Leanings,

  contemplations of tomorrow

  Decisions to be made

  Knowing, I’ve thought

  Alone, that frightful company

  Together, that solitude

  Screaming, so much crying

  They call it opinion

  Whining, so much whining

  They call it truth

  Body, mine is to break

  Heart, mine lost,

  so long I can't recall

  The box I stood upon, the voices were rallied!

  Truth! Truth!

  Injustice! Injustice!

  Money

  Fame, to my head it shan’t go

  My name, the power

  Flimsy! Flimsy!

  Paper, wet, it tears, rips

  The ink still seals, contract, binding, law and order

  The sword is nothing

  Blood, the warrior writes

  In bodies, it signs

  Ink is my covenant

  Words, the souls advise

  I will help you

  Paper, dry, it cuts so deep

  This desk of pain, it weighs the truths

  The deaths!

  On my hands, I do not take

  Their blood,

  their contract,

  wrote by the lies of the other side!

  Left and right, enemies, toiling, destroy them all!

  No. Together, we stain our hands

  Paper, dry and crisp

  Promises, hearts so bitter

  Truth is not just

  Lies are not wrong

  Innocent fools

  Death, that is their chalice

  Babies

  Swaddled in covenant

  Peace. Be calm

  I have no heart

  My heart, no more it beats

  Goals, this vision I preached;

  lies all

  Truth convoluting the pain

  No longer that box I stand

  He was right

  Foundation in the sand

  Built, no longer they remain

  This is truth. Who we are.

  Old

  No more can I see

  Was it worth it?

  Is this future now secured?

  One last stroke…

  Ink, this last

  I sign now your name...

  For pointless, was this life I have gave

  ~The Desk

  ~Feldyn Goldchord, the Endless Bard

  * * *

  Leaving the feed store, everyone was awkward. Iiyni was sure it was because of her. And it was taking a lot of effort to not just kill them or leave. Instead, she took charge. Because why not? Fucking losers needed her. And despite her feelings, she had committed to this new course. To be… a good guy. Iiyni would follow through, get them to their cabin in the woods, and then get the hell out of Dodge.

  She was thinking Australia. Hmmm, or Egypt. She had always liked Egypt. Well, aspects of it. Though… what about Japan? No reason to avoid it anymore she guessed, and it did sound pretty cool if she was being honest with herself. Ugh, being able to do anything you wanted was kinda overwhelming.

  The group wasn’t far from the four corner’s crossing, which remained intact. The road, that is. Fields and gas station were now mounds of earth. The area made a perfect arena.

  And Iiyni didn’t like it.

  “Stop,” she told the group as they were approaching the intersection. Everyone mostly ignored her, and walked a bit ahead, before stopping to look at her. “What is it?” John asked, noticing the seriousness on child creature’s face. “Something's wrong,” Iiyni was still holding Stryker over her head. Then, deciding she wasn’t going to let these jerks make her be a jerk, she chose to share her thoughts outwards instead of contemplating inward. If they didn’t like it, tough titties and no teeth! Too many problems In fiction and life stemmed from absolute moronic people and characters NOT FUCKING COMMUNICATING!

  “You see this shit? Perfect place for a battle. And when you live a life like you fuckers do, I'm betting fate will take advantage of it.” On queue, violent manastorms appeared in the distant night sky. Very high, and very far from them. Still... “So, you're paranoid?” Reba asked. “Yes, bitch, I’m fucking paranoid!” Iiyni snapped. “Have none of you learned anything? Trust your gut! Paranoia is healthy; being a raving lunatic is not. Something is going to happen. No. Something could happen."

  The expression on their faces said they didn't understand. Iiyni rolled her eye and set Stryker down "This area looks and feels like a fucking boss battle, alright? Clear enough for you?” When the violent manastorms didn't quit, and indeed were growing closer, one by one they looked into the sky, as the storms were clearly racing towards them.

  Resisting the urge to say I told you so, Iiyni grinned instead. The storms, almost over them now, were close enough for her to sense the cause. She desperately needed to vent some frustration, and test her strength level. If that meant sending the bitch to burn, all the better.

  The storming was now rocking towards the earth, almost directly over where the four roads met. The center of the arena. Gotta love fate. “I got this,” Iiyni told them, stepping forward.

  A figure could be made out now by the group, causing the manastroms in their wake. That figured slammed into the center of the intersection a moment later; impact barely indenting the ground, but the shock-wave of energy the blasted out from the impacted point, just below the surface, and roiling the ground, took most of them by surprise; Ally, John and Feldyn getting knocked off their feet.

  Flashing, banging, the intensity of the storms were wild, near blinding and deafening. But even with all the pops, and bangs, and shaking of earth, the pure magnificent evil of the one that stood in the intersection was clear as day.

  The youthful demon was slender, skin bone white, slanted black eyes emitted an equally black smoke. Her hair was thick and beautiful, cascading over her shoulders; ebon color dark and rich as the night itself. A bone armor covered breasts and pelvis. Skeletal wings, with tattered remains of leathery flesh, spread wide, like an angel from the depths of Hell. In her hand was a long handled scythe, dripping a purple-green viscous substance that crackled and sparked like electricity.

  “Who...” Ally begin, slowly getting to her feet. She had never felt such a powerful darkness! Not Masque, or even Iiyni, had filled her with such dread! Such lack of God! That penis spider bastard seemed like an animal cracker compared to the beautiful being before her.

  John was also unsure whom he was looking at. Not Reba. For she had once fought the bitch. Caleb wished he had never know her. Gigi? Who could ever know with Gigi. Feldyn knew in his gut whom they were looking at, and his heart ached with the realization someone he had come to care for deeply, may no longer be alive- because the terror Masque had left to fight, now stood before them.

  X’al’antra, Queen of the Vampires.

  Ally saw the teenage-appearing demon’s lips move a moment before she swiped her scythe with one hand - pillars of lightning, twisting like tornadoes, drilled into the ground around the entire area, the mountains of earth destroyed easily as sand castles on a beach. Manastorms ripped into the road. They were so close and everywhere, yet insignificant compared to multiple story tall roaring towers of lightning!

  Most of them had never before witnessed such power! Even Feldyn, from a world of magic, was struggling to keep his calm!

  They all felt so underpowered, so hopeless, in the face of this opponent. And yet every one of them defied their fear. Every one of them gave all they had to not panic, to be ready to dodge, or attack.

  X’al’antra opened her mouth and screamed. The sensation tore into their minds. Iiyni and Gigi were the only ones to not cry out. Even Stryker's mind finally focused on reality, his drug induced dreamlike state faded, sending him into the nightmare of truth.

  This was weird. Iiyni knew her aunt shouldn’t be in full demonic form. If risking the storms wasn't enough, the strength it took on Earth was damn near impossible without a shit ton of supplemental energy. Like the extra mana produced when the shield was up. Something was out of place. She didn’t know what, but it was something. Though it probably wasn’t going to last long. Rules were rules after all, and even broken ones uncovered rules of their own.

