Broken Sun - The Mandate of Anarchy (PG-13)

[Tasslehoff]

Kraxel the Bisharp
Scarwell, Azmarax, at the moment trapped inside his own mind

I fainted as the pain shot through me; I remember just sitting in the void. There was nothingness all around me, the only thing really was a very acute pain in my shoulder, luckily, in dreams, pain is only a fraction of the true pain.

I awakened inside a hospital bed, inside the palace of Scarwell, but no one was here. I got up out of the bed, and searched around the place. The palace looked like a hellish version of the palace I remembered. I found myself bursting through the throne room, and stared into the face of Zoroki.

“Kywhahahaha, ahhh Kraxel, how doessss it feel to meet your NEW master?!”

Increasing pain surged through my body, starting in my mind and running its course all the way through me, dropping me to my knees.

“Thatsss right Kraxel, kneel before me, your master, your king, there isssss no leaving this place!’

The pain kept running through me, it was a unique pain, it was as if the feeling of pain was a weapon, I could feel my ribs breaking, my lungs constricting, losing my breath, all I could do is just kneel on the black marble floor with my hands out in front of me, not enough energy to disobey Zoroki.

“Kraxel, you know you’re awake already, thisss isss Scarwell, you lost, Tariq failed, he’s dead! And Scarwell is now mine! And you, you will be my puppet; I will doom you into agony you’ve never faced before, if only you embraced me when you had the chance, this wouldn’t happen to you, you would have been free of torment, we would rule as gods.”

I couldn’t believe what he said, the fact that Tariq had died was almost unbelievable, but, if Zoroki was now king of Scarwell, it did make sense. The pain started to diminish and a feeling of rage roared trough me. Finding the strength to get to my feet, I stood up and stared Zoroki straight in the eye, readying to fight my fallen again.

As if reading my mind, Zoroki said, “Ah Kraxel, why fight me? Yes, I broke you arm, but it is now repaired, fully, I offer it to you again, join me, rule with me!”

“And as I told you Zoroki, I will never join the Abyss, but I will not kill you, to be part of Utopia (spitting at the ground) horrible, I will kill any Utopian in my way just as I would an Abyssal denizen.”

“It is a pity to see such a useful Abyss soldiers to not join us, you’d be a god among insects, you are ALMOST an equal to me… in a fair fight, but you know neither of us play fairly, you’re a criminal and I’m, well I’m a fallen, and I’m also you, and soon, even Zaiaku will no his folly of trusting me.”

“You will know your folly for believing a will be your puppet!”

“Kywhahahahha! You have no choice anymore Kraxel, for I rule you!”

As he said that, the room faded away and I was outside the palace, bound in chains, an Abyss long sword in my hand. Zoroki walking down the steps, leaving a burning foot print in the ground, the world itself cringed as he treaded upon it; the thought came to me, if my fallen was this strong, how strong were the legends?

“Kraxel, if you are to join my army, you are to fight as one of my soldiers, this is my fighting ring, I want you to kill as many of my soldiers as you can, of course, if you losing means you are dead.”

My chains were unleashed and I walked into the middle of the ring, numerous Abyssal soldiers stood around, watching and seeing what was going to happen. Black metal spikes rose out of the ground, and the pikes curved, creating a dome like structure, but allowing those outside to still watch what was going on in the inside.

“I will not be treated like an arena pig like this Zoroki,” I shouted, dropping my long sword in disapproval.

“Then die,” Zoroki shrugged, “It makes no difference to me, either way, I shall pick your soul up one way or another, do you really believe Utopia will allow you into their realm? You’re doomed to the Abyss, alive or dead, you are our servant.”

Realizing the truth in his words, I picked up the long sword realizing I like living. The gate on the far side of the arena opened, and multiple Abyss brutes, as I felt like it was a reasonable name cause of the fact they were pokemon on steroids basically, started to run on all fours at me. I met one head on, side stepped it, swinging my sword loosely through its mouth and through its cheek, I actually enjoyed the Abyss swords structure, barbed swords are very fun to play with.

