember this one's name, but this was one of the bigger men you sent with Vaughn. This really doesn't look good. "Boss...the Ebony Claws...we got our asses kicked! We're undone! Everything is lost!" the big man shouts. "Calm yourself. What the fuck is going on?" "This! This is going on!" the man shouts and tosses the box on your desk. You already got a bad feeling about what's in the box, but you open it anyway. It's only half surprising that you find Vaughn's bloody head in it. The ECS also went out of its way to carve its symbol into his forehead. "Shit!" you shout angrily. "Boss..." the big man starts to say. "Besides you is there anyone left?" "No! They only left me live to...to..." "Yeah, I know. Send the message. Fuck. I gotta deal with the militia here, but I can't just let those EC fucks get away with this shit. Argh. Gotta think..." You start pacing a bit as you think, but the big man still lingers around "Boss, we gotta get out of here!" he exclaims. "What the hell are you on about?" you ask. "The Ebony Claws! They're coming!" "Wait, you're saying the Syndicate is coming here?" "Yes! We gotta go!" "While I get that you've probably suffered a bit of torture, but you need to find your strength or get the fuck out of my face. If the Claws are coming here, then I'm going to repay every one of the men they killed with ten of theirs. Them coming here is just going to make it easier. Let them fucking come! I'm going to be prepared!" "No! You don't understand! They're coming RIGHT NOW! We...we...told them everything! They know all about the hidden exit tunnel to this place! They only just released me a few moments ago to distract you." Your expression drops to one of anger to one of unease, but it doesn't stop you from pulling out your pistol and shooting the pathetic snitch that just sold you out. "EVERYONE GET READY, WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" you shout and walk past the snitch's body. Unfortunately it's already too late. The Ebony Claw Syndicate has already infiltrated the escape tunnel and its members are already inside doing battle with your people, which aren't many in comparison. The Syndicate apparently decided not to fuck around when considering you a potential threat. It might be flattering if your life wasn't in grave danger. After dispatching a couple of the ebony claws, your goal is to leave through the "front door" and hopefully escape to the Yellow Angel lab where you can regroup with Camid, assuming that place hasn't been invaded as well. You get to the front door as the last of your Talons struggle against the Claws. As soon as you do, you get a bolt in your forehead. It all happens so fast, you don't think you even notice the one who shot you even though they had to be directly in front of you at the time. You just stand there, blink and then fall backwards to the floor as your followers die screaming around you.

The sewers are good enough for you. If you start trying to set up shop up top, you're just going to bring down the heat eventually. You've got a good thing going on and nobody fucks with you down here. If worst comes to worst, you're confident that you could easily lose the militia if they actually ever made an effort to patrol down here. Still, maybe you could figure out a way to make this place somewhat less...well like a sewer. You already have made a base in the best abandoned area you can find though. You suppose you could start manually expanding underground further away from the sewers themselves of course that would be a pretty extensive and expensive undertaking and it isn't like you're familiar with the details of excavation. Although... This city used to have a fairly large active miner population once. In fact your family made money serving them at their inn. At some point long after your parents had left the city and the inn closed down, the mining trade dried up completely in Klyton for a variety of reasons resulting in a lot of unemployed miners. In fact some of the bums in your fights are ex-miners. You wouldn't want to rely on just them though, but surely you could scour the city for other ex-miners down on their luck or working jobs they hate. They probably would work cheap. You suppose if you really needed more you could shell out the money for some outside help, but you'd rather keep the costs as low as possible. Later when you approach Zal and Vaughn with this idea, they're caught off guard by this plan, but don't seem put off by it. Well Vaughn doesn't at least. Zal of course has her usual concerns. "Okay, I know that look. Out with it." You say. "It's just...well do you think this is even feasible?" Zal asks. "I'm not saying it's not going to take effort, but again this is a long term plan. I mean going up top, trying to set up false businesses and store fronts is just not going to work in Klyton. The place is just too damn repressive, but we all know people still WANT to do illegal shit like whoring, drugs, gambling..." "Erm, actually all those things are legal in Klyton." Vaughn interrupts. "(Sigh) You know what the fuck I mean! All that high priced shit is easily accessible for the rich folks, but WE cater to the poor and who needs affordable distraction more than they do?" "So...wait. Are we defenders of the down trodden now?" Zal asks. "I didn't say all that, but we ARE providing for them in a way. I mean we can start out by digging ourselves out a proper headquarters where we don't have to be constantly bombarded by the smells of the sewer and has a solid defense, but I'm thinking in time we could just build a whole underground town." Zalmora and Vaughn look at each other and then you. "A TOWN?!" They exclaim. "Well maybe not town in the traditional sense, but a place where we can do our business AND live without even worrying about the Klyton militia raiding the place because we would be so damn entrenched that they wouldn't be able to do shit even if they wanted to. We wouldn't just be the criminal organization that skulks around in the Klyton sewers, we would be a whole separate community...bah maybe I'm not explaining it well, but I envision it in my head!" You say. "No. No, I get what you mean. I have to say, this is really damn ambitious. I mean I can't say I'm not impressed by your plan...but again I just have my concerns if it's going to be possible...but fuck it, I'm in." Zal says. "Glad to hear it. So, we're going to need miners and equipment which is the easy part, but we're also going to need a genuine engineer so the whole damn thing doesn't fall on our heads. So anyone know of any?" You remark. "Yeah, Red Nose Rob." Vaughn remarks. "Who's that?" You ask. "One of the bums that participates in the fights." "There's a bum who used to be an engineer? What the hell happened?" "He was actually a miner, but he had a natural gift when it came to engineering. Which was good for the company since they just used his talents for creating very sound mine supports and they didn't have to pay for a real one. He probably could have been building new structures in Klyton, but he just didn't have the formal education." "Interesting. But how do you know so much about him?" You ask. "He has his lucid moments. Plus, um...we used to...meet up..." "Ew Vaughn. You fucked a disgusting bum?" Zalmora remarks. "No! I fucked him when he was strapping miner! Sheesh Zal!" "Never mind all that, would he be able to do the job?" You ask "I think so. Probably wouldn't have to pay him much more than we do to fight, but we'd definitely have to dry him out a bit though." Vaughn says. You start making notes of various ideas as you ask more questions. "Okay, so we got one potential overseer for this project. You got any more engineer ex-lovers?" You ask. "Not that I know of boss." Vaughn remarks. "I think I got a potential suggestion." Zal says. "Oh? You been fucking engineers too?" You ask. "Even better. Been fucking dwarves. Grahk Kazek is the one that comes to mind." "Well that's nice that you're so open minded with your choice of sex partners, but is this dwarf an actual engineer? Contrary to popular belief, I don't think all of them dig big holes in mountains for a living." "This one does. Or at least he did before he retired. He makes a monthly trip from the Cloudpeake Mountains to Klyton because he REALLY likes the pastries from Stovo's Bakery. Buys up a bunch then goes back home. That's where we met actually." "Didn't know you had ongoing long distance relationship, Zal." You say. "Lots you don't know about me, but I wouldn't exactly say Grahk and I are in a relationship, we just had a bit of fun together. In fact I haven't seen him in years. I just know he still goes to that bakery since Stovo has mentioned him a few times when I go in there." "So would he be interested?" "He's a dwarf and used to construct tunnel ways in the Cloudpeake Mountains. Fairly certain if we throw enough money at him, he'll be willing to oversee the construction of what we're doing. Besides, I can be pretty persuasive." "Hmm, don't I know it." You say. The dwarf sounds good, but he sounds like he's going to be really expensive. At lot more than the bum anyway. Of course the bum might be unreliable. You say you'll think about both as you go ask other Talons if they know anybody. You don't have much luck though. Your other Talons aren't quite as "worldly" as your top lieutenants. There is one who has a lead though. "Yeah, I think I might know someone boss. This chick called Madeline. She actually attends Klyton University and she's an engineering student." Camid remarks. "A student?" You ask. "Yeah, but she's really fucking smart. Top of her class or some shit. I don't even understand what she's talking about half the time. Of course I'm just staring at her tits most of the time anyway." "How the hell do you even know her?" "Oh, she's a little rich girl that likes slumming. Likes to watch the bum fights and get high on Yellow Devil. The usual. Oh and we fuck sometimes." Of course they do. It would certainly be a strange break in the "theme" if they didn't. The drug bit concerns you though. "Wait, you say she takes Yellow Devil? How the hell is she not a near drooling idiot yet? I don't need someone melting into a pile of goo in the middle of an important project." You say. "Don't worry boss. That wouldn't happen." Camid says. "And how do you know?" "Because...um...I make sure she doesn't actually get Yellow Devil. I mean she does, but it's a VERY small amount. Almost nothing. The rest of it is cut severely with various common shit I get from the apothecary. She feels good for a little while and feels rebellious and she doesn't get really hurt." "...You like this girl don't you?" You ask causing Camid to look away a bit. "(Sigh) It didn't start out that way. First time I saw her, I thought she was so damn pretty that I just wanted a chance to fuck her before she turned into a Yellow Devil mess, so I didn't give her the real shit. But in time...well I dunno shit happened...and I'm probably an idiot..." Camid says trailing off a bit. "Probably, but fortunately your love sick idiocy has worked in your favor, so do you think she'd help?" "Oh definitely. She'd feel like she would be a real criminal working for a dangerous organization and all. She'd do it for free too, not like she needs the money." "Actually she would be a real criminal if she was helping us in this capacity. Good to know about the price. I'll keep her in mind." Well you got a big decision to make based on your underlings recommendations because unfortunately for you, you haven't been lucky enough to fuck someone with engineering skills. > Madeline It might seem to be the less traditional choice of the three, but not having to pay her is a big plus. You just hope she's actually as intelligent as Camid claims. You return to Camid with your decision who is incredibly surprised that you listened to him. "Um...really? I mean great! That's great boss! She should be coming by tonight." Camid exclaims. "She better be as smart as you say. I don't want to find out she doesn't know what the fuck she's doing." You say. "No, I promise boss. She's not just some idiotic rich girl with too much time on her hands." "Given that she's hanging out with the likes of you, I find that hard to believe, but when she comes here tonight, bring her by the office. I'll make a final decision then." Camid nods smiling and walks away with a bit of pep in his step, like you've just promoted him or something. Well, it doesn't take much to make some folks happy. Also doesn't take much to upset them either... "What?! You went with Camid's rich bitch junkie whore? What the fuck are you thinking?!" Zalmora exclaims when she hears the news. "I have to agree with Zal on this. We don't know much about her other than Camid's praises." Vaughn adds. "That's why I'm going to meet her. If she's everything Camid claims then we'll proceed. If not, I can have Camid flogged for wasting my time and we'll go back to picking one your people." "Hm, well I'm certainly going to be asking her some questions." Zal says. "No. YOU aren't going to be doing anything. I'm going to see her alone, without anyone else's input. The decision will be final and mine only. I know you like to think you're the one who runs things around here Zal, but you aren't and you don't get a say this time. Deal with it." Zal purses her lips and gives you an irritated look for a moment, but then she forces a smile and nods. "You're the boss." She says and leaves. Vaughn just wishes you good luck with your meeting with Madeline and follows Zal. Later, Camid arrives before you with a young red head with an ample chest. She's dressed "down" presumably to look like she fits in, but its still obvious she is out of place here. Must be Madeline. "This is the girl I mentioned. Madeline." Camid says. "I thought as much. I trust you've told her some of what this is all about right?" you say. "Yeah, boss." "Good, less for me to explain then. Thank you Camid, you may leave now." Camid looks a bit confused at first since he probably thought he was going to be involved in someway, but after waving him away he gets the message leaving you alone with Madeline. "So, Camid tells me you're an engineering student at the top of your class." You say. "Yeah...got anything to drink?" Madeline responds while walking and looking around. "No. I don't partake. I need a clear head to run this place." You say. "Really? Would have thought all you had to do is kick people around." "I wish it was that simple. Unfortunately it isn't. Though speaking of clear heads, I'm a little concerned with yours." "Oh? This should be good." Madeline says with a tone of snark that you decide to ignore for now. "Yes. My concern is if you're as intelligent as Camid claims you are, one wonders why the hell you're hanging around a bunch of criminals. For kicks? Well I can see that I suppose, but Yellow Devil? Come on, surely a girl like you knows the dangers of doing that vile drug." "What are you my dad?" "No, just concerned about how reliable you're going to be. If you're genuinely interested in working for us or you're just being a rebel against your real dad and mildly self-destructive." You sit up a bit from your chair and lean in on your desk. "Convince me." You say. "Is this where I have to suck your dick?" Madeline asks in a tone almost implying that she could care less if she actually has to or not. "By the gods...no girl. There's no cock sucking involved. I just want to know more about why you're even interested in doing this." Madeline for the first time stops acting so casual about this situation and starts taking it seriously. She goes on to say she isn't going to tell you her life story, but she wants to make it clear that while you're probably right on some level about her finding a thrill in all this, she's genuinely interested in his project from a scholastic point of view too. Namely helping you build an underground headquarters will give her some "life experience" and real chance to use what she's learning and has already learned especially since she doesn't hold out hope that she's going to get a "real job" after she graduates. "Why would that be the case? You're rich aren't you? Surely you can get some strings pulled and you could work anywhere." You ask. "Yeah, if I ask my dad for help and I get too much from him as it is...anyway I might very well get a job, but I'm not actually going to work. You're probably not aware, but women don't exactly populate the field and tends to be an old boy's club. As a result it doesn't matter how high my grades are, I'm never going to get a project where I'm actually going to be involved in any meaningful way. At best I'd just be kept around so guys stare at my tits all day. If I were a dwarf, it wouldn't matter what gender I was. (Sigh) Humanity sucks sometimes." "Hm. I think I understand your position now. You're using this opportunity to ply your desired trade. That's actually a reasonable mindset, if an unconventional way to go about it. I still have a few more concerns, but you can tell me more, just let me get my layout plans of what I'm envisioning." Madeline talks a bit more about herself and how she first met Camid in the first place. It was basically a typical "wild night" with some of her other university associates and they came down to the sewers to "live dangerously." She actually says she didn't really want to take Yellow Devil in the first place and it was just a stupid dare the first time. She also says that she's long since known that Camid isn't giving her the real stuff. In fact she says she's not even interested in taking it anymore. From what you can tell, you're still somewhat correct about her being a little self-destructive. While her self esteem isn't so low that she's outright suicidal, there's definitely enough dissatisfaction in her existence that it's caused her to not enjoy her life of privilege and instead hang around a violent criminal organization. Probably daddy issues as well given that he's brought up a couple times and she quickly doesn't want to talk about him. (Mother is apparently dead) You even try to ask who he is, but she just assures you that he's not on the Klyton Council if that's what you were wondering about. However, she seems to perk up quite a bit when she goes through your lay out plans. She starts changing your original plan quite a bit, but she's respectful the entire time and explains why for everything. One thing that she mentions that you didn't expect is her recommendation for labor. "Goblins? Seriously?" you ask. "Yes. Next to dwarves, they're the next best civilized race that has a natural affinity to digging tunnels and building lasting underground structures and not having them collapse. In fact I read when Klyton had vast amounts of miners, the human union made such a stink to the company about employing goblins because they would work cheaper and longer hours. So there were never any proper goblin miners, at least never for long. Most of them are usually in the poorer areas of Klyton as dung sweepers and such, though I know one on campus as a janitor and I've spoken with him several times. We're almost friends in a weird way. I think if I convince him, he can easily gather up more of his buddies." Madeline remarks. "Hm, interesting. Well, I suppose we'll gather the rest of equipment." "Sounds like you've got that under control. Um, can I stay here the night and look over these plans and this map of the sewers? I really want to get started on working on designing a new layout and where the best location would be for your headquarters." "Um... sure. Don't you have school though?" "Don't have a class for a couple days. I'm good until then." "Oh, well I can have a room for you. Can't do anything about the lingering smell I'm afraid, but then that's part of why we're trying to design a place not actually in the damn sewer." Madeline thanks you and you see her out the door. As strange as this arrangement is, you have a positive feeling about it, though you're still going to remain cautiously optimistic until you actually see some work from her. In the meantime, you can imagine the comments you're going to get from Zal about this, but then what else is new? > Time passes... Year 26 "Your school girl would go a lot faster if she was a REAL engineer and didn't have to leave every once in awhile to go attend classes. And why are we building in two different locations again?" Zalmora asks. "Because Madeline pointed out that it might be better if we didn't build everything in one place. Said it would be easier to keep the support structurally sound as well if we didn't build too big. I think it's coming along fine so far, though the ceilings are a little low. Guess goblins aren't used to building them high though." You respond. "Considering you're spending as much money as you are for this shit, I certainly hope she's at least a good lay." Zal remarks. "What? I'm not fucking her." You say. "Great. So you're just wasting money for no gain whatsoever." "We're getting our new locations! By the fucking gods, what the hell is your problem today?" "My problem is we could have had a real professional do this and probably be done by now. This little school bitch doesn't know what the fuck is doing and we got goblins running around being the obnoxious little green shits they always are." "Actually I haven't had any problem with any of them." "Ugh, they're fucking annoying." "Zal, I'm not going to argue about this anymore. Things are going just fine, you're just finding shit to nitpick about." "Have it your way, but here's one more for the road. If you REALLY aren't fucking big tits McRed, you better have a little chat with her because I've seen how she acts when you speak with each other. Maybe you're oblivious, but the girl has a serious crush on you." "You're talking nonsense." You snort. "I'm serious. You don't notice how chipper she is when she speaks to you? How she makes these girly giggles over shit you say which isn't even funny half the time? How she makes every effort to be very close or even touch your arm or hand when you're around? If the girl was anymore obvious, she'd have her legs wrapped around you." Now that you think about it, Zal isn't wrong on her observations. Madeline's personality has been a lot more positive since the first time you met her. Though it makes you wonder... "Okay, so say maybe she does, what I find interesting is how you've been studying our relationship and interaction. Are you jealous?" you say with a chortle. "Hah! Typical male ego. You wish. But I'll tell you who IS jealous, Camid." Zalmora retorts. "Camid?" "Yeah, the repulsive guy in charge of Yellow Devil creation and distribution and stinks of Yellow Devil fumes most of the time? There are already rumors going on about you fucking schoolgirl, I can't imagine Camid is happy about that, still being her boyfriend and all. I've seen this happen before and it never ends well. So if you don't want a knife suddenly in your back, like I said, you better straighten out this misunderstanding...or at least tell a convincing lie." "There's nothing going on with Madeline!" "Hey, I'm not the one you have to convince. I'll leave you to it boss man, I mean we all know you're the one who runs everything here." Zal says and leaves. You hate it when she makes sense. While you had better things to do today, you probably should talk to both of them and do it now just to get it out of the way. Since you're not exactly in the mood to breath in Yellow Devil fumes right now, you decide to go see Madeline first who as far as you know is overseeing work on the other location. You might as well check on that while you're at it. After an uneventful walk in the sewers, you get to the location. So far it doesn't look much different than your future headquarters, though the rooms are bigger. In the biggest of these rooms, you find Madeline ordering about a few goblins in their native language. It's weird how they don't mind taking her orders. When they see you, they move even quicker. Madeline turns and sees you as well. She smiles and immediately walks quickly over to you. "You're here! I didn't expect to see you so soon after the last time you inspected this place. I would have doubled the work time on it!" Madeline beams. You get the impression that she nearly was going to hug you, but stopped herself. "No, that's okay. I'd rather you take a little extra time to make sure everything is secure. So is this room going to be where we hold the fighting games?" you say. "Yes, that was my intention. I think it might need more expansion, and of course we're going to make it look better than it currently does, but it's well on its way!" "Well I can honestly say you are doing a fine job, and best of all, it isn't costing me a lot. I gotta talk to you about something though." "Me too! But first I have to show you this, come with me!" "Um, okay." Madeline walks ahead of you first, but when you aren't moving fast enough, she actually pulls your hand in an effort to get you to follow faster. You soon enter a small partially dug out room that has a single lantern lighting it. You don't see anything out of the ordinary here. "Madeline, what..." you start to ask, and before you know it, she's all over you. After about a couple of minutes of slobbering over each other, Madeline finally comes up for air. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do this..." she says and then goes in to try to kiss you again before you stop her. "Madeline! Hold on! I...can't...WE can't do this. I think you've gotten the wrong idea!" you exclaim. "Didn't seem like it when you had your tongue in my mouth and your hand on my ass a few moments ago." Madeline says. "You...you caught me by surprise! I'm only human damn it! Look, you're obviously a very attractive girl and maybe you're into me because I'm being supportive in your dreams or something, but we can't do this." "Why not?" "Well for one thing, you're Camid's girlfriend and people are already whispering untrue rumors about us. I mean if you were just some whore, it probably wouldn't be a big deal because...well whores are a whores and everyone is supposed to be fucking them. But you're not a whore and you're in a real relationship with another Crimson Talon. Stealing someone else's girlfriend is just bad for business. It creates hard feelings and much worse." "I don't understand. You're dealing drugs, running illegal fights, and other activities but being with someone who would rather be with you is where you draw the line?" "Well, there's gotta be a line drawn somewhere. Otherwise this all falls apart. You know, like a support beam for the tunnels you're building." "But you're the boss, can't you just do what you want?" "Well it's a little more complicated than that. The key to being in charge is also trying not to be hated. And what about Camid? I thought you and he were together." "Eh, he was okay at first, but now....well I find him...limited. I'd rather be with you. I like the way I feel when you're around encouraging me. Camid doesn't understand anything that I talk about. He just stares at my tits and wants to fuck." "How do you know that I'm not doing the same thing?" "Obviously you aren't, because if you did, we'd be fucking right now. My point is, I feel like I can at least converse with you about a variety of things. I mean maybe you don't understand all my technical university speak, but I know you're at least on my intellectual level." "...thanks? I think?" "Plus...this isn't just some stupid crush like you probably think it is. You've been so nice to me. I think...I think I'm really starting to..." "Don't finish that sentence!" you shout. "Well I can't help my feelings towards you! Oh I don't understand why you can't just kill Camid so we can be together!" Madeline exclaims and then hugs you tightly and trying not to cry. And that intensified quickly. "Madeline. (Sigh) Look. You're experiencing a phase. You don't seriously want any sort of long term relationship with someone like me. I mean if you think I'm any better than Camid, you're only thinking that because I find you useful in a capacity that doesn't involve sex. I'm NOT a nice guy. Just ask anyone. Hell, talk with Zalmora. She'll be the first one to tell you all my shortcomings." You say. "It's not a phase though..." Madeline says with a quiver in her voice. "Well if it isn't, you're just going to have to get over it anyway. Because WE are not happening. I'm not looking for anyone long term and I don't want it. It's not who I am. Apologies." Madeline now starts to cry quietly. "Now if this is just too much for you, I'll completely understand if you don't want to work on this project anymore. I can find someone else." You say. "(Sniff) No. No...I'll continue the work. I promised to see this through. I...won't say anything to Camid either (sniff) I'll just get over it, like you (sob) said..." Madeline says before crying again. You haven't felt nearly this bad since you left Annah back in Teckleville. Still, you feel this is for the best and hopefully Madeline can indeed "get over it" like she claims. As you leave Madeline to her sadness, you move on to your next unpleasant task and that's speaking to Camid. You're not entirely sure how you're going to tell him though. After another uneventful walk through the sewers you get to the Yellow Devil Den. For obvious reasons you don't come here that much, because the place stinks worse than the rest of the sewers and always has junkies hanging around, acting crazy or just slowly melting. Though the melting is a little less now that Camid's made strides in cutting Yellow Devil with less lethal ingredients and still managed to maintain it's feel good effects. Still doesn't make you want to stick around though. Several Crimson Talons see you and let you in immediately while pushing away any junkies attempting to get in. Doesn't take you long to find Camid. He's surprised to see you. Camid and you head to his own little area where the stench of Yellow Devil fumes isn't burning your nostrils to talk. You decide to go with a half truth and explain that you've been hearing the concerning rumors about you and Madeline and you're here to dispel them, because it's not healthy to the organization to have something like that spread around when it isn't even true in the first place. You explain you have no interest in Madeline other than her work on the project. You even sort of imply you're actually trying to get back with Zalmora. Camid seems to react positively to your explanation with no hint of any underlining hostility. He either means it, or he's subtler than you gave him credit for. Either way, it would seem the matter is closed. You return to work and later you see Zalmora and Vaughn. "Well? Did you take care of that business?" Zalmora asks. "Not that it concerns you, but yes I did. Now let's move on to other things." You reply. The next few days are a little tense and you stay on your guard. You half expect Camid or Madeline to do something crazy, try to kill you, or something that causes problems. None of that happens though. Weeks pass and while Madeline occasionally gives you a longing glance she never initiates anything. You try to keep your contact short with her. Camid doesn't act out of the ordinary either when you see him. Neither one mentions their relationship with each other so you assume they're still together. Then just when you think everything is settled with this situation, disaster strikes. "He's fucking dead?" you exclaim. "Afraid so boss. Camid was found dead with several large holes in him. Legs, back, chest, head, arms, everywhere." Vaughn remarks. "Well what the hell happened?" "Dunno. Some of the Talons just found him in his room in the den like that. No signs of anyone breaking in or anything." Zalmora just looks at you. "Do I even need to say it?" she asks. "(Sigh) No. But I'm wondering how she did it exactly. I just don't see her as a natural killer and Camid wasn't a push over...wait a minute. Sonofabitch. She used the little green bastards! They follow everything she says. They're also small and sneaky enough to dig some little passage that only they could get in and then. You said Camid had large holes all over his body. Probably from pick axes." You say. "I'm a little lost here, who killed Camid?" Vaughn asks. "The love of his life, school girl killed him." Zal says. "Wait, why?" "Geez, Vaugh you're really behind aren't you? Our glorious leader here turned down her advances a few weeks ago. Surprised the hell out of me too, but messing with another man's girlfriend isn't one of the vices he has apparently. It appears though school girl figured out a loop hole and took matters into her own hands." Zal explains. "Why couldn't she have just broke up with Camid?" Vaughn asks. "Because that still would have caused conflict if the boss got with her. Camid isn't likely to be the type to just accept seeing someone else with his ex especially so soon and so close. Nope, had to kill him. Only logical play." Zal then turns to you. "Which now I guess means the next step is yours heartbreaker." > You talk with Madeline Well, she did take the initiative and solve the main problem concerning you being together. That's sort of an admirable trait. The fact that she got her little goblin friends to do it implies she's actually a lot more dangerous than you could have imagined. You can't help but find that a little alluring, if also a little concerning. You're also concerned with Madeline's possible mental stability if she was willing to go to this much trouble to be with you. You stand up and start to leave. "Where are you going?" Vaughn asks. "I'm going to go see Madeline." You say. "Well don't you want back up?" "Why would he need back up Vaughn? I'm sure he can fuck her perfectly well all by himself." Zalmora says. "I'm just going to go talk with her." You say. "Sure you are." Not wishing to debate it any longer with Zal, you leave and head to where you remember Madeline was supposed to be overseeing today which is the new headquarters being built. When you arrive you find it strange you don't see any goblins running around going about their digging and building. In fact it's completely empty until you find Madeline sitting against the wall. She looks up when you enter the room. "Hi. I guess you figured it out already." She says. "Well, it wasn't incredibly hard to figure out. Where are all the goblins?" you ask. "Oh, I sent them to go work at the other location when they told me you were coming to talk. I figured we should be alone." "Well that's...wait. How did they know I was coming to talk? I didn't even see any of them on the way here." Madeline stands up and begins to walk over to you. "They didn't just dig a tunnel into the Yellow Devil Den. They've dug tunnels all over the sewers. Mostly under them. Made it easier for them to get around without having to walk about in the actual sewers. They may have also dug some tunnels near your old head quarters...you know, you look very peaceful when you sleep..." Madeline says and goes to touch your face, but you stop her by grabbing her wrist. "You...you've been watching me sleep?" you ask. "Just a few times...are you going to kill me?" Madeline asks. "Honestly Madeline I don't know at this point! I mean never mind the fact that you killed one of my more productive members, but your actions are pretty damn batshit insane. You got goblins doing your bidding, you're stalking and spying on me, you showed no signs of being a killer before and yet you just killed a man who actually DID love you in his limited way. I mean you're fucking dangerous, how the hell am I supposed to trust someone like that?" "Because I love you! I did this all for you! I'm doing this ALL for you! I would never hurt you!" At this point Madeline gloms on to you and unsuccessfully tries not to cry. She's holding on you like you're life itself, which is funny considering you just said you weren't sure if you going to kill her or not. You honestly are at a bit of a loss. Instinct is screaming at you that this a bad idea, but along with the emotional shit Madeline is laying on you, it doesn't help that she feels real good against you right now. She looks up at you with eyes mixed with hope and sadness. There's probably a tinge of madness in those eyes as well. And from there your face moves in towards hers for the kiss and you shortly after that you finally consummate this relationship. Well you made your decision with your dick...again. Though to be honest when you first went to talk to her, your mind was mostly made up anyway, because despite her obvious mental problems, you really can't resist a pretty girl who is willing to do all that for you. It's a huge ego boost for one thing. As far as any actual deeper feelings for Madeline...well you can always try and it isn't like you don't have a base to work from. Afterwards Madeline attempts to cuddle with you and all that other stuff that goes along with having a "proper" girlfriend, but you tell her that while you'd love to spend all day just being naked with her, you both have important shit to do and you have to get back to it. Eventually you make your way back to headquarters and of course Zal is there. You already know what's coming. "Oh you're finally back, that must have been a very involved discussion." Zal remarks. "I don't even want to hear it." You say. "You won't hear it from me. You're the boss, you can do what you want obviously. Camid wasn't exactly popular so it isn't like this is going to cause the eyebrows of other Talons to rise. Fairly certain most of them would have killed him to fuck schoolgirl as well, if they had the chance...but then SHE was the one that set that up isn't she? You must be awfully special to her." "Okay, Zal." "Didn't think you were the settling down type, but I imagine unconditional obsession wrapped in that package is a bit hard to turn down. Must be nice to be loved so unconditionally." "I thought you said you weren't going to say anything." "You've been working with me this long and you believed that? Hah, no wonder she got you." "I don't have time for this, and don't you got some work to do?" "Yes, yes, I'm going...but before I do..." "Here we go..." "This relationship is a really bad idea. And I'm not talking just for the survival of this organization, but your survival in general. This girl is not just obviously dangerous, but she's manipulative as well. You may like the attention you're getting from her now, but you might not like it when you realize you don't want it anymore. And when that day comes, it isn't going to be good." "Well as usual, you can always leave Zalmora. You're always bitching about what I do or don't do. As a matter of fact, I'll make the decision for you since you seem to be unable to. Get the hell out, you're not a Talon anymore." "Get out of here, you don't mean that..." "The hell I don't! Why does it matter if you stay here anyway? I mean you've hinted on occasion in the past that you don't really find this life as appealing anymore. So why not get out? You should be thanking me! I'm giving you a rare opportunity to walk away from a criminal organization and not even asking for anything in return." Zalmora at first is shocked that you would say this to her, but then she chuckles. "Sure, I get it. You're right, there really isn't much point in me sticking around now, and maybe it is time for me to move on with my life. Gods know I've wasted more of it than probably should have. Anyway, I'm sure school girl will be very helpful in your future endeavors. And I sincerely hope I'm wrong and you and her live happily ever after or how ever that goes." Zal then looks down a bit, sighs and then finishes her goodbye. "Okay, well I'll just go say goodbye to Vaughn and get the hell out of your way." Zal then leaves without another word. You can't help but wonder if feelings were running a little deeper than she let on. She probably took it for granted that you wouldn't ever be involved seriously with someone else. She also took it for granted that you weren't going to eventually get tired of her shit. Still, you'd be lying to yourself if you weren't going to miss her. She kept an eye on details and things organized. Now you're going to have to do all that shit yourself, because while Vaughn isn't incompetent, he's no Zal. In the meantime, you need to get the Yellow Devil Den running at full capacity again. > Time passes... Year 28 Life is good. Business is going well now thanks to your better locations. More people seem to prefer gambling in an area that smells tolerable for one thing. Madeline also had the goblins build a hidden entrance way topside so folks can now enter directly and not have to muck about through the sewers. Your new headquarters is also much better than the one you had in the sewers The only business you left in the sewers was the Yellow Devil Den. Seemed fairly pointless to befoul your new locations with it and it's users. Better it should stay in the sewers. Though Madeline actually has told you she has an idea to make a special area for that too since she can easily get the goblin crew to help again. She says she plans to help you out a lot more when she isn't in school any longer. And graduation for her is coming soon, today in fact. You never thought you'd ever be visiting where your father went to learn to be a doctor, but you aren't going to miss Madeline accepting her diploma. You genuinely love her as your relationship has grown. You were a little concerned at first, but you found that while it isn't perfect, you feel pretty comfortable with her. You even have vivid dreams about her. Almost so real that you aren't even parted when you sleep. You've told her all about your life in Teckleville, and your family. She hopes one day that maybe she can meet them, especially your sister. (You still wonder about all of them from time to time) While Madeline has talked about her past, she still hasn't mentioned too much about her family. Not even about her father who you know she isn't fond of, but you don't know why exactly. She just mentions she has no contact with her father other than him paying for her education. It's never a topic she wishes to discuss; she just wants to focus on the future with you, which is fine as far as you're concerned. "So how do I look?" you ask. "Well, you wouldn't be my type, but you do look dapper in that suit." Vaughn says. "I'm crushed. But good, I don't want to look too out of place at Madeline's graduation." "They grow up so fast huh?" Vaughn snorts. "Okay, don't even go there with the dad thing. I'm not even that much older than her. I trust you can look after things here for awhile?" "Sure boss, no problem." You leave Vaughn and head to the surface. You're not going to walk all the damn way to the university though, so you pay for a horse and buggy to take you there. As you ride, you realize you haven't really travelled around the city as much since you took control of the Crimson Talons. You've mostly been stuck underground most of the time. When you arrive at the university you don't have too difficult of a time finding where the ceremony is taking place. The university is very clean and orderly, you briefly imagine your father walking around this place back when he was going here. Eventually you get to a big open field area with several seats and a stage set up. Others are already seated so you find yourself a chair in the back. While nobody is staring at you, you still feel a little out of place. You just never thought you'd be at a place of higher learning and attending someone's graduation ceremony. As you wait for things to get started, someone sits next to you, when you turn to see who it is, you can't believe who it is. "Glad to see you made it to my daughter's graduation." Mr. Reynolds says with a smile. "...you... YOU?! You're her father?!" you say. "Yes, and shhh. Don't make a scene. I'm not here to cause problems." "I can't believe this." "I guess she didn't tell you about me. She never does. (Sigh) Even after all I've done for her. Though I suppose if she had talked about me, you would have thought twice about being with her and that would have been a shame...because I know how much you make her happy and she's going to need that bit of happiness to hang on to where she's going." "What? Where's she going?" Mr. Reynolds chuckles a bit. "She's going back home of course. Her time here is done, well for now it is anyway." Mr. Reynolds says. "What do you mean? Isn't this city her home?" "Klyton is just her current place residence, but her real home is...well it's very different. You might even say it's a different realm altogether." The way Mr. Reynolds smiles at this point makes you completely tense up. You don't like whatever he's about to say. "She's not human m'boy. Well...not entirely human anyway. She's a bit of a late bloomer though with her powers, but I love her all the same. Let me ask you something though, has she been appearing in your dreams recently?" "...yes." You answer hesitantly. "Yeah, her mother will probably be coming for her soon." "Her mother? I thought her mother was dead." "Oh no. I just told her that her mother died in childbirth. Her mother is really a full-blooded succubus. They aren't known to be maternal until their daughters have already grown up and shown that they're worthy of their attention. Displayed powers and such. They never much bother with their male children at all though. I should know." You have no words. "Of course most of them just eat their off spring as soon as they give birth to them, but I told that bitch, no daughter of mine was going to be a snack. I'll admit, I wasn't the best father probably, but I think between me or being breakfast, well I think I'll be vindicated once Madeline finds out the truth about herself." Mr. Reynolds says. "You don't think she'll be even more pissed at you for NOT telling her and it just suddenly being sprung on her like this?" you blurt out. "...hmmm...y'know I never considered that. Oh well. It isn't like she's my only child. My boy Henry starting to show a lot of promise. Can't wait for him to take over the business someday." You almost feel like standing up and shouting Klyton has been infiltrated by demon spawn at this point. However, you've got bigger concerns. "Does Madeline have to return? I mean can't she resist?" you ask. "There's no debate m'boy. She's going to go. I mean there probably will be an urge to resist at first, but it doesn't take long before that infernal blood pulls them in and they return to fully embrace their demon powers " "Always?" "Well, a few sadly succeed. But I promised her mother long ago that if Madeline ever started to bloom that I would do everything possible to help that process along." "But she's nice! And good!" you say. "Nice? Good? Ha ha ha ha! That's a cute. She's with you, how good can she really be? Plus I know how she killed her old boyfriend with her little goblin influencing powers. Shit, that's proof right there that's she's going to make a fine succubus. She's already killing boyfriends. Speaking of which, you m'boy have to go." "What?" "You. You have to go. I'm not having my daughter not achieve her rightful destiny by holding on to her misguided love for you. Now, you can stay to see her graduate, but then you need to leave. And I don't mean just here. You need to leave the city and go some place far away. If you're dreaming about her, that means she's already starting to imprint on you. However, she's probably not strong enough to find you if you the city. By then her mother and maybe even I will have convinced her to embrace her powers." You start to say something, but Mr. Reynolds stops you and also grabs your wrist tightly. So tight that it almost feels like he's going to crush your bones. "YOU are NOT going to stop this son. Take solace in the fact that you NEVER had a choice." Mr. Reynolds says in a low firm voice. Mr. Reynolds is giving off an aura that puts you completely on the edge terror. This isn't just a normal threat. You're seeing something new. Something less human, less mortal even. A faint scent also hits your nose, it's brimstone. Still despite all this, you do have real feelings for Madeline. Maybe it's because you left Annah when she was in trouble that you don't want to do the same thing to Madeline. At the very least, you want to be able to give HER the choice. "Mr. Reynolds...I love your daughter. I can't just take off and leave without at least presenting my side to her." You say, mustering all your courage, which causes a smile from Mr. Reynolds. "Fair enough, I can respect that, but let me ask you this...are you REALLY willing to go through hell for her son? Now I want you to think VERY carefully before answering. Because IF you are willing to go all in on proving how much you actually do love my daughter, then I need that answer now." > Yes No soon have you said yes, when Mr. Reynolds closed smile becomes a disturbing toothy grin. "Thank you son. You just made convincing her much easier." Mr. Reynolds says and then suddenly touches your chest and you feel like your heart has a hot knife going into it. It might as well have because you feel like death is approaching you quickly as your body begins to seize up. You can't even cry out. Mr. Reynolds sits you up in your chair and draws attention away from any possible onlookers by sitting you up in your chair so your body just slouches on it without falling. He then makes some out loud comment about you being really tired today and to just rest your eyes a bit if you need to. As this is all happening you just stare the stage where some old guy is talking at a podium. struggling to keep your eyes open. As the graduates are called on stage, your mind begins to get foggy and your lids get even heavier. You manage to just barely see Madeline accept her diploma before everything goes black. You don't know how long everything is black for, but it's a long time. Eventually you wake up. First thing you notice is you're stark naked, laying on a bed and it's incredibly hot. The room you're in is fairly nice, so you have to be someplace upscale. When you try to get up however, you find that you can't move. You're not being held down by anything either. It's more of a force holding you down. This doesn't fill you with confidence that your situation has improved. As you struggle, the door to the room is suddenly opened and there you see her. Madeline. But she's different now. She's naked as well for one thing and while you've seen her in that state many times, you've never seen her skin with a red hue before. One might even say crimson color. She also notice she has little horns protruding from her head. Barely noticeable, but there none the less. You have a sinking feeling that things just got even worse... "Hey, you're finally awake I was hoping you would soon." "Madeline...what's going on?" "We're in our new house! Do you like the room? If not, we can always change it up for you." "House? Look, your father..." "Yes, he told me. He told me everything. I always knew you loved me! And now that you're conscious again, we can have a bit of fun. And I need to have some fun right now." Madeline says and rushes over to lie next to you in the bed and kisses you. You suddenly feel the force holding you down lifted. While this would be great any other time, you're still concerned about you situation. "Madeline, I REALLY need to know what's going on." You say. "Oh, can we not talk about that right now? You don't really want to know anyway." Madeline responds. "Madeline...please. Tell me what's going on." Madeline almost looks a bit sad when you insist, but she tells you. "You're dead baby." Madeline remarks while stroking your face. "I'm dead?" you ask. "And you're in the infernal realm." "I'm in fucking hell?" "Yes, but it could be worse! I mean you're with me!" Madeline realizes that she might need to give you a fuller explanation so she proceeds to do so. She tells you that her father killed and collected your soul. She says he doesn't do that often because it requires a lot of energy for him to do so mainly because he's not a full blood demon, but he felt this was an important occasion. She then says right after she graduated her mother approached her and how strange that event was. The funnier thing she said though is she didn't completely disbelieve her mother's story when she heard it as she always felt like there was something more to her life. Still, it wasn't something she wanted to necessarily embrace, so for the next few days it was nothing but arguments with her and her new found demonic mother. Meanwhile her father was preparing your soul to present to her. Madeline still didn't even know you were dead at this time. By the time her father showed up, she was ready to run off but then he presented your soul to her. He said he would only give it to her if she embraced her demonic heritage and return home. He then of course told her what you said to him and if it was a choice between disobeying and saving your soul from eternal torment, her choice was easy. "Shit, I'm sorry." you say. "For what?" Madeline says. "If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have come here." "Oh...I wouldn't bet on all that. I may have eventually come here anyway...I mean I was wondering what I was going to do after graduation...hey did you know besides slowly embracing my heritage, they wanted me to help oversee the building of a new pain tower? I'm getting to use what I learned!" Madeline beams. "And me?" "Well...you're here, you're mine and you're safe...as long as you stay in this room. But you get to be with me, isn't that enough?" You look at Madeline and your eyes gaze all over her naked body, this followed by your hands wandering. Madeline giggles a bit and touches you as well. "Well, okay here and now. Yeah, that's definitely enough. But...I'm just wondering what's going to happen as time goes on. I mean you're a demon so I assume you're immortal on some level and I'm dead and here in soul form or whatever it is. I mean this is forever. How long before you get tired of me? Will you eventually discard the last remnants of your humanity and just throw me in a pain tower or something as soon as I anger you in some way? I mean how much time to we really have? Should I prepare myself for the inevitable?" Madeline's face gets sad again, it's obvious she doesn't want to think about that. Despite the new horns she's very much still hanging on to most of her human emotions for you. She sits up and starts to sniffle a bit. "What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to upset her and shorten your relative paradise? Just go with it, stupid!" you think to yourself. You sit up and caress Madeline's shoulders and back. "You're right. Let's not worry about it. I said I'd go through hell for you...and well here I am and I love you for saving my soul." You say and then lean in and turn Madeline's head to kiss her on the lips. As Madeline and you embrace, you think about how your actions lead you to this fate. You might be running on borrowed time, but you might as well enjoy it, because not many are in your privileged position in the infernal realm. Whatever lies in store for you, your life as a rogue has definitely ended.

Year 28 Life is good. Business is going well now thanks to your better locations. More people seem to prefer gambling in an area that smells tolerable for one thing. Madeline also had the goblins build a hidden entrance way topside so folks can now enter directly and not have to muck about through the sewers. Your new headquarters is also much better than the one you had in the sewers The only business you left in the sewers was the Yellow Devil Den. Seemed fairly pointless to befoul your new locations with it and it's users. Better it should stay in the sewers. Though Madeline actually has told you she has an idea to make a special area for that too since she can easily get the goblin crew to help again. She says she plans to help you out a lot more when she isn't in school any longer. And graduation for her is coming soon, today in fact. You never thought you'd ever be visiting where your father went to learn to be a doctor, but you aren't going to miss Madeline accepting her diploma. You genuinely love her as your relationship has grown. You were a little concerned at first, but you found that while it isn't perfect, you feel pretty comfortable with her. You even have vivid dreams about her. Almost so real that you aren't even parted when you sleep. You've told her all about your life in Teckleville, and your family. She hopes one day that maybe she can meet them, especially your sister. (You still wonder about all of them from time to time) While Madeline has talked about her past, she still hasn't mentioned too much about her family. Not even about her father who you know she isn't fond of, but you don't know why exactly. She just mentions she has no contact with her father other than him paying for her education. It's never a topic she wishes to discuss; she just wants to focus on the future with you, which is fine as far as you're concerned. "So how do I look?" you ask. "Well, you wouldn't be my type, but you do look dapper in that suit." Vaughn says. "I'm crushed. But good, I don't want to look too out of place at Madeline's graduation." "They grow up so fast huh?" Vaughn snorts. "Okay, don't even go there with the dad thing. I'm not even that much older than her. I trust you can look after things here for awhile?" "Sure boss, no problem." You leave Vaughn and head to the surface. You're not going to walk all the damn way to the university though, so you pay for a horse and buggy to take you there. As you ride, you realize you haven't really travelled around the city as much since you took control of the Crimson Talons. You've mostly been stuck underground most of the time. When you arrive at the university you don't have too difficult of a time finding where the ceremony is taking place. The university is very clean and orderly, you briefly imagine your father walking around this place back when he was going here. Eventually you get to a big open field area with several seats and a stage set up. Others are already seated so you find yourself a chair in the back. While nobody is staring at you, you still feel a little out of place. You just never thought you'd be at a place of higher learning and attending someone's graduation ceremony. As you wait for things to get started, someone sits next to you, when you turn to see who it is, you can't believe who it is. "Glad to see you made it to my daughter's graduation." Mr. Reynolds says with a smile. "...you... YOU?! You're her father?!" you say. "Yes, and shhh. Don't make a scene. I'm not here to cause problems." "I can't believe this." "I guess she didn't tell you about me. She never does. (Sigh) Even after all I've done for her. Though I suppose if she had talked about me, you would have thought twice about being with her and that would have been a shame...because I know how much you make her happy and she's going to need that bit of happiness to hang on to where she's going." "What? Where's she going?" Mr. Reynolds chuckles a bit. "She's going back home of course. Her time here is done, well for now it is anyway." Mr. Reynolds says. "What do you mean? Isn't this city her home?" "Klyton is just her current place residence, but her real home is...well it's very different. You might even say it's a different realm altogether." The way Mr. Reynolds smiles at this point makes you completely tense up. You don't like whatever he's about to say. "She's not human m'boy. Well...not entirely human anyway. She's a bit of a late bloomer though with her powers, but I love her all the same. Let me ask you something though, has she been appearing in your dreams recently?" "...yes." You answer hesitantly. "Yeah, her mother will probably be coming for her soon." "Her mother? I thought her mother was dead." "Oh no. I just told her that her mother died in childbirth. Her mother is really a full-blooded succubus. They aren't known to be maternal until their daughters have already grown up and shown that they're worthy of their attention. Displayed powers and such. They never much bother with their male children at all though. I should know." You have no words. "Of course most of them just eat their off spring as soon as they give birth to them, but I told that bitch, no daughter of mine was going to be a snack. I'll admit, I wasn't the best father probably, but I think between me or being breakfast, well I think I'll be vindicated once Madeline finds out the truth about herself." Mr. Reynolds says. "You don't think she'll be even more pissed at you for NOT telling her and it just suddenly being sprung on her like this?" you blurt out. "...hmmm...y'know I never considered that. Oh well. It isn't like she's my only child. My boy Henry starting to show a lot of promise. Can't wait for him to take over the business someday." You almost feel like standing up and shouting Klyton has been infiltrated by demon spawn at this point. However, you've got bigger concerns. "Does Madeline have to return? I mean can't she resist?" you ask. "There's no debate m'boy. She's going to go. I mean there probably will be an urge to resist at first, but it doesn't take long before that infernal blood pulls them in and they return to fully embrace their demon powers " "Always?" "Well, a few sadly succeed. But I promised her mother long ago that if Madeline ever started to bloom that I would do everything possible to help that process along." "But she's nice! And good!" you say. "Nice? Good? Ha ha ha ha! That's a cute. She's with you, how good can she really be? Plus I know how she killed her old boyfriend with her little goblin influencing powers. Shit, that's proof right there that's she's going to make a fine succubus. She's already killing boyfriends. Speaking of which, you m'boy have to go." "What?" "You. You have to go. I'm not having my daughter not achieve her rightful destiny by holding on to her misguided love for you. Now, you can stay to see her graduate, but then you need to leave. And I don't mean just here. You need to leave the city and go some place far away. If you're dreaming about her, that means she's already starting to imprint on you. However, she's probably not strong enough to find you if you the city. By then her mother and maybe even I will have convinced her to embrace her powers." You start to say something, but Mr. Reynolds stops you and also grabs your wrist tightly. So tight that it almost feels like he's going to crush your bones. "YOU are NOT going to stop this son. Take solace in the fact that you NEVER had a choice." Mr. Reynolds says in a low firm voice. Mr. Reynolds is giving off an aura that puts you completely on the edge terror. This isn't just a normal threat. You're seeing something new. Something less human, less mortal even. A faint scent also hits your nose, it's brimstone. Still despite all this, you do have real feelings for Madeline. Maybe it's because you left Annah when she was in trouble that you don't want to do the same thing to Madeline. At the very least, you want to be able to give HER the choice. "Mr. Reynolds...I love your daughter. I can't just take off and leave without at least presenting my side to her." You say, mustering all your courage, which causes a smile from Mr. Reynolds. "Fair enough, I can respect that, but let me ask you this...are you REALLY willing to go through hell for her son? Now I want you to think VERY carefully before answering. Because IF you are willing to go all in on proving how much you actually do love my daughter, then I need that answer now." > No You realize what Mr. Reynolds is trying to do. He's trying to talk you into some "contract." With some effort you manage to pull your hand free of Mr. Reynold's grip. "No." you say causing a bit of a frown from Mr. Reynolds. "Hmm, not as stupid as you appear. I can respect that too. But if your answer is no then you will be leaving after all and I don't think I need to explain why. Madeline's mother isn't as nice as I am." This is a shitty situation. You don't want to leave Madeline, but you also don't want to be on the wrong end of a bunch of violent demons. You aren't equipped to handle it even with the resources you have at your disposal and you question if any of them would be of any real help if it came down to it anyway. (Besides Vaughn maybe) To top everything off, you now have to abandon what you got going on here! You wish you had listened to Zalmora. You don't say any more and just get up to leave. As you're doing this, you make one last glance back at the stage and there you see Madeline accepting her diploma with a big smile. She has no idea what is in store for her. You manage to catch a buggy back to the slums of Klyton and from there you make your way back to headquarters. The first thing you do is start opening your safes and hauling out the most precious valuables along with a good stack of gold coins. "Hey boss, I saw you come back. What's going on?" Vaughn suddenly asks walking in you. "Vaughn, this is your lucky day. You're inheriting everything and it required absolutely no effort on your part other than being more competent than every other Crimson Talon here." You reply. "What?" "As of right now Vaughn, you're head of the Crimson Talons. Good luck." "I am? Wait. Where are you going?" "Me? I have no idea, but I'm going far away. I won't be coming back either." "Why? Is the militia on your ass? Should I be worried?" "Hah. The militia. If only it was that simple. No, it's a little more complicated than that, but no you shouldn't be worried. However, if Madeline comes by tell her...tell her that I didn't have a choice and to move on. Okay?" "Um, okay. So this is goodbye then...(sigh) I have to say it's starting to get pretty lonely here what with all of the old gang gone." "Yeah well, I'm sure you'll get by. Bye Vaughn." Without any more fanfare you leave the Crimson Talon headquarters wondering where to go. Holgard comes to mind, but there's always some sort of rebellion or power struggle going on there. You'd rather not have to deal with being in the middle of that mess. The Delantium Kingdom is at war with some other nation, so you'd rather avoid the possibility of suddenly getting press ganged or conscripted into military service. The only other place that comes to mind is Hessla which for one thing is a whole lot closer, but it also still has a reputation of being a haven for thieves, pirates, and other criminal types. At least it's something you'd be familiar with. Since you need to put as much distance between you and Klyton, you catch a carriage ride out to the infamous town. The trip to Hessla is surprisingly uneventful. You half figured you'd at least run into a few idiots trying to rob you on the road, but happily you don't encounter any problems other than the overly talkative priest of Joachim who is traveling with you thinking that he's going to bring the light of Joachim to Hessla all by himself. When you finally get to Hessla, its actually a little nicer looking than you thought it was going to look. You expected it to be filled with run down homes with unsavory types located on every corner. If anything, the town has locations that are fancier looking than some of the better parts of Klyton. After spending a few days in Hessla you also learn that this place really isn't as disorderly as it's reputation would imply. Granted it's far from being as repressive as Klyton, but there actually is a "force" that makes sure it isn't a free for all. The Hessla Headsmen report directly to the governor who apparently is an ex-pirate that controls everything in town. If anything the crime is less than one might think mainly because most are pirates and pillaging other places rather than here. You are surprisingly finding the place a bit easy on the pick pocket and theft front, of course a lot of folks are either half drunk or plain drunk most of the time. Also most folks don't seem to own that many personal belongings. You guess with most making their living at sea, they keep essentials on their ships, spend it all on booze and whores or otherwise live a very basic life, so despite you finding the town a bit easy pickings, you aren't getting rich doing it. Shops however are very well protected by the Headsmen since you guess Governor Tolen has a slice of all the businesses here. Fights are pretty common, though they aren't necessarily always to the death like you'd expect. Just a lot of disagreement and drinking make for a rowdy town. So far you've avoided pissing anyone off and kept a low profile. At first you aren't sure if you're actually going to stay here for long or not, but on your fifth night you have another dream of Madeline. In the dream she's very sad and wandering the streets of Klyton calling out and looking for you. You don't know if that's what she's actually doing in real life or you're just dreaming up the scenario, but needless to say you don't sleep very well. The next morning you decide you need to get even further away. Like completely off the mainland. The problem is you have no idea what really lies across the water. You know pirates are raiding something because you've heard the stories. Of course the problem with that is you're not looking for some place to just stop and plunder. You're looking for a place of relative civilization of where you can get your bearings before deciding what to do with the rest of your life as well as getting away from your demon spawn girlfriend. You ask around and after exchanging a bit of coin, a Hessla merchant ship (They do exist contrary to popular belief) agrees to take you to Jicol. Apparently it's a city state on a fairly large island to the west. It's about the only place that Hessla pirates never fuck with due to the well-trained navy and the fact that Jicol has made it quite clear that any attack on their ships or city will result in total war with Hessla and it isn't one the pirate town would win. You spend about a week getting to this new city. The third night aboard the ship, you have faint glimpses of Madeline's face in your dreams. At first you're concerned that you're never going to get far enough, but you have no more dreams for the rest of the trip. By the time you get settled your first night in Jicol, your dreams are back to normal and you hope they stay that way. Brand new city. Brand new life. You've done it before, now you'll have to see if you can do it again. > Time passes... Year 30 "Okay your qweepa lost. Pay up." You say. "Bah, I still think you drug him with Yellow Devil." Gil says handing over the coin. "Pfft, I've seen what that shit does to people. No way I'd give it to Swifty here." You say picking up your not so small rodent creature and petting him a couple times. "How come you don't enter him in the fights? He's big enough and his teeth are larger than the average qweepa." Trent asks. "Because I'd rather he die of old age than him risk getting ripped to shreds. Besides I'm doing just fine racing him. Anyway, that's it for me tonight, see you lot next week. Maybe we should play cards or dice next time, it'll be a fairer fight." "Ha ha. Fuck you. Next week." Gil says waving bye to you. You leave the qweepa "race track" with your pet and head home. As you're walking home you notice that the new owner of Saltwater Supplies are still routinely closing up shop at the same time to go make their prayers to Yag. You think next time you come this way; you're going to have to pay the store a little visit. While they've gone to prayer of course. Life hasn't been bad here in Jicol. You still participate in the occasional breaking and entering every now and then, but nowadays you mostly make a living racing your qweepa. Occasionally dice and cards too, but Swifty is a sure thing. Never thought you'd be a rodent racer, but here you are. Still, sometimes you wonder about your family. How your mother and father are doing and if their lives in Teckleville are better, worse or the same after events that occurred so long ago. You also wonder about your sister and if she's still travelling or settled down. Probably not. She was always more of a wanderer at heart. Whatever she's doing you hope she's doing well. You get to your humble abode and suddenly Swifty jumps off your shoulder and scurries away into a nearby crack in a wall. "Swifty! Come here! Hey!" you shout and go to the crack, but he's gone. You aren't too worried since he's run off like that before, but always comes back. He likes the Delantium cheese you give him too much to ever disappear for good. Not wishing to spend all night fumbling around in the dark outside looking for a rodent, you head inside your small home. No sooner have you shut the door when you smell the air. It's like something is on fire. At first you think it's your home, but then you realize this isn't a normal fire smell. It's brimstone. And then you see a pair of eyes in the darkness. "SHIT!" you shout and go to get the door open, but you're suddenly pulled back by a clawed hand and slammed to the floor hard. You desperately go for your flintlock, but that is smacked out of your grip by a tail that whips your hand. Your next attempt is your cutlass, but a cloven hoof puts an end to that attempt by stomping on your hand and breaking it. You then feel a body drop on your chest and putting all the weight behind it. You cough and try to catch your breath and that's when you finally see what is attacking you. A red skinned female demonic form complete with horns, wings, a tail and cloven hooves straddles your chest. Madeline. While the rest of her has changed drastically, you'd never forget her face. "Hello, lover." She hisses. "Madeline...didn't know you were coming..." you say struggling to breathe. "I thought about visiting you in your dreams, but then I thought the personal touch would be much more satisfying." "I can see how you would, but I can't say I do. Why the hell are you even here and obviously pissed at me?" "After what you did, you have the balls to ask me that? You fucking LEFT me. Left me with my asshole father and my long lost bitch of a mother! Left me with no explanation or even support!" "Now that's not true. I told Vaughn to tell you to..." "Move on with my life and how you didn't have a choice. Fuck you. You DID have a choice. You could have stayed! We could have supported each other!" "No! No we really couldn't have Madeline. Your father made it quite clear that if he didn't kill me, your mother sure as hell would have if I didn't leave. I think it's pretty obvious what the result would have been. I mean look at you, you've obviously embraced your demonic heritage within only two years and I'm NO fucking match for you." Madeline briefly looks down at her own body. "Yes, look at me. I'm a daughter of hell, seducer and destroyer of men, yet I still have these pathetic feelings of love for you. I can't move on like you suggested. I can't deal with this separation." You'd probably be more scared about what's going to come next, but the pain in your body is making fear a secondary concern and honestly you knew as soon as you didn't escape that it was probably all over. "Shit...do you really have to Madeline? I mean I know it would be difficult, but I'm willing to go back to the way things were with..." you start to say before you get a punch to your face. It feels like being hit by a piece of steel, but immediately after Madeline goes in to kiss you and even cries a bit. "I'm...sorry...but this is the way it has to be...I loved you and you abandoned me. We can't go back to the way things were. (Sniffle) But I do know how to make things right." Without another word, Madeline starts stripping off your clothing. You're really not in any condition to stop her, though you do try to feebly get away once. (Which results in another punch) Madeline being a succubus easily manages to get you "ready" and then positions herself on top of your dick and begins to grind against you. There really isn't anything pleasurable about any of this, especially how hard Madeline is riding you, tightly squeezing your arms and making unnatural noises the whole time. You also feel like your dick is on fire the entire time. The only thing you can do is hope it ends quickly, which fortunately it does and you soon release. Afterwards, Madeline then suddenly becomes "gentle" and for a brief moment lies on top of your body. "Our baby is going to be how I remember the good times with you and I'm going to be an attentive mother no matter what." She whispers in your ear. "Mad..." you start to utter before she puts a talon to your lips. "Goodbye my love." She says sadly and then with a quick strike of her finger she rips your throat open and licks your blood as you bleed out.

[Themes: fantasy, fantasy, anti-hero] Year 26 "Your school girl would go a lot faster if she was a REAL engineer and didn't have to leave every once in awhile to go attend classes. And why are we building in two different locations again?" Zalmora asks. "Because Madeline pointed out that it might be better if we didn't build everything in one place. Said it would be easier to keep the support structurally sound as well if we didn't build too big. I think it's coming along fine so far, though the ceilings are a little low. Guess goblins aren't used to building them high though." You respond. "Considering you're spending as much money as you are for this shit, I certainly hope she's at least a good lay." Zal remarks. "What? I'm not fucking her." You say. "Great. So you're just wasting money for no gain whatsoever." "We're getting our new locations! By the fucking gods, what the hell is your problem today?" "My problem is we could have had a real professional do this and probably be done by now. This little school bitch doesn't know what the fuck is doing and we got goblins running around being the obnoxious little green shits they always are." "Actually I haven't had any problem with any of them." "Ugh, they're fucking annoying." "Zal, I'm not going to argue about this anymore. Things are going just fine, you're just finding shit to nitpick about." "Have it your way, but here's one more for the road. If you REALLY aren't fucking big tits McRed, you better have a little chat with her because I've seen how she acts when you speak with each other. Maybe you're oblivious, but the girl has a serious crush on you." "You're talking nonsense." You snort. "I'm serious. You don't notice how chipper she is when she speaks to you? How she makes these girly giggles over shit you say which isn't even funny half the time? How she makes every effort to be very close or even touch your arm or hand when you're around? If the girl was anymore obvious, she'd have her legs wrapped around you." Now that you think about it, Zal isn't wrong on her observations. Madeline's personality has been a lot more positive since the first time you met her. Though it makes you wonder... "Okay, so say maybe she does, what I find interesting is how you've been studying our relationship and interaction. Are you jealous?" you say with a chortle. "Hah! Typical male ego. You wish. But I'll tell you who IS jealous, Camid." Zalmora retorts. "Camid?" "Yeah, the repulsive guy in charge of Yellow Devil creation and distribution and stinks of Yellow Devil fumes most of the time? There are already rumors going on about you fucking schoolgirl, I can't imagine Camid is happy about that, still being her boyfriend and all. I've seen this happen before and it never ends well. So if you don't want a knife suddenly in your back, like I said, you better straighten out this misunderstanding...or at least tell a convincing lie." "There's nothing going on with Madeline!" "Hey, I'm not the one you have to convince. I'll leave you to it boss man, I mean we all know you're the one who runs everything here." Zal says and leaves. You hate it when she makes sense. While you had better things to do today, you probably should talk to both of them and do it now just to get it out of the way. Since you're not exactly in the mood to breath in Yellow Devil fumes right now, you decide to go see Madeline first who as far as you know is overseeing work on the other location. You might as well check on that while you're at it. After an uneventful walk in the sewers, you get to the location. So far it doesn't look much different than your future headquarters, though the rooms are bigger. In the biggest of these rooms, you find Madeline ordering about a few goblins in their native language. It's weird how they don't mind taking her orders. When they see you, they move even quicker. Madeline turns and sees you as well. She smiles and immediately walks quickly over to you. "You're here! I didn't expect to see you so soon after the last time you inspected this place. I would have doubled the work time on it!" Madeline beams. You get the impression that she nearly was going to hug you, but stopped herself. "No, that's okay. I'd rather you take a little extra time to make sure everything is secure. So is this room going to be where we hold the fighting games?" you say. "Yes, that was my intention. I think it might need more expansion, and of course we're going to make it look better than it currently does, but it's well on its way!" "Well I can honestly say you are doing a fine job, and best of all, it isn't costing me a lot. I gotta talk to you about something though." "Me too! But first I have to show you this, come with me!" "Um, okay." Madeline walks ahead of you first, but when you aren't moving fast enough, she actually pulls your hand in an effort to get you to follow faster. You soon enter a small partially dug out room that has a single lantern lighting it. You don't see anything out of the ordinary here. "Madeline, what..." you start to ask, and before you know it, she's all over you. After about a couple of minutes of slobbering over each other, Madeline finally comes up for air. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do this..." she says and then goes in to try to kiss you again before you stop her. "Madeline! Hold on! I...can't...WE can't do this. I think you've gotten the wrong idea!" you exclaim. "Didn't seem like it when you had your tongue in my mouth and your hand on my ass a few moments ago." Madeline says. "You...you caught me by surprise! I'm only human damn it! Look, you're obviously a very attractive girl and maybe you're into me because I'm being supportive in your dreams or something, but we can't do this." "Why not?" "Well for one thing, you're Camid's girlfriend and people are already whispering untrue rumors about us. I mean if you were just some whore, it probably wouldn't be a big deal because...well whores are a whores and everyone is supposed to be fucking them. But you're not a whore and you're in a real relationship with another Crimson Talon. Stealing someone else's girlfriend is just bad for business. It creates hard feelings and much worse." "I don't understand. You're dealing drugs, running illegal fights, and other activities but being with someone who would rather be with you is where you draw the line?" "Well, there's gotta be a line drawn somewhere. Otherwise this all falls apart. You know, like a support beam for the tunnels you're building." "But you're the boss, can't you just do what you want?" "Well it's a little more complicated than that. The key to being in charge is also trying not to be hated. And what about Camid? I thought you and he were together." "Eh, he was okay at first, but now....well I find him...limited. I'd rather be with you. I like the way I feel when you're around encouraging me. Camid doesn't understand anything that I talk about. He just stares at my tits and wants to fuck." "How do you know that I'm not doing the same thing?" "Obviously you aren't, because if you did, we'd be fucking right now. My point is, I feel like I can at least converse with you about a variety of things. I mean maybe you don't understand all my technical university speak, but I know you're at least on my intellectual level." "...thanks? I think?" "Plus...this isn't just some stupid crush like you probably think it is. You've been so nice to me. I think...I think I'm really starting to..." "Don't finish that sentence!" you shout. "Well I can't help my feelings towards you! Oh I don't understand why you can't just kill Camid so we can be together!" Madeline exclaims and then hugs you tightly and trying not to cry. And that intensified quickly. "Madeline. (Sigh) Look. You're experiencing a phase. You don't seriously want any sort of long term relationship with someone like me. I mean if you think I'm any better than Camid, you're only thinking that because I find you useful in a capacity that doesn't involve sex. I'm NOT a nice guy. Just ask anyone. Hell, talk with Zalmora. She'll be the first one to tell you all my shortcomings." You say. "It's not a phase though..." Madeline says with a quiver in her voice. "Well if it isn't, you're just going to have to get over it anyway. Because WE are not happening. I'm not looking for anyone long term and I don't want it. It's not who I am. Apologies." Madeline now starts to cry quietly. "Now if this is just too much for you, I'll completely understand if you don't want to work on this project anymore. I can find someone else." You say. "(Sniff) No. No...I'll continue the work. I promised to see this through. I...won't say anything to Camid either (sniff) I'll just get over it, like you (sob) said..." Madeline says before crying again. You haven't felt nearly this bad since you left Annah back in Teckleville. Still, you feel this is for the best and hopefully Madeline can indeed "get over it" like she claims. As you leave Madeline to her sadness, you move on to your next unpleasant task and that's speaking to Camid. You're not entirely sure how you're going to tell him though. After another uneventful walk through the sewers you get to the Yellow Devil Den. For obvious reasons you don't come here that much, because the place stinks worse than the rest of the sewers and always has junkies hanging around, acting crazy or just slowly melting. Though the melting is a little less now that Camid's made strides in cutting Yellow Devil with less lethal ingredients and still managed to maintain it's feel good effects. Still doesn't make you want to stick around though. Several Crimson Talons see you and let you in immediately while pushing away any junkies attempting to get in. Doesn't take you long to find Camid. He's surprised to see you. Camid and you head to his own little area where the stench of Yellow Devil fumes isn't burning your nostrils to talk. You decide to go with a half truth and explain that you've been hearing the concerning rumors about you and Madeline and you're here to dispel them, because it's not healthy to the organization to have something like that spread around when it isn't even true in the first place. You explain you have no interest in Madeline other than her work on the project. You even sort of imply you're actually trying to get back with Zalmora. Camid seems to react positively to your explanation with no hint of any underlining hostility. He either means it, or he's subtler than you gave him credit for. Either way, it would seem the matter is closed. You return to work and later you see Zalmora and Vaughn. "Well? Did you take care of that business?" Zalmora asks. "Not that it concerns you, but yes I did. Now let's move on to other things." You reply. The next few days are a little tense and you stay on your guard. You half expect Camid or Madeline to do something crazy, try to kill you, or something that causes problems. None of that happens though. Weeks pass and while Madeline occasionally gives you a longing glance she never initiates anything. You try to keep your contact short with her. Camid doesn't act out of the ordinary either when you see him. Neither one mentions their relationship with each other so you assume they're still together. Then just when you think everything is settled with this situation, disaster strikes. "He's fucking dead?" you exclaim. "Afraid so boss. Camid was found dead with several large holes in him. Legs, back, chest, head, arms, everywhere." Vaughn remarks. "Well what the hell happened?" "Dunno. Some of the Talons just found him in his room in the den like that. No signs of anyone breaking in or anything." Zalmora just looks at you. "Do I even need to say it?" she asks. "(Sigh) No. But I'm wondering how she did it exactly. I just don't see her as a natural killer and Camid wasn't a push over...wait a minute. Sonofabitch. She used the little green bastards! They follow everything she says. They're also small and sneaky enough to dig some little passage that only they could get in and then. You said Camid had large holes all over his body. Probably from pick axes." You say. "I'm a little lost here, who killed Camid?" Vaughn asks. "The love of his life, school girl killed him." Zal says. "Wait, why?" "Geez, Vaugh you're really behind aren't you? Our glorious leader here turned down her advances a few weeks ago. Surprised the hell out of me too, but messing with another man's girlfriend isn't one of the vices he has apparently. It appears though school girl figured out a loop hole and took matters into her own hands." Zal explains. "Why couldn't she have just broke up with Camid?" Vaughn asks. "Because that still would have caused conflict if the boss got with her. Camid isn't likely to be the type to just accept seeing someone else with his ex especially so soon and so close. Nope, had to kill him. Only logical play." Zal then turns to you. "Which now I guess means the next step is yours heartbreaker." > Dispose of Madeline This isn't the work of someone with just a crush. This is obviously an obsession and the fact she got the goblins to do it, means she's not just crazy she's dangerous and that's a bad combination. You're not going to be able to reason with her. She's already proven she's beyond that. Dismissing her isn't going to work either. Not to mention she killed one of your productive members. Sure he was an idiot when it came to picking women obviously, but he still did his job and excelled in that area. She's going to have to be dealt with in a more permanent manner. "Zal, Vaughn, come on. We're going to deal with this crazy bitch and I want you both with me in case she gets ideas to sic her goblin buddies on me." You say. "Wait, do we need to kill her? I mean isn't she important?" Vaughn remarks. "She might come from money, but her daddy isn't on the council. At best the militia might do an investigation, but they aren't going to find her." You say. "You sure we're going to be enough? Should we bring some more guys? There are a lot more goblins than us." Zal asks. "We'll grab a couple more Talons on the way out, but we're not going to be bushwacked like Camid and I know we're much better fighters. As soon as we kill a few of those green buggers they'll probably start running away. We'll be fine. Now let's get this shit done." You say. You and your "hit squad" head over to the new headquarters dig site. You remember Madeline was doing her overseeing there today. After entering and walking through several empty rooms and corridors, you find Madeline by herself, just sitting on the ground. She doesn't get up, she just looks down at the ground. There aren't any goblins around though, which is strange. "Hey. I guess you figured out what happened." Madeline says. "Damn right I did. Did you really think you were going to get away with it? Did you really think that was going to work?" "I guess I had hope and I had to try. Stupid I guess." "You got that one right too, school girl." Zal says. "Where's your goblin friends?" you ask. "I sent them away as soon as they told me you were coming. I didn't want them to get hurt. It wasn't their fault after all." "Wasn't their fault? Some of them were the ones who killed Camid!" you exclaim and move towards Madeline, but Zal holds you back. "Wait a minute. What do you mean you sent them away when they told you were coming? How did they even know, we haven't seen any of them." Zal asks. Madeline looks up and stands. "They didn't just dig a tunnel into the Yellow Devil Den. They've dug tunnels all over the sewers. Mostly under them. Made it easier for them to get around without having to walk about in the actual sewers. They may have also dug some tunnels near your old head quarters...you know, you look very peaceful when you sleep..." Madeline says looking directly at you. You and everyone else takes a step back. You're actually a little creeped out now and a lot more concerned. "Everyone, prepare for an ambush!" you say and you all form a circle expecting goblins to pop up out of secret compartments in the floor and walls. "I told you I sent them away. They isn't going to be some big fight. There isn't going to be a fight at all. This is the end. I wish you could have loved me, the way I love you, but at least we'll die together, and I guess that's enough." At this point you hear an explosion outside the new headquarter's entrance. It isn't a big one, but it's enough to cause a rumbling and the ceiling of starts to fall to pieces. Vaughn, Zal and the other two Talons instantly run back to the entrance only to find that's its collapsed and soon so will the rest of this place. "It's interesting how with one well place bundle of explosive power can make an otherwise stable structure fall completely apart. I'll certainly miss finishing my education." Madeline says in almost a monotone way. As the rest of your cohorts run around desperately trying to get out of this death trap, you do the only thing you want to do and that's plunge your sword into Madeline. She puts up no resistance and just touches your face before falling to the ground. As the clods of dirt and rocks begin to bury you and yours, all you can do is curse loudly to whatever gods may be listening before you are silenced forever.