  Ally was still screaming when the storms quit, and the lightning pillars vanished. She wouldn’t have been able to even see the girl in the place of the magnificent demon that stood there a moment ago, if it wasn’t for the scythe still in her hand, crackling its green, dripping, electricity. Blinking, trying to re-adjust her eyes, Ally finally realized who she was looking at. Rashelle still appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen, but her hair was much fuller than it used to be. Her naked hairless body was slender, smalls breasts firm, belly tight, pale skin enticing.

  “Games over, aunties back,” X'al'antra called loudly. “No hard feelings, I assume? We do what he have to. I shot my shot, and missed. You win this round. Now be a good little girl, drop the facade, and kill them. Not Caleb, of course, that rule still applies.” She was talking to Iiyni. Feldyn was the only one to turn gun on the imp. He turned quick, aiming at the back of her head and not moving.

  “I SAID KILL THEM!!” the vampire queen commanded in a stomach churning, demonic voice. Iiyni didn’t flinch, instead giving a very authentic yawn. A scowl crossed the vampires face, leaving the planet must have broken the summoners link, giving Iiyni'jeari'eea a false confidence.

  Then she saw it, and her expression changed dramatically. If a demon felt terror, pure, true terror, one of two things generally caused it: Hell and the holy. Before X'al'antra stood something that was both. An abomination. An impossibility! Iiyni’jeari’eea had the Mark of Christ shining brightly on her soul! IMPOSSIBLE!

  “Where’s Masque?” Iiyni asked. Every head, even Stryker’s, whipped to her. Guilt hit the group hard. Feldyn may have thought of the probably demise of their friend, but it had never crossed the others’ minds.

  “It’s a trick,” Xal laughed. “Leave it to you to fake a mark!” X'al'antra kept laughing. The group barely paid attention to her, focused instead their new companion. It was hard to explain, but the lingering doubts any of them held, were now almost gone. The imps words and actions ringing true in their hearts. She was one of them. She had done damn near nothing but stand there and ask about Masque, yet, inexplicably, they could feel her sincerity. “You gone completely retarded? I said where’s Masque?” Iiyni repeated herself, voice still calm.

  X’al’antra quit laughing. Had her cunt of a niece truly found Salvation? She... must have. A false mark was impossible, God would never allow it. Even if the same could be said for a saved demon. True, the thrall was saved, but he had been born a man, not a pure blooded denizen of Hell!

  Her niece had turned traitor, defied known law, and found Salvation. In a matter of fucking hours. This moment was X'al'antra's best chance to rid herself of the cunt. If the imp were to die, no longer would she be sent to a Hell she could be rescued from. Instead, she would enter a slumber until the day of Judgment, or perhaps even enter Paradise. Neither of which she would return from. Not until a time it would no longer matter. For by then, Antioch would have succeeded in freeing them all from God's tyranny.

  “How should I know?” Xal answered, casual and snotty. “Gotta say, I underestimated him. A mistake I won't make again.” She smiled, eyes locked on the small Asian-looking demon. “Where’s Shuzariel?” X’al’antra briefly moved her gaze to the elf, who gaze a wicked small, and a small mocking bow. “Impressive, but not surprising,” she said, eyes back to her niece. They stared at each other, neither so much as blinking.

  Iiyni moved first.

  Deflecting a punch with the shaft of her weapon, Xal was forced to spin, continuing to block and dodge her lightning fast niece. She was not sure if this was the imps top speed on Earth or not. If it was, then it was only slightly higher than the vampires. It was impressive how long the imp could remain in the air without using mana; able to finish an entire combo before touching the ground.

  X'al'antra finally screwed up, and Iiyni caught her scythe in a kick- knocking it from her hands, un-summoning it. Shit. The Vampire Queen was almost out of pooled mana and overall low on energy, she couldn't allow more mistakes.

  Leaping straight backwards without turning from her niece, X'al'antra was pretty sure she had the smaller demons timing down. Holding her ground, she dodged two more full combos, and when she started a third combo, Xal leapt backwards again as fast and far as she felt safe. With a surge of energy, and hoping her timing was correct, the vampire queen punched the ground, releasing a shockwave that sent the earth rippling towards her niece. Iiyni jumped, tucking a front flip, dodging the wave. Letting both feet touch the ground, Iiyni bent her knees and launching at her aunt, who answered in kind. The fight continued.

  The others watching were humbled. The fighting may be mostly martial skill, yet the speed was beyond anything a human (or elf) could achieve. It was unreal! So fast, even Hollywood couldn’t fake it. Not without blurs, fancy camera angles and special effects. None of them were foolish enough to believe they could keep up with such a pace. Well, none aside from the two fools; Caleb and Gigi struggling to not join in. Both knew they were not that fast, yet still believed they could keep up. With practice, of course. What better practice than reality? Trial by fire and all that.

  X’al’antra caught Iiyni by the throat, and smashed her into the ground. A manastorm flash-banged, and a dome of lighting appeared around the vampire queen, before blasting outwards- the spectating heroes within its range. Their skin burned and crackled, hearts fluttered and skipped, and their breath knocked from their lungs on impact with the -more solid than it appeared- dome of electricity.

  Xal gritted her teeth, hoping she hadn’t just killed Caleb. Iiyni had ripped loose a moment after impact with the ground, causing the vampire to instinctively cast a defensive / offensive lightning shell. “What, you don't care if he dies now?” Iiyni squeaked, standing defiantly, correctly guessing her aunts thoughts. Ignoring the taunt, X’al’antra noticed the imps legs tremble. So the bitch is still weakened...

  “The doll can heal him.” Xal then observed the entire group looked the worse for wear. “All of them,” she corrected.

  If any of them were so pathetic that they died from that, they probably didn’t deserve to live. At least, that was what Iiyni had instinctively thought after her group was hit. However, her feelings didn’t agree. Iiyni wasn't sure what she was feeling exactly, nor did it matter in this instance. What mattered was X'al'antra needed to die. Needed to burn so deep in the fires of Hell, that she would never get out. Not before it was too late.

  Problem was, Iiyni was losing confidence that she could win. X'al'antra had more in her repertoire than fists and feet. Weapons? Iiyni's only weapon was too powerful to be summoned on Earth. Magic was out too. Iiyni could not hold pooled mana, and the effort it would take to absorb wasn't worth it. Purple spells were useless on most non weaklings anyway. Fucking pointless sphere to have a natural proficiency in. Other abilities? Everything else relied on raw power, and Iiyni was damn near tapped.

  Killing X'al'antra might be a bit too ambitious at the moment. Getting her to flee, not so much. X'al'antra was a coward, and had to be almost out of energy herself. If Xal felt the risk to her life was too great, pride be damned, she would turn tail and run.

  “You good?” Iiyni called to the others without taking her eyes off of X'al'antra. It had an additional effect of unsettling the vampire queen. “We’re fine!” the half-elf called back, not sounding fine at all. But hey, he could talk! Good enough!