The brutes turned back towards me and rampaged again. Not being the faster, one of the ‘mons rammed me and I flew into the black metal wall, cheers rose among the spectators as the enjoyed my pain. Thinking fast, as the brutes charged once more, meaning to end my life, I ran up the wall and straddled one of three that were still alive. I stabbed the sword multiple times into the fleshy neck, enjoying tearing out the flesh and muscles of the beast, I drove my other hand into the wound and tore out the beating heart, black blood came out with the heart and the beast drove itself into the ground.

Dispatching the other two brutes with ease, I started to lose my sanity and fall into my roaring battle lust, a red blood haze fell over me and nearly everything in the world no longer was in my mind.

I did however hear the sound of Zoroki clapping his hands on his arena throne, “That’s right Kraxel, fight like us, embrace your hatred, use it as your weapon!”

This routine went on for several more rounds, Zoroki would send out more fighters, I would dispatch them; their bloody remains would lie on Scarwell’s corrupted ground until Zoroki himself came onto the battlefield.

“Why would you come onto the battlefield and fight your own “soldier” Zoroki?”

“You are a pawn, if you lose to me; I have no need of you.”

“Let us start the game then,” I snickered to him.

I ran towards him, now dual wielding two swords, I met him in a furry of savage attacks.

“You fight well, I congratulate you, not good enough though!”

An unexpected parry blocked a lethal assault, with Zoroki sword preoccupied, he drew a dagger and plunged it into my stomach wound.

“Always expect your opponent to fight unfairly, keeps you alive longer.”

“How do you know I’m not just testing you though Zoroki?”

“Because you aren’t stupi…”

His voice faltered, in his talk, I pulled the dagger out and sent on a spinning twist into his neck. Completely severing his vocal chords, he drew his other sword and charged me, in a more savage grace than I had known. He had a much more superior swordsmanship than I had, and now I had to rely on parrying on keeping me alive. I relied on my seer abilities, using as much of my mind as I dared to lose focus on the fight, and tried to enter his mind and stall him, my only surprise, I entered nothing but a black vortex of nothing.

Zoroki smiled and said, “Kywhahah, how does it feel to know you’re just fighting your mind? I expected you to suspect this ALONG time ago.”

My shocked reaction of thinking that this was actually reality allowed Zoroki to plunge another attack into my already bleeding abdomen. The realization that this was a dream shook me awake; I was still out of it and barely saw the world around me. I turned and saw a sitting Tariq besides my bed; however, my mind registered a Zoroki, still taunting me inside an Abyss arena; I shot my injured arm towards his neck and grabbed tightly. Excruciating pain, more painful than the pain that caused my injury, brought me into realization of that it was Tariq, almost instantly, my hand relaxed and I pulled it back to my side. With my other hand, I cradled my arm, shaking in my bed from the pain. A Chancey walked by and I asked to have a mirror to view my injuries on my own.

“Of course Kraxel, whatever you need, we are here for you.”

After a few minutes, the Chancey came back, my first thought, what did my arm look like. I had the mirror focus on my left arm, the shoulder was put into place again, my elbow was put into its right position, however clearly noticeable that it was once hyper extended, and my fingers will also fixed, not in a correct positioned, but I assumed that they were as close to correct as they would ever be again.

I turned to Tariq and said, “Haha, well, I guess my arm is not very useful for a very long time. Sorry about trying to kill you, thought you were Zoroki, I’m paying from that now with a recovered pain.” I smirked at the humor.

I checked my abdomen and was relieved that it was bandaged, although some blood was staining the bandages, it wasn’t an open wound any longer, so I was satisfied that I would still live. I brought the mirror up towards my face, checking if there was any bruising, something shocked me, not allowing the others to know this, and hoping Tariq never took the time to realize that my eyes were originally grey, my eyes were now completely black, some white spot remained on the edges, but my iris was now black filled, and the iris itself seemed to have grown larger since I last looked at it.

Acting normal as possible, I turned to Tariq and asked, “So what’s our next move, I see a few possibilities, A) We try and recapture the other towns here by ourselves, B) wait for Zix and then go with option A, or C) are we going to that one place in the north that you mentioned?”