[Themes: fantasy, humor] Something has to be done and the best way to do it is to kill Jake. Not like you were ever friends with him. "Look, we can't do nothing and if you aren't fond of diplomacy, then we need to kill Jake. So who are these independent assassins you know?" you ask. "Really only know two and out of those two, only one is a proper assassin and I don't know if it's even possible with him." Tom says. Frustration increases... "Okay, so tell me about the guy who isn't a proper assassin." you ask. "He goes by the name Olaf. He's actually an ex-Talon associate but after the fight pits closed down he went back to working as a leg breaker for Mr. Reynolds full time. You familiar with that man?" Tom asks. "Vaguely. Some sort of moneylender with connections in high places so the militia doesn't fuck with him. Actually, I think I remember my mother telling me my father's family was in debt to him at one point." "They did with the inn. Actually I even worked for the man briefly before I joined the Talons, but that's ancient history. Olaf is a big ass ogre who pretty much retired undefeated during his fighting pit days. He's older of course now, but I don't doubt that he couldn't take care of Jake and scare everyone else into submission. Hell, he probably could scare Jake into submission too. He'd probably even do it for free or at the least very cheap. He really likes hurting people." "Sounds good, so what's the catch?" "Well obviously Mr. Reynolds isn't going to just let him go wandering off so we'd probably have to pay him and that's what isn't going to be cheap. Plus, knowing Mr. Reynolds he'll have some other weird stipulation. You'll probably find out when you talk with him. Could be anything." This is sounding complicated already. You almost hesitate to ask about the other one. "Okay, so what about this other guy. The real assassin?" you ask. "You familiar with Sotakians?" Tom asks. "Just stories of them being lizard people that live in the swamps and fight with elves all the time." "Well, the old boss, Edmond actually acquired an egg and raised a Sotakian from a hatchling. Trained him to be a very literal cold-blooded assassin bodyguard. We all just called him Scales, but he never really had a proper name. He was very loyal too until he had some unknown disagreement with Edmond and just took off. Ed never told anyone to go get him either. Just said to let it go." "That doesn't sound very useful if he disappeared to parts unknown." "Oh he didn't go far. He actually lives in the Klyton sewers. Abandoned part granted, but he's actually part of the reason why the militia doesn't patrol down there that much and only in certain areas. Ol' Scales isn't very welcoming to intruders to his home." "Well how's this lizard going to be of any help then?" "Most of the time when Scales got a little obstinate Edmond showed him the broken egg that he hatched from. Not sure why it worked. Maybe it was a reminder that Edmond was the one who helped hatch him or something. Still have the broken egg just in case, you know? Maybe if someone approached him with the broken egg, Scales might be willing to listen to that person. Dunno, who would have the balls to go risk it though." "That vicious huh?" "Let's just say, Olaf USED to have an equally bad ass barbarian buddy by the name of Silence. Silence didn't like it when he lost a staring contest to Scales and things got violent. Olaf and Silence were best friends and Olaf didn't even ATTEMPT to attack Scales when he ripped out Silence's throat in five seconds. He just left the room and I can't be certain, but I think he might have even cried. Of course nobody was going to ask. Olaf certainly brutalized folks more than average in the fighting pits over the next few days after that though." So those are your choices and they both sound shitty. Honestly, you wish you could just take care of Jake yourself, but Tom is probably right about the fact that something like that isn't really your specialty, but talking to others and trying to convince them to do what you want is apparently a newer one you've acquired or at least one you've been thrust into. > Hire Scales You must have lost your mind, because you can't believe you're actually considering this. "Fuck it, give me that egg." You say. "Seriously?" Tom asks. "Yeah, I'm serious. I know enough about Mr. Reynolds through my dad that I don't want to have deal with him. And as you said, he's probably going to have some sort of weird catch as part of the agreement he isn't going to reveal until afterwards. At least with the lizard I'll know where I stand right away." You say. "I guess that's one way of looking at it. Okay kid, I'll get that egg." Tom heads over to one of his safes and after unlocking it, he takes out two green pieces of an oval shaped object, which he then puts together and hands to you. The broken egg is rough to the touch and more solid than you thought it would be. "While this isn't as delicate as one might think, still be careful with it. You sure about this? I mean I still don't think this thing with Jake is that serious." "It's gotta be taken care of and besides, maybe I'll just be charming enough to convince Scales to join us again." "You think big kid, just hope you're right." Tom proceeds to tell you where he thinks Scales makes his home. It actually isn't too far from the forgotten sewer entrance. Tom goes on to say it might be dangerous just getting to Scales, since that part of the sewers has been non-functional and abandoned for as long as he can remember. Armed with this knowledge (And a broken egg) Tom wishes you luck before you leave. On your way out, you're stopped by Zalmora and Vaughn. "What's that? Wait, is that an egg?" Vaughn asks. "Yeah, I'm going to use it to try to convince Scales to assassinate Jake. Tom said Ed used to do it all the time." You reply. Vaughn's jaw almost drops and expresses obvious disbelief. "Have you gone completely barmy? I wasn't here that long while Scales was still around, but even I know damn well that the only reason why Ed even had control over that lizard is because he raised him from that egg! And you can see that didn't work forever. You go looking for Scales and you're going to find death!" Vaughn exclaims. "Why do we need Scales to assassinate Jake anyway? I mean I told you that I think it's a better idea to just let Jake continue rampaging through the woods to take the heat off of us." Zal asks. "Yeah, and I don't think that it's a good idea to just let disobedience within the organization to go unpunished like that. Besides, I also thought that given this Scale's reputation, maybe we could get him to join again." You say. "Yep, completely barmy." Vaughn remarks. "I agree...but the idea does have some merit. If we did get Scales back, we'd be in a lot better shape, muscle wise at least." Zal remarks. Vaughn at this point just shakes his head. "Okay, I can see this craziness is catching. I'm leaving before I catch it too. See you later, assuming Scales doesn't eat you, and Zal, I would think that you'd know better than to even entertain this idea." Vaughn remarks and walks away. "So...are you coming with me?" you ask Zalmora. "I didn't say that actually. I just said your idea has some merit. It's at least thinking in the long term. Scales could certainly track down Jake and kill him. I would imagine he'd also scare everyone else into coming back or even better a return to following the original plan of sending the spoils of their activities to us on a regular schedule." Zal says. "You still really think our organization split up on the outside and inside the city is the best solution?" "Yes. I really do believe that and I gave my reasons already." While she hasn't offered to go, you get the impression Zal might be more inclined to help you if support her idea, but if Zal wants to help she can come with you with you needing to ask her. You're not going to barter with her or be some pawn just because you're sleeping together every once in awhile. "Well I guess I better head out." You say. "Oh. Right. Don't let me keep you. Just remember, Scales has never been a friendly sort and probably the best way to handle him is to defer to him as the alpha. If he thinks you're a threat, he's going to react accordingly. Then again, if he thinks you're too weak, he might just eat you, but I'm guessing not acting aggressively might help. Anyway, if you even think you're in grave danger, just get the hell out of there. Be careful okay?" Zal says and starts to leave, but before she does she kisses you goodbye. That sort of makes you feel more worried than you were before. You leave the Crimson Talon headquarters and enter the sewers. You never cease hating stomping around down here, but possibly stepping in shit or worse is the least of your concerns right now. You follow the directions Tom gave you and finally get to the abandoned part of the sewers he mentioned. Actually it doesn't even look like the rest of the sewers at this point. The tunnel is partially collapsed or has great gaping holes leading to who the hell knows where. Beyond this first tunnel, you can only imagine that it's going to be in even worse repair. Using your lantern and your natural agility you continue to make your way, hopping that all this hoping and jumping around isn't going to break the egg in your pack any more than it already is. You go through a couple more old collapsed sewer tunnels and then you notice the man made structure is starting to disappear into a crumbling abyss. You also notice how weak the ground (or rather what's left of it) is in general. One wrong move and you're probably falling to your death. You cautiously move across what's left the stone flooring. You're doing pretty well until you suddenly hear some noise behind you. At first you think it's something sinister lurking down here or possibly even Scales himself, but when you hear the word "Shit!" you know the voice immediately and turn around thrusting your lantern ahead. "Zal?!" you call out. Your light illuminates enough that you can see a figure far behind you half hanging over the edge of the abyss. She doesn't answer she's just struggling to get back up. "Zal! What the fuck are you doing here?! Wait! I'll come help you!" you shout. "No! You stay over there! This fucking floor is weak enough without both of us in the same area." "Zal, you're gonna fall!" "I'm almost back up, just keep going! I'll catch up!" > You go help Zal She probably came back to help you, you can't just leave her to struggle. As quick as you can, you try to make it over to Zal, who keeps telling you to go back. "Zal, I'm not gonna just...fuuuuuuuuu...." It's not a glorious or noble death falling off a collapsing walkway and into a large hole, but that's exactly what has happened to you. As you fall, you hear Zal's voice echo your name in darkness until the sound dissipates leaving you only to fall in dark silence. You fall for quite a long time, much longer than you thought you would actually. For a brief moment you think maybe you've fallen down a bottomless pit. Such things are typically just heard about in myths and stories, but given the magical world you live in, who is to say they don't exist somewhere? Of course that little theory soon comes to an end when you at last do hit the ground. Who knows where the hell you ended up, because you broke every bone and died on impact, but your splattered body didn't go to waste to whatever was living so far below the ground.

[Themes: fantasy, serious] You must have lost your mind, because you can't believe you're actually considering this. "Fuck it, give me that egg." You say. "Seriously?" Tom asks. "Yeah, I'm serious. I know enough about Mr. Reynolds through my dad that I don't want to have deal with him. And as you said, he's probably going to have some sort of weird catch as part of the agreement he isn't going to reveal until afterwards. At least with the lizard I'll know where I stand right away." You say. "I guess that's one way of looking at it. Okay kid, I'll get that egg." Tom heads over to one of his safes and after unlocking it, he takes out two green pieces of an oval shaped object, which he then puts together and hands to you. The broken egg is rough to the touch and more solid than you thought it would be. "While this isn't as delicate as one might think, still be careful with it. You sure about this? I mean I still don't think this thing with Jake is that serious." "It's gotta be taken care of and besides, maybe I'll just be charming enough to convince Scales to join us again." "You think big kid, just hope you're right." Tom proceeds to tell you where he thinks Scales makes his home. It actually isn't too far from the forgotten sewer entrance. Tom goes on to say it might be dangerous just getting to Scales, since that part of the sewers has been non-functional and abandoned for as long as he can remember. Armed with this knowledge (And a broken egg) Tom wishes you luck before you leave. On your way out, you're stopped by Zalmora and Vaughn. "What's that? Wait, is that an egg?" Vaughn asks. "Yeah, I'm going to use it to try to convince Scales to assassinate Jake. Tom said Ed used to do it all the time." You reply. Vaughn's jaw almost drops and expresses obvious disbelief. "Have you gone completely barmy? I wasn't here that long while Scales was still around, but even I know damn well that the only reason why Ed even had control over that lizard is because he raised him from that egg! And you can see that didn't work forever. You go looking for Scales and you're going to find death!" Vaughn exclaims. "Why do we need Scales to assassinate Jake anyway? I mean I told you that I think it's a better idea to just let Jake continue rampaging through the woods to take the heat off of us." Zal asks. "Yeah, and I don't think that it's a good idea to just let disobedience within the organization to go unpunished like that. Besides, I also thought that given this Scale's reputation, maybe we could get him to join again." You say. "Yep, completely barmy." Vaughn remarks. "I agree...but the idea does have some merit. If we did get Scales back, we'd be in a lot better shape, muscle wise at least." Zal remarks. Vaughn at this point just shakes his head. "Okay, I can see this craziness is catching. I'm leaving before I catch it too. See you later, assuming Scales doesn't eat you, and Zal, I would think that you'd know better than to even entertain this idea." Vaughn remarks and walks away. "So...are you coming with me?" you ask Zalmora. "I didn't say that actually. I just said your idea has some merit. It's at least thinking in the long term. Scales could certainly track down Jake and kill him. I would imagine he'd also scare everyone else into coming back or even better a return to following the original plan of sending the spoils of their activities to us on a regular schedule." Zal says. "You still really think our organization split up on the outside and inside the city is the best solution?" "Yes. I really do believe that and I gave my reasons already." While she hasn't offered to go, you get the impression Zal might be more inclined to help you if support her idea, but if Zal wants to help she can come with you with you needing to ask her. You're not going to barter with her or be some pawn just because you're sleeping together every once in awhile. "Well I guess I better head out." You say. "Oh. Right. Don't let me keep you. Just remember, Scales has never been a friendly sort and probably the best way to handle him is to defer to him as the alpha. If he thinks you're a threat, he's going to react accordingly. Then again, if he thinks you're too weak, he might just eat you, but I'm guessing not acting aggressively might help. Anyway, if you even think you're in grave danger, just get the hell out of there. Be careful okay?" Zal says and starts to leave, but before she does she kisses you goodbye. That sort of makes you feel more worried than you were before. You leave the Crimson Talon headquarters and enter the sewers. You never cease hating stomping around down here, but possibly stepping in shit or worse is the least of your concerns right now. You follow the directions Tom gave you and finally get to the abandoned part of the sewers he mentioned. Actually it doesn't even look like the rest of the sewers at this point. The tunnel is partially collapsed or has great gaping holes leading to who the hell knows where. Beyond this first tunnel, you can only imagine that it's going to be in even worse repair. Using your lantern and your natural agility you continue to make your way, hopping that all this hoping and jumping around isn't going to break the egg in your pack any more than it already is. You go through a couple more old collapsed sewer tunnels and then you notice the man made structure is starting to disappear into a crumbling abyss. You also notice how weak the ground (or rather what's left of it) is in general. One wrong move and you're probably falling to your death. You cautiously move across what's left the stone flooring. You're doing pretty well until you suddenly hear some noise behind you. At first you think it's something sinister lurking down here or possibly even Scales himself, but when you hear the word "Shit!" you know the voice immediately and turn around thrusting your lantern ahead. "Zal?!" you call out. Your light illuminates enough that you can see a figure far behind you half hanging over the edge of the abyss. She doesn't answer she's just struggling to get back up. "Zal! What the fuck are you doing here?! Wait! I'll come help you!" you shout. "No! You stay over there! This fucking floor is weak enough without both of us in the same area." "Zal, you're gonna fall!" "I'm almost back up, just keep going! I'll catch up!" > You continue without her You didn't tell her to follow you, and you'd rather not linger on this walkway any longer than you have to, so you continue to make your way which soon isn't as bad for the man made structure of the sewer is gone completely and you're now heading into what looks like a natural cavern (with solid ground underneath you). Still, you don't want to get too far ahead. If Zal did come to help, the least you can do is wait for her. Eventually Zal solves her own struggle with climbing back up to the walkway and makes her way to your location. "You okay?" you ask. "Yeah, I'm fine." Zalmora replies. "Now I ask again, what the hell are you doing here? "Obviously nearly getting myself killed in order to help you because you're too proud to ask for it." "I didn't ask, because I didn't need your help!" "Sure, you don't. Honestly, I can't believe Tom let you do this at all. I always thought he liked you." "I risk my life every time I go out on a job." "True, but this is a lot different. At least on the job you have the necessary skills to pull it off. This is more like a roll of the dice. Not to mention, YOU haven't even met Scales. If he sees you, he's likely to just assume you're an interloper. At least he knows me. Though I'm not sure if he liked, disliked or was indifferent to me. Never could tell what that lizard was thinking in the short time I knew him." "What about the egg?" "Yeah, well let's hope that's enough for him not to kill us." You and Zal proceed into the natural cavern. After walking a bit, you make a remark that all of this might be pointless anyway and you might just head back because it wasn't your intention on getting lost in a system of underground tunnels. Zal doesn't really argue, but she does ask what you're going to do about an assassin though. Just as you're about to answer, you hear a faint noise, which is enough to put you on edge because it's been eerily quiet down here. "You hear...ulp!" Zal says and then before your eyes a scaled green claw covers her mouth and another holds a dagger to her throat. You also notice a long tail wrapped around one of her legs and a pair of glinting reptilian eyes shine behind her. "NO! WAIT! SCALES! I have something for you! Don't kill her!" you shout and take off your pack in haste while still trying to eye on Zal who looks like she's trying to remain as calm as she can under the circumstances. You pull out the two large pieces of the egg and then hold them out. Scales' moves forward a bit with Zal still in his clutches. His eyes briefly stare at the egg and then fixate on you again. You can't tell if he's angry or what, all you do know is his stare doesn't put you at ease. Suddenly, Scales slashes Zal's neck open and throws her body aside like a rag doll and before you can even shout out he's grabbed your hands causing the egg pieces to fall to the ground. As you feel the claws dig into your flesh and Scales give you the predatory stare, all you can think about is how Zal is dead, but you also realize if you're going to get out of this alive, you're going to have to continue to talk because it's very obvious that you're not fighting your way out of this or running. "Scales! Please, all we wanted to do is return this egg to you. Edmond is dead. We weren't following his orders or anything like that. We were going to ask for help, but it's obvious that you want to be alone. I will go back and never bother you again. You have my word." Scales briefly looks down at the egg pieces and then back to you. His head turns a bit as if he's studying you, then his grip on your hands releases, allowing you to slowly pull them back towards your body. Scales then crouches down and starts inspecting the egg pieces. You take this as an opportunity to leave and you back away into the darkness, not even taking your lantern. You have no idea how the hell you're going to safely cross back over that crumbling walkway, but that's going to have to be another struggle for later. You turn around and as quick as you can in the darkness put some distance between you and Scales. You don't look back, though you soon find that you don't need to because you hear a noise followed by a great whipping force hitting one of your legs which takes you off your feet. You hit the ground, but you don't stay there for long because clawed hands soon pick you up. You struggle for one of your daggers, but this is met by what you can only imagine are teeth sinking into your arm. You scream out as Scales sharp teeth not only rip your flesh, but also break bone. You are thrown to the ground again and then Scales pounces on top of you. You can only see his eyes in this darkness, but it's the last thing you're ever going to see. "Thank you warm blood, but can't let you leave. Might bring othersss. If dead, people continue to ssstay away. Need peace." You hear a reptilian voice hiss and then a set of jaws go to for your throat.

[Themes: fantasy, anti-hero, fantasy] Year 21 "The Bloody Smiles are lead by a vicious bandit calling himself the Grinning Man. Nobody has gotten a really good look at him as most don't survive his attacks, but based on this crude sketch, I implore anyone seeing him to run and contact Klyton militia immediately! This man and his band of cutthroats have been plaguing the roads and the surrounding area for years and hopefully now that his identity is known..." You suddenly receive one of the many sketches a concerned citizen is handing out. You take one look at the sketch as you walk away from the crowd and shake your head. "Doesn't even look like that asshole." You say and toss it in a nearby bin. Jake's job has really been doing the trick as far as distracting the Klyton militia, though maybe it's been going a little too well. You suggested that Tom to pull him back from this two years ago, but predictably he never did. Zalmora and Vaughn returned pretty quickly after this plan went into action, though in Zal's case it seemed to be more because she wanted to get back into regular burglary again. Vaughn said he couldn't deal with Jake anymore and was getting too crazy. Now, he's given himself a nickname, gone on to call his group the Bloody Smiles and doesn't report back to Tom for months. When he does, he just sends one of the newer Talons with some goods and loot. While Tom as usual is taking a laid back approach to this figuring as long as he's still sending shit back then everything is good, you question whether Jake is even thinking about the Talons anymore. Meanwhile, you've been more or less successful in building up the Talon's numbers. Not as much as you'd like, but since you're the only one doing it, it is what it is. Despite all this extra help however, it's not being utilized properly. Most of it is being sent to help Jake as his numbers get whittled down every now and then and that's really a waste you believe. The ones you insist on keeping around to train are fewer in number and you're also the only one bothering to train them properly. You never thought you'd be in that sort of position. Occasionally Zal and Vaughn help out, but it's mostly fallen on you. Basically, it's a case where the opportunity to expand is there, but once again Tom is failing to pull the trigger on it. You should be setting up another underground fighting pit, setting up gambling dens or even running a protection racket. Something needs to be done about Jake because the Crimson Talons can't proceed if half of the members aren't even Talons anymore and have declared allegiance to another leader. "Something has to be done about Jake." You remark. "Like what?" Vaughn asks. "I dunno, but Tom can't just sit on his ass anymore about it. Jake hasn't done it yet, but it's only a matter of time before he splits off from the Crimson Talons altogether and takes half of our members that were assigned out there with him. Ideally we could just tell him to come home and his purpose out there is no longer necessary, but I doubt if he'll listen." "So...what? You just going to go in there and tell Tom what he needs to do?" Zalmora asks. "Someone needs to tell him something! As I remember it was me who told him to start changing shit up last time too." "That's true, but doesn't that sort of mean you're sort of responsible of what's going on with Jake? Pretty sure that's what Tom will point out as well." Vaughn says. You're about to tell Vaughn to shut the hell up when Zalmora interrupts. "While you have some good ideas as usual, honestly, I'm not sure why anything needs to be done about him. I say if Jake has split from the Crimson Talons, well that's more for us." Zalmora remarks. "Actually that's LESS for us since he won't even be sending his cut anymore." You say. "Maybe in the short term, but you're not thinking long term. The militia hasn't been as much of a problem in the city for us because they've been focused mainly on catching Jake and the rest. That gives us a little more freedom to expand like you said. Hell, now that Jake has foolishly started to give his group their own name, they aren't even directly connected to the Talons anymore." "So? If he gets caught he could still blab his mouth about our secret hideout." "Jake's a lot of things, but he ain't no rat. Chances are they won't even take him in alive anyway." "Okay, so maybe Jake's no rat, but what about some of others with him? I mean sure, we've all stressed how important loyalty is to the new recruits, but if Jake's gained their trust somehow, then they're loyal to him not to the Talons and they aren't going to think twice about ratting us out to save their own skin." "Hmm, you might have a point there." Vaughn says. "Look, all I'm saying is Jake not causing shit for us in the city and running around out there like a mad man is better for us. If he's gone, then the militia is just going to refocus more of their attention on the city again. I mean maybe it might be best to make it an official break up. Let Jake know he can go his way and we go ours. Might diffuse any potential problems with Jake. Dunno if Tom will be into that though." Zalmora says. "That's true too." Vaughn remarks. You rub your hands through your hair. "I dunno. Maybe. Something still needs to be brought up to Tom though." You say. "Oh I agree with you on that. It is time to give him a little push again." Zalmora remarks. "Well? Aren't either of you coming in with me?" you ask. "Um...I hadn't planned to. I mean it sounds like you've got this under control on what to discuss. I think me being there is just going to look like we're ganging up on him." Vaughn says. "Yeah. And as you know, Tom has never been fond of me. So I would be more of a detriment. Just go in and talk to him, you did fine last time remember?" Zalmora says nudging into you a bit. "(Sigh) Why do I feel like I'm the only one who cares about this organization?" "Hey! That's not even true! I just gave you my fucking thoughts on the situation didn't I? You bring up whatever you want to Tom. I'm sure everything will work out fine, he likes you after all." And with that, Zal and Vaughn leave to let you go speak with Tom. You swear you never thought the day would come where you would be known as the "diplomat." You guess your sister's charm rubbed off on you just a little bit. You sometimes wonder how she's doing. Probably better than you are at any rate. Mentally preparing yourself, you head to Tom's office, though when you think more about it, you don't know why you're mentally preparing yourself. It isn't like Tom's going to even threaten to kill you if he doesn't agree with what you have to say. At this point you're practically his second in command anyway and you're still baffled by this since you haven't been here nearly as long, though you suppose with all these new folks coming in, you are starting to become a "vet" as it were. "Hey Tom." You say entering his office. "Hey kid, any new blood you need me to check out and make a final decision on?" "Uh, no not today. I wanted to speak with you about another matter...it's about Jake." Tom's head drops down briefly with a deep sigh and then he looks up. "Yeah...I figured it might be getting close to dealing with that situation. Trust me, I HAVE been giving some thought to it, even though I'd rather not." Tom says. "Well I'm afraid something is going to have to be done about him. You can't just have a divided organization with half of it's members calling themselves something else and primarily pledging allegiance to another leader." You say. "Maybe it isn't that bad! I mean he's still providing a share of the loot to us right?" Tom says hopefully. "Perhaps, but think how much longer the intervals are starting to get, not to mention how much is he actually holding back? How long before he just stops sending altogether? No, we have to do something." "Are you suggesting an attack? Because while I know around where he's currently located, I'm not entirely sure of the exact area. He may have even moved since he has to do that a lot anyway. Fairly certain not only would he have the advantage, but even if we win, we're going to suffer heavy losses which sort of defeats the purpose." "I was thinking more of a stealthy assassination." "And you're going to do that?" "I could try. Maybe I could take a few others with me to help." "No offense kid, but even if he didn't have half our numbers with him and you had help I don't think you could take Jake. Jake is the best fighter we have and he's probably only gotten better since being out there. I'm not risking anyone in a foolish assassination attempt, let alone an internal conflict. Although...no...that's not an option..." Tom says trailing off. "What? What is it?" "Well...if we DID go this route, and I'm not saying we are. I know a few outside folks that might be able to do it without problems. Damn, I just wish there was a less messy way of handling this." "(Sigh) Well I hate to bring this up, but I have thought of a diplomatic solution which might be possible." You say. "Oh?" You explain to Tom about a potential split with Jake altogether and just letting him go his own way since he seems happier anyway. Tom isn't too fond of the idea since it no longer means gaining a cut of Jake's looting profits, but he's not outright dismissing it. In fact out of all the options, Tom still seems to think the best plan is to do nothing. At this point, you're wondering why you're bothering. > Diplomacy Well Zalmora was correct last time with her advice, and you have been on a roll with the whole talking thing lately. Jake would probably jump at the chance to split off from the gang at this point and make his own way. You explain to Tom in greater detail about how this could be beneficial. Tom is still reluctant on this idea, but as Zal has mentioned several time before, Tom seems to like and trust you so he agrees to your plan. "So, are you going to be the one to speak with Jake? Because it sure isn't going to be me. That asshole has gone completely barmy and I'm not risking my life if he's feeling a little blood thirsty." Tom says. "Yeah, but I think I should probably have Zal with me." "While I guess he could be more willing to listen with his fuck buddy there, but aren't YOU her fuck buddy now? Not really a secret, and far be it from me to question your taste in women, but I'm not sure if Jake is going to be exactly pleased to see you anyway, let alone if you're with his former squeeze." "I never got the impression it was serious." "That shit doesn't matter with Jake, you know that. He'll just be looking for an excuse to cut your throat. In fact, I think you've got the right idea sending Zal to speak with him, but I don't think you should be there at all." Tom might have a point there. A really good point actually though he's probably got the added idea that if shit goes wrong with Jake, then Zal will just be the one who suffers. "Yeah, I guess. What if Zal refuses though?" "She ain't got a fucking choice. She's going and you're staying. Last time I remember, I was the boss around here and have the final say." Tom says with a bit more authority than you're used to. "Alright, fine. I'll inform her...I have to ask though. How come you don't like Zal?" "Because she's an underhanded manipulator." "Why not just get rid of her then?" "Because I don't deny her skills as a thief and she's very capable in that regard. The fact is, she wants more power, but for whatever reason she doesn't want the actual position of being the boss. I assume it's because then she'd actually have a target on her back. No, much safer to just stand in the shadows and criticize and play mini-puppeteer...sort of like what she's doing with you." "Zal is not manipulating me." "Oh no? You don't think that this little idea that you came up with isn't some shit she whispered in your ear? Contrary to popular belief around here, I'm not the damn fool people seem to think I am. You don't think she hasn't tried her little feminine wiles on me long before you showed up and got me out that cage? So since this is probably all her idea, SHE can be the one to do it!" You don't think you've ever seen Tom quite so angry before, or at least extremely annoyed. Not wishing for this to get worse, you back away and leave Tom's office. You soon meet up with Zal. "So, how did it go with Tom?" Zalmora asks. "He says he wants you to go talk with Jake and making a formal split about there being no hard feelings and such." You say. "Hm. I see. And you're not going to be there at all?" "Tom says he wants me here. Says you'd be better for the job seeing as you have a past with Jake and how he hates me." "Well...I suppose I can see the logic in that. (Sigh) Very well, I suppose I can do it. I guess it was sort of my idea in the first place. Guess I better get that old bottle of absinium. Jake's gonna want a peace offering...and probably something else. Just hope he doesn't pass out like he always does. Ugh." "Zal, you shouldn't have to go do this if you don't want to. Why don't I go instead or we can go together?" Zal smiles at you and pats you on the face a couple times. "That's sweet dear, but if you show up there by yourself, Jake's gonna kill you. If he see both of us there together, he'll probably do worse than kill you. And more importantly he could even kill me, so no you're not going. For once Tom made the right decision even if he's hoping I probably get killed in the process." Zal remarks. "Tom said some pretty interesting things about you." You say. "I'm sure he did and I don't care. I'm sure you can make up your own mind about me. I'm off." "Wait, don't you need to know where Jake even is?" "I know the general area of where he's probably located and I know Jake. He's not going to be hard to find for me. See you later maybe." And with those last words, Zalmora takes her leave of you presumably to go gather a few more items before heading out to seek Jake. You have some mixed feelings about all this, but really this is probably the best way to handle all this. With that plan in motion, it's business as usual in the organization. A week passes and there still isn't any word from Zal. No word from Jake or anyone from the Bloody Smiles either. While it isn't certain that Zal was successful and just stayed or she was killed, what is certain is that enough time has passed that it's pretty clear that the Bloody Smiles are no longer sending anything back to the Crimson Talons. A "clean break" or not, Jake has gone his own way. Tom doesn't seem to care about it anymore. He's not exactly happy, but he seems to have an "oh well" approach and isn't concerning himself with the situation any longer. Almost everyone else in the organization has some thoughts on the matter and most of them aren't good. A lot of folks are just planning to go find Jake and follow him instead, a few have just mentioned going independent. Still others have mentioned maybe it's time for new leadership within the Crimson Talons. You're more in favor of ousting Tom. After all you've been putting most of the major effort into this organization, while Tom doesn't seem to give a shit at all and you don't see why he should be running things if that's the case. Not to mention, he's the one that sucks, why should you leave? It doesn't take long before you, Vaughn and a few others confront Tom in his office. He's pretty surprised. "Um, has something come up?" Tom asks. "Yeah, you're stepping down as head of Crimson Talons. You're no longer fit to lead." You say. "Oh, is that right? And who is? You?" "This organization could do worse." You answer. "Pfft, not much worse." Tom says. "Why are we still talking, let's just gut this old asshole and get on with it." Camid, one of the younger members shouts. "Gut him? I thought we were just removing him from power." Vaughn remarks. "Well how the hell did you think we were going to do that Vaughn? We can't just let this asshole walk away! That's what HE did with Jake and the rest! And that's why he's a pussy leader. We do the same thing and we're pussies too!" Camid remarks. "Just because the man's a pussy doesn't mean we need to kill the guy." "Oh big surprise coming from someone who takes dick like a pussy." Camid shouts. Vaughn's temper at this point starts to rise at Camid's remark and now those two are nearly coming to blows. While you're telling them to shut the hell up and focus, you notice that Tom is getting something out of his desk. It's probably going to be a flintlock pistol. Wasting no time, you leap halfway across Tom's desk in an effort to stop him from pulling out a pistol. You were correct as you manage to grab his hand in the drawer and indeed see it grabbing a pistol. "Let it fucking go!" you say. "Fuck you!" Tom shouts, but instead of struggling for the pistol he instead grabs a sharp quill off his desk and stabs you deep in the eye with it. You scream in agony and roll off the desk clutching you face. Despite the pain and the screaming, you manage to pull the quill out of your destroyed eyeball, which makes a sickening squishy sound. Blood leaks out on your face. By this time however, Tom has gained complete control over the situation and everyone else who was rebelling have stopped doing whatever they were doing and stepped back. "You fuckers think you can take over? You assholes can't even get along with each other! And you, I actually liked you kid, but I can see that I was severely wrong on that front. Y'know if you weren't happy here, you could have just left. I've never held anyone here against their will. But no you had to try this shit, well that ain't happening and now you have to pay. I'm the fucking boss around here and you're the example." And with those last words, Tom makes you an example by shooting you in the other eye. This time the wound is fatal.

[Themes: fantasy, anti-hero] "Ah, here we are, just up these stairs and through that door." Tom says. "And here I was just getting used to walking through shitty water." You say. "Hey, the sewers are the best way to get around the city. The guards don't patrol as much down here and even when they do, they don't patrol certain areas." "Can't say as I blame them, I've been on the verge of puking since we entered your secret tunnel which you neglected to mention was actually a foul forgotten sewer drain entrance." "Hey, this is the business we're in kid. It ain't always convenient and comfortable. Besides you get used to the smell. Come on." Tom and you walk up some stone stairs and Tom bangs on a sturdy looking wooden door. "Hey! It's me! Open up!" Tom shouts, a few moments pass and a scruffy looking man rubbing his head opens the door. "What the fuck you banging on the door like the city watch for? Wait...Tom? What the fuck are you doing here? Weren't you taken to cages?" "Yeah Vaughn, and where the hell were you guys? I thought you were supposed to come get me yesterday!" "The heat was still pretty bad, so we decided to lay low." Tom barges past Vaughn who follows and then you follow both as they continue to talk. You must be above the sewers now though this looks like it might be an abandoned building of some sort so far. It barely looks better than the sewers you just left. You see a few people who you assume are Crimson Talons, but they're either completely passed out or look like in various stages of being drunk or hung over. Bottles of spirits are all over the place and now you're starting to wonder just how "powerful" the Crimson Talons are really supposed to be. "Decided to lay low huh? Looks more like you lot stayed down here, had a party, got liquored up and forgot about me!" Tom remarks. "Now that's just not true! We didn't even spend your cut of the loot! You can even check your room! Nothing's been touched!" "I swear I'm not here for a few days and this place goes to shit. Where's David?" "David? Um...he's dead." "What?! He wasn't even on the job at the time. He was here!" "Yeah, well when the rest of us were coming back from the job, he apparently got into an argument with the boss. A really bad one about how he didn't like the way Edmond was running things. It didn't go well for either of them. Edmond might have been old, but he managed to overpower David and killed him. Unfortunately I guess it was all a bit too much exertion, because the boss died of a heart attack like almost immediately afterwards." "Wait...you're saying the boss is ALSO dead?!" "Yeah. We took both of their bodies to the usual spot if you wanted to say a few things to David..." "I'm sure the rats have stripped both corpses by now...(sigh) so who's the new boss?" "Um, nobody. We haven't really gotten around to figuring it out yet...but hey your name came up as a potential candidate! I don't think anyone else wants the job." At this point you start laughing. "I'm sorry I doubted you Tom. I obviously was way off about not believing that you weren't one of the most important people in this organization." "Who's this asshole?" one of the nearby members asks stirring from his hang over. "Someone who actually helped me out, Jake." Tom says shaking his head at all this new information and just tells you to come with him while he checks his room. Tom's room in this dump isn't quite as bad as the rest of the place. It even looks like he's taken great pains to make it look "neat." After looking through his drawers and small chest, he breathes a sigh of relief. "Well, as shocking as it is. All my stuff is actually still here, even my cut. Glad to see I'm somewhat respected around here." "Yeah, they just forgot to spring you from a cage." "Yeah well, I'm here now." "And so am I. So now what? You brought me here to potentially join your little organization, but so far I'm not really impressed with the organization part. I thought you guys were supposed to be infamous or something." Tom sits down and exhales deeply, rubbing his face. "Yeah, we once were. The truth is, even by the time I got involved with his organization, it was on the decline. Still had the vicious rep at least though, maybe a bit too vicious since it probably encouraged Klyton's crackdowns and tightening up of security. Things just got worse over the years as more skilled members got arrested, killed or just quit for better pastures." Tom explains. "People could just quit? I sort of though joining something like this was a for life type of thing." "It typically is, which is why you can see how much trouble we're in if people can just up and quit! It didn't really help when the Ebony Claw Syndicate showed up here briefly." "Who the hell are they?" "Another criminal outfit. Much larger than us by far. They're based in the Delantium Kingdom, but I believe they have a strong presence in Holgard too. Edmond was an idiot when dealing with them, though I guess that was mainly pride." "What did he do?" "Well the Ebony Claw had heard of the Talons and their problems with Klyton's improved security. However, they also knew of our reputation even if it was a bit tattered at that point. Out of respect, they offered to help the Talons. The deal was we'd still have reign over Klyton, keep our identity and have to access to Ebony Claw resources, but we'd have to give a cut of all the profits we made to them. Not sure what the percentage was, but Edmond wasn't pleased with it. Though like I said, it could have been free and he probably would have turned them down." "So did they cause you a lot damage as well?" "If they did, it wasn't directly. Their representative just left and we haven't heard anything from them since. Despite never seeing any signs of the Claw again, Edmond got even more paranoid than he already was. Started organizing riskier jobs and accepting anyone who was desperate enough to join. He was convinced we were going to have to deal with the Claw again so we needed to be prepared. All that ultimately happened was with all the new unskilled people we got sloppier and caused even more heat to bear down on us and well, this is what we're reduced to today." Sheesh, this is pretty damn depressing. It's almost enough to make you rethink your own career choice. Almost. At this point Tom stands up. "Shit, I have no idea what comes next. If I was smart I suppose I'd get out. Of course if I was smart, I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place." Tom says. "Can't you just start over elsewhere?" you ask. "I thought about heading to Hessla, but that place is overrun by pirates nowadays. Spending days at sea isn't exactly my thing. Nah, Klyton's my home and for better or worse I'm staying here." "So are you taking over the Talons as boss?" "I dunno, I never really thought of myself as a leader since it seems like a lot of headache, but I suppose out of all of us that are left, I do have the most experience and years on my side. I suppose given that my face is more well known now due to being thrown in a cage by the city watch, being the boss has appeal since I won't have to risk going out in public as much. I guarantee if I get nicked again, it'll probably be the death penalty. Well anyway what're your plans? You still interested in joining or is that a silly question?" Not too silly though since despite the deplorable state the Crimson Talons are in, you sort of wonder about the potential. Before you though maybe if you joined such an organization, you'd probably be considered just another low ranking flunky. However through barely any effort on your part, you may have just secured a high ranking position in the organization by helping out the new leader of it. You think if you joined and made a go of it, you'd at least have a lot of input. Who knows, maybe the organization will get back on its feet. If it did, you'd be even better off. Of course this is going to be a lot of work and you are still new. While Tom might like you, the other members may see you as an upstart. Getting a knife in the back from a bunch of folks who are supposed to be watching it is a real possibility. You might be better off going off on your own. > You stay independent Staying with the Crimson Talons, just seems like a bunch of trouble waiting to happen. They're disorganized, their new leader is some guy that YOU had to rescue, they're obviously on the hit list of the authorities here and you aren't getting the impression that they're going to be your style. "So... Tom I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm going to stay on my own." You say. "I figured. Can't really blame you, though I am disappointed since I think not only would you be an asset, but I think you might have learned a few things yourself. It might not seem like it, but some of the folks here are pretty good at their craft." "Yeah, well maybe another time...so we're good I trust?" "Yeah we're good...actually here's something for your rescue effort. It would be more, but well as you can see, a bit down on fortune at the moment." Tom says handing you a few gold coins from a pouch. Tom at this point walks with you to entrance back to the sewer where he gives you directions to the next closest exit to the city streets from there. He then mentions a few cheap inns in the area you should end up in. "Now I don't think I need to tell you, that I'd like to keep our hideout a secret." Tom says. "Sure, secret's safe with me. Not like I got anyone to tell anyway." "Good, because I'm sure you realize that it would be bad for you if you did rat on us to anyone." Tom says in a tone that's slightly more hostile than he's been towards you. "Hey, I ain't no rat." You proclaim. "Of course not. Well good luck kid, wherever your endeavors take you." Tom says and with that you exit the hideout and the door slams behind you leaving you back in the sewers. "(Sigh) Back in the shit. Well at least I'm a little richer this time. Okay, I think he said this way..." And so begins your life in Klyton... > Time passes... Year 17 "Yeah, yeah, here's the rent." You say handing over a few silvers to Trobart. The innkeeper takes the silver and gives you a scornful look. "Bout fucking time! You're always late! And don't think I don't know how you get this!" Trobart says. "Of course you know how I get this, but it doesn't stop you from taking the money anyway, you mean old bastard." You answer. "Watch yer, fuckin' tongue! One word from me, and the militia would take your ass in quick!" "Pfft, yeah right. You call the militia and they'd probably shut this whole place down. You're selling booze without a license in the basement and one of your rooms is being used by an unlicensed whore." "Fuck you cunt face!" Trobart shouts and stomps off. You just shake your head at the old man's misplaced anger. You head to your room with no more distractions, and then wearily sit on your shitty straw mattress and count what's left of your ill-gotten loot. Enough to eat for a few days. Granted this hasn't been the best month, but you swear you thought you'd be doing a lot better than this by now. This city unfortunately though is proving a lot more vigilant than you'd like. You certainly aren't in Teckleville anymore. What's really not helping is the Crimson Talons running around carelessly committing clumsy burglaries and heists and bringing the militia down even harder on everything. You're sort of glad you didn't join up with them now, because at this rate, the militia is probably going to track them down and execute the lot of them. Still, that doesn't solve your current problem. Part of you wonders if maybe you should just move on from this city, but you really loathe the idea of travelling again and you aren't sure where you'd go. Hessla maybe? While you're pondering your possible future here, you get a knock on the door. "Heeeeey youngster! (hic!) You got any spare....coppers fer the faith?" Great, it's that drunken priest that has a room across from you. You thought the men of Joachim were supposed to be into purity and restraint. If you didn't know any better, you'd think Joachim was the god of alcohol and hopeless drunks based on this guy's behavior and actions. "No and I told you to stop bothering me Virgil! Don't you have a collection box you can pilfer booze money from?" you shout. "Yeah...but no...but I got some (hic) news..." Virgil answers. "Yeah, I already know about Joachim's blessed light. You tried to tell me about it the first time I came here and you nearly threw up on me in the process." "I did? Geez, sorry son...but this is different! (hic) Some...somebody..." "Somebody what?" "Somebody was lookin' fer ya." Well that peaked your interest. "Oh?" you answer. "Yeah...(hic)." "Hold on." You say and go answer the door. No sooner have you opened the door when the odor of Virgil hits you full force. You immediately cover your nose and mouth. "Shit, Virgil. When the hell was the last time you washed? You fucking smell worse than a troll's ass. Granted I've never smelled a troll's ass, but I think it's a safe bet you smell worse than one." You say. "Guess again. Hahahahahahaha! (hic) So can ya spare a copper?" "Maybe, so what's all this about someone looking for me?" "Oh, that. Yeah, this big guy. I mean not like ogre big, but just human big ya know? Old guy too. (hic) I mean not as old as that asshole who own this place, but probably around my age." "Well that's still fucking old then, aren't you like seventy?" "Fuck you. I'll have you know I'm in my forties...I think...yeah..." "Okay, so big guy in his forties was looking for me. What did he want?" Of course NOW Virgil decides to be uncooperative. "No! No! Fuck you, I'm not tellin' you shit now. (hic) Who...who...what do you think I am some kinda asshole fer you to abuse? Callin' me seventy fuckin' years old. I oughta kick yer ass in the name of Joachim! Yer lucky I'm a man of faith...(hic)" At this point Virgil mumbles and stumbles away, bumps into the door to his room and then after a few tries he finally gets it open and slams it behind him. You suppose you could always ask him again later when he's feeling less feisty. He will have likely forgotten all about your so-called insult later, of course he probably will have forgotten about the guy looking for you too. You close the door and think on who he could have been talking about. Your dad? Dad's not a big guy though and you honestly doubt if he would bother to come look for you. Maybe it was Tom from the Crimson Talons? You can't imagine what he'd want to see you directly for though. You'd imagine if he were trying to recruit you again he'd send an underling to invite you to see him. Tom wasn't a huge guy either; of course given that Virgil is on the short and scrawny side, he probably thinks you're a big guy too. Other than those two, you're drawing a blank. It's a little concerning that some big guy is looking for you though. You hear another knock on the door. "Virgil?" you ask. "No, it's Randi. I got some information that you might want to know." A woman's voice says Randi is the red headed whore that lives down the hall. Unusual that she'd seek you out, since she's snotty with you at the best of times. You guess it's because you turned down her overly aggressive offer the first time you stepped into this inn. You answer the door and she's as scuzzy as ever. You feel like you're catching something just by standing this close to her. "Okay, so what's this information? Because if it's some big guy that was looking for me, I already know because Virgil told me." You say. "Oh? Well did he tell you what this big guy wanted too?" Randi asks. "No." "You'll want to know then." "...Well?" "Well what?" "(Sigh) I know you're not used to hearing this, but spit it out! Tell me what this guy wanted." "I'm not your fucking secretary. You want to know, you need to pay, ten silvers." "Ten fucking silvers? You don't charge that much for a blowjob!" "Yeah well if you want a blowjob, then you can pay half that price, but if you want to know what that guy wanted, it's ten silvers." While you're wondering who this guy is and why he's looking for you, you're not exactly keen on giving away most of your hard earned money to some whore who you're not even fucking. "Yeah well go find two dicks to suck then, because you're not getting ten silver from me." You say and shut the door on Randi who shouts some obscenities at you from the hallway. You'll just remain alert and keep an eye out this guy looking for you. Remain on your guard too, since you still don't know if this man means you harm or not. Hopefully Virgil can tell you something later. You might have to offer a couple coppers, but it's far cry from ten silvers. For now though you decide to get some sleep after your long night of thievery. As your lids get heavier, you think on where you could ply your trade with a little more ease and a lot more loot. The rich areas are well patrolled, the government district is well patrolled, the merchant district is well patrolled, and the poor areas are...still patrolled and the folks don't have shit. It suddenly occurs to you that you've never really tried the university district of the city. Might be worth a look, after all it should be filled with stupid rich kids not aware of their surroundings and the Talons don't seem to go running around there, so there might be less heat. Later... You wake up midday. After getting yourself ready for today's endeavors, you knock on Virgil's door, but there is no answer. He's either still asleep or he's out collecting donations for Joachim. Probably the latter considering you didn't contribute to his booze fund. You leave the Welcome Mat Inn, though a little more cautiously than usual. Nobody seems to be approaching or giving you suspicious looks though. Still, wishing to keep a low profile, you stick to the back streets as much as possible and eventually when you get to the better part of town, you catch a coach for your remaining trip to the university. By the time you arrive, the day is beginning to end, but you soon find that the university is still fairly active. After a few hours of just scouting and walking around, it's much like you figured. A lot of scholarly types with their noses in books and rich kids that do a lot of partying. The dorms have security, but oddly not as much as one might think. You find that despite being dressed in your lower class clothing, nobody is really giving you a second glance. It might be due to your youth though; you probably just look like a struggling student. Wasn't like your dad was exactly rich when he attended this place either. It occurs to you how strange it is to be at the university at all. You never thought you'd ever "attend" your dad's old place of higher learning. You're sure at one time he had hopes you would, but it probably wasn't under these circumstances. Out of curiosity you pay a visit to the section to where the medical school is located. Seems weird that your father spent so much money and time putting himself through the place while you're here basically casing it. You're not that well versed in the value of medical supplies and drugs, but you figure the Crimson Talons could be willing to fence whatever you bring. Hell, you probably could just sell the stuff yourself. You know more than enough folks in your area that bitch about not being able to afford shit from the local apothecary, let alone proper medicine. Of course since this is your first time here, you're still getting used to all the twisting corridors that this university seems to favor. You end up stepping into a class in session a couple times, before stumbling upon an unattended supply room where you pilfer various bottles of pills and liquids. When you attempt to leave the facility, you go in the direction where you think you came from, but soon find that you made a wrong turn somewhere. Somehow you manage to find yourself in what you think must be an office area since you see various doors with names on them. (All of them with "Dr." in front) As you're passing one, the door opens and you find yourself face to face with an older woman with gray hair. "Hey. You here about the job?" the woman asks. "Huh? What?" you answer. "I put out several announcements around campus for an escort job. Hmmm....you don't look like a warrior and you're a little young. You one of those students over from the magic college?" "Um, no actually, I just got lost. I'm trying to find my way out of this place." "Lost? What were you doing here in the first place?" "Well my father used to go here and I..." "Wait a minute...you do you look a little familiar. What's your father's name?" You tell this woman your father's name and she instantly lights up. "Hah! I knew it. You look a lot like your father. He was in my microbiology class when I used to teach it. Did very well too. How he doing?" the woman asks. "Oh he's doing fine uh Miss...umm..." you reply "Oh I go by Dr. Gossey and nowadays I focus purely on zoology and the biology of the creatures and animals that live in our fascinating world! So are you a student here too and trying to follow in your dad's footsteps?" "Something like that I suppose. I'm actually just checking out my options right now. You know, to see what I might be interested in." "Good. Good. Glad to see a young person thinking about their future. Hey, would you consider yourself to be an adventurous spirit?" "I suppose in some ways I am." "Well I've got a job that needs doing and I don't have time to do it myself and I'd rather not send my assistant there by herself. You familiar with qweepas?" "Aren't they some really ugly oversized rats?" "In simple terms basically, but they're much more than that. They're actually much more intelligent than the average rat. They aren't even native to the continent, but a lot of them over the years have undoubtedly snuck aboard Hessla pirate ships and now they're slowly starting to gain a foothold as a pest on the coast. One can only imagine how far they will have spread in another ten years." "So what is it that you need exactly?" "I need someone to go into Hessla or around that area with my assistant and get me some live specimens. About ten should do. Like I said, I'd send my assistant alone, but I know how dangerous Hessla is especially for a single female, so it would be better if someone went with her." "So, am I just to be there as hired muscle?" "Yes, though as I noticed before, you don't seem to be a physical type...not to say you aren't well proportioned for a young man your age, it's just I was hoping to get a taker from the gladiator team or someone of similar intimidating size. I only mentioned this at all to you because for one, I haven't had anyone else come in as strange as that may be. And two I knew your father. I figured it wouldn't be polite to not offer his son a chance to earn some money towards his education goals, whatever they may be. You could even get a jump start on potential class credits." This is getting a little strange, but you might as well ask. "So what's this job pay then?" you ask. "Thirty gold pieces upon completion." Dr. Gossey replies. "And all I have to do is escort your assistant?" "Yes, and make sure the qweepa specimens get here alive. Those are very important to my research. My assistant will have everything else required for this job and the trip will essentially be completely paid for." "Do you need a decision now?" "Well it would be nice, but I understand if you need to think on it. Hessla isn't a safe place and knowing your father, I'm sure he wanted better for you and you grew up in a protected environment and are probably less familiar with handling folks with a more criminal mentality." Dr. Gossey's assessment of you nearly makes you laugh. While this is technically a "real" job, you can't say you aren't totally unopposed to performing it. Thirty gold is certainly better than what you've done in most weeks since your time here and it would give you a chance to go to Hessla for free. Maybe see if things are potentially more lucrative over there. > You take the job What the hell, it might make for an interesting change of pace. "I'll take the job." You say. "You will? Are you sure?" Dr. Gossey asks. "Yes, and you don't need to worry about me. I'm not unfamiliar with the seedier elements of life." "Hmm, yes I suppose there is no way of completely distancing yourself from such things. I'm glad you're worldlier than you appear since I fear my assistant is a bit sheltered. Well, I suppose sheltered isn't quite the right word, more like disconnected from reality on these matters. Elana's a good student, but as I said, I fear if she went to Hessla by herself, she'd say something to the wrong person and soon find herself sold into sex slavery or something similar. Anyway, just make sure you get those Qweepas safe and sound here." "Is there some sort of place that sells them or something in Hessla?" "I don't know, I just know that they are common enough there to be a problem. Whether that means you buy them or catch them, makes no difference. As I said, that's going to be Elana's primary concern, but obviously if you can help in that matter too, it would be greatly appreciated." "Okay, so when does this job begin?" "Well since you agreed to it already, say in three days? You'll meet Elana at the carriage station in the morning. You'll recognize her by her tan skin, long curly brown hair, a large pack for the trip no doubt and she'll probably be a bit too well dressed for the occasion." "Okay, hope I don't miss her." "I'll be sure to give her your description as well and insist that she not leave until she finds you." "Sounds good to me. I'll meet your assistant then." Dr. Gossey goes on to thank you and exclaim that she's glad you came along when you did and hopes you have a safe and productive trip. She also gives you directions of how to get out of the medical school, since you were lost in the first place. When you exit the medical school, you decide to call it a night and head home since you figure if you need to get up in the morning in three days, then you're going to have "fix" your internal clock again so you don't over sleep. When you finally get back to the neighborhood, you revert back your cautious ways until you finally enter the Welcome Mat and your room. You manage to make it without being accosted by any of its denizens this time. You spend tomorrow mostly "taking the day off." You go get something to eat a few times, but that's about it. You still don't see Virgil, but you do have a vague feeling that someone is watching you every time you leave the damn inn. On the second day of one these food trips, one of the local food merchants who doesn't normally make much small talk, breaks that habit when you're looking over the fruit cart. "Hey, some big guy was looking for you yesterday." The merchant remarks. "So I've heard. Got a better description than that?" you ask. "Uh, sort of a bushy beard, but the rest of his face was obviously pretty weathered. Shaved head. Probably in his forties or fifties, but still pretty fit. Carried a pack with him, but no weapons. Well at least none out in the open. Said to tell you that he'd carrying an important message for you from your family and that it's very urgent that you meet him at the Raggedy Man Inn." "Hmmm, and that's it?" "As far as I know." "Thanks. I'll just be taking these today." You say and pay the merchant for your food before leaving. Well that was way more productive than asking Virgil. It's all a little sinister now that you have a little more information though. Why the hell wouldn't a simple courier just meet you at the inn you're staying at? You suppose it's possible he doesn't know, but if he's already spoken to Randi or Virgil, one of them has no doubt blabbed already. At least Randi probably did. You don't know much about the Raggedy Man inn except it's in an even worse part of Klyton than you already stay at. Klyton might have militia patrols marching all over the place, but they're still lax in certain areas. Makes you a bit wary that a large man wants to meet you there. You can't imagine your father or mother would send someone like that, let alone want him to meet you under HIS conditions. Your sister maybe? Possible you suppose, but you're skeptical. In any case, you're not meeting this guy unless he comes directly to you and when that happens. You're going to be... "Heeeeeeey! Youngster! You got some coppers fer the (hic!) faith?" Virgil suddenly says as you step into the Welcome Mat. He's obviously forgotten his outrage at you. Fortunately he may have even remembered to take your advice about washing last time since he smells half way decent this time. "Actually I do Virgil, but I need a favor from you." You say. "Sure...sure! I've always liked ya son! (hic!) You need Joachim's blessin?" "No, no, nothing like that. I just need you to relay a message. Remember that big guy looking for me?" "....Oh YEAH! Yeah! I remember him! Hey he was lookin' fer you...yesterday...said he wants you to..." Virgil starts to say before you interrupt. "Good, good, I want you to tell him, the next time he sees you that I left for Holgard." "Huh? You're movin?" "Something like that, but I want you to tell him okay? Don't forget." you say and hand Virgil a few coppers. "K...well Jochim's blessin' on ya if yer leaving then. You always were one of da (hic!) good ones." Virgil pats you on the back and then stumbles off. You return to your room and as an added pre-caution, you put a chair against the door. You have no idea how you're going to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow, but you're going to try... And you fail. You get a couple hours in before you wake up and can't go back to sleep. Seeing as you aren't going to get any more sleep, you pack your stuff and decide to leave your room in the middle of night and just head to the carriage station early. You don't really know when Elana is going to show up there anyway, so you might not even have to wait that long. On your way there, you half think you're being followed the entire time, so you do a lot of back tracking and take side streets until you reach your destination. You've never been to the carriage station before, but it's mostly empty right now. Still, it's well lit and there are a few militiamen stomping around. You never thought you'd be happy about that! You find a bench and wait. Soon, you start to get a little sleepy again despite your attempts at still trying to stay awake. You also start to wonder if it wouldn't be better to just stay in Hessla when you get there. "I oughta just go meet this guy and stab him in the face like I did with Klint..." you mutter to yourself. Later... "Hey! Wake up! We have to get a move on! (Sigh) I told Dr. Gossey I didn't need an escort." You hear a voice exclaim while some hands shove your shoulders a few times. You groggily open your eyes and realize you're in a much more horizontal position from when you first closed your eyes. After getting the blurriness out, you see a finely dressed woman with tan skin and long curly hair before you. "Elana?" you ask. "Yes! And you're the escort Dr. Gossey hired I presume. You ARE aren't you? I'd hate to think I just woke up some random sleeping bum." Elana answers. "Yes, the doctor hired me. How long have I been asleep?" "How should I know? All I do know is I had to load this carriage up myself. I thought YOU would be helping! Anyway, we have to get going, hurry up!" "Okay, okay, I'm ready, let's get in the carriage." "Wait. YOU are not going in the carriage." "What? Then where the hell am I supposed to be?" "You ride up top with the driver. I have some studying to do on the way and I don't want you disturbing me. Besides, if you're supposed to keeping an eye out for danger, you'll do it better from there anyway." It's too damn early in the morning to deal with this, so you decide not to and just go over to the carriage and climb up to where the driver is. He nods and greets you. "So are we ready to go?" the driver asks you. "Come on let's go!" Elana shouts from inside the carriage. "Well you heard the lady." You say. And with that, you're on your way out of Klyton and on the road to Hessla. Right now though you're just trying to adjust your eyes to all the damn sunlight. It's been awhile since you've been up this early. You watch the countryside pass by as the horses travel at a good pace. So far no trouble yet. You look behind you and see the supplies on the roof of the carriage and something you didn't notice right behind you and the driver. A blunderbuss. "Guess that's for when bandits attack?" you ask the driver. "Huh? Oh that? I suppose so. Honestly though, haven't had any problems in all the years I've driven this route. Still, I keep it loaded just in case." The driver replies. "Never?" "Nope. Never even had any problems in Hessla, despite its reputation. A lot of people think its some anarchic pirate paradise, but the place is probably just as orderly as Klyton. The Governor of Hessla has his own personal security force called the Headsmen to patrol the place. They're a lot more draconian than the militia too. Usually they just execute offenders on the spot without trial." "Really?" "Sure. I mean yeah without them then the place might be a little more lawless like it was in the past, but nowadays? You're just as safe from getting mugged there as you would in Klyton. Hell, maybe even more so given that Klyton has the Crimson Talons running around." "Hmm, yeah." Well this sucks. Already you're finding out that Hessla isn't the place you imagined it was. It's kind of why you took most of your important belongings with you just in case you decided to ditch the job and just stay in Hessla. "Driver! Slow down! The ride is too bumpy and I can't focus on my reading!" Elana shouts while banging inside the carriage. A few moments later... "Driver! Speed up! I'd like to get Hessla sometime this month! And YOU up there, I hope you're doing your job and keeping a look out!" Then again, Hessla might not be that bad, if you already had a bit of coin to throw around while you assessed the opportunities there. You think that there is probably a good amount of supplies here on the carriage you could sell. Let alone the horses and carriage themselves. The driver doesn't exactly look like a fighter and might even have a few coins to his name. And most importantly, Elana probably is carrying a purse full of coin for this trip. Wouldn't take much to just grab the blunderbuss and hijack this whole carriage. > You hijack the carriage Yeah, you're done with Klyton, and this whole job attempt... You reach for the blunderbuss and upon grasping it, the carriage hits a bump in the road, which temporarily causes you to teeter and sway. Unfortunately this is enough time to allow the driver to realize what you're attempting to do. He doesn't even say anything he just lets go of the horse reins and elbows you in the face though it isn't enough to drop the firearm. He then attempts to take his blunderbuss back. You struggle with the driver until he realizes he isn't strong enough to take it from you. Just as you're about to yank it completely away, the driver lets go and you pull so hard you lose balance. The driver then takes advantage of this by pushing you off the carriage. You fall off the carriage with the blunderbuss still in hand, and land hard on your back, but luckily still out of the way of the carriage wheels. However, upon you impact with the ground, your hand was around the trigger of the blunderbuss, which you accidently pulled. The shrapnel hits back wheel of the carriage and shatters a portion of it. The carriage manages to continue for a second before the back wheel's structure is completely destroyed and soon the carriage tips over on its side. The horses drag the carriage a bit longer, before the harness breaks and they're free of the wreck. Meanwhile you're partially watching from the distance and still wincing in pain from falling. You didn't break anything, but your back hurts like hell. As quick as you can walk, you make your way over to the tipped over carriage. You're fairly certain the driver had to have fallen off. If he didn't die, you're going to finish the job. You aren't sure about Elana, chances are she's alive and still in the carriage, but if she insists on getting mouthy like she's been with you before, you'll teach her a lesson too. When you finally get within the area of the carriage you see some of the supplies scattered all over the road and the body of the driver. He's face down and not moving. You go over to check by prodding him with the blunderbuss and he's still not moving. Looks like he probably broke his neck. While you're inspecting the driver, you hear rustling in the carriage, along with some groans. Looks like Elana lived. If she wants to continue living, she better comply. You go over to the sideways carriage, climb on top it and open the door. Looking downward, you see that Elana is still in a semi-prone position opposite of you. Elana may have a bossy upper class way about her, but she wasn't completely unwise in the ways of being in potential danger. Already dazed and scared from the crash, upon seeing you standing menacingly over her with a blunderbuss in hand she reacts without even thinking that you MIGHT potentially be helping her rather than robbing her. (Though that was a correct assumption on her part because you totally were going to rob her) "Okay, you...shit!" you say before you're interrupted by Elana pulling a small ornate pistol and firing. The bullet isn't even very big, but they don't need to be when they hit something vital. You clutch at your throat and fall backwards off the carriage. You don't even die right away, you gag, cough blood and convulse a bit. You even manage an attempt to get back up, but by the time Elana drags herself out of the carriage, you're a corpse.