  Rushing at her butt-naked aunt, the fighting continued. Iiyni was right, Xal was rapidly getting weaker, and the two of them were roughly equal now terms of strength, but Iiyni was still the underdog in this situation, and she knew it. Xal had spent most of her existence on Earth. She was used to the restrictions. Iiyni was not. Fuck, just a little chakra and she could destroy this bitch!

  Deciding that exploiting her aunts arrogance was the best bet, Iiyni jumped late, and as expected, Xal punched her in the face with her right fist, then a left palm to the chest. Iiyni took as much of the blow as she could, hoping it hadn't been too much. Staggered, but still on her feet, she charged back in, dodging a bit, then let herself get hit by another right punch, then feigned a bad dodge into the path of a powerful jab. Foolishly powerful.

  This time, Iiyni did use a bit of chakra to push herself against the punching arm, grabbed it, and rolled nimbly atop. Tightening her core, she kicked the vampire in the face, using the momentum to get close enough to get a leg under and over a shoulder. With a teency bit more chakra, Iiyni twisted and spun- corkscrewing both of them into the ground.

  Iiyni was surprised that worked. Releasing the lock, she rolled over the top of her aunt - who once again had not expected that. Grabbing Xal's right arm as she rolled, Iiyni came out of it with feet braced in her aunts armpits. Grunting and arching her back, she broke X'al'antra's arm at the elbow with a loud snap.

  This time she rolled free, narrowly avoiding a kick as the vampire spun to her feet. Using more chakra, Iiyni knifed a hand into Xal's gut, and grabbed a handful of intestines, yanking them out.

  And the imp’s world turned upside-down from the energy expenditure.

  With a left handed karate chop from hell, X'al'antra hit her niece in the right collar-bone, breaking it loud as her own arm had. Iiyni, surprised by the impact, tilted wildly off-balance to her right, and Xal punted her in the chest with a roar, knocking the imp yards away and onto her back.

  The Vampire Queen gave a huff. Losing some of her insides was nothing, even if it shouldn’t have happened. This fight was getting risky. X'al'antra knew if this went on too long, Iiyni'jeari'eea may succeed in killing her. Broken arm already mended (the hole in her gut would have to wait until she fed), the vampire queen rushed the imp; plagued lightning reaper appearing in her hand as manastorms arced across the battlefield. Adjusting her hold on the weapon for it to be upside down, X’al’antra used the sharp end of the shaft like a spear, stabbing the imp through the heart.

  Iiyni, unable to think clearly from lack of energy and the physical trauma - was helpless. Xal lifted the weapons shaft into the air, grinning in triumph knowing she had won.

  The others, whom Reba was till working to heal, had been watching. Their collective horror was tangible. Seeing the imp like that- seeing Iiyni like that...

  Caleb, who had been the second to receive treatment, was not going to let her die! The others felt the same, but Caleb was the only one with a clear plan in his mind of what to do. ‘Wait until I say,’ the angel advised.

  X’al’antra whipped her scythe, flinging Iiyni off of it straight up; the Vampire Queen spun her weapon preparing to slice the imp in half.

  ‘Now!’

  Caleb quickstepped at the naked bitch, surprising her, yet not stopping her swing - Caleb’s force gauntlet hit the shaft of the scythe. The weapons exploded in a powerful concussive BOOM. Caleb, Iiyni, and X’al’antra were all thrown violently from the force of the explosion.

  With curses on their lips, Reba and Feldyn responded immediately, in an effort to help their friends. Caleb was unmoving, and in a mangled heap. Iiyni was either struggling to move or having a seizure.

  X'al'antra was already standing.

  “Is he dead?” she asked the duo calmly, who had first moved to check on Caleb. They ignored her, though their expressions said it wasn't good. “I can save him, you know,” she purred. “Yeah, fuck that!” Iiyni snapped, rising slowly, and jerkily, to her feet. Heart repaired, collarbone healed, though her head was spinning, and she felt a strange sensation she believed was nausea. But, she was alive. “This ain't done!” Iiyni scolded her aunt, who smirked, watching the smaller demon struggle to remain standing, falling to a knee more than once.

  “How you pulled off that mark..." Xal spoke casually, approaching the struggling imp. The vampire queen went to move hair out of her face- and felt nothing. She paused, looking at the stump where the rest of her right arm once was. Frowning, she turned to Feldyn and Reba, who were working on a non responsive, critically injured Caleb. Her glare said a million words.

  She continued walking, but altered her direction for the trio. Iiyni shouted a crude taunt - or tried to, instead stumbling, and falling on her face. “Oh just stay down! I’ll let you live. I’ll let all of you live!" Xal announced, stopping, and sweeping her -left- arm in a motion covering the entire group. "Not like any of you matter. Bygones and all that. I just want my boyfriend. That’s it.”

  “He isn’t your boyfriend!” Reba objected, not raising her head, instead struggling to break down some materials into what she needed to make a healing potion. “And what happened to you dear?” Xal snickered at the homunculus. “Failed being a woman, so you had to regress? Or was it knowing your big bad creator was here? Couldn't take the fear, and turned back to a wittle kid, hoping for daddy's forgiveness?”

  “Teri’kre!” John commanded, and Xal went stiff. He hurried towards her, Leaving Lance to guard Stryker and Gigi. The Vampire Queen was injured; maybe they could finish her off. He had to try! She broke free when John neared her. Feldyn, who had stood to block Caleb, was close enough he couldn’t even attempt a dodge when Xal lunged at him, biting deeply into his neck. She only got a couple of good swallows before ripping out a large bite of flesh, and throwing the half-elf at the old man. The priest dodged the Aetherian instead of catching him. What an asshole!

  “Tek’tiryin’thu!!!” John roared. Tendrils of electricity arced all over X'al'antra, trying to pull her to the ground. She stayed standing, snarling a deep demonic growl that made their hearts go cold. John continued to advance, changing the grip on his staff; obviously intending to thrust it into the hole in her gut.

  Xal rolled her eyes. He couldn't hurt her, and she needed to feed. So, with arms wide, Xal allowed her her food to approach - and thrust the staff into the still mending hole in her abdomen.

  Oh, did she scream! In her frantic thrashing to break free, a solid unintentional blow sent John sailing. Reba -whom had left Caleb to rush to Feldyn- in a flash of white, altered course to hit the staff with the palm of her hand, impaling it deeper, puncturing through the demons back.

  X’al’antra couldn't think, couldn’t focus, couldn’t comprehend what was happening! She went primal- and manastorms erupted; her body reflexively tried to change back to its true form.

  Another scream joined X'al'antra's; one most of them had heard before. And then the storms stopped, Iiyni on her hands and knees near the staff she had ripped free. Gigi was at Iiyni’s side, half helping her stand, half dragging her away from the vampire.

  “FUCk yOU AlL! FucK aLL Of yoU frEakish CUNTS!” Xal shouted- a bass in her voice that triggered your soul to forcefully reject the evil it was experiencing. Ally impressed herself by not vomiting.

  The naked vampire queen bent her legs, jumped straight up into the night sky, and was gone.