 

[Avenger Angel]

Jax the Lopunny
Sartaras, Victakan

Something about the arrival of Meiun, Noxan, and Scyasta seemed... too convenient. From what I was able to figure out from all this, Meiun was either extremely smart, or extremely bullheaded and stupid. And something told me he didn't become one of the commanders of the Cohorts of Chaos because his brain rotted out of his anus. There was something up with this, and it wasn't just because I was a Paladin now and we were drawing closer to the Cathedral to Corruption.

Mel, as his usual self, treated the whole thing as a game. I liked that about him, but I figured there was something deeper he hadn't quite caught just yet.

"Epitaph, huh?" Mel laughed and taunted. "How did that go? ‘My beloved hometown, the sweetfish river running through it. You who seek the Golden Land…’ oh. Whoops. Wrong game. Kyehehehehehe…See what I did there? It’s <good>, isn’t it? Tell me it’s good. Go on, indulge yourselves, have a laugh!"

I smirked, although there was that other issue. While Noxan and Scyasta continued their hollow monologue, Mel was truly fearless. Heck, it was easy to say he was enjoying it to no end.

"Mild agony, they say." Mel spoke. " Mild agony. Hah! You don’t even know the meaning of the word!" He laughed as he narrowed his eyes. "What is it you consider agony, you three? Physical pain? Torture? Or perhaps you’re a bit more philosophical than that. You go for concepts like mental pain…the agony of loss? Am I getting warmer? Oh please tell me if I am. I do like to understand the significance of my opponents’ taunts if I can."

In truth, it did make me wonder why Meiun was doing this in the first place. Mel was a live wire, and there really wasn't much that could make Mel fall to his knees and regret. Truthfully, he could be dumped right into the foulest part of the Abyss, and he'd still have a ball with it. It was really only his Fallen that caused him to become sheepish. And I found it a bit surprising that Meiun didn't realize this.

Or maybe, in fact, he did, and Mel didn't realize it...

But what the hell was I worried about anyway? Still, just when there really wasn't any logical connection, I figured I should just help Mel get this over with and destroy the three of these pigs. I was sure Lugia, Latios, and Latias would appreciate it. However, this definitely would be a long and aggravating fight.

It was then they started fighting. All the while, Mel was having fun with it.

"I'm curious, Meiun," Mel asked while the fight carried on. "What sins exactly has Lugia committed?"

"The Fallen Lugia suddenly realized Mel was on his back.

"Oh, I'm sure there's a long list of things you could spout out. Killed some people for trespassing too far into his ocean territory? Maybe caused a bit of devastation when he got too overenthusiastic with his power? Something like that, I imagine."

"InSoLeNt bUg! LeT gO oF mE aT oNcE!!!" Meiun shouted, trying to shake Mel off like a bucking bronco.

It kept going while Noxan and Scyasta went after us. Noxan was fast, and as I figured out, Latios had a lot of sins behind him. For the most part, he barely trusted anyone, had a history of theft, and often used violence to solve conflicts. Not the nicest guy, so his Fallen was a bit more of a pain than his sister's. I figured as much as flying would be fun, these two were obviously faster and more experienced than me flapping around like a drunken Wingull.

...cannot... Jax... for... longer...

I sensed it was more of Utopia's static. Again, I didn't know what they were trying to tell me, but it was coming in slightly clearer, probably because I was a Paladin now. However, it didn't make the slightest bit of sense. Whatever barrier the Abyss had up, it definitely made whatever they were trying to say to the living sound like garbage.

Time... ... no... hurry... Corruption...

And that one little word made the connection. I wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but it seemed like time was the issue here, and obvious deductive reasoning made it clear. Meiun and the siblings weren't here to kill us or corrupt us. That was pretty basic, because it didn't even look like Meiun was trying that hard and wasn't even worried about losing either. And Noxan and Scyasta would have attacked by now if they wanted us to die. Instead, they were playing hard to get, being extremely evasive, and Mel, as fun-loving and itchy for action as he was, couldn't look past the trap. Syrat too, wasn't able to see past the fact that for three Fallen who should have arrived to attack us, they were fighting way too defensively.

"Come on, you bastards!" Syrat shouted, trying to Thunderbolt Noxan and Scyasta, but missing each time. "Is this how you fight!? Golly, I never thought Fallen legendaries were so pathetic!"