[Themes: fantasy] What the hell, it might make for an interesting change of pace. "I'll take the job." You say. "You will? Are you sure?" Dr. Gossey asks. "Yes, and you don't need to worry about me. I'm not unfamiliar with the seedier elements of life." "Hmm, yes I suppose there is no way of completely distancing yourself from such things. I'm glad you're worldlier than you appear since I fear my assistant is a bit sheltered. Well, I suppose sheltered isn't quite the right word, more like disconnected from reality on these matters. Elana's a good student, but as I said, I fear if she went to Hessla by herself, she'd say something to the wrong person and soon find herself sold into sex slavery or something similar. Anyway, just make sure you get those Qweepas safe and sound here." "Is there some sort of place that sells them or something in Hessla?" "I don't know, I just know that they are common enough there to be a problem. Whether that means you buy them or catch them, makes no difference. As I said, that's going to be Elana's primary concern, but obviously if you can help in that matter too, it would be greatly appreciated." "Okay, so when does this job begin?" "Well since you agreed to it already, say in three days? You'll meet Elana at the carriage station in the morning. You'll recognize her by her tan skin, long curly brown hair, a large pack for the trip no doubt and she'll probably be a bit too well dressed for the occasion." "Okay, hope I don't miss her." "I'll be sure to give her your description as well and insist that she not leave until she finds you." "Sounds good to me. I'll meet your assistant then." Dr. Gossey goes on to thank you and exclaim that she's glad you came along when you did and hopes you have a safe and productive trip. She also gives you directions of how to get out of the medical school, since you were lost in the first place. When you exit the medical school, you decide to call it a night and head home since you figure if you need to get up in the morning in three days, then you're going to have "fix" your internal clock again so you don't over sleep. When you finally get back to the neighborhood, you revert back your cautious ways until you finally enter the Welcome Mat and your room. You manage to make it without being accosted by any of its denizens this time. You spend tomorrow mostly "taking the day off." You go get something to eat a few times, but that's about it. You still don't see Virgil, but you do have a vague feeling that someone is watching you every time you leave the damn inn. On the second day of one these food trips, one of the local food merchants who doesn't normally make much small talk, breaks that habit when you're looking over the fruit cart. "Hey, some big guy was looking for you yesterday." The merchant remarks. "So I've heard. Got a better description than that?" you ask. "Uh, sort of a bushy beard, but the rest of his face was obviously pretty weathered. Shaved head. Probably in his forties or fifties, but still pretty fit. Carried a pack with him, but no weapons. Well at least none out in the open. Said to tell you that he'd carrying an important message for you from your family and that it's very urgent that you meet him at the Raggedy Man Inn." "Hmmm, and that's it?" "As far as I know." "Thanks. I'll just be taking these today." You say and pay the merchant for your food before leaving. Well that was way more productive than asking Virgil. It's all a little sinister now that you have a little more information though. Why the hell wouldn't a simple courier just meet you at the inn you're staying at? You suppose it's possible he doesn't know, but if he's already spoken to Randi or Virgil, one of them has no doubt blabbed already. At least Randi probably did. You don't know much about the Raggedy Man inn except it's in an even worse part of Klyton than you already stay at. Klyton might have militia patrols marching all over the place, but they're still lax in certain areas. Makes you a bit wary that a large man wants to meet you there. You can't imagine your father or mother would send someone like that, let alone want him to meet you under HIS conditions. Your sister maybe? Possible you suppose, but you're skeptical. In any case, you're not meeting this guy unless he comes directly to you and when that happens. You're going to be... "Heeeeeeey! Youngster! You got some coppers fer the (hic!) faith?" Virgil suddenly says as you step into the Welcome Mat. He's obviously forgotten his outrage at you. Fortunately he may have even remembered to take your advice about washing last time since he smells half way decent this time. "Actually I do Virgil, but I need a favor from you." You say. "Sure...sure! I've always liked ya son! (hic!) You need Joachim's blessin?" "No, no, nothing like that. I just need you to relay a message. Remember that big guy looking for me?" "....Oh YEAH! Yeah! I remember him! Hey he was lookin' fer you...yesterday...said he wants you to..." Virgil starts to say before you interrupt. "Good, good, I want you to tell him, the next time he sees you that I left for Holgard." "Huh? You're movin?" "Something like that, but I want you to tell him okay? Don't forget." you say and hand Virgil a few coppers. "K...well Jochim's blessin' on ya if yer leaving then. You always were one of da (hic!) good ones." Virgil pats you on the back and then stumbles off. You return to your room and as an added pre-caution, you put a chair against the door. You have no idea how you're going to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow, but you're going to try... And you fail. You get a couple hours in before you wake up and can't go back to sleep. Seeing as you aren't going to get any more sleep, you pack your stuff and decide to leave your room in the middle of night and just head to the carriage station early. You don't really know when Elana is going to show up there anyway, so you might not even have to wait that long. On your way there, you half think you're being followed the entire time, so you do a lot of back tracking and take side streets until you reach your destination. You've never been to the carriage station before, but it's mostly empty right now. Still, it's well lit and there are a few militiamen stomping around. You never thought you'd be happy about that! You find a bench and wait. Soon, you start to get a little sleepy again despite your attempts at still trying to stay awake. You also start to wonder if it wouldn't be better to just stay in Hessla when you get there. "I oughta just go meet this guy and stab him in the face like I did with Klint..." you mutter to yourself. Later... "Hey! Wake up! We have to get a move on! (Sigh) I told Dr. Gossey I didn't need an escort." You hear a voice exclaim while some hands shove your shoulders a few times. You groggily open your eyes and realize you're in a much more horizontal position from when you first closed your eyes. After getting the blurriness out, you see a finely dressed woman with tan skin and long curly hair before you. "Elana?" you ask. "Yes! And you're the escort Dr. Gossey hired I presume. You ARE aren't you? I'd hate to think I just woke up some random sleeping bum." Elana answers. "Yes, the doctor hired me. How long have I been asleep?" "How should I know? All I do know is I had to load this carriage up myself. I thought YOU would be helping! Anyway, we have to get going, hurry up!" "Okay, okay, I'm ready, let's get in the carriage." "Wait. YOU are not going in the carriage." "What? Then where the hell am I supposed to be?" "You ride up top with the driver. I have some studying to do on the way and I don't want you disturbing me. Besides, if you're supposed to keeping an eye out for danger, you'll do it better from there anyway." It's too damn early in the morning to deal with this, so you decide not to and just go over to the carriage and climb up to where the driver is. He nods and greets you. "So are we ready to go?" the driver asks you. "Come on let's go!" Elana shouts from inside the carriage. "Well you heard the lady." You say. And with that, you're on your way out of Klyton and on the road to Hessla. Right now though you're just trying to adjust your eyes to all the damn sunlight. It's been awhile since you've been up this early. You watch the countryside pass by as the horses travel at a good pace. So far no trouble yet. You look behind you and see the supplies on the roof of the carriage and something you didn't notice right behind you and the driver. A blunderbuss. "Guess that's for when bandits attack?" you ask the driver. "Huh? Oh that? I suppose so. Honestly though, haven't had any problems in all the years I've driven this route. Still, I keep it loaded just in case." The driver replies. "Never?" "Nope. Never even had any problems in Hessla, despite its reputation. A lot of people think its some anarchic pirate paradise, but the place is probably just as orderly as Klyton. The Governor of Hessla has his own personal security force called the Headsmen to patrol the place. They're a lot more draconian than the militia too. Usually they just execute offenders on the spot without trial." "Really?" "Sure. I mean yeah without them then the place might be a little more lawless like it was in the past, but nowadays? You're just as safe from getting mugged there as you would in Klyton. Hell, maybe even more so given that Klyton has the Crimson Talons running around." "Hmm, yeah." Well this sucks. Already you're finding out that Hessla isn't the place you imagined it was. It's kind of why you took most of your important belongings with you just in case you decided to ditch the job and just stay in Hessla. "Driver! Slow down! The ride is too bumpy and I can't focus on my reading!" Elana shouts while banging inside the carriage. A few moments later... "Driver! Speed up! I'd like to get Hessla sometime this month! And YOU up there, I hope you're doing your job and keeping a look out!" Then again, Hessla might not be that bad, if you already had a bit of coin to throw around while you assessed the opportunities there. You think that there is probably a good amount of supplies here on the carriage you could sell. Let alone the horses and carriage themselves. The driver doesn't exactly look like a fighter and might even have a few coins to his name. And most importantly, Elana probably is carrying a purse full of coin for this trip. Wouldn't take much to just grab the blunderbuss and hijack this whole carriage. > You stick with the job at hand Tempting, but you might as well stick with it out a little while longer. Oddly part of you doesn't want to dishonor the agreement with Dr. Gossey even if her assistant is a bitch. Elana doesn't make many more complaints fortunately and when she does it's mostly at the driver anyway, though you can imagine you'll soon be on the receiving end completely. By the time you reach Hessla, night is starting to fall. Elana orders the carriage to stop and then asks the driver where is the best place to stay in the town. The driver suggests the Cozy Krak Inn. He mentions that it is fairly expensive though that usually means it's never completely filled, but Elana tells him she isn't worried about the price. The carriage makes its way through Hessla, which is definitely not how you expected it look. You imagined pirates and vagabonds of all types getting into fights and drinking in the streets, but just like the driver said, it isn't actually all that bad. When you get to the Cozy Krak Inn, you see a large decorated building, which wouldn't be out of place in the richer areas of Klyton. It's actually a little more creative looking since it has a whole sea theme complete with some wall murals of sailors battling a giant squid and the inn sign also being in the shape of a squid. "Ugh, how gauche. I suppose it will have to do." Elana remarks and gets out of the carriage. You step off from the top. "I'm going to go in and getting the room, you grab the supplies from the carriage." "Wait a minute. I'm just supposed to be here for protection. I didn't hear anything about being your porter. Besides, doesn't a place like this usually have someone to do that?" "Maybe, but I'm telling YOU to do it. I'm not risking having the locals run off with valuable equipment and you're getting paid to protect EVERYTHING, so do your job and look out for the stuff!" Elana remarks and doesn't even give you a chance to retort before she's entered the inn. You just stand there speechless for a moment. "Um...there's a cart over there which should help you get it in all one trip." The driver points out in an attempt to be sympathetic to your plight. "Thanks." You grumble and begin to unload the carriage. You should have just hijacked it. After you're done unloading everything, the driver mentions that if you're looking for a place to unwind, the Sultry Siren is a good location. He then bids you good night and takes his leave. You enter the inn and find that it resembles more of a mansion than any inn you've ever seen. No creaky wooden floors, dim lighting or drunken louts sitting at a nearby bar. You see a desk where Elana is talking with someone and a couple of mean looking men holding poleaxes standing just inside the doorway. You arrive just in time for Elana to finish bitching at the desk clerk and start bitching at you instead. She first goes on to complain that there is no lift so she has to walk to her room on the top floor like a commoner. This is even worse news for you since now you have to lug everything up several flights of stairs. After getting to the room, she complains that it doesn't match anything she's used to in Klyton and goes on about how inferior it is. You almost feel like saying you live in a place run by a cranky old man and how your closest neighbors consist of a drunken priest and a whore. Trying to make the best of this, you remain upbeat. "Well, we aren't going to be here long hopefully. Let's just try to get some rest." You say. "What are you doing?" Elana says. "I'm just laying down." "Not on the bed you're not!" "But there are TWO beds and I'm not going to try anything!" "Pfft. I'm not worried about that." Elana says and then brandishes a small ornate pistol. Smaller than other ones you've seen actually, but you still don't want to risk getting shot by it and move out of the way when she thoughtlessly points it at you. "Will you stop waving that thing around?" you say. "I told Dr. Gossey I didn't need an escort and could take care of myself." Elana remarks. "Yeah, okay you're not a woman to be messed with, got it. But I don't see why I have to sleep on the floor when there are two beds." "The floor? You're not sleeping on the floor either. This is MY room. You want a room here, you pay for it yourself!" "...What? Are you serious? Dr. Gossey said this trip was paid for!" "Maybe for me, never said anything about you. Your payment is AFTER the job is done. In fact, shouldn't you just be standing guard outside my door?" You have no words. You just don't. You thought dealing with the lowlifes that hang around the Welcome Mat was a chore, but it still pales in comparison to this. If this wasn't a paying job, there is no way you'd deal with this. However, since it is, you don't say anything and just grab a chair in the room and exit. Placing the chair nearby, you sit down and make a mental note about never working a real job ever again. The kicker is, you still have a bunch of over grown rats to acquire. Still, you agreed to this so you continue to make the effort and sit outside like a loser. Eventually enough time passes and you start feeling tired or at least bored enough that you'd rather be doing something else. You briefly think about finding another place to stay or even going to the Sultry Siren like the driver suggested, but you really don't feel like dealing with the stairs again or spending your money. You then wonder if maybe you shouldn't take this opportunity to break into some of the other rooms. As you're pondering potential criminal activity, you spot a group of five rough looking men walking down the corridor. They don't look the sort who would stay here. "Is this the room?" one of them says. "No, it's further up the hall." Another remarks. "What? Where that guy in the hood is sitting?" "Yeah, I believe so." "What the fuck, Metzger. I thought you said this was an easy one." "There's just one guy there and he's smaller than all of us. You really think he's going to give us trouble? Metzger says. "What if he's some highly skilled assassin? I mean he's got a hooded cloak and all..." "By Dolak's barnacle encrusted balls, if you were any dumber...(Sigh) Just because someone is wearing a hooded cloak don't make them a highly skilled assassin. Besides, assassins kill people not sit outside hallways like guard dogs." Metzger remarks. At this point these five men are nearby you, yet are still talking like you aren't here. You feel like you should stand up at this point. "I can't help but notice you lot seem to be talking about me." You say. "Yeah, and what if we are?" Metzger asks. "Well, I suppose I might need to show off my assassin skills." "Hah! You're no assassin and even if you are, you're too damn young to have been at it for very long, let alone skilled enough to take on five of us. My guess is, you're that rich bitch's escort or something. Not sure why she'd take a little thing like you though as a guard. Guess being rich doesn't mean being smart which is evident by the very fact she's staying here." "What do you mean?" "Nobody stays at the Cozy Krak Inn, or rather no right thinking Hessla native does, unless they want to be taken as a fucking slave. Fucking clueless visitors." Metzger laughs. Well this isn't good. "So you guys are all slavers huh?" you ask. "Yeah, and since I'm in a generous mood I'm going to LET you walk away from this, because Yrid said you weren't the target." Metzger remarks. "Who's Yrid?" "The guy who drove you here. Sheesh, didn't you even bother to ask his name? In fact you weren't even supposed to be here, he said you'd probably be at the Sultry Siren fucking a whore or getting drunk given how much your boss was bitching at you." "Trust me, I'm starting to think that was a better idea right now." "Hah, got that right. So, I trust you're stepping aside then..." Metger says and starts advancing with his buddies. This is a really difficult situation. As much as Elana has been a complete bitch to you, you aren't sure if her getting sold into slavery isn't disproportionate retribution. > You step aside You don't exactly feel good about this, but then you don't see as you have much choice. "Alright...I'll step aside." you say. "Smart boy, now clear off!" Metzger says and pushes you aside before unlocking the door with a key. You don't stick around as the five of them enter Elana's room. Just as you're about to head down the stairs, you hear a scream followed by something breaking and then some laughter. You don't want to think about it and make haste out of this "inn." Even when you killed Klint there was at least some justification, but you're seriously wondering what the hell you just allowed to happen. You head to the Sultry Siren where you proceed to drink. You've never really drank too much before in the past, but given what you just let transpire, you feel like maybe the best thing you can do is block out your thoughts. "So...are you interested in just the ale or could I recommend one of the lovely sirens in the back?" the barkeep asks after you've had a few. "Um...I dunno...no. I'm having a bit of weird night and I've got a lot on my mind right now that I'm trying to forget." you say taking another drink. "Hm, sounds like maybe one of our lovely sirens is exactly what you need." You don't even hear the barkeep's pitch anymore; your mind is just sort of a hazy blur between your thoughts and the ale. What did you do? What could you do? What are you going to do? What are you going to do... "Do you know where I could get some qweepas?" you suddenly ask the barkeep. "What?" he replies. "Qweepas. They're these..." "Yeah I know what they are. Overgrown ugly rats and general pests around town. If you want to know where to get some, you could try Gilo's Gridiron. Well either that or just hang around the docks or leave some food around in a dark place. It isn't like they're that hard to find around here." "What's Gilo's Gridiron?" "Oh it's just an eatery run by a Halfling chef. He sells qweepa on a stick. Tastes pretty good from what I hear, but I'd never know because I'm reluctant to eat a damn rat. Still, halflings do have a reputation for making anything taste good, so maybe I should be adventurous some day." "So is he open now?" "No, it's too late now, he'll be open in the morning though." "Do you know of a cheap place to sleep for the night?" "Um, the Barnacle down the street is pretty cheap. In fact you can just go into their public flop room for free. Wouldn't really advise that though unless you're a light sleeper or completely destitute. The Headsmen might keep relative order around here, but they can't stop every potential crime and you're likely to get robbed there. It's just common sense you know?" "Yeah, common sense. You really need it to survive in this world." You say and take your last drink before leaving for the Barnacle. You end up paying a few coppers for one of their better rooms there and get some rest. The next day, you have a bit of a headache, but you try to ignore it. You've still got a job to do. First thing you do is head over to Gilo's place. Gilo is pretty much a small one-man operation as far as the cooking goes though he's got his son and daughter running around taking orders from customers. You were going to ask Gilo if he has any live qweepas, but the man seems to be too busy to do anything except cook and order his children around. You can sort of see into the kitchen, but there is no way you can enter it without someone seeing you. You take your leave and walk around to the back of Gilo's to check out the back door and that's when you see his little boy tossing out a bunch of bones in a box. It's a pretty big box (for a Halfling child) and the boy is struggling to carry it. "Hey kid, you need help with that?" you ask. "Huh? No, not really. Just dumping out some qweepa bones. We usually keep them in these boxes until we kill 'em." The boy says. "You catch a lot of them huh?" "Yeah, but nowadays we sort of just breed them. It's a lot easier than catching them." "Really?" "Sure. They get so tame they hardly even bite. It's a good thing people eat so many; otherwise we might get too many. They breed pretty fast." "So you just got boxes of tame qweepas in there?" "Yep. Hey look I gotta get back to work or my dad will hide me." The little boy says and goes back inside. And then you get the idea. Later in the middle of the night, you return to Gilo's and break into the back door which has such a simple lock it's child's play to you, then again you don't imagine most people would bother breaking into this place. You stumble about the kitchen for a moment before you hear the squeaking and go over to where you figure the qweepas are being kept. You grab a box of qweepas who are squeaking their heads off and get out as quickly as you can. You then head to the carriage station where you fortunately don't have to wait long for a carriage to Klyton. You have to share it with some young couple who must have just got married or something because the two are so into each other you think they're going to have sex right in there in the carriage. Still, at least it makes the trip not boring and they aren't questioning why you're carrying a box full of big rats. (Which you have to keep from escaping every now and then) By the time you arrive in Klyton, it's midday again. The couple gets off and you pay for a ride to the university. You're just hoping Dr. Gossey is the sort of woman you think she is and will accept the qweepas along with your tale of what happened to her assistant. Eventually you get to the university and the medical school. Thankfully Dr. Gossey is in her office when you arrive. "You're back! And so quick! I hear lots of squeaking from that box you're carrying. I trust you got them?" Dr. Gossey says. "Yep, but I ended up getting more than just ten." You say. You show Dr. Gossey who looks into the box. "Ohh, I see. Looks like you got a lot of younger ones...how are they so tame?" Gossey asks putting her finger near one which just sniffs at it. "The Halfling cook I got them from breeds them for food. They apparently eat them all the time in Hessla." You say. "Makes sense. Though I suppose a few wild ones would have been interesting to research as well, but tame ones will probably be easier for intelligence testing. I really didn't expect so many. You want one as a pet or something?" "Um, nah. I'd just like my thirty gold pieces." "Okay sure. Just put that box over there and I'll get it for you." While Dr. Gossey goes to get your money, you put the box over on a table and just stare at the qweepas squeaking and going about their trapped lives. You then see some of them biting at one with darker fur which is desperately trying to run away and climb out, but can't due to the attacking qweepas pulling at her. "Hey! Stop that. I thought you guys were tame." you say and brush away the bullying qweepas along with taking out the qweepa being attacked. The little creature runs up your arm and then perches on your shoulder and nuzzles up against you, almost as a sign that it thanks you for rescuing it. Dr. Gossey comes back with a pouch full of coins. "Here you are. Hey, I see one on your shoulder. Did you change your mind?" Gossey asks. "Yeah I think so." You remark. "Okay, well I guess that concludes our business then. So, since you were so efficient on this job, could I count on you for others in the future?" "Maybe. I dunno. Yeah, sure I guess." "Great! Just remember I post notices all around campus. Just keep an eye out and you can usually find me in my office or in the lab, but um...actually just meet me in the office. The lab is a bit off limits to anyone who isn't facility right now. I feel like I'm forgetting something...oh wait! Where is Elana?" "Oh, she insisted on staying in Hessla." "Why? For what purpose?" "She said she found some new species of crab when she was exploring the shores near Hessla. Said she wanted to do some extra research and get a few to bring back, but she wanted me to bring the qweepas back to you immediately. She wouldn't hear anything else. I'm sure you know how she is." "Ah, yes she is pretty firm when she wants her way. I can imagine you probably tried your best to talk to her. I suppose Hessla's bad reputation is a bit exaggerated anyway and I'm sure she'll be fine and I'll see her in a few days. At least you brought back the qweepas and that was the most important thing." "That's what you told me." With Dr. Gossey's acceptance of your story she bids you goodbye and immediately goes over to look at her new qweepas. You take your leave with your own still on your shoulder. It's been a long couple of days and right now all you want to do is head back to the Welcome Mat and your room. When you get there, you're immediately accosted by Virgil who is surprisingly less drunk than usual. Must be a slow day. "Hey! I thought you moved to Holgard!" Virgil says. "No. Didn't move there." You reply. "You didn't? But that's what you told me to tell that big guy looking for you." With all that's gone on, you completely forgot about all that. "Oh right. Yeah I did. So what happened with that?" you ask. "What do ya think happened? I told 'im you left for Holgard and he thanked me with some coin and took off. I suppose if you're quick, you might be able to catch him on the road to Holgard." Virgil says. "Nah, that's okay. I'm sure whatever it was, it wasn't that important and if it was, I'm not going to worry about it. Here you go Virgil." You say and toss him a gold coin which he profusely thanks you for and says how Joachim's blessing is upon you. You enter your room and collapse on your bed. Your qweepa scurries off your body and onto the bed to sniff around. You watch the creature for a little while and then pet it. "Well Elana. It might be shitty and run down, but at least you know you aren't going to run into slavers here." You say to your new pet. > Time passes... Year 21 "Yeah, yeah, here's the rent." You say handing over a few silvers to Trobart. As usual he grabs the silvers and gives you mean glance. "I'm getting real tired of your shit! I KNOW you got the money to pay me on fucking time! Telling you right now, you keep pushing me like this, and you'll be out on your thieving ass!" "I'm sorry. Please don't throw me out of this palace." You say. Whether Trobart caught your sarcasm or not, he doesn't acknowledge it with more verbal abuse, he just storms off. Sometimes it's just too much fun to mess with him. Really, you could probably afford to live somewhere better now, but this place is cheap enough that you're reluctant move. Besides if you lived some place more expensive, you wouldn't be able to spend your money on fun things like wine, women and better equipment on occasion. You head back to your room where Elana comes up to greet you before scampering off again. One thing's for sure. You haven't had any problems with normal rats or other pests with Elana around. She's aggressively territorial and more than willing to make a meal out of them. Even Virgil doesn't knock on the door to bother you as much since she nearly bit his toe off. You then hear a knock at your door. Well, it doesn't stop him completely. "Virgil, I think you should know Elana's hungry right now." You say. "That's nice that your girlfriend is starving, but I'm not Virgil, whoever that is. I'm from you friends in Klyton's most infamous club." You hear a voice answer. Sounds female. "Crimson Talons?" "(Sigh) Tell the militia why don't you? You going to let me in or not?" "That depends...why are you here? Nobody from the Talons has ever sought me out before." "Yeah, well there's a first time for everything. Look, I'm just here on Tom's orders. I'm not shouting between a door like this. Either open the door, or I'll let him know you aren't interested..." "Alright, alright, hold on." You say. You tell Elana to stay and not attack (at least not immediately) and you go to open the door cautiously. Upon opening it, you see a dark longhaired woman who while is certainly older than you is still in fit condition. She's attractive in a trashy sort of way. (Sort of reminds you of an older version of Annah) While you've been to the Talon's headquarters more than a few times, but other than Tom and a guy named Vaughn who is usually the fence for your stolen items, you can't really say you've ever paid too much attention to most of them (let alone learned their names), so you don't really recognize her. However, with her looks combined with her attire and she definitely looks like the sort that would belong to the Crimson Talons. The woman walks in without you even inviting her in and takes a look around. "Wow, some place you have here. I can see why you didn't want to join the Talons when you're obviously doing so well on your own." She says. "Right, because that abandoned building you all squat in and have to sneak about by going in and out of the shit filled sewers is so much better." You reply. "Actually, I was paying you a compliment asshole. This place IS better. I mean yeah it's still a dump, but as you said, at least you're not stepping over shit every five minutes on your way here and it's all to yourself." "...not counting the rats of course." She adds when she sees Elana who is curled up in the corner where you told her to stay. "Elana's not a rat, she's a qweepa." You say. "Oh, that's Elana? I thought it was weird I didn't see some strumpet on your bed when I walked in here. Well whatever it is, it's ugly and its teeth are too big." Zalmora says while taking a seat on your bed. "So are you just here to insult my home and my pet or are you actually going to tell me who you are and why Tom sent you?" "I told you I wasn't insulting your home. Anyway, I'm Zalmora and Tom wants to see you." "What for?" "Well, you'd have to talk with him about the details, but basically he wants you to reconsider joining us." "Then you've wasted a trip, because as you pointed out I'm doing fine on my own. Besides, didn't several of your members just get arrested by that botched bank job recently?" "Only two got caught and they weren't arrested because the militia killed them with they were resisting." "Oh, well that's different then. At the rate you lot are going I don't predict good things for you in the future. You can tell Tom thanks, but no thanks." "Yeah, he thought you might say that, and honestly if I were in your position I'd probably feel the same way." "Good, then we understand each other, goodbye..." you say and go to open the door again, but Zalmora doesn't even move, she just stretches out on your bed and makes herself more comfortable. "Although, I also have to tell you that your cooperation on this matter is in your best interest." She says. "So, what then? Did Tom send you over here to fuck me in an effort to convince me to join? You seem to be getting quite comfortable on my bed." "Well I wouldn't put it past him to have that in mind, but if he really wanted to get results in that way, he should have sent the half-elven whores in the gang instead. If I had to guess why he sent me, it's because as much as he's loathed to admit it, I have a decent history of convincing folks. In any case, if you don't join, don't bother coming around with your stolen shit anymore, we won't be fencing it." "So is that your argument? If I don't join your little group, you aren't going to fence for me anymore? Fine. I'll just take my shit to Fookins the Fat." You exclaim. "Fookins? You're going to trust that goblin to fence your shit?" Zalmora chuckles. "Okay fine, I'll just sell it myself." "While I don't doubt that you could, but I get a vibe from you that you'd rather not want to bother. If you were about that aspect of our game, you would have been doing it long before now." "Well, you might be right, but obviously you lot aren't giving me a choice." "Sure we are. Join us and reap the benefits, or don't and suffer the consequences. I guess this would also be a good time to add that if you don't join us you might have a target on your back." Didn't take long to get to physical threats. You immediately draw your weapon and Elana who was previously at rest, is now alert and prepared to attack on your command. Zalmora doesn't move though, she just continues to look up at the ceiling with her legs crossed. She either doesn't realize the seriousness of her situation, or she's so much of a skilled fighter that she isn't worried. "You can put that away, I'm not going to kill or even attack you." Zalmora says. "You just fucking threatened me in my own damn room!" you exclaim. "Actually I didn't. Tom did and honestly I don't think he's got the balls to follow through on said threats. Other freelancers in the city? Maybe. You? Nah. You rescued him from a cage; he's never going to forget that. He's likely to be pissed and disappointed that you don't join, but he's not going to actively put a contract on your head. He's not like our last boss Edmund." At this point she sits up and gets off your bed. You're still on your guard, but she keeps her distance. "Since I can see you're a bit tense right now, I'll leave to let you think it over." Zal's approach to this is confusing the hell out of you. It almost feels like she's deliberately trying to convince you NOT to join. "There isn't much to think about. Your words have not swayed me, quite the opposite really. Maybe Tom should have sent those two halfbreed whores to convince me instead." You say. "Truly? Is a quick tumble all it would have really done to convince you? Well, let's get to it then." Zal says. "Wait, what, really?" you ask. "Pfft, no!" Zal laughs. "Look, it's up to you if you want to join. I'm not going over the benefits of joining, because I think you know what those could possibly be AND I think you're smart enough to know you're only going to get out of it, what you put in to it. Like I said, you once rescued Tom from a cage, so you're already in good standing with him. A lot better than most. I'm just giving you a heads up on the downsides of not joining. If you're comfortable with those, then I guess the choice is easy. You know where to find us if you change your mind, but remember ONLY come to us, IF you change your mind." Zal opens your door and begins to leave, but then stops. "Just on a personal note, I wouldn't mind seeing you join us. It would be nice to have another skilled rogue around to work with. Your independent actions in the university district aren't completely unknown to me. And who knows, we might just have that tumble after all." Zal then nods at you with a smile and leaves. Well she didn't sway you until that last bit. Not the tumble part, (though you certainly wouldn't turn that down) but more of the idea of working with someone else. You don't think about it too much, but you do sort of miss working with another person. You did it for years with your sister and then Annah for a short time. You're convinced that if tragedy hadn't struck with her, she probably would have gotten better. Working by yourself has its advantages and over the years you've gotten used to it, but there are more than a few times where it would have helped to have another person by your side. There's also the convenience that you'd be able to have the Talons still fence shit for you and the possibility that you wouldn't have a target on your back, even if Zal says the latter is unlikely. Still, you really aren't sure about the whole joining the Crimson Talons thing. That's more people than you'd care to work with and you'd have to ultimately answer to someone. Let alone the other concerns you have. > You join the Crimson Talons If Tom is coming to you, then it's obvious that he needs the help and that means you can go in and negotiate preferential treatment and benefits in exchange for your presence. What the hell, this might work out in your favor if you know how to play the game. You immediately leave your room and catch up with Zalmora who hasn't walked too far from the Welcome Mat yet. You tell her you accept the offer and she seems to take satisfaction in that she managed to sway you. Doesn't take long before you're stomping through the sewers and embracing that unique aroma that only the sewers can provide. When you get to the Talon hideout, you're noticing a lot more rowdy types. Most of which look more like common thugs that would just mug you in an alley. Looks like the Talons aren't just recruiting the best, they're also recruiting the dregs. Guess they need to recoup their losses somehow. "Okay, I imagine you want to go speak with Tom by yourself, so here you are." Zalmora remarks leaving you outside his office door. You finish making your mental notes of what you're going to say and then enter. When you do so, Tom looks up from his desk and stands up to greet you. "By the gods, you actually showed up." Tom remarks. "Good thing you sent someone so convincing, otherwise I might not have." You say. "Yeah, I might actually have to start rethinking my general dislike for her. Especially since she's proving to be one of the better members here nowadays." "Hm, yes well I still haven't joined yet. I'm just here to stake out my options." "I imagine you would, but that's perectly reasonable. I certainly didn't expect you to join without a few personal requests. So, take a seat, and let us talk about your future here!" When the pair of you sit down, Tom goes into his speech. You didn't notice it before, but the man looks a lot wearier from the last time you met with him. "So, it's no secret that you've been doing okay for yourself by keeping your activities mainly to the university in Klyton." Tom says. "Well I didn't have much choice given you lot have run over most places and the militia excessively patrols the rest. Between the pair of you, I find that the university is the best place an independent like myself can make a fair living plying my trade." You remark. "You know I never actually meant to be territorial with you. Other independents sure, but you were different and I have tried to tell my people in the past to leave you be and that there was plenty of room, but I can't keep up on everything they do when they leave my sight." "No matter. It all worked out." "Indeed. In fact I briefly thought about expanding some of our activity out there. Never did mainly because we had things pretty good elsewhere and well let's just say professional respect for you." "Well I appreciate it." "Of course since you'll be joining us, this changes things a bit. Now I understand if you want that area mostly to yourself, but times are getting a bit lean what with us losing several members and the militia seemingly cracking down everywhere." You don't like where this is heading. "Tom, if you start sending that mostly unsubtle rabble up at the university, they're going to be so fucking obvious that the militia WILL become more of an issue there! And if the militia start showing up there in force, that defeats the whole reason why I picked the place to begin with." You say. "I know. I know. And I completely understand. That's why I want YOU to become, I dunno. A mentor of sorts." Tom says. "Mentor?" "Yeah, you could take those you think are the most promising and teach them not to draw attention and rob someone without just smashing them in the face and taking their shit by force." "What? I'm not teaching a bunch of idiots something they should already know how to do when they joined up! I mean this is YOUR organization, you should be weeding out those who got what it takes and who doesn't." "Believe me I'd like to, but natural talent is a little lean right now and we need to make up the numbers in eagerness." Tom rubs his eyes and exhales a bit before continuing. "Kid, as you might have guessed, the Crimson Talons are in fucking trouble and I need all the help I can get in keeping it together. I dunno if you know him, but one of my brasher members Jake is constantly chomping at the bit to do as much fucking violence as possible whenever he goes out on a job. Honestly his behavior is infectious to the other members at this point." "If he's that much of a problem, why not just kill him?" "Because for one thing, he's really good at what he does and is a good earner. Second, he actually keeps the rest of them in line. With him around at least all I have to do is give an order to him and he can make sure everyone else follows it." "That's pretty dangerous that he has that much power." "Well I might be more worried if he actually displayed any signs of wanting to be in charge. As far as I can tell, all he ever wants to do is go out and commit crimes and fuck Zalmora. He's not a long term planner and definitely doesn't seem to want the hassle of being in charge and I can't say I blame him with how I feel about it right now." "If you say so, but I'm still not keen on playing mentor and this definitely isn't what I planned on when Zal talked me into coming here. "I know. I know. (Sigh) Look, here's the deal. You get to keep everything you steal. You don't have to contribute anything to the general Talon funds. All I want you to contribute is your knowledge and your influence." "My influence? Not sure if I'm exactly a leader myself." "Maybe you just haven't been given the proper chance. As I said, I'm getting too fucking old to manage all of this myself. And I don't have anyone really reliable to help. I mean Jake is a guard dog at best. And I'd rather not give any more power to Zalmora than I have to. I know you though. You've got an honor that the others lack and we need some of that around here otherwise this whole organization is going to either fall apart in a few years or we're all going to get nabbed by the militia. With you with us, I think we could at least change direction a bit. And don't just think about the organization's future, but think about your own as well. I mean sure you're doing okay on your own, but with proper resources behind you? You could be doing so much better. Who knows maybe in so many years, YOU could be running this organization." Tom made a similar argument to you before about joining last time. You weren't sure about it last time and you're still not sure about it this time. However, you get the impression if you don't involve yourself Tom isn't going to be around to lead much longer and who knows what the hell will happen. They might start encroaching your territory and you wouldn't really be able to stop them. In fact they might get so wild that the militia cracks down even worse than it already does. You really aren't sure if this is a good idea, but you figure you have a bit of experience now under your belt so you can better afford to take a risk and as always you could just disappear if things aren't going well. "Alright, we'll see how this goes." You say. > Time passes... Year 22 "And when you're done robbing everyone at the gladiator frat house, you get the fuck outta there. What you don't fucking do is stick around to drink, party and compete in a dick sucking contest!" you exclaim. Flameflower and Sunshine both roll their eyes in unison. "It was hardly a competition. I easily beat all the other girls there that night." Flameflower remarks. "What? I would have beaten you had you not spiked my drink with lotus! My technique was all fucked up thanks to that!" Sunshine says. "Look, nevermind all that! You wanna go suck dick, go suck it on your own time! But when you're on a job at the university you're on MY time and you will stick to the damn program! Otherwise you can go take your asses back to Jake and continue risking life and limb on whatever crazy heist he attempts to implement." "Ugh! I dunno why you're getting so mad for, we managed to pick even more pockets by sticking around for the extended festivities. Whatever. You're just like how your uptight dad was." Flameflower and her sister take their leave of you and then one of them turns her head to look at you briefly and then giggling follows between the pair of them. "I honestly don't know why I bother with those two." You say. "Because elves are easy on the eyes, even if they are half breeds." Zal remarks. "Well it certainly works in their favor at the university. Hard to believe they were ever organized enough to work for my father's inn at one time. That was surprising to learn when they first approached to work with me. Do elves age at all?" "Not like we do. Those halfbreed bitches are older than me and they still look like fucking teenagers. Oh speaking of unnatural things, I think the magic college is more doable than you thought." "What? You actually went in there?" "I told you I was." "You told me you were thinking about it and I distinctly told you to stay away from that place. Too risky fucking around with potential magic security." "Have you ever even been there?" "No." "Well then what would you even know about it? And for your information, it isn't the magic fortress that you seemed to think it was anyway. I walked in and walked out with this!" Zalmora reveals a blue gemstone of some sort. It gives off a faint blue glow, but nothing else. "What...what is that?" you ask. "I dunno, something magical I imagine. Maybe it provides light so you don't need a torch or lantern." Zal remarks. "Or maybe it captures souls! How did you even get this?" "I told you, I walked into the college and wandered around until I found something that caught my eye. Don't worry, I didn't attract any attention, well other than maybe a few love sick apprentices who didn't look like they got out much." "This wasn't protected or anything?" "Nope, I just found it in a bowl on a shelf in an empty classroom of some sort. Would have taken more items, but I figured I'd stick to mostly casing the place first. I told you, the place isn't any better protected than any place else it seems. Your ideas that the place is protected by magic traps and living statues are unfounded." "I'm not convinced and I think you just got lucky." "Well either way, I'm heading there again in a few days and hauling out more shit. I know a few people that would be more than willing to buy stuff like this." "And maybe you better not. I'm telling you, this is not a good idea and all its going to do create trouble for all of us. The university is huge, you can easily make a lot of coin without the extra danger of fucking around with magic." Now Zalmora rolls her eyes. "Y'know those two halfbreed bitches might be whores in thieves clothing, but at least they're having fun with all this. You know, the only reason why I wanted to be transferred here instead of sticking with Jake is because I thought this might be a nice change of pace to work around a subtler thief. It's one thing to be professional, but by the fucking gods, you've managed to suck out ALL the fun out of this. If it were up to you, you'd still be meekly sneaking around the campus all by yourself and never maximizing the full potential of what is here!" Zalmora says. "Yeah, and I'd be perfectly fine with that. This was all Tom's idea for me to play mentor, not mine." You remark. "Hah! I don't need a damn mentor. I've been thieving before you were even thought about! And I don't need your damn permission either to go rob the magic college. Maybe you can intimidate the rest of the unskilled Talons into acting the way you want, but I'm doing what the hell I want." "Yeah? And I can go report you to Tom and have you transferred back. You're ONLY here because I said it was okay in the first place!" "Fine. Go tattle on me like a fucking bitch then. Always knew you had a stick up your ass, but I didn't realize you were a snitch too." "Oh don't give me that snitch shit. Tom's the boss, he told me I had independent jurisdiction here of who was obeying my way of doing things and who wasn't. So if I don't like the way you're doing shit, guess what? You don't get to stay and that's it!" "I see. You're not a snitch, you're a pretender to the throne." "What?" "You're a pretender to the throne. You're acting like you're the boss of the Crimson Talons. The only thing that's stopping you totally is the fact that Tom is officially in charge. But if he's allowing you this much leniency and is basically doing what you say anyway then maybe you need to just cut the pretending and take over completely. I'd certainly be more likely to respect AND listen to your orders if that was the case. But then I always preferred men who take what they want...guess that's why I never minded Jake, even if he is an idiot most of the time. See you around." Zalmora at this point takes her leave of you. You've been working with Zalmora directly only for a few months, but now you're starting to see why Tom thinks she's manipulative. She basically just suggested that you go kill him and take over. For what purpose though you can't say. If she really doesn't like Tom, why doesn't she just do it? Though you suppose keeping her own hands clean and being a puppet master is more her thing. After all if you were in charge, you'd catch the blame if things didn't go well. You suppose it's an idea to consider, but again even if you wanted the hassle, you're still not really someone that wants to just kill someone without a good reason. Tom's been okay with you too, more than okay actually. He is a bit of a weak leader though. You do sort of wonder how he hasn't caught a knife in the back yet, or the front for that matter. And Zalmora might be right, might be time to take more risks. The thieves under your "command" listen to you, but the actual respect is probably minimal. It might be worth while to keep your options open to become more of a true leader just in case, you wanted to reconsider being head of the Crimson Talons one day. > You start becoming a leader Why not? It isn't like you're ever going to get a real job and this is probably the closest thing to "moving up" in your line of work. And it is true, if you became leader of the Crimson Talons, you could shape it how you wanted. You rush to catch up to Zalmora who hasn't walked too far away yet. "Zal, hold on." You say. "Yes?" she answers. "Look, you've got some good points. Maybe I'm just used to playing things safe because it's traditionally what I've had to do in the past." "Well I suppose most of the Talons haven't exactly made things easier in this city with all the really reckless behavior that half of them participate in. But there's gotta be a balance right? I think the way you go about things is the direction we should be moving in, just we need to start thinking bigger and quite frankly we're never going to do that with Tom in charge." "So...what, you suggesting we should kill him then? I don't see why you don't do it since you seem to be really keen on getting rid of him." "Because I don't want to lead." "What makes you think I do?" "Because you're standing here speaking with me and thinking about what I said." "Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm a killer either...look I've only ever killed one person and I only did that because he had just mortally stabbed my girlfriend at the time. It was sort of the heat of the moment and I dunno...I've just never been that motivated to just go murder someone again. Especially someone like Tom who has been more than all right with me." "Eh...well I guess it's a good thing you aren't as blood thirsty as Jake is. Maybe though you could talk him out of stepping down." "Not sure if that's going to work, but in any case I don't think even with a promotion by murder is going to spontaneously cause people to follow me. I'm going to need to build more respect and like you said, that means taking a few more risks. So making some bigger scores would help in that area as well. In other words, I'm going to come with you on this job to the magic college." Zal smiles a bit at your comment. "So the magic college isn't off limits anymore?" Zal asks. "It's not off limits to US. I don't want anyone else trying to pilfer from the place until we completely do a thorough casing of the place. Exits, entrances, possible traps or security, valuables, everything. And even then I only want us going in and trying this until some of the others prove themselves capable of being professional enough. I might be becoming a little more flexible on risk taking, but I'm not completely abandoning caution." You say. "That's sounds reasonable. Okay, so when do we get started?" You go over the information that Zal has already acquired during her trip to the place. You have no reason to disbelieve her claims that the place isn't as secure as you thought, you just think that maybe there is more than meets the eye. You tell her that you will go in and do your own inspection and then both of you together can go grab everything you can in one big haul. Using Zal's previous knowledge, you begin your own scouting of the college. She wasn't wrong about magical looking items just laying around in class rooms. In general you attempt to stay out of sight. Maybe Zal was comfortable charming horny apprentices, but you doubt if you're going to get anything other than suspicion. As it turns out it's fairly easy to stay out of sight anyway since the college of magic is relatively empty. Makes sense you guess since there isn't exactly large amounts of wizard types nowadays either. Your scouting reveals a little more than Zal's attempts. You find a huge storage are area in the basement that contains a shitload of items. Most of it is furniture, though very nice looking furniture, if very dusty. However some of this stuff is literally encrusted with jewels or made of precious metal like silver and gold! You can't believe it's all just laying around in this place without even a locked door! Granted a solid gold conference table would be pretty damn hard to lift up out of here even by several people, but the smaller items like the various knick knacks you could just take and you could just start prying out the gems on some of these chairs at least. You wonder why all this valuable stuff is down here; maybe these are all some sort of relics of a more magical era? They don't seem magical though, so you have no idea; you just decide to take a few of the smaller gold vases before leaving. You start looking around thinking that maybe there is some sort of stone statues looming nearby ready to come to life or something, but you leave this odd storage area without any problems. You leave the magic college without incident and later reconnect with Zal and explain what you found; she seems pretty enthusiastic about heading there with you together. Later on that week, the pair of you sneak into the magic college at night. Zal says that since you apparently found a small treasure room of sorts, she wants to go there first. You figured she would so you lead her to where you found it. When you arrive, her eyes light up. "I almost thought you were exaggerating. I have to admit this is almost too easy. I guess being a wizard means being too arrogant to know when to lock up your valuables." Zal says. "I guess so." You remark. "Well come on, let's start prying out those gems and grabbing the smaller stuff. I think we'll have to be making more than one trip down here." Zal at this point pulls out her dagger and goes to work on a nearby chair, or throne to be more accurate. You join in by looking for the ornaments that were by the vases you took last time. You don't get too far along in your looting when you start to get an uneasy feeling. You look over at Zal, but she's still busy prying gemstone. Then out the corner of your eye you see some figures suddenly appear, you turn around and then catch a bolt of lightning in the chest! "Yvette! I told you to wait, before attacking!" "Sorry, when we reappeared I panicked." "I told you invisibility never lasts long." "Get that one before she gets away!" The apprentices and mages of this college apparently weren't completely unaware that strangers were coming and going into their domain. And apparently one of the professors decided that stopping a pair of thieves would be a good training lesson. Unfortunately for you, Yvette's lightning bolt zapped you really good. The impact threw you into a wall, burned a hole in your body and fried your internal organs. She didn't even mean to kill you; she just didn't know her own power. Hardly matters, you're still dead and so are all your plans of being the Crimson Talons leader.

[Themes: fantasy, anti-hero] Year 22 "And when you're done robbing everyone at the gladiator frat house, you get the fuck outta there. What you don't fucking do is stick around to drink, party and compete in a dick sucking contest!" you exclaim. Flameflower and Sunshine both roll their eyes in unison. "It was hardly a competition. I easily beat all the other girls there that night." Flameflower remarks. "What? I would have beaten you had you not spiked my drink with lotus! My technique was all fucked up thanks to that!" Sunshine says. "Look, nevermind all that! You wanna go suck dick, go suck it on your own time! But when you're on a job at the university you're on MY time and you will stick to the damn program! Otherwise you can go take your asses back to Jake and continue risking life and limb on whatever crazy heist he attempts to implement." "Ugh! I dunno why you're getting so mad for, we managed to pick even more pockets by sticking around for the extended festivities. Whatever. You're just like how your uptight dad was." Flameflower and her sister take their leave of you and then one of them turns her head to look at you briefly and then giggling follows between the pair of them. "I honestly don't know why I bother with those two." You say. "Because elves are easy on the eyes, even if they are half breeds." Zal remarks. "Well it certainly works in their favor at the university. Hard to believe they were ever organized enough to work for my father's inn at one time. That was surprising to learn when they first approached to work with me. Do elves age at all?" "Not like we do. Those halfbreed bitches are older than me and they still look like fucking teenagers. Oh speaking of unnatural things, I think the magic college is more doable than you thought." "What? You actually went in there?" "I told you I was." "You told me you were thinking about it and I distinctly told you to stay away from that place. Too risky fucking around with potential magic security." "Have you ever even been there?" "No." "Well then what would you even know about it? And for your information, it isn't the magic fortress that you seemed to think it was anyway. I walked in and walked out with this!" Zalmora reveals a blue gemstone of some sort. It gives off a faint blue glow, but nothing else. "What...what is that?" you ask. "I dunno, something magical I imagine. Maybe it provides light so you don't need a torch or lantern." Zal remarks. "Or maybe it captures souls! How did you even get this?" "I told you, I walked into the college and wandered around until I found something that caught my eye. Don't worry, I didn't attract any attention, well other than maybe a few love sick apprentices who didn't look like they got out much." "This wasn't protected or anything?" "Nope, I just found it in a bowl on a shelf in an empty classroom of some sort. Would have taken more items, but I figured I'd stick to mostly casing the place first. I told you, the place isn't any better protected than any place else it seems. Your ideas that the place is protected by magic traps and living statues are unfounded." "I'm not convinced and I think you just got lucky." "Well either way, I'm heading there again in a few days and hauling out more shit. I know a few people that would be more than willing to buy stuff like this." "And maybe you better not. I'm telling you, this is not a good idea and all its going to do create trouble for all of us. The university is huge, you can easily make a lot of coin without the extra danger of fucking around with magic." Now Zalmora rolls her eyes. "Y'know those two halfbreed bitches might be whores in thieves clothing, but at least they're having fun with all this. You know, the only reason why I wanted to be transferred here instead of sticking with Jake is because I thought this might be a nice change of pace to work around a subtler thief. It's one thing to be professional, but by the fucking gods, you've managed to suck out ALL the fun out of this. If it were up to you, you'd still be meekly sneaking around the campus all by yourself and never maximizing the full potential of what is here!" Zalmora says. "Yeah, and I'd be perfectly fine with that. This was all Tom's idea for me to play mentor, not mine." You remark. "Hah! I don't need a damn mentor. I've been thieving before you were even thought about! And I don't need your damn permission either to go rob the magic college. Maybe you can intimidate the rest of the unskilled Talons into acting the way you want, but I'm doing what the hell I want." "Yeah? And I can go report you to Tom and have you transferred back. You're ONLY here because I said it was okay in the first place!" "Fine. Go tattle on me like a fucking bitch then. Always knew you had a stick up your ass, but I didn't realize you were a snitch too." "Oh don't give me that snitch shit. Tom's the boss, he told me I had independent jurisdiction here of who was obeying my way of doing things and who wasn't. So if I don't like the way you're doing shit, guess what? You don't get to stay and that's it!" "I see. You're not a snitch, you're a pretender to the throne." "What?" "You're a pretender to the throne. You're acting like you're the boss of the Crimson Talons. The only thing that's stopping you totally is the fact that Tom is officially in charge. But if he's allowing you this much leniency and is basically doing what you say anyway then maybe you need to just cut the pretending and take over completely. I'd certainly be more likely to respect AND listen to your orders if that was the case. But then I always preferred men who take what they want...guess that's why I never minded Jake, even if he is an idiot most of the time. See you around." Zalmora at this point takes her leave of you. You've been working with Zalmora directly only for a few months, but now you're starting to see why Tom thinks she's manipulative. She basically just suggested that you go kill him and take over. For what purpose though you can't say. If she really doesn't like Tom, why doesn't she just do it? Though you suppose keeping her own hands clean and being a puppet master is more her thing. After all if you were in charge, you'd catch the blame if things didn't go well. You suppose it's an idea to consider, but again even if you wanted the hassle, you're still not really someone that wants to just kill someone without a good reason. Tom's been okay with you too, more than okay actually. He is a bit of a weak leader though. You do sort of wonder how he hasn't caught a knife in the back yet, or the front for that matter. And Zalmora might be right, might be time to take more risks. The thieves under your "command" listen to you, but the actual respect is probably minimal. It might be worth while to keep your options open to become more of a true leader just in case, you wanted to reconsider being head of the Crimson Talons one day. > You keep things simple You're not falling for Zal's manipulation. Tom can keep the headaches because you've got enough of it just dealing with the ones that you're trying to teach here. So things are going to remain the same and no unnecessary risks. You've managed to keep things together and not call attention to yourself with that rule and you're not changing it. And you don't give a shit what Zal calls you, you'll be letting Tom know the situation. Given how he feels about her, you've no doubt that he'll side with you. Later you report to Tom just as you planned and also stress that you don't want to see Zal anywhere near the university since she's made it clear that she's going to do her own thing regardless of what you say. Tom thanks you for telling him this information and says he'll make sure that the university district is off limits to her and if he finds out otherwise, there will be severe consequences. Honestly, you don't have too much hope that Tom is going to really enforce that last rule. Over the course of the next few months your attention is partially directed towards thinking Zal is going to perform her activities to the university district anyway, but either she obeys the rules or she's more adept at keeping a low profile than you thought. Either way, there isn't some alarm raised on campus that is causing militia to start cracking down on the place. The rest of the Talons working under you don't give you any trouble, save for Sunshine and Flameflower on occasion and even they aren't that bad and eventually you do become somewhat lenient with them since it would seem they are more than capable of balancing their business with pleasure. You sort of wonder why they didn't just become prostitutes though seeing as they're doing as much fucking as they are stealing. As for the rest of the Crimson Talons, things are business as usual elsewhere in the city, but then what do you really care? You're mostly divorced from those operations. Your slice of the pie is all you ever wanted and you still got that. Year 23 You hear a knock at your door. You really hope that isn't Virgil, you're not in the mood for his begging today. Elana makes her usual hostile squeaks until you tell her to calm down. "What!? It's too fucking early to be banging on my door like this! The sun's not even setting!" you yell. "Yeah well it's important. The boss man wants to see you." Zalmora remarks. "Wha...(sigh) hold on." You didn't expect this. You get dressed as quickly as you can and open the door. Zal walks in and looks at Elana who is under a dresser and still giving the occasional angry squeak. "Ugh, that ugly thing still has way too many teeth." Zalmora says. "What the hell does Tom want and why would he send you of all people to come get me?" you ask. "How should I know? He never tells me anything as you well know. And he probably sent me because it pleases him to send me on menial tasks like this. So you coming or what?" "Yeah, yeah, just give me a few more moments." You finish getting your gear and leave with Zalmora though you don't know why she's walking with you. You haven't directly interacted with her since last year. "Zal, you are aware that I know how to get to the Talon hideout right? You don't need to escort me." You say. "I know, but I sort of felt like we should talk along the way." Zal says. "I don't really feel like arguing." "Who said anything about arguing? I said talk. I feel like we drifted apart after the incident at the university." "Did we? I didn't know we were so close." "Okay, maybe we weren't, but I still feel like we sort of took a wrong turn somewhere." "Yeah, it was when you weren't obeying my orders, accusing me of being a snitch, and then trying to manipulate me into killing Tom." "...okay...I can see where you might have some feelings about that. And I didn't say you had to kill Tom, I mean I think you might have been able to convince him into stepping down. That would have been just as good." "Sure, either way you would have been leading from the shadows." "I'm not sure why you're so against taking lead of the Crimson Talons. I mean yeah I get that you don't have any interest in leading and you like to play things safe and low key. I think that's not living up to your potential BUT I get it. Let me point out though, whether you intended to or not, you're actually a leader now. All those thieves that work directly with or under you? They speak highly of you, you know. I mean you have to know this right?" "Get to point Zal." "My point is, you're already half way there! Why not take the lead? The Crimson Talons could do better under you. I mean you'd at least eliminate all this talk about possibly getting into the drug trade again." "Drugs?" "Yeah, Jake and a few others want to get back into selling Yellow Devil. I'm pretty against the idea obviously, but I can't deny that there wouldn't be benefits to the organization." "Well what's Tom say?" "Dunno, that might be what he wants to talk to you about. But again if he's asking you for advice on this matter, I think it would just be better if you were in charge to make the final decision on it." Obviously Zalmora is still pushing for you to take control of the Crimson Talons and to you it's weird that she would still be attempting it. Even if you did, she has to know that you're aware of her agenda and wouldn't be a puppet. Unless it's something deeper than that, but...no. She's teasingly flirted a few times, but it isn't like you and her have actually ever had anything together. You and her are silent for a while until you're in the sewers and nearly to the hideout. "So...you really don't want to be head of the Crimson Talons?" Zalmora asks. "Not really, and if you lot are getting into drugs, I'm thinking I might be gone altogether." You say. "That's why I said you should just take power and shape this organization how you want it to be." "Zal, I'm not your damn puppet. You want Tom gone, you do it yourself, then YOU could shape it how YOU want. Now just stop pushing me, because I'm not interested." You snap. "I see. My apologies for bothering you. I can see my advice was never desired or needed. I suppose I'll take my leave." Zalmora then nods to you and begins walking back the way you came. You watch her walk off and just shake your head wondering why you even joined this crazy organization in the first place. Though you're also wondering if you won't be leaving it soon. You don't have to wonder for long as something else happens that you didn't expect. Before you even reach the hideout door, it opens and several Talon members come rushing out at you with weapons in hand. You're taken off guard and they soon knock you to the sewer muck and after kicking you around a bit, Jake comes out with a big axe in hand. "Ah, and now to deal with the second threat to the new regime. Pfft. Never liked you anyway. Always thought you were better than all of us, getting your own little section of the city to yourself, getting special treatment from Tom. Well that ends today." Jake remarks. "Wha...where the hell is Tom?" you utter while spitting up blood. "Geez, thought Zal said you were smart. Then again you followed her here, guess you weren't too smart. Haven't you figured it out yet? He's fucking dead! Just like you soon will be. I'm sure all those that worked with you will fall in line quick when they see your bloody head hanging on the wall." Jake laughs a bit with the men loyal to him and doesn't waste any more words on you. He's here to kill you and that's what he's going to do and you're not going to stop him. The last thing you see is the blade of an axe coming straight at your face.

[Themes: fantasy, humor] Year 21 "Yeah, yeah, here's the rent." You say handing over a few silvers to Trobart. As usual he grabs the silvers and gives you mean glance. "I'm getting real tired of your shit! I KNOW you got the money to pay me on fucking time! Telling you right now, you keep pushing me like this, and you'll be out on your thieving ass!" "I'm sorry. Please don't throw me out of this palace." You say. Whether Trobart caught your sarcasm or not, he doesn't acknowledge it with more verbal abuse, he just storms off. Sometimes it's just too much fun to mess with him. Really, you could probably afford to live somewhere better now, but this place is cheap enough that you're reluctant move. Besides if you lived some place more expensive, you wouldn't be able to spend your money on fun things like wine, women and better equipment on occasion. You head back to your room where Elana comes up to greet you before scampering off again. One thing's for sure. You haven't had any problems with normal rats or other pests with Elana around. She's aggressively territorial and more than willing to make a meal out of them. Even Virgil doesn't knock on the door to bother you as much since she nearly bit his toe off. You then hear a knock at your door. Well, it doesn't stop him completely. "Virgil, I think you should know Elana's hungry right now." You say. "That's nice that your girlfriend is starving, but I'm not Virgil, whoever that is. I'm from you friends in Klyton's most infamous club." You hear a voice answer. Sounds female. "Crimson Talons?" "(Sigh) Tell the militia why don't you? You going to let me in or not?" "That depends...why are you here? Nobody from the Talons has ever sought me out before." "Yeah, well there's a first time for everything. Look, I'm just here on Tom's orders. I'm not shouting between a door like this. Either open the door, or I'll let him know you aren't interested..." "Alright, alright, hold on." You say. You tell Elana to stay and not attack (at least not immediately) and you go to open the door cautiously. Upon opening it, you see a dark longhaired woman who while is certainly older than you is still in fit condition. She's attractive in a trashy sort of way. (Sort of reminds you of an older version of Annah) While you've been to the Talon's headquarters more than a few times, but other than Tom and a guy named Vaughn who is usually the fence for your stolen items, you can't really say you've ever paid too much attention to most of them (let alone learned their names), so you don't really recognize her. However, with her looks combined with her attire and she definitely looks like the sort that would belong to the Crimson Talons. The woman walks in without you even inviting her in and takes a look around. "Wow, some place you have here. I can see why you didn't want to join the Talons when you're obviously doing so well on your own." She says. "Right, because that abandoned building you all squat in and have to sneak about by going in and out of the shit filled sewers is so much better." You reply. "Actually, I was paying you a compliment asshole. This place IS better. I mean yeah it's still a dump, but as you said, at least you're not stepping over shit every five minutes on your way here and it's all to yourself." "...not counting the rats of course." She adds when she sees Elana who is curled up in the corner where you told her to stay. "Elana's not a rat, she's a qweepa." You say. "Oh, that's Elana? I thought it was weird I didn't see some strumpet on your bed when I walked in here. Well whatever it is, it's ugly and its teeth are too big." Zalmora says while taking a seat on your bed. "So are you just here to insult my home and my pet or are you actually going to tell me who you are and why Tom sent you?" "I told you I wasn't insulting your home. Anyway, I'm Zalmora and Tom wants to see you." "What for?" "Well, you'd have to talk with him about the details, but basically he wants you to reconsider joining us." "Then you've wasted a trip, because as you pointed out I'm doing fine on my own. Besides, didn't several of your members just get arrested by that botched bank job recently?" "Only two got caught and they weren't arrested because the militia killed them with they were resisting." "Oh, well that's different then. At the rate you lot are going I don't predict good things for you in the future. You can tell Tom thanks, but no thanks." "Yeah, he thought you might say that, and honestly if I were in your position I'd probably feel the same way." "Good, then we understand each other, goodbye..." you say and go to open the door again, but Zalmora doesn't even move, she just stretches out on your bed and makes herself more comfortable. "Although, I also have to tell you that your cooperation on this matter is in your best interest." She says. "So, what then? Did Tom send you over here to fuck me in an effort to convince me to join? You seem to be getting quite comfortable on my bed." "Well I wouldn't put it past him to have that in mind, but if he really wanted to get results in that way, he should have sent the half-elven whores in the gang instead. If I had to guess why he sent me, it's because as much as he's loathed to admit it, I have a decent history of convincing folks. In any case, if you don't join, don't bother coming around with your stolen shit anymore, we won't be fencing it." "So is that your argument? If I don't join your little group, you aren't going to fence for me anymore? Fine. I'll just take my shit to Fookins the Fat." You exclaim. "Fookins? You're going to trust that goblin to fence your shit?" Zalmora chuckles. "Okay fine, I'll just sell it myself." "While I don't doubt that you could, but I get a vibe from you that you'd rather not want to bother. If you were about that aspect of our game, you would have been doing it long before now." "Well, you might be right, but obviously you lot aren't giving me a choice." "Sure we are. Join us and reap the benefits, or don't and suffer the consequences. I guess this would also be a good time to add that if you don't join us you might have a target on your back." Didn't take long to get to physical threats. You immediately draw your weapon and Elana who was previously at rest, is now alert and prepared to attack on your command. Zalmora doesn't move though, she just continues to look up at the ceiling with her legs crossed. She either doesn't realize the seriousness of her situation, or she's so much of a skilled fighter that she isn't worried. "You can put that away, I'm not going to kill or even attack you." Zalmora says. "You just fucking threatened me in my own damn room!" you exclaim. "Actually I didn't. Tom did and honestly I don't think he's got the balls to follow through on said threats. Other freelancers in the city? Maybe. You? Nah. You rescued him from a cage; he's never going to forget that. He's likely to be pissed and disappointed that you don't join, but he's not going to actively put a contract on your head. He's not like our last boss Edmund." At this point she sits up and gets off your bed. You're still on your guard, but she keeps her distance. "Since I can see you're a bit tense right now, I'll leave to let you think it over." Zal's approach to this is confusing the hell out of you. It almost feels like she's deliberately trying to convince you NOT to join. "There isn't much to think about. Your words have not swayed me, quite the opposite really. Maybe Tom should have sent those two halfbreed whores to convince me instead." You say. "Truly? Is a quick tumble all it would have really done to convince you? Well, let's get to it then." Zal says. "Wait, what, really?" you ask. "Pfft, no!" Zal laughs. "Look, it's up to you if you want to join. I'm not going over the benefits of joining, because I think you know what those could possibly be AND I think you're smart enough to know you're only going to get out of it, what you put in to it. Like I said, you once rescued Tom from a cage, so you're already in good standing with him. A lot better than most. I'm just giving you a heads up on the downsides of not joining. If you're comfortable with those, then I guess the choice is easy. You know where to find us if you change your mind, but remember ONLY come to us, IF you change your mind." Zal opens your door and begins to leave, but then stops. "Just on a personal note, I wouldn't mind seeing you join us. It would be nice to have another skilled rogue around to work with. Your independent actions in the university district aren't completely unknown to me. And who knows, we might just have that tumble after all." Zal then nods at you with a smile and leaves. Well she didn't sway you until that last bit. Not the tumble part, (though you certainly wouldn't turn that down) but more of the idea of working with someone else. You don't think about it too much, but you do sort of miss working with another person. You did it for years with your sister and then Annah for a short time. You're convinced that if tragedy hadn't struck with her, she probably would have gotten better. Working by yourself has its advantages and over the years you've gotten used to it, but there are more than a few times where it would have helped to have another person by your side. There's also the convenience that you'd be able to have the Talons still fence shit for you and the possibility that you wouldn't have a target on your back, even if Zal says the latter is unlikely. Still, you really aren't sure about the whole joining the Crimson Talons thing. That's more people than you'd care to work with and you'd have to ultimately answer to someone. Let alone the other concerns you have. > You stay independent The cons far outweigh the pros. You've found your niche by plying most of your trade at the university district. You're staying out of the Talons way and more or less keeping a low profile from the militia. You see no good reason to change that. You guess you'll have to become more of a "salesman" of sorts if you steal anything that isn't actual money though. You suppose the drugs you pilfer from the medical school won't be too hard to get a good price for or find buyers. Maybe it's time to branch out your skill set anyway. You are working on your own so you really need to be a jack-of-all-trades and try not to rely on outside sources. Especially since you still believe that the Crimson Talons are destined for nothing good in the future. Thinking no more about it, you pack some of your tools in your bag and set off for the university. Later... After picking a few random pockets, you pass by one of the bulletin boards to see if there are any big parties being announced in the near future (or even tonight) since those are always usually profitable to attend. You take note of a couple listed and then you see a notice for a job. In need of two people to assist in gathering several eggs from a Creptian Blueshell. Location will most likely be in the shores north of Hessla. Trip will be paid for and a reasonable monetary reward will be provided upon completion of the task. Please see me in my office at the medical school for details if interested. Dr. Gossey While you've seen a few of these notices in the past since your last job with Dr. Gossey, you've actually been reluctant to try it again for several reasons, but you're feeling a little adventurous. Might be good to get out of the city for a while anyway, because if that Zalmora woman comes around again to convince you to join, you might just be silly enough to do it. You head over to the medical school and unlike last time you easily find Gossey's office without getting lost. (Though you sort of know this place fairly well by now considering all the medical paraphernalia you've stolen from this place) When you arrive, you find that she's conveniently in her office. When she sees you she greets you warmly. "Well, this is a surprise. I was wondering if we'd ever bump into each other again. I haven't seen you since the last time you got those qweepas for me. I guess classes are keeping you busy?" Gossey asks. "Yeah, I tend to study a lot, but anyway I'm here about the job posting." You say. "Oh good! I already got one person to help and since you did such a good job last time in acquiring the qweepas, I think I can safely hire you right away. Are you familiar with Creptain Blueshells?" "Mm, not especially no." "Well they're sort of like a cross between a snail and a crab, but about as big as a large dog. I mean they don't move very fast and they aren't usually overly aggressive in the scheme of things, but considering we need to take some eggs...well I can guarantee they aren't going to be happy." "I see. I don't suppose they sell these creatures as a delicacy in Hessla do they?" "Oh no. They're far too poisonous to most life forms for that. In fact beside their shells, that's probably their number one defense. Don't let them spit on you." "They spit?" "Oh yes, but as I said, you'll have extra help this time. A student from the magic college is coming on the trip, along with my assistant Kelium. Between the three of you, I don't anticipate you'll have any problems as long as you remain cautious." "Magic huh? Hmm, well that sounds like evening the odds a bit at least." "To be sure, but I know this still has its danger, so it will be fifty gold upon completion. I'd offer a little more, but the other student needs her payment too." Fifty gold pieces is a nice chunk to go towards your secret savings. And as far as the crab snails monsters go, the wizard can probably handle the heavy lifting what with the fireballs and lightning and such. "Sounds reasonable. So when do we get going?" you ask. "Well since we have you now, I suppose I can get the trip going in three days. I'll explain to my assistant what you look like and you can just meet up with him at the carriage station in the morning. You'll probably have to stay in Hessla for the night when you reach it, but from there you should travel north along the coast to seek out the Creptians, but don't worry on that front, my assistant will have a map and I think you'll find Kelium much more agreeable than the last time you worked one of these jobs." Gossey remarks. "Well that's good to hear. Did Elana graduate then?" you ask. "It's the strangest thing. She never returned. I don't really want to think about what might have happened to her, but that's all in the past, and I'm sure you did your best in trying to convince her that staying in Hessla alone ran a risk. Oh well, all in the past. But right now, all you have to do is make sure you get some of Creptian eggs. That's the most important thing." Gossey remarks. Having come to an agreement with Dr. Gossey and her explaining what Kelium looks like along with the magic student Yvette, you take your leave of the university and head back home. Your next few days mainly consist of you preparing yourself for the trip. You pack your short sword, and a couple extra knives along with your flintlock. You also go and steal yourself some anti-venom from the apothecary. (Along with a few other items) You figure it can't hurt. Finally on the day you're supposed to meet everyone, you go to the carriage station and seek out your companions for this trip. Doesn't take long when you see a tall pale man wearing a cap loading up a few bags on a carriage and near him is a shorter woman with light brown hair. You're guessing that's them. You also look at the driver and see that it isn't Yrid. "Hey, you're Yvette and Kelium right?" you ask, and both of them turn to address you and confirm this question, then you announce who you are. "That's great. More people to talk with on the trip." Kelium says easily hoisting another bag on top of the carriage with one arm. "Hi." Yvette says demurely. Not exactly what you expected. Kelium seems like less like a scholar and more like an athletic type. And you were expecting Yvette to be dressed in a robe or something similar. Maybe even holding a staff or something. At least neither are dressed screaming of "Hey I'm rich, come rob and enslave me!" though. All three of you pile into the carriage, which is already better than last time. You and Kelium sit on one side while Yvette sits on the other and you're soon on your way. Kelium talks for half of the trip and almost never shuts up. He goes on about his studies and how he's been helping Dr. Gossey and what he plans to do when he graduates. It probably would all be very fascinating if you actually cared. Still, at least he's pleasant enough and he's talking so much about himself he doesn't ask anything about you at all. You occasionally just give a general agreement with whatever he's saying. Yvette is quiet and is just mainly listening to Kelium. She doesn't talk at all. Maybe wizards are just like that. All that isolated studying. Eventually Kelium does shut up because he starts to get sleepy. He mentions that he was studying up on Blueshell Creptians all night just to be extra prepared. He then mentions for you two to wake him when you arrive in Hessla and soon he's fast asleep complete with snoring. You take this opportunity to sit over on the other side of the carriage. "Um. What are you doing?" Yvette asks a bit suspiciously. "I'm sitting over here, because that snoring giant over there is taking up most of the room, not to mention he's loud enough even without being seated right next to him. I'd like to reach Hessla and not be deaf in one ear." You explain. "Oh. Okay then." Yvette says and then gets over as far as she can when you sit down. "You...don't trust me do you?" you ask. "Um...no, I mean yes. I mean um..." Yvette stutters. "Hah. It's okay. I understand being cautious, but I'm really not going to do anything, I mean you're a wizard. I'm not risking getting a spell cast on me." "No! It's not that! It's just well...I'm not used to being cramped in a small space like this with a bunch of people. I like a lot of personal space." "Ah. Got it. Also understand. You want me to go back and sit over there?" "No. It's okay. You seem nice." "Thanks. Don't hear that one often. So I've never met a wizard before. Tell me everything." "There isn't much to tell and I'm not really a wizard. I'm still just an adept. I actually took this job as part of my own assignment of taking what I learned in the classroom and applying it to the field. I was sort of too nervous just to do it alone." "Well it is a scary world out there at times." You proceed to speak with Yvette for the rest of the trip who slowly starts to open up a bit. She goes on to tell you that the magic school isn't even all that big. She's only one of twenty-three students! Apparently the university is almost on the verge of closing it down since naturally magically talented individuals seem to be born less and less these days. However, magic is still a mighty force in this world and one of the Klyton Council members is a mage himself (Though not a particularly powerful one), so the school remains open. Just as you're starting to get Yvette to laugh at your dumb goblin jokes, you're arriving in Hessla and the driver stops. "I guess we should wake up Kelium." Yvette says. "Yeah, I suppose so." You reply a bit disappointed. You were starting to enjoy your personal time with Yvette. While Yvette wakes him up, you get out to speak to the driver and ask him to take you to an inn that's better than the Barnacle. "And DON'T even fucking think about taking us to the Cozy Krak Inn!" you exclaim. "Wasn't going to sir. I've never even heard of the place. I was going to suggest going to the Sea Dog." "Is it a slavers den?" "Um, no. It's run by an old ex-pirate and is more or less friendlier than most inns." "It better be." You say. You get back in and see that Kelium is awake and the carriage soon takes you to your destination. The Sea Dog is better than the Barnacle, but not by much. However, it at least isn't trying to appear like something it isn't. Kelium grabs all the supplies he packed, he doesn't even ask for help. The ex-pirate that the driver mentioned reminds you of Trobart from the Welcome Mat because as soon as you enter he's glaring at you with his one good eye and asking what the hell you want. While you would probably return the verbal abuse, Kelium takes it all in stride and simply pays for the rooms. Unfortunately only two are available. Naturally it's decided that Yvette will take one room and you'll have to share one with Kelium. Not looking forward to that mostly because the guy snores so loudly. However as it turns out Kelium isn't ready to go to sleep. "I partially slept on the way here, so I'm wide awake! We should hang out and go find a proper tavern! Or better yet let's go find a gambling house! Dr. Gossey gave me all this money for the trip; I bet I can fucking double it!" Kelium exclaims. "But don't you need to be alert for the trip north tomorrow?" you ask. "I'll be fine! Besides, we don't have to leave first thing in the morning. Come on, let's go have a little fun! This place has got to have less restrictions than Klyton!" "I dunno, I really think you should just stay put and try to get some rest. I mean I haven't slept so..." "Come on man! You're not one of those guys that studies all the time are you? I mean I figure you took a job like this because you're an adventurous type! I mean yeah you got a job and I got an assignment, but shit, I ain't never been to a different town before. I wanna explore the scenery a bit! Maybe we can get Yvette to join us too! I saw you checking her out! She's a bit too quiet and bookish looking for me, but hey whatever you like man." On one hand you don't really have anything against going out and spending someone else's money and maybe having some fun, but you also don't relish the idea of having to look after this fool because with his boisterousness you just know he's going to get himself into a whole mess of trouble and you already got monster crab snails to deal with tomorrow and EVERYONE needs to be prepared for that shit. > You go party with Kelium What the hell, might as well make this trip fun and he'll probably just leave anyway. At least if you go with him, you'll be able to have some control over the situation. "Alright, but let's just me and you go. I doubt if this would be Yvette's thing." You say. "Yeah, you're probably right, don't need her slowing us down. Okay! So where do you know that's a good place to go?" Kelium remarks. "Well we could try the Sultry Siren. That's usually the popular place." "Great! Lead the way." You and Kelium head to the Sultry Siren, which is a lot busier than the last time you came here, then again the last time you were here, you weren't paying excessive attention to the environment. Kelium immediately takes a liking to the place going on about how this was the sort of thing he was talking about. He orders drinks for the pair of you and wastes no time in wanting to get involved in one of the gambling games going on. "Wouldn't you rather go see one of the ladies they got here?" you ask. "Well...maybe later. I wanna see if I can win some more money first, then I'll be able to pay more for special requests!" Kelium says excitedly. "Um, sure. I'm gonna warn you though, a lot of these folks pretty serious about their gambling. I'd say play a few times and then stop before you lose ALL your money." "Me lose? Hardly. I'm not unfamiliar with games of chance and it all comes down to probability! You just have to know the system and the beauty is, it isn't even cheating. I used to play private games against folks at the University all the time until everyone realized they would just be throwing their money away. These fools probably put all their misguided faith in Yag or whatever that silly deity of luck is called." "Yeah? Well you might also want to be careful if you intend on winning all the time too. In fact that might even be more dangerous." "Bah, stop worrying! Here! Go get yourself the best, I've got this." Kelium remarks and hands you a bunch of silvers as if it was nothing. You quickly pocket them and briefly think about stopping Kelium since he's already throwing large amounts of money around like some clueless tourist. However you then remember you're supposed to be having fun and Kelium is a big boy and can probably handle himself. You take your silver and indulge in the best looking whore the Sultry Siren has to offer. You have so much fun with Ariel that you lose track of time until she tells you to get out because you've run out of coin. Just as well since you probably need to go check to see if Kelium has lost all his money yet. To your surprise he wasn't joking about knowing "the system" and he's up by at least a few hundred already. "Hey! You have as much fun as I've been having? Here, go have some more fun!" Kelium exclaims and shoves another pile of coins at you. "This is great and all, but don't you think you better stop? I mean it looks like you're ahead." You say. "No way, I'm nowhere near finished yet! More drinks for everyone!" Well it looks like Kelium is spreading the wealth around even though he's winning. Most people seem to be cheering him on. You see a few disgruntled folks perturbed about losing, but nobody looks like they're ready to kill him yet. In fact you're amazed it hasn't happened already given how much he's won. Maybe you were worried over nothing. You take Kelium's coins and get yourself a few drinks before heading to see Ariel again. This sort of merriment goes on for another few hours and by the time you're done with your third round of fun with Ariel (and a couple of her friends) you're only slightly less drunk than Kelium who is STILL winning despite the fact he shouldn't even be standing at this point. Despite your intoxicated state, you're still aware of your surroundings and now you're starting see less cheering and more glaring eyes of hatred. You think this would be the time to leave. "Kelium, (hic) it's getting a bit late, we got that thing to do tomorrow." You say, pulling at his arm. "B...b...bbut I haven't...be...begun...(hic) to havffffun yet! (hic)." He slurs. "Yeah you have, come on let's go..." you say and start grabbing up his coins and pushing him away from the table. However the men he's currently playing with aren't receptive to that idea. "Who the fuck are you, his fuck boy? He can't just leave without letting us have a chance of winning back our money." One of them says. "Pfft, wouldn't matter anyway. I've been watching this asshole all night and while I can't prove it, I KNOW he's gotta be cheating. There's some magic shit going on or something maybe." Another remarks. "Hey waitaminute, maybe it's THIS guy who's been in control the whole night! Maybe this guy is an illusion or something." a third says. "What? That's redic...(hic) ulous. I've been spending all my time with the ladies in the back the whole time! I'm not a damn wizard!" you exclaim. Unfortunately the men aren't convinced and begin advancing on you. You back away, and tell them they can take all the money, but Kelium really isn't keen on that idea even in his near passed out state. "Whaaaaa!? (hic) Fuck dat! Haf at you!" he says and clumsily tries to draw his sword. This is a very bad move and the men waste no time in turning this situation into what might have been just a beat down, into a stabby bad time. Kelium is instantly run through by the time he draws his blade, then he's knocked to the floor dead. "Oh shit..." you say and start to run. Under normal circumstances you'd probably be able to get away, but you're just not in the best coordinated condition and you end up barely getting out the door before one of the gamblers trips you up and you go sprawling to the ground. You feel a crushing blow to your head, which is then followed by someone roughly turning you over. You go for your flintlock, but are stopped and it's all the excuse they need to put a knife in your throat.