  * * *

  After X'al'antra fled, Reba continued to work keeping everyone from dying. She pulled off some seriously genius shit. Caleb had numerous ruptured organs and broken bones. If not for the angel (whom spoke to them through an uncharacteristically somber Gigi) helping the healing process, Reba wasn’t sure she could have saved him.

  John’s right lung had collapsed, and he had broken a few ribs. Again, Reba pulled off the healing. Feldyn was both easy and harder. Stopping the bleeding wasn’t a big deal, but getting the flesh to grow instead of scaring (yes, it mattered) gave her a headache.

  Hell, she even managed to help the imp heal by accelerating her already terrifying regenerative process! At one point she had to draw raw materials out of the dead ground! The ground! This wasn’t an anime. Meaning- it was some wildly impressive shit.

  Reba had managed it before, sure. Like opening the shield earlier in the day (was it the same day?) to let Masque bring Gigi and Ally though. Though there had been life there. Not this dead earth, rock and asphalt. Life had so much more, and was easiest to assimilate. Non living things were difficult if what you needed was not a part of their build. Not to mention drawing it out with your bare hands.

  Iiyni, healed, left to find them a vehicle. Walking would take too long, and staying around here was a risk not worth taking. Sooner or later this area would be searched or destroyed. Perhaps both. No, they needed to get to Jeff's. He had more than once bragged to John it could withstand a nuclear blast. Truth or ego, it was still their best bet.

  Luckily, Iiyni found "an old piece of shit pickup” quickly. Being too small to drive it well, she sent Ally and Feldyn to go get it while continuing to scouting the surrounding area. They didn't want any surprises.

  Stryker, who had not gotten more than some scrapes, was awake, but quiet. His drugs either worn off or he had grown accustomed to the intoxicating effect. Gigi wandered around the general area, quietly, not talking. No one felt the need to tell the child to stay close. Or to tell her anything.

  As much as she was a kid that needed raising, the roles for all of them had changed. Irreparably. Gigi would never again be able to return to childhood. Nor would any of them be seen as proper authority figures to the six year old. Even if it remained their responsibility to be the adults.

  Caleb had healed enough to regain consciousness. He and Reba sat a ways away, out of earshot to John, though he could still see them. Reba's expressions, movements, were far more flirtation than John was comfortable with. She appeared to be giggling. Giggling! He would have been unhappy enough if the boy tried anything with her before. If he attempted so much as a prolonged hug while his daughter appeared a little girl, and dressed like that...

  When the rumble of an old piece of shit truck could be heard, they gathered together. Reba still chattering at Caleb, until she caught John’s glare, and abruptly stopped. She didn't care about her dad’s judgment, she just hadn't realized she had been coming across in a way to trigger the old guy, thinking her actions more subtle. Reba had always found Caleb attractive, in sense. Now that she was in this body, it was harder to see him as a kid, and much easier to see him in a way she would have felt was inappropriate before. No harm in a little childish flirting! Besides, she was too damn tired to care about anything serious. Be a little silly now, before everything once again became terrible.

  They all loaded up into the big, rusty, brown pickup, that looked too old to be running. The trip to Jeff’s was slow. Iiyni had to move obstacles quite a few times, to keep a path large enough for the truck. At one point they had thought the road impassable. Iiyni had again taken the initiative of helping them along by dragging their truck through the dirt and destruction (the ones that could, did help push) with her bare hands, until reaching a drive-able area.

  Soon after, they were past the swathe of destruction surrounding Castle Rock. Which was good, since Iiyni kept nodding off, denying she was falling asleep the entire time. Ally, who insisted on driving, took the most direct route she could to get to the mans house John co-piloted her to.

  Jeff’s property looked no more the worse for wear than when they had left it. Ally drove the clunky pickup down the driveway. When she came into a clearing with a small cabin, and the headlights illuminated a skinny, nerdy looking man in glasses, pointing a shotgun at them, she assumed they were there.

  John angrily leaned out the passengers window. “Really?!” he snapped at Jeff. “Can never be too sure!” Jeff snapped in return. John sat back in the vehicle, grunted, and motioned for Ally to drive to the side and park. The tall skinny man in glasses keeping the shotgun trained on their truck the entire time. Jeff finally lowered the weapon, scowling at the group while they disembarked.

  “Where is Bryan?” Jeff asked, marching over to them, gun once again raised. The group visibly tensed. “We’ll talk inside-” John began and Jeff shoved the barrel in his face. “Where is my nephew?” Jeff was not playing around. “He was taken. So was Pazely,” Caleb explained. “Taken where?” Jeff asked the boy, while glaring into John's eyes. “Through a portal to Aethra.”

  Things were silent for a minute. No one moved, no one spoke. “I assume the next wonderful plan involves saving them?” Jeff finally said. “Aye,” Feldyn answered softly. Jeff sighed and lowered his gun, walking back into the cabin. “Seems nice,” Ally smiled to a scowling John. The group followed after, into the cabin, where a large trap door was open in the middle of the floor.

  Descending into the facility, Ally and Gigi were amazed. They were in a giant underground stainless steel tunnel! And it was cold! Reba hurried on ahead, showing Iiyni where to bring Stryker. They didn’t pay any attention to Trixie as they passed; Trix turning completely around watching them in confusion and worry.

  She hadn’t a clue who the brunette was, but she was pretty sure the other girl was one of the three sisters she met at Rashelle's. Which made no sense! they were supposed to be evil demons! But it must be her, how else was she carrying Stryker over her head like that!

  “Trixie!” Ally called, getting her attention. The little girl turned to look at them, a smile breaking on her face, and tears quickly following. Ally hurried over, knelt down and wrapped her in a big hug. Trixie only sobbed a couple times before shoving Ally away, tears choked out. “Oh my gosh, you stink!” the diminutive brunette complained, covering her nose. Feldyn laughed, Ally sticking her bottom lip out in a pout. “Trixiiiiiiie!” Geeg whined, and Trix moved her offended gaze to the voice, and froze. It was Gigi, yet it wasn’t. She was taller. Toned. Older. But worst of all, she was covered in blood and dirt, and only wearing panties! Trixie screeched in horror when a mutant Gigi tackled her to the ground in a squealing hug.

  John kept walking, ignoring everything, to find where Jeff had gone. Caleb and Feldyn, exhausted, were both smiling. It was nice to hear screams over something silly instead of… “Gigi, get off of her, you’re covered in blood!” Ally scolded. “At least I don't got no poops on me!” Geeg replied, wrestling a desperate to escape Trixie. Ally rolled her eyes and turned to Caleb and Feldyn. “Please tell me there is somewhere to bathe here.”

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  “Aye. Jeff has quite the home.” That was all Ally needed to hear. She kicked the child in the butt a few times until she released poor Trixie, and drug the little girl with her, following Feldyn. Caleb stayed and helped Trix stand back up.

  “That wasn’t funny,” she complained to the obviously amused Caleb. Frowning deeply, brow furrowed, “Why does Gigi look like that?”

  “Back before all this happened, Gigi almost died. Reba gave her a shot that healed her, but it also made her grow up.”