The cons far outweigh the pros. You've found your niche by plying most of your trade at the university district. You're staying out of the Talons way and more or less keeping a low profile from the militia. You see no good reason to change that. You guess you'll have to become more of a "salesman" of sorts if you steal anything that isn't actual money though. You suppose the drugs you pilfer from the medical school won't be too hard to get a good price for or find buyers. Maybe it's time to branch out your skill set anyway. You are working on your own so you really need to be a jack-of-all-trades and try not to rely on outside sources. Especially since you still believe that the Crimson Talons are destined for nothing good in the future. Thinking no more about it, you pack some of your tools in your bag and set off for the university. Later... After picking a few random pockets, you pass by one of the bulletin boards to see if there are any big parties being announced in the near future (or even tonight) since those are always usually profitable to attend. You take note of a couple listed and then you see a notice for a job. In need of two people to assist in gathering several eggs from a Creptian Blueshell. Location will most likely be in the shores north of Hessla. Trip will be paid for and a reasonable monetary reward will be provided upon completion of the task. Please see me in my office at the medical school for details if interested. Dr. Gossey While you've seen a few of these notices in the past since your last job with Dr. Gossey, you've actually been reluctant to try it again for several reasons, but you're feeling a little adventurous. Might be good to get out of the city for a while anyway, because if that Zalmora woman comes around again to convince you to join, you might just be silly enough to do it. You head over to the medical school and unlike last time you easily find Gossey's office without getting lost. (Though you sort of know this place fairly well by now considering all the medical paraphernalia you've stolen from this place) When you arrive, you find that she's conveniently in her office. When she sees you she greets you warmly. "Well, this is a surprise. I was wondering if we'd ever bump into each other again. I haven't seen you since the last time you got those qweepas for me. I guess classes are keeping you busy?" Gossey asks. "Yeah, I tend to study a lot, but anyway I'm here about the job posting." You say. "Oh good! I already got one person to help and since you did such a good job last time in acquiring the qweepas, I think I can safely hire you right away. Are you familiar with Creptain Blueshells?" "Mm, not especially no." "Well they're sort of like a cross between a snail and a crab, but about as big as a large dog. I mean they don't move very fast and they aren't usually overly aggressive in the scheme of things, but considering we need to take some eggs...well I can guarantee they aren't going to be happy." "I see. I don't suppose they sell these creatures as a delicacy in Hessla do they?" "Oh no. They're far too poisonous to most life forms for that. In fact beside their shells, that's probably their number one defense. Don't let them spit on you." "They spit?" "Oh yes, but as I said, you'll have extra help this time. A student from the magic college is coming on the trip, along with my assistant Kelium. Between the three of you, I don't anticipate you'll have any problems as long as you remain cautious." "Magic huh? Hmm, well that sounds like evening the odds a bit at least." "To be sure, but I know this still has its danger, so it will be fifty gold upon completion. I'd offer a little more, but the other student needs her payment too." Fifty gold pieces is a nice chunk to go towards your secret savings. And as far as the crab snails monsters go, the wizard can probably handle the heavy lifting what with the fireballs and lightning and such. "Sounds reasonable. So when do we get going?" you ask. "Well since we have you now, I suppose I can get the trip going in three days. I'll explain to my assistant what you look like and you can just meet up with him at the carriage station in the morning. You'll probably have to stay in Hessla for the night when you reach it, but from there you should travel north along the coast to seek out the Creptians, but don't worry on that front, my assistant will have a map and I think you'll find Kelium much more agreeable than the last time you worked one of these jobs." Gossey remarks. "Well that's good to hear. Did Elana graduate then?" you ask. "It's the strangest thing. She never returned. I don't really want to think about what might have happened to her, but that's all in the past, and I'm sure you did your best in trying to convince her that staying in Hessla alone ran a risk. Oh well, all in the past. But right now, all you have to do is make sure you get some of Creptian eggs. That's the most important thing." Gossey remarks. Having come to an agreement with Dr. Gossey and her explaining what Kelium looks like along with the magic student Yvette, you take your leave of the university and head back home. Your next few days mainly consist of you preparing yourself for the trip. You pack your short sword, and a couple extra knives along with your flintlock. You also go and steal yourself some anti-venom from the apothecary. (Along with a few other items) You figure it can't hurt. Finally on the day you're supposed to meet everyone, you go to the carriage station and seek out your companions for this trip. Doesn't take long when you see a tall pale man wearing a cap loading up a few bags on a carriage and near him is a shorter woman with light brown hair. You're guessing that's them. You also look at the driver and see that it isn't Yrid. "Hey, you're Yvette and Kelium right?" you ask, and both of them turn to address you and confirm this question, then you announce who you are. "That's great. More people to talk with on the trip." Kelium says easily hoisting another bag on top of the carriage with one arm. "Hi." Yvette says demurely. Not exactly what you expected. Kelium seems like less like a scholar and more like an athletic type. And you were expecting Yvette to be dressed in a robe or something similar. Maybe even holding a staff or something. At least neither are dressed screaming of "Hey I'm rich, come rob and enslave me!" though. All three of you pile into the carriage, which is already better than last time. You and Kelium sit on one side while Yvette sits on the other and you're soon on your way. Kelium talks for half of the trip and almost never shuts up. He goes on about his studies and how he's been helping Dr. Gossey and what he plans to do when he graduates. It probably would all be very fascinating if you actually cared. Still, at least he's pleasant enough and he's talking so much about himself he doesn't ask anything about you at all. You occasionally just give a general agreement with whatever he's saying. Yvette is quiet and is just mainly listening to Kelium. She doesn't talk at all. Maybe wizards are just like that. All that isolated studying. Eventually Kelium does shut up because he starts to get sleepy. He mentions that he was studying up on Blueshell Creptians all night just to be extra prepared. He then mentions for you two to wake him when you arrive in Hessla and soon he's fast asleep complete with snoring. You take this opportunity to sit over on the other side of the carriage. "Um. What are you doing?" Yvette asks a bit suspiciously. "I'm sitting over here, because that snoring giant over there is taking up most of the room, not to mention he's loud enough even without being seated right next to him. I'd like to reach Hessla and not be deaf in one ear." You explain. "Oh. Okay then." Yvette says and then gets over as far as she can when you sit down. "You...don't trust me do you?" you ask. "Um...no, I mean yes. I mean um..." Yvette stutters. "Hah. It's okay. I understand being cautious, but I'm really not going to do anything, I mean you're a wizard. I'm not risking getting a spell cast on me." "No! It's not that! It's just well...I'm not used to being cramped in a small space like this with a bunch of people. I like a lot of personal space." "Ah. Got it. Also understand. You want me to go back and sit over there?" "No. It's okay. You seem nice." "Thanks. Don't hear that one often. So I've never met a wizard before. Tell me everything." "There isn't much to tell and I'm not really a wizard. I'm still just an adept. I actually took this job as part of my own assignment of taking what I learned in the classroom and applying it to the field. I was sort of too nervous just to do it alone." "Well it is a scary world out there at times." You proceed to speak with Yvette for the rest of the trip who slowly starts to open up a bit. She goes on to tell you that the magic school isn't even all that big. She's only one of twenty-three students! Apparently the university is almost on the verge of closing it down since naturally magically talented individuals seem to be born less and less these days. However, magic is still a mighty force in this world and one of the Klyton Council members is a mage himself (Though not a particularly powerful one), so the school remains open. Just as you're starting to get Yvette to laugh at your dumb goblin jokes, you're arriving in Hessla and the driver stops. "I guess we should wake up Kelium." Yvette says. "Yeah, I suppose so." You reply a bit disappointed. You were starting to enjoy your personal time with Yvette. While Yvette wakes him up, you get out to speak to the driver and ask him to take you to an inn that's better than the Barnacle. "And DON'T even fucking think about taking us to the Cozy Krak Inn!" you exclaim. "Wasn't going to sir. I've never even heard of the place. I was going to suggest going to the Sea Dog." "Is it a slavers den?" "Um, no. It's run by an old ex-pirate and is more or less friendlier than most inns." "It better be." You say. You get back in and see that Kelium is awake and the carriage soon takes you to your destination. The Sea Dog is better than the Barnacle, but not by much. However, it at least isn't trying to appear like something it isn't. Kelium grabs all the supplies he packed, he doesn't even ask for help. The ex-pirate that the driver mentioned reminds you of Trobart from the Welcome Mat because as soon as you enter he's glaring at you with his one good eye and asking what the hell you want. While you would probably return the verbal abuse, Kelium takes it all in stride and simply pays for the rooms. Unfortunately only two are available. Naturally it's decided that Yvette will take one room and you'll have to share one with Kelium. Not looking forward to that mostly because the guy snores so loudly. However as it turns out Kelium isn't ready to go to sleep. "I partially slept on the way here, so I'm wide awake! We should hang out and go find a proper tavern! Or better yet let's go find a gambling house! Dr. Gossey gave me all this money for the trip; I bet I can fucking double it!" Kelium exclaims. "But don't you need to be alert for the trip north tomorrow?" you ask. "I'll be fine! Besides, we don't have to leave first thing in the morning. Come on, let's go have a little fun! This place has got to have less restrictions than Klyton!" "I dunno, I really think you should just stay put and try to get some rest. I mean I haven't slept so..." "Come on man! You're not one of those guys that studies all the time are you? I mean I figure you took a job like this because you're an adventurous type! I mean yeah you got a job and I got an assignment, but shit, I ain't never been to a different town before. I wanna explore the scenery a bit! Maybe we can get Yvette to join us too! I saw you checking her out! She's a bit too quiet and bookish looking for me, but hey whatever you like man." On one hand you don't really have anything against going out and spending someone else's money and maybe having some fun, but you also don't relish the idea of having to look after this fool because with his boisterousness you just know he's going to get himself into a whole mess of trouble and you already got monster crab snails to deal with tomorrow and EVERYONE needs to be prepared for that shit. > You talk him into staying You can't believe that you're actually leaning towards being the "responsible" one here. "Look, I get that this is all very exciting for you seeing as you've lived a sheltered rich life and all..." "I am not rich or sheltered! My father has to bust his ass making my tuition payments!" "...yeah...in any case. I've been to this town before and its reputation is well earned. There are people here that make the dregs of Klyton look like priests of Joachim and if you run afoul of them, it isn't going to be good for you." "Pfft, I can handle trouble." Kelium says and flexes his muscles a bit and pulls a sword out of his bag. "Yeah, maybe you could handle one person, but the problem is these sort don't travel alone, they ALWAYS travel in packs and I can honestly say that YOU are not going to handle five or even three by yourself." "Well wouldn't you help me? I mean isn't that why you're here?" "Your job or assignment is to get some monster crab eggs. MY job is to help you in that task. My job is NOT however looking after your ass while you look for fun or trouble. Now I suggest you get some rest which is what I'm going to do because giant snail monsters that spit poison sound like they need full attention." You fully expect Kelium to argue some more with you, but he doesn't. You also expect him to just leave the room by himself, but he doesn't do that either thankfully. He just says he thought you were going to be fun and starts reading through some of his papers. Feeling a little pleased with yourself, you lay down on your bed and attempt to get to sleep before Kelium genuinely starts to get tired again, because if he starts snoring there is no way you're going to get any sleep. Much later, you groggily wake up and find that your speech was less effective than you thought. Kelium is not in your room. In fact, it doesn't even look like his bed has been slept in. You just shake your head and groan. "Stupid fucker probably got himself enslaved or his throat cut." you mutter, as you get yourself prepared to go look for this idiot. The first stop you make is Yvette's room. "Hey Yvette." You say knocking on the door. "Um...yes?" she answers, but not opening the door. "Is Kelium in there?" "No, why would he be? What are you implying?" "...what? Nothing! I'm just asking because he's gone, and it doesn't look like he's slept in his bed either. I'm guessing he took off to have fun in the middle of the night." "Oh dear. Um...well hold on, I have to get ready. I'll be out soon." Yvette says. You half wonder if Kelium is in there and he's climbing out of a window. If that is the case, it's going to be real obvious if he and Yvette slept together last night. You aren't sure why Yvette would bother hiding it though; it isn't like you really give a shit. As it turns out however, that isn't the case at all and you don't even have far to go to find Kelium. You find him just outside the Sea Dog, stripped nearly naked and lying unconscious by the street. "Well, at least that's one less thing to worry about." You say to yourself and begin the undesirable task of dragging his ass back inside. It's sometime at this point, Kelium begins to rouse from his unconsciousness. In between the name-calling and laughter by the locals, you manage to get him back to the room where Yvette joins you both. Kelium has a wicked hang over, but manages to explain what he remembers. He says that after you fell asleep he went out to explore the town and soon found himself in a card game at some place that he can't remember the name of. He claims he was winning and also says that someone must have drugged his drink and robbed him of everything. "I told you not to go out. You're just lucky that getting robbed blind was all that happened to you." You say. "Yeah, yeah, fuck. You sound like some old bitch. Shit. My head. Alright fine. Just let me get my spare clothes, and we can go get these fucking eggs." Kelium says. "Wait, we're going now? Are you in condition to do this? Maybe we should wait a day." Yvette asks. "I'll be fucking fine! Besides, I just lost all my money. We can't afford to stay here another night. We need to get these eggs today and then get the fuck outta this shitty town." You don't even ask HOW you're supposed to get back to Klyton if he's lost all his money. Though you've brought a little with you, so you suppose you'll be footing the carriage bill. Like Yvette, you aren't sure if Kelium is in the best condition to go do this, but you're certainly not going to be paying for more time at the inn either, so if he thinks he's good to go, then you are too. Besides, you're going to be happy when this is over with and you're questioning why you ever decided to do this again. "Adventurous...I should have that drunk Virgil check me for demonic possession." You mutter. After Kelium gets dressed and gathers his supplies (Which at least he's carrying), the three of you set off on your journey to get these eggs. Unfortunately, its not just a simple matter of sticking to the coast and finding them along the shore, Kelium says you'll probably have to go into a cave seeing as they like to lay their eggs some place dark, wet and safe. "Um, we have to enter a cave?" Yvette asks. "Yeah, what's the big deal?" Kelium asks. What Yvette doesn't answer right away, you step in. "I think Yvette is a bit uncomfortable with small spaces, especially dark ones crawling with monsters." You say. "Huh? Well that's just tough because she signed up for this task voluntarily. Nobody held a flintlock to her head. Besides, it's most likely a big open cave given how large blueshell creptians are." Kelium remarks. "Oh, well that changes everything." You travel a bit longer until you start climbing up a small hill. Kelium occasionally looks at the ground and tries to find signs of creptians. He seems to know what he's doing, despite his condition, though at this point you're more on the look out of other potential bad types like say bandits or something similar. Meanwhile Yvette looks like she's expecting trouble everywhere since she's looking around constantly. "Yvette, calm yourself. Out of the three of us, you've probably got the most power here to deal with anything." You say. "I dunno what you think I can do. I know. I'm not some high mage like in the old stories. As I told you, I'm just starting out and I haven't even been out of the city before." "Hm, so you can't just summon a ball of flame or shoot lighting?" "Um...well not what you're probably thinking. I mean maybe I could conjure a small palm sized ball of flame. Not sure if that would take down a Blueshell Creptian though, and it takes all my focus just to do it." "Better than nothing I suppose." Suddenly you hear Kelium yelling about something. You were so busy speaking with Yvette you didn't even notice Kelium disappeared...again. "HEY COME HELP ME! SHIT!" Kelium shouts. You and Yvette run over to the other side of the hill you were on and see Kelium with his sword in hand and scrambling for cover behind a rock. You also see what you can only guess is a blueshell creptian. It looks exactly how you pictured. A big snail, with big crab like claws and a blue shell. Nearby the creptian you see a large sloping hole in the ground, you can only imagine that's where it has made its home. "HEY! MOVE IN MAN! ATTACK!" You hear Kelium shout as a glob of blueshell spit hits the rock he's hiding behind. You pull out your flintlock and fire at the blueshell and find that the shot doesn't even penetrate its hard shell. In fact it doesn't even turn its attention to you, so far it's just slowly crawling over to Kelium's position. "Yvette, can you cast some sort of light spell or cause something to glow?" you ask. "Yeah, but how is that going to help?" Yvette says. "It'll help me search that cave for the eggs while it's distracted." "Wait, you're going in there alone? What happens if there's another one in there?" "Well, I'll be running out of there really quick I guess. You just try to distract that blueshell and when I get the eggs we can all get the hell out of here." "I dunno, I think maybe we should try to work together to kill the blueshell, then deal with the cave." "And I don't think we're going to be able to, or at least not with what we got. Look, I'm going to be as quick as I can. All you have to do is stay away from that thing and find some cover. It doesn't move that fast." "I dunno..." Obviously Yvette has some doubt about this plan and if she does there's a chance she could panic, but you really don't have confidence in her plan either especially since it means you'd have to get closer or at least aim for a place that isn't armor plated. > You proceed with your plan It might seem slightly cowardly on your part, but you're not a damn massive warrior, you sneak about and steal shit. You're playing to your real strengths, which isn't going head to head with some big ass armored monster. "Yvette, look this is going to work. I'll go grab the eggs and you just try to help Kelium. And if shit starts getting too much for you, I want you to just run back to Hessla. There is no damn point in all of us dying." "But..." "But nothing, you just have to trust me on this. I'll be fine, I just need to see in that cave, so cast whatever spell you need to, to make that happen." Yvette is reluctant, but your words and the urgency of the situation causes her to comply. She says some sort of weird shit and moves her hands about and then suddenly a little ball of light appears in front of you. "That will follow you around and should last quite awhile, but you still need to hurry!" Yvette exclaims and then starts casting another spell. You don't waste any time running down towards the blueshell lair. The creature still doesn't notice you, but you certainly hear Kelium shouting at you about what you think you're doing. You enter the blueshell dwelling and your boots are immediately covered in some sort of slime that th

e monster no doubt left. It smells pretty bad in here, but it isn't like the stench of something rotten, it's more like a strong chemical smell that burns your nostrils. The deeper you go, the more slime there is and the stronger the smell, you're practically gagging at this point. Whether there is another blueshell in here or not isn't going to matter much longer because you're about to leave before you become overwhelmed by just the smell. Then that's when you get lucky and spot something that you guess are eggs. They look oval shaped and seem to have a hard shell so that's good enough for you. You grab as many as you can and shove them into your bag. You're really going to have to bathe after this. With the eggs in the bag you run out of this foul cave as quick as you can partially vomiting the whole time. In fact you actually start to feel like you're going to pass out and that's when you start to wonder if this slime on your hands from the eggs isn't also poisonous. You wipe them as much as you can on your clothing and soldier on. Just as the little ball of light that's following you starts to go out, you see the light of the outside and then you also see a sizable fire and smoke. You were so busy with your task, you sort of blocked out the distant sounds of the battle outside. Upon exiting the cave, the smell hasn't improved, though now charred crepitan flesh is filling the air. Small fires burn on the sparse grass and you see the burning carcass of the creptian. Whatever power Yvette didn't think she was capable of she was clearly wrong. You hear some sobbing which you can only guess is her, you follow the sound and see her sitting on the ground with her face in her hands. "Yvette? What...What's going on? I certainly hope you aren't crying because killed that thing." You say. "No! (sob) I'm crying because I didn't kill it quick enough! Look over there!" Yvette shouts and points to a body not lying too far away. You walk over and see Kelium and he's completely blue. He was hit face first with the spit (He's got translucent blue goo all over his head) and whatever happened afterwards obviously took effect immediately. His face is twisted in a manner that its very apparent his death was pretty painful. Still feeling a bit sick yourself, you quickly take some of the anti-venom you bought. You just hope it helps and you aren't slowly dying. You go back over to Yvette who is still upset. "Yvette, it's bad what happened, but it really isn't your fault. I mean this was a dangerous job, any one of us could have died. I mean you killed the beast which means you have more power than you thought you did, that should count for something right?" you say. "But what about Kelium? I mean we were supposed to keep him safe! What are we going to do?" Yvette answers. "Okay, first off, you don't even need to worry about it. I know how to handle Dr. Gossey. I know it's going to sound strange, but I don't think she's going to be as upset as you are. But I do have to ask, what exactly was your assignment?" "Just to practice my magic in the field and report the results. They have a way to tell if I'm lying or not." "So we don't need to cut off a piece of that burning crab snail as proof then?" "No, but I'm wondering if I'll get marked down for being the cause of someone's death during my assignment." "Yvette, you need to put that guilt out of your mind. Seriously. Kelium's death wasn't your fault. It really wasn't. To be honest, if Kelium hadn't gone out and gotten himself wasted last night, this whole expedition might have gone a little more cautiously. Under the circumstances I'd say we did the best we could have done. Just tell them you tried to be the voice of reason. All of this has truth to it, you just have to know how to spin it and you have to believe it yourself." "I...dunno...I just wasn't brought up that way..." "Of course you weren't, but there really isn't a good reason why you should possibly suffer a lowered grade because other people fucked up right? Come on, let's get back to Hessla, I'll go over everything with you along with way there and on the way back to Klyton. I want to head over to the shoreline though and wash this slime off first though." You spend your remaining time with Yvette going over the fine art of "telling the truth." Again, it's silly to you anyway, because she REALLY didn't do anything wrong and she's just blaming herself. However, if it's going to help calm her when she has to go before this magical lie detector then you don't mind helping. Not like she deserves getting a bad grade. By the time you're taking the carriage ride back to Klyton, you're feeling a little better. You guess you're not dying of blueshell poison, then again it just got on your hands, you didn't get a load of the stuff in your face like Kelium did. At some point you fall asleep on the trip to Klyton and Yvette wakes you up when you arrive. "Hey, wake up, we need to switch carriages to go to the university." Yvette says. "Huh? Wha? It's night." You say. "Yes, but we should still get to the university a little after midnight. Should be enough time to get some sleep before seeing Dr. Gossey. Of course I also have to go before my professor to give my report too. What's on your agenda?" "Um...nothing. No classes. In fact I'm not heading to the university." "Wait you don't live on campus?" "Me? Nah, I prefer keeping my personal life and school a bit separate in that regard." "Oh. I see. Where do you live?" "It's nowhere special really...so hey I have an idea, why don't you just worry about your wizard report tomorrow. Like I said, I'll go see Dr. Gossey and talk to her about what happened. I've worked for her before and I know exactly what to say, she'll understand, trust me." "I'm still nervous about the report." "You'll do fine. Just keep in mind what I said. You didn't do anything wrong and have nothing to feel guilty about." You aren't sure what else to do to alleviate her fears, so you just go for it and kiss her on the lips before she can even do anything about it. She's in shock and pushes you back. "Wha...what?! Why'd you do that for?!" she exclaims. "I dunno. I like you...and you still seemed to be worried so I did the only thing I could think of that calm you." "Seriously?! That's what you thought? You think I'm just some empty headed damsel that's going to fall for all the honeyed words you've been telling me since we've been on this trip? I know how you've been looking at me; I'm not stupid you know! In fact you're right this ISN'T my fault! It's YOURS! If we had worked together as a team, Kelium might very well have lived!" "Oh fuck...forget it. I'm sorry, don't turn me into a toad." "I don't need to, you obviously already have the manners of one!" "...Okay...I'm just gonna leave. Good luck on your report." You say and just take you leave before Yvette can continue yelling at you. Well that could have gone better. You just couldn't help it though; you thought her whole modest demeanor was cute and alluring, probably because you don't encounter many girls like that. Maybe it was for the best though, not like you would have had much of a future with a girl like that. In any case, you're going home with a bag of slimy monsters eggs. You push Virgil out of the way when you get to the Welcome Mat. "I'm in no mood, you fucking drunk." You say and slam the door behind you. "Sheesh, you're very emotional." You hear him retort. You collapse on the bed and sleep. (At some point in the night, Elana curls up by your feet.) Later... You wake up and immediately make your way to the university. You sort of hope you don't bump into Yvette, because you'd rather not get into that mess again. After an uneventful trip, you get to Dr. Gossey's office where you see her writing something out. "Hey, that was quicker than I thought! I trust you have the eggs in that bag?" "Yep, but careful, they still got some of that poisonous slime on them, you can just take the whole bag. No way I'm getting that clean again." You say and place it on a table. "Not surprised. Hope you didn't get sick...but I guess if you're here then you must have had the forethought to prepare yourself. Um...where is my assistant and the other one?" "Oh, Yvette had to give a report to her wizard professors, but I'm sure she'll show up here later to collect her coin. As for Kelium...well..." "(Sigh) Damn. I guess I should ask how it happened." "I don't want to speak ill of the dead...but he wasn't exactly careful. I tried to tell him not to directly attack the blueshell and that the eggs were good enough, but he really wanted to impress you by bringing back one alive. He didn't really think that out however and well to make a long story short, he got himself killed and if it hadn't been for Yvette's magic, I probably would have died too. It was terrible." Dr. Gossey shakes her head. "Sounds like Kelium. He always was eager to impress and please. I always told him safety should always take priority. Certainly a loss, but at least you got the eggs, that's the most important thing." And of course just like you figured, Gossey's concern was more about the goal than the lives involved in it. You take your fifty gold and once again leave a bit richer. You know exactly how you're going to spend some of it too. You leave the university and head to Madam Moonlight's place. "Haven't seen you in awhile, will you be having your usual?" the elven madam asks. "Um, no not today. Got kind of a special request this time." You answer. "Well if you got the coin and it doesn't involve killing someone, we can probably accommodate." You explain in some detail about what you want exactly and the madam says that's a simple request and thought you were going to ask for something elaborate like an orc hermaphrodite to shit and piss on you while you sucked a centaur cock. "What?! NO! That's disgusting! Why the hell would anyone want that?!" you exclaim. "You'd be surprised, we cater to all types here. Don't judge." Moonlight scolds. "Look whatever, just set me up and no horse cocks or shitting orc freaks!" After a few minutes the Moonlight comes back to take you to your girl. You enter the room and see a short woman with light brown hair dressed in a robe. "Hello, I'm Yana and I need you to help me complete my spell ritual. I need your wand in my magic circle..." The woman says while seductively walking over to you. "(Sigh) NO. Your name is Yvette and you're shy. Not some fucking aggressive trollop! Got it?" you order. "Okay okay, got it! Sheesh, you're very emotional." "Yeah, so I've heard." > Time passes... Year 25 "Look, I dunno anything about what that old bastard does in his spare time, I just pay my rent and mind my own business." You say. The militiamen give you a look like they don't quite believe you. "Just an innocent in all this eh? Bullshit. Trobart says you're a rogue through and through." One of them remarks. "Yeah, and one of your neighbors, Randi I believe? She says you even have ties to the Crimson Talons." Another adds. You nearly want to laugh, but you resist since you don't want to piss off the militia unnecessarily. "Really? You're going to believe a whore and some guy that sells alcohol illegally in his basement? They're just trying to save their own asses by making false accusations! You turned my room upside down and didn't find ANY stolen goods. And if I was a Crimson Talon, do you really think I'd be living in the shithole that I'm currently living in?" you answer. "Didn't say you were a Crimson Talon, just said you had ties to them. And if you think just because we didn't catch you with anything that you're off the hook. You deny that you're a criminal, but as I said, it's obvious that you have no visible means of support, so you have to be doing something illegal." A militia officer says. "How do you know I don't have a proper job? You're just making baseless assumptions." "Am I now? I don't think so. I think it's obvious that you're just some second rate pissant sneak thief that is so pathetic at your own lowly trade that you managed to avoid our eye for so long. In fact I can imagine you probably TRIED to join the Crimson Talons, but they just kept you on as an associate bitch because you weren't good enough to be a real member." "Interesting theory. Is this going somewhere?" "YOU'RE going to be going somewhere if you don't shut the fuck up and listen closely to my offer!" the militia officer exclaims, getting in your face. You sit back in your chair and remain silent. The militia officer continues to stare at you assessing your every tell your face might be giving off. "It's like this criminal scum. You're on our fucking list now. I've got your name, I've got your ass. Your best bet would be to just get the fuck out of this city, but I know you. You probably think you're smarter than me. Well you ain't and you're gonna get caught. Maybe not now. Maybe not even next year, but you WILL fuck up. And when you do, I'm going to make sure they put you in the smallest hanging cage we got. Believe that." The militia officer then pulls back a bit and adopts a less combative stance along with a calmer voice. "Now, all that being said...we do have bigger fish to catch and if you did... say have ties to the Crimson Talons then MAYBE you might know where their hideout is. If you helped us with something like that, then well maybe I might be inclined to not keep such a close eye on you." Well it's times like these that make being a criminal not so much fun, though honestly as the years have been going on, you're starting to wonder why you ever thought it was fun in the first place. You haven't really much contact with the Crimson Talons since Zalmora visited you that one day asking you to join. All you did hear is that Tom isn't in charge anymore and was killed by one of the more aggressive members who took over. Word says he's a real tyrannical asshole, which might explain why none of the Talon members that have gotten arrested haven't actually ratted on him themselves. It also explains when you have bumped into a couple of their members randomly in the taverns, they've been less than friendly and warned you to stay out of their territory. (Which you most certainly have been doing for years now) You do know that their headquarters is still in the same location. You don't know why the militia doesn't know where it is though given how they've increased their own activity as of late. The militia can be remarkably blind at times. "Look, if I did have dealings with the Crimson Talons, I'd help you out, but I just don't associate with such people. Apologies." You say. The militia officer doesn't look pleased by your answer, and you sort of wonder if he's going to end up throwing you in jail anyway, but he lets you go. "Okay then, but remember I gave you an out today and you turned it down. Be seeing you soon criminal." You get up from the chair you've been sitting on for who knows how long and walk out the door, though not before one of the militia shoves the back of your head. It's frustrating, but any dealing with the militia that you walk away from is a victory. From the militia barracks you make your way back to the Welcome Mat, which is practically destroyed at this point. At least it is on the inside. The law-abiding inhabitants (Or at least the criminal ones that didn't get caught) are busily trying to gather and clean up the mess the militia made of their homes. You imagine Trobart, even with his ratting bullshit on you isn't going to be able to keep this place any longer. You enter your own ruined room where upon Elana comes out from whatever hole in the wall she was hiding in and squeaks at you. "Hey Elana, glad to see they didn't get you girl. Now let's hope they didn't get anything else either." You find a chair that wasn't destroyed and check the hiding spot you have in the ceiling of your room. After checking and pulling out your small locked container you breathe a sigh of relief. Your small savings are still intact. You'll be needing it too, because everything else was taken. Your weapons, your tools, everything that you use or need in your profession. Granted it wasn't a lot, but it's still a loss. You'll also be needing to find a new place to live. As you're pondering your next move, your door with the broken lock opens up. It's Virgil and he appears to be sober for a change. "Damn, they really did a number on yer room too I see." Virgil says. "Yeah, but it's still my fucking room. What the hell do you want, I don't have any money so you can go get drunk." you say. "And I wasn't askin'. Sheesh, I was just coming in here to see if you were around. I wanted to apologize for bothering you all the time for money actually." "Oh?" "Yeah...I mean I dunno if you noticed but I haven't been around as much lately." "Hmm, I did notice a reduction in our usual encounters over the past month." "I've been trying to get my life back together. Get myself right with Joachim again. Part of that is me apologizing and trying to make amends for all the times I bothered you." "Oh yeah? You got a bag full of coins for all the times I gave you money for booze?" "No. I wish I did. I know how you like money...I might even give you a lecture about that, but I'm not really in any position to do so. I first need to get myself right with Joachim and then I might be able to guide others into his light like I was supposed to be doing in the first place." "Not sure if you preaching at me is any better than you hitting me up for booze money." "I'm sure to you it isn't, but I'm here to apologize anyway and if there is something within my power to help you, just let me know." "Well, thanks I suppose. Can't really think of anything I need from you though, unless you got an idea of a new cheap place to live at that isn't completely a shithole." "Not really, unless you want to sleep in one of the poor rooms at the Church of Joachim. That's sort of where I've been staying lately. Would have been living there before, if I hadn't gotten asked to leave for my...weakness. Guess I might be living there for good now. Just as well. It was time to move on." "Don't think that's going to work out for me, but thanks for the offer." Virgil nods and then says something about Joachim's blessing be upon you. You finish packing up and when you're only a few steps away from the Welcome Mat, it suddenly occurs to you. Your family's old inn. It's still abandoned. You could easily stay there and that would at least save you some of the costs. "Should have thought about that in the first place." You say and make your way to the inn. Of course as you begin to do so, you realize you're being followed. That officer wasn't fucking around when he said he was going to have eyes on you all the time. It takes some time, but you end up losing them, but now you're practically on the other side of the city! If this is how it's always going to be, it's not going to matter where you stay. Maybe it is time to leave Klyton, which you suppose you don't mind since things haven't been the greatest here, but you just hate being chased off like this. Of course there's always the option the officer suggested. You don't really have any loyalty to the Talons, so if it did help you out in the long run, well it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It might even help you with less competition around that is actually making it harder for everyone else. Ever since the change in leadership, the Talons have also been selling Yellow Devil which has been causing a bit of a minor crime wave, what with all the extra junkies running around causing problems. (Even at your stomping grounds, the University) Of course being a rat is a pretty damn serious offense in the criminal world (Even if it goes on all the time) and if the Crimson Talons ever did find out, it probably wouldn't go well for you. > You leave Klyton You're a lot of things, but you ain't no rat. Besides, it isn't like it's going to make a difference anyway except maybe getting yourself killed if word got out. Your best bet is to seek greener pastures so to speak. Without another thought you make your way to the carriage station. Holgard comes to mind, but there's always some sort of rebellion or power struggle going on there. You'd rather not have to deal with being in the middle of that mess. The Delantium Kingdom is at war with some other nation, so you'd rather avoid the possibility of suddenly getting press ganged or conscripted into military service. The only other place is Hessla, which at least you're somewhat familiar with. The trip to Hessla is uneventful and when you arrive the same power structure is in place. Tolen is still the governor and his Headsmen provide the order. At least some things remain consistent. After spending a few days in Hessla you realize you're going to have to find some more reliable way of earning coin because thievery here is too high risk with low reward. Most people here aren't exactly rolling in coins. Shops are always well protected so is anyone who does have a lot. At best you might get a pirate that's flush with ill gotten loot, but you'd probably have to get one right off the ship because they spend it like water. Not to mention the Headsmen are probably more vicious than the militia. They might not be as observant, but they don't need to be. Unlike you, folks here tend to have no qualms about ratting out thieves where upon the Headsmen deal out swift justice. You need to find something suited to your skills. The first thing that comes to mind is piracy given that you're here in the heart of it. Granted you're no sailor and you have little knowledge on what exactly is involved, but it is something you imagine your trade might come in handy. Not really knowing how this is done, you head to one of the docks looking for work. First one you try is a big dark skinned bald man who is standing by a large ship with several cannons mounted in it. He looks intimidating, and seems more surprised that you even approached him rather than annoyed. "Um, you lost landlubber?" he asks. "Landlubber?" you respond. "Yeah, that's definitely you. You ain't a sailor and you sure as hell aren't a pirate." "That obvious?" "Given that you even approached me, you might as well be wearing a sign. So whadda ya want?" "I

want to be a pirate." The man stares at you in disbelief for a moment and looks you up and down before laughing heartily. "Aren't you a little old to be having dreams of running away to be a pirate? Get the fuck outta here." The man says. "I'm not that old, I'm probably younger than you. And what difference does it make how old I am?" "Because this here is the Dominator and as I already pointed out, you're no sailor and we ain't got time to train you and you're not nearly young enough to act as a tag along cabin boy. The pirate shit is easy. Any thug off the street could be one. But bein' a sailor? THAT'S the hard part." "Are you the captain of this ship then?" "Oh no. I'm Zamed, the first mate. The captain of this fine vessel is Captain Illam and he's less tolerant than I am so you're not going to see him at all." "I have skills! I can fight! I mean I'm an accomplished thief! I'm very stealthy! I can pick almost any lock...ANY lock if given enough time!" "Yeah...that's not really helping you. Last thing we need is someone on our ship potentially sneaking around and pilfering hard earned loot. And as for yer fighting skills, I doubt if you were doing too much of that if you were sneaking about. I'd wager you wouldn't be much good in a boarding action or a coastal raid. You even know what its like to be in a real fight and so close to a man that when you stick your blade into him that you can smell death upon him?" Zamed says getting in your face and staring you down. "Actually I do." You say staring up at Zamed. Zamed continues to study you and then slowly moves back to his original position. "Okay...so maybe you might qualify in that regard, but that still doesn't mean shit. As I said, we only take on skilled sailors and I KNOW you aren't one of those." "But how am I going to learn how to be a sailor if I don't get any on experience?" "That's your problem, not mine." "Bah, this is bullshit." You say and start to walk away, but Zamed calls to you. "Look, I don't normally do this, but since you even had the balls to approach me I'll help you out. You see those docks over there? Go over to that ship and ask if they're looking for any new crew. The captain has lower standards on his ship, he might accept you." Zamed says. "That big one over there?" "Hah. No, that one is Captain Yan's vessel, and you're not getting on that one. She only accepts women. You want the smaller one. The Steadfast run by Captain Rifiv." "Figures." "Hey, that's your best shot if you're serious about this life. Besides, don't let the looks fool you. It's not called the Steadfast for nothing. Rifiv might be well past his prime, but back in his day he was nothing to sneeze at. He's probably lived longer than most his contemporaries. Anyway good luck I guess." You leave Zamed and head to the Steadfast. If this doesn't work out, you aren't sure what you're going to do next. When you get near the vessel, you see a group milling around it just talking with each other. Several of them notice you approach and one addresses you. "Looking for something?" a scruffy man wearing a rag on his head asks. "This is the Steadfast right? I want to join the crew." You say. They all look at each other and then the scruffy man addresses you again. "You got any skills?" he asks. You go on about your abilities the same way you did to Zamed. They don't look too impressed either, but they don't look disappointed either. "Hmm, well we've certainly had less skilled people on this vessel. We weren't actively looking for anyone new though. However, the captain doesn't tend to mind a few extra hands, so you might get lucky. Come on, let me just go take you to him. The name's Scully by the way." You follow Scully up the gangplank and wait as he knocks on the door of what you guess is the captain's cabin. He gets an answer to come in and after a couple minutes, Scully comes back out and tell you to come in as well. That's when you meet this Captain Rifiv. He's practically an old man who is having a hard time walking with a cane. He's dressed better than everyone else on the ship, but that isn't saying much since even his fancy overcoat has patches sewn on it. "So Scully says you want to join up. Also tells me your primary background was as a small time thief in Klyton and you have NO experience on the sea at all. That correct?" Captain Rifiv says. "Yes." You answer. "While the premise is still in the same family of taking other people's shit, you do realize being a pirate is a lot different than what you're used to right?" "I do, but I'm willing to learn." "Better learn quickly then, because if you fall behind or I don't think you're pulling your weight then I'll have you chopped up and thrown overboard for mermaid food. Understand?" "Clearly." "Okay, we'll see then. Scully show him where he'll be sleeping and everything else. And after you're finished doing that, gather the rest of the men because we're going to be setting off soon." Well time to see if you're cut out for this line of work. > Time passes... Year 28 When you joined three years ago, you figured it would be a couple months maybe. You didn't know how far away all these places you're raiding were going to be, let alone how long it would be before you returned home. The raids themselves aren't exactly fun for you either. You realize you're really not the bloodthirsty type who gets off on killing folks all the time. There's been a lot of times you've hung back just so you can avoid most of the direct combat. And that's starting to getting a bit noticeable mainly because enough of the crew has died that it can't afford to have any slackers. Fortunately Captain Rifiv hasn't called you out on it and it's just been a few of the crew bitching at you. This isn't even counting the rape and there's a lot of that you haven't been engaging in either. Though some of them seem content on buggering each other. (And no matter how long you've been at sea, you can honestly say there's nothing that would even make you THINK about sticking it to any of this loathsome lot you're with!) The only minor upside is you've been doing okay as far as loot is concerned. These idiots haven't been paying attention that you've been pilfering the odd coins or baubles from them so you actually have more than your share. However, you aren't exactly doing all that much better than you were as a regular thief though and worse, you're stuck at sea most of the time so you can't even enjoy it like you'd prefer. There's also the fact that you've learned your way around a ship a lot more, though you question if this knowledge would actually ever be useful since you're having serious doubts about ever setting foot on another ship ever again. Currently you're somewhere in the far southwest seas at some small port town called Gix. The Steadfast has been using the place as a rest stop in between raids mainly because it's the only civilized place in this area that is accepting of pirates and has been for as long as anyone can remember. This place isn't Hessla though and isn't a "criminal town." It's just run by normal people going about their simple normal lives. The locals are a bit live and let live for the most part. They don't particularly enjoy having violent drunken pirates visiting, but as long as the pirates aren't messing with them, they're fine with accommodating them. Sort of reminds you of how Teckleville used to turn a blind eye to you and your sister robbing travelling merchants. You miss those days and not even the robbing part. You find that you're missing home in general. Maybe not even home so much you miss the environment as strange as that might seem. Then again, you never had the wanderlust that your sister had. (You imagine other than the killing and rape, she'd find all this pirate stuff pretty exciting) Had things been different you probably would have never left Teckleville. Maybe you would have eventually settled down and become boring like everyone else in that town. At this point that doesn't seem all that bad. You guess you're just realizing that you're starting to get tired of this life. Since you're hanging out with the Steadfast crew most of the time, you always take the opportunity to stay away from the lot of them when in town. Instead of drinking at the "pirate bar" of the town, you drink at the quieter one that the locals seem to prefer. The first time you entered you got a lot of strange looks, but now nobody bats an eye. You're just minding your business after all. Still, occasionally the barmaid speaks to you and is fairly cordial. Seems to be in a more talkative mood today... "Another successful voyage of raiding and pillaging?" Ola asks. "I suppose so. Got enough money to spend here." You answer. "Drinking does seem to be one of the more civilized favorite past times of you lot. Good thing of course since we'd have significantly less coin coming into the town. Sort of wondering though, how come you always come in here rather than going to the usual taverns?" "Because I have to spend practically all my time around those assholes, so the moment I actually don't have to is a blessing." "If you don't like the folks you sail with, why do it?" "Good question, and one I've been asking myself more and more each day before finally coming to the inevitable conclusion." "Which is?" "That this pirate life isn't for me. As soon as we get back to Hessla, I'm not setting foot on a ship again. (Sigh) Another year at sea though before we return...ugh...I just dunno if I can take it." "Well, why not just leave now?" "...hmmm...I suppose I could...I doubt if they'd come looking for me. Do you have any transport ships that go to Hessla?" Ola frowns a bit. "We don't have ANY big ships. In case you haven't realized, we're a small town not a bustling trading city we hear you lot talk about. If it weren't for pirates coming here, we probably would never have much contact with the rest of the world. I mean the best you could do is get yourself a rowboat and row to this Hessla place. How far is it?" Ola asks. "Too far. I doubt if I could even make it to Jicol in a rowboat. Oh well, guess I can tough out another year." You say. "Why not just stay here?" "Here? What would I do here?" "Um, well you know your way around a ship right? You could work as a fisherman." "Ugh, trying to get away from boats actually. Still, sitting in a rowboat and peacefully fishing sounds a lot more attractive right now than what I am doing." "What are some of your other skills...um, I mean those that don't involve killing and raping people." "First off, I've never raped anyone..." you start to say before Ola interrupts. "You haven't? Oh thank Kalhu!" You give Ola a bit of a strange look. Granted you two don't really know each other that well, but she seems way more talkative than she has in the past. If you didn't know any better you'd say she was flirting with you in some strange way. "Okay, first who is Kalhu?" you ask. "The god of this island of course. All the times you've been here, you've never heard of him before?" Ola says. "Don't really pay much attention to religion. You're not going to preach at me are you?" "No, why would I?' "Because you seem very interested in my future and we don't know each other very well, so I'm wondering what this is all about." Ola looks around and finally sits down next to you. A couple people look, but say nothing, you're a little taken back by all this though. "This town is a good place with good people. We like our relative isolation, especially after hearing some of the tales from your pirate shipmates and other pirates we've dealt with in the past. But um...isolation has its downsides. There sometimes is um...lack of potential mates. At least not related ones." Ola says. You start to tense up at where this might be going. "Now some women of this town have sex with the pirates that visit here and that's good as it provides new blood for the town, but it is sometimes hard on these mothers to raise these children without a father around. A good family should have a mother and father." Ola says. "So...what exactly are you asking me?" "I'm asking if you would consider...(breathes nervously) being my husband." You had a feeling, but you still weren't quite prepared. How could you be? It isn't like you get asked out of the blue to be someone's husband! Ola goes on to explain that she knows how this might seem strange to an outsider like you, but she says that she fears her arranged marriage to her cousin since he has many undesirable physical traits that would not make for a strong child. However, she also doesn't wish to submit herself to a one-night stand with some pirate (Apparently she's a bit on the moral side which is funny that she would come to you in the first place) and wants a husband to stick around to help raise your children. (Yes, she's already implied that she wants more than one.) So she's picked you as a "last ditch" effort to find a husband who is physically fit (and attractive as she has mentioned as a secondary concern) and is most assuredly not related to her in some way. She also has said in the few conversations you've had with her you seem okay personality wise and not being a rapist is a big plus to her. (Curse your parents for instilling some sort of values in you) For her part, Ola seems like a nice girl and isn't ugly. She's no Annah or Yvette, but you could certainly do worse. You're a bit overwhelmed by all this sudden information though and as much as you don't want to get back on the Steadfast again, that's only going to be a year. This is going to be well...presumably until you die because she's already made it quite clear that passage off this island is a rarity. You probably wouldn't see home again. But then again what did you really have going on there? You tried being a thief and that didn't work out like you planned. You tried this pirate thing and that hasn't worked out either. All you've gotten is headache from your life of crime and not much to show for it ultimately. Also you don't really have a home anymore anyway seeing as you got permanently kicked out of Teckleville. That thought about you finally giving all this up and becoming a normal boring person? Well that day might be today. > You get married It's crazy and maybe you're going to severely regret this later, but getting married and out of this life sounds a whole hell of a lot better than getting on that ship for another year. "Fuck it, let's do it." You say. "Seriously?" Ola asks a little surprised. "Yeah, I'm serious. Where and when is this going to happen?" "Uh, well when I get off work in a little while we could go to the temple of Kalhu. The shaman should be able to perform the ceremony." "So we don't need your parents there or anything?" "No, all we need to be is bonded in the many eyes of Kalhu. This is great! This is really wonderful!" Ola beams. You still have a few questions even though because while you're half way committing to this, there is still time to back out if it's too crazy. "Um, okay, but wait I do need to ask. This isn't going to piss off your family is it? I mean you were engaged to your cousin, I don't want to cause some family drama or feud." "Well I suppose my cousin will be upset, but you hardly have to worry about him. He's not really fit and strong like you are. His mother might also be upset, but as far as my family goes you shouldn't have too many problems. My father might be gruff with you, but his main concern is if you're going to be a good provider. Now did you do anything before being a pirate?" You explain to Ola some of your past, which causes another frown from her. However when you get past all the thief stuff and briefly mention dealing with some wildlife for Dr. Gossey she stops you. "Wait, so you have experience trapping and dealing with fauna?" Ola asks. "Well I wouldn't say that exactly. I mean I had a pet qweepa, but that's because I had it from when it was a baby. And I had to collect these monster snail crab eggs." You say. "That may be good enough. My cousin is a trapper and needs help sometimes keeping the pest population down in this town. He can teach you all you need to know. You could probably work with him." "Won't that be weird considering I'm marrying you?" "Huh? Oh no, this is a different cousin and he's married to my older sister so there won't be any trouble there." "Oh. Well that's good to hear, I guess." Ola goes on excitedly about how she will be a good wife to you and believes that Kalhu must have sent you personally to reward her for her prayers to him. This is all getting a little too "real" for you and you tell her that you need to get a few things from the ship, but this makes her nervous. "You're coming back right?" she asks. "I'm coming back, don't worry. I just really need to get the rest of my belongings off the ship. I mean I have a tidy hidden sum still aboard the ship, if I'm staying I don't want to just abandon that." You say. "...okay I trust you. But please hurry back!" Ola says and then kisses you on the lips. She then walks away with a smile, but it's very apparent she's concerned you are leaving. And honestly you're wondering if you should. You leave the tavern and quickly make your way back to the ship. You pace the floor of the empty cabin still wondering what the hell you're going to do. You feel really bad for just leaving Ola. She didn't really deserve getting her hopes up, only to get them destroyed. But... Getting married? Being a pest trapper? Settling down and having a whole mess o babies? What the hell were you thinking? "Hey, didn't expect anyone to be aboard, well except the captain and he's always in his quarters." One of your fatter crewmates says as he comes wandering in the door. "Hey you seen my lucky dice? Gotta game with Fleegle and Hok an' those dice never let me down yet." He asks. "No." you say still lost in your own thoughts. "Meh, no matter, those two idiots got the worst luck anyway. I'll easily take them like I took that long haired lass on the last ship we raided, hahahahaha!" You continue to pace and think, but this asshole keeps insisting on speaking to you. "What's crawled up yer ass and got you all jittery? Yer about to wear a hole in the floor." He asks. "Nothing." You say. "Doesn't look like nothin' to me. You worrying about all the mermaid rumors in these southern waters? Listen I've been at sea long before you were even unleashed from yer father's balls and I ain't never seen a mermaid. They don't even fucking exist..." "Will you just shut the fuck up?! I don't give a shit about what you have to fucking say! I got my own problems!" you snap. The fat pirate's demeanor now changes to hostility. "You fucking little cunt. Don't think I won't kick the shit out of you and throw you overboard after I'm done shoving my big fat cock up yer prissy ass. I see you walkin' around here thinkin' yer too good for this life and keepin' to yerself. And that's fine, but I also see that YOU haven't been pullin' yer fuckin' weight around here. Whenever we go on a raid, you stay in the back like a fucking bitch. Well let me tell you something, the next raid we go on, I better see some fucking bloodshed or I'm gonna make good on my previous threat." This fat ass is twice your size and you don't have much room to move around. You back down. "Alright, alright, apologies. Just a little preoccupied with something and I didn't mean to take it out on you." You say holding your hands up and stepping back. The fat pirate smirks and snorts in distain at your compliance. And it's at that moment you've made your choice. As soon as he turns his back, you punch the fat fuck as hard as you can in the base of his skull. The big man being unprepared for this crumples into the lowest hanging hammock and then you do it again. You aren't sure if you've killed him, but he's not moving. No matter, they'll probably think he's just asleep for awhile. "All that time at sea and you never learned not to turn your back on a thief. Stupid fat asshole." You say. You quickly gather up your belongings, loot the body of your dead crewmate and leave the ship. Fortunately you don't bump into any other crewmembers or the captain on your way out. You return to the tavern where Ola works. She's busy at the moment, but smiles when she sees you. While you wait for her shift to be over, you go through your small bag of valuables (as well as your newly acquired one) and try to find something to give to her. With a bit more luck on your side, you manage to find a gold ring. Probably not her size, but it's the thought that counts. Later that night, you and Ola go to the temple of Kalhu. The shaman there is a bit strange and so is the ceremony, but happily it's not that long. Within just a half hour, you're married and you soon find out that Ola's years of purity have paid off in your favor because apparently she had A LOT of pent up..."energy." You don't even make it that far out the temple before she's ready to consummate the marriage! Certainly no complaint on that front at least. Over the course of the next few days you mainly hideout at Ola's cousin's home (The pest trapper, not the one you just stole his bride to be from) since you're a little concerned that your fellow crewmates are going to come looking for you. However, they either don't give a shit that you killed fat ass, or they still think he's asleep. Either way, they ultimately leave without you and you're finally in the clear. You aren't exactly religious yourself, but you do give a little silent praise to Yag for your incredible fortune over these last few days. You just hope if he IS watching over you even to the smallest degree that your luck doesn't suddenly turn to shit for your brand new life. And it is a brand new life now. You're married and on your way to be just some boring normal person in some boring small town that was much like the one you got run out of over a decade ago. Not to mention you'll most likely live out the rest of your life and die here. But that's okay. Things could be a lot worse. Who knows, maybe you'll even still find a little excitement here and there even if it is of the mundane kind. This is after all a whole different experience for you to discover and enjoy if you can. Whatever happens, your days as a rogue are over.

[Themes: fantasy, fantasy, humor, anti-hero] Year 28 When you joined three years ago, you figured it would be a couple months maybe. You didn't know how far away all these places you're raiding were going to be, let alone how long it would be before you returned home. The raids themselves aren't exactly fun for you either. You realize you're really not the bloodthirsty type who gets off on killing folks all the time. There's been a lot of times you've hung back just so you can avoid most of the direct combat. And that's starting to getting a bit noticeable mainly because enough of the crew has died that it can't afford to have any slackers. Fortunately Captain Rifiv hasn't called you out on it and it's just been a few of the crew bitching at you. This isn't even counting the rape and there's a lot of that you haven't been engaging in either. Though some of them seem content on buggering each other. (And no matter how long you've been at sea, you can honestly say there's nothing that would even make you THINK about sticking it to any of this loathsome lot you're with!) The only minor upside is you've been doing okay as far as loot is concerned. These idiots haven't been paying attention that you've been pilfering the odd coins or baubles from them so you actually have more than your share. However, you aren't exactly doing all that much better than you were as a regular thief though and worse, you're stuck at sea most of the time so you can't even enjoy it like you'd prefer. There's also the fact that you've learned your way around a ship a lot more, though you question if this knowledge would actually ever be useful since you're having serious doubts about ever setting foot on another ship ever again. Currently you're somewhere in the far southwest seas at some small port town called Gix. The Steadfast has been using the place as a rest stop in between raids mainly because it's the only civilized place in this area that is accepting of pirates and has been for as long as anyone can remember. This place isn't Hessla though and isn't a "criminal town." It's just run by normal people going about their simple normal lives. The locals are a bit live and let live for the most part. They don't particularly enjoy having violent drunken pirates visiting, but as long as the pirates aren't messing with them, they're fine with accommodating them. Sort of reminds you of how Teckleville used to turn a blind eye to you and your sister robbing travelling merchants. You miss those days and not even the robbing part. You find that you're missing home in general. Maybe not even home so much you miss the environment as strange as that might seem. Then again, you never had the wanderlust that your sister had. (You imagine other than the killing and rape, she'd find all this pirate stuff pretty exciting) Had things been different you probably would have never left Teckleville. Maybe you would have eventually settled down and become boring like everyone else in that town. At this point that doesn't seem all that bad. You guess you're just realizing that you're starting to get tired of this life. Since you're hanging out with the Steadfast crew most of the time, you always take the opportunity to stay away from the lot of them when in town. Instead of drinking at the "pirate bar" of the town, you drink at the quieter one that the locals seem to prefer. The first time you entered you got a lot of strange looks, but now nobody bats an eye. You're just minding your business after all. Still, occasionally the barmaid speaks to you and is fairly cordial. Seems to be in a more talkative mood today... "Another successful voyage of raiding and pillaging?" Ola asks. "I suppose so. Got enough money to spend here." You answer. "Drinking does seem to be one of the more civilized favorite past times of you lot. Good thing of course since we'd have significantly less coin coming into the town. Sort of wondering though, how come you always come in here rather than going to the usual taverns?" "Because I have to spend practically all my time around those assholes, so the moment I actually don't have to is a blessing." "If you don't like the folks you sail with, why do it?" "Good question, and one I've been asking myself more and more each day before finally coming to the inevitable conclusion." "Which is?" "That this pirate life isn't for me. As soon as we get back to Hessla, I'm not setting foot on a ship again. (Sigh) Another year at sea though before we return...ugh...I just dunno if I can take it." "Well, why not just leave now?" "...hmmm...I suppose I could...I doubt if they'd come looking for me. Do you have any transport ships that go to Hessla?" Ola frowns a bit. "We don't have ANY big ships. In case you haven't realized, we're a small town not a bustling trading city we hear you lot talk about. If it weren't for pirates coming here, we probably would never have much contact with the rest of the world. I mean the best you could do is get yourself a rowboat and row to this Hessla place. How far is it?" Ola asks. "Too far. I doubt if I could even make it to Jicol in a rowboat. Oh well, guess I can tough out another year." You say. "Why not just stay here?" "Here? What would I do here?" "Um, well you know your way around a ship right? You could work as a fisherman." "Ugh, trying to get away from boats actually. Still, sitting in a rowboat and peacefully fishing sounds a lot more attractive right now than what I am doing." "What are some of your other skills...um, I mean those that don't involve killing and raping people." "First off, I've never raped anyone..." you start to say before Ola interrupts. "You haven't? Oh thank Kalhu!" You give Ola a bit of a strange look. Granted you two don't really know each other that well, but she seems way more talkative than she has in the past. If you didn't know any better you'd say she was flirting with you in some strange way. "Okay, first who is Kalhu?" you ask. "The god of this island of course. All the times you've been here, you've never heard of him before?" Ola says. "Don't really pay much attention to religion. You're not going to preach at me are you?" "No, why would I?' "Because you seem very interested in my future and we don't know each other very well, so I'm wondering what this is all about." Ola looks around and finally sits down next to you. A couple people look, but say nothing, you're a little taken back by all this though. "This town is a good place with good people. We like our relative isolation, especially after hearing some of the tales from your pirate shipmates and other pirates we've dealt with in the past. But um...isolation has its downsides. There sometimes is um...lack of potential mates. At least not related ones." Ola says. You start to tense up at where this might be going. "Now some women of this town have sex with the pirates that visit here and that's good as it provides new blood for the town, but it is sometimes hard on these mothers to raise these children without a father around. A good family should have a mother and father." Ola says. "So...what exactly are you asking me?" "I'm asking if you would consider...(breathes nervously) being my husband." You had a feeling, but you still weren't quite prepared. How could you be? It isn't like you get asked out of the blue to be someone's husband! Ola goes on to explain that she knows how this might seem strange to an outsider like you, but she says that she fears her arranged marriage to her cousin since he has many undesirable physical traits that would not make for a strong child. However, she also doesn't wish to submit herself to a one-night stand with some pirate (Apparently she's a bit on the moral side which is funny that she would come to you in the first place) and wants a husband to stick around to help raise your children. (Yes, she's already implied that she wants more than one.) So she's picked you as a "last ditch" effort to find a husband who is physically fit (and attractive as she has mentioned as a secondary concern) and is most assuredly not related to her in some way. She also has said in the few conversations you've had with her you seem okay personality wise and not being a rapist is a big plus to her. (Curse your parents for instilling some sort of values in you) For her part, Ola seems like a nice girl and isn't ugly. She's no Annah or Yvette, but you could certainly do worse. You're a bit overwhelmed by all this sudden information though and as much as you don't want to get back on the Steadfast again, that's only going to be a year. This is going to be well...presumably until you die because she's already made it quite clear that passage off this island is a rarity. You probably wouldn't see home again. But then again what did you really have going on there? You tried being a thief and that didn't work out like you planned. You tried this pirate thing and that hasn't worked out either. All you've gotten is headache from your life of crime and not much to show for it ultimately. Also you don't really have a home anymore anyway seeing as you got permanently kicked out of Teckleville. That thought about you finally giving all this up and becoming a normal boring person? Well that day might be today. > You get back to the ship It's just too much to sacrifice. Maybe you'll settle down one day, maybe even after you get back to Hessla, but you can't see yourself doing it here stuck in some island at the ass end of the world to a girl you hardly know. "I'm sorry Ola, but I just can't do it. You're a nice girl, but this is too sudden and we don't know each other well enough." You say. "I understand. I was not hopeful of my odds anyway." "We could still, you know...do the other thing if you want." Ola shakes her head. "I'm sorry but I just wasn't raised that way. Things might be much easier if I hadn't. (Sigh) I will remain pure for my husband to be. My cousin deserves that much." Ola says and gets up to leave. Seeing as things are a bit awkward here now, you decide to leave altogether. You figure you'll just spend the remainder of your time on board the ship in the bunks. It'll be time to leave soon anyway. Sure enough in a few days you're on your way. Year 29 Half of the year has already passed, but it can't end soon enough. You're barely getting along with most of the crew at this point and all this violence you've been participating in has made you less tolerant in general. You've already had a couple of fistfights with a few. While this hasn't done much to improve your popularity nobody is ever accusing you of being a pussy who doesn't pull his weight. Figures you'd start fitting in towards the end. Of course you have no intention of continuing being a pirate and are still fully dedicated to leaving this shitty experience behind. You still have no idea what you're going to do when you get back. Your experience with Ola months ago has made you rethink your ideas of possibly "settling down." You're starting to think maybe you might try your hand at being a mercenary or something similar. You have gotten very good at killing and it doesn't even bother you anymore after all. (It's just being around all these assholes on this cramped ship that bothers you) As you're looking off into the ocean pondering your potential new career when you get back, you start to hear something. Yes...kill. You look around and immediately shout at one of your nearest shipmates. "What did you say?" you demand. "Huh? I didn't say nuthin." He says and backs away a bit. You return to your thoughts and then hear something else. Kill them all... The voice is very close, like it's almost coming inside your head. You rub your eyes and then you notice a medium splash in the waters. When you look harder you see a head briefly pop up. Looks female. You need to kill them all and return them to the sea...to be with us...forever Now your mind feels like a thousand needles are being shoved in it as these voices assault it. You crumple to the deck and you're so busy clutching your head in pain and trying to fight whatever is attacking you, that you don't even notice that other crew members are starting to suffer similar affects. Some of the crew immediately jump overboard, others are wailing in pain and barely moving. Captain Rifiv at this point has come out of his cabin and begun yelling at everyone to shove wax in their ears. It's a little too late for you however. The mermaids already have taken advantage of your less than stable mood and are now directing you to do something you've thought about doing many times anyway. Namely killing the assholes you're sailing with. You waste no time in obeying the siren's call of murdering your shipmates, most of which don't put up too much of a fight due to their own mind assaults. You do fairly well cutting down most of the crew, but even with mermaid help, you still are only one man and eventually Captain Rifiv puts you down with shot to your back which is then followed up by several cutlass chops to the neck and head by some of the less helpless crew.