  “Only physically,” Trix muttered, then something dawned on her before she could inquire about the blood and being practically naked. “Oh, where is miss Reba? Pazely? And Bryan and Masque?” Caleb couldn't keep eye contact, and Trixie began to softly cry, misinterpreting his reaction. “No, Trixie no! They are alive, they are alive!” Caleb quickly tried to reassure the girl. “W-what?” she sniffled. “W-where are they then?”

  “Pazely and Bryan were kidnapped, but we are going to save them. I promise.”

  “Miss Reba?”

  “She was the girl with brown hair that walked past you.”

  “Huh?”

  “An Asian girl and a white girl dressed like a hooker, went passed you, carrying Stryker? The white girl was Reba. She, uh, de-aged to look like a kid. And Masque... we... don't know for sure. He left to fight X'al'antra -Rashelle- when everyone was trying to save me, because I got captured. He never came back... But, he... might still be alive. I mean, it's Masque. He ain't gonna die easily.” Trixie took a moment to think all of it over. "The new girl, she is one of the demons, right? An... imp? I met her at Rashelle’s." Caleb looked in her eyes intently before nodding. "She is a good guy now?" He nodded again, "Yes. She's a Christian now, too."

  “Did you guys find miss Terra?”

  “We never made it that far. A lot happened… A lot. But, we won? Kind of? I’m sure we’ll be going back out really soon, and if she’s still alive, we’ll find her.”

  Thinking it over, Trix finally sighed. There was too much to ask, too much to think about. “I should go catch up to Ally and Gigi. Dad has a whole bunch of clothing here that I found, and there are no extra towels in the showers and bathes. We don't need Ally being naked too.” She turned a bit red, and no point avoiding the grossness now, gave Caleb a hug. “I’m glad you are okay!” Trix told him after the hug, still red (redder), and then she hurried off down the hallway.

  It wasn’t long until John rounded them all up in the kitchen-lab room. It was where Stryker was now at, on the bed in the middle of the raised platform, they had put Jeff on before. Ally hadn’t been happy at needing to stop her shower. She barely washed her hair before Trix told her John needed them.

  Ally was thankful there were feminine hygiene products here, since she had lost what she took from her house. Why Bryan’s uncle had pads, she hadn’t a clue. They were old, off-brand, and too big. She also preferred tampons, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. More awkward was the random assortment of girls underwear Trixie presented her with. They still had the tags… Well, whatever. At least Jeff didn't collect the used variety she guessed.

  There were no bras -that Trix had found- nor proper pants or shirts for girls. Ally was fine with that, as she hated bras, and having none available was the best excuse to use against prudes like John. No pants was also fine with her. Shirts? Easy, long as it hung least as low as a mini skirt, it worked! Simple and sexy.

  Trix was sitting off to the side behind Jeff, at an angle she couldn’t see Feldyn. Jeff’s -increasingly bizarre- complex, had numerous single baths, large baths, single showers, and huge multi person showers. Feldyn had entered a large room with a sauna, and a multi head shower area. He had already begun bathing when Gigi entered, ignoring his chastising, and him in general. She wasn’t being weird, so he shrugged it off, and continued his shower.

  Trixie, having no idea Feldyn was in the same room as Gigi, had walked in to tell her friend John wanted them. She rounded the corner to get an eyeful of Feldyn. Not only did she have a crush on the man, she had never seen a naked guy before. Aside from gross stuff on the internet. Now she wanted to curl up in a ball and die of embarrassment.

  John's meeting luckily didn't take long, as he roughly summarized what had happened, and made sure everyone was (more or less) on the same page.

  Needing to eat, bathe, and rest, the majority of the group was eager to let the night end. Even Stryker was content to simply get some food in him, and sleep; choosing to come to terms with his situation after. Iiyni was adamant they needed better defense, that they were not safe here, but finally conceded -for the moment- they were as safe here as anywhere, currently.

  And that was it.

  Then, at Jeff's behest, they were all instructed to find and claim rooms as their own.

  * * *

  Caleb took the same room he had before, too tired to even think of looking at others. Gigi whined and complained, throwing a good fit until Ally agreed she could stay in Caleb’s room, as long as she kept some clothes on. Not consulted in this decision, Caleb reluctantly had to admit to himself he wanted the company. The angel in his head didn’t count. With his memories restored, he had a hole in his heart, and didn’t want to be alone. And the guilt he felt towards Gigi and Jessie, he badly wanted to redeem. It was too late to do so with one of them… It was selfish, but it was what it was.

  He showered in a small single shower, and come out to find Gigi sound asleep. Caleb, in clean boxers and sweats, sat down on the pile of blankets and pillows on the floor where he chose to make his bed. Too much had happened today. Far too much. He didn’t remember climbing under the blankets. He didn't remember falling asleep. He didn’t remember when Gigi crawled up to snuggled next to him. Nor did either of them notice when Trix snuck into the room with a blanket and the teddy bear Jeff had given her. But he did remember his nightmares of friends dying, and babies being eaten alive.

  * * *

  Ally picked a room with a futon instead of a bed. It was big, with several small side rooms. She was thrilled to find one was a bathroom, with the usual amenities. Deciding to re-bathe, she made sure their were toiletries, locked her door, and got in the shower.

  This complex was amazing. Weird, but amazingly cool. She also felt safe for the first time since… since she was at Reba and John's place in the mountain. That had unfortunately been blown up.

  Due to that feeling of safety, Ally couldn't hold it in anymore. The last twenty four hours… even before… Her friends, family, her entire world was gone... Sobs wracked her body, and she lay down in the shower, legs suddenly too weak to handle the tremors.

  Ally hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep until the ice cold water woke her. Shivering, she crawled into bed, continuing her sobs the entire way. She again cried herself to sleep. Her dreams were full of loss and being lost. Of all being taken, and abandonment with no where to go, her dead cousin a constant Theme. Sometimes it wasn’t even Jessie, but others she loved, laying there in the woods.

  * * *

  Reba, after leaving John passed out and snoring on a sofa, retreated to the room she had chosen. It had a king sized bed with a large fluffy bed set. It was so cozy!

  Being the least tired of them all, having gotten a second wind, making it back here to safety, Reba had actually intended relax and enjoy herself a bit before sleeping. If history repeated, her body would age back quickly. Meaning, it was now or never if she wanted to have fun with clothes and pictures at this age appearance.

  It was dumb, but she had never been a kid. She got to watch girls of all ages doing dance and gymnastics, and had always been envious of them getting to enjoy their different looks and outfits over the years. Reba also had a secret passion for the more girly interests, loved makeup despite never using it, and always wanted to take selfies, upload video shorts of doing trendy dances; but no. Her life wouldn’t allow that. And she would die of embarrassment having anyone see her act that way.

  Now, however, she was going to have some dang fun! Jeff had a psychotic collection of young girls clothes, and it didn’t take long to locate a couple cameras. Long as they were making this their base, and had some privacy, she was going to be a dork! A cute one! And she was going to like it! No need to share with anyone else, the experience was enough fun for her. If she could only get her hands on some makeup...