[Themes: fantasy] Year 25 "Look, I dunno anything about what that old bastard does in his spare time, I just pay my rent and mind my own business." You say. The militiamen give you a look like they don't quite believe you. "Just an innocent in all this eh? Bullshit. Trobart says you're a rogue through and through." One of them remarks. "Yeah, and one of your neighbors, Randi I believe? She says you even have ties to the Crimson Talons." Another adds. You nearly want to laugh, but you resist since you don't want to piss off the militia unnecessarily. "Really? You're going to believe a whore and some guy that sells alcohol illegally in his basement? They're just trying to save their own asses by making false accusations! You turned my room upside down and didn't find ANY stolen goods. And if I was a Crimson Talon, do you really think I'd be living in the shithole that I'm currently living in?" you answer. "Didn't say you were a Crimson Talon, just said you had ties to them. And if you think just because we didn't catch you with anything that you're off the hook. You deny that you're a criminal, but as I said, it's obvious that you have no visible means of support, so you have to be doing something illegal." A militia officer says. "How do you know I don't have a proper job? You're just making baseless assumptions." "Am I now? I don't think so. I think it's obvious that you're just some second rate pissant sneak thief that is so pathetic at your own lowly trade that you managed to avoid our eye for so long. In fact I can imagine you probably TRIED to join the Crimson Talons, but they just kept you on as an associate bitch because you weren't good enough to be a real member." "Interesting theory. Is this going somewhere?" "YOU'RE going to be going somewhere if you don't shut the fuck up and listen closely to my offer!" the militia officer exclaims, getting in your face. You sit back in your chair and remain silent. The militia officer continues to stare at you assessing your every tell your face might be giving off. "It's like this criminal scum. You're on our fucking list now. I've got your name, I've got your ass. Your best bet would be to just get the fuck out of this city, but I know you. You probably think you're smarter than me. Well you ain't and you're gonna get caught. Maybe not now. Maybe not even next year, but you WILL fuck up. And when you do, I'm going to make sure they put you in the smallest hanging cage we got. Believe that." The militia officer then pulls back a bit and adopts a less combative stance along with a calmer voice. "Now, all that being said...we do have bigger fish to catch and if you did... say have ties to the Crimson Talons then MAYBE you might know where their hideout is. If you helped us with something like that, then well maybe I might be inclined to not keep such a close eye on you." Well it's times like these that make being a criminal not so much fun, though honestly as the years have been going on, you're starting to wonder why you ever thought it was fun in the first place. You haven't really much contact with the Crimson Talons since Zalmora visited you that one day asking you to join. All you did hear is that Tom isn't in charge anymore and was killed by one of the more aggressive members who took over. Word says he's a real tyrannical asshole, which might explain why none of the Talon members that have gotten arrested haven't actually ratted on him themselves. It also explains when you have bumped into a couple of their members randomly in the taverns, they've been less than friendly and warned you to stay out of their territory. (Which you most certainly have been doing for years now) You do know that their headquarters is still in the same location. You don't know why the militia doesn't know where it is though given how they've increased their own activity as of late. The militia can be remarkably blind at times. "Look, if I did have dealings with the Crimson Talons, I'd help you out, but I just don't associate with such people. Apologies." You say. The militia officer doesn't look pleased by your answer, and you sort of wonder if he's going to end up throwing you in jail anyway, but he lets you go. "Okay then, but remember I gave you an out today and you turned it down. Be seeing you soon criminal." You get up from the chair you've been sitting on for who knows how long and walk out the door, though not before one of the militia shoves the back of your head. It's frustrating, but any dealing with the militia that you walk away from is a victory. From the militia barracks you make your way back to the Welcome Mat, which is practically destroyed at this point. At least it is on the inside. The law-abiding inhabitants (Or at least the criminal ones that didn't get caught) are busily trying to gather and clean up the mess the militia made of their homes. You imagine Trobart, even with his ratting bullshit on you isn't going to be able to keep this place any longer. You enter your own ruined room where upon Elana comes out from whatever hole in the wall she was hiding in and squeaks at you. "Hey Elana, glad to see they didn't get you girl. Now let's hope they didn't get anything else either." You find a chair that wasn't destroyed and check the hiding spot you have in the ceiling of your room. After checking and pulling out your small locked container you breathe a sigh of relief. Your small savings are still intact. You'll be needing it too, because everything else was taken. Your weapons, your tools, everything that you use or need in your profession. Granted it wasn't a lot, but it's still a loss. You'll also be needing to find a new place to live. As you're pondering your next move, your door with the broken lock opens up. It's Virgil and he appears to be sober for a change. "Damn, they really did a number on yer room too I see." Virgil says. "Yeah, but it's still my fucking room. What the hell do you want, I don't have any money so you can go get drunk." you say. "And I wasn't askin'. Sheesh, I was just coming in here to see if you were around. I wanted to apologize for bothering you all the time for money actually." "Oh?" "Yeah...I mean I dunno if you noticed but I haven't been around as much lately." "Hmm, I did notice a reduction in our usual encounters over the past month." "I've been trying to get my life back together. Get myself right with Joachim again. Part of that is me apologizing and trying to make amends for all the times I bothered you." "Oh yeah? You got a bag full of coins for all the times I gave you money for booze?" "No. I wish I did. I know how you like money...I might even give you a lecture about that, but I'm not really in any position to do so. I first need to get myself right with Joachim and then I might be able to guide others into his light like I was supposed to be doing in the first place." "Not sure if you preaching at me is any better than you hitting me up for booze money." "I'm sure to you it isn't, but I'm here to apologize anyway and if there is something within my power to help you, just let me know." "Well, thanks I suppose. Can't really think of anything I need from you though, unless you got an idea of a new cheap place to live at that isn't completely a shithole." "Not really, unless you want to sleep in one of the poor rooms at the Church of Joachim. That's sort of where I've been staying lately. Would have been living there before, if I hadn't gotten asked to leave for my...weakness. Guess I might be living there for good now. Just as well. It was time to move on." "Don't think that's going to work out for me, but thanks for the offer." Virgil nods and then says something about Joachim's blessing be upon you. You finish packing up and when you're only a few steps away from the Welcome Mat, it suddenly occurs to you. Your family's old inn. It's still abandoned. You could easily stay there and that would at least save you some of the costs. "Should have thought about that in the first place." You say and make your way to the inn. Of course as you begin to do so, you realize you're being followed. That officer wasn't fucking around when he said he was going to have eyes on you all the time. It takes some time, but you end up losing them, but now you're practically on the other side of the city! If this is how it's always going to be, it's not going to matter where you stay. Maybe it is time to leave Klyton, which you suppose you don't mind since things haven't been the greatest here, but you just hate being chased off like this. Of course there's always the option the officer suggested. You don't really have any loyalty to the Talons, so if it did help you out in the long run, well it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It might even help you with less competition around that is actually making it harder for everyone else. Ever since the change in leadership, the Talons have also been selling Yellow Devil which has been causing a bit of a minor crime wave, what with all the extra junkies running around causing problems. (Even at your stomping grounds, the University) Of course being a rat is a pretty damn serious offense in the criminal world (Even if it goes on all the time) and if the Crimson Talons ever did find out, it probably wouldn't go well for you. > Rat on the Talons Well, ratting on the Crimson Talons probably isn't the worst thing you've done... You go back to the militia barracks where you're immediately stopped by some of its members who ask what you want. When you tell them that you want to speak to the officer in charge because you have information on the Crimson Talons, they tell you to wait while someone goes and gets Captain Branik, who apparently was the one interrogating you earlier. Doesn't take long before you see this captain, who gives you a mildly smug look. "Well, look who's back. Thought you didn't know anything." Branik says. "I just remembered some details that slipped my mind." You retort. "Hmm, well out with it then, and if your information is any good then we will have come to an understanding." You give out what you know of the Crimson Talons, but specifically their headquarters location. He says something about how he can't believe they've been there the whole time. You also mention the secret sewer tunnel that leads from outside the city. Branik seems especially pleased by this information and mentions he'll send people through there as well when they move in to attack the place. "This of course is all going to take a little time to put together and confirm, so in the meantime I'd like you to stay in the city. You know, just in case you're lying and this isn't some sort of set up." Branik says. "What? What would I possibly gain by setting you up for anything? YOU told me to help you!" you say. "Yes, but you didn't do it right away and even managed to disappear from the militia's watchful eye for awhile. I can't know if you haven't already tipped off your Crimson Talon buddies or something more sinister. So to put those concerns to rest, I just need you to stay within the city so that I may easily get a hold of you until this is all over. Be thankful I'm not just throwing you in a cell." No good deed... It's the best deal you're going to get at this point and really you have no idea now if the captain is even going to hold on to his end. Meanwhile you're probably still going to be having these militia assholes following you all over the city, which you can't even leave now! You just leave shaking your head at the entire situation. You honestly don't know what to do with yourself. You suppose you could live on your savings until all this shit blows over, but again you have no idea when that will be and if that asshole captain is even going to give you a break. You still have to find a new place to live and you suppose squatting in your family's old inn is out now seeing as it's more trouble than it's worth. Lacking any better ideas, you decide to go to the Church of Joachim that Virgil suggested. At least it will be free. There are actually more than a few in the city, but you figure Virgil was talking about the one closest to the Welcome Mat so that's the one you seek out. It's probably the biggest one anyway due to more poor folks in the area sponging off the charity that the church provides. When you get there you find that it's feeding the beggars day. Great now you have to put up with that smell along with whatever religious shit that's going to be preached at you. You see Virgil serving up bowls of swill and approach him since you figure he knows where the flop room for the poor is. "Hey Virgil." You say while trying not to get in the way of the hungry beggars who are eagerly taking their food and leaving. "Hello. Surprised, but glad to see you. I'm a little busy at the moment, but what can I do for you?" Virgil responds. "You said I could stay here awhile? Having sort of a problem finding a place to live at the moment." "Oh sure. We have space so you can stay as long as you like, but erm..." "But erm, what?" "Well I know you're not exactly poor beggar or destitute mother with children and Brother Thadius is sort of a stickler for the rules." "So what are you saying?" "Well, maybe if you could donate to..." "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" you exclaim at which point Virgil tells you to keep your voice down. "Virgil, you TOLD me that you wanted to make amends to me or whatever and you also TOLD me that I could stay here for free!" you say. "Actually I never said it was free...(Sigh) but I suppose it is true, I might have given you a false impression. For that I am sorry. However, you could still stay here for free, but it would still require something of you." Virgil says. You at first think Virgil is going to tell you to get him a bottle of alcohol or maybe ask you to steal something. You're just counting on religious hypocrisy to rear its head, so it's a bit surprising when he asks you: "If you could help me serve these bowls of soup, that I think would be enough to allow you to stay here for free." "Wha...are you...(Sigh) fuck it. Fine." You spend the next few hours serving swill to dirty, smelly beggars, bums, and the destitute. You can't believe it's come to this. About the only think that breaks up the monotony is you have to throw out a Yellow Devil junkie who gets a little aggressive with the others. Normally you don't get excessively hostile to the point of violence unless its necessary, but you're in a foul mood due to current events. Just as you're about to really kick his ass until Virgil stops you. "Hey, hey, easy! He's had enough; look he's going now. And I think you've had enough too. Thanks for your help; you can find a space on the floor in the sleeping area in the back of the church." Virgil says. You don't say anything and just head to where Virgil said to go. When you enter the room, it isn't quite as bad as you thought it would be. Apparently most of the beggar types actually prefer sleeping in their own personal areas on the streets rather than a relatively clean church. Go figure. What you do see more of is "regular poor folk." Families who have obviously suffered some hardship causing them to be homeless for whatever reason. You imagine their faith in Joachim keeps them going that things will get better. The fools. You find a corner to be in, make a pillow with your bag and try to get some rest despite the sounds of children and people nearby. You can regroup tomorrow, you always do. Next day... You head to the university seeing as you don't have anything better planned at the moment. Of course as soon as you start heading that way, militia is on your ass already. This is ridiculous. It's like they suddenly have some sixth sense of your whereabouts. You try to lose them a couple times and while you do succeed, it once again has taken you out of your way to your destination. Eventually you manage to get a carriage and ride to the university. From there you get to work. All is going relatively well, though you do catch sight of more than a few wandering militia. You aren't sure if they're there specifically for you or just the usual. On your way through one of the many student-gathering areas, you suddenly hear someone call out your name. You turn around and get a surprise. "Yvette?" you answer. "Glad to see you remembered me. How have you been?" Yvette asks. "Um, I'm okay. And yourself? You probably graduated and are some sort of powerful wizard by now." "On the graduation part yes, on the powerful wizard bit, well that's debatable. I'm sort of teaching and doing independent research on possible new spell components. It's a really good thing that the wizard college has such a generous benefactor on the Klyton Council. Otherwise, I'm not sure what I'd be doing with my life." "You're a wizard, surely there's no limit to what you could do." "I suppose in some ways, but I guess I just like what I get to do now...is something wrong? You seem a bit distracted." "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just surprised to see you, let alone you even talking to me. Last time I remember you were pretty pissed at me." "Oh. That. Yeah, I always meant to apologize to you about that, but I couldn't find you. I asked Dr. Gossey, but she said she didn't know much about you outside the times you helped her. I only knew your first name, but I didn't know what your area of study was. I must have went through a lot student lists, but never could track you down. I even tried some divination magic, but nothing turned up. Though I never was very good at that. Still, it almost seemed like you never even went here." "Heh, yeah...wow didn't realize you looked for me. I'm really flattered." "Well I gave up after about a year. I figured you probably graduated by then...so what are you doing here then? Are you teaching now too? What was your study anyway?" Yvette is flooding you with questions that you weren't really prepared to answer with well thought out lies. She's being pretty friendly though and given how things have been going, it's nice a change. You sort of wonder about the fact that she looked for you for a year. Obviously, she had more in mind than just to apologize. If you'd known that, you would have made more of an effort to seek her out too, rather than just fucking a whore that looked only vaguely like her a few times. Well, hopefully better late than never... "Okay, I'm just going to come out and ask. Were you interested in me back then?" you ask. "Um...well..." Yvette stutters. "I'll take that as a yes." "Well wait no. I mean yeah, but...oh I'm not very good at this." "Calm yourself then just speak your mind." "Okay. Well, I didn't NOT like you. I mean I liked all of our time together up until Kelium died. Between that and worrying about my report, your kiss sort of caught me off guard. After my report was a success, I had time to think about your advance and while I would have preferred something less aggressive, I can't say that I entirely disliked it. Actually it might have even helped my report." "How's that?" "Yes, at the time I was so pissed at you that I ended up telling my superiors the story we agreed upon as well as adding that it was all your fault that things didn't go as planned. Since I was so mad at you, it came off as believable hence a successful report. I was actually going to thank you for that too." You laugh a bit. "Well glad it helped I guess. Though I suppose my question is and again this might be a long shot, but are you still interested in me?" you ask. "I dunno. I mean it was years ago. We still don't know much about each other. I suppose the answer is the same as it was back then, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing you. I'm currently unattached. I have a bit of trouble meeting people that aren't also magic users and the few I do seem to get scared that I have magic powers." Yvette answers. "What about other wizards?" "Hah, yeah...well after going out with a few magic users in the past, that has not gone very well. I'll just leave it at that." You're doing okay so far, but here's where the problem is going to come in, your real life. If you pursue this relationship, you are going to have to change your life severely because you are entirely sure that Yvette is definitely not going to be good with your roguish ways. Oddly, this isn't completely unappealing to you. Granted you've had an okay day here at the university, but how long before the militia gets more savvy and starts watching your movements here a lot more? You still can't walk to most places without them around and again you still don't know if they're going to hold up their end and leave you alone after they bust up the Crimson Talons. When you really think back to what you've managed to accomplish as a rogue you aren't sure if it's worth it anymore. All you've been doing is going through the motions because you don't know any other way. But if you really put your mind to it, you're a resourceful guy; you probably COULD do something different if you wanted to. In any case, you still need to know how you're going to deal with Yvette. You could just tell her the truth about your life, which would prevent a possible shitstorm later, of course it could fuck up things now. Especially since you've basically been lying to her up until this point. Of course if you've been lying to her all this time, you could just continue doing it and hope for the best. You could still try to change your life, but just not reveal your past. > You lie to Yvette This relationship, if there is even going to be one is on shaky ground already. You can't imagine the truth really helping you out here. "Yvette, I think before we go any further I should reveal something first because it's only fair that you know." You say. "Uh oh." Yvette responds. You explain that not long after your job with Dr. Gossey, you had to drop out of college because your parents suffered hardship back home and you had to help them out. After burying them both, you tell her there was nothing for you left in that one horse town, so with what money you had from selling the property you returned here. You tell her that you've actually only just recently returned hoping you could maybe find work here at the university and re-attend classes in the meantime on a work-study type program, but you haven't had much luck. You go on to say, you're sort of giving up on the whole college thing and just trying to find ANY job since your savings are running low. It's a bullshit tearjerker story that you threw together at the last minute. Naturally Yvette still being the trusting soul you figured she would be, she swallows every line of it. "Oh I had no idea! And I had treated you so terrible before all that happened!" Yvette exclaims. "Don't worry about it. It's not like you could have known. Shit happens." "I suppose, but still. I guess that's explains why I couldn't find you." "Well I'm here now, if you're still interested of course. I mean I'd completely understand if you weren't." "Gee, I mean it would look pretty shallow of me if I said I wasn't...not that I'm saying that. It's just it seems like you have a lot of other things you need to take care of before entertaining the idea of us going out together." "Heh, trust me, you've been the single light during this dismal period, so you can bet I'm going to make the effort to spend time with you. I think I might have a lead on a job actually though, so if you could, maybe wait for me a little while longer? We could just meet up here and spend time until I get my shit together. Would that be acceptable?" "I suppose that would be nice. Yes, okay. You can usually find me in the magic college dorms or the college itself. Probably best if you go to the college since the dorms have some security that could be problematic if you aren't a wizard type or with one." "Okay, great. Gotta go now, but before I do, may I have your permission this time?" "Permission for what?" "To kiss you of course." "Oh. Um, well okay, but just on the cheek this time!" You move in and give Yvette a quick peck on the cheek causing her to smile a bit which you return before you take your leave. You make your way back to the church as quick as you can, you don't even bother worrying about the squad of militia following you around. It's time to call in that big favor Virgil says he owes you, you just hope he can deliver without some stupid stipulation this time. You find Virgil speaking with a couple of the poor folk about the light of Joachim or whatever. "Virgil! I need your help let's talk." "Huh? But I'm in the middle of spreading the word of Joachim." "Yeah, well you got all the fucking time in the world to do that. These folks aren't going to get any less desperate within the hour so just talk to me now and be done with it." Virgil sensing that you're going to be as obnoxious as you can be until he speaks with you excuses himself and goes to see you. "You know, you're taking advantage of my kindness." Virgil says. "Yeah, just like you took advantage of mine when you were begging me for coin during your drunk days. Look, I'm just going to ask for a simple favor, one that will actually get you out of your hair in the long run. Can you get me a job?" you say. "A job? What do you mean?" "A job man! A job! Like you go there, you do some shit and then you go back home and eventually they pay you for all the shit you did. You repeat until dead or fired." "YOU want a REAL job? Are you sober?" "Completely." "Wow. You continue to surprise me. Maybe Joachim's light really has..." "Oh no! Don't start with the religious shit. I just know you have people coming in and out of this church all the time and not ALL of them are the charity cases. Some of them are just here to pray or attend services or whatever it is you lot do." "True, but what are you getting at?" "Well I know you religious types have tend to have tight knit communities. Surely you know someone who might be able to give me a job." "Hmm, maybe. But is there anything in particular you're looking for?" "Obviously something befitting of my talents!" "Sorry, but I think thievery is off the table." "Hey I used to sell stolen items too." "Hmm, wait a minute. You uh, used to pick locks right?" "Sure did and if I may say so myself, I was pretty damn good at it." "Okay, I do know someone. He's an older man by the name of Ned and is a locksmith by trade. I think he's looking for an assistant." "Huh. Guess that would be a good fit." "Yeah...too good in fact. You aren't going to use this as some way of breaking the law are you?" "If I was, do you think I'd tell you? You're funny. But if it puts your mind at ease, then no I'm not. I can't leave the city, the militia watches me all the fucking time, and I'm living in a damn church. Obviously my life style has NOT been successful. Time to change it up, especially since I might have a second chance with this girl I like. Yes, I said it. I'm doing this for a girl." Virgil smirks a bit. "What's with the grin?" you ask. "Joachim works in mysterious ways. Maybe you don't see it or choose not to, but his influence is there. Little steps to righteousness and perhaps in more time you..." Virgil says before you interrupt. "Will you get out of here and just go get me that job! And don't tell him the truth just say I'm an engineer down on my luck or something." "You want me to lie?!" "I want you to fulfill your damn promise without a bunch of bullshit tacked on to it! Now you do what you gotta do, you can always ask Joachim for forgiveness afterwards." "(Sigh) Very well. I just hope you're being truthful in all this." With the plan set in motion things turn around fairly quickly. In a few days you get the job as an assistant to the locksmith. Turns out he's a good old guy. Tends to talk a lot about his dead wife and his runaway daughter who he hasn't seen in decades, but you suppose you understand he has a great sense of loss and wants to vent to someone. You're just glad he doesn't ask too much about your life or get too religious on you. The pay is...adequate. It's at least enough to get yourself a new cheap place and keep you in the basics. In the meantime the militia is still following you around. They're probably wondering what the hell you're up to. In the next month, you go see Yvette who is expecting you since you wrote a letter ahead of time. You meet and catch up on what the pair of you have been doing over the past few years, or rather in your case LYING about what you've been up to. You still try to keep the lying to a minimum but keeping the topics either light or focusing on her activity instead which is easy since she really likes talking about her spell stuff. (Which to be honest you don't completely grasp all of it) Within the next few months big news in Klyton hits when its announced that the Crimson Talons have been officially taken down. Captain Branik gets an award from the council and exclaims how brave his people were as they stormed the Talon hideout. Apparently they didn't take any of them alive though you get the impression that if any did surrender the militia wouldn't have been the type to just accept it anyway. You don't get any official word from anyone saying that you're off the hook let alone any thanks that you were the one that gave the information of their hideout. You do notice that the militia doesn't follow you around like it once did, so you take that as a sign that you must be off probation so to speak. Still, though you've managed to "be good" for a few months now and things are going good with Yvette and your new job isn't even all that bad even if it's a little boring at times. There really isn't any need for you to go back to your old ways. Maybe it's time to give this new life a longer try. > Time passes... Year 27 "Is it too expensive?" Yvette asks. "Well we could afford it, but I shudder to think what the ongoing property tax is going to be like." You say. "I suppose...but it's so nice!" "Maybe, but it's also a security hazard. I mean the locks on these doors are just pathetic. There are windows everywhere, which would allow for any thief to break into. There isn't even any fencing around this place. We'd have to spend more money just to secure this place better." "You are really paranoid sometimes. You always think someone is going to break in someplace. This is a good neighborhood and ever since the Talons were eliminated the crime rate has gone down anyway." "That's no reason to be off guard. I'm just saying that as a locksmith I have some experience in these matters." "Or maybe you're a thief!" Yvette laughs and teasingly pokes you. "Yeah you got me." You joke back, finding her comment humorous in a completely different way than she does. You then embrace Yvette and kiss her during the bit of playfulness. She then places your hand on her stomach. It's not visibly noticeable yet, but your son or daughter is in there. You never thought you'd be in this position, on the verge of marriage with a baby on the way. So much has changed that it's hard to believe, but everything is good or at least everything save for one thing. You still have yet to meet Yvette's father. (Yvette's mother unfortunately died while giving birth to her) You've managed to avoid it for a long time. Part of that was because it wasn't like Yvette was in a hurry for you to meet him either. She'd mention him in passing at times, but she always gave the impression that he was a rather distant and cold man who only paid for Yvette's college out of the barest sense of parental duty. Still, the man is her father and the fact you got her pregnant BEFORE you married her is something you're going to have to deal with because Yvette just couldn't bear to keep a grandchild from him a secret. You know that while he isn't on the council, he does something important in the government, which is something you generally try to avoid. However, it's better to get this over with. "I think I should go meet your father." You say. "Oh. Now?" Yvette asks. "The sooner the better." "I suppose you're right. It's just; it was a nice day before you brought that up. Are you okay going alone? I just met with daddy again a few days ago and he was as unpleasant with me as ever." "Does he yell and threaten you? I mean you're a powerful wizard, I would think that would be a deterrent." "You always keep saying that and I'm not. But anyway, as I said he never does any of that and short of him hitting me which he would never do, it's not like I'm going to cast a lightning bolt at my father for being a jerk. He just was very disapproving. I mean I suppose I get it...but..." "Yvette, look don't beat yourself over it. I want you to stay in positive spirits okay?" "Okay. But anyway, he should be home right now. Takes most of his work home with him. I don't think he gets along with a lot of people there either." Parting ways with your beloved, you head to Yvette's father's home which actually isn't too far away from where you were looking at potential houses. When you arrive it isn't a mansion, but certainly nice place befitting of someone who works high up in the government. You knock on the door and half expect a servant of some sort to answer, but instead an older man with dark circles under his eyes, thinning white hair and what is probably a permanent scowl answers the door. His eyes look you up and down and he even makes a little snort sound as if he's clearly unimpressed by you. "Uh Mr. Franklins?" "Yeah?" "I'm..." "I know who you are. You're the lowly sneak thief rat who somehow managed to fool my trusting daughter into going out with you. And not only that, but you got her pregnant with your criminal seed before you even had the decency to marry her." "I..." Before you can even answer this, the old man manages to catch you with a left to your jaw. You fall on your ass and hold the side of your face. The old man packs quite the punch. "Okay. I probably deserved that." You say. "Pfft. YOU deserve much more than that, however what's done is done. When you're done befouling my porch with your presence, you can come inside and befoul that too." Mr. Franklins remarks. You pick yourself up off the floor and follow Yvette's father into his house. He sits down in a comfortable chair and just as you're about to do likewise, he tells you to stop. "No. You don't get to fucking sit down. You stand there and listen to what I have to say, because I'm not going to repeat myself. Now, before I begin, don't bother trying to lie to me. As I said, I know who the hell you are. Who you REALLY are. Just because my daughter only recently told me about you, doesn't mean I wasn't keeping an eye on you before. I did my research. I'm a little foggy for a few things on your past, but that doesn't matter. I know that you are...or I suppose WERE a thief of little importance in this city, which you aren't even a citizen of. It seems the only reason why you stopped is due to pressure from the militia and meeting my daughter again. The first reason I'd dismiss as simple cowardice since you ratted on the Crimson Talons in order to catch a break in the first place. However, the second reason, well that one takes a little more examination." "If you knew all this why not warn your daughter ahead of time?" "Pfft. Like she'd listen to me. Besides, by the time I did find out about all this, you and her were together for at least a year, and I knew she was in love. It was in her eyes. Never seen her so happy when she was with you. I know it now more than ever just from how she spoke of you to me. Attempting to break you up at that point would have crushed her and now would be unthinkable. And all of that's on me for not paying attention sooner and having you removed from her life." "I guess thanks for not having me killed?" "Who said anything about killing you? I said removed. I could have just had the militia kick you out of the city and had you exiled. I'm not a fucking murderer." Yvette's father grabs a bottle of wine near his table and pours himself a glass, taking a drink before he continues to lecture you. "Now here it is. Contrary to popular belief, I love my daughter. It may not seem like I do, but it's true. I just want her to be happy and apparently you make her happy. My point is, I believe you love her too because despite your lies about your past, you haven't gone back to any criminal activity and I'm guessing now that you're trying to put down roots you probably won't be going back to your old life because YOU know that you struck gold when you met my daughter and you'll do ANYTHING not to fuck that up." "True." "Hm, which is about one of the few redeeming qualities about you that I can tell so far. (Sigh) Look, I'm not a complete hard ass, but even with your good intentions I still can't shake the feeling you're going to fail my daughter spectacularly in some way in the future. Human nature is flexible only to a point and at some point you are probably going to snap. Maybe you won't, I don't know. But I'm going to give you an out right now." Mr. Franklins suddenly gets up and goes to a drawer, grabs a bag and tosses it to you. You open it up and find diamonds. Flawless diamonds. There has to be hundreds of them here. This is a fortune that you couldn't even begin to imagine. There is also an odd shaped key and a piece of paper. "That is more riches than you need for your lifetime assuming you're not being a complete idiot with it. That key and deed are to a place in Jicol which is on an island not far from Hessla. You can probably take a ship to there. Granted I haven't been to the place in years, so I don't know what condition it's in, but with those diamonds I'd wager you could fix the place up. Take them both and never return to Klyton." "But..." "Yvette? She'll cry over you for a long time, but she'll carry on if only for the sake of your child. She'll probably blame me and I'll give her reason to. Better that I disappoint her than you. And your child? It will be taken care of, that you can be sure of. Even if my daughter refuses my help to support it, I can pull strings to still help her." "And if I refuse?" "Then I suppose I'll have to hope that you prove me wrong." > You take the loot You love Yvette, but ultimately you guess you love yourself just a little bit more. You think about the sort of life you would have if you did marry Yvette. You'd be an average working class slob with a family. While maybe there is some appeal to that over your old life, this offer is really making you rethink that maybe you were just settling for what seemed easier at the time when things were low. If you married Yvette you'd also have to keep up your lies to her about your past along with worrying about whether or not you're going to piss off her father enough for him to expose you. Can you really live a satisfying life with something like that hanging over your head? When it comes down to it you suppose you've always wanted the easy life and this about as easy as it's ever going to get for you. "Fine, I'll take your offer." You say. "I knew you would." Franklins says a bit smugly and hands you the key. You look at your newly acquired pay off, before putting it away. You're already having mixed feelings about your decision. You have mixed feelings about your decision all the way to Hessla where upon your main concern is finding safe passage to Jicol since you don't want to linger very long here with the fortune you have on your person. Of course you think about going right back to Klyton several times, but by the time you do get a boat ride to Jicol you realize you're at the point of no return. "Just do it." You say to yourself as you board the ship. The ride to Jicol is uneventful even though you half expect to get attacked by pirates or something similar along the way. A small part of you even hopes you do because you sort of think you'd deserve it. Eventually you disembark at Jicol and based on the directions that Yvette's father provided you take your next steps in finding your new home along with familiarizing yourself with the city, which seems a lot less "orderly" than Klyton though definitely more so than Hessla. Despite your rather dour mood, you still keep on your guard. You soon find the place you were looking for and it's very average looking. Certainly better and bigger than any place you've ever lived (including your parents old home) but it's no mansion. Just as well, you probably wouldn't know what to do with a place that size. You try your key in the door and enter. You aren't sure how long Yvette's father has let this place go unused, but the first thing you notice is the severe dust everywhere. After checking everything it isn't too bad, except for maybe some fixes on the roof and the qweepa nest you notice in the basement. (And they aren't friendly like Elana was.) Still even with those problems you'll have more than enough money to do whatever you want in the forseeable future and that really is the problem you suppose. What DO you do? You don't need to work and you don't even particularly want to go back to pursuing your criminal career again either. You've been out of practice for a couple years now and why potentially mess up what you have? You can't just sit around moping and beating yourself up about your decision either. The whole point of making this decision was so you didn't HAVE to worry about Yvette and your unborn child anymore. You decide the best way to do this is with whores. After about a month you're slowly becoming more accustomed to living like a wealthy degenerate. You do nothing but eat, drink and fuck whores whenever you can, which is pretty much all the time. Sometimes you still think about Yvette, but eventually those thoughts of her disappear altogether not wishing to dwell on how you most likely broke her heart and what "could have been" if you stayed. You justify your actions that it was better this way for her and you. By the time you're thirty you've gotten fat. Not just average fat either, but like grossly fat. You're a big fat bastard. You're also a pimp. Given how much time you spend with whores and how relatively fun you are, you eventually managed to convince a few to work for you, rather than one of the many brothels in the city. After all, your home is a lot nicer thanks to all the work you had done to it and you're well off enough to allow them to keep more of their money. This works out for you since it provides a steady income (Negating your fears of going completely broke because you were spending so much) and finally gave you something to do with your free time. You still sometimes think of your parents and your sister and how they might be doing. You hope they're all doing well. Despite being limited to just one sex position that won't result in a whore's death it's all in all a good life. Probably won't be a very long one given your weight and indulgences, but then you probably beat the odds already. Your days as a rogue are over.

[Themes: fantasy, anti-hero] Year 27 "Is it too expensive?" Yvette asks. "Well we could afford it, but I shudder to think what the ongoing property tax is going to be like." You say. "I suppose...but it's so nice!" "Maybe, but it's also a security hazard. I mean the locks on these doors are just pathetic. There are windows everywhere, which would allow for any thief to break into. There isn't even any fencing around this place. We'd have to spend more money just to secure this place better." "You are really paranoid sometimes. You always think someone is going to break in someplace. This is a good neighborhood and ever since the Talons were eliminated the crime rate has gone down anyway." "That's no reason to be off guard. I'm just saying that as a locksmith I have some experience in these matters." "Or maybe you're a thief!" Yvette laughs and teasingly pokes you. "Yeah you got me." You joke back, finding her comment humorous in a completely different way than she does. You then embrace Yvette and kiss her during the bit of playfulness. She then places your hand on her stomach. It's not visibly noticeable yet, but your son or daughter is in there. You never thought you'd be in this position, on the verge of marriage with a baby on the way. So much has changed that it's hard to believe, but everything is good or at least everything save for one thing. You still have yet to meet Yvette's father. (Yvette's mother unfortunately died while giving birth to her) You've managed to avoid it for a long time. Part of that was because it wasn't like Yvette was in a hurry for you to meet him either. She'd mention him in passing at times, but she always gave the impression that he was a rather distant and cold man who only paid for Yvette's college out of the barest sense of parental duty. Still, the man is her father and the fact you got her pregnant BEFORE you married her is something you're going to have to deal with because Yvette just couldn't bear to keep a grandchild from him a secret. You know that while he isn't on the council, he does something important in the government, which is something you generally try to avoid. However, it's better to get this over with. "I think I should go meet your father." You say. "Oh. Now?" Yvette asks. "The sooner the better." "I suppose you're right. It's just; it was a nice day before you brought that up. Are you okay going alone? I just met with daddy again a few days ago and he was as unpleasant with me as ever." "Does he yell and threaten you? I mean you're a powerful wizard, I would think that would be a deterrent." "You always keep saying that and I'm not. But anyway, as I said he never does any of that and short of him hitting me which he would never do, it's not like I'm going to cast a lightning bolt at my father for being a jerk. He just was very disapproving. I mean I suppose I get it...but..." "Yvette, look don't beat yourself over it. I want you to stay in positive spirits okay?" "Okay. But anyway, he should be home right now. Takes most of his work home with him. I don't think he gets along with a lot of people there either." Parting ways with your beloved, you head to Yvette's father's home which actually isn't too far away from where you were looking at potential houses. When you arrive it isn't a mansion, but certainly nice place befitting of someone who works high up in the government. You knock on the door and half expect a servant of some sort to answer, but instead an older man with dark circles under his eyes, thinning white hair and what is probably a permanent scowl answers the door. His eyes look you up and down and he even makes a little snort sound as if he's clearly unimpressed by you. "Uh Mr. Franklins?" "Yeah?" "I'm..." "I know who you are. You're the lowly sneak thief rat who somehow managed to fool my trusting daughter into going out with you. And not only that, but you got her pregnant with your criminal seed before you even had the decency to marry her." "I..." Before you can even answer this, the old man manages to catch you with a left to your jaw. You fall on your ass and hold the side of your face. The old man packs quite the punch. "Okay. I probably deserved that." You say. "Pfft. YOU deserve much more than that, however what's done is done. When you're done befouling my porch with your presence, you can come inside and befoul that too." Mr. Franklins remarks. You pick yourself up off the floor and follow Yvette's father into his house. He sits down in a comfortable chair and just as you're about to do likewise, he tells you to stop. "No. You don't get to fucking sit down. You stand there and listen to what I have to say, because I'm not going to repeat myself. Now, before I begin, don't bother trying to lie to me. As I said, I know who the hell you are. Who you REALLY are. Just because my daughter only recently told me about you, doesn't mean I wasn't keeping an eye on you before. I did my research. I'm a little foggy for a few things on your past, but that doesn't matter. I know that you are...or I suppose WERE a thief of little importance in this city, which you aren't even a citizen of. It seems the only reason why you stopped is due to pressure from the militia and meeting my daughter again. The first reason I'd dismiss as simple cowardice since you ratted on the Crimson Talons in order to catch a break in the first place. However, the second reason, well that one takes a little more examination." "If you knew all this why not warn your daughter ahead of time?" "Pfft. Like she'd listen to me. Besides, by the time I did find out about all this, you and her were together for at least a year, and I knew she was in love. It was in her eyes. Never seen her so happy when she was with you. I know it now more than ever just from how she spoke of you to me. Attempting to break you up at that point would have crushed her and now would be unthinkable. And all of that's on me for not paying attention sooner and having you removed from her life." "I guess thanks for not having me killed?" "Who said anything about killing you? I said removed. I could have just had the militia kick you out of the city and had you exiled. I'm not a fucking murderer." Yvette's father grabs a bottle of wine near his table and pours himself a glass, taking a drink before he continues to lecture you. "Now here it is. Contrary to popular belief, I love my daughter. It may not seem like I do, but it's true. I just want her to be happy and apparently you make her happy. My point is, I believe you love her too because despite your lies about your past, you haven't gone back to any criminal activity and I'm guessing now that you're trying to put down roots you probably won't be going back to your old life because YOU know that you struck gold when you met my daughter and you'll do ANYTHING not to fuck that up." "True." "Hm, which is about one of the few redeeming qualities about you that I can tell so far. (Sigh) Look, I'm not a complete hard ass, but even with your good intentions I still can't shake the feeling you're going to fail my daughter spectacularly in some way in the future. Human nature is flexible only to a point and at some point you are probably going to snap. Maybe you won't, I don't know. But I'm going to give you an out right now." Mr. Franklins suddenly gets up and goes to a drawer, grabs a bag and tosses it to you. You open it up and find diamonds. Flawless diamonds. There has to be hundreds of them here. This is a fortune that you couldn't even begin to imagine. There is also an odd shaped key and a piece of paper. "That is more riches than you need for your lifetime assuming you're not being a complete idiot with it. That key and deed are to a place in Jicol which is on an island not far from Hessla. You can probably take a ship to there. Granted I haven't been to the place in years, so I don't know what condition it's in, but with those diamonds I'd wager you could fix the place up. Take them both and never return to Klyton." "But..." "Yvette? She'll cry over you for a long time, but she'll carry on if only for the sake of your child. She'll probably blame me and I'll give her reason to. Better that I disappoint her than you. And your child? It will be taken care of, that you can be sure of. Even if my daughter refuses my help to support it, I can pull strings to still help her." "And if I refuse?" "Then I suppose I'll have to hope that you prove me wrong." > You give back the loot You have to admit, there is a small part of you that finds this tempting. A part of you that you thought you had abandoned, but as this bribe attempt has proven, your old nature is still there. Always looking for the easy way no matter what. Maybe Yvette's father is right in that respect, but if you do fail, it isn't going to be today and it isn't going to be over this. You're refusing and perhaps that's proof that you aren't the same person anymore. "Yeah, not taking this. If you want me gone then you're going to have to do it yourself. I'm not going to make it easy for you and disappear voluntarily, just so it can ease your own conscience that if I took your bribe then you somehow did the right thing because I was a scumbag thief anyway." You say and toss the bag on the chair. Mr. Franklin nods. "Very well. You've made your decision and I'll have to live with it. Inform Yvette That I begrudgingly accept that you are the father of my grandchild and acknowledge that you're at least competent enough to be a husband to her. Also that whether she wants me to attend the blessed event or not, I will pay for the entire wedding and whatever else she requires, but I want it to be at a church of Joachim, not one of those Dorna temples or whatever that goddess those wizards pay homage too." He says. "Didn't know you were a follower of Joachim." You respond. "Of course I am! All right thinking folks are! I can only hope that some day my misguided daughter finds the light. Just because she was gifted with magic doesn't mean she has to kneel before a false goddess." "I don't think she does actually. I mean I know sometimes she says a few prayers, but I've never known her to go to a temple or anything." "Ugh. I suppose that's slightly better. And I don't expect you're a follower of Joachim's light either. Probably a completely godless heathen." "I dunno, I've been to the church of Joachim a few times. Even been a long time friend with a priest of Joachim." You say embellishing the truth as usual, Mr. Franklins probably doesn't even believe it, but he hardly cares at this point. "Now obviously I'll keep your secrets, but I hope for your sake you can maintain your own lies because if you DO hurt her, physically, mentally, emotionally, or whatever I will make it my personal mission to make your life a living hell. And again, I don't even mean death though you'll be begging for it by the time I'm done." Franklins says. "Understood." You reply. "And you are not off the hook with me. Which means if I need your help with some matter, I'm going to call upon you and I will expect you to comply without complaint!" "What is it that you want me to do exactly?" "Nothing right now. In fact I'm not even sure how someone like you could even help me given my considerable resources. So maybe I'll never call on you for help. However, the real shits and giggles is YOU won't know until that day I do. Have fun living with that possibility." Franklins says with an amused tone. It's probably the first time he's sounded upbeat. Franklins then dismisses you and tells you to get the hell out of his house. Well that certainly wasn't exactly the meeting you were expecting. You suppose it went better than you expected, but worse than you hoped. You just know that old bastard is going to call on you for a favor one day. Still, you need to focus on the here and now and not what might never come and despite everything, you have Yvette's dad's support, if not his respect. You have a wedding to prepare for and all that other family stuff coming up. With this final "nail" in the coffin so to speak, it would seem that your life has taken a completely different turn. You can't imagine ever going back to your old life again. Your mother and father would probably be proud if they knew about any of this. (You assume that they aren't really dead.) You wonder what your sister would think, but you believe she would be happy for you. Looks like your days as a rogue may have come to an end. > Time passes… Year 30 You knew this damn day would come. You had to make up an excuse to Yvette and Trinity of why you had to meet with him, but you're fairly certain that they didn't think anything more of it. Just bonding with an in-law over security advice of the newest and best locks right? Your daughter Trinity did want to come with you, but you told her it would be boring adult stuff and she could visit grandpa another time. You hate lying, but what choice do you have? You hoped and thought that you probably wouldn't ever be important enough for him to call on you for help, but here you are about to knock on his door. You knock on the door and it opens right away. "Took you long enough. Come in." Franklins says turning his back to you to as soon as he opens the door. He takes a seat and for a change he tells you to do likewise. "Okay, since I don't want you here any longer than necessary, let's get to it. I need you to break into some place." You didn't expect this. "What?" you ask. "You got fucking wax in your ears? I need you to break into a place and steal something important." Franklins remarks. "You do realize I haven't done that in years right?" "Yes, I'm fucking aware. You're an average slob with a regular job and family. However, I know damn well you aren't out of practice because you're a fucking locksmith by trade." "True, but...I'm not understanding this. I thought you didn't approve of my previous occupation." "I don't, but desperate times call for desperate measures and besides all that, YOU owe me a favor and this is probably the only way I'm going to be able to call it in. Besides, you'll be going up against pure evil, so what you're doing is for the greater good...well I hope Joachim sees it that way at least." "Wait, pure evil? What the fuck? Look, I don't want to step out of line here, but I need to ask some questions." "You don't want to step out of line, but you're already stepping out of fucking line by asking damn questions!" "Yeah, and I think it's fucking valid if you're sending me up against pure evil! I mean as you've pointed out several times in the past, I'm not a damn hero. I was a lowly criminal who is now a working class slob. I never was a fighting type to begin with and tried to avoid it if possible. Nevermind the fact that I'm married to YOUR daughter and father to YOUR grand daughter and I've made sure to never hurt either one of them. Seems like this is asking me to potentially do just that at best and just getting myself killed at worst." "(Sigh) Fine, I suppose you should know in case you need some extra preparation." Franklins pours himself a glass of wine and takes a drink before continuing. "Okay, do you know who Mr. Reynolds is? Surely you must have heard of the man given that you were a thief at one time." "Yeah, he's a loan shark. My family actually was in debt to him once when they owned an inn here. Never met the man personally though since I tried to avoid being in debt." "Hmm, interesting. Well in any case, the man is more than just a loan shark. He's an embodiment of evil in this city and needs to be stopped from getting on the Klyton Council which he's been making plans to do." "Okay? So if he's all that bad, why don't you have him arrested or something? You're always telling me you have connections." "Yeah well those connections aren't good enough to get him and he's got connections of his own. Doesn't help that anyone that might speak out against him aren't just intimidated by him, but are also intimidated by those two goons he hangs around with. One of them being his equally demonic son and weird looking ogre." "You really don't like this guy do you?" "No, because despite him being an obvious evil piece of demon shit, he has been gaining a following that genuinely likes him now. In fact the asshole is probably more popular than I am among people who actually pay attention to politics." "That's hard to believe." "Ha ha. But make no mistake, this is no laughing matter, which is why in the next few days, you're breaking into his place of business and stealing a hexagon shaped container that he keeps a record of all his dealings in. Don't bother trying to open that though, you'd need magic. Just bring it back here." "Okay, so got any idea where he keeps it?" "No, but I imagine he'll probably have it in some sort of safe. Don't know where that would be either, but it has to be close since I can't imagine he'd keep it in a bank and would definitely want it close to him. You start laughing. "What?" Franklins asks. "You're asking me to go steal something that is apparently magical and you don't have any idea where this item is in the place. Not to mention if this container is magically sealed, I have to believe he's probably got it in some sort of safe that has magic protection as well if its that important. That means I'm going to need special tools for that job and more time to acquire them." You answer. "You work as a fucking locksmith!" "Yeah and while the old guy I work for doesn't ask me too many questions, I can't just start taking specialized magic lock breaker from the job without some explanation, unless you're asking me to steal those too..." "Look I don't give a shit what you gotta do! You need to get into that evil fucker's office and grab the container and get it back here!" "I dunno, you keep going on about evil, but all of this seems pretty fucking shady. I mean granted I don't doubt that Reynolds isn't an asshole given the stories I've heard, but how is what you're planning to do any better? Seems pretty hypocritical that you gave me grief about my background and here you are a self proclaimed follower of Joachim scheming to..." "DAMNIT MAN DON'T YOU KNOW ANYTHING? I just told you the man is DEMONIC SHIT!" Franklins stands up to shout at you. "Wait...you weren't just saying that as a casual description of how much of an asshole he is?" "NO. He's a fucking DEMON. Okay, perhaps half demon, but he's demonic shit and MY kind have been fighting his for a lot longer than you could ever think about!" Franklins suddenly sits back down and begins cursing to himself and you feel like you've heard more than he meant to tell you. "What exactly do you mean your kind...wait, are YOU human?" "Yes! No! Fuck! I hate to lie! (Sigh) Damnit, I didn't want to get into this...I'm half celestial." "Celestial? So like an angel? YOU'RE an angel?" "No you idiot. I just told you I'm only half. Just like Reynolds is only half demon. Doesn't matter though, we are mortal enemies as has always been the way." "Wow. You don't hear about angels too often." "Well maybe if you attended the church of Joachim, that wouldn't be the case you faithless heathen. As I said, I am only half celestial. My foolish father gave up his otherworldly home to be with my mother...but we're getting off topic..." "Wait a moment! Then that means Yvette..." "Yes, she has celestial blood as well. It's probably why she has magic potential. It's probably also why she was always a bit on the trusting side. I never got any of that, all I got was a strong sense of right and wrong and fairly good health all throughout my life. Never been sick once. Better than nothing I suppose and before you even ask, no she doesn't know any of this and you better keep it that way." "I don't get why you wouldn't tell her though." "Because it's a fucking burden knowing that's why! Because I know I have to live up to some damn ideal that I can't hope to achieve. Hell, my own father didn't achieve it and HE was a full blood! I know Yvette and if she knew about all this, she would have wanted to go out on a crusade to right wrongs and all that bullshit with her magical powers and promptly gotten herself killed in the process. Better that she be a good person in her own small, but safe way." "She might have surprised you and done great deeds or something." "Oh and you're the expert on good behavior now?" "Okay, fine I don't know shit about it. But what about Trinity?" "She would have celestial blood too obviously. Though in her case, I'm sure it's been diluted so much with your lowborn mortal blood that she isn't going to have any potential powers and will most likely just live as a normal human. Lucky her." You can't believe all this new information that's been dumped on you. It doesn't seem real, but Yvette's dad has never been one to lie and if he is indeed half angel like he claims, you guess it's hard for him to even do so directly. (Omitting the truth and spinning it, is a different story apparently) All of this still doesn't change the fact that he's asking you to do a job, because he doesn't want to get his hands dirty. Still seems hypocritical to you, not to mention dangerous now that you're apparently going to be involved in some secret holy war. It occurs to you that you could just refuse. He just admitted all this stuff to you. Now you have a secret. What's he going to do? You know he not going to kill you or even set it up in such a way that would happen. Have you exiled or get rid of you in some way? You don't see that happening either. Not now. > You help Franklins Maybe you're just cautious, or maybe you actually have become a better person, but a deal is a deal. You agreed to help in exchange for his silence so that's what you're going to do. Doesn't mean you're going to like it though and it certainly doesn't mean you're going to go through with it like how Franklins would have you do it. "Okay, a deal's a deal and I'll do your dirty work, but I'm going to ask why don't you just do the obvious." You say. "What?" Franklins asks. "Kill the bastard. I mean you got militia connections. Surely it wouldn't take much." "I'm not using the people who are supposed to be keeping law and order around here as my own personal hit squad." "Given some of the interaction I've had with them and how they massacred the Crimson Talons, most are bullying assholes anyway. They'd probably love an excuse." "Be that as it may, I'm not going to resort to such tactics...hmm do you know any assassins?" "What? Why? Because I used to be a thief? I know you claim to know all about me, but if that was really true you'd also know I didn't hang out much with other criminals, let alone professional assassins. If you want one of those, go seek one out yourself, you certainly got the means to do so." "I'm not associating with anymore criminal scum than I have to. It's bad enough I have to deal with you." "Oh fuck you hypocrite. You don't seem to have any problems with me risking my life breaking into some place, which is run by a half demon. Or maybe you just don't give a shit? You'll win whether I succeed or get myself killed in the process right?" "I am not trying to get you killed. I was just under the impression that YOU were very skilled in your...trade. If you don't think you can handle it, then fine. I'll figure something else out." "So you can harass me later? I'm not going to have this hanging over my head..." you start to say before you're interrupted. "You don't have anything hanging over your head! Not anymore. I mean I just blabbed a big secret to you and you didn't even try to use it as leverage against me to weasel out of our deal, which I half expected you to do. At this point I can't even claim the moral high ground anymore. As far as I'm concerned you're free of your obligation. You're obviously better than I previously believed you capable of. Congratulation, now get out of my sight." That's a pretty strong statement coming from him. You know that had to be hard for him to admit. "(Sigh) Look, I'm still willing to help, but I'm still not understanding WHY you can't just use the militia to kill Reynolds. If he's as evil as you keep claiming, isn't it better that you just get rid of him as quickly as possible before he can do any real damage?" you ask. "Because it's a slippery slope. Sure, you may even be right. I abuse my power to eliminate an obvious evil. No harm done. What about next time though? Maybe the next person isn't demon spawn. Maybe he isn't even as bad, but is just in my way. Will I resist the temptation? I don't know and neither do you. I sometimes look at this city and even though it's probably one of the better bastions of civilization in this forsaken land, I sometimes still see the decay and rot underneath. It's always there even to a minor degree. Part or the curse of being half angel I suppose, but I'm trying to maintain what order I can without lowering my own standards and I'm already failing horribly at it. I can't afford to fail even more." Franklins remarks. Franklins goes back to his drink and you search you mind of a way to help while still trying to fall within his weird angel guidelines. (Or maybe it's just his own weird personal code that he's placed upon himself for misguided reasons) "The two goons Mr. Reynolds has. Why don't you have them arrested? I know you said Reynolds has influence, but I gotta believe his two thugs are probably shady enough that they could at least be held on suspicion right?" "Well...Reynolds' son has been a minor suspect in some suspicious murders. As for the ogre, I think he's busted up a few bars. While I'm sure the militia could hold them both for a little while, maybe even a week, but they would be out in a very short period. And I guarantee they won't turn on Reynolds if that's what you're thinking." "Don't need them too, just need them out of the way since I'm betting at least one of them is acting as an on duty guard even when his office is closed. I think with them out of the picture, it will lessen the risk to pull this off. I just need more time than what you suggested." "Wait, you're still going to do it?" "As I said, a deal's a deal. You didn't say shit about my past to Yvette, so I'm going to do this favor for you. Besides, I'd be lying if the challenge isn't stirring up old interest at this point. Just let me know when those two goons are out of the way. I'll be working on shit from my end until then." Franklins is so surprised by your helpfulness he doesn't even have any snide comments towards you for the rest of your time you speak with him. He's got some reservations about what you propose, but he says if you think you know what you're doing, he's going to trust you. You leave Franklins place wondering if you've maybe lost a bit of your mind for agreeing to this task, but then you realize, you were probably just getting a little bored. Still, a lot is riding on your plan and you have to be very careful because this isn't just you now. It's your whole family you could potentially lose. It doesn't make things easier that part of this plan indirectly involves Yvette. You don't exactly keep up on all of Yvette's magic studies and such, but you know that she was recently working on something relating to invisibility. Of course you're really going to have to approach this carefully or this is going to make things infinitely worse. The only reason why you're considering it is because quite frankly you haven't exactly been as active as you used to be and have probably gotten slightly out of shape. If you're invisible however, it takes some of the pressure off of things like not having lightning reflexes and the quickest feet any more. Later as you're settling down for the night, you address the subject to Yvette who is reading something in bed as she usually does. "So, uh...you mentioned something about working on something related to invisibility?" you ask. "Huh? Yes I am." Yvette says not looking up from her book. "I remember you mentioning something a week ago or so about it. Is this a new spell or potion or something else?" "It is a potion actually or rather an attempt to strengthen the existing formula." "Something wrong with the old one?" "Yeah, invisibility potions are hard to make due to the ingredients, which means they're rare to begin with, but the bigger problem is they have never been very effective." Yvette says now looking at you. "What, like they only turn you invisible and your clothing is still visible or something like that?" "Hah, that can happen with the wrong ingredients, but the main obstacle is they don't last very long. Usually ten seconds tops. Most wizards won't even bother making them due to the long, tedious process involved for such a short payoff. I've been trying to figure out a way to extend that to at least a half hour." "So is it easier to just cast the spell?" "Yeah, but only on yourself. Casting the spell on others can really take it out of you as far as upkeep is concerned. It's probably why the research on the potion was made. So...why all this sudden interest in my work? You don't tend to ask most of the time." "Well to be honest when you speak to me about this stuff, it usually sounds so complicated that I feel sort of dumb." "That's ridiculous! You are most certainly not dumb! I mean you had the intelligence to go to Klyton University at one time. I always said you should go back and finish your degree in...engineering wasn't it?" "Yeah I just don't have time for that now. Besides, I'd rather spend my free time spending it with Trinity rather than in a class room." "You are an attentive father." Yvette says with a smile. "I try, but anyway I was also asking because I was wondering if you could help me in a job." "Oh?" You explain to her that some government associate of her father wants some elaborate security system, because he doesn't want any militia guards assigned to his house. You aren't exactly sure what it's all about, something about death threats from an unknown ex-government worker. He says he isn't worried, but it couldn't hurt to update his security so he asked for you and he wants the best. You explain that you want to test the security you're installing will be good against someone who is invisible. "Shouldn't the locks still keep them out? I mean even if someone is invisible, they aren't intangible." Yvette asks. "True, but just in case they still manage to get in, I've actually have been working on something that detects movement. I guess it's experimental, sort like what you've been doing." You explain. "Huh. I didn't know. Well I mean I suppose I can help, though I'm not sure how." "Well you said you made a bunch of potions of invisibility. Just give me about ten of them and I'll..." "Wait. Are you going to drink them? You can't just drink ten invisibility potions one right after another! You'd get sick!" "Well you said they didn't last long. I'll pace myself. Wait, haven't you been making progress on the formula?" "Um, yeah a little bit. I created one that last up to around twenty minutes give or take...wait you don't want to try that do you? It's only in the experimental stages and I've only tested it on qweepas! You don't know how many died before I got that right! Its a good thing the university has an infestation of the critters otherwise I might have run out of easy test subjects." "Well I trust you. Just give me a couple of those improved potions and..." "A couple?! No, if you were going to get any, you'd get ONE. And I still don't think that would be a good idea." "You're going to have to test it on humans at some point right? I could help you with this, while you help me! Yvette thinks about that proposal for a moment. "Well...I suppose it could speed things along...but I dunno...I'd never forgive myself if something went wrong. But if you want to risk it, I'll give you one like I said." Yvette says. This is a question of how fast do you think you'll be and whether you want to risk drinking something that could quite possibly turn you into a purple frog with a cat head or just outright kill you instantly. > You take the experimental potion This whole thing is a gamble, might as well go big. "I'll take the experimental, as I said, I trust your abilities and this will help you with your own research. Don't worry." You say and give Yvette a kiss, though she still seems a bit worried. "Maybe I should go with you when you do this." Yvette says. "No! I mean, no because this guy doesn't want anyone else around who isn't directly working on this and he still has to work shit out on his end and get things prepared. You know how these government types are with their hurry up and wait shit. Chances are, it's going to be a sudden thing that I'm going to have to drop everything I'm working on at the time. I just want to have the potion when I do need it." "Hm, well okay. I'll get it for you tomorrow when I come back from work. You don't need it sooner I hope." "Nope, like I said, it's going to be awhile." "Okay, but if I make progress in between that time and discover something wrong I don't want you drinking it!" Well now you just hope that doesn't happen before Yvette's father lets you know that Reynolds' goons are both out of the picture. As it turns out, you don't have to wait too long and Franklins is pretty efficient in that regard. He informs you that from what he heard, Reynolds protested very loudly about his son and the ogre being arrested and has already claimed that he is going to make sure heads are going to roll for this slander and injustice. Franklins tells you his name predictably came up in the blame game, so he wants you to go get that container before Reynolds starts acting on his threats. You gather up some extra supplies from work. Ned isn't really going to notice and the guy is practically on the verge of willing you his place of business when he dies anyway. Even when you say you need one of the special magic lock breakers he hardly bats an eye and just tells you to be careful with it since they're very hard to acquire, let alone make. Later that week when you finally have everything you need and feel prepared, you tell Yvette that you're going to be working a little late on this paper pusher's security since this is the moment. She's of course still worried about you, but also slightly eager to find out what you'll experience and reminds you to tell her everything. You linger around in the neighborhood where Mr. Reynolds maintains his place of business. In the old days you might have been a little concerned about getting mugged in the area or running afoul of some sort of thugs while you wait, but things are lot more cleaned up without the Crimson Talons around and the militia keeping on top of things. Probably just as well that you gave up your profession when you did...so to speak. Eventually Mr. Reynold's place of business closes down for the day and unfortunately just as you figured he doesn't leave. Probably has a whole living area to himself in the building, which means more caution is going to be needed on your part while you search for a safe because you're going in totally dry. You decide to do this the old fashioned way and stealthily break in and only use the potion if you get into trouble. You're still a bit hesitant to use it after all. One thing you wish is there that there was a back door to the place, but you looked around earlier for one and no luck. Not even a window, or least not one you could easily climb up to. As the streets become less populated, you head to the front door and work on the lock. It's actually not difficult and you're in pretty quickly. You have to put yourself back in that calm mentality when you used to do this before, but it's a lot more difficult because there are so many things that could go wrong. That's not even counting that this guy is a half fucking demon. Who knows what sort of powers he really has? You do your best to press forward and just get on with it. You're just glad you had the forethought to go to the bathroom before you did this. You sneak about his office first, hoping that maybe he keeps a safe in here, but so far all you're finding is locked drawers with papers and not much else. You do find a fancy looking pistol under his desk. Its way nicer than the one you have at home and has multiple barrels, (You sort of wish you brought it with you) probably a custom job. You figure since you're here stealing shit anyway, you take it. You eventually finish going through everything you can in the office area and that's when you realize you're going to have to search Mr. Reynolds' living quarters. You give yourself a few moments to mentally prepare yourself and then head through a door where you see some stairs going up and down. You forgot that there might be a cellar to this place. Hoping that the safe might be down there, you decide to try it first. The cellar isn't cluttered like you'd think it would be. In fact there isn't much here at all other than a few tables and chair. Though it looks like there are also some shackles and several what could only be torture instruments down here. For deadbeats and others that get on Reynolds' bad side no doubt. Just as you're about to give up, and resign yourself to searching in the demon's inner sanctum, you spot a small hidden door in the floor. Upon closer inspection, it's definitely a safe of some sort. "Shit, this isn't even state of the art." You say to yourself and start trying to open it with your regular tools. You don't believe that you're going to be so lucky to find what you're looking for, but when you finally get it open, you're pleasantly surprised. "Yag is certainly smiling on me today." You say even though you've never been one to place too much stock in the gods, but really is a good stroke of luck. You take the black hexagon container and place it in your bag. Time to leave. You start walking up the stairs and then suddenly one of the steps breaks and your leg nearly goes through it. It's all you can do to try to hang on to the nearby railing so you don't hurt yourself any further even though you still take a tumble backwards. You're just lucky you didn't break your leg or your neck, though you aren't so lucky in that you were completely silent since you did shout in pain briefly before stopping yourself, not to mention all the other noise. You're sure that probably got Mr. Reynolds' attention. If he wasn't awake now, he is now. You quickly stand up from the bottom of the basement stairs and already hear noise coming from above your location. "I hope this works." You say and take out the invisibility potion and drink it. You feel a strange sensation and half think that you're going to fall down the stairs from the temporary wooziness. (Though maybe some of that is from the fall) You look at yourself, or at rather your hands and arms and even in this torch lighting you can't see them anymore. A further glance down your body and you can't see that either. You're guessing it is working. You're about to make your way back up the stairs, but then that's when you see a figure standing at the top of them. Mr. Reynolds is there with what looks to be a musket. "I know someone's down here, you might as well come out now and make this quick." He's aiming downward, but hasn't shot you yet. It's a clear line of sight so the potion must definitely be working. However he's in the way and you aren't going to get past him as he makes his way cautiously down. You back up deeper into the basement and figure you might be able to sneak around him. The problem is he isn't moving much further in and is now just standing near the bottom of the stairs pointing his weapon into the darkness. "Got all the time in the world. The longer you make me wait, the worse it's going to be for you...hmmm....let me guess...whoever you are, you're working for Franklins aren't you? Yeah, it all makes sense now with my two loyal workers being recently arrested." Mr. Reynolds remarks. He keeps looking around from his position like he's trying to see something, but it's not that huge of a basement and if you weren't invisible you wouldn't have many places to hide. Still, this potion isn't going to last forever and you really aren't sure if you're going to be able to sneak around him. Of course, you do have that fancy pistol of his that you picked up. Though you weren't here to assassinate the guy, you were just supposed to steal from him and who knows if bullets are going to work on him? There's also the fact that you haven't actually killed anyone since Klint and it isn't like it's a major part of your nature though this is a desperate situation, just like it was with Klint. > You sneak around him In your heart you've always been a thief, never a killer. You're going to sneak around him. You move forward cautiously as Reynolds continues to squint in your direction. He can't see you as far as you can tell. "There you are!" he suddenly shouts and fires directly at you. You feel the burn of lead going into your body and damaging vital organs before falling to the floor. You moan and groan in pain while Reynolds advances on your position. He stands back as he looks on the floor in your direction. "I figured someone was playing hide and seek. Unusual invisibility you have there. Usually potions don't last that long and if you were a wizard, my shot would have broken your concentration and I doubt there is another wizard lurking nearby. It's a good thing these ol' eyes can detect heat if one is close enough." It's clear that Mr. Reynolds still can't quite make everything out, but it's good enough that he can see you well enough and starts roughly grabbing at your hands, which are attempting to go for his fancy pistol that you stole. You are strong enough to resist, but only initially. Mr. Reynolds eventually manages to grab the pistol and in the ensuing struggle he shoots you with it. This time the shot is fatal. The last thing you hear is Mr. Reynolds cursing that he'll be unable to get any more information from you.

This whole thing is a gamble, might as well go big. "I'll take the experimental, as I said, I trust your abilities and this will help you with your own research. Don't worry." You say and give Yvette a kiss, though she still seems a bit worried. "Maybe I should go with you when you do this." Yvette says. "No! I mean, no because this guy doesn't want anyone else around who isn't directly working on this and he still has to work shit out on his end and get things prepared. You know how these government types are with their hurry up and wait shit. Chances are, it's going to be a sudden thing that I'm going to have to drop everything I'm working on at the time. I just want to have the potion when I do need it." "Hm, well okay. I'll get it for you tomorrow when I come back from work. You don't need it sooner I hope." "Nope, like I said, it's going to be awhile." "Okay, but if I make progress in between that time and discover something wrong I don't want you drinking it!" Well now you just hope that doesn't happen before Yvette's father lets you know that Reynolds' goons are both out of the picture. As it turns out, you don't have to wait too long and Franklins is pretty efficient in that regard. He informs you that from what he heard, Reynolds protested very loudly about his son and the ogre being arrested and has already claimed that he is going to make sure heads are going to roll for this slander and injustice. Franklins tells you his name predictably came up in the blame game, so he wants you to go get that container before Reynolds starts acting on his threats. You gather up some extra supplies from work. Ned isn't really going to notice and the guy is practically on the verge of willing you his place of business when he dies anyway. Even when you say you need one of the special magic lock breakers he hardly bats an eye and just tells you to be careful with it since they're very hard to acquire, let alone make. Later that week when you finally have everything you need and feel prepared, you tell Yvette that you're going to be working a little late on this paper pusher's security since this is the moment. She's of course still worried about you, but also slightly eager to find out what you'll experience and reminds you to tell her everything. You linger around in the neighborhood where Mr. Reynolds maintains his place of business. In the old days you might have been a little concerned about getting mugged in the area or running afoul of some sort of thugs while you wait, but things are lot more cleaned up without the Crimson Talons around and the militia keeping on top of things. Probably just as well that you gave up your profession when you did...so to speak. Eventually Mr. Reynold's place of business closes down for the day and unfortunately just as you figured he doesn't leave. Probably has a whole living area to himself in the building, which means more caution is going to be needed on your part while you search for a safe because you're going in totally dry. You decide to do this the old fashioned way and stealthily break in and only use the potion if you get into trouble. You're still a bit hesitant to use it after all. One thing you wish is there that there was a back door to the place, but you looked around earlier for one and no luck. Not even a window, or least not one you could easily climb up to. As the streets become less populated, you head to the front door and work on the lock. It's actually not difficult and you're in pretty quickly. You have to put yourself back in that calm mentality when you used to do this before, but it's a lot more difficult because there are so many things that could go wrong. That's not even counting that this guy is a half fucking demon. Who knows what sort of powers he really has? You do your best to press forward and just get on with it. You're just glad you had the forethought to go to the bathroom before you did this. You sneak about his office first, hoping that maybe he keeps a safe in here, but so far all you're finding is locked drawers with papers and not much else. You do find a fancy looking pistol under his desk. Its way nicer than the one you have at home and has multiple barrels, (You sort of wish you brought it with you) probably a custom job. You figure since you're here stealing shit anyway, you take it. You eventually finish going through everything you can in the office area and that's when you realize you're going to have to search Mr. Reynolds' living quarters. You give yourself a few moments to mentally prepare yourself and then head through a door where you see some stairs going up and down. You forgot that there might be a cellar to this place. Hoping that the safe might be down there, you decide to try it first. The cellar isn't cluttered like you'd think it would be. In fact there isn't much here at all other than a few tables and chair. Though it looks like there are also some shackles and several what could only be torture instruments down here. For deadbeats and others that get on Reynolds' bad side no doubt. Just as you're about to give up, and resign yourself to searching in the demon's inner sanctum, you spot a small hidden door in the floor. Upon closer inspection, it's definitely a safe of some sort. "Shit, this isn't even state of the art." You say to yourself and start trying to open it with your regular tools. You don't believe that you're going to be so lucky to find what you're looking for, but when you finally get it open, you're pleasantly surprised. "Yag is certainly smiling on me today." You say even though you've never been one to place too much stock in the gods, but really is a good stroke of luck. You take the black hexagon container and place it in your bag. Time to leave. You start walking up the stairs and then suddenly one of the steps breaks and your leg nearly goes through it. It's all you can do to try to hang on to the nearby railing so you don't hurt yourself any further even though you still take a tumble backwards. You're just lucky you didn't break your leg or your neck, though you aren't so lucky in that you were completely silent since you did shout in pain briefly before stopping yourself, not to mention all the other noise. You're sure that probably got Mr. Reynolds' attention. If he wasn't awake now, he is now. You quickly stand up from the bottom of the basement stairs and already hear noise coming from above your location. "I hope this works." You say and take out the invisibility potion and drink it. You feel a strange sensation and half think that you're going to fall down the stairs from the temporary wooziness. (Though maybe some of that is from the fall) You look at yourself, or at rather your hands and arms and even in this torch lighting you can't see them anymore. A further glance down your body and you can't see that either. You're guessing it is working. You're about to make your way back up the stairs, but then that's when you see a figure standing at the top of them. Mr. Reynolds is there with what looks to be a musket. "I know someone's down here, you might as well come out now and make this quick." He's aiming downward, but hasn't shot you yet. It's a clear line of sight so the potion must definitely be working. However he's in the way and you aren't going to get past him as he makes his way cautiously down. You back up deeper into the basement and figure you might be able to sneak around him. The problem is he isn't moving much further in and is now just standing near the bottom of the stairs pointing his weapon into the darkness. "Got all the time in the world. The longer you make me wait, the worse it's going to be for you...hmmm....let me guess...whoever you are, you're working for Franklins aren't you? Yeah, it all makes sense now with my two loyal workers being recently arrested." Mr. Reynolds remarks. He keeps looking around from his position like he's trying to see something, but it's not that huge of a basement and if you weren't invisible you wouldn't have many places to hide. Still, this potion isn't going to last forever and you really aren't sure if you're going to be able to sneak around him. Of course, you do have that fancy pistol of his that you picked up. Though you weren't here to assassinate the guy, you were just supposed to steal from him and who knows if bullets are going to work on him? There's also the fact that you haven't actually killed anyone since Klint and it isn't like it's a major part of your nature though this is a desperate situation, just like it was with Klint. > You shoot Reynolds You think how this guy is half demon and probably is the asshole that Franklin made him out to be. You then think about how this is the same guy who messed with your family over their old inn. You also think about how you want to get out of this alive. And finally you think about your wife and daughter and how you want to see them again. Yeah, fuck this guy. You step slightly to the right of where he's pointing his musket and fire the pistol. The first shot hits him the chest and predictably he lets off a shot of his own before falling down. "Shit...fuck...invisi..." he starts to utter before you move closer and put a couple more shots into him, this time his head. He doesn't die immediately, instead he makes these horrible inhuman noises and begins flailing about. He tries to even wildly hit you with his musket, but you're far enough away and empty your pistol which you nearly drop due to the heat it's giving off. Reynolds stops making his ghastly dying sounds when enough of his brains are on the wall. Seeing that he isn't breathing anymore or moving, you quickly step over his body and hurry up the stairs and out the building. Along the way, you smash the pistol against a wall and start throwing pieces of it in various trash bins and drains in the street as you head back to Franklins place. You're a paranoid mess the whole time, thinking that someone is watching you and forgetting that you're still invisible. Eventually you realize you're able to see parts of your body again so you guess the potion is wearing off or worn off. Good thing its late and aren't too many folks around otherwise just suddenly appearing like that might have caused some shock. Doesn't help your worry and paranoia though. When you get back to Franklins' home, you beat on the door until he answers. Upon answering, you promptly vomit on his front door step and his shoeless feet. "What the fuck?!" he says. "Apologies....ugh...it all caught up to me...I guess..." you say still feeling a bit queasy and coughing. "(Sigh) Shit...well I hope you have good news at least." After a bit of clean up, you finally sit down and are calm enough to tell Franklins everything, but the first thing you do is hand him the container as promised. He seems so pleased by this that you telling him a problem cropped up doesn't even seem to bother him. "Did he see you or something? Don't worry about that, when the shit he's been involved in gets out, nobody will even believe him since he'll be arrested right away." Franklins says. "Um, yeah I don't think that's going to happen." You say. "What are you on about?" "Well as I said, there was a problem...and there was nothing I could do about it." "Okay, now you're starting to concern me, what the hell do you mean?" "I mean I shot him." "You shot him?!" "Several times actually." "He's fucking dead?" "Um, pretty much. Yeah." Franklins lies back in his chair exhaling deeply almost in shock. "Um, nobody saw me though. I was invisible the entire time." You add. "Well thank Joachim for small favors. How were you invisi...you know what never mind. (Sigh) Shit. Well...I guess this doesn't even matter now. Damnit I didn't ask you to kill the guy!" Franklins says. "It wasn't like I had a fucking choice! I fully intended on just stealing that container, but shit happened and I was put in a position of either completing this shitty job or possibly being Reynolds' victim! Besides isn't this better? I mean hell he's completely gone now!" "I...I guess so and I don't shed any tears obviously. But let's just say I really wanted him alive so I could see the look on his face when I took everything away from him and he could do nothing about it." "Well if it's any consolation, the expression on his face when he died was pretty horrific, though not nearly as bad as his screaming." "Shit, what the hell did you do exactly...again never mind. Well I'm still going to hang on to this for safekeeping. Maybe there is still information inside that might be of use. As for you, if you weren't seen I guess you're good too. Though if something is coming your way I really will try my best to give it a detour. Now, you're SURE he's dead right?" "Unless he can regenerate from severe head wounds and missing brain matter, yeah he's dead. And again, he didn't see me since I was invisible the whole time." "Well if the worst happens and he is still alive, I still got this container. Okay, well I guess you better get home. I trust you have a good story for Yvette." "I have a story. I told I would be working late, but she probably didn't think it would be this late." "If you have any problems I suppose you can incorporate me into the excuse. I'll back you up. Anything else?" "Yeah, I'm not doing anything like this ever again. Not for you, not for anyone." "Good, because I'm not asking. And thanks. You're a better son in law than I could have hoped for. Maybe you're a godless heathen, but you stuck your neck out and even killed a demon spawn in the process. That's gotta for something when judgment day comes." At this point you take your leave and hurry back home as soon as possible. Naturally it's very late so everyone is asleep. You attempt to get into bed silently, but your sneaking skills fail to evade Yvette's notice even though she was asleep. "Hey...you're home...you were gone all night." She groggily says. "Yeah, and I'm pissed about it too, the bean counter was an asshole that wanted everything done a certain way and...ugh...I don't even want to think about it right now." You say. "Well don't then. I'm just glad you're here now. Come closer to me, you're too far away." You move closer in the bed so Yvette can cuddle up against you. Normally you tend to like staying a bit free, but after tonight, you're all for Yvette's warm soft body. "Oh, did you use the potion?" she asks as she starts drifting back off. "Yeah, worked pretty well. I couldn't see my own hands when it took effect or anything else on me. I think it lasted about the time you mentioned too." "Huh...that's odd. You should have still been able to see yourself and just been invisible to others. Hmm, guess that's a side effect I didn't know about, considering Qweepas can't actually speak. (Yawn) I'll have to make a note tomorrow." With those words, Yvette returns to her sleep and you're in her arms again where you definitely want to be and are glad you were able to return to. Sometimes you hate the fact that you've had to lie on occasion to her about things, but there is no way you're losing this life. Not now. Your days as a rogue are definitely over. > Epilogue Epilogue 5: Stability Year 36 You got that lock yet?" you ask. "I think so...yes! I did it!" Trinity beams as she clicks the lock open on the box you gave her. "Good. We can progress to something a little more challenging. Lets see, I think ol' Ned still had a dwarven safe in the back when he left me this business. That should keep you occupied for a while, but before you get started on that, you need to go get us lunch. Take this and go down to food vendor down the street." You say and shove a pouch of coins on the counter. Trinity takes them though she isn't enthusiastic about it. "Do I have to go to Flemmi's? The line to her place is always so long and it's really boring to stand in." Trinity says. "Well until someone knows how to cook better than halflings I'm afraid their food is always going to be very popular. Hey, come on, this is all part of the learning the family trade. And sometimes that involves boring tasks. If you wanted non-stop excitement you could have went with your mother to her job for your school assignment instead." You respond. "I guess so, but I didn't want to watch her kill qweepas during her experiments even if they are ugly and vicious pests. Not sure how she does it." "Well I suppose it makes it easier for her to test on them, if they aren't so friendly. If she made pets out of them, she'd find it a lot harder. I had a pet qweepa once." "You had a pet qweepa?" "Sure did. Called her Elana. She was docile towards me, though I did get her when she was baby." You say. "Why Elana?" "Eh. I knew someone by that name once." "Ohhhhh, was she...an old girlfriend before mom?" Trinity asks with a smirk. "Hah, no. I didn't even like her, but she suffered an undeserved fate and I always thought maybe I could have done more about it. Guess the name was a reminder or something." "What happened with the qweepa?" "Dunno, I moved soon after I ran into your mother again and my guess is Elana ran free without me around. I imagine she did okay, probably met a nice boy rodent and had whole mess o' babies. In fact given the increased qweepa population in the city, I'm almost sure that's what happened. Anyway, you better get going, before that line gets any longer. You know what I want, and you can get whatever you want, just try to bring me back a little bit of that coin. No impulse buys along the way or anything." "Okay. See you dad." "See you angel." As Trinity leaves the shop, you go back to your own work. It's actually been a pretty slow day seeing as nobody has come in, but then again it leaves you a lot more one on one time with Trinity and that's always worthwhile. Indeed your life in general is more or less pretty pleasant nowadays. Still there are times when you wonder "what if" on certain events that you experienced during your life. You often dismiss them immediately however because you know you had your "wild" years and a life of thrills and adventure just weren't for you. Of course when you think of adventure, you also think of your sister who left home to deliberately seek it out. You often wonder what happened not just to her, but to your parents. It's odd to think that you did finally straighten your life out. Assuming they're still alive, you can't even tell them either, because as far as your new life is concerned "they died." (Not to mention the whole wanted for murder thing back home) So many questions... And surprisingly for you today some of them are answered. "Well, this is certainly not what I expected." You suddenly hear a female voice say. You look up from the counter ready to address whoever it is and that's when you see a face that you could never forget no matter how much time has passed. "By the fucking gods! Is it really you I see there before me?" You ask. "Yep, it's your sister from the same mister! Well don't just stand there fiddling with those locks, give me a hug!" Your sister responds. You walk around the counter to embrace her. This is definitely a reunion you never thought would come. "It's good to see you after what twenty years?" You say. "Too damn long bro. Too damn long. Hey don't squeeze too tight, I got my mandolin on my back and it's pretty unique." Your sister says. "Well you look good anyway, not sure about your clothing though, a little too colorful for my tastes, but then you always were the flashy one." "Oh ho! Well at least I can still fit into my clothing from twenty years ago! What the hell have you been eating?" Your sister remarks poking your belly a bit. "Yeah, yeah, I know, don't give me too much grief about it." "Oh okay, I'm sure you're winded after rushing to me anyway." You and your sister laugh and pull up a couple of nearby seats to catch up. Your sister goes first and briefly goes into some of the places she's been. She says she actually came to Klyton when she first left home, but didn't stay long due to her not finding it very interesting. Seems as if you two just missed each other when you arrived here. When you ask how she found you in the first place she just says, as a bard she's always got her ear to the ground on various bits of information. She also mentions that she recently visited your parents and besides being glad to see her, they also told her what happened with you a few months after she left. What's fascinating to you though is apparently you were cleared of murder months after you left! Your father managed to save Annah's life and with her statement and a few others who saw everything reluctantly stepped up to tell the truth, your actions were considered a justified crime of passion rather than outright murder. "So wait, am I still wanted there?" You say. "Well...a lot of time has passed and that sheriff who hated you is long dead now. Klint's father also isn't there anymore, so I think you're in the clear legally, but I wouldn't exactly say you're wanted if you know what I mean. Though Annah apparently still thinks highly of you." "Heh, glad she survived. What about mom and dad?" "They're fine. I suppose this would be a good time to tell you, we got a new brother." "WHAT?! They had another child?! When?!" You exclaim. "I guess shortly after we both left. I think he's about twenty or around that age. He's okay, a bit on the straight laced side. Guess mom and dad finally got the well behaved child they always wanted." "I guess so...sheesh...I'd ask if you think they'd want to see me, but..." "But what? I mean I'm not saying you would receive a warm welcome, but mom would at least be pleasant and dad probably wouldn't even mind either seeing as you're not a criminal anymore. You aren't are you?" "No...but (sigh) well let's just in order to enjoy my new life, I practically had to sacrifice my old one. Mom and dad are dead for example." "What? Wait, I think you need to explain from the beginning!" your sister exclaims. "I dunno if I have time, in fact if we're going to continue this conversation we're going to have to do it..." "Dad, I got your stew, I told you it was going to take a long time...oh I didn't realize you were with a customer." Trinity says walking in. Your sister looks at your daughter, and then at you and you look at her, but she doesn't miss a beat. You still have that bond after all these years of separation. "Well I hope you come see my show down at the Laughing Devil this week! I'm trying to get as many people as I can to see it, because it truly isn't a show to be missed!" she says. "Heh, well I don't get out much to watch live performances, but I'll see what I can do. Laughing Devil right?" you answer. "Yep, all this week. Day and night! Remember, I'll be around, but just this week!" Just as your sister starts to leave your daughter speaks up. "Your clothing is colorful and pretty." Trinity says. "Why thanks honey. What's your name?" your sister responds with a smile. "Trinity. Are you some sort of musician?" "Well that's a pretty name, very artistic. And I am not just a musician, I'm a bard!" "What do they do?" "Oh we do a little bit of everything and then we tell fantastic tales of our journeys. Life is one big adventure for a bard." "That sounds exciting!" "Okay Trinity, you can have your exciting adventures later, right now though you need to work on that dwarven safe in the back." You say. "Oh alright." Trinity says and puts your food on the counter before going in the back. You take this opportunity to see your sister out. "Cute little girl, I trust her mother is still around as well?" your sister asks. "Oh yes and she's just as much of an angel as her daughter." You answer, knowing full well that's not even just a figure of speech. "Heh, you must really be in love and enjoying your life then. While I have to say I'm surprised that this is where your life lead to, I'm happy for you and I won't mess it up by sticking around and making things complicated. Still, if you can, you know where to find me this week, I'd really like to hear all about it." "I'll definitely make the time, but I warn you, it's a long story." You say. "Best ones usually are." Your sister responds. You begin your tale...

[Themes: fantasy, fantasy, humor, serious] Maybe you're just cautious, or maybe you actually have become a better person, but a deal is a deal. You agreed to help in exchange for his silence so that's what you're going to do. Doesn't mean you're going to like it though and it certainly doesn't mean you're going to go through with it like how Franklins would have you do it. "Okay, a deal's a deal and I'll do your dirty work, but I'm going to ask why don't you just do the obvious." You say. "What?" Franklins asks. "Kill the bastard. I mean you got militia connections. Surely it wouldn't take much." "I'm not using the people who are supposed to be keeping law and order around here as my own personal hit squad." "Given some of the interaction I've had with them and how they massacred the Crimson Talons, most are bullying assholes anyway. They'd probably love an excuse." "Be that as it may, I'm not going to resort to such tactics...hmm do you know any assassins?" "What? Why? Because I used to be a thief? I know you claim to know all about me, but if that was really true you'd also know I didn't hang out much with other criminals, let alone professional assassins. If you want one of those, go seek one out yourself, you certainly got the means to do so." "I'm not associating with anymore criminal scum than I have to. It's bad enough I have to deal with you." "Oh fuck you hypocrite. You don't seem to have any problems with me risking my life breaking into some place, which is run by a half demon. Or maybe you just don't give a shit? You'll win whether I succeed or get myself killed in the process right?" "I am not trying to get you killed. I was just under the impression that YOU were very skilled in your...trade. If you don't think you can handle it, then fine. I'll figure something else out." "So you can harass me later? I'm not going to have this hanging over my head..." you start to say before you're interrupted. "You don't have anything hanging over your head! Not anymore. I mean I just blabbed a big secret to you and you didn't even try to use it as leverage against me to weasel out of our deal, which I half expected you to do. At this point I can't even claim the moral high ground anymore. As far as I'm concerned you're free of your obligation. You're obviously better than I previously believed you capable of. Congratulation, now get out of my sight." That's a pretty strong statement coming from him. You know that had to be hard for him to admit. "(Sigh) Look, I'm still willing to help, but I'm still not understanding WHY you can't just use the militia to kill Reynolds. If he's as evil as you keep claiming, isn't it better that you just get rid of him as quickly as possible before he can do any real damage?" you ask. "Because it's a slippery slope. Sure, you may even be right. I abuse my power to eliminate an obvious evil. No harm done. What about next time though? Maybe the next person isn't demon spawn. Maybe he isn't even as bad, but is just in my way. Will I resist the temptation? I don't know and neither do you. I sometimes look at this city and even though it's probably one of the better bastions of civilization in this forsaken land, I sometimes still see the decay and rot underneath. It's always there even to a minor degree. Part or the curse of being half angel I suppose, but I'm trying to maintain what order I can without lowering my own standards and I'm already failing horribly at it. I can't afford to fail even more." Franklins remarks. Franklins goes back to his drink and you search you mind of a way to help while still trying to fall within his weird angel guidelines. (Or maybe it's just his own weird personal code that he's placed upon himself for misguided reasons) "The two goons Mr. Reynolds has. Why don't you have them arrested? I know you said Reynolds has influence, but I gotta believe his two thugs are probably shady enough that they could at least be held on suspicion right?" "Well...Reynolds' son has been a minor suspect in some suspicious murders. As for the ogre, I think he's busted up a few bars. While I'm sure the militia could hold them both for a little while, maybe even a week, but they would be out in a very short period. And I guarantee they won't turn on Reynolds if that's what you're thinking." "Don't need them too, just need them out of the way since I'm betting at least one of them is acting as an on duty guard even when his office is closed. I think with them out of the picture, it will lessen the risk to pull this off. I just need more time than what you suggested." "Wait, you're still going to do it?" "As I said, a deal's a deal. You didn't say shit about my past to Yvette, so I'm going to do this favor for you. Besides, I'd be lying if the challenge isn't stirring up old interest at this point. Just let me know when those two goons are out of the way. I'll be working on shit from my end until then." Franklins is so surprised by your helpfulness he doesn't even have any snide comments towards you for the rest of your time you speak with him. He's got some reservations about what you propose, but he says if you think you know what you're doing, he's going to trust you. You leave Franklins place wondering if you've maybe lost a bit of your mind for agreeing to this task, but then you realize, you were probably just getting a little bored. Still, a lot is riding on your plan and you have to be very careful because this isn't just you now. It's your whole family you could potentially lose. It doesn't make things easier that part of this plan indirectly involves Yvette. You don't exactly keep up on all of Yvette's magic studies and such, but you know that she was recently working on something relating to invisibility. Of course you're really going to have to approach this carefully or this is going to make things infinitely worse. The only reason why you're considering it is because quite frankly you haven't exactly been as active as you used to be and have probably gotten slightly out of shape. If you're invisible however, it takes some of the pressure off of things like not having lightning reflexes and the quickest feet any more. Later as you're settling down for the night, you address the subject to Yvette who is reading something in bed as she usually does. "So, uh...you mentioned something about working on something related to invisibility?" you ask. "Huh? Yes I am." Yvette says not looking up from her book. "I remember you mentioning something a week ago or so about it. Is this a new spell or potion or something else?" "It is a potion actually or rather an attempt to strengthen the existing formula." "Something wrong with the old one?" "Yeah, invisibility potions are hard to make due to the ingredients, which means they're rare to begin with, but the bigger problem is they have never been very effective." Yvette says now looking at you. "What, like they only turn you invisible and your clothing is still visible or something like that?" "Hah, that can happen with the wrong ingredients, but the main obstacle is they don't last very long. Usually ten seconds tops. Most wizards won't even bother making them due to the long, tedious process involved for such a short payoff. I've been trying to figure out a way to extend that to at least a half hour." "So is it easier to just cast the spell?" "Yeah, but only on yourself. Casting the spell on others can really take it out of you as far as upkeep is concerned. It's probably why the research on the potion was made. So...why all this sudden interest in my work? You don't tend to ask most of the time." "Well to be honest when you speak to me about this stuff, it usually sounds so complicated that I feel sort of dumb." "That's ridiculous! You are most certainly not dumb! I mean you had the intelligence to go to Klyton University at one time. I always said you should go back and finish your degree in...engineering wasn't it?" "Yeah I just don't have time for that now. Besides, I'd rather spend my free time spending it with Trinity rather than in a class room." "You are an attentive father." Yvette says with a smile. "I try, but anyway I was also asking because I was wondering if you could help me in a job." "Oh?" You explain to her that some government associate of her father wants some elaborate security system, because he doesn't want any militia guards assigned to his house. You aren't exactly sure what it's all about, something about death threats from an unknown ex-government worker. He says he isn't worried, but it couldn't hurt to update his security so he asked for you and he wants the best. You explain that you want to test the security you're installing will be good against someone who is invisible. "Shouldn't the locks still keep them out? I mean even if someone is invisible, they aren't intangible." Yvette asks. "True, but just in case they still manage to get in, I've actually have been working on something that detects movement. I guess it's experimental, sort like what you've been doing." You explain. "Huh. I didn't know. Well I mean I suppose I can help, though I'm not sure how." "Well you said you made a bunch of potions of invisibility. Just give me about ten of them and I'll..." "Wait. Are you going to drink them? You can't just drink ten invisibility potions one right after another! You'd get sick!" "Well you said they didn't last long. I'll pace myself. Wait, haven't you been making progress on the formula?" "Um, yeah a little bit. I created one that last up to around twenty minutes give or take...wait you don't want to try that do you? It's only in the experimental stages and I've only tested it on qweepas! You don't know how many died before I got that right! Its a good thing the university has an infestation of the critters otherwise I might have run out of easy test subjects." "Well I trust you. Just give me a couple of those improved potions and..." "A couple?! No, if you were going to get any, you'd get ONE. And I still don't think that would be a good idea." "You're going to have to test it on humans at some point right? I could help you with this, while you help me! Yvette thinks about that proposal for a moment. "Well...I suppose it could speed things along...but I dunno...I'd never forgive myself if something went wrong. But if you want to risk it, I'll give you one like I said." Yvette says. This is a question of how fast do you think you'll be and whether you want to risk drinking something that could quite possibly turn you into a purple frog with a cat head or just outright kill you instantly. > You take the regular potions Hopefully, you won't have to stay invisible for long because you're not going to risk the experimental. "I'll just take several of the regular ones." You say. "Okay...but I'm not giving you ten! I'll give you three and that should be more than enough and I still think it's a bad idea to drink so many right after each other, so don't blame me if you get sick." Yvette says. "Three?! But...(sigh) fine. So when can you get them for me?" "I'll get it for you tomorrow when I come back from work. You don't need it sooner I hope." "Nah, he still needs to organize some shit on his end. You know how these government types are with their hurry up and wait shit. Chances are, it's going to be a sudden thing that I'm going to have to drop everything I'm working on at the time. I just want to have the potions when I do need them." As it turns out, you don't have to wait too long and Franklins is pretty efficient in that regard. He informs you that from what he heard, Reynolds protested very loudly about his son and the ogre being arrested and has already claimed that he is going to make sure heads are going to roll for this slander and injustice. Franklins tells you his name predictably came up in the blame game, so he wants you to go get that container before Reynolds starts acting on his threats. You gather up some extra supplies from work. Ned isn't really going to notice and the guy is practically on the verge of willing you his place of business when he dies anyway. Even when you say you need one of the special magic lock breakers he hardly bats an eye and just tells you to be careful with it since they're very hard to acquire, let alone make. Later that week when you finally have everything you need and feel prepared, you tell Yvette that you're going to be working a little late on this paper pusher's security since this is the moment. You linger around in the neighborhood where Mr. Reynolds maintains his place of business. In the old days you might have been a little concerned about getting mugged in the area or running afoul of some sort of thugs while you wait, but things are lot more cleaned up without the Crimson Talons around and the militia keeping on top of things. Probably just as well that you gave up your profession when you did...so to speak. Eventually Mr. Reynolds' place of business closes down for the day and unfortunately just as you figured he doesn't leave. Probably has a whole living area to himself in the building, which means more caution is going to be needed on your part while you search for a safe because you're going in totally dry. You decide to do this the old fashioned way and stealthily break in and only use the potions if you get into trouble. You only have three and they don't last very long after all. One thing you wish is there that there was a back door to the place, but you looked around earlier for one and no luck. Not even a window, or least not one you could easily climb up to. As the streets become less populated, you head to the front door and work on the lock. It's actually not difficult and you're in pretty quickly. You have to put yourself back in that calm mentality when you used to do this before, but it's a lot more difficult because there are so many things that could go wrong. That's not even counting that this guy is a half fucking demon. Who knows what sort of powers he really has? You do your best to press forward and just get on with it. You're just glad you had the forethought to go to the bathroom before you did this. You sneak about his office first, hoping that maybe he keeps a safe in here, but so far all you're finding is locked drawers with papers and not much else. You do find a fancy looking pistol under his desk. Its way nicer than the one you have at home and has multiple barrels, (You sort of wish you brought it with you) probably a custom job. You figure since you're here stealing shit anyway, you take it. You eventually finish going through everything you can in the office area and that's when you realize you're going to have to search Mr. Reynolds' living quarters. You give yourself a few moments to mentally prepare yourself and then head through a door where you see some stairs going up and down. You forgot that there might be a cellar to this place. Hoping that the safe might be down there, you decide to try it first. The cellar isn't cluttered like you'd think it would be. In fact there isn't much here at all other than a few tables and chair. Though it looks like there are also some shackles and several what could only be torture instruments down here. For deadbeats and others that get on Reynolds' bad side no doubt. Just as you're about to give up, and resign yourself to searching in the demon's inner sanctum, you spot a small hidden door in the floor. Upon closer inspection, it's definitely a safe of some sort. "Shit, this isn't even state of the art." You say to yourself and start trying to open it with your regular tools. You don't believe that you're going to be so lucky to find what you're looking for, but when you finally get it open, you're pleasantly surprised. "Yag is certainly smiling on me today." You say even though you've never been one to place too much stock in the gods, but really is a good stroke of luck. You take the black hexagon container and place it in your bag. Time to leave. You start walking up the stairs and then suddenly one of the steps breaks and your leg nearly goes through it. It's all you can do to try to hang on to the nearby railing so you don't hurt yourself any further even though you still take a tumble backwards. You're just lucky you didn't break your leg or your neck, though you aren't so lucky in that you were completely silent since you did shout in pain briefly before stopping yourself, not to mention all the other noise. You're sure that probably got Mr. Reynolds' attention. If he wasn't awake now, he is now. You quickly stand up from the bottom of the basement stairs and already hear noise coming from above your location. "I hope this works." You say and take out one of the invisibility potions and drink it. You feel a strange sensation and half think that you're going to fall down the stairs from the temporary wooziness. (Though maybe some of that is from the fall) You look at yourself, and don't see any difference. You can't even tell if it's working. You're about to make your way back up the stairs, but then that's when you see a figure standing at the top of them. Mr. Reynolds is there with what looks to be a musket. "I know someone's down here, you might as well come out now and make this quick." He's aiming downward, but hasn't shot you yet. It's a clear line of sight so the potion must definitely be working. However he's in the way and you aren't going to get past him as he makes his way cautiously down. You back up deeper into the basement and figure you might be able to sneak around him. The problem is he isn't moving much further in and is now just standing near the bottom of the stairs pointing his weapon into the darkness. You probably could sneak by him or maybe you could just shoot him with the pistol you acquired, but your immediate concern is staying invisible since you're sure that your time on that is about to run out. You take another potion and chug the contents. No sooner have you done so when you start to feel incredibly sick to the point where you actually feel a cramping in your stomach. Yvette wasn't joking about how quickly these can cause sickness when drunk immediately after each other. You try to prevent yourself from retching and begin to go for your pistol since you know you're going to give your position away by making retching noises. You unsteadily fire at Reynolds and hit him just before your vomit all over the floor. You hover over your own puddle of sick gagging and not really noticing if you actually killed Reynolds or not. At least not until feel the impact of a shot go into your face causing you to fall backwards. Somehow you're still alive, but between the pain and the sickness of the potion, you end up falling unconscious. Eventually your wake up and find yourself tied firmly to a chair. Your still have a slightly queasy feeling, your face still hurts very badly and you can only see out of one eye. But all of that is the least of your problems when you see the blurry image of Mr. Reynolds standing nearby next to the table full of torture instruments. "Glad you're finally awake. Now we can get started. You know, you really are a spitting image of your father...well except for the new hole in your face. How is he doing anyway?" Mr. Reynolds says. "Mgh, wai...t...gh..." is about all you can groan right now. "Well, doesn't matter I suppose. I'll find out everything I need to in a day or so I imagine. Not that I really need to since I already know you're working for Franklins. I swear that old hypocrite couldn't do something himself so he gets his lowly son in law to do it for him. If I were in your position I'd be really pissed at him right now. This is all his fault you know. He seems to think because of my heritage that I have some sinister plan for this city when that's far from the truth. All I want to see is it to achieve its fullest potential." "Ple...ase...I...won't..." "Won't what? Tell anyone you were here? Tell Franklins? Get revenge? Of course you won't because you won't be leaving here alive. Really the only reason you're still breathing is because I want to find out a few more things about your loved ones before you die. You committed a crime against me. Not only did you shoot me in the fucking shoulder, but you tried to steal some very personal and valuable property. Now I'm going to take EVERYTHING from you. I know you have a wife and daughter. They will be easy enough to find, though I can imagine Franklins will realize with your disappearance that something has gone wrong and will do everything in his power to protect them, so it might not be easy to get to them first. So let's start with your parents and their whereabouts...oh I do hope they are still alive..." Mr. Reynolds begins his torture and you try to hold out for as long as you can, but eventually you fail and tell him everything. Your failure unfortunately still doesn't involve your immediate death. Mr. Reynolds keeps you alive in his basement where eventually his son (who gets out of being in militia custody) takes over the routine torture and he's not as nice as his father was... You are completely broken by the time Reynolds tosses your mother and fathers' heads at you. You never thought you'd see them again, and certainly not like this. You don't even have any tears left to grieve. It is a small mercy that your body just gives out before Reynolds can do the same to your wife and daughter.

[Themes: fantasy, humor, fantasy] Year 30 You knew this damn day would come. You had to make up an excuse to Yvette and Trinity of why you had to meet with him, but you're fairly certain that they didn't think anything more of it. Just bonding with an in-law over security advice of the newest and best locks right? Your daughter Trinity did want to come with you, but you told her it would be boring adult stuff and she could visit grandpa another time. You hate lying, but what choice do you have? You hoped and thought that you probably wouldn't ever be important enough for him to call on you for help, but here you are about to knock on his door. You knock on the door and it opens right away. "Took you long enough. Come in." Franklins says turning his back to you to as soon as he opens the door. He takes a seat and for a change he tells you to do likewise. "Okay, since I don't want you here any longer than necessary, let's get to it. I need you to break into some place." You didn't expect this. "What?" you ask. "You got fucking wax in your ears? I need you to break into a place and steal something important." Franklins remarks. "You do realize I haven't done that in years right?" "Yes, I'm fucking aware. You're an average slob with a regular job and family. However, I know damn well you aren't out of practice because you're a fucking locksmith by trade." "True, but...I'm not understanding this. I thought you didn't approve of my previous occupation." "I don't, but desperate times call for desperate measures and besides all that, YOU owe me a favor and this is probably the only way I'm going to be able to call it in. Besides, you'll be going up against pure evil, so what you're doing is for the greater good...well I hope Joachim sees it that way at least." "Wait, pure evil? What the fuck? Look, I don't want to step out of line here, but I need to ask some questions." "You don't want to step out of line, but you're already stepping out of fucking line by asking damn questions!" "Yeah, and I think it's fucking valid if you're sending me up against pure evil! I mean as you've pointed out several times in the past, I'm not a damn hero. I was a lowly criminal who is now a working class slob. I never was a fighting type to begin with and tried to avoid it if possible. Nevermind the fact that I'm married to YOUR daughter and father to YOUR grand daughter and I've made sure to never hurt either one of them. Seems like this is asking me to potentially do just that at best and just getting myself killed at worst." "(Sigh) Fine, I suppose you should know in case you need some extra preparation." Franklins pours himself a glass of wine and takes a drink before continuing. "Okay, do you know who Mr. Reynolds is? Surely you must have heard of the man given that you were a thief at one time." "Yeah, he's a loan shark. My family actually was in debt to him once when they owned an inn here. Never met the man personally though since I tried to avoid being in debt." "Hmm, interesting. Well in any case, the man is more than just a loan shark. He's an embodiment of evil in this city and needs to be stopped from getting on the Klyton Council which he's been making plans to do." "Okay? So if he's all that bad, why don't you have him arrested or something? You're always telling me you have connections." "Yeah well those connections aren't good enough to get him and he's got connections of his own. Doesn't help that anyone that might speak out against him aren't just intimidated by him, but are also intimidated by those two goons he hangs around with. One of them being his equally demonic son and weird looking ogre." "You really don't like this guy do you?" "No, because despite him being an obvious evil piece of demon shit, he has been gaining a following that genuinely likes him now. In fact the asshole is probably more popular than I am among people who actually pay attention to politics." "That's hard to believe." "Ha ha. But make no mistake, this is no laughing matter, which is why in the next few days, you're breaking into his place of business and stealing a hexagon shaped container that he keeps a record of all his dealings in. Don't bother trying to open that though, you'd need magic. Just bring it back here." "Okay, so got any idea where he keeps it?" "No, but I imagine he'll probably have it in some sort of safe. Don't know where that would be either, but it has to be close since I can't imagine he'd keep it in a bank and would definitely want it close to him. You start laughing. "What?" Franklins asks. "You're asking me to go steal something that is apparently magical and you don't have any idea where this item is in the place. Not to mention if this container is magically sealed, I have to believe he's probably got it in some sort of safe that has magic protection as well if its that important. That means I'm going to need special tools for that job and more time to acquire them." You answer. "You work as a fucking locksmith!" "Yeah and while the old guy I work for doesn't ask me too many questions, I can't just start taking specialized magic lock breaker from the job without some explanation, unless you're asking me to steal those too..." "Look I don't give a shit what you gotta do! You need to get into that evil fucker's office and grab the container and get it back here!" "I dunno, you keep going on about evil, but all of this seems pretty fucking shady. I mean granted I don't doubt that Reynolds isn't an asshole given the stories I've heard, but how is what you're planning to do any better? Seems pretty hypocritical that you gave me grief about my background and here you are a self proclaimed follower of Joachim scheming to..." "DAMNIT MAN DON'T YOU KNOW ANYTHING? I just told you the man is DEMONIC SHIT!" Franklins stands up to shout at you. "Wait...you weren't just saying that as a casual description of how much of an asshole he is?" "NO. He's a fucking DEMON. Okay, perhaps half demon, but he's demonic shit and MY kind have been fighting his for a lot longer than you could ever think about!" Franklins suddenly sits back down and begins cursing to himself and you feel like you've heard more than he meant to tell you. "What exactly do you mean your kind...wait, are YOU human?" "Yes! No! Fuck! I hate to lie! (Sigh) Damnit, I didn't want to get into this...I'm half celestial." "Celestial? So like an angel? YOU'RE an angel?" "No you idiot. I just told you I'm only half. Just like Reynolds is only half demon. Doesn't matter though, we are mortal enemies as has always been the way." "Wow. You don't hear about angels too often." "Well maybe if you attended the church of Joachim, that wouldn't be the case you faithless heathen. As I said, I am only half celestial. My foolish father gave up his otherworldly home to be with my mother...but we're getting off topic..." "Wait a moment! Then that means Yvette..." "Yes, she has celestial blood as well. It's probably why she has magic potential. It's probably also why she was always a bit on the trusting side. I never got any of that, all I got was a strong sense of right and wrong and fairly good health all throughout my life. Never been sick once. Better than nothing I suppose and before you even ask, no she doesn't know any of this and you better keep it that way." "I don't get why you wouldn't tell her though." "Because it's a fucking burden knowing that's why! Because I know I have to live up to some damn ideal that I can't hope to achieve. Hell, my own father didn't achieve it and HE was a full blood! I know Yvette and if she knew about all this, she would have wanted to go out on a crusade to right wrongs and all that bullshit with her magical powers and promptly gotten herself killed in the process. Better that she be a good person in her own small, but safe way." "She might have surprised you and done great deeds or something." "Oh and you're the expert on good behavior now?" "Okay, fine I don't know shit about it. But what about Trinity?" "She would have celestial blood too obviously. Though in her case, I'm sure it's been diluted so much with your lowborn mortal blood that she isn't going to have any potential powers and will most likely just live as a normal human. Lucky her." You can't believe all this new information that's been dumped on you. It doesn't seem real, but Yvette's dad has never been one to lie and if he is indeed half angel like he claims, you guess it's hard for him to even do so directly. (Omitting the truth and spinning it, is a different story apparently) All of this still doesn't change the fact that he's asking you to do a job, because he doesn't want to get his hands dirty. Still seems hypocritical to you, not to mention dangerous now that you're apparently going to be involved in some secret holy war. It occurs to you that you could just refuse. He just admitted all this stuff to you. Now you have a secret. What's he going to do? You know he not going to kill you or even set it up in such a way that would happen. Have you exiled or get rid of you in some way? You don't see that happening either. Not now. > You refuse to help If this was something reasonable maybe you'd be more willing to help, but this hypocrite is going to get you killed. Hell, maybe even on purpose. "I'm not doing your dirty work, especially given how the way you treat me. I've already proven myself to you for years now anyway." You say. "(Snort) So you want credit for acting like you should be acting anyway? Franklins replies. "No, I'm just saying I'm not going live in fear of your blackmailing anymore. You want this done, you need to do it yourself, hypocrite." "You should watch how you speak to me." "Or what? You'll expose my past to Yvette? I'll take that risk, then she can find out everything that YOU'VE been keeping from her. You two are only just now on better speaking terms thanks to me. What happens when she finds out the truth? You think she'll ever want to have anything to do with you again? I mean shit; you knew about me being an ex-criminal and didn't tell her immediately. That would be grounds alone for her to be pissed at you, let alone this new information about her being part angel. You going to also deprive your grand daughter of her father as well?" Franklins just sits in silence with a stare that could kill if it could. (Fortunately, he didn't say he had those sorts of celestial powers) "Now you got two options. You either let me go out that door and leave me alone in peace where upon we will never speak about this ever again or you can go ahead and try to kill me at some point and if you go that route, you better make sure you get it right. What is NOT going to happen is you telling me what to do like a puppet." Franklins continues to stare at you in silence. You half expect him to get up and try to kill you with his bare hands, but he doesn't. "Fine. Go. This is my fault for placing trust in someone of your low moral fiber anyway. Oh and don't worry, your miserable life is safe." Franklins says dismissively. You aren't sure about this at first, but given that Franklins isn't even prepared to kill Reynolds who is a mortal enemy and demon to boot, you get the impression that he's telling the truth. You head back home and try to forget about everything that transpired. Even though you're supposedly in the clear now, you still have a feeling of worry for the next few months. Still, you try to keep your mind occupied with your every day family life, which continues as normal with no odd deviations. By the time a year passes, your concerns of any reprisal by Franklin are nearly gone. Year 32 You have mixed feelings about all this. Most of them negative about this situation of course, but somewhere in the back of your mind, you always knew this day would come. Maybe not like this, but something like it. "Stop here." Franklins remarks to the carriage driver and two of Franklins men grab you and throw you out of the carriage. You have no idea where you are all you do know is you've been riding for quite awhile, so you can't be anywhere near Klyton anymore. Maybe somewhere to the north? The air is a lot colder, but then you're naked so it would be slightly chilly no matter where you were. You hear the sounds of footsteps approach as you attempt to stand back up. A boot to your side kicks you back down, followed by a hand roughly taking off your blindfold. You see Franklins staring down at you, even in your beaten and naked state you'd try to attack him if you could, unfortunately your hands are firmly tied behind you. "I should have known after reading about Reynolds winding up dead a year ago that you decided to abandon your so called code completely. Guess you took my advice and decided to do your own dirty work after all." "Well let's just say I saw the point of view on one of your crude arguments that fateful day. Plus as you pointed out, he was part demon and killing him was after all in my duty as a being of higher morality and conscience." Franklins responds. "Still deluded I see. Snatching me up with nobody around and dragging me way the hell out...wherever we are just to kill me seems a bit complex though. Couldn't you have just had me killed quietly in the city? I'm sure you have the means of disposing of a dead body." You say. Franklins smiles a bit and pulls out a knife. "You still don't get it. I didn't abandon any code and you're not dying here...well at least not by my hand." He says and tosses the knife next to you before continuing. "This is exile. I told you I'm no murderer. I'm giving you a chance to live." "A chance to live? I'm fucking naked in the wilderness!" you shout. "Yes, but you still have a chance. Call it punishment for all those years you freely stole from hard working folks. If you live, well then I guess Joachim has seen fit to absolve you of your sins." You shake your head. "You're right. You haven't changed at all. You're still a fucking hypocrite hiding behind some code to justify your actions." "...perhaps...but then I am only part human. I have my flaws that Joachim will surely judge on that day of reckoning." "You might want to be on the safe side and just kill me, because if I DO survive this, I'm coming back for you." Franklins at this point chuckles. "No, I don't think you will. First of all if you do come back to Klyton, I'll definitely know about it and I WILL have you killed for the punishment for returning from exile is death in accordance with the law. Second, even if you do manage to sneak in, don't think you're going to somehow get my daughter on your side. I've already taken care of that. Right now she knows everything about you and believes you've fled the city due to being under suspicion of several crimes." "She'd never believe it!" you exclaim. "She already does. Thanks to you, I have a better relationship with her now and she's never known me to be a liar. Besides, it's not lying...you were a thief." You start cursing Franklins out, but he's unmoved. "I'd save your strength. Night will be coming soon and there are worse than wolves out here. Goodbye son in law and don't worry about Trinity, I will of course make sure she, along with my daughter are well looked after." With those last words, Franklins gets back in the carriage and takes off. The first thing you do as you watch the carriage disappear in the distance, is maneuver yourself to try to cut your ropes with the knife that Franklins provided. You still have no idea where you are; there isn't even a road nearby. Franklin's carriage apparently had heavy duty wheels to endure the rough wilderness. You struggle to cut your ropes, but it's a tedious process and not easy. The cold is nipping at you and the light is going out. To top it all off, you think you hear something making noises in the distance and it doesn't sound like a wolf. By the time you get your hands free, what was making that sound has gotten closer. You don't know what it is, but all you see is its eyes and teeth before it manages to chase you down and devour you.

Well, ratting on the Crimson Talons probably isn't the worst thing you've done... You go back to the militia barracks where you're immediately stopped by some of its members who ask what you want. When you tell them that you want to speak to the officer in charge because you have information on the Crimson Talons, they tell you to wait while someone goes and gets Captain Branik, who apparently was the one interrogating you earlier. Doesn't take long before you see this captain, who gives you a mildly smug look. "Well, look who's back. Thought you didn't know anything." Branik says. "I just remembered some details that slipped my mind." You retort. "Hmm, well out with it then, and if your information is any good then we will have come to an understanding." You give out what you know of the Crimson Talons, but specifically their headquarters location. He says something about how he can't believe they've been there the whole time. You also mention the secret sewer tunnel that leads from outside the city. Branik seems especially pleased by this information and mentions he'll send people through there as well when they move in to attack the place. "This of course is all going to take a little time to put together and confirm, so in the meantime I'd like you to stay in the city. You know, just in case you're lying and this isn't some sort of set up." Branik says. "What? What would I possibly gain by setting you up for anything? YOU told me to help you!" you say. "Yes, but you didn't do it right away and even managed to disappear from the militia's watchful eye for awhile. I can't know if you haven't already tipped off your Crimson Talon buddies or something more sinister. So to put those concerns to rest, I just need you to stay within the city so that I may easily get a hold of you until this is all over. Be thankful I'm not just throwing you in a cell." No good deed... It's the best deal you're going to get at this point and really you have no idea now if the captain is even going to hold on to his end. Meanwhile you're probably still going to be having these militia assholes following you all over the city, which you can't even leave now! You just leave shaking your head at the entire situation. You honestly don't know what to do with yourself. You suppose you could live on your savings until all this shit blows over, but again you have no idea when that will be and if that asshole captain is even going to give you a break. You still have to find a new place to live and you suppose squatting in your family's old inn is out now seeing as it's more trouble than it's worth. Lacking any better ideas, you decide to go to the Church of Joachim that Virgil suggested. At least it will be free. There are actually more than a few in the city, but you figure Virgil was talking about the one closest to the Welcome Mat so that's the one you seek out. It's probably the biggest one anyway due to more poor folks in the area sponging off the charity that the church provides. When you get there you find that it's feeding the beggars day. Great now you have to put up with that smell along with whatever religious shit that's going to be preached at you. You see Virgil serving up bowls of swill and approach him since you figure he knows where the flop room for the poor is. "Hey Virgil." You say while trying not to get in the way of the hungry beggars who are eagerly taking their food and leaving. "Hello. Surprised, but glad to see you. I'm a little busy at the moment, but what can I do for you?" Virgil responds. "You said I could stay here awhile? Having sort of a problem finding a place to live at the moment." "Oh sure. We have space so you can stay as long as you like, but erm..." "But erm, what?" "Well I know you're not exactly poor beggar or destitute mother with children and Brother Thadius is sort of a stickler for the rules." "So what are you saying?" "Well, maybe if you could donate to..." "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" you exclaim at which point Virgil tells you to keep your voice down. "Virgil, you TOLD me that you wanted to make amends to me or whatever and you also TOLD me that I could stay here for free!" you say. "Actually I never said it was free...(Sigh) but I suppose it is true, I might have given you a false impression. For that I am sorry. However, you could still stay here for free, but it would still require something of you." Virgil says. You at first think Virgil is going to tell you to get him a bottle of alcohol or maybe ask you to steal something. You're just counting on religious hypocrisy to rear its head, so it's a bit surprising when he asks you: "If you could help me serve these bowls of soup, that I think would be enough to allow you to stay here for free." "Wha...are you...(Sigh) fuck it. Fine." You spend the next few hours serving swill to dirty, smelly beggars, bums, and the destitute. You can't believe it's come to this. About the only think that breaks up the monotony is you have to throw out a Yellow Devil junkie who gets a little aggressive with the others. Normally you don't get excessively hostile to the point of violence unless its necessary, but you're in a foul mood due to current events. Just as you're about to really kick his ass until Virgil stops you. "Hey, hey, easy! He's had enough; look he's going now. And I think you've had enough too. Thanks for your help; you can find a space on the floor in the sleeping area in the back of the church." Virgil says. You don't say anything and just head to where Virgil said to go. When you enter the room, it isn't quite as bad as you thought it would be. Apparently most of the beggar types actually prefer sleeping in their own personal areas on the streets rather than a relatively clean church. Go figure. What you do see more of is "regular poor folk." Families who have obviously suffered some hardship causing them to be homeless for whatever reason. You imagine their faith in Joachim keeps them going that things will get better. The fools. You find a corner to be in, make a pillow with your bag and try to get some rest despite the sounds of children and people nearby. You can regroup tomorrow, you always do. Next day... You head to the university seeing as you don't have anything better planned at the moment. Of course as soon as you start heading that way, militia is on your ass already. This is ridiculous. It's like they suddenly have some sixth sense of your whereabouts. You try to lose them a couple times and while you do succeed, it once again has taken you out of your way to your destination. Eventually you manage to get a carriage and ride to the university. From there you get to work. All is going relatively well, though you do catch sight of more than a few wandering militia. You aren't sure if they're there specifically for you or just the usual. On your way through one of the many student-gathering areas, you suddenly hear someone call out your name. You turn around and get a surprise. "Yvette?" you answer. "Glad to see you remembered me. How have you been?" Yvette asks. "Um, I'm okay. And yourself? You probably graduated and are some sort of powerful wizard by now." "On the graduation part yes, on the powerful wizard bit, well that's debatable. I'm sort of teaching and doing independent research on possible new spell components. It's a really good thing that the wizard college has such a generous benefactor on the Klyton Council. Otherwise, I'm not sure what I'd be doing with my life." "You're a wizard, surely there's no limit to what you could do." "I suppose in some ways, but I guess I just like what I get to do now...is something wrong? You seem a bit distracted." "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just surprised to see you, let alone you even talking to me. Last time I remember you were pretty pissed at me." "Oh. That. Yeah, I always meant to apologize to you about that, but I couldn't find you. I asked Dr. Gossey, but she said she didn't know much about you outside the times you helped her. I only knew your first name, but I didn't know what your area of study was. I must have went through a lot student lists, but never could track you down. I even tried some divination magic, but nothing turned up. Though I never was very good at that. Still, it almost seemed like you never even went here." "Heh, yeah...wow didn't realize you looked for me. I'm really flattered." "Well I gave up after about a year. I figured you probably graduated by then...so what are you doing here then? Are you teaching now too? What was your study anyway?" Yvette is flooding you with questions that you weren't really prepared to answer with well thought out lies. She's being pretty friendly though and given how things have been going, it's nice a change. You sort of wonder about the fact that she looked for you for a year. Obviously, she had more in mind than just to apologize. If you'd known that, you would have made more of an effort to seek her out too, rather than just fucking a whore that looked only vaguely like her a few times. Well, hopefully better late than never... "Okay, I'm just going to come out and ask. Were you interested in me back then?" you ask. "Um...well..." Yvette stutters. "I'll take that as a yes." "Well wait no. I mean yeah, but...oh I'm not very good at this." "Calm yourself then just speak your mind." "Okay. Well, I didn't NOT like you. I mean I liked all of our time together up until Kelium died. Between that and worrying about my report, your kiss sort of caught me off guard. After my report was a success, I had time to think about your advance and while I would have preferred something less aggressive, I can't say that I entirely disliked it. Actually it might have even helped my report." "How's that?" "Yes, at the time I was so pissed at you that I ended up telling my superiors the story we agreed upon as well as adding that it was all your fault that things didn't go as planned. Since I was so mad at you, it came off as believable hence a successful report. I was actually going to thank you for that too." You laugh a bit. "Well glad it helped I guess. Though I suppose my question is and again this might be a long shot, but are you still interested in me?" you ask. "I dunno. I mean it was years ago. We still don't know much about each other. I suppose the answer is the same as it was back then, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing you. I'm currently unattached. I have a bit of trouble meeting people that aren't also magic users and the few I do seem to get scared that I have magic powers." Yvette answers. "What about other wizards?" "Hah, yeah...well after going out with a few magic users in the past, that has not gone very well. I'll just leave it at that." You're doing okay so far, but here's where the problem is going to come in, your real life. If you pursue this relationship, you are going to have to change your life severely because you are entirely sure that Yvette is definitely not going to be good with your roguish ways. Oddly, this isn't completely unappealing to you. Granted you've had an okay day here at the university, but how long before the militia gets more savvy and starts watching your movements here a lot more? You still can't walk to most places without them around and again you still don't know if they're going to hold up their end and leave you alone after they bust up the Crimson Talons. When you really think back to what you've managed to accomplish as a rogue you aren't sure if it's worth it anymore. All you've been doing is going through the motions because you don't know any other way. But if you really put your mind to it, you're a resourceful guy; you probably COULD do something different if you wanted to. In any case, you still need to know how you're going to deal with Yvette. You could just tell her the truth about your life, which would prevent a possible shitstorm later, of course it could fuck up things now. Especially since you've basically been lying to her up until this point. Of course if you've been lying to her all this time, you could just continue doing it and hope for the best. You could still try to change your life, but just not reveal your past. > You tell her the truth Best to start a new life with a clean slate. "Yvette, if we're going to be together I fell like it's best if I tell you EVERYTHING." You say. "Oh?" Yvette responds. "Yeah, okay where to start..." You go into your past, though you still leave out a few details. (Like having to leave your town for murder instead of theft) In general you're truthful though. You're rolling the dice here and while you're explaining, you aren't sure how she's even taking it. "I just wanted to lay it all out there because I'm ready to turn over a new leaf. I want a life with you and I want that life to have no secrets between us." Yvette still says nothing; her face just has an expression of shock on it. "Yvette?" you say. "Um...yeah. Well...yeah..." she starts to say. This isn't good. "Yvette, please say something." You say. "What do you want me to say? This is pretty damn serious! I mean how CAN I trust you? Up until THIS moment you've lied about everything!" Yvette responds. "But I'm not lying now! I'm telling the truth here. I'm no longer going to be a thief, I'm going to go look for real work and..." "Look, I can't deal with this right now. I've got other things on my mind and running into you was a surprise to begin with. Obviously it was a mistake to even admit I had some faint feelings for you at one time. I have to go." "Well can we talk about this again later?" "I don't think that's a good idea. Look, if you ARE serious, then by all means turn your life around and become a productive member of society. I don't even think you're that bad of a person...but I can't be with someone I can't trust and I can't trust you. Goodbye." And there it is again. Doing the right thing and getting no accolades, just a kick in the fucking face. Disappointed with how this entire miserable day has turned out you head back to your place Joachim's church (With the militia following you the entire time of course). You spend the next few days on your usual routine of sneaking around trying to lose the militia as you perform your work at the university. You might as well considering you can't leave the city. If things actually been different with Yvette, you probably would have tried to find a real job, but now? What's the point? You figure it's free to sleep and eat at the church so you might as well just endure it until the Crimson Talons finally get busted and the militia backs off your ass so you can leave this fucking city. One day in your corner of the church sleeping area, your light sleeping reflexes kick in and you grab a little arm reaching at you. "What the fuck do you think you're doing you little thief?" you say to the little girl who you've just grabbed. She looks at you with wide eyes, but doesn't scream surprisingly. "Nothing! I'm not a thief and I wasn't reaching for you, I was just trying to pet Pink Eyes!" she says. "Pink Eyes?" you ask. "Yeah, the funny rat with big teeth by your head." You turn your head slightly and see Elana sniffing near you. It would seem she located you. You release your grip on the girl's arm who stands back as you slowly sit up rubbing your eyes. Elana squeaks a few times and finds a less open place to be. "You're lucky I stopped you kid. Elana here isn't just a regular rat, she's a qweepa and she also doesn't tend to let people just pet her. In fact she's more likely to eat your fingers." You say. "She didn't do that with me. When I saw her, I gave her a little piece of bread I had from breakfast and she nuzzled my hand a bit after she ate the bread. Then I played with her a bit before she ran over to you. Is she your pet?" the little girl asks. "Yeah I guess you could say that. Though apparently she's a little traitor if she's being nice to anyone that feeds her. Guess I'm no position to speak ill of rats though. Wait, did you say you already had breakfast?" "Yeah, it's almost time for them to serve lunch now. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and see you creep in here. Do you have some sort of night job?" "Something like that. Where are your parents?" "My mom's out looking for work. I...um don't know who my dad is." "Oh. Well I got stuff to do, so off you go kid." "Can I play with Pink Eyes while you're gone?" "Um...yeah sure I guess if she isn't chewing your face off. I wouldn't call attention to her though, not sure what the animal policy is in this place. And if she doesn't want to be fussed with, then I'd leave her be. Like I said, she isn't usually this friendly to other people." You leave the little girl and Elana and step out of the church before Virgil or some other Joachim follower can ask you to do anything. You head to the university seeing as you don't have anything better planned at the moment. Of course as soon as you start heading that way, militia is on your ass already and this time they don't just follow you, they actually come up to you and start throwing their weight around. "Hey criminal scum, we're on to you." One of them says. "Yeah I know that already. Been through all this with your captain." You reply. "No, I don't think you fucking understand!" he says again, pushing you hard this time. "What the hell? I'm not doing anything!" you exclaim. "Bullshit! We know where you've been going even though you THINK you've been eluding us. You go up to that fancy university. Whatcha going up there for? I know it ain't to take any fucking classes. We haven't caught you in the act yet, but it won't be long." "Aren't you supposed to be taking down the Crimson Talons?" "Don't you worry about that. They'll be facing justice soon, just like YOU will be. Seein' you soon asshole." And there it is, final proof that the militia consists of a bunch of unyielding dicks that are not going to EVER leave you alone. You truly have to get out of this city. Your original plan was to wait until they finally took out the Talons, but they seem to be taking their sweet ass time about it. You suppose if you really wanted to get out, you could take the sewers and leave through the secret exit that the Talons use to get in and out of the city with no fuss. Yeah, seems like a plan, though you figure you'll wait until it gets darker. In the meantime you head back to the church. When you arrive back to your sleeping area you see that little girl playing with Elana and giving her some of her food. Looks like even your pet has abandoned you. Though considering you're leaving soon, it's just as well she seems to have found a new owner. Lacking any more motivation to do anything until tonight, you decide to get some more sleep. Later... You suddenly grab a little arm reaching for you. "Girl...you REALLY need to stop doing that!" you say waking up and letting the girl's arm go. "Please, my mom is missing and I dunno who to ask for help!" the little girl says frantically "What?" "My mom, she hasn't returned! She ALWAYS returns before now! She promised she'd never stay out late like this again and I know she wasn't lying!" "Alright, alright, calm down. What the hell happened?" "My mom..." At this point the little girl starts breaking down in tears and some nearby folks trying to sleep start shushing you. This certainly wasn't anything you had in mind to deal with right now. From what you can tell it's pitch black outside. You slept way longer than you intended to and now you've got a little girl begging you for help. > You get out of the city This is sad and all, but you've got more important problems. Besides the girl's mother is probably a whore and is just out later than usual to make more coin. Still, you need to calm her down because she's making a scene and waking everyone up. "Shhh. Shhh. Look, do you know where you mom might have went or where she goes to look for work?" you ask. "I dunno, mostly the taverns?" the little girl asks. "Okay, I'll go check every tavern in the area then okay? You just stay here and try to get some sleep, or I dunno...play with Elana." You quickly gather your belongings and bid the little girl goodbye. She looks hopeful at you, but you can only imagine that her disappointment is going to be even greater when you don't return. Hopefully her mother does show up. You leave the church and make your way to the closest sewer entrance that you know of. Fortunately even this late the militia aren't patrolling quite as much and it's easier to sneak around. You descend into the foulness that is the sewers and begin your slog through it and eventual freedom. Along the way you just hope you don't run into any Crimson Talons. While you doubt if they have heard about you ratting on them since the militia hasn't made their move yet, but still, you'd rather not bump into them since they've gotten more territorial lately anyway. Your thoughts also briefly go back to that little girl and how you feel sort of bad about just leaving. You should have at least been up front with her and told her you couldn't help her, rather than giving the girl a little bit longer for false hope. Then again, the last time you told the truth it didn't go so well either. You'll just be glad to leave this damn city behind. At last you start to see the literal light at the end of the tunnel as you approach the sewer exit leading to the outside. You have no idea how the hell the Talons slog through this day after day, though you suppose they won't be doing it for much longer. This thought has never been truer than it is right at this moment. No sooner have you made it half way to the exit when all of a sudden several militia men enter through it. You stop in your tracks when you see them. "He's warned them! Kill the bastard!" one of them shouts. You immediately turn and run. Several shots ring out along with shouting. You catch a bullet in the arm, but manage to keep going. It doesn't matter though since the militia already has men coming from the other tunnels as well. Today of ALL days is when they decided to storm the Crimson Talon hideout. It figures. In fact the only place to run to is the Crimson Talon's hideout! Avoiding the militia now seemingly coming from every fucking tunnel, you immediately run to the hideout and start banging on the door to be let in. Even now, the irony that you're begging for the Talons to help you after you ratted on them in the first place isn't lost on you. "Open the fucking door! It's a raid!" you start shouting. There isn't any answer other than a couple of "what?" or "Who's banging on the door?" "Come on open the fuck up, it's...ugggh! SHIT!" you shout and get shot in the back. This time the wound is fatal. You collapse at the door, which still stays firmly shut until the militia comes stomping over your body to batter it down.

[Themes: fantasy, serious, humor] Best to start a new life with a clean slate. "Yvette, if we're going to be together I fell like it's best if I tell you EVERYTHING." You say. "Oh?" Yvette responds. "Yeah, okay where to start..." You go into your past, though you still leave out a few details. (Like having to leave your town for murder instead of theft) In general you're truthful though. You're rolling the dice here and while you're explaining, you aren't sure how she's even taking it. "I just wanted to lay it all out there because I'm ready to turn over a new leaf. I want a life with you and I want that life to have no secrets between us." Yvette still says nothing; her face just has an expression of shock on it. "Yvette?" you say. "Um...yeah. Well...yeah..." she starts to say. This isn't good. "Yvette, please say something." You say. "What do you want me to say? This is pretty damn serious! I mean how CAN I trust you? Up until THIS moment you've lied about everything!" Yvette responds. "But I'm not lying now! I'm telling the truth here. I'm no longer going to be a thief, I'm going to go look for real work and..." "Look, I can't deal with this right now. I've got other things on my mind and running into you was a surprise to begin with. Obviously it was a mistake to even admit I had some faint feelings for you at one time. I have to go." "Well can we talk about this again later?" "I don't think that's a good idea. Look, if you ARE serious, then by all means turn your life around and become a productive member of society. I don't even think you're that bad of a person...but I can't be with someone I can't trust and I can't trust you. Goodbye." And there it is again. Doing the right thing and getting no accolades, just a kick in the fucking face. Disappointed with how this entire miserable day has turned out you head back to your place Joachim's church (With the militia following you the entire time of course). You spend the next few days on your usual routine of sneaking around trying to lose the militia as you perform your work at the university. You might as well considering you can't leave the city. If things actually been different with Yvette, you probably would have tried to find a real job, but now? What's the point? You figure it's free to sleep and eat at the church so you might as well just endure it until the Crimson Talons finally get busted and the militia backs off your ass so you can leave this fucking city. One day in your corner of the church sleeping area, your light sleeping reflexes kick in and you grab a little arm reaching at you. "What the fuck do you think you're doing you little thief?" you say to the little girl who you've just grabbed. She looks at you with wide eyes, but doesn't scream surprisingly. "Nothing! I'm not a thief and I wasn't reaching for you, I was just trying to pet Pink Eyes!" she says. "Pink Eyes?" you ask. "Yeah, the funny rat with big teeth by your head." You turn your head slightly and see Elana sniffing near you. It would seem she located you. You release your grip on the girl's arm who stands back as you slowly sit up rubbing your eyes. Elana squeaks a few times and finds a less open place to be. "You're lucky I stopped you kid. Elana here isn't just a regular rat, she's a qweepa and she also doesn't tend to let people just pet her. In fact she's more likely to eat your fingers." You say. "She didn't do that with me. When I saw her, I gave her a little piece of bread I had from breakfast and she nuzzled my hand a bit after she ate the bread. Then I played with her a bit before she ran over to you. Is she your pet?" the little girl asks. "Yeah I guess you could say that. Though apparently she's a little traitor if she's being nice to anyone that feeds her. Guess I'm no position to speak ill of rats though. Wait, did you say you already had breakfast?" "Yeah, it's almost time for them to serve lunch now. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and see you creep in here. Do you have some sort of night job?" "Something like that. Where are your parents?" "My mom's out looking for work. I...um don't know who my dad is." "Oh. Well I got stuff to do, so off you go kid." "Can I play with Pink Eyes while you're gone?" "Um...yeah sure I guess if she isn't chewing your face off. I wouldn't call attention to her though, not sure what the animal policy is in this place. And if she doesn't want to be fussed with, then I'd leave her be. Like I said, she isn't usually this friendly to other people." You leave the little girl and Elana and step out of the church before Virgil or some other Joachim follower can ask you to do anything. You head to the university seeing as you don't have anything better planned at the moment. Of course as soon as you start heading that way, militia is on your ass already and this time they don't just follow you, they actually come up to you and start throwing their weight around. "Hey criminal scum, we're on to you." One of them says. "Yeah I know that already. Been through all this with your captain." You reply. "No, I don't think you fucking understand!" he says again, pushing you hard this time. "What the hell? I'm not doing anything!" you exclaim. "Bullshit! We know where you've been going even though you THINK you've been eluding us. You go up to that fancy university. Whatcha going up there for? I know it ain't to take any fucking classes. We haven't caught you in the act yet, but it won't be long." "Aren't you supposed to be taking down the Crimson Talons?" "Don't you worry about that. They'll be facing justice soon, just like YOU will be. Seein' you soon asshole." And there it is, final proof that the militia consists of a bunch of unyielding dicks that are not going to EVER leave you alone. You truly have to get out of this city. Your original plan was to wait until they finally took out the Talons, but they seem to be taking their sweet ass time about it. You suppose if you really wanted to get out, you could take the sewers and leave through the secret exit that the Talons use to get in and out of the city with no fuss. Yeah, seems like a plan, though you figure you'll wait until it gets darker. In the meantime you head back to the church. When you arrive back to your sleeping area you see that little girl playing with Elana and giving her some of her food. Looks like even your pet has abandoned you. Though considering you're leaving soon, it's just as well she seems to have found a new owner. Lacking any more motivation to do anything until tonight, you decide to get some more sleep. Later... You suddenly grab a little arm reaching for you. "Girl...you REALLY need to stop doing that!" you say waking up and letting the girl's arm go. "Please, my mom is missing and I dunno who to ask for help!" the little girl says frantically "What?" "My mom, she hasn't returned! She ALWAYS returns before now! She promised she'd never stay out late like this again and I know she wasn't lying!" "Alright, alright, calm down. What the hell happened?" "My mom..." At this point the little girl starts breaking down in tears and some nearby folks trying to sleep start shushing you. This certainly wasn't anything you had in mind to deal with right now. From what you can tell it's pitch black outside. You slept way longer than you intended to and now you've got a little girl begging you for help. > You help the little girl This really goes against everything you tend to believe in, but maybe due to a combination of several bad things you've experienced lately, you're still hoping that MAYBE somehow doing something half way "decent" that the gods or fate or whatever will reward you in some way. (Even though you don't really believe in a lot of that anyway) First thing you do is calm the little girl down and ask her name since this will be a whole lot easier if you know what to call her. "Mara." She says. "Okay, first question. Do you know where you mom might have went or where she goes to look for work?" you ask. "I dunno, mostly the taverns?" the little girl asks. "...that really narrows it down...(sigh) alright, I guess I can just try the closest ones in the area. I'll also need a physical description of her." "She's real pretty. She has a flower name too, Violet. Her hair is black like mine and she...um...her chest is sort of large." Well you weren't expecting her to give that description of her mom, but you suppose it does help narrow things down a bit more. "Okay, that helps a little...hey wait a minute. Did you ask Virgil to help?" you ask. "The friendly old priest that smells funny? Yeah, I went to his room, but he wouldn't move no matter how much I pushed him. He just kept snoring." Mara replies. "Well this is important, and I'll go wake him up. He's supposed to be doing good deeds anyway. In the meantime you just stay here and Elana will keep you company." "Will you come back with her?" "I promise that I'll come back." Is all you can say to her before you bid her goodbye. Of course before you leave, you head to where Virgil sleeps in this church. Sure enough he's snoring soundly. Not excessively loud, but he's definitely flat out. You don't bother with the pushing or yelling to wake him up; you just drag him out of bed by his crusty feet. He wakes up just before he hits the floor. "Hey what the...OW! Shit! You?! What the fuck are you dragging me out of bed for?!" Virgil exclaims. You actually sort of smile since that's more along the line of the old Virgil that you were familiar with. "Aren't you supposed to be cutting down on the vulgarities now that you're all holy again? You've woke me up plenty of times in the past banging on my door, so consider this payback. Besides, a little girl needs help and you're supposed to be doing this sort of shit anyway." You say. "Little girl? What's going on?" You explain the situation to Virgil, who slowly starts becoming more alert. As you explain, he seems to remember Violet quite well. (Or her tits at least) "Yes, yes, I know who you're talking about. I'm not sure what to say though. Violet is a prostitute or at least she was trying to get out of that life for the sake of her daughter as far as I know. I mean I know she was trying to get a job as a waitress with little success, but if she's disappeared during the night, she might have sadly gone back to her old ways and strayed from Joachim's path." Virgil remarks. Raven haired beauty with big tits and worked as a whore, now you're wondering how the hell you never noticed her before. "Well let's try the taverns first I guess." You say. "Why am I going with you?" Virgil asks. "Because isn't it your damn job to help the downtrodden and innocent? Besides, you being an ex-drunk, I figure that you know where ALL the closest taverns are. Also the militia is on my ass constantly, and if they catch me walking around at night, they'll probably just beat my head in and throw me in jail. I figure if I'm walking around with a priest I shouldn't get harassed as much. Not like you have anything better to do anyway." "Um...yeah, but...you're talking about going to several taverns...I'm just not sure I should be around that much temptation." "Oh for...just come on! If you start getting thirsty, I'll slap you in the back of the head to remind you of Joachim's light or something." Virgil reluctantly agrees to help, and soon the pair of you are off to go tavern hopping, but not in the good way. You go to several taverns and while a couple people say they remember seeing her or even interacting with her, they tell you they haven't seen her today. Virgil meanwhile looks longingly at every mug, glass and bottle containing alcohol. It isn't excessively hard to pull him away, but it's obviously a struggle. "I beseech you, no more taverns! The temptation is getting to me and it's taking all my faith in Joachim to give me strength to resist!" Virgil begs. "Okay, okay...(sigh) might as well give up anyway. We've covered a lot more ground than I thought we were and still haven't found shit. I guess we can start trying to brothels." You say. "Um, I don't think so." "What? Are the whores going to be too much temptation too? I thought your weakness was the booze, not the women." "No, it's not that. It's just I doubt very seriously that she's working in one of the Klyton brothels. At least none of the legal ones. If she was back to whoring, she'd be doing it illegally and who knows where." "I don't understand, Mara said her mom was pretty and you even seemed to confirm that. Wouldn't she be good enough of one of those places? She a Yellow Devil addict or something?" "No, nothing like that. In fact she used to work at Madam Moonlight's place, but she did something that severely pissed off Moonlight. I dunno what, but it was bad enough to get her fired and Moonlight apparently pulled strings at every other sanctioned brothel to not hire her." "Hm, I guess that makes sense, I've seen Moonlight get pissed at unruly customers and makes them sorry they got out of line. Guess the same goes for her employees. Still surprised I've never bumped into this woman before. Well I'm out of ideas, I mean we can't realistically go to every inn or back alley, to look for her." "I think the only thing that can be done is to go back. Sometimes we must just place faith in Joachim that he will influence events to a positive end. I'm sure the girl's mother will come back, she may already be back for all we know." "Yeah maybe..." You suddenly remember something terrible. "SHIT!" you exclaim. "What?" Virgil asks. "In all the rush to help the girl, I left all my shit at the church and I didn't even bother to hide it before I left! My savings!" "I doubt very seriously that anyone is going to ransack your belongings and steal what you have. All of those folks are Joachim fearing and righteous." "Oh? Then what am I doing there then?" "Erm...well on the other hand it would be quite amusing if Joachim balanced things by taking away your wealth." "What the hell? Why are you condoning theft just because it's me?!" "I'm not, but I'm just saying there would be a kind of justice if it did occur, considering your own profession...speaking of which...Brother Thadius has expressed concerns about you continuing to sleep in the church. I've tried to assure him that you're looking for real work, but I think we both know that isn't true and I hate lying to the man. I'm already under scrutiny for..." "I can't discuss this right now, I gotta go!" You run off to leave Virgil behind and race back to the church. Unfortunately along the way you nearly bump straight into two militiamen who happen to be patrolling. They see you running and jump to their own conclusions. "HALT!" one of them shouts. You haven't done anything wrong and you don't even have anything stolen on you since you left all your stuff at the church. Legally they can't really do anything to you...however that's never stopped the militia from severely fucking with you before. > Halt They've already seen your face and probably already know who you are, so running is just going to get you into more trouble. Might as well deal with this head on. The militia approaches and you make no sudden moves. "Thought it was you. So where the hell are you in such a hurry in the middle of the night? Up to your usual thievery no doubt." one of them says. "I'm going to church." You say. "Very funny asshole." He replies pushing you. "I'm serious! If you're aware of who I am, then you also know I've been living in a Church of Joachim for days now. I'm not lying." "Or maybe you're not exactly telling the truth either...seems very fishy that you're lurking around." Suddenly another one of their number runs up to them. "Hey! What the hell are you two doing? You're supposed to be down in the sewers helping with taking out those Talon bastards. The captain's been looking all over for you and he's pissed!" he remarks. "What? We got assigned street patrol duty tonight!" "Well you've got new orders then, come on let's go. Who's this one?" "This is the sneak thief who ratted on the Talons in the first place to save his own hide. Claims he doesn't have anything stolen on him, but I KNOW he's been up to something!" "Let's just quickly throw him in a cell because we need to get into the sewers before the shit goes down. He can be dealt with later." Just as they're about to grab you, another figure arrives. One you'd never be so happy to see. "Hey! Ask this guy! He's a Joachim priest and I've been walking around all damn night with him searching for a missing woman!" you exclaim. "Is this true?" one of the men asks. "Yes, it is true. A little girl asked us to seek out her mother. In fact she specifically asked THIS man first! He has done nothing wrong and I would urge that you leave him be lest you anger Joachim for attempting to impede good works." Virgil says. One of the guards must be a bit religious since he takes Virgil's warning a little more to heart than the rest of his fellows. "Okay, we'll let you go this time, but for your sake you better hope that Captain Branik finds out that all your information was good, because if not, you're gonna wish for a quick execution instead of what we will have planned for you." As the militia leaves, you think to yourself that it's probably good that you didn't try to escape through the sewers and the abandoned tunnel outside the city tonight. You might have gotten caught in the raid. "I don't normally just tell anyone this, but thanks Virgil." You say. "No problem. I'm just surprised they still let you go and listened to me at all. If I were a gambling man, I'd wager half of the militia have done worse things than you ever have. Hopefully as Joachim's teachings spread, so will his influence though and perhaps one day Klyton's militia won't just consist mainly of thugs with city sanctioned authority." Virgil says. "I doubt it. People are just rotten by nature. The only time most do good deeds is when they have no other choice." "I don't believe that, and I don't even think YOU really believe that either. If that really were the case, you wouldn't be trying to help a little girl find her mother tonight. I mean what's really in it for you? Nothing. You're not getting paid for it, you're just doing it because you felt sorry for an innocent and it was the right thing to do. You're better than you think you are, we all are. Joachim always tries to make us see that, even if you don't notice that he's doing it." Rather thoughtful comments by Virgil even if you don't totally see things his way on the whole religious thing. Still, he might have a bit of a point. The pair of you returns to the church where upon you immediately go see if any of your stuff is gone. Instead what you find is Mara sleeping near your belongings with Elana curled up next to her. Doesn't look like anything has been disturbed other than Mara using your pack as a pillow of sorts. "See? All your stuff was fine. It was being guarded by a little girl and her pet." Virgil remarks. "No sign of the girl's mother though." You say. "Yeah, I admit, I'm a bit worried about that. Mara is going to be upset, but I'm still hoping that maybe she'll show up soon. Maybe in the morning?" "Maybe, but it'll be morning in a few hours and I don't quite have the faith you have Virgil." "You'll get there eventually. I suppose I better reclaim some sleep before Brother Thadius shows up here in the morning to give me his plans for the day's events." "Doesn't he sleep here too?" "Him? No, he lives in a proper house. Pretty nice one around the government district." "Hmm, guess all the donations to Joachim are blessing Thadius pretty well. In any case, I'm going to try to get some sleep as well and for what comes next, I guess I'll figure that out when I wake up." You and Virgil part and since Mara has taken your sleeping spot, you sleep on the mattress that presumably was where her and her mother slept. It's a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the floor for a change. Later... A little hand reaches out to you; this time you only gently grab it. You actually were awake long before she reached for you since you heard her placing all your belongings on the mattress. Not to mention Elana is currently scurrying on the mattress and sniffing about. "Hello Mara." You say fully waking up and let go of her wrist. As you slowly sit up from your slumber, and look through your belongings that Mara has brought to you. Everything is there and you're finally relieved to know for certain. Mara watches you with a mixture of concern and sadness. She looks like she might have been crying earlier. "I didn't take anything." Mara says. "I didn't think you would, but I couldn't be sure if anyone else didn't. Anyway thanks for bringing me my stuff and guarding it yesterday." You say. "You didn't find my mom did you?" "No, unfortunately I didn't, but Virgil said it's still possible that she'll show up this morning." "It's the afternoon." "It is? Oh." Mara looks down wiping her eyes. This is awkward for you and if she starts crying in front of you, it isn't like you know what to say. You ask Virgil for help, but he's likely to just spout a bunch of shit about Joachim. "She promised she wouldn't...(sniffle)...not anymore. Not after last time." Mara says. "Last time?" you ask. Mara tells you about how some man roughed up her mom once and nearly killed her in the process a few months ago. She mentions that it sometimes happened before that too, but that was the worst time. A lot of coin went to the apothecary and the clinic and they eventually wound up here while Violet was looking for steady work that didn't require sex. It's obvious now that Mara isn't exactly a naïve child and she's well aware of the grim realities of this shitty world...still though...she's a nine year old girl that misses her mom. "She's probably dead." She says, trying not to cry. You still can't think of anything that's going to make her feel any better. You were planning on leaving this city, but... "Hey Mara, why don't we wait for your mom a little longer okay? I mean let's not jump to conclusions, maybe she got some job that wanted her to start right away and it was so tiring that she fell asleep somewhere else." Mara doesn't look convinced, but this sliver of hope wrapped in a boldfaced lie seems to at least cause her to agree. "You'll stay with me?" Mara asks. "Sure, until your mom gets back. Now let's go get something real to eat. No more of this slop that they serve here." You say. Mara seems to cheer up slightly during her time with you. She mentions her mother a few times, but in happy reflections on better times she had with her. You didn't think you would, but you sort of don't mind your time spent with Mara either. You spend the rest of the day with Mara and the next few days after that. By the end of the week, she hasn't even mentioned her mother anymore and is more interested in you. Again, not exactly being naïve (and probably overhearing Virgil's conversations with you at times) she knows that you're not exactly a "working" man. "Do...you kill people?" Mara asks. "Is that what you think I do?" you ask back. "I dunno. Virgil says that you're a good man who just does bad things sometimes." "Hah! Said that did he? No, I don't kill people...well not usually anyway. I'm more into acquisitions." "What's that?" "I find stuff that I need." "Oh...you're a thief." "Well yes, it's not very impressive when you say it like that." "It's just I sort of wished you did kill people." "Really? Why?" "Because then you could track down who killed my mother and kill them." Mara at this point walks away from you, leaving you a little speechless. It's at this moment that Virgil comes over to you. "I see you're still spending time with Mara. I knew you were a good man. I think it's wonderful that you've been trying to be there for the child." Virgil says. "Yeah, I suppose so." You remark. "Of course seeing that her mother is most likely gone, the only thing to do now is to take her to the orphanage." "Orphanage?" "Well yeah. I mean the child can't stay here." "What would it hurt if she did stay here?" "This place shelters the poor and families down on their luck for short periods of time, but unattended children should be in an orphanage and I know you can't look after her." "Wait a minute, who says I can't?" "Look, I know maybe you've gotten a little attached to Mara, but really this is a matter for a place that's capable of looking after a little girl." "Virgil, I've passed by those orphanages and half of them are completely neglected ragamuffins and the other half get beaten all the time and are most likely going to become vicious scoundrels. After all your bitching at me about being a thief, you REALLY think that's the best place to put her?" "Those places aren't as bad as you say! I'll have you know, I grew up in one of those places!" "And that's supposed to convince me that it's a good place to send her?" "Oh and because you had both parents, you're such a good example that it isn't? I mean I'm trying not to judge, but your parents obviously failed in their duties." And you're done. "Fuck you Virgil. Just fuck you, and your Joachim preaching bullshit. My parents were fucking great." You say and gather up your belongings (And Elana) before walking off. Virgil starts to follow you trying to apologize until he realizes what you're about to do. You find Mara who is sitting quietly against a wall, looking at the floor. "Come on Mara, we're leaving. We're done here." You say. "What? Where are we going?" Mara asks. "Dunno yet, but we're going together." "You can't just take this child!" Virgil exclaims. "Why not? She's an orphan right? I'm adopting her. Cuts out the need for her to even go into an orphanage." "You...your emotions are letting you cloud your judgment! How are YOU going to take care of this child? Please, we must put this in the hands of Joachim and..." "Mara? Do you want to come with me or go to an orphanage? If you don't want to come with me, just say so. I won't be mad." You say. Mara is silent for a half second before: "I want to come with you." You turn to Virgil and raise your hands. "There's your answer." You say. "Of course she's going to pick you, but that's not a realistic choice!" Virgil exclaims. "How do you know that this isn't Joachim's will? You don't and neither do I. Only Joachim knows. Praise be to him or whatever it is you say." You remark and push Virgil out of the way. You ignore Virgil's protests as you leave and make your way to the carriage station. You know you're allowed out of the city now given all the Crimson Talons are dead and the restriction for you to leave has been lifted. You suppose you'll head to Hessla first and from there you'll figure out a more long-term plan. You just need to get out of this city, especially before you're wanted for kidnapping along with anything else the militia decides you're guilty of. You start to think about your situation and realize it's really fucking crazy. You're now a fugitive from TWO places and have little girl to look after. (And an oversized rat, but Elana is pretty self-sufficient) Still, you're convinced that you're doing the right thing and you don't even know why. What you do know is you're going to have to step things up because it's not just you anymore. "Hey Mara." You say. "Yes?" Mara answers as she continues to look out of one of the windows, fascinated by it all. "Come over here for a moment." You say pulling out your small locked container containing what's left of your savings. "What's that?" Mara asks. "Something I hope we can both fill up eventually. For now though, it's practice." You pull out a lock pick. "I'm going to teach you something useful." > Time passes… Year 30 A hand reaches for the pouch on your side; you grab it and open your eyes. "Damn it." Mara exclaims. "I keep telling you, you're not quiet enough and you make more noise than a clumsy orc. I honestly don't know how you don't get caught more often by your marks." You say sitting up. "Well if I do, that's only because I'm doing it like how you taught me." "If you really think that's how I've been teaching you, then you haven't been paying attention and we need to spend even more time training. What time is it?" "Afternoon. You slept through the morning as usual." "Sounds about right. So...early bird, what have you been up to this morning?" "Nothing much really. Just wandering around the city and doing stuff." "Hmm, wouldn't be with that little gang of hoodlums you hang out with sometimes would it?" Mara does answer immediately. "Figured." You say shaking your head. "Why are you so against me having friends?" Mara asks. "I'm not. I just think those idiots are a bad influence." "You're joking right? YOU think other people are a bad influence on me?" "Oh trust me, the irony isn't lost on me, however I would propose that I am at least a bad influence in an efficient way. You keep hanging out with that group of losers and well...you remember what happened to the Crimson Talons?" Mara rolls her eyes. "This isn't Klyton, and my friends aren't the Crimson Talons!" she exclaims. "No they aren't. The Talons were more organized and they STILL got completely wiped out due to being reckless. And while maybe the Jicol Watch isn't as overzealous as the Klyton Militia, but it's only a matter of time before your friends get into a whole mess of trouble that they're going to bring down on their own heads because they think punching old ladies in the street and grabbing their coin pouches to be the height of thievery." You reply. "Only a couple of them do that! And Marco has been telling them not to do it anymore. He said as the Black Hooks, they should be..." You start chuckling. "Black Hooks? They gave themselves a gang name? Oh that's precious. Truly a name that will stir fear into everyone. And you're telling me Marco is the leader? The gang already sucks." "...why...why are you being such an asshole?! Marco's a great guy and he's trying to put it all together with my help! He's a real thief! Just like me and you!" "PFFT!" you say with a mixture of contempt and genuine amusement. "I've met Marco when you first introduced me to all these idiots last year and that boy is NOTHING like me. He wasn't even me at that age. And as for him being like you, I like to think I'm a way better teacher than that despite your previous criticisms." "You don't know what you're talking about, you're just an cranky old man who doesn't want me associating with anyone except you!" "Okay first of all, I'm only fucking thirty. Second of all I do know what the hell I'm talking about. I understand your need for friends your own age, but I'm telling you this is the fucking wrong crowd. I've seen some of these dumb asses in action when I'm going about my own business and they're all going to wind up in a bad end." At this point you stand up and continue your rant. "And as for Marco, of course he wants your help, because out of ALL of them, you're the only real thief there and he's hoping that at least SOME of that shit that I've taught you will rub off on him. Well that and the fact he also wants you around to get in your pants." You remark. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder if that's why you want me around." Mara retorts. You stop for a split second at this outrageous accusation "Wow. You're REALLY going to go there? Y'know, if you really think that, then just fucking go. Go off with your little friends. Well? Go! GET THE FUCK OUT!" you shout. Mara jumps back a bit by your yelling and then without another word, she leaves slamming the door behind you. You slump back down on the bed already feeling drained even though you just woke up. Things were getting a bit tenser with Mara for a couple years now. You chalked it up to her being a teenager, but this latest argument has made you start to wonder if it's worse than just the need to rebel against you. As you try to calm yourself down, Elana jumps up on the bed and very slowly walks over to you. You give her a pet and she curls up to sleep. She does that a lot more nowadays. She's so old, and right about now you're feeling the same way. "(Sigh) It's really damn bad when I'm already missing the old days. Just me and sis against the world. Been downhill ever since that split. Certainly hope she's doing a lot better than I am right now." You continue to brood, thinking about what you should have done or shouldn't have done in your life. Eventually you stop since it's not doing you any good, so you go back to sleep instead. A few hours later you wake up and find that it's nighttime. Mara isn't home, but then maybe she won't ever come back. Still, you can't help but be concerned about her. You can only hope that she knows what the hell she's doing and that you taught her well enough that she doesn't get caught or can get herself out of trouble. In the meantime you decide to get some of your own work done and leave your humble dwellings to go accomplish just that. A few days pass and Mara still hasn't come home. However, you've still been keeping an eye on her from afar. You mostly know where she is and all her hang outs. She spends most of her time in the city district where docks of lesser importance are located. It isn't the best area, but given that she's with her Black Hook friends, you assume that she at least has people to watch her back. (And you figure Marco is especially, but you'd rather not think too much about that) As for the Black Hooks themselves, they're still pretty low as far as Watch is concerned it seems. When the city is more concerned with keeping a strong naval force to ward off any potential pirate attacks, a group of juvenile delinquents that still haven't done much more than petty theft, assault and vandalism, just doesn't rank very high. Honestly, you're more surprised that Mara hasn't gotten bored by them all yet since you know she's a lot more talented than any of them. You know you'd be bored. Then again you suppose you just weren't very social and never wanted to hang around with too many people. Just one that you could trust. Weeks pass and while you continue to keep an eye on her, sometimes you start to wonder if maybe you should let go. Of course if you did let go, you'd have to leave the city altogether, because you just couldn't stick around and NOT look out for her. > You leave Jicol Mara is still young, but in this sort of world that's really no measure of being sheltered from the harsh realities of the world. The girl lost her mother and was mentored by a professional thief. She's probably more ready to be on her own than most her age. You need to move on though. It's apparent that your good intensions have been less than successful. That's fine though, because you've learned that more than ever that you should only worry about yourself. You pack up all your stuff and get ready to go. You're sure you can book passage aboard some ship heading to Hessla. Who knows, maybe you'll go elsewhere. You get half way to the transport docks and stop. You can't leave like this. As much as it would be easier to do so, you can't. You have to apologize to Mara before leaving. She might very well tell you to go to hell. In fact if she's around her friends, she's very likely to do that, but still you have to try. You head down to where the Black Hooks usually hang out. These young idiots like to pretend they're all going to be pirates one day. You can only imagine how they'd really fare if they were in a pirate-dominated town like Hessla instead of this well fortified and more lawful city. Eventually you arrive at the small beach area where there you see the "Black Hooks" all lingering under and around a boardwalk. Up to their usual bragging and bravado of course. "And so I said to that bitch, you're either giving me your necklace, or I'm gonna take it after I cut off your fucking head! She was pissing her knickers after that hahahaha!" one of them says. "Who's this asshole coming up?" asks one of them. "Hey dumb fuck, don't you know this is Black Hook territory?" one of them shouts. "Oh no..." you hear a quieter voice say and you already pinpoint that it's Mara trying to unsuccessfully hide behind a couple of her friends. "Mara, I know you're over there, come on out, I want to talk to you." You say. "Hey old man, Mara ain't got shit to say to you. She's with US now and she doesn't have to worry about you molesting her anymore! Now you better get outta here before we..." Marco says stepping forward before you grab him by the collar and throw him down face down in the sand as hard as you can. Marco spends the rest of his time spitting out sand and rubbing his eyes, while his gang does nothing except look at you. "Is that what you've been telling these dickheads? Do you REALLY hate me that much that you're going to make up stories like that about me? You know, I came to apologize and say goodbye, but if this is what you want, then fuck it. Have a nice life." You say and turn around to leave. You get a couple steps, before Mara calls out to you. "I never said he molested me! Why the hell did you say that?!" she says to Marco and then calls out to you "Wait! Hold on!" "Mara, what the fuck are you doing?" you hear Marco say as you turn around. "I'm just gonna talk to him, I'll be back." "No! He's just gonna trick you into going back to him!" "Marco, it'll be fine, let go of me!" "No! I'm the one who loves you!" "Marco, you better let her go." You say as you approach. He isn't listening though and once again you grab him, however this time he manages to pull out a flintlock. You would have easily took it away from him had some of his boys not grown a pair and stabbed you in the side and back. You fall to the sand making it red with your blood. Mara is now screaming at Marco to not shoot you, but he's too committed to care. He's been waiting a long time to do this to someone and it's just a bonus that it's you. You take a shot directly to the chest and the life is already leaving your body. Marco's gang scatters at this point and Marco himself tries to drag Mara with him, but she manages to pull away until he just swears and values running from the scene of the crime more than her. It's a shitty way to have it all end like this by some snot nosed kid and in front of another who apparently did care about you in the end as she kneels down beside you crying as you die. You comfort yourself in your last moments with the fact that you weren't completely alone.