  Grinning from ear to ear as she undressed to take a shower, she glanced back at the clothes on the bed she would seen be trying on, and walked into the her bathroom, which she knew from prior visits had a large body length mirror leaning against the wall.

  When hyper excited Reba flipped on the light switch and looked in the mirror, a startled sob escaped her. The girl she saw in the mirror wasn’t her! Terror took over, legs shaking so bad she wasn’t sure how she remained standing. She wasn’t just younger, she was someone else! “NO!” she shouted, stopping her punch inches in front of the glass. Her sisters! Her mom, all of them, she had always looked like them!

  Dropping painfully to her knees, Reba continued to tremble. She had always wished, even prayed, to be unique. Different. To not be only another clone. Not in spirit, but physically. She hated looking like so many others, even if she was now the only one to exist. She wanted to be herself! To be Reba! She finally got her wish.

  Standing back up, she looked at herself again. Closer. Slowly. Trying to not feel. To be cold, like a warrior should be. To live I the moment. 'I'm.... adorable.' Nothing wrong with thinking that way about yourself, regardless of age. Why hadn't the others told her how much she had changed? Were they worried she would flip out? Put vanity before survival?

  Reba’s mind was spinning. Her self centered thoughts eventually crossed with current events. The cold ice of a warrior coating her heart hadn’t stood a chance. Unexpected remembrance of things and the emotion they brought, it overwhelmed her. Which in turn brought back the horror of no longer being what she had always been, even if it was what she had wanted. So she wept.

  Similar to Ally, Reba curled up naked on the bathroom floor as she cried, and fell asleep without knowing it. She did eventually wake and make it to bed. Unlike Ally, she wept no more. For her emotions felt numb. Beaten. Broken. This wasn’t training, it was emotional exhaustion. All she wanted was to sleep. And sleep she did, dreaming of -and blessedly feeling- nothing.

  * * *

  Different from all of them, was of course, Iiyni. The others had left to bathe and sleep, while Iiyni was obsessed with trying food. Her stomach had been growling like crazy. The first time freaked her out a bit, to the amusement of the others. The fuck was she supposed to know what it was! At least it also brought her a bit of hope. Maybe, just fucking maybe, she could feed by eating. Jeff had given her permission to eat what she wanted, so the imp took a variety of things to the double room, with full bath, she had chose as hers.

  Trying to decide what to eat first, Iiyni knew to be careful. She knew the dangers of food. Of gluttony.

  Then she tried a potato chip.

  A bog of chips, a half jar of pickles, can of chili (she jacked a random microwave Jeff had in his 'appliance storage room' to heat it) with a ton of cheddar cheese, and three sodas (a cola, root beer, and ginger ale) later - she felt the unfortunate need to be in a restroom.

  Digestion, like, real digestion, was new to her. Luckily it would seem her ability to digest damn near anything, healthily, remained intact. Wasn't exactly her first time eating, or, uh, using a toilet; just her first time time with her five senses causing, well, sensations. Modesty was also new. And fucking powerful. The experience was... not something she wanted anyone to know about. Ever. Or even think about. It was a grossness that should never be attributed to a girl, let alone a sexy one like she was.

  Taking a quick shower, she then drank a few large cups of water (which was also amazing), before curling up on the sofa in her room. Feeling an odd sensation of wanting others with her, she drifted into a slumber unlike anything she had ever experienced. Real sleep, with real dreams. Pleasant dreams, filled with adventure, love, and happiness. And friends.

  * * *

  Velocity defying the mind, physics denied, logic screaming in defiance, the reality outside the tunnel he traveled altered not. An experience that should cause death, yet death did not occur.

  It shouldn’t be like this! The passage felt dangerous! The first pass had been unusual enough, this return trip was a horror! There should be no reason to feel such dread. Extreme discomfort, yes, but this was different. Something was effecting the passage... It felt... damaged. Collapsing. That was it. That was the source of the dread! The passage was collapsing behind him!

  Exiting the portal with a more extreme velocity than when he had arrived on Earth, Darlothz was forced to roll; during the tumble, for a moment, the elf was overwhelmed with panic, thinking he had not exited safely back on Aethra, but was instead ejected into into a nightmare. Energy so powerful slammed into him, that both of his rings fully activated, crumbling to dust; one creating a powerful damage barrier just over the surface of his skin, the other more of a bubble-shield around his person. No simple enchantments were on those accessories!

  Tumbling for some distance from the impact, he managed to get his feet under him. Leaning against the gale, he forced mana into his staff, manifesting yet another shield outside of the bubble; one he could manipulate- pushing with all he had against this unknown force. Trying to take in his surroundings, the Necromancer could not see far through the waves of deep blue power engulfing him. At his feet, the ground which he could see, appeared relatively untouched.

  Think, he had to think! Goldiez -damn him!- was supposed to be guarding the site! Had that simple minded child been taken by surprise?! Power meant nothing without a mind to command it!

  Darlothz closed his eyes, trying to feel the signature of the energy... To understand it... It's nature... He had never felt anything like it. An... unknown energy that was both blocks by and passing through his shielding... Energy that for all it's power, was doing minimal damage to the surroundings or himself, the magical shielding getting the worst of it.

  Yet… it burned.

  He was taking no real damage, and yet he could feel the pain of burning. A burn like fire… In fact, the energy did appear to be a type of flame in a gale force wind. How was that possible, with it consuming no fuel, nor harming the matter it engulfed? All fire needed to consume to burn! Mundane, soul, fox fires, all of them! Even purely magical fire! Yet none of their respective fuels were being consumed. What was left?! What was he not-

  Oh. It is neko fire.

  Understanding now what he was facing, Darlothz instructed his enchanted eyes how to analyze the blaze. It was midnight blue, and moving with the ferocity of a hurricane, as it rolled, and whipped, like a soul weave, combined with aspects of fire in vacuum, or the breath of certain greater wyrms. Ironic.

  Neko fire was a myth. A reality fire. It was said the flames would present like a blaze summoned from the heart of a dragon, and that the Dragonheart and shards would burn with it. Fuel it, as it consumed them and the reality they inhabited. Though with that realization came the realization of where the fire was originating.

  He unknowingly sent the Dragonheart or a shard through the portal! That world truly had been Earth! Was it the boy? Or the girl whom resembled an imp? Both? What of the other boy, claiming to be the Dragonheart, that had be left behind?

  Darlothz's heart slammed with beautiful anxiety! The terror of knowing he may soon be fighting for his life against an opponent great than he!

  Blast that Or’dromo for making him this way! Curse Antioch and his gift of escape!

  He noticed giant figure as it approached from the side, coming to kneel next to the necromancer. Neko fire crashing into and over him like nothing more than the wind of a hurricane. “What’s she doing?” asked Goldiez, his voice filled with that same infuriating obliviousness. Though the expression on his boyish, gaunt face, actually looked stressed.

  “She is a shard!” Darlothz snapped to the fool he called comrade, dropping his mana shield that was outside the bubble. Unless this moron could confuse the gender of the two sent back through the portal, the Azyan child was the source. “Whaaaaaa? Her? She’s so little!” Goldiez replied, slow and flat in his speech. The voice of a simpleton.