[Themes: fantasy, serious] Year 30 A hand reaches for the pouch on your side; you grab it and open your eyes. "Damn it." Mara exclaims. "I keep telling you, you're not quiet enough and you make more noise than a clumsy orc. I honestly don't know how you don't get caught more often by your marks." You say sitting up. "Well if I do, that's only because I'm doing it like how you taught me." "If you really think that's how I've been teaching you, then you haven't been paying attention and we need to spend even more time training. What time is it?" "Afternoon. You slept through the morning as usual." "Sounds about right. So...early bird, what have you been up to this morning?" "Nothing much really. Just wandering around the city and doing stuff." "Hmm, wouldn't be with that little gang of hoodlums you hang out with sometimes would it?" Mara does answer immediately. "Figured." You say shaking your head. "Why are you so against me having friends?" Mara asks. "I'm not. I just think those idiots are a bad influence." "You're joking right? YOU think other people are a bad influence on me?" "Oh trust me, the irony isn't lost on me, however I would propose that I am at least a bad influence in an efficient way. You keep hanging out with that group of losers and well...you remember what happened to the Crimson Talons?" Mara rolls her eyes. "This isn't Klyton, and my friends aren't the Crimson Talons!" she exclaims. "No they aren't. The Talons were more organized and they STILL got completely wiped out due to being reckless. And while maybe the Jicol Watch isn't as overzealous as the Klyton Militia, but it's only a matter of time before your friends get into a whole mess of trouble that they're going to bring down on their own heads because they think punching old ladies in the street and grabbing their coin pouches to be the height of thievery." You reply. "Only a couple of them do that! And Marco has been telling them not to do it anymore. He said as the Black Hooks, they should be..." You start chuckling. "Black Hooks? They gave themselves a gang name? Oh that's precious. Truly a name that will stir fear into everyone. And you're telling me Marco is the leader? The gang already sucks." "...why...why are you being such an asshole?! Marco's a great guy and he's trying to put it all together with my help! He's a real thief! Just like me and you!" "PFFT!" you say with a mixture of contempt and genuine amusement. "I've met Marco when you first introduced me to all these idiots last year and that boy is NOTHING like me. He wasn't even me at that age. And as for him being like you, I like to think I'm a way better teacher than that despite your previous criticisms." "You don't know what you're talking about, you're just an cranky old man who doesn't want me associating with anyone except you!" "Okay first of all, I'm only fucking thirty. Second of all I do know what the hell I'm talking about. I understand your need for friends your own age, but I'm telling you this is the fucking wrong crowd. I've seen some of these dumb asses in action when I'm going about my own business and they're all going to wind up in a bad end." At this point you stand up and continue your rant. "And as for Marco, of course he wants your help, because out of ALL of them, you're the only real thief there and he's hoping that at least SOME of that shit that I've taught you will rub off on him. Well that and the fact he also wants you around to get in your pants." You remark. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder if that's why you want me around." Mara retorts. You stop for a split second at this outrageous accusation "Wow. You're REALLY going to go there? Y'know, if you really think that, then just fucking go. Go off with your little friends. Well? Go! GET THE FUCK OUT!" you shout. Mara jumps back a bit by your yelling and then without another word, she leaves slamming the door behind you. You slump back down on the bed already feeling drained even though you just woke up. Things were getting a bit tenser with Mara for a couple years now. You chalked it up to her being a teenager, but this latest argument has made you start to wonder if it's worse than just the need to rebel against you. As you try to calm yourself down, Elana jumps up on the bed and very slowly walks over to you. You give her a pet and she curls up to sleep. She does that a lot more nowadays. She's so old, and right about now you're feeling the same way. "(Sigh) It's really damn bad when I'm already missing the old days. Just me and sis against the world. Been downhill ever since that split. Certainly hope she's doing a lot better than I am right now." You continue to brood, thinking about what you should have done or shouldn't have done in your life. Eventually you stop since it's not doing you any good, so you go back to sleep instead. A few hours later you wake up and find that it's nighttime. Mara isn't home, but then maybe she won't ever come back. Still, you can't help but be concerned about her. You can only hope that she knows what the hell she's doing and that you taught her well enough that she doesn't get caught or can get herself out of trouble. In the meantime you decide to get some of your own work done and leave your humble dwellings to go accomplish just that. A few days pass and Mara still hasn't come home. However, you've still been keeping an eye on her from afar. You mostly know where she is and all her hang outs. She spends most of her time in the city district where docks of lesser importance are located. It isn't the best area, but given that she's with her Black Hook friends, you assume that she at least has people to watch her back. (And you figure Marco is especially, but you'd rather not think too much about that) As for the Black Hooks themselves, they're still pretty low as far as Watch is concerned it seems. When the city is more concerned with keeping a strong naval force to ward off any potential pirate attacks, a group of juvenile delinquents that still haven't done much more than petty theft, assault and vandalism, just doesn't rank very high. Honestly, you're more surprised that Mara hasn't gotten bored by them all yet since you know she's a lot more talented than any of them. You know you'd be bored. Then again you suppose you just weren't very social and never wanted to hang around with too many people. Just one that you could trust. Weeks pass and while you continue to keep an eye on her, sometimes you start to wonder if maybe you should let go. Of course if you did let go, you'd have to leave the city altogether, because you just couldn't stick around and NOT look out for her. > You Stay No, you're not going anywhere. Maybe she needs her independence and maybe she's more "worldly" than most would be at her age, but the fact is, she's still young and if she DOES ever need help, you want to be available. Besides, it isn't like you've really got anywhere important to go. Besides this unpleasantness with Mara, your life here in Jicol hasn't been that bad. Certainly better than it was in Klyton or your very brief stay in Hessla. Still, you're starting to wonder if you should try your hand at something new. Not that you really believe that you're starting to get too old for this, but it would be nice to have an income that's steadier. You know that they have Qweepa fights here, but you're a little too attached to Elana to subject her to that. Besides she's too old and you don't think that after having one as a pet that you'd want to willingly risk their little ugly rodent lives even if it is for coin. You think for a moment on the various activities you could be doing and then realize you could be a fence. It's not like you don't have skill in selling stolen items already. You had to do it when the Crimson Talons stopped fencing for you; you still do it now when you're selling to the less honest merchants here. What you need to try to do though is make yourself known to other thieves who are unwilling to or don't know how to wheel and deal with the merchants. Not that you've ever particularly hung out within the "criminal circle" in the city, but you are aware of some of them. You figure you can work your way up to bigger clients in time. You get yourself set up and within a month you get a few of the lesser pickpockets to sell you're a few of the trinkets they've stolen. You in return sell those to whoever is willing to buy. Be it an average citizen on the street that needed for a gift for his girlfriend or a less than honest merchant. As you become more engrossed in this work that you spend less time watching out for Mara, however she's always in the back your mind and you at least try to keep an ear out for possible information. She still hasn't returned of course and that of course still makes you feel a bit down. A month later your mood doesn't change much when Elana dies peacefully in her sleep. You bury the little rodent, thanking her for being the link that allowed you meet Mara in the first place. Perhaps it's due to being a bit lonely and away from the mainland that you start to think about your real family again. You wonder how they're all doing. Is your sister still having her adventures on the road? Are your mom and dad okay? In fact, you get a little home sick and do something out of character, you write a letter to your family explaining that you're doing well. You don't go into great detail of course, you just keep it light and add an apology at the end. You send it by the courier service here, but who knows if it will actually get to them and you have no expectations that you'll hear anything back. A few more months pass and you're approached by a couple of young teenagers. You immediately notice that they both have tattoos of black hooks on their arms. "Hey...um...are you the guy?" one asks. "Am I the guy what?" you answer. "Y'know, the guy that buys shit." You nearly chuckle. Of all the groups that would come to you...then again you suppose it isn't too surprising, what with the Black Hooks being "on the rise" and all. And what the hell, business is business. "If I was, and I'm not saying that I am, do you have something in particular?" you ask. "Yeah! We just ripped this off from that Artifacts of the Ancients place! LOOK!" one of the teenagers remarks and trusts some sort of vase at you. "Are you fucking stupid showing that thing out here in the open? Put that damn thing away and follow me to some place less likely to get us all fucking pinched!" After doing your business with the Black Hooks, you remind them that you also sell items too and if they need anything in particular you could try to acquire it for them. "You have any Green Lotus?" one of them asks. "Not really a drug dealer guys, you'd have better luck at Desolation Alley if that's what you're into. However I can probably find something stronger in a few weeks if you're interested." You say. "Stronger? Fuck yeah! Oh wait, it's not Yellow Devil is it? Because I heard that shit literally melts your brains and body if you use it." "Oh no, not that. What I'm talking about is actually legal, but not just available to most of the public. Physicians use it mostly for surgeries, it's called Numb. Used to be able to get a lot of the stuff back in Klyton thanks to their medical school. Not as easy to get here, but I have my ways. Now normally this would cost you more than a bit of coin, but when I get it I'll give you a discount, but I do want to some information. "What sort of information?" "Do you know a girl named Mara? She's in your gang." "We just joined, so we don't know everyone yet." One of them remarks. "Wait, Mara? She's got black hair and was teaching those other guys how to pick a lock a few days ago. She's Marco's girlfriend." The other says. "Ohhhhh, yeah her. She's fucking pretty, I'd so get her on all fours and fuck the hell out of her." "Hey! That's Marco's girl!" "So? He's not here." "Yeah, but I am. I've looked after that girl for the past five years you asshole." You say. The teen suddenly shuts up. "Um, he was just joking..." his friend says. "Hm, I'm sure. Look never mind all that. I just want you two to give me a report on her, and no, I'm not asking you to snitch any of those precious Black Hook plans or secrets, of yours." "Nothing else?" "No, I just want you to tell me what she's up to and if she's okay." "Well that's okay I guess, but this Numb shit better be worth it!" "Oh, it'll be worth it. Trust me." And with that last bit of assurance, the two teens leave your presence. You hope those two idiots don't make themselves too obvious in performing your task. You'd hate for them to get caught and then Mara come down just to bitch at you about it. You make a note that you need to go do a proper burglary of that Numb addict doctor that lives over across town. You're guessing that he must get it through a very well protected shipment from the mainland. Probably even from Klyton. You also know damn well that the last time you cased his place that you found way more than he would ever need for a private practice of his that small. In the meantime, you have to go see a woman you know who is a sucker for fancy looking vases. > Time passes... Year 32 "I just paid you! Dolan exclaims. "Yeah and you know the damn rules Dolan, you can get Numb AFTER you give me the information as well!" you say. "But I don't know any more! I swear! I'm got my ass chewed out by Marco already for asking too many questions! Hasn't all the other information I've given you in the past been good?" "Hmmm, fine. But I'd advise you to start going easy on this stuff. It's not as simple to acquire anymore. So unless you want to go risk getting that inferior Green Lotus shit that got your buddy killed due to getting a bad batch, I suggest you not even come back unless you got a lot of coin or some information I can actually use. Now you better get out of here before some other Black Hooks come in to sell something and overhear that you're spying on all of them." Dolan meekly takes his small container of Numb and scampers away like the low life he is. The boy had no idea that it was going to lead up to this, though you planned that it would. A somewhat reliable mole in the Black Hooks just so you can keep an ear out on what they're doing, though it's still more to keep a check on Mara who apparently is doing well in her position with Black Hooks though that doesn't surprise you for several reasons. In some ways you're actually proud of her, but as always there is still concern. Especially with what you've been hearing lately and the Jicol Watch is the least of potential problems. A few members of the infamous Ebony Claw Syndicate have been seen in the city. You've already heard the many tales of the Ebony Claw Syndicate. They're a huge organization with a shitload of resources behind them and when they start showing up regularly in a city that usually means it's currently in their sights for expansion. And if they do expand, there isn't much that is going to stop them, as most of the criminal here are unorganized. Anyone who they don't bother to incorporate into their organization is going to just get eliminated. This development has got you slightly more concerned for Mara since as a member of the only potential "organized resistance" to an ECS take over the Black Hooks could very be on the list for elimination. You aren't really sure what you can do though. You haven't spoken to Mara since she left two years ago and she's made no effort to contact you. Of course you haven't really made the effort to speak with her either and it's not like you couldn't meet her alone given the eye you keep on her with your drug addled spy. You suppose you haven't since you aren't sure if she'd want to see you. For a couple days you seriously mull over the idea of going to see her or not and that's when you get a visit from members of the ECS. "Figured it wouldn't be long before you guys showed up." You say when they come through the door. The pair of them are about the sort you'd expect from the ECS, a couple of intimidating muscular guys with tattoos. They don't answer you right away and just briefly look around before addressing you. "I take it you're the fence of this city?" one of them asks. "Well I'm hardly the only one." You reply. "Yes, but we've heard that you're probably the best one." "Really? Glad to hear my reputation is in good standing with the underworld I suppose. Never can quite tell in this line of work as I'm sure you well know." "Hmm, can't say I'm impressed with the Jicol underworld if you're considered the best, but looks can be deceiving I suppose especially since you seem to have even eluded being under suspicion by the Jicol Watch here. It at least shows you know how to keep a low profile, which displays signs of professionalism. In any case my name is Nathan and since you already seemed to know we were going to show up I'm going to go ahead and assume you know why we're here." Nathan says. "Well I can take a guess, but for all I know you might be here to kill me." You reply. "Oh we don't have nearly enough information about this city and it's major players to start killing anyone yet. However it doesn't seem like there are any major players unless we count the actual government...or have we missed someone?" "Are you asking me?" "I don't know, am I? Surely an important man as you knows things. Of course if you're saying you don't know anything, maybe we should talk to someone else..." "Hold on. I didn't say that I didn't know anything. It's just that you're fairly correct about the situation in Jicol. The underworld element here has no real uniting entity and I don't have much to add." "Interesting. So what about this other group I've heard about in passing, the Black Hookers or something?" "Um, the Black Hooks. Yes, mostly an unruly gang of amateur teenagers who think they're tough. Not really that important." "I see. Though from what I hear their numbers are sizable and the youth are easily molded if given the proper motivation and training." You don't respond to Nathan's last response. Nathan at this juncture makes a few eye and hand gestures to his less talkative comrade. Nathan's friend nods and stands by the door while Nathan addresses you again. "Okay friendo, I'm going to tell you this because quite frankly I don't want to be bothered running around speaking to every little two copper thug that's in this city and you seem to deal with most of them anyway. Even if you don't then you know enough of them that they'll spread the word to the rest." "And that word is exactly?" "The ECS is taking over ALL operations here. A pocket isn't going to be picked in this city without us guiding the hand and getting our cut. This might not be today, this might not be tomorrow, it might not even be next year, but we are coming and nobody here is going to stop us." "Anything else?" "Yeah, let everyone know that the ECS isn't unreasonable. If they seek us out for official membership we will consider them. Even if they aren't quite up to our standards, we'll find something for them as an associate. One thing we WILL NOT tolerate however is resistance. So let everyone know, defying the Ebony Claws won't be in their best interest if they wish to continue their choice of careers in the future." You don't have much to add to that, save for a nod. "So I trust I can count on you for this task?" Nathan asks. "Sure, I'll spread the word, though I'm wondering about my place in this new order you're proposing." You say. "Oh I'm not worried about you. You seem intelligent enough to know to step aside when a storm is coming. For now you can continue your business as usual. We can discuss your future when things are more settled. I'm sure we'll talk again many more times soon." Nathan smiles and bids you good day. As he and his friend start to walk out the door, you realize that now you really do have to speak with Mara personally. Later on in the week you go to seek her out, though you stay out of sight until you can get her alone which isn't really a long wait since you find out that she mostly works alone and at night when she's not socializing with her fellow Black Hooks. You follow her for a while as she creeps into a couple closed businesses, and then make your presence known when she's sneaking out of a bakery of all places. "Didn't realize the bakeries were doing so well." You say. "Shit! Oh damn it, there goes my evening snack!" Mara exclaims when she gets startled by you and then drops the pastry she stole. Mara composes herself and then looks at you. She's grown a bit. Granted you knew that and you've seen her from afar, but this the first time in two years you've spoke to her and seen her this close. You sort of expect Mara to either walk away from you or get nasty, but she doesn't, instead you get: "Hey...dad." She says. "So, you're my daughter now?" you ask "Well what would you call us?" "I dunno, you made a pretty damning accusation before you left two years ago." "Yeah...I really shouldn't have said that. Always sort of thought I should apologize to you, but...I dunno...guess I was just too stubborn." "Well I could have apologized as well. I was stubborn too, though I also thought that you'd just yell at me and walk away." "Maybe in the beginning I suppose, but I haven't really been angry at you for a long time. Honestly, I probably shouldn't have gotten as mad as I did, but..." "Yeah I know. You needed to have friends your own age. That's another reason why I just let you be." Mara smirks a bit. "Bullshit. You've still been keeping an eye on me all this time. Even when you stopped physically spying, you got those two idiots Dolan and Addison when he was still alive to spy for you." She replies. "Guilty. So when did Dolan confess his guts to you?" you ask with a bit of a smile. "Actually Dolan and Addison never told me anything directly, but they became so obvious as time wore on that I knew they weren't just being horny guys staring at me and trying to eavesdrop on me. When I found out that several of the Black Hooks would do business with you, I sort of drew my own conclusions after following them around a bit." Mara remarks. "So any reason why you kept it to yourself and didn't tell Marco or even confront me about it?" "Well like I said, I was too stubborn to go see you in person again, and I figured why mess up perfectly good business between you and the Black Hooks? That wouldn't benefit anyone and I didn't want to see you possibly get hurt since I know that you were just concerned about me." Mara then walks forward towards and touches your hand. "You stepped up and looked after me when I was well on my way to an orphanage. At least you taught me skills to survive and were nice. Who knows what would have happened in the orphanage. I won't ever just forget that and I'm sorry we parted the way we did." "Like I said, that's all in the past. Don't worry about that now." "That's good to hear you say that, though I feel like you didn't just come see me to reconnect again." "There's trouble coming for everyone in this city and maybe the Black Hooks most of all." You and Mara go some place more private (And less near some place she just broke into) and you explain the situation with the Ebony Claw Syndicate. While she's definitely listening to you, you don't think she quite appreciates the situation. "The Black Hooks will fight back against these Ebony Claws if they start showing up and throwing their weight around." Mara says. "No, no, that's exactly what you DON'T want to do with these guys. Look Mara, I'll acknowledge that the Black Hooks are more skilled than I originally gave them credit for and they've lasted longer than I thought too. But when it comes down to it, you're all still a bunch of teenagers that don't know shit. The ECS has been around for...shit I dunno even know how long. These guys aren't just a gang like your Black Hook friends or even the Crimson Talons, they're a powerful organization that rivals fucking governments at times. Jicol is a prime meat for them and they aren't going to be denied their dinner." "I hear what you're saying, but how do we really know all this? What I mean is, how do we know it isn't all just stories? Have you really ever had to deal with them in before? They never had a presence in Klyton, maybe their rep is exaggerated." "I won't argue that maybe it is to some degree, but I also don't see the need for a pointless risk. Honestly, the Black Hooks would probably be incorporated into the EBS, you'd probably be fine if you complied." "Perhaps, but I doubt if Marco would agree to it. He's got some plans of his own and getting assimilated or pushed around by a rival group isn't part of it." "Well you better convince him otherwise then, because it won't end well for the Black Hooks if you go to war with the Ebony Claws." Mara has her own suggestion. "Well...can't we all just unite?" Mara asks. "What do you mean?" you ask. "I mean don't you have connections with a lot of the other independent thieves and such? I mean surely they wouldn't want the ECS coming in, pushing them around and taking a cut of their money either." "Well some of them wouldn't be pleased. Others I'd wager would just throw their lot in with ECS thanks to their reputation alone." "But couldn't we convince enough of them to repel this invasion?" "That's a tall order, but...I suppose it could be possible. We'd have to act fast though and we'd have to track down the current ECS outpost here and eliminate them all. I mean leave nobody left. With some luck MAYBE with nobody reporting back to the mainland, the ECS will just assume the worst and not bother sending anyone else. If not, well we just continue with the united front and kill the ECS as they arrive until they stop. I don't have to tell you though how dangerous that's all going to be." Mara seems more receptive to that plan, though you're usually more for anything that's going to result in less risk for life and limb, but you've also got the long term to think about which is do you really want to answer to the ECS? > Comply You've already been given a good deal and fighting the ECS is just crazy. Hopefully you can make Mara see that. "Mara, we only just reunited and I don't want to lose you now. We need to not oppose the ECS." "Okay. I understand. However, I can't just abandon my friends either. I'm going to try to convince them...though I don't know how much success I'm going to have, but I need to try." You hug Mara and breathe a sigh of relief. It isn't the complete break from the Black Hooks that you wanted, but it's a start and she's at least listening. You part ways with Mara and tell her to be careful. You hope that she gives up her plan before things get worse with the ECS. In the meantime you go back to your own business and perform the task that the ECS told you to do. Many of the thieves' express a certain amount of fear and respect upon hearing the Ebony Claws are in the city. Several outright say they're leaving it now. Many others mutter a bit about the end of the independent is at hand. A rare few say they're actually going to oppose the Claws. Madness, you believe with the last group, but you're merely relaying information, not trying to change anyone's minds, other than Mara's. Weeks pass and while you see Mara every now and then still, you begin to worry because you thought she would have given up this foolishness of convincing the Black Hooks by now. She's been going for slow burn of trying to convince them, but so far she's only got a couple who simply say that while they aren't keen on fighting with the ECS, they don't really want to oppose Marco. And convincing him has been completely unsuccessful. You really don't want to interfere since you know if you do, it's possibly just going to drive Mara back into the Black Hooks. Your concern increases when you hear that the Black Hooks killed two of ECS members and burned down a general store, which was acting as their headquarters. Already the Black Hooks are declaring victory over the ECS, which you know is not true. When you ask Dolan what the two men looked like that they killed, they don't match the description of Nathan and his friend at all. The ECS probably has a lot more folks on here than anyone knows. The general store was probably just a business front they were getting ready to set up and their real headquarters is elsewhere. Wherever it is though, you know the Black Hooks don't have long for this world and you need to get Mara the hell out of there. As soon as you're able, you make your way down to the popular Black Hook hangout near a small beach and under a boardwalk. You see a lot of them drinking, laughing and generally having a good time. You don't even get the hostile territorial attitude that you'd expect. "Hey it's fence man! Have a drink! We're celebrating our victory over those Ebony Claw pussies!" one of them says thrusting a bottle of something at you. "Yeah! We just saved the fuckin' city! We're heroes!" another says. "Ohh, who's this one? He's old...but handsome, you wanna give me a spanking daddy?" a mildly drunk girl says to you. You tell them all to get off of you and ask if anyone has seen Mara. None of them have though. You don't have much luck until Marco suddenly shows up. He's certainly grown since the first time Mara brough him around two years ago, but you're hardly intimidated. "What the fuck do you want? This is a private celebration for Black Hooks only, not pussies who quake in fear of the ECS! The ECS that WE just destroyed!" he says. "Yeah, sure you did. Look, I'll leave you assholes to your dead man's party in a moment, but I'm looking for Mara, now where the hell is she?" "Hey cocksucker, I dunno where you THINK you are, but this is fucking Black Hook territory and you're talking to the fucking head of it! You don't come into my fucking place and start..." Before Marco can even finish, you punch him in the face and trip him to the sand. You then place a knee into his chest and pull your flintlock on him. The rest of his minions don't even make a move against you. They just look on in awe. Marco on the other hand looks on in fear. "I don't have time for this shit Marco, I wanna know where my daughter is NOW!" you ask. "Okay! Just don't shoot! I dunno where she is! She kept coming around trying to convince us not to fight with the ECS, but after a really big argument a few days ago, she and a few others that agreed with her finally left for good. I think she's been hanging out with them on the other side of city! And that's all I know, I swear!" You're about to ask where on the other side of the city and that's when you hear the sound of a bolt going into someone followed by their body dropping. Several more bolts, as well as bullets follow. "Oh shit! It's the ECS and there's a shitload of them!" someone screams. You look around from your position and see that there are indeed A LOT of ECS members all armed and surrounding the area. Some of the Black Hooks are trying to escape by swimming out further into the water, but thanks to most of them being drunk, they don't get very far and just become even easier targets Marco pushes you off of him in an attempt to escape, but he gets struck down by crossbow fire after only getting a few paces away from you. You attempt to shout at the ECS explaining that you're not with the Black Hooks, but they're not in a listening mood and as far as their concerned, you were found with them, so... You die on the sand, with several bolts in your body.

Year 32 "I just paid you! Dolan exclaims. "Yeah and you know the damn rules Dolan, you can get Numb AFTER you give me the information as well!" you say. "But I don't know any more! I swear! I'm got my ass chewed out by Marco already for asking too many questions! Hasn't all the other information I've given you in the past been good?" "Hmmm, fine. But I'd advise you to start going easy on this stuff. It's not as simple to acquire anymore. So unless you want to go risk getting that inferior Green Lotus shit that got your buddy killed due to getting a bad batch, I suggest you not even come back unless you got a lot of coin or some information I can actually use. Now you better get out of here before some other Black Hooks come in to sell something and overhear that you're spying on all of them." Dolan meekly takes his small container of Numb and scampers away like the low life he is. The boy had no idea that it was going to lead up to this, though you planned that it would. A somewhat reliable mole in the Black Hooks just so you can keep an ear out on what they're doing, though it's still more to keep a check on Mara who apparently is doing well in her position with Black Hooks though that doesn't surprise you for several reasons. In some ways you're actually proud of her, but as always there is still concern. Especially with what you've been hearing lately and the Jicol Watch is the least of potential problems. A few members of the infamous Ebony Claw Syndicate have been seen in the city. You've already heard the many tales of the Ebony Claw Syndicate. They're a huge organization with a shitload of resources behind them and when they start showing up regularly in a city that usually means it's currently in their sights for expansion. And if they do expand, there isn't much that is going to stop them, as most of the criminal here are unorganized. Anyone who they don't bother to incorporate into their organization is going to just get eliminated. This development has got you slightly more concerned for Mara since as a member of the only potential "organized resistance" to an ECS take over the Black Hooks could very be on the list for elimination. You aren't really sure what you can do though. You haven't spoken to Mara since she left two years ago and she's made no effort to contact you. Of course you haven't really made the effort to speak with her either and it's not like you couldn't meet her alone given the eye you keep on her with your drug addled spy. You suppose you haven't since you aren't sure if she'd want to see you. For a couple days you seriously mull over the idea of going to see her or not and that's when you get a visit from members of the ECS. "Figured it wouldn't be long before you guys showed up." You say when they come through the door. The pair of them are about the sort you'd expect from the ECS, a couple of intimidating muscular guys with tattoos. They don't answer you right away and just briefly look around before addressing you. "I take it you're the fence of this city?" one of them asks. "Well I'm hardly the only one." You reply. "Yes, but we've heard that you're probably the best one." "Really? Glad to hear my reputation is in good standing with the underworld I suppose. Never can quite tell in this line of work as I'm sure you well know." "Hmm, can't say I'm impressed with the Jicol underworld if you're considered the best, but looks can be deceiving I suppose especially since you seem to have even eluded being under suspicion by the Jicol Watch here. It at least shows you know how to keep a low profile, which displays signs of professionalism. In any case my name is Nathan and since you already seemed to know we were going to show up I'm going to go ahead and assume you know why we're here." Nathan says. "Well I can take a guess, but for all I know you might be here to kill me." You reply. "Oh we don't have nearly enough information about this city and it's major players to start killing anyone yet. However it doesn't seem like there are any major players unless we count the actual government...or have we missed someone?" "Are you asking me?" "I don't know, am I? Surely an important man as you knows things. Of course if you're saying you don't know anything, maybe we should talk to someone else..." "Hold on. I didn't say that I didn't know anything. It's just that you're fairly correct about the situation in Jicol. The underworld element here has no real uniting entity and I don't have much to add." "Interesting. So what about this other group I've heard about in passing, the Black Hookers or something?" "Um, the Black Hooks. Yes, mostly an unruly gang of amateur teenagers who think they're tough. Not really that important." "I see. Though from what I hear their numbers are sizable and the youth are easily molded if given the proper motivation and training." You don't respond to Nathan's last response. Nathan at this juncture makes a few eye and hand gestures to his less talkative comrade. Nathan's friend nods and stands by the door while Nathan addresses you again. "Okay friendo, I'm going to tell you this because quite frankly I don't want to be bothered running around speaking to every little two copper thug that's in this city and you seem to deal with most of them anyway. Even if you don't then you know enough of them that they'll spread the word to the rest." "And that word is exactly?" "The ECS is taking over ALL operations here. A pocket isn't going to be picked in this city without us guiding the hand and getting our cut. This might not be today, this might not be tomorrow, it might not even be next year, but we are coming and nobody here is going to stop us." "Anything else?" "Yeah, let everyone know that the ECS isn't unreasonable. If they seek us out for official membership we will consider them. Even if they aren't quite up to our standards, we'll find something for them as an associate. One thing we WILL NOT tolerate however is resistance. So let everyone know, defying the Ebony Claws won't be in their best interest if they wish to continue their choice of careers in the future." You don't have much to add to that, save for a nod. "So I trust I can count on you for this task?" Nathan asks. "Sure, I'll spread the word, though I'm wondering about my place in this new order you're proposing." You say. "Oh I'm not worried about you. You seem intelligent enough to know to step aside when a storm is coming. For now you can continue your business as usual. We can discuss your future when things are more settled. I'm sure we'll talk again many more times soon." Nathan smiles and bids you good day. As he and his friend start to walk out the door, you realize that now you really do have to speak with Mara personally. Later on in the week you go to seek her out, though you stay out of sight until you can get her alone which isn't really a long wait since you find out that she mostly works alone and at night when she's not socializing with her fellow Black Hooks. You follow her for a while as she creeps into a couple closed businesses, and then make your presence known when she's sneaking out of a bakery of all places. "Didn't realize the bakeries were doing so well." You say. "Shit! Oh damn it, there goes my evening snack!" Mara exclaims when she gets startled by you and then drops the pastry she stole. Mara composes herself and then looks at you. She's grown a bit. Granted you knew that and you've seen her from afar, but this the first time in two years you've spoke to her and seen her this close. You sort of expect Mara to either walk away from you or get nasty, but she doesn't, instead you get: "Hey...dad." She says. "So, you're my daughter now?" you ask "Well what would you call us?" "I dunno, you made a pretty damning accusation before you left two years ago." "Yeah...I really shouldn't have said that. Always sort of thought I should apologize to you, but...I dunno...guess I was just too stubborn." "Well I could have apologized as well. I was stubborn too, though I also thought that you'd just yell at me and walk away." "Maybe in the beginning I suppose, but I haven't really been angry at you for a long time. Honestly, I probably shouldn't have gotten as mad as I did, but..." "Yeah I know. You needed to have friends your own age. That's another reason why I just let you be." Mara smirks a bit. "Bullshit. You've still been keeping an eye on me all this time. Even when you stopped physically spying, you got those two idiots Dolan and Addison when he was still alive to spy for you." She replies. "Guilty. So when did Dolan confess his guts to you?" you ask with a bit of a smile. "Actually Dolan and Addison never told me anything directly, but they became so obvious as time wore on that I knew they weren't just being horny guys staring at me and trying to eavesdrop on me. When I found out that several of the Black Hooks would do business with you, I sort of drew my own conclusions after following them around a bit." Mara remarks. "So any reason why you kept it to yourself and didn't tell Marco or even confront me about it?" "Well like I said, I was too stubborn to go see you in person again, and I figured why mess up perfectly good business between you and the Black Hooks? That wouldn't benefit anyone and I didn't want to see you possibly get hurt since I know that you were just concerned about me." Mara then walks forward towards and touches your hand. "You stepped up and looked after me when I was well on my way to an orphanage. At least you taught me skills to survive and were nice. Who knows what would have happened in the orphanage. I won't ever just forget that and I'm sorry we parted the way we did." "Like I said, that's all in the past. Don't worry about that now." "That's good to hear you say that, though I feel like you didn't just come see me to reconnect again." "There's trouble coming for everyone in this city and maybe the Black Hooks most of all." You and Mara go some place more private (And less near some place she just broke into) and you explain the situation with the Ebony Claw Syndicate. While she's definitely listening to you, you don't think she quite appreciates the situation. "The Black Hooks will fight back against these Ebony Claws if they start showing up and throwing their weight around." Mara says. "No, no, that's exactly what you DON'T want to do with these guys. Look Mara, I'll acknowledge that the Black Hooks are more skilled than I originally gave them credit for and they've lasted longer than I thought too. But when it comes down to it, you're all still a bunch of teenagers that don't know shit. The ECS has been around for...shit I dunno even know how long. These guys aren't just a gang like your Black Hook friends or even the Crimson Talons, they're a powerful organization that rivals fucking governments at times. Jicol is a prime meat for them and they aren't going to be denied their dinner." "I hear what you're saying, but how do we really know all this? What I mean is, how do we know it isn't all just stories? Have you really ever had to deal with them in before? They never had a presence in Klyton, maybe their rep is exaggerated." "I won't argue that maybe it is to some degree, but I also don't see the need for a pointless risk. Honestly, the Black Hooks would probably be incorporated into the EBS, you'd probably be fine if you complied." "Perhaps, but I doubt if Marco would agree to it. He's got some plans of his own and getting assimilated or pushed around by a rival group isn't part of it." "Well you better convince him otherwise then, because it won't end well for the Black Hooks if you go to war with the Ebony Claws." Mara has her own suggestion. "Well...can't we all just unite?" Mara asks. "What do you mean?" you ask. "I mean don't you have connections with a lot of the other independent thieves and such? I mean surely they wouldn't want the ECS coming in, pushing them around and taking a cut of their money either." "Well some of them wouldn't be pleased. Others I'd wager would just throw their lot in with ECS thanks to their reputation alone." "But couldn't we convince enough of them to repel this invasion?" "That's a tall order, but...I suppose it could be possible. We'd have to act fast though and we'd have to track down the current ECS outpost here and eliminate them all. I mean leave nobody left. With some luck MAYBE with nobody reporting back to the mainland, the ECS will just assume the worst and not bother sending anyone else. If not, well we just continue with the united front and kill the ECS as they arrive until they stop. I don't have to tell you though how dangerous that's all going to be." Mara seems more receptive to that plan, though you're usually more for anything that's going to result in less risk for life and limb, but you've also got the long term to think about which is do you really want to answer to the ECS? > You Resist You got run out of your home town, you got run out of Klyton, you're sick of running even if the ECS aren't driving you out in the traditional sense. Plus you just reunited with Mara, it would probably be best if you stuck by her if you want to continue a good relationship with her. "Mara, maybe you're right I think we need to fight." You say. "I agree, though I'll admit I'm a little scared." Mara replies. "Well good. You should be scared, because this is going to be dangerous. However, think of it this way. Right now we've got a numerical advantage and the element of surprise. The guy that spoke to me, Nathan seems to labor under the impression that I'm going to comply with his wishes to tell everyone to join them. Obviously I'm going to do the opposite." "Do you think it will work?" "Like I said, it's not going to be easy. I'm going to put out feelers for the ones who I know will resist first. In the meantime, I want you to go tell your boyfriend AND urge to him how serious this is. We need to all coordinate an attack plan and strike only when the time is right. If we go in half assed on this, we're all going to hang. Now are you absolutely sure he and the rest of the Black Hooks aren't going to be likely to join the ECS?" "Very sure. I certainly don't want to and Marco isn't my boyfriend." "...he's not? Hm, guess my information is severely out of date and Dolan isn't as thorough as he claims." "Well... things change, and it hasn't been long. In fact nobody in the Black Hooks really knows yet." "Oh. Um, you okay? I mean is there something really bad that happened that you're not telling me?" "Yeah. It wasn't a bad split or anything like that. Just wasn't working out. Anyway, I think we got more important things to worry about with the Claws." "So we do. Okay, you know what to do and I'm sure we'll be speaking again sometime in the near future. Oh and I suppose you can go ahead and tell Dolan that he doesn't need to worry about spying anymore." "Okay." Before you part ways, you hug Mara who returns it. You tell her to be careful and that you're glad to be speaking with her again. You get to work immediately and eventually you manage to get together a group that you're sure is going to be receptive to opposing the ECS, however a few of them have other concerns. "So who's leading this resistance? You?" one of them asks. "Well I'm more of an organizer, but I suppose we can all contribute ideas." You say. "A council? That sound like a terrible idea. Things like this a lot better with a defined leader." Another says. "I dunno, isn't this the sort of thing we're trying to avoid? I mean we're essentially forming a gang to oppose the ECS. And say we actually succeed, then what? We just avoided getting assimilated or eliminated at the cost of being independent in the first place." yet another responds. "And what about those Black Hook bastards? You said they're going to be involved? Can't say I'm looking forward to that." A fourth says. "I'm telling you one thing right now if that little shit Marco is supposed to be in charge of this, I'm out right now." A fifth says. You can see how difficult is going to be already. "Okay, people, people! I understand all these concerns, but let me address some right now! First, this isn't going to be a gang, its not even going to be a guild. This is just going to be a mutually beneficial alliance. We ALL agree to work together to oppose the ECS or any other threat to our interests. After said threat is gone, we can all go back to being little special grains of sand. As for the Black Hooks, we're going to be allying with them as well, even if they're their own separate entity. We just all need to coordinate and get as many people on board with this as possible." You say. "Can I just say something?" an older man you only know as "Sneaks" asks. "Go ahead." "I faced the ECS on a regular basis many years ago back in Holgard. I belonged to the Thieves Guild there that opposed them. We tried our best, but ultimately they wiped us out. I dare say I'm one of the few that got away to my knowledge. Now I already knew they were in this city before you even called this meeting. I actually planned on catching first ship out of here just because I didn't want to go through this mess again. However, while they might be powerful the ECS tends to abandon places if it's going to cost them more effort than it's worth." The old thief stands up from his chair to continue his speech. "So I think you're correct in that if we do act now before they get entrenched like they did in Holgard, we might just stop them. I'm going to go try to convince a few others that respect my opinion to join us in this task. I urge you all to do the same because if we just let the ECS come in here, it's going to be worse than you think if we just comply." Between you and Sneaks' speeches the rest seem more convinced of this cause. You realize it's still going to take some hammering out all the details, but this is a good start. A bit more discussion goes on and eventually the group breaks up for the night. You tell Sneaks to stick around though since you want to speak with him a little more. "Hey, a lot of your words really helped I think. Pretty sure some of them would have left otherwise." You say. "Well you put all this together so I think you're more responsible than anyone else for this resistance." Sneaks replies. "Funny enough I was seriously considering in just complying when the ECS first approached me, it was someone else who felt fighting was a more worthy pursuit. Glad she did now." "Mmm, glad she did too. I think you would have found life under ECS yoke far less desirable than even fighting them. I was thinking that while it's been well established that this is just a temporary alliance, a couple people were correct in that we probably should have a single leader instead of all of us just shouting ideas. More will get accomplished quicker if you just become the leader. I doubt if anyone is going to have any major objections." "Oh. Well I guess it probably makes the most sense. You seem to have genuine experience in fighting the ECS though, sure you don't want to do it?" you half joke. "Nah, I've never been a leader. I have been an advisor on more than one occasion though, so I'll do that if you need." A few days after you've had your meeting with the independents, you meet up with Mara who has brought Marco with her. You haven't been looking forward to this meeting. You only met him in person once before the first time Mara brought him around two years ago, but he's grown as well. He still has that tone of arrogance in his voice like he knows everything of course. If anything he's even worse. "I don't see why we're waiting around for a bunch of old fucks before striking at these assholes. Word has it, that they've been setting up in a general store on Typhoon street. Me and my Black Hooks could easily take them out! We've been waiting for something like this, we got the gear and we're ready!" Marco says. "Yeah? Well you'll be even more ready if you're just a bit more patient Marco. We need to coordinate plans, not go in half assed. I figured Mara explained this already to you." You reply. Marco scowls a bit. "Hey look, I know this guy is your dad and he deals fairly with us with fencing shit, but he needs to know he can't just tell me what to do. I'M the leader of the Black Hooks and after we're done wiping out these Ebony Claw assholes, we're going to be stepping things up to run this entire city!" "Great, so Mara have the Claw been in contact with any Black Hooks?" you say already getting sick of talking to Marco and deciding to speak with Mara instead. "HEY! I'm the fucking leader! You supposed to be fucking talking to ME about this shit, not my girlfriend!" "First off, I'll talk to who the fuck I want, especially my daughter. Second, I thought you guys broke up." Marco's face drops and he looks more scared than angry. "You...you told him?! You promised you wouldn't say anything!" Marco says. "No! No! I just told him we broke up!" Mara says. "I think I'm missing something here." You say. The rest of the short meeting mostly consists of Mara trying to calm Marco down. You don't know what it's all about, but you've gotten the impression that it's something embarrassing. By the time Marco does calm down, he's even pissier with you and now he's upset with Mara (Though he doesn't get outright angry) Ultimately he grudgingly accepts the plan of waiting until everyone is ready. You nearly ask Mara what that was all about after he leaves, but you figure maybe it should wait for now. You just tell her to continue to be the rational influence in the Black Hooks. You have another meeting later on that week with Sneaks who has already gathered a bit of information on the ECS. He tells you contrary to what Marco believes, they are NOT all gathered in a general store on Typhoon Street. He mentions that's just some front they're already starting to set up. He mentions their real base isn't even in the city; it's in some small ruin on the island. "You followed them outside the city?" you ask. "Yeah, looks like an abandoned temple of Fel. I'm really not surprised given their history." "What do you mean?" "Some of the ECS, mostly the higher ranking ones, have connections to Fel. You're aware of who that is right?" "Sure, god of shadows. Some rogues are into him though most pray to Yag." "Well that's probably because most rogues aren't actively religious and it's easier to say few half assed praises to a god who's just rolling the dice anyway. Dedication to Fel, and I mean true dedication to Fel is a little more involved, but it does seem to have benefits and I've seen those unfortunately in action when I was in Holgard." "Shit. Are you telling me these folks have divine powers?" "No, not all of them, not even most of them. In fact I doubt if any of the ones sent here do. I'm just saying there is a history for high ranking leaders to have shadow powers. In any case, I believe there about thirty or so of them here. It's definitely going to be a fight whenever we attack." "Thirty is a lot more than I expected." "Yeah well they probably were keeping stuff like that secret so if anyone tried anything now, they could determine who was going to be a problem and retaliate in force if they needed to." Sneaks goes on to suggest that perhaps the Black Hooks should lead the assault since Marco is so eager. In fact he actually goes so far to not so subtly suggest that something should happen to Marco in particular. "I'm sort of wondering where this conversation is going Sneaks." You say. "Okay, we both know the Black Hooks are a potential problem in the future. I mean yeah they won't be the ECS, but they could start getting pretty territorial really fast if left unchecked. I'm just saying that the rest of us do a little less to help them and let them take most of the casualties. And if some of them just happen to accidentally get shot by a stray bullet or bolt...well shit happens." Sneaks remarks. "That's...pretty damn shady. Though I have to admit, I do see the logic in it, and I might actually consider it except for one major thing." "What's that?" "Mara is in the Black Hooks and I'm not exactly keen on using her as fodder." "Okay, so I'll just let everyone else know that your daughter is off limits and is not to be targeted." "I dunno. I mean its one thing to let the Black Hooks take the brunt of the casualties, but it's completely another thing to actively kill them in the middle of the fight when we're supposed to be on the same side. Also while Mara might get spared, it's going to be awfully suspicious if she's the only Black Hook survivor. We may not be fond of them, but some of these people are her friends. She isn't a stupid girl and will make her own conclusions." "Well, I suppose it's up to you, but I just don't see it as a bad idea." > You deal with the Black Hooks fairly While the Black Hooks are mostly a bunch of dumb obnoxious teenagers, they're still exactly that, a bunch of dumb obnoxious teenagers. Other than Marco, most of the ones you've had dealings with haven't really been hostile towards you. Most of them are probably going to get themselves kill during this fight anyway, no need for any sort of treachery. "No, we can't afford to start stabbing our allies in the back, especially in this situation. I'm fairly certain the ECS is going to be doing a good enough job of whittling their numbers down anyway." "Probably right. Just providing alternatives. So should we go over when and how we're going to plan this attack?" You and Sneaks first go over the plans a few times, then you share this information with the rest of the Jicol Alliance, after sharing it with them, you share it with the Black Hooks. You still aren't sure of when to attack since you want to make sure to get most if not all in one area and not have to chase any down, given how impatient Marco is getting and the fact that you're really never going to know for sure when the best time is, you just decide to do it sooner rather than later, especially since you're as ready as you all are going to get. You spend the day before the attack mostly getting yourself mentally prepared for this. You haven't killed anyone since Klint and murder in general wasn't really something you ever wanted make a habit of doing. However, you do know it's within you to do it and you're going to have to do it multiple times soon. You just take into consideration that Mara is going to be in danger the whole time and you're going to have to kill in order to make sure she doesn't die. Not that you think she's going to be helpless, but it's a better frame of mind to put yourself in if you're thinking that way for this task. Your forces attack the ECS hideout at night. You actually tell the Black Hooks to stay back a bit since they're more likely to be sloppier and you're trying to keep this attack as silent as possible before an alarm is raised. You and some of the others sneak around and take out a few of the Claws on the perimeter. After about taking care of the ones outside, that's when you signal for the Black Hooks (and everyone else) to follow you in. You actually manage to make it down to the lower level of this temple before on of the Black Hooks' lack of experience start calling attention to the attack and before you know it, the alarm is at last raised. It was good while it lasted. The underground level to this place is almost maze like, with Ebony Claws coming out from behind every corner. You actually manage to stop a few of the Black Hooks from getting killed by pointing out traps that they nearly step on or trip. In fact, they start sticking close to you, Marco or the other more experienced thieves rather than just going off half assed. The whole time this is going on, you're still trying to keep an eye on Mara who you've seen take out at least one person. You aren't sure if she's done that before or this is her first time. You guess you'll ask after this is all over. Bullets, bolts, arrows, blades and traps of all kinds are dodged or blocked many times in this battle. The Ebony Claws fight back with everything they got, which includes several, fire powder bombs that take out a large part of your forces, enough to even up the odds. For your own dislike of the arrogant prick, Marco is actually being a deciding factor in keeping most of the remaining Black Hooks from just turning away and running. You sort of expected him to just be full of bravado and shit his pants when things got bad, but he's really stepping up. Eventually you, Mara, Marco and a few others reach what you believe to be an altar room of some sort. You see Nathan and his friend that came with him when they first met you. "You fucking idiots. You have no idea of the deep shit you're all in. You really think even if you some how manage to kill all of us this day, that you're going to get away with it? Kill them all except that fucker right there, I wanna take my time with him." Nathan shouts while pointing at you. Nathan at this point spout some sort of gibberish and become blurry and you're having a hard time focusing on him. It would seem that Sneaks wasn't entirely correct about none of their number having access to shadow magic. "Marco, you and me deal with the magic asshole, the rest of you cut the other one down and then help us!" you shout. Nathan is moving at a speed that you can barely defend against. If it wasn't for Marco providing an extra target, you might very well be losing badly though given how it's going, you still aren't doing too well. Nathan slashes you across the face with his knife, kicks you in the balls and then slams you to the floor. He then punches you multiple times in the face before Marco manages to recover from his own previous beating and get Nathan off of you by stabbing him in the back. "Bastard!" Nathan grunts and backhands the teen to the floor. Nathan still has more than enough fight in him. He begins cutting up Marco who is desperately trying to cover himself. He manages to roll away and quickly stand up, but he's losing a lot of blood from all the cuts. Meanwhile Mara has finally finished off Nathan's friend and is the only one left from that combat. She rushes in to help you and Marco. Mara attempts to stab Nathan, but he anticipates the move and rather than just dodging it, he spins behind Marco causing her to run him through instead. Mara is in so much shock at what she's done, Nathan takes advantage and pushes Marco's dying body towards her, causing them both to fall to the floor with her partially trapped underneath. Fortunately for you, Nathan is a bit of a gloater and hasn't been paying attention to you like he should. While he was kicking Marco's ass and spouting how stupid it was to oppose the ECS to Mara, you've managed to reload your flintlock. Even with your face half beaten and Nathan already a bit blurring from his shadow magic shit he's using, you're not missing at this range. You fire and you hit Nathan squarely in the kneecap. He screams in agony and collapses. You always heard it was the most painful place to get shot, you never quite believed that before now, because Nathan isn't just screaming he's actually crying and praying to Fel to rescue him. If Fel was listening, he apparently didn't give a shit, because while Nathan was crying and screaming, Mara recovered from her shock rolled out from under Marco and starts stabbing the shit out of him. By the time you stagger over to Mara, Nathan is a bloody mess. "Mara, Mara, I think he's dead." You say touching her shoulder. She looks at you with tears and blood over her face and then stands up to hug you. "I...I'm so glad you're still alive! I couldn't bear to lose you too! So many...so many of my friends..." she says. "I know. I know. But we're alive. That's the important thing. Other than the obvious, are you okay?" "Physically I guess. I mean I feel better than you look right now." "You also look better than I look too." You attempt to joke. "I always did." Mara says with a faint smile. "Hah. Shit, Let me just lean up against this altar for a moment." You say and start reloading your flintlock with another shot. "Do you know if we won?" Mara asks. "I believe we might have won this particular battle. Hopefully none of them got away because I'm not really in any condition to go chasing them down." You say. "Now what?" "Well that is the question I suppose. I imagine we're really not going to know if we're in the clear or not for a while. As I said, the ECS may or may not send more folks here eventually to check on what happened. I'm gonna bet that they will and hopefully not many. If and when that day comes we're going to have to deal with them too. We may even be looking over our shoulder for the rest of our lives if they find out exactly who wiped out everyone, but then again how is that different from how it is now right?" Your conversation with Mara is interrupted by Sneaks who wanders in cautiously. He notes the carnage in the room and nods. "Phew, looks like I missed quite the battle here." Sneaks says. "Yes, but is there still fighting going on elsewhere?" you say. "I don't think so, in fact I'm pretty sure we got them all. I counted thirty-six bodies, not counting these two on the floor." "Looks like there were more than you previously thought." "Yeah, apologies. Curse these old eyes." "You know this one had those shadow magic powers you mentioned." "He did? Shit. Again, my apologies. I really didn't think they would bother to send someone like that here. At least not initially, they usually hold back their heavies for more important tasks." "I dunno, establishing a new base of operations and taking over new territory seems pretty important to me." "Yeah I guess so. But in any case we won. We probably should clean up the bodies and make it seem like nobody was ever here. Also need to hit that storefront in town. There are probably a few there as well. " "Shit, nearly forgot about that. We still have people left in fighting condition?" "Not many, but I think the few that we do will be more than willing to go now." "Good, send them over then." Sneaks nods and tells you he's glad to see you and your daughter made it through this alive before leaving. Mara noticing you frowning a bit. "What's wrong?" Mara asks. "I dunno. Maybe nothing. I mean Sneaks has been pretty helpful...it's just...bah maybe I just have trust issues." "No need to explain to me. It's not like you can trust too many people in this line of work." "Hey, you can always trust me." You say. "I suppose I can." You and Mara leave the bloody room with several bodies behind you. You aren't quite sure what the future holds next, but you survived this day and that's enough for now. > Time passes... Year 35 A hand reaches for the pouch on your nearby dresser; you grab it and open your eyes. "Nope, still not quick or stealthy enough." You say and let go of Mara's hand. "How the hell do you do that? I know I was dead silent that time!" Mara remarks. "Just comes with natural talent I suppose." Mara at this point playfully punches your arm and sits on the side of the bed, as you sit up. "A little early to be harassing me like this don't you think?" you say. "It's the afternoon as usual." Mara tells you. "Well unless the Ebony Claws have been sighted, you know I don't like getting up early...they haven't have they?" "Not that I've heard. Though Sneaks wants to talk to you about a matter concerning that." "Yeah, yeah, he's been wanting to talk for a few days now. Guess I better get over to him today. He's been acting sort of odd lately. Well I guess I better get going...um...Mara?" "What?" "I gotta get dressed." "So don't let me stop you." "Well what I mean is, I sort of need privacy, I mean I'm covered by the sheets right now." "Oh, it's nothing I haven't seen before." "Okay...don't really want to hear or know about any little boyfriends you've been seeing." "I wasn't talking about boyfriends." Mara says with a smirk. Now the conversation has really gotten strange. "Wait a minute, you haven't been spying on me have you?" you exclaim. "Relax, I accidently walked in on you asleep once and you were, shall we say less covered up." Mara says. You feel sort of weird. Slightly embarrassed even. This causes some amusement from Mara. "Okay, I'll leave. You're oddly reserved at times." Mara says and then kisses you on cheek before she leaves. Honestly, you've been getting some weird vibes from Mara lately. Sometimes it feels like she's flirting with you. Which under normal circumstances, you'd probably be perfectly fine with some pretty nineteen year old girl doing that, however in Mara's case you have severe mixed feelings about it. Of course maybe you're just reading too much into things, and you're just the pervert thinking dirty thoughts. Which doesn't make it much better because that's been also increasing lately. Trying not to think about any of that too much longer, you get dressed and head to where Sneaks likes to drink. He tends to be in there a lot so you figure you've got a good chance of catching him there. You're in luck and you do in fact see him. He sees you and waves you over. Ten minutes later... "Are you fucking serious Sneaks?" you exclaim. "Sorry it had to come to this, but after that devastating ECS attack last year, it was decided that you shouldn't be in charge of the Jicol Alliance anymore." Sneaks remarks. "I wasn't really in charge of it before as I remember. It was just supposed to be a loose agreement that we unite whenever the Ebony Claws attack. All I did was organize shit." "Yeah well it was also decided that the Jicol Alliance should be a more permanent institution given the constant threat that the ECS poses." "What?! And when was all this decided?" "I don't really think that's relevant. What is relevant is it's done and you're out. Now of course you're allowed to continue to help in the unified defense of our interests in this city. You and your girlfriend..." "Daughter!" "Yes, of course, my mistake. As I was saying you of course will be allowed in contributing to help when the ECS inevitably comes to attack again. I believe forty percent of your earnings monthly should provide an adequate sum to go towards our defense. Perhaps it could be used to bribe the Captain of the Watch. Get the law to work for us for a change..." You knew it. You knew all those years ago you should have just shot this asshole in that altar room. He's built up his own little circle of friends and turned the Jicol Alliance into a thieves's guild with himself as head of it of course. Angered by what Sneaks is trying to pull here, you stand up and point you finger in his face. Nearby tavern dwellers take notice and you also notice some of them look ready to pull their weapons. Some are new but many are familiar faces. Part of the new Jicol Alliance of course. "Look, you want to form your own guild with yourself as leader, fine. You can have that fucking headache. You want me to help out when the ECS shows up, fine, I'll help. What you're NOT going to do however is start trying to fucking extort me." You say. "Hm, sorry you feel that way, but I'm afraid that this isn't up for negotiation. This is unfortunately for you this is a with us or against us situation. Of course your other option is to leave, I certainly wouldn't stop you. I respect you enough to do that at least." Sneaks responds. "Yeah, thank you and fuck you." Sneaks' expression now turns to one of irritation. "Okay, I'm going to let that slide because I know this is all pretty upsetting for you." Sneaks says. "Upset? Upset? We're pretty much past fucking upset! I should just fucking kill you right now, and don't think I wouldn't be fast enough." You respond. "You're completely right of course, but you'd never make it out of here alive. Even if you somehow did, you'd be on the run from the Jicol Watch for killing me in public." "At least I'd have the satisfaction of killing you." "Y'know while I'm sure you're not probably not interested I could try to explain why I did what I did. Wasn't like I had this planned from the beginning." "Oh great the rationale to clear your guilt. Pfft. Well fine, might as well hear it. I could use a good laugh after all this." "Have I ever told you about my friend Garrick?" Sneaks asks. "Yeah maybe, said you and he ran the thieves' guild in Holgard." You answer in exasperation. "Garrick was a thief, but he had a strong sense of honor, probably too much in our line of work. You actually reminded me of him when you first came proposing the Jicol Alliance to take the fight to the Ebony Claws. Guess that's another reason why I stuck around. I always was a bit too idealistic, even in my old age now. You, much like him, made it really sound like we would win and drive out the Claws. I was ready to follow and I did for many years." "So what did you do? Stab him in the back too?" "As a matter of fact I didn't, though I always wondered if I shouldn't have been so loyal and blindly accepting of his orders as he made one foolish decision after another that eventually got himself and almost everyone else wiped out by the ECS. Maybe if I had, I'd still be in Holgard, perhaps even running things there." "So that's what this is all about? Your boring desire for power?" "That's more of a side benefit and if I THOUGHT you were still the leader you were the first time we opposed the Ebony Claws, I wouldn't have even done this. Each year they've attacked, we've suffered more losses. I don't even know if we're going to survive another, but I know if YOU'RE in charge we won't, so you had to be removed. Look, I'm probably older than I have any right to be in our line of work, but I've learned this. I like living, I like surviving, and the only way I'm going to feel like I'm going to continue doing that is if I have complete control over my fate, rather than it being in your hands." "If you wanted to be in charge, you could have just fucking asked. Instead of all this shit you've pulled and extorting me on top of all of it." "I dunno, maybe you're right. Maybe I've handled this poorly, but it's been my experience that men in power, no matter how reluctant or how miniscule, do not give it up willingly. Garrick certainly wouldn't have and he wasn't a power hungry man, just like you're not. However, a good leader needs to be focused and much like Garrick, you are not focused." "Oh well apologies that my life doesn't revolve around you all the damn time." "That's not exactly what I mean..." "I don't give a shit what you mean, I'm done listening to your long winded story about your excuses." As you start to stand up to leave, Sneaks suddenly shouts at you to stop. Sneaks usually never shouts so actually gets your attention (along with several other people in the tavern) "You wanna know another thing you and Garrick had in common? You both had a young girl in your care. A daughter of sorts if you will. One that you do your best to try treat as adult, but always have that streak of overprotective fatherly love for her. It's an admirable trait, but it's at odds for that other emotion in you. And that's a love for her as a regular woman, because that's what she is now. Maybe young, but she's a woman nonetheless given what's she's seen and done. I see it and you REALLY see it." Sneaks says. "Sneaks, you don't want to go there..." "Yeah, and neither do you. Garrick didn't either and it compromised his ability to lead. Besides all the inner turmoil the man probably felt about the morality of the situation, he constantly tried to make sure his little girl was safe...never mind that in his case she was half fucking demon in question, but the problem you both have is the same. You're always going to place your girlfriend over the organization. Last year that was never more apparent." "How the fuck can you say that? She's risking her life along with everyone else!" "Yes, but only in a limited capacity. You always make sure she's on the less dangerous tasks. I'm not even mad about it. As I said, it's completely understandable that you want to protect your girlfriend." "You call her my girlfriend one more time and you're going to have a short lived reign as Alliance leader." You say leaning forward into the table. Sneaks leans forward as well, meeting your gaze. "I'm not judging you. She's not really your...y'know what? This isn't my business. Sort out your own personal issues on this situation, but I think your real fear is the girl might just feel the same way. In any case, I'll be expecting my cut by the end of this month. If I have the coin, then I'll know I have your cooperation, if I don't receive the payment, then I'll know that I don't." Sneaks then motions for you to leave as if now you can leave. You gladly do so, swearing the whole time. Your mind races about what you can do, what you need to do, what you should do. You really didn't need this right now. Not when your mind has been preoccupied with other things. Other things that Sneaks also got in your head about. You've got an incredible headache by the time you make it home. You just hope Mara isn't lingering around, because you don't think you have the energy to deal with all this yet. She's probably going to want to fight rather than leave. As you open the door to your home, you suddenly feel the sharp jab of a crossbow pointed right at your lower back. "Don't turn around, just get inside." A low voice says to you. You raise your hands and slowly walk inside your home where you see a man completely dressed in black leather and wearing an eye patch. You don't know who this person is, but you can guess where they're from. "Ebony Claw...great. Perfect end to a fucked up day." You say. "Hm, seems I caught the leader of the Jicol Alliance at a bad time? Well too bad, we've got shit to discuss. Bolt, you can leave, I'll take it from here." The man says. You feel the pressure taken off of your lower back and then the front door closing behind you. "Gotta say, figured the Alliance leader would have a better place than this, but then I guess you're not doing too badly. Anyway have a seat, as I said we've got shit to discuss." This asshole no doubt has shadow powers like Nathan and a couple of the other ECS lieutenants you've faced in the past. Still, like all of their type he's arrogant enough to not even relieved you of your weapons and doesn't even have another person with him save for the guy that just left. Whatever he's going to say is most likely going to just be some sort of lie or unreasonable offer. Not to mention the fact that you aren't exactly the leader of the Jicol Alliance anymore and if he knows that, then he's going to wonder what the point is with dealing with you. Still, he could be more powerful than what you've usually faced, or he might even have some advantage like say having Mara hostage somewhere. He seems to know something about you after all. You could at least listen to him while you figure out a better plan than just trying to be quicker on the draw than he is. > You shoot him No sooner have you pulled your pistol, when the man quickly speaks something and waves his hand making all your surroundings go pitch black. You fire wildly and miss him of course. Then you feel a blade going into your neck. The unnatural darkness lifts hen you fall to the ground and see the man standing over you as you choke on your own blood "That was a very silly thing to do. I was going to offer you a deal. Now your rashness has doomed your precious Alliance when you might have saved it." He says shaking his head. It hardly matters that he doesn't know the truth since you're dead before he walks back out the door to methodically murder the rest of the Jicol Alliance himself.