  The maelstrom of neko fire abruptly ended.

  “Guess we need to kill her,” the half-breed droned, standing tall. The the bulky blue, black, and gold yunaris armor he wore made the skinny seven foot tall freak show, into a ten foot legendary monster. Goldiez was a half ogre, and though his features favored human, his hawkish bulbous nose, and large, lopsided ears, said something was off. If his extreme height and scrawny build didn’t already clue you in.

  The armor he wore was absurd. The breast plate was rounded to the point of almost appearing to be wearing a giant ball. The arms and legs were shaped more normal, though fitted for a gargant. His un-helmeted head said otherwise. The collar width of the armor was enough to swallow it almost twice over, yet nothing past that point could be seen inside; almost like his head was severed at the neck, floating in place. It was not, magic filling the space between body and armor, to fit as if it fit.

  Regardless, the sight of the man-boy was ridiculous and outright terrifying.

  The girl hovered a dozen feet off the ground, clothing burnt away, ankle length thick black hair not tangling in the ephemeral wings (resembling those of a dragonfly) that hummed at her back. Dark blue fae energies radiating from her, even more coming from clenched fists, where it crackled. Darlothz now understood why this child resembled an imp; she was not Azyan, she was a Fae'il pixie.

  Once again, Darlothz felt fear, remembering the last little girl he had fought, who, alongside her friends, had almost destroyed him. And this one before him now would be more powerful by far. “I hate children,” Darlothz lamented. His heart raced with a pleasure that simultaneously made him want to end his life. Terror was a bitter drug.

  The super fae began darting around, like fae do. Though the range of her zips and zooms had much greater distance and speed. To be expected, he supposed.

  Goldiez lumbered forward, and though that word fit, so would have ‘rushed’ or ‘charged’, intending to catch the bug and crush it in his hands. When the shard zipped at him, he missed grabbing her- the punched she landed to his chest, launch the giant backwards with insane force.

  Darlothz's jaw dropped. The child then came at the pale skinned Ilcai- her crackling punch was absorbed by his bubble shield.

  The Necromancer responded with an wide spray of dark lighting - she dodged, zipping right back in, scoring two more hits against his shield. The bitch was quick! At least the bubble-shielding being close to his body allowed for melee. With how hard she had hit Goldiez, he could not risk allowing her to pummel his shield down!

  The shard kept him back-peddling, punching, and punching and punching, Darlothz doing his best to deflected the blows with his staff, which he could swing through the shield without breaking it; dodging and weaving, and throwing in a counter where he safely could.

  One did not hold the title of General within the Akur easily. No, the four of them were much more than they once were. The Necromancer’s thin arms and knobby knees should have barely had the strength walk with his staff. Instead, he was going toe to toe with a shard. For now. If his opponent began to mix up her attacks, Darlothz would quickly be overwhelmed, thanks to his current, foolish, level of unpreparedness.

  Unable to channel properly under such an assault, and Goldiez yet to return, he had to risk another quick cast. Darlothz closed his eyes and spoke the abbreviated incantation- materials and weave already done and expended during the memorization process the previous evening.

  The fae took down his outer shield- and a defensive energy blast emanated from the Necromancer a millisecond before his cast finished, knocking the pixie away. Then, the spell cast and a large wall of molten lava manifesting before him, and crashed forth in a wave. The shard dodged the initial wave, and tried to dart back in- getting hit with a lance of fire from the huge pool of lava spread before the Necromancer.

  She cried out in pain, dodging the next lance, and continued to weave and maneuvered as lances fired one after another, the pool spreading both outwards, and back to circle the Necromancer.

  Smoke was filling the battlefield, trees beginning to burn.

  Darlothz was not prepared for this nonsense! And magic of this caliber was not going to cut it against a shard! Any protective spells he was prepared to cast may well keep him alive for a few hits, but they would take precious mana he did not want to waste! And she had already proven resistant to magic, any spells he hit her with unlikely to kill the bitch! Blast him for his arrogance and complacency! He needed to kill her, but not destroy her! The body must remain somewhat intact!

  “Jump!” Goldiez called a warning from behind. Darlothz wasn’t going to hesitate. He jumped as high as he could. For the ancient Ilcai, that wasn’t much, even if it was higher than any normal elf could achieve. The shard slammed into the middle of the pool of lava, fist leading, sending a shockwave of blue fae magic out from her in a circle; dispelled the lava.

  If that wasn't bad enough, Darlothz had not had the hang time to completely avoid the energy wave, getting clipped by it, twirling him uncontrolled through the air, landing on his side.

  A giant spiked ball attached to an equally giant chain, launched into view, hitting the pixie square-on as she charged the prone elf. Goldiez may have underestimated their opponent, but now Darlothz could tell he was serious. Hell, the ignoramus had guessed the fae’s intent to dispel the lava, where Darlothz hadn’t.

  The shard darted away, but didn't retreat. She was dripping blood, and her expression appeared unsure, perhaps even afraid? The way she fought, the look in her eyes... It was like an innocent child was given super powers, and told to fight for their life.

  “Distract her,” Darlothz told the giant, getting to his feet. He had to cast it. It was convoluted, and overkill, but the only chance to both defeat her and maybe not destroy her body. “Yeah yeah,” was the reply. Goldiez twirled and spun the ball and chain, impossibly snapping it like a whip. The little bitch was having trouble getting near them. Good. Even better, Goldiez was getting angry. He roared (almost interrupting Darlothz's concentration), the air around him rippling like the disturbed surface of a pond.

  Damn his Howl of Aggression! The Ilcai did not think he would ever fully adjust to it! Energy poured outwards in all directions from the half-ogre as he kept up the shout. It was a powerful call of hatred and spite that caused all who heard it to loathe him. Hate him. Focus their aggression on him. Those that were not overcome with fear, that was. It either had the desired effect, or the pixie was already focused solely on the large armored figure.

  Finishing his cast, Darlothz held his hands to the side and hummed, the spell rolling outwards from him in a spiral, touching the ground it transformed their surroundings in the blink of an eye. Goldiez did good not panicking, for all about them nothing could be seen but the deep black nothingness. It was not dark, no, everything was simply gone. The Void.

  Of course they were not actually within the Void, what was being seen was merely a visual side effect of the spell. It did not change how unsettling and disorienting it could be, with no ground beneath your feet, nor anything but the three of them. The pixie dodged Goldiez's weapon, her eyes looking around at their lack of surrounding... Was she... crying?

  Keeping his concentration, Darlothz let the void blades begin to rip from the nether. Appearing like a boomerang, they spun at the pixie, who darted away, Darlothz controlling the blades to chase her as she flew the perimeter, curiously not trying to break free of the area of effect. Goldiez almost got hit in the head as she buzzed him, and Darlothz materialized a fourth void blade to surprise her.

  She flew fast, outrunning the blades, as the Necromancer expected. No matter, this was only the beginning. He would increase to twelve blades, and then bring void pillars and spikes. There would be nowhere to dodge, and she would have to leave the area, taking extreme damage when exiting. Or attack one of them directly. If it was Darlothz, void spikes would erupt around him, impaling her.

  “FUCKING FLY,” Goldiez complained in a booming voice, walking even farther from the necromancer to have more room to maneuver. Not that he cared if he squashed the elf, but Antioch had made sure they could not intentionally harm each other. "DIE BUG!" Goldiez leapt in the air and spun; His ball and chain drawing in everything within range. Including a cursing Darlothz - breaking his spell, reality around them returning to normal.

  "You moron!” Darlothz snapped, “do you know what you just wasted?! What could have happened?!”

  Goldiez didn’t reply, landing with with no impact from his feet, but slammed his weapon into the ground causing a shockwave of his own in a cone before him; the pixie easily avoiding it, since she was flying. Darlothz swore this stupid creature’s battle instinct was more of a roulette!

  The shard darted passed the recovering giant, to get a clear view of the necromancer. With a crackling of energy in her fists, she launched two slicing blue blades of some sort of fae energy (that resembled the void blades in shape and size) at the Ilcai.

  Stifling a curse, "Ho-p-pi-tol!” he incanted, and broke his left pinky, teleporting him a dozen yards away, avoiding the energy blades. Breaking certain rules required a breaking of ones self. Luckily a minimal distance teleport required little more than a dislocation or fracture, though snapping a finger was quickest.

  Wait - that was it! A teleport! If he could send the Earthling somewhere far, unaccustomed to their world, at a minimum it would buy them time!

  One could not easily cast a teleport on an unwilling individual. That took a breaking of the metaphysical generally not worth the time nor price involved. What he had already wasted from that last cast… Though given the right set of circumstances, banishing was far more plausible, and the Necromancer was a master of banishment. A bit of a necessity when working with the undead, demons, and other extra planer beings.

  Also effective on magical creatures like fae, which they generally took precaution against. However, this child was not from a magical world, no, she was -inexplicably- from Earth.

  A teleport and a banishment were similar, only banishment's were a form of curse, sending the target back from whence they came, or where they belonged. Or, to where their kind dwelt. The Ilcai knew of one location that Fae'il pixie should still reside in sufficient numbers for the spell to stick.

  Throwing more energy blades, but this time at Goldiez, Darlothz grabbed one of his only two pickled furlap kidneys from a pocket, and began chanting. The blades of energy nicked Goldiez’s armor, and even caused him pain. The half-breed was so shocked, he wasn’t paying attention when the bitch bug darted in and punched him in the face, busting his nose- something his armor should have prevented.

  Fast as an eye blink, Goldiez caught her by a leg, and began slamming her into the ground. He let go, and jumped to land on and crush her - but she was gone again. Snarling, he turned, saw the pixie, and launched his ball and chain at her. The bitch punched it, knocking it away!

  Neko fire pulse from her, blood was everywhere on her naked body, though only a few wounds were visible, and appeared superficial. Her expression was angry, though her eyes were full of tears, and fear. Goldiez began to spin the weapon back around, and was struck by an energy-blast when she thrust a clenched fists at him, reeling the huge man backwards. The second energy-punch made him shout, the third took him off of his feet.

  The shard turned her gaze to Darlothz as he finished his cast. “Protectorai, nis, fa nor le go-ba-lishtrinimum!” The child pulled a fist back, and for a split second Darlothz feared the spell had failed!

  Then she was gone.

  “What a bitch!” Goldiez complained in a grumble, staggering to his feet, blood coming from an ear, nose busted, eyes bloodshot, armor scuffed and scratched. Legionnaires were standing around the battle site, obviously shaken. They had witnessed two of the greatest powers their world had ever known getting the shit kicked out of them by a Fae'il pixie. At least she had been in her full sized state...

  “I need to report this to Antioch," Darlothz coughed wetly. Banishment spells created so much phlegm! “What does this mean?” Goldiez asked. Darlothz had never seen the giant inquisitive before. “It means our glorious leader’s predictions of doom might be right after all.”

  “That mean we going to fight?”

  “I would say yes.”

  “More things strong like bug?

  “Again, I would say yes. A lot of them.”

  “Hmm. I might need practice.”

  Darlothz frowned. What they needed was to prepare. There was war coming. A real war. If that boy left behind on Earth was the Dragonheart, sooner or later he would make it here, possibly bringing with him more shards and links. They would muster their forces, form an army, and come for Antioch. For all of them.

  The necromancer wished they could return to Earth, but that simply wasn't possible, nor safe. God's countermeasures would hinder them to extents not worth the risk, if a portal connection could even be made.

  Turning to speak to the soldiers that were now approaching, the view panned back… like watching a movie... Then it all began to spin as the dream pulled the dreamer from the first person.

  And images suddenly flashing through Feldyn's dreaming mind.

  A young girl’s head crushed in a large hand, the skinny naked man it belonged to frowned with indifference.

  Soldiers, a countless number, dead on the battle field.

  The tiny dismembered leg of a child.

  Wings of a griffon beating hard, a brunette girl on it's back.

  Glowing red eyes that changed to green, back to red, then back to green - blood dripping from the child's two sharp fangs.

  Sparks from from an anvil, a black bearded dwarf wiping sweat from his forehead.

  A grass covered hilltop with a lone yellow flower

  Beautiful cloak of flowing bugs concealing her tonight body, large bright moon in the sky above.

  Pain!

  Fear!

  Love!

  Death!

  Failure!

  SEX

  Tiny, she was looking away at a setting sun. Her thick blonde hair was wild, flowing like water, reaching to her knees. In one hand she held a brilliant blue longsword, the other a small curved blade the color of a rainbow. Turning to look over her shoulder- it was now Caleb. He looked a bit older than Feldyn knew him to be. Skintight, sharp, and angular dragon armor, the color of his longsword, betrayed a muscle mass and tone that the current teenager did not have.

  Nine silhouettes stood in front the Dragonheart.

  The bard had never before been able to make out the nine figures, not their size nor shape. Until now. A single one of them came into focus. Hair in twintails, arms crossed, belly showing, pixie wings visible- Pazely (and yet, somehow not Pazely) scowled at him.

  * * *

  Feldyn woke with a scream, sitting up in bed. Or he thought had had screamed. Lance looked started, but not awoken by a scream startled. Feldyn’s heart was pounding, and he was drenched in sweat. Like usual, when he had one of his dreams. Yet never had one of his dreams given him such an experience. He had been Darlothz!

  Lance looked concerned. “Aye, my friend,” Feldyn panted. “I had... another dream. Unlike... Not like any...” The bard's mind was still spinning. He knew sleep was out of the question. Looking at the digital clock’s bright red numbers, it had already been some time since falling asleep. Longer than normal for him. Feldyn knew he had to tell the others about his dream. His heart skipped with the realization he was going to need to tell them about much more than what he had experienced this night.

  “No more lies my friend,” Feldyn said, more to himself than to Lance, who was now more confused than worried. “It is time they knew everything.”