[Themes: fantasy, serious, fantasy] Year 35 A hand reaches for the pouch on your nearby dresser; you grab it and open your eyes. "Nope, still not quick or stealthy enough." You say and let go of Mara's hand. "How the hell do you do that? I know I was dead silent that time!" Mara remarks. "Just comes with natural talent I suppose." Mara at this point playfully punches your arm and sits on the side of the bed, as you sit up. "A little early to be harassing me like this don't you think?" you say. "It's the afternoon as usual." Mara tells you. "Well unless the Ebony Claws have been sighted, you know I don't like getting up early...they haven't have they?" "Not that I've heard. Though Sneaks wants to talk to you about a matter concerning that." "Yeah, yeah, he's been wanting to talk for a few days now. Guess I better get over to him today. He's been acting sort of odd lately. Well I guess I better get going...um...Mara?" "What?" "I gotta get dressed." "So don't let me stop you." "Well what I mean is, I sort of need privacy, I mean I'm covered by the sheets right now." "Oh, it's nothing I haven't seen before." "Okay...don't really want to hear or know about any little boyfriends you've been seeing." "I wasn't talking about boyfriends." Mara says with a smirk. Now the conversation has really gotten strange. "Wait a minute, you haven't been spying on me have you?" you exclaim. "Relax, I accidently walked in on you asleep once and you were, shall we say less covered up." Mara says. You feel sort of weird. Slightly embarrassed even. This causes some amusement from Mara. "Okay, I'll leave. You're oddly reserved at times." Mara says and then kisses you on cheek before she leaves. Honestly, you've been getting some weird vibes from Mara lately. Sometimes it feels like she's flirting with you. Which under normal circumstances, you'd probably be perfectly fine with some pretty nineteen year old girl doing that, however in Mara's case you have severe mixed feelings about it. Of course maybe you're just reading too much into things, and you're just the pervert thinking dirty thoughts. Which doesn't make it much better because that's been also increasing lately. Trying not to think about any of that too much longer, you get dressed and head to where Sneaks likes to drink. He tends to be in there a lot so you figure you've got a good chance of catching him there. You're in luck and you do in fact see him. He sees you and waves you over. Ten minutes later... "Are you fucking serious Sneaks?" you exclaim. "Sorry it had to come to this, but after that devastating ECS attack last year, it was decided that you shouldn't be in charge of the Jicol Alliance anymore." Sneaks remarks. "I wasn't really in charge of it before as I remember. It was just supposed to be a loose agreement that we unite whenever the Ebony Claws attack. All I did was organize shit." "Yeah well it was also decided that the Jicol Alliance should be a more permanent institution given the constant threat that the ECS poses." "What?! And when was all this decided?" "I don't really think that's relevant. What is relevant is it's done and you're out. Now of course you're allowed to continue to help in the unified defense of our interests in this city. You and your girlfriend..." "Daughter!" "Yes, of course, my mistake. As I was saying you of course will be allowed in contributing to help when the ECS inevitably comes to attack again. I believe forty percent of your earnings monthly should provide an adequate sum to go towards our defense. Perhaps it could be used to bribe the Captain of the Watch. Get the law to work for us for a change..." You knew it. You knew all those years ago you should have just shot this asshole in that altar room. He's built up his own little circle of friends and turned the Jicol Alliance into a thieves's guild with himself as head of it of course. Angered by what Sneaks is trying to pull here, you stand up and point you finger in his face. Nearby tavern dwellers take notice and you also notice some of them look ready to pull their weapons. Some are new but many are familiar faces. Part of the new Jicol Alliance of course. "Look, you want to form your own guild with yourself as leader, fine. You can have that fucking headache. You want me to help out when the ECS shows up, fine, I'll help. What you're NOT going to do however is start trying to fucking extort me." You say. "Hm, sorry you feel that way, but I'm afraid that this isn't up for negotiation. This is unfortunately for you this is a with us or against us situation. Of course your other option is to leave, I certainly wouldn't stop you. I respect you enough to do that at least." Sneaks responds. "Yeah, thank you and fuck you." Sneaks' expression now turns to one of irritation. "Okay, I'm going to let that slide because I know this is all pretty upsetting for you." Sneaks says. "Upset? Upset? We're pretty much past fucking upset! I should just fucking kill you right now, and don't think I wouldn't be fast enough." You respond. "You're completely right of course, but you'd never make it out of here alive. Even if you somehow did, you'd be on the run from the Jicol Watch for killing me in public." "At least I'd have the satisfaction of killing you." "Y'know while I'm sure you're not probably not interested I could try to explain why I did what I did. Wasn't like I had this planned from the beginning." "Oh great the rationale to clear your guilt. Pfft. Well fine, might as well hear it. I could use a good laugh after all this." "Have I ever told you about my friend Garrick?" Sneaks asks. "Yeah maybe, said you and he ran the thieves' guild in Holgard." You answer in exasperation. "Garrick was a thief, but he had a strong sense of honor, probably too much in our line of work. You actually reminded me of him when you first came proposing the Jicol Alliance to take the fight to the Ebony Claws. Guess that's another reason why I stuck around. I always was a bit too idealistic, even in my old age now. You, much like him, made it really sound like we would win and drive out the Claws. I was ready to follow and I did for many years." "So what did you do? Stab him in the back too?" "As a matter of fact I didn't, though I always wondered if I shouldn't have been so loyal and blindly accepting of his orders as he made one foolish decision after another that eventually got himself and almost everyone else wiped out by the ECS. Maybe if I had, I'd still be in Holgard, perhaps even running things there." "So that's what this is all about? Your boring desire for power?" "That's more of a side benefit and if I THOUGHT you were still the leader you were the first time we opposed the Ebony Claws, I wouldn't have even done this. Each year they've attacked, we've suffered more losses. I don't even know if we're going to survive another, but I know if YOU'RE in charge we won't, so you had to be removed. Look, I'm probably older than I have any right to be in our line of work, but I've learned this. I like living, I like surviving, and the only way I'm going to feel like I'm going to continue doing that is if I have complete control over my fate, rather than it being in your hands." "If you wanted to be in charge, you could have just fucking asked. Instead of all this shit you've pulled and extorting me on top of all of it." "I dunno, maybe you're right. Maybe I've handled this poorly, but it's been my experience that men in power, no matter how reluctant or how miniscule, do not give it up willingly. Garrick certainly wouldn't have and he wasn't a power hungry man, just like you're not. However, a good leader needs to be focused and much like Garrick, you are not focused." "Oh well apologies that my life doesn't revolve around you all the damn time." "That's not exactly what I mean..." "I don't give a shit what you mean, I'm done listening to your long winded story about your excuses." As you start to stand up to leave, Sneaks suddenly shouts at you to stop. Sneaks usually never shouts so actually gets your attention (along with several other people in the tavern) "You wanna know another thing you and Garrick had in common? You both had a young girl in your care. A daughter of sorts if you will. One that you do your best to try treat as adult, but always have that streak of overprotective fatherly love for her. It's an admirable trait, but it's at odds for that other emotion in you. And that's a love for her as a regular woman, because that's what she is now. Maybe young, but she's a woman nonetheless given what's she's seen and done. I see it and you REALLY see it." Sneaks says. "Sneaks, you don't want to go there..." "Yeah, and neither do you. Garrick didn't either and it compromised his ability to lead. Besides all the inner turmoil the man probably felt about the morality of the situation, he constantly tried to make sure his little girl was safe...never mind that in his case she was half fucking demon in question, but the problem you both have is the same. You're always going to place your girlfriend over the organization. Last year that was never more apparent." "How the fuck can you say that? She's risking her life along with everyone else!" "Yes, but only in a limited capacity. You always make sure she's on the less dangerous tasks. I'm not even mad about it. As I said, it's completely understandable that you want to protect your girlfriend." "You call her my girlfriend one more time and you're going to have a short lived reign as Alliance leader." You say leaning forward into the table. Sneaks leans forward as well, meeting your gaze. "I'm not judging you. She's not really your...y'know what? This isn't my business. Sort out your own personal issues on this situation, but I think your real fear is the girl might just feel the same way. In any case, I'll be expecting my cut by the end of this month. If I have the coin, then I'll know I have your cooperation, if I don't receive the payment, then I'll know that I don't." Sneaks then motions for you to leave as if now you can leave. You gladly do so, swearing the whole time. Your mind races about what you can do, what you need to do, what you should do. You really didn't need this right now. Not when your mind has been preoccupied with other things. Other things that Sneaks also got in your head about. You've got an incredible headache by the time you make it home. You just hope Mara isn't lingering around, because you don't think you have the energy to deal with all this yet. She's probably going to want to fight rather than leave. As you open the door to your home, you suddenly feel the sharp jab of a crossbow pointed right at your lower back. "Don't turn around, just get inside." A low voice says to you. You raise your hands and slowly walk inside your home where you see a man completely dressed in black leather and wearing an eye patch. You don't know who this person is, but you can guess where they're from. "Ebony Claw...great. Perfect end to a fucked up day." You say. "Hm, seems I caught the leader of the Jicol Alliance at a bad time? Well too bad, we've got shit to discuss. Bolt, you can leave, I'll take it from here." The man says. You feel the pressure taken off of your lower back and then the front door closing behind you. "Gotta say, figured the Alliance leader would have a better place than this, but then I guess you're not doing too badly. Anyway have a seat, as I said we've got shit to discuss." This asshole no doubt has shadow powers like Nathan and a couple of the other ECS lieutenants you've faced in the past. Still, like all of their type he's arrogant enough to not even relieved you of your weapons and doesn't even have another person with him save for the guy that just left. Whatever he's going to say is most likely going to just be some sort of lie or unreasonable offer. Not to mention the fact that you aren't exactly the leader of the Jicol Alliance anymore and if he knows that, then he's going to wonder what the point is with dealing with you. Still, he could be more powerful than what you've usually faced, or he might even have some advantage like say having Mara hostage somewhere. He seems to know something about you after all. You could at least listen to him while you figure out a better plan than just trying to be quicker on the draw than he is. > You listen to him With the day it's been, you might as well. You take a seat and watch the Syndicate rep take a few steps back and forth before pulling up a nearby chair to sit as well. You didn't expect him to be so casual. "Okay, first off, my name is Rook and you're probably wondering why I haven't just killed you immediately." Rook says. "I'm listening." You answer. "Information on you lot is always fucking spotty thanks to your location and the fact you've been fairly successful at keeping us off this island and that's been an advantage. I, however have been doing my own leg work for a few days, and while I don't know everything about you lot yet, I know enough that you're the leader, and you've got a pretty young girlfriend." Rook says. "Actually she's my daughter." You remark. "Truly? Hm, the way you two interact...well I'm not here to judge your family business. In any case, sooner or later the Syndicate leadership is going to get it's head out of its collective ass and actually implement a plan that works instead of trying the same damn thing over and over believing that it will. I swear, it's like fucking Holgard all over again." Rook shakes his head at his remark before continuing. "However, before that happens I'm here to offer you a one time deal mainly because change in ECS leadership can only come when dedicated individuals take the initiative on squandered opportunities, such as this place. Especially when they can do it with minimal resource waste." At this point you're wondering if Rook's henchman should have just killed you with a bolt to the back, because this fucker loves the sound of his own pontificating so much that he's killing you with boredom. "You are obviously a dedicated man of convictions. I imagine you believe that the ECS is going to just come in and take away what you consider freedom hence why you've fought us for several years now. Well, I'm here to tell you, you're right BUT if you make a deal with me right now, I will make sure this city remains more or less out of the eye of the Syndicate. You will just give me personally forty percent of what the Jicol Alliance earns monthly and of course there will be some of my people to oversee things just to make sure there are no more attempts at opposing us." Rook says. "You personally? Won't the Syndicate high ups object to that?" you ask. "Oh the appropriate people will be getting a cut too, you don't need to worry about that." "I suppose if I say no, you'll kill me right now." "Not at all, I'll just leave and let you wait for the inevitable. As I said, I'm here on my own accord. I don't particularly have any grand interest in this place unless it's a potential extra moneymaker for me with minimal effort. I promise you though; the Syndicate will take this place eventually. So it's either deal with me now and endure indentured servitude or deal with the Syndicate later and face extinction." It's good deal actually; it's so good in fact you start laughing due to the fact that you can't agree to it, but you do come up with a different one. "Rook, I've got an even better deal for you. How about you and all your people just take this place over completely, but I don't have to give you anything at all and my family just continues to do their own business without interference?" you ask. "Wha...what are you talking about?" Rook asks. "I'm unfortunately not the leader of the Jicol Alliance anymore. One of my closest advisors basically just deposed me and it's now officially a guild rather than a loose collection of vagabonds only united for self-defense." "Wait, when the fuck did this happen!?" "Not long before you ambushed me. If you're thinking about going to him with the same deal though I wouldn't bother." "Oh? And why the fuck shouldn't I? In fact is there any reason why I shouldn't kill you for wasting my time? "Because the guy currently in charge said he fought you lot in Holgard and has no intention on ever giving up to you. In fact part of the reason he strong-armed his way as leader is because he felt I wasn't doing a good enough job. Should have known you couldn't trust a guy that calls himself Sneaks." Rook's one good eye widens and stands up suddenly. "Did you just say Sneaks?" Rook asks. "Yeah." you answer. "That fucker is here? In this city?" "Yeah, you know him?" "Know him? That's the sonofabitch that took out my fucking eye! He was part of the Holgard Guild that gave me fucking grief for YEARS! I've been trying to track down that cocksucker for so long that I can't even believe you're telling me that he's right here!" "I know where he stays and how many other Alliance members there are." "I didn't bring anyone else along on this trip save for my friend Bolt and while I don't doubt we couldn't handle this ourselves, but I'll tell you what, as an act of trust if you come help us, you've got a deal that all your family's business dealings and activities will not be taxed by the Syndicate or even by me personally. I swear to Fel and all the shadows that this will be so." Rook says making some sort of weird gesture afterwards. Normally you'd be skeptical about such a thing, but Rook seems really dedicated to Fel and making declarations like that before one's god is usually a pretty serious thing so you're fairly sure he's being truthful. Not to mention he sounds like he hates Sneaks more than anything else. You give Rook all the necessary information and he tells you to meet him at Sneak's favorite tavern in thirty minutes. You remind Rook that this is a public place, but he tells you once again, not to worry about it and leaves. As you're taking the opportunity to get ready for this (and feeling a little upbeat at the same time about it) Mara comes walking in. "Hey dad, who was that guy who just came from the house? He looked really creepy. Almost reminded me of one of those Ebony Claw guys that have the shadow powers." Mara says. "That's probably because he was." You say. "Yeah, I expected that response. I can't go into too much detail, but A LOT happened from between the time you left this afternoon and now." "Well you're going to have to at least try to explain it to me!" As quickly as you can (And most of it is walking and talking) you fill her in on everything that's happened. It's a lot for her to take in, but her main concern seems to be you and her. "How can we trust this Rook guy? I mean we've been fighting the ECS for years and he's just going to let us go?" Mara says. "That's the deal. As I said, Rook seems to be more interested in building up his own personal powerbase than as the ECS as a whole. And right now he seems to be more interested in revenge. I'd say we're the least of his concerns. He doesn't even need me to help, he just said if I did, he'd honor the deal and considering he made it before his shadow god that's another reason I don't have cause to doubt him." You say. "Well...if you think so." "I have to say, I thought you'd be more opposed to the idea." "Well I'm not exactly thrilled with it, but given that Sneaks and the rest betrayed you, I can see the wisdom in just making a deal to protect our own asses. Personally I'm still hoping they all kill each other, but I'll personally make sure not to target any Ebony Claw members." "You don't really need to come, it's just me that promised." "No, I'm coming too, I'm not going to miss a chance of getting a measure of revenge on the lot that betrayed us too. But I do always think it's sweet that you always try to keep me safe. You always look out for me." Mara says and puts her arm around you briefly and gives you a peck on the cheek. Even in this bit of grim business that you're about to engage in, Mara's actions manage to still make you feel the more anxious than anything else. The way she looks at you with love in her eyes... Sneaks was right. That's what this is and it's clearly there between there between the pair of you. This is probably wrong, but you might very well die in a few minutes so... You grab Mara around the waist and kiss her deeply. When you finally come up for air you both stare at each other. "That was wrong wasn't it?" you ask. "Yeah, probably." Mara replies. "I keep having inappropriate thoughts about you." "Do they involve taking me from behind and slapping my ass while I call you daddy?" "They do now." "Then we better hurry up and kill these assholes then." You and Mara rush to where you're supposed to meet Rook. When you arrive he tells you that there aren't any of the Jicol Watch around and there won't be, so the place is going to be fair game. He mentions don't worry about anyone trying to escape either since Bolt will be outside taking care of that. "I don't see your friend." You say. "And neither will anyone else. I see you brought your daughter along. Good. Extra help is always welcome." "Actually she's my girlfriend." You say proudly causing a bit of a smile from Mara. Rook just stares for a moment, opens his mouth and then stops. "Nevermind. I'm too anxious to kill Sneaks right now. Which brings me to another thing, don't kill him! You can cripple him, maim him or whatever to stop him from attacking you. I don't give a good fuck what condition he's in, just as long as he's alive long enough for me to piss in his face before he dies." "Understood." "Good, you two go in, I'll be right behind you." You and Mara go into the tavern. No sooner has Sneaks seen the pair of you, he already calls for his people to start attacking. Say what you want about Sneaks, but he's not stupid and knows an attack when he sees it. Of course unfortunately for him, you've got very dedicated follower of Fel on your side. Before you even engage one of Sneaks' men, he has already killed two of them using his shadow magic enhanced speed. It's a damn good thing you didn't attack this guy. He's way more powerful than any of the others you faced in the past. He's not just a blur, he's practically invisible. All non-combatants just try to keep their head down as the carnage ensues. Sneaks himself tries to run out the back, but you manage to get in a good shot to the side of his leg, specifically around the knee area. Such an effective place, Sneaks goes crashing to the floor immediately screaming the whole time. He goes for his own pistol, but Mara grabs his hands and stabs daggers through both palms and into the floor. "No, please don't kill me ...(sob) I'll leave!" Sneaks whimpers. "Too late for that I'm afraid. But I should think you for being right about one thing. Mara and I decided to give into our feelings after all. When all this is over with, we're going to REALLY give into them. Thanks for showing me the light, now I think it's time I show you the shadows. I think you know this guy. Apparently he's been looking for you for a long time." Rook suddenly becomes more visible to your eyes and stands over Sneaks who looks like he's seen a ghost from the past. "...YOU! No! Please no! Not him!" Sneaks screams at you. "Good, you remember me. Now you remember this cocksucker?" Rook shouts and then flips up his eye patch revealing a solid black gem, which then shoots a black light into one of Sneaks' own eyes. Sneaks screams in agony that you kill him as his eye gets destroyed by the black light. Sensing that Rook is going to take his time, you decide to ask if you're done. "So, should we just leave you to it then?" you ask. "Yeah, we're good. Bolt and I can hunt down the rest myself. Talk to you later before I leave." Rook says waving you away and now getting ready to burn out Sneaks' other eye. You and Mara leave the tavern with Sneaks' screams still in both of your ears. Surprisingly there's nobody even remotely around nearby outside and you know there was quite a bit of noise made inside. You dunno what the hell Rook did to make that happened, but you can't help think he did some sort of shadow magic shit. None of that matter right now to you though, and by the time you get home, the only thing that matters is what's going between you and Mara in the bed. > Epilogue Epilogue 4: Father Figure Year 36 A hand reaches across your chest and you gently caress it and open your eyes. You feel Mara cuddled up as close as she can against you. It's moments like this that make you appreciate the good fortune you've had in your life. It's had a lot of ups and downs, but right now it's better than it's ever been. Still, you need to get up, but when you attempt to, Mara prevents you from doing so. "No. You stay here. Let's just stay in bed all day." She says. "While that would be nice, I probably should get some work done. Also someone is supposed to come in today to check out those little black statues I got from those pirates a few days ago." "I hope you sell them. They're sort of creepy looking." "I should be able to since I think they're connected to Fel and you know how the Syndicate loves getting their hands on anything related to their unofficial patron god, especially with that temple they're currently in the process of rebuilding. Speaking of the syndicate, you haven't been getting any trouble from them I trust." "No, but a few of them keep trying to get me to join. Though I think they're more interested in me for other reasons. Really gets annoying when I'm on a job. Honestly, I think I need to start learning about what you do a little more. This fencing thing." "I think I'm more of a pawn shop owner nowadays. People of all walks of life just come in and sell or buy from me shit now. I think I became legit without realizing it." "So no more stolen goods?" "I didn't say that. I mean obviously I'm not turning anything down that isn't going to potentially sell for a better price. I'm just pretty sure if the Jicol Watch came in here to search this place I probably wouldn't have to worry considering most of what I deal in is even stolen anymore. Anyway, sure you're welcome to come learn. You always were, I just figured you wouldn't find it as exciting as thievery." "As long as I'm with you, I'm sure you'll make it fun." Mara says with a smile and a kiss. Just as you're about to follow up on that when there's a banging at your door. "Now who the hell is that?" you say. "Just ignore it, maybe they'll go away." Mara says. "I'll just get rid of them now, that banging is annoying." You get up and get dressed. You then leave the bedroom to go tell whoever it is at the door to fuck off. When you open it however, you're met with a big surprise. "By the fucking gods! Is it really you I see there before me?" You ask. "Yep, it's your sister from the same mister! Well don't just stand there with a dumb look you face, give me a hug!" Your sister responds. The pair of you embrace. "It's good to see you after what twenty years?" You say. "Too damn long bro. Too damn long. Hey don't squeeze too tight, I got my mandolin on my back and it's pretty unique." Your sister says. "Well you look good anyway, not sure about your clothing though, a little too colorful for my tastes, but then you always were the flashy one. How the hell did you even find me?" "I had a small lead and took a chance to come here after I visited our parents recently." "A lead?" "Yeah you wrote mom and dad a letter years ago. You said you were in Jicol. Mom kept it." "Wow, I completely forgot that I wrote it. Glad to hear it got to them though. Come on in!" You and your sister pull up a couple of nearby seats to catch up. Your sister goes first and briefly goes into some of the places she's been. She says she actually went to Klyton when she first left home, but didn't stay long due to her not finding it very interesting. Seems as if you two just missed each other when you arrived there. She mentions that when she recently visited your parents, besides being glad to see her, they also told her what happened with you a few months after she left. What's fascinating to you though is apparently you were cleared of murder months after you left! Your father managed to save Annah's life and with her statement and a few others who saw everything reluctantly stepped up to tell the truth, your actions were considered a justified crime of passion rather than outright murder. "So wait, am I still wanted there?" You say. "Well...a lot of time has passed and that sheriff who hated you is long dead now. Klint's father also isn't there anymore, so I think you're in the clear legally, but I wouldn't exactly say you're wanted if you know what I mean. Though Annah apparently still thinks highly of you." "Heh, glad she survived. What about mom and dad?" "They're fine. I suppose this would be a good time to tell you, we got a new brother." "WHAT?! They had another child?! When?!" You exclaim. "I guess shortly after we both left. I think he's about twenty or around that age. He's okay, a bit on the straight-laced side. Guess mom and dad finally got the well behaved child they always wanted." "I guess so...sheesh...I'd ask if you think they'd want to see me, but..." "But what? I mean I'm not saying you would receive a warm welcome, but mom would at least be pleasant and dad...well... are you still pursuing your roguish ways?" "Not as much as I used to I suppose. Maybe I'll just send them another letter." You and your sister chuckle a bit at the last remark and that's when Mara comes walking in on you both, looking a bit concerned. "Hello, this looks...friendly." She says in an icy tone. "Oh shit, I should have said something, I apologize to both of you. Sis, this is the love of my life, Mara." When you say the word "Sis" Mara's frosty attitude drops completely. "Oh! You're the twin sibling! I've actually heard a lot about you and how you guys used to steal shit as a team when you were kids!" Mara says in a much friendlier tone. "Guilty as charged, though he was always just a little bit better at the actual stealing part than I was." Your sister says with a nod. "Yeah, I learned so much from him. We've worked together a lot on so many tasks for years." "Years huh? Just how old are you exactly, if I may ask? You look so young." "Oh I just turned twenty, but he's been teaching me how to survive since I was nine!" At that point your sister's face turns to one of amusement as she then slowly stares at you. You look a little sheepish. "Well I'll give you guys some time alone since I know you'll want to catch up a bit, but are you going to be around in town long? I'd really like to get to know you too." Mara says. "Oh believe me, I'm going to make a point of sticking around a while. I wanna hear all about you." Your sister says. Mara tells you that she'll be back in a few hours and then kisses you goodbye before leaving you alone with your sister who continues to have a big grin on her face. "Okay, first off it's not what you're thinking." You say. "Oh you don't wanna know what I'm thinking." Your sister remarks then starts chuckling. "Something sick no doubt. We only just got together last year!" "Relax, I'm just messing with you. Gotta say though I'm sort of wondering how the hell you came into the care of a young girl in the first place. I'm guessing she's an orphan?" "Yeah. Sometimes I feel like the events that led up to that point were just as strange as the events that occurred after it." "Well it must have all worked out because it seems like you're happy and it sounds like an interesting story. I wouldn't mind hearing all about it." "I figured you would, but I warn you it's a long story." You say. "Best ones usually are." Your sister responds. You begin your tale...

[Themes: fantasy, humor, fantasy] You got run out of your home town, you got run out of Klyton, you're sick of running even if the ECS aren't driving you out in the traditional sense. Plus you just reunited with Mara, it would probably be best if you stuck by her if you want to continue a good relationship with her. "Mara, maybe you're right I think we need to fight." You say. "I agree, though I'll admit I'm a little scared." Mara replies. "Well good. You should be scared, because this is going to be dangerous. However, think of it this way. Right now we've got a numerical advantage and the element of surprise. The guy that spoke to me, Nathan seems to labor under the impression that I'm going to comply with his wishes to tell everyone to join them. Obviously I'm going to do the opposite." "Do you think it will work?" "Like I said, it's not going to be easy. I'm going to put out feelers for the ones who I know will resist first. In the meantime, I want you to go tell your boyfriend AND urge to him how serious this is. We need to all coordinate an attack plan and strike only when the time is right. If we go in half assed on this, we're all going to hang. Now are you absolutely sure he and the rest of the Black Hooks aren't going to be likely to join the ECS?" "Very sure. I certainly don't want to and Marco isn't my boyfriend." "...he's not? Hm, guess my information is severely out of date and Dolan isn't as thorough as he claims." "Well... things change, and it hasn't been long. In fact nobody in the Black Hooks really knows yet." "Oh. Um, you okay? I mean is there something really bad that happened that you're not telling me?" "Yeah. It wasn't a bad split or anything like that. Just wasn't working out. Anyway, I think we got more important things to worry about with the Claws." "So we do. Okay, you know what to do and I'm sure we'll be speaking again sometime in the near future. Oh and I suppose you can go ahead and tell Dolan that he doesn't need to worry about spying anymore." "Okay." Before you part ways, you hug Mara who returns it. You tell her to be careful and that you're glad to be speaking with her again. You get to work immediately and eventually you manage to get together a group that you're sure is going to be receptive to opposing the ECS, however a few of them have other concerns. "So who's leading this resistance? You?" one of them asks. "Well I'm more of an organizer, but I suppose we can all contribute ideas." You say. "A council? That sound like a terrible idea. Things like this a lot better with a defined leader." Another says. "I dunno, isn't this the sort of thing we're trying to avoid? I mean we're essentially forming a gang to oppose the ECS. And say we actually succeed, then what? We just avoided getting assimilated or eliminated at the cost of being independent in the first place." yet another responds. "And what about those Black Hook bastards? You said they're going to be involved? Can't say I'm looking forward to that." A fourth says. "I'm telling you one thing right now if that little shit Marco is supposed to be in charge of this, I'm out right now." A fifth says. You can see how difficult is going to be already. "Okay, people, people! I understand all these concerns, but let me address some right now! First, this isn't going to be a gang, its not even going to be a guild. This is just going to be a mutually beneficial alliance. We ALL agree to work together to oppose the ECS or any other threat to our interests. After said threat is gone, we can all go back to being little special grains of sand. As for the Black Hooks, we're going to be allying with them as well, even if they're their own separate entity. We just all need to coordinate and get as many people on board with this as possible." You say. "Can I just say something?" an older man you only know as "Sneaks" asks. "Go ahead." "I faced the ECS on a regular basis many years ago back in Holgard. I belonged to the Thieves Guild there that opposed them. We tried our best, but ultimately they wiped us out. I dare say I'm one of the few that got away to my knowledge. Now I already knew they were in this city before you even called this meeting. I actually planned on catching first ship out of here just because I didn't want to go through this mess again. However, while they might be powerful the ECS tends to abandon places if it's going to cost them more effort than it's worth." The old thief stands up from his chair to continue his speech. "So I think you're correct in that if we do act now before they get entrenched like they did in Holgard, we might just stop them. I'm going to go try to convince a few others that respect my opinion to join us in this task. I urge you all to do the same because if we just let the ECS come in here, it's going to be worse than you think if we just comply." Between you and Sneaks' speeches the rest seem more convinced of this cause. You realize it's still going to take some hammering out all the details, but this is a good start. A bit more discussion goes on and eventually the group breaks up for the night. You tell Sneaks to stick around though since you want to speak with him a little more. "Hey, a lot of your words really helped I think. Pretty sure some of them would have left otherwise." You say. "Well you put all this together so I think you're more responsible than anyone else for this resistance." Sneaks replies. "Funny enough I was seriously considering in just complying when the ECS first approached me, it was someone else who felt fighting was a more worthy pursuit. Glad she did now." "Mmm, glad she did too. I think you would have found life under ECS yoke far less desirable than even fighting them. I was thinking that while it's been well established that this is just a temporary alliance, a couple people were correct in that we probably should have a single leader instead of all of us just shouting ideas. More will get accomplished quicker if you just become the leader. I doubt if anyone is going to have any major objections." "Oh. Well I guess it probably makes the most sense. You seem to have genuine experience in fighting the ECS though, sure you don't want to do it?" you half joke. "Nah, I've never been a leader. I have been an advisor on more than one occasion though, so I'll do that if you need." A few days after you've had your meeting with the independents, you meet up with Mara who has brought Marco with her. You haven't been looking forward to this meeting. You only met him in person once before the first time Mara brought him around two years ago, but he's grown as well. He still has that tone of arrogance in his voice like he knows everything of course. If anything he's even worse. "I don't see why we're waiting around for a bunch of old fucks before striking at these assholes. Word has it, that they've been setting up in a general store on Typhoon street. Me and my Black Hooks could easily take them out! We've been waiting for something like this, we got the gear and we're ready!" Marco says. "Yeah? Well you'll be even more ready if you're just a bit more patient Marco. We need to coordinate plans, not go in half assed. I figured Mara explained this already to you." You reply. Marco scowls a bit. "Hey look, I know this guy is your dad and he deals fairly with us with fencing shit, but he needs to know he can't just tell me what to do. I'M the leader of the Black Hooks and after we're done wiping out these Ebony Claw assholes, we're going to be stepping things up to run this entire city!" "Great, so Mara have the Claw been in contact with any Black Hooks?" you say already getting sick of talking to Marco and deciding to speak with Mara instead. "HEY! I'm the fucking leader! You supposed to be fucking talking to ME about this shit, not my girlfriend!" "First off, I'll talk to who the fuck I want, especially my daughter. Second, I thought you guys broke up." Marco's face drops and he looks more scared than angry. "You...you told him?! You promised you wouldn't say anything!" Marco says. "No! No! I just told him we broke up!" Mara says. "I think I'm missing something here." You say. The rest of the short meeting mostly consists of Mara trying to calm Marco down. You don't know what it's all about, but you've gotten the impression that it's something embarrassing. By the time Marco does calm down, he's even pissier with you and now he's upset with Mara (Though he doesn't get outright angry) Ultimately he grudgingly accepts the plan of waiting until everyone is ready. You nearly ask Mara what that was all about after he leaves, but you figure maybe it should wait for now. You just tell her to continue to be the rational influence in the Black Hooks. You have another meeting later on that week with Sneaks who has already gathered a bit of information on the ECS. He tells you contrary to what Marco believes, they are NOT all gathered in a general store on Typhoon Street. He mentions that's just some front they're already starting to set up. He mentions their real base isn't even in the city; it's in some small ruin on the island. "You followed them outside the city?" you ask. "Yeah, looks like an abandoned temple of Fel. I'm really not surprised given their history." "What do you mean?" "Some of the ECS, mostly the higher ranking ones, have connections to Fel. You're aware of who that is right?" "Sure, god of shadows. Some rogues are into him though most pray to Yag." "Well that's probably because most rogues aren't actively religious and it's easier to say few half assed praises to a god who's just rolling the dice anyway. Dedication to Fel, and I mean true dedication to Fel is a little more involved, but it does seem to have benefits and I've seen those unfortunately in action when I was in Holgard." "Shit. Are you telling me these folks have divine powers?" "No, not all of them, not even most of them. In fact I doubt if any of the ones sent here do. I'm just saying there is a history for high ranking leaders to have shadow powers. In any case, I believe there about thirty or so of them here. It's definitely going to be a fight whenever we attack." "Thirty is a lot more than I expected." "Yeah well they probably were keeping stuff like that secret so if anyone tried anything now, they could determine who was going to be a problem and retaliate in force if they needed to." Sneaks goes on to suggest that perhaps the Black Hooks should lead the assault since Marco is so eager. In fact he actually goes so far to not so subtly suggest that something should happen to Marco in particular. "I'm sort of wondering where this conversation is going Sneaks." You say. "Okay, we both know the Black Hooks are a potential problem in the future. I mean yeah they won't be the ECS, but they could start getting pretty territorial really fast if left unchecked. I'm just saying that the rest of us do a little less to help them and let them take most of the casualties. And if some of them just happen to accidentally get shot by a stray bullet or bolt...well shit happens." Sneaks remarks. "That's...pretty damn shady. Though I have to admit, I do see the logic in it, and I might actually consider it except for one major thing." "What's that?" "Mara is in the Black Hooks and I'm not exactly keen on using her as fodder." "Okay, so I'll just let everyone else know that your daughter is off limits and is not to be targeted." "I dunno. I mean its one thing to let the Black Hooks take the brunt of the casualties, but it's completely another thing to actively kill them in the middle of the fight when we're supposed to be on the same side. Also while Mara might get spared, it's going to be awfully suspicious if she's the only Black Hook survivor. We may not be fond of them, but some of these people are her friends. She isn't a stupid girl and will make her own conclusions." "Well, I suppose it's up to you, but I just don't see it as a bad idea." > You use treachery Sneaks is correct, the Black Hooks are going to be just as big of an issue later on. Sure they may be just a bunch of obnoxious teenagers that are half assed thugs and thieves now, but eventually they're going to get smarter, better and more aggressive. And you already know that Marco has ideas about his gang eventually controlling the entire city. "Yeah, it's grim business, but we probably should. We'll let the Black Hooks go charging in first. I'm going to try to keep Mara close to me, but if she should get away from me, I don't have to tell you that she isn't to be targeted. Also you need to make sure she doesn't see anyone killing a Black Hook member." you say. "Goes without saying. So should we go over when and how we're going to plan this attack?" Sneaks asks. You and Sneaks first go over the plans a few times, then you share this information with the rest of the Jicol Alliance, after sharing it with them, you share it with the Black Hooks. You still aren't sure of when to attack since you want to make sure to get most if not all in one area and not have to chase any down, given how impatient Marco is getting and the fact that you're really never going to know for sure when the best time is, you just decide to do it sooner rather than later, especially since you're as ready as you all are going to get. You spend the day before the attack mostly getting yourself mentally prepared for this. You haven't killed anyone since Klint and murder in general wasn't really something you ever wanted make a habit of doing. However, you do know it's within you to do it and you're going to have to do it multiple times soon. You just take into consideration that Mara is going to be in danger the whole time and you're going to have to kill in order to make sure she doesn't die. Not that you think she's going to be helpless, but it's a better frame of mind to put yourself in if you're thinking that way for this task. Your forces attack the ECS hideout at night. You tell the Black Hooks to take the lead and eliminate the outside sentries first. They almost succeed in doing it stealthy, but of course some of them fail in a quiet kill and an alarm has already been raised. The fight on the first floor isn't too bad, but by the time you get to the underground level which is like a maze, the Black Hooks are dropping like flies. Besides getting killed by Ebony Claws lurking around every corner, they're not paying attention to how trapped this place is. At the rate they're dying, nobody will have to bother stabbing any in the back. The whole time this is going on, you're still trying to keep an eye on Mara who you've seen take out at least one person. You aren't sure if she's done that before or this is her first time. You guess you'll ask after this is all over. Bullets, bolts, arrows, blades and traps of all kinds are dodged or blocked many times in this battle. The Ebony Claws fight back with everything they got, which includes several, fire powder bombs that take out a large part of your forces, enough to tip the odds in their favor mainly because the Black Hooks have been completely decimated and now the Alliance is starting to take the casualties. While you planned on killing Marco yourself, he's already dead from getting blown to pieces by a firebomb. Say what you want about the guy, he actually was keeping the remaining Black Hooks from running away. You have no doubt that the run aways will be killed by Alliance members lagging behind, though you're starting to think that employing treachery might not have been the way to go about this. Eventually you and Mara, reach what you believe to be an altar room of some sort. You see Nathan and his friend that came with him when they first met you. "You fucking idiots. You have no idea of the deep shit you're all in. You really think even if you some how manage to kill all of us this day, that you're going to get away with it? Kill the bitch, I'm gonna take my time with this one." Nathan shouts while pointing at you. Nathan at this point spout some sort of gibberish and become blurry and you're having a hard time focusing on him. It would seem that Sneaks wasn't entirely correct about none of their number having access to shadow magic. I'll deal with the magic asshole, you cut the other one down and then help me!" you shout to Mara. Nathan is moving at a speed that you can barely defend against. He slashes you across the face with his knife, kicks you in the balls and then slams you to the floor. He then punches you multiple times in the face before blinding you completely by stabbing you in both eyes. You're left screaming and bloody on the floor and in darkness when Mara knocks Nathan off of you. Mara has only given you temporary relief since Nathan quickly dispatches her. You crawl around on the floor and hear Nathan gloat about what he's done to you and how he's going to make you suffer even more, and that's when you hear a gunshot, followed by the slumping of a body. The gloating has ceased. "MARA?! MARA?! Are you there!?" you scream out, hoping that she's still alive. Hoping she's the one that shot Nathan. "She's dead I'm afraid." You hear Sneaks say. "No!" you cry out. Between your physical pain and now your emotional pain, you're a gibbering wreck. Sneaks, without another word reloads his flintlock and shoots you. Whether that's because he's a treacherous bastard or whether he was putting you out of your misery, you'll never know. Doesn't matter since in those last moments, you wanted to die.

This really goes against everything you tend to believe in, but maybe due to a combination of several bad things you've experienced lately, you're still hoping that MAYBE somehow doing something half way "decent" that the gods or fate or whatever will reward you in some way. (Even though you don't really believe in a lot of that anyway) First thing you do is calm the little girl down and ask her name since this will be a whole lot easier if you know what to call her. "Mara." She says. "Okay, first question. Do you know where you mom might have went or where she goes to look for work?" you ask. "I dunno, mostly the taverns?" the little girl asks. "...that really narrows it down...(sigh) alright, I guess I can just try the closest ones in the area. I'll also need a physical description of her." "She's real pretty. She has a flower name too, Violet. Her hair is black like mine and she...um...her chest is sort of large." Well you weren't expecting her to give that description of her mom, but you suppose it does help narrow things down a bit more. "Okay, that helps a little...hey wait a minute. Did you ask Virgil to help?" you ask. "The friendly old priest that smells funny? Yeah, I went to his room, but he wouldn't move no matter how much I pushed him. He just kept snoring." Mara replies. "Well this is important, and I'll go wake him up. He's supposed to be doing good deeds anyway. In the meantime you just stay here and Elana will keep you company." "Will you come back with her?" "I promise that I'll come back." Is all you can say to her before you bid her goodbye. Of course before you leave, you head to where Virgil sleeps in this church. Sure enough he's snoring soundly. Not excessively loud, but he's definitely flat out. You don't bother with the pushing or yelling to wake him up; you just drag him out of bed by his crusty feet. He wakes up just before he hits the floor. "Hey what the...OW! Shit! You?! What the fuck are you dragging me out of bed for?!" Virgil exclaims. You actually sort of smile since that's more along the line of the old Virgil that you were familiar with. "Aren't you supposed to be cutting down on the vulgarities now that you're all holy again? You've woke me up plenty of times in the past banging on my door, so consider this payback. Besides, a little girl needs help and you're supposed to be doing this sort of shit anyway." You say. "Little girl? What's going on?" You explain the situation to Virgil, who slowly starts becoming more alert. As you explain, he seems to remember Violet quite well. (Or her tits at least) "Yes, yes, I know who you're talking about. I'm not sure what to say though. Violet is a prostitute or at least she was trying to get out of that life for the sake of her daughter as far as I know. I mean I know she was trying to get a job as a waitress with little success, but if she's disappeared during the night, she might have sadly gone back to her old ways and strayed from Joachim's path." Virgil remarks. Raven haired beauty with big tits and worked as a whore, now you're wondering how the hell you never noticed her before. "Well let's try the taverns first I guess." You say. "Why am I going with you?" Virgil asks. "Because isn't it your damn job to help the downtrodden and innocent? Besides, you being an ex-drunk, I figure that you know where ALL the closest taverns are. Also the militia is on my ass constantly, and if they catch me walking around at night, they'll probably just beat my head in and throw me in jail. I figure if I'm walking around with a priest I shouldn't get harassed as much. Not like you have anything better to do anyway." "Um...yeah, but...you're talking about going to several taverns...I'm just not sure I should be around that much temptation." "Oh for...just come on! If you start getting thirsty, I'll slap you in the back of the head to remind you of Joachim's light or something." Virgil reluctantly agrees to help, and soon the pair of you are off to go tavern hopping, but not in the good way. You go to several taverns and while a couple people say they remember seeing her or even interacting with her, they tell you they haven't seen her today. Virgil meanwhile looks longingly at every mug, glass and bottle containing alcohol. It isn't excessively hard to pull him away, but it's obviously a struggle. "I beseech you, no more taverns! The temptation is getting to me and it's taking all my faith in Joachim to give me strength to resist!" Virgil begs. "Okay, okay...(sigh) might as well give up anyway. We've covered a lot more ground than I thought we were and still haven't found shit. I guess we can start trying to brothels." You say. "Um, I don't think so." "What? Are the whores going to be too much temptation too? I thought your weakness was the booze, not the women." "No, it's not that. It's just I doubt very seriously that she's working in one of the Klyton brothels. At least none of the legal ones. If she was back to whoring, she'd be doing it illegally and who knows where." "I don't understand, Mara said her mom was pretty and you even seemed to confirm that. Wouldn't she be good enough of one of those places? She a Yellow Devil addict or something?" "No, nothing like that. In fact she used to work at Madam Moonlight's place, but she did something that severely pissed off Moonlight. I dunno what, but it was bad enough to get her fired and Moonlight apparently pulled strings at every other sanctioned brothel to not hire her." "Hm, I guess that makes sense, I've seen Moonlight get pissed at unruly customers and makes them sorry they got out of line. Guess the same goes for her employees. Still surprised I've never bumped into this woman before. Well I'm out of ideas, I mean we can't realistically go to every inn or back alley, to look for her." "I think the only thing that can be done is to go back. Sometimes we must just place faith in Joachim that he will influence events to a positive end. I'm sure the girl's mother will come back, she may already be back for all we know." "Yeah maybe..." You suddenly remember something terrible. "SHIT!" you exclaim. "What?" Virgil asks. "In all the rush to help the girl, I left all my shit at the church and I didn't even bother to hide it before I left! My savings!" "I doubt very seriously that anyone is going to ransack your belongings and steal what you have. All of those folks are Joachim fearing and righteous." "Oh? Then what am I doing there then?" "Erm...well on the other hand it would be quite amusing if Joachim balanced things by taking away your wealth." "What the hell? Why are you condoning theft just because it's me?!" "I'm not, but I'm just saying there would be a kind of justice if it did occur, considering your own profession...speaking of which...Brother Thadius has expressed concerns about you continuing to sleep in the church. I've tried to assure him that you're looking for real work, but I think we both know that isn't true and I hate lying to the man. I'm already under scrutiny for..." "I can't discuss this right now, I gotta go!" You run off to leave Virgil behind and race back to the church. Unfortunately along the way you nearly bump straight into two militiamen who happen to be patrolling. They see you running and jump to their own conclusions. "HALT!" one of them shouts. You haven't done anything wrong and you don't even have anything stolen on you since you left all your stuff at the church. Legally they can't really do anything to you...however that's never stopped the militia from severely fucking with you before. > You Run You immediately make a break for it and the militia is soon in pursuit and shouting for any of their fellows within earshot to help them. It's actually easier than usual to lose the militia since the darkness is more your friend. After a short chase, a few turns down side streets and backtracks later and you've lost them. Then you turn a corner and get an unexpected elbow in the face. You stagger back and fall on your ass. Before you can get up though, two militia men have grabbed you. "See? Told you, this one isn't half as clever as he thinks he is. He's been doing the same tricks to elude us for the past week, well not this time. Anticipated your ass didn't we?" one of the militia sneers. "Whatever...you still don't have anything on me. I didn't steal shit tonight." "Silent! We're going to find out soon." While the two men are roughly searching you, another one comes running up to them. "Hey! What the hell are you two doing? You're supposed to be down in the sewers helping with taking out those Talon bastards. The captain's been looking all over for you and he's pissed!" he remarks. "What? We got assigned street patrol duty tonight!" "Well you've got new orders then, come on let's go. Who's this one?" "This is the sneak thief who ratted on the Talons in the first place to save his own hide. Claims he doesn't have anything stolen on him, but I KNOW he's been up to something!" "Well knock him out and quickly throw him in a cell because we need to get into the sewers before the shit goes down. He can be dealt with later." And with those words, you get smashed in the back of the head causing you to go unconscious. When you wake up, you find yourself lying on the dirty smelly floor of a jail cell. Nearby another man sits on a bench with his attention draw towards you now that you're awake. "You okay there friend? When they brought you in last night I thought they were dragging in a corpse. Your head was bloody and you were flat out." He says. You groggily sit up and rub the back of your head which now has dried blood on it. (and so does the floor you just got off of) They really clobbered you a good one. Now you're just wondering if you're heading for deeper shit soon. "So, what are you in here for?" the man asks. "Misunderstanding." You respond "Hah, that's an understatement I'll bet. Still, those militia bastards will find any excuse to bust someone's skull open. They got me in here for drunk and disorderly conduct. I'd only had a few drinks and some asshole got in my face so I punched him. Next thing I knew I was getting hauled in here by a couple of militia dicks who just happened to be heading into that tavern for a quick drink. Just my fucking bad luck right?" "Hm, that's rough." You say as you start to get up off the floor and use the cell bars as leverage. "I'll say. But then my luck never has been the best. I think Yag must be perpetually rolling snake eyes for me. I'm probably going to be in more trouble when I get out of here. I was supposed to meet up with my buddies last night. Bah, I guess I'll just have to deal with the consequences, whatever they may be." As your overly talkative cellmate goes on about his unlucky lot in life, you are more concerned with your own. You are surprised to soon see Captain Branik himself walk down the hallway with a ring of keys in hand. This could be good or bad. "Ah, you're up. Apologies about the overzealousness of my men last night, but then again they did have to make sure you weren't up to your usual criminal activity. Especially not when we had a whole ring of criminals to round up and eliminate. You'll be happy to know that I found all your information to be very helpful. The raid was a complete success." Branik says. "What's going on now?" you ask. "The raid on the Crimson Talon hideout. We went in and laid waste to the place and the criminal scum within it." "Wait, you destroyed the Talons last night? As in they're all dead?" your cellmate asks, eavesdropping on the conversation. "Oh yes. They all violently resist arrest and there was nothing else to be done, though I imagine most of their crimes would have just gotten them the hanging cages or execution anyway. Probably for the best. Saves time and paperwork." Captain Branik chuckles at his last remark and unlocks your cell door. "Wow. They were the biggest criminal organization in Klyton and had been around for decades. And now they're all just gone. Guess Yag finally rolled snake eyes for them." Your cellmate remarks. "Are you SURE they're ALL gone?" you ask Branik, still thinking about the potential repercussions of snitching on them. "Worry not snitchy, they're all fucking dead. We're very thorough when it comes to cleaning out the filth. Speaking of cleaning out the filth, I suppose you're free to go now and I'd advise you to leave the city. Consider this your payment for helping out the Klyton militia." "Great. Always my pleasure to help out the men of the law." You remark leaving the cell. "You're free to go too, drunky, and you better learn how behave yourself in the future or else you'll get a stiffer penalty than just getting thrown in a nice cell to dry out in!" Branik says. You waste no time in leaving the militia barracks and start pondering your next move. You need to get back to the church to make sure if any of your shit is still there. You fully expect to find that your savings has been ransacked in your absence, but either way from there, you're leaving this fucking city. As you're walking and thinking a familiar voice pipes up next to you. "Man, I'm surprised they let either one of us out of there. The militia are usually reluctant to ever let anyone leave their cells unless it's to go into a hanging cage or a hangman's rope." Your former cellmate says. "Uh huh." You remark. "So, back there, captain asshole said that you gave them information about the Crimson Talons to take them down? Man, that took some big balls to do! There's no way I could ever do something like that! I'd be way too concerned about one of them killing me for snitching." "Yeah well, they're all dead now. No more worries." "True. You know what else takes big balls though?" "What?!" you respond exasperated and wondering why this dickhead is still talking to you. You get your answer and quick stab to the side of your neck. "Shanking a snitch bitch in broad daylight only a few steps away from the militia barracks!" he says and runs off before your body even falls to the ground. Your last moments as you bleed out and gurgle up blood are the sight of slack jawed onlookers watching you die and the shouting of others calling for the militia.

[Themes: fantasy] You can't believe that you're actually leaning towards being the "responsible" one here. "Look, I get that this is all very exciting for you seeing as you've lived a sheltered rich life and all..." "I am not rich or sheltered! My father has to bust his ass making my tuition payments!" "...yeah...in any case. I've been to this town before and its reputation is well earned. There are people here that make the dregs of Klyton look like priests of Joachim and if you run afoul of them, it isn't going to be good for you." "Pfft, I can handle trouble." Kelium says and flexes his muscles a bit and pulls a sword out of his bag. "Yeah, maybe you could handle one person, but the problem is these sort don't travel alone, they ALWAYS travel in packs and I can honestly say that YOU are not going to handle five or even three by yourself." "Well wouldn't you help me? I mean isn't that why you're here?" "Your job or assignment is to get some monster crab eggs. MY job is to help you in that task. My job is NOT however looking after your ass while you look for fun or trouble. Now I suggest you get some rest which is what I'm going to do because giant snail monsters that spit poison sound like they need full attention." You fully expect Kelium to argue some more with you, but he doesn't. You also expect him to just leave the room by himself, but he doesn't do that either thankfully. He just says he thought you were going to be fun and starts reading through some of his papers. Feeling a little pleased with yourself, you lay down on your bed and attempt to get to sleep before Kelium genuinely starts to get tired again, because if he starts snoring there is no way you're going to get any sleep. Much later, you groggily wake up and find that your speech was less effective than you thought. Kelium is not in your room. In fact, it doesn't even look like his bed has been slept in. You just shake your head and groan. "Stupid fucker probably got himself enslaved or his throat cut." you mutter, as you get yourself prepared to go look for this idiot. The first stop you make is Yvette's room. "Hey Yvette." You say knocking on the door. "Um...yes?" she answers, but not opening the door. "Is Kelium in there?" "No, why would he be? What are you implying?" "...what? Nothing! I'm just asking because he's gone, and it doesn't look like he's slept in his bed either. I'm guessing he took off to have fun in the middle of the night." "Oh dear. Um...well hold on, I have to get ready. I'll be out soon." Yvette says. You half wonder if Kelium is in there and he's climbing out of a window. If that is the case, it's going to be real obvious if he and Yvette slept together last night. You aren't sure why Yvette would bother hiding it though; it isn't like you really give a shit. As it turns out however, that isn't the case at all and you don't even have far to go to find Kelium. You find him just outside the Sea Dog, stripped nearly naked and lying unconscious by the street. "Well, at least that's one less thing to worry about." You say to yourself and begin the undesirable task of dragging his ass back inside. It's sometime at this point, Kelium begins to rouse from his unconsciousness. In between the name-calling and laughter by the locals, you manage to get him back to the room where Yvette joins you both. Kelium has a wicked hang over, but manages to explain what he remembers. He says that after you fell asleep he went out to explore the town and soon found himself in a card game at some place that he can't remember the name of. He claims he was winning and also says that someone must have drugged his drink and robbed him of everything. "I told you not to go out. You're just lucky that getting robbed blind was all that happened to you." You say. "Yeah, yeah, fuck. You sound like some old bitch. Shit. My head. Alright fine. Just let me get my spare clothes, and we can go get these fucking eggs." Kelium says. "Wait, we're going now? Are you in condition to do this? Maybe we should wait a day." Yvette asks. "I'll be fucking fine! Besides, I just lost all my money. We can't afford to stay here another night. We need to get these eggs today and then get the fuck outta this shitty town." You don't even ask HOW you're supposed to get back to Klyton if he's lost all his money. Though you've brought a little with you, so you suppose you'll be footing the carriage bill. Like Yvette, you aren't sure if Kelium is in the best condition to go do this, but you're certainly not going to be paying for more time at the inn either, so if he thinks he's good to go, then you are too. Besides, you're going to be happy when this is over with and you're questioning why you ever decided to do this again. "Adventurous...I should have that drunk Virgil check me for demonic possession." You mutter. After Kelium gets dressed and gathers his supplies (Which at least he's carrying), the three of you set off on your journey to get these eggs. Unfortunately, its not just a simple matter of sticking to the coast and finding them along the shore, Kelium says you'll probably have to go into a cave seeing as they like to lay their eggs some place dark, wet and safe. "Um, we have to enter a cave?" Yvette asks. "Yeah, what's the big deal?" Kelium asks. What Yvette doesn't answer right away, you step in. "I think Yvette is a bit uncomfortable with small spaces, especially dark ones crawling with monsters." You say. "Huh? Well that's just tough because she signed up for this task voluntarily. Nobody held a flintlock to her head. Besides, it's most likely a big open cave given how large blueshell creptians are." Kelium remarks. "Oh, well that changes everything." You travel a bit longer until you start climbing up a small hill. Kelium occasionally looks at the ground and tries to find signs of creptians. He seems to know what he's doing, despite his condition, though at this point you're more on the look out of other potential bad types like say bandits or something similar. Meanwhile Yvette looks like she's expecting trouble everywhere since she's looking around constantly. "Yvette, calm yourself. Out of the three of us, you've probably got the most power here to deal with anything." You say. "I dunno what you think I can do. I know. I'm not some high mage like in the old stories. As I told you, I'm just starting out and I haven't even been out of the city before." "Hm, so you can't just summon a ball of flame or shoot lighting?" "Um...well not what you're probably thinking. I mean maybe I could conjure a small palm sized ball of flame. Not sure if that would take down a Blueshell Creptian though, and it takes all my focus just to do it." "Better than nothing I suppose." Suddenly you hear Kelium yelling about something. You were so busy speaking with Yvette you didn't even notice Kelium disappeared...again. "HEY COME HELP ME! SHIT!" Kelium shouts. You and Yvette run over to the other side of the hill you were on and see Kelium with his sword in hand and scrambling for cover behind a rock. You also see what you can only guess is a blueshell creptian. It looks exactly how you pictured. A big snail, with big crab like claws and a blue shell. Nearby the creptian you see a large sloping hole in the ground, you can only imagine that's where it has made its home. "HEY! MOVE IN MAN! ATTACK!" You hear Kelium shout as a glob of blueshell spit hits the rock he's hiding behind. You pull out your flintlock and fire at the blueshell and find that the shot doesn't even penetrate its hard shell. In fact it doesn't even turn its attention to you, so far it's just slowly crawling over to Kelium's position. "Yvette, can you cast some sort of light spell or cause something to glow?" you ask. "Yeah, but how is that going to help?" Yvette says. "It'll help me search that cave for the eggs while it's distracted." "Wait, you're going in there alone? What happens if there's another one in there?" "Well, I'll be running out of there really quick I guess. You just try to distract that blueshell and when I get the eggs we can all get the hell out of here." "I dunno, I think maybe we should try to work together to kill the blueshell, then deal with the cave." "And I don't think we're going to be able to, or at least not with what we got. Look, I'm going to be as quick as I can. All you have to do is stay away from that thing and find some cover. It doesn't move that fast." "I dunno..." Obviously Yvette has some doubt about this plan and if she does there's a chance she could panic, but you really don't have confidence in her plan either especially since it means you'd have to get closer or at least aim for a place that isn't armor plated. > You work together Yvette could be right about another one being in the cave. Even something only half the size as the one you're seeing now wouldn't be good to run into in a cramped area. Plus you'd rather keep one of Gossey's assistant safe this time since it seems like Yvette will just run off without everyone helping. "Alright, I'm going to try to give that overgrown snail a big hole in its body, in the meantime, you need to start trying every spell you can to kill that thing!" you say. Still keeping a good distance, you move into a better position where you might actually be able to hit the thing in a soft fleshy area. You get behind a tree and reload your flintlock as you hear the crackling of lightning and Kelium still shouting for assistance. You fire again at the creature, but once again fail to make any real impact, as it seems to instinctively block your shot with one of its armor plated claws. Yvette is still casting her little fireballs at it, but that's not having much effect, you yell at her to try something else. However, you're going to have to get closer unfortunately. You run towards a closer large tree and see Kelium stupidly getting up to move towards you. "NO! Stay the fuck do..." you start to say and then you're suddenly hit in the side of the head with something half solid, half liquid. You were so busy paying attention to Kelium and making noise, that the creptian spit in your direction and got a solid hit. The translucent goo now covering half your head is extremely poisonous and takes effect immediately. You collapse to the ground and begin to feel your whole body seizing up. You attempt to grab your anti-venom in your pack, but it wouldn't do any good even if you weren't practically paralyzed since the poison has already been absorbed into your brain. The pain is great but mercifully short before you die.

[Themes: fantasy, anti-hero] Tempting, but you might as well stick with it out a little while longer. Oddly part of you doesn't want to dishonor the agreement with Dr. Gossey even if her assistant is a bitch. Elana doesn't make many more complaints fortunately and when she does it's mostly at the driver anyway, though you can imagine you'll soon be on the receiving end completely. By the time you reach Hessla, night is starting to fall. Elana orders the carriage to stop and then asks the driver where is the best place to stay in the town. The driver suggests the Cozy Krak Inn. He mentions that it is fairly expensive though that usually means it's never completely filled, but Elana tells him she isn't worried about the price. The carriage makes its way through Hessla, which is definitely not how you expected it look. You imagined pirates and vagabonds of all types getting into fights and drinking in the streets, but just like the driver said, it isn't actually all that bad. When you get to the Cozy Krak Inn, you see a large decorated building, which wouldn't be out of place in the richer areas of Klyton. It's actually a little more creative looking since it has a whole sea theme complete with some wall murals of sailors battling a giant squid and the inn sign also being in the shape of a squid. "Ugh, how gauche. I suppose it will have to do." Elana remarks and gets out of the carriage. You step off from the top. "I'm going to go in and getting the room, you grab the supplies from the carriage." "Wait a minute. I'm just supposed to be here for protection. I didn't hear anything about being your porter. Besides, doesn't a place like this usually have someone to do that?" "Maybe, but I'm telling YOU to do it. I'm not risking having the locals run off with valuable equipment and you're getting paid to protect EVERYTHING, so do your job and look out for the stuff!" Elana remarks and doesn't even give you a chance to retort before she's entered the inn. You just stand there speechless for a moment. "Um...there's a cart over there which should help you get it in all one trip." The driver points out in an attempt to be sympathetic to your plight. "Thanks." You grumble and begin to unload the carriage. You should have just hijacked it. After you're done unloading everything, the driver mentions that if you're looking for a place to unwind, the Sultry Siren is a good location. He then bids you good night and takes his leave. You enter the inn and find that it resembles more of a mansion than any inn you've ever seen. No creaky wooden floors, dim lighting or drunken louts sitting at a nearby bar. You see a desk where Elana is talking with someone and a couple of mean looking men holding poleaxes standing just inside the doorway. You arrive just in time for Elana to finish bitching at the desk clerk and start bitching at you instead. She first goes on to complain that there is no lift so she has to walk to her room on the top floor like a commoner. This is even worse news for you since now you have to lug everything up several flights of stairs. After getting to the room, she complains that it doesn't match anything she's used to in Klyton and goes on about how inferior it is. You almost feel like saying you live in a place run by a cranky old man and how your closest neighbors consist of a drunken priest and a whore. Trying to make the best of this, you remain upbeat. "Well, we aren't going to be here long hopefully. Let's just try to get some rest." You say. "What are you doing?" Elana says. "I'm just laying down." "Not on the bed you're not!" "But there are TWO beds and I'm not going to try anything!" "Pfft. I'm not worried about that." Elana says and then brandishes a small ornate pistol. Smaller than other ones you've seen actually, but you still don't want to risk getting shot by it and move out of the way when she thoughtlessly points it at you. "Will you stop waving that thing around?" you say. "I told Dr. Gossey I didn't need an escort and could take care of myself." Elana remarks. "Yeah, okay you're not a woman to be messed with, got it. But I don't see why I have to sleep on the floor when there are two beds." "The floor? You're not sleeping on the floor either. This is MY room. You want a room here, you pay for it yourself!" "...What? Are you serious? Dr. Gossey said this trip was paid for!" "Maybe for me, never said anything about you. Your payment is AFTER the job is done. In fact, shouldn't you just be standing guard outside my door?" You have no words. You just don't. You thought dealing with the lowlifes that hang around the Welcome Mat was a chore, but it still pales in comparison to this. If this wasn't a paying job, there is no way you'd deal with this. However, since it is, you don't say anything and just grab a chair in the room and exit. Placing the chair nearby, you sit down and make a mental note about never working a real job ever again. The kicker is, you still have a bunch of over grown rats to acquire. Still, you agreed to this so you continue to make the effort and sit outside like a loser. Eventually enough time passes and you start feeling tired or at least bored enough that you'd rather be doing something else. You briefly think about finding another place to stay or even going to the Sultry Siren like the driver suggested, but you really don't feel like dealing with the stairs again or spending your money. You then wonder if maybe you shouldn't take this opportunity to break into some of the other rooms. As you're pondering potential criminal activity, you spot a group of five rough looking men walking down the corridor. They don't look the sort who would stay here. "Is this the room?" one of them says. "No, it's further up the hall." Another remarks. "What? Where that guy in the hood is sitting?" "Yeah, I believe so." "What the fuck, Metzger. I thought you said this was an easy one." "There's just one guy there and he's smaller than all of us. You really think he's going to give us trouble? Metzger says. "What if he's some highly skilled assassin? I mean he's got a hooded cloak and all..." "By Dolak's barnacle encrusted balls, if you were any dumber...(Sigh) Just because someone is wearing a hooded cloak don't make them a highly skilled assassin. Besides, assassins kill people not sit outside hallways like guard dogs." Metzger remarks. At this point these five men are nearby you, yet are still talking like you aren't here. You feel like you should stand up at this point. "I can't help but notice you lot seem to be talking about me." You say. "Yeah, and what if we are?" Metzger asks. "Well, I suppose I might need to show off my assassin skills." "Hah! You're no assassin and even if you are, you're too damn young to have been at it for very long, let alone skilled enough to take on five of us. My guess is, you're that rich bitch's escort or something. Not sure why she'd take a little thing like you though as a guard. Guess being rich doesn't mean being smart which is evident by the very fact she's staying here." "What do you mean?" "Nobody stays at the Cozy Krak Inn, or rather no right thinking Hessla native does, unless they want to be taken as a fucking slave. Fucking clueless visitors." Metzger laughs. Well this isn't good. "So you guys are all slavers huh?" you ask. "Yeah, and since I'm in a generous mood I'm going to LET you walk away from this, because Yrid said you weren't the target." Metzger remarks. "Who's Yrid?" "The guy who drove you here. Sheesh, didn't you even bother to ask his name? In fact you weren't even supposed to be here, he said you'd probably be at the Sultry Siren fucking a whore or getting drunk given how much your boss was bitching at you." "Trust me, I'm starting to think that was a better idea right now." "Hah, got that right. So, I trust you're stepping aside then..." Metger says and starts advancing with his buddies. This is a really difficult situation. As much as Elana has been a complete bitch to you, you aren't sure if her getting sold into slavery isn't disproportionate retribution. > You buy some time You have to try. "Okay. Okay. Hold on guys. I get it and I won't try to stop you...but uh..." you say trailing off "But what?" Metzger asks. "Well she's not quite as defenseless as you think. She's sleeping with not just one, but two pistols in there. Not to mention she's a crack shot with them." "Bullshit." "I'm fucking serious. You think I'm some bodyguard when all I really am is her glorified porter. I don't think you're aware of all the bitching I have to hear on a regular basis." "So what are you saying exactly?" "I'm saying let ME go in there and get her. If you lot go barging in, she's going to shoot at least two of you in the head before you subdue her. If I go in, she'll bitch me, but I can get in close enough and knock her ass out before she can do shit. Tired of working for her ass anyway, it'll be my damn pleasure to turn her over to you personally." "So let me get this straight, you hate your employer so much that you're willing to risk getting shot just to turn her over to a bunch of slavers?" "Yes." "Hmmm...." Metzger looks up and places his hand under his chin as if thinking really hard about this. Your mind races with ideas of what you're going to do as soon as you enter Elana's room and how much time you're going to have to slip out of a window before Metzger and his crew break down the door when you hastily barricade it. That last minute planning is all for naught when you suddenly feel a fist to your face, knocking you on your ass. Before you can even get up, Metzger signals to his men to quickly subdue and shackle you. "How stupid do you think I am boy? You go in there and warn her and make all of our jobs harder than it needs to be. Fuck that. I gave you a chance to leave and you chose to be a hero. Well, hope whoever buys your ass likes fucking heroes, because I anticipate you'll fetch a good price to some of those degenerates." Metzger's men waste no time in relieving you of all your weapons and anything of value, then they put a bag over your head and knock you out. By the time you come too, you're practically naked and shackled to two other miserable looking souls in a long line of other hopeless and depressed looking individuals. From what you can tell, you're probably on a ship. You don't see Elana, but you can only imagine that they got her too. When you ask one of the other captives where you're going, nobody has a clue or they just don't answer at all. Wherever you're going though, it's going to be a long way from here and an even longer time before you'll be able to make an escape, assuming you ever get the chance. This is a horrible situation and one you definitely never saw in your future. All you wish is that you were back home with your family. You stifle some of your crying and try to remember that you need to remain strong if you ever hope to get out of this one day. Your life may not be over yet, but your life as a rogue certainly is.