"Forget these idiots!" I shouted to Syrat and Mel. "They're not here to kill us, they're trying to delay us! Something's going on with the Cathedral, and I have a good feeling whatever bastardly thing the Abyss has in mind with it, they're about to do it quite soon. To the point where gobbling up a few more minutes might just make the difference!"

Syrat looked at me strangely, but I tried to use my additional senses to get an idea of what was going on. But I couldn't. The Abyss was hiding something about the Cathedral, and I felt if we didn't address it soon, they could very well do something with it that might screw up everything. I didn't know what and I sure didn't want to find out later and kick myself for it.

I grabbed Syrat and took off. Literally... took off, spreading my two new wings and trying to fly. It was... easier than I thought, but I knew the siblings had the speed to try and attack me and force me to slow down and become distracted. Problem was, there wasn't much I could do that they couldn't. We needed to get to the Cathedral before whatever the hell was going on down there actually happened. They had already shut out Utopia. I wouldn't put it past them to use that place for something else just as bastardly, or attempt to make sure no one was capable of grinding their gears with their plans anymore.

I could see it in the distance, but the question was... would we get there in time? And once we were there... how would we stop it?

I figured we'd find some way. We came this far, after all.

 

[R.I. Saraibre]

OOC: Just trying to move this along...

Seng the Grovyle
Esteran Rainforest

I listened to Zix's words carefully. Getting to the Western side would be difficult, as it was the more mountainous of the area that protected the temple Delath was in. I meditated for a short, time, following the whispers of the trees as they gave me guidance. The clif was sheer, but I could see a small crevice in which I could climb to get into the temple, and assist Zix in getting there as well. Stalling the poison was going to have to be an afterthought, I could feel Delath starting something sinister within his walls. I clenched the faded black pearl I had bartered, feeling into Delath's mind. I could see from his perspective again, him looking at a reflection of something within a small obsidian pot. I could hear him chanting something, a dreadful tune that I refused to let into my head. It felt sickening and extremely draining.

That's when it hit me.

I returned to a fully concious state, turning to Zix with my response.

"We'll go the direct way, I feel that the poison is pat of a diversion and is not as lethal as I expected." I explained, starting off in a dash within the trees. "Follow me and I will explain. Most of the deadliness of the poison is coming from his dark magic. If we can stop him in time, we can delay the toxic attack and take him out at the same time. If we can get there without being seen or spotted, we will have the upperhand. I know he's inside the main chamber near an altar, using it to amplify his own powers."

I used the best of my natural ability to move through the trees who were guiding me with all haste, while making sure Zix could keep up. I dove and darted, keeping sure that Zix was aware of where I was and I was having him at my shadow. Using my abilities I could see we were getting closer and closer to the temple. The chatter of other Abyssal infected were reaching my ears, and I did well to keep out of sight and let Zix know. As I continued, I could fee the ground comint to an incline, and the trees were becoming more and more faint in whispers, and sparse. Soon the peak of the temple was within eyesight, and I cold see the crevice I had envisioned from before.

'There, we can climb that to get into the temple.' I spoke to Zix, using a Seer connection. 'I can get up there easily, and I can assist you. Once inside we'll have to find a vantage point within the large room, and to prevent any reinforcements from trying to disturb Delath.'

I looked at the long, crack within the mountain side. It was going to be a bit of a climb and the sky was growing unnaturally dark. I would move when Zix was ready. We would have to coordinate this carefull in order to keep the element of surprise. I could sense trickry within the area ahead, and I knew this was going to be a trial all on it's own, aside from killing Delath himself.

 

[Necros]

OOC: Apologies for this post, I just sort of had to get it all out. I'll warn you right now, it gets pretty dark towards the end, and I'm not sure if it stays fully within the PG-13 rating...I tried to leave out the details without lessening the impact...not sure if I succeeded.

Melanthios Malachi the Sableye
Sartaras, Victakan

Forget these idiots!" Jax shouted to Syrat and Melanthios. "They're not here to kill us, they're trying to delay us! Something's going on with the Cathedral, and I have a good feeling whatever bastardly thing the Abyss has in mind with it, they're about to do it quite soon. To the point where gobbling up a few more minutes might just make the difference!"

Melanthios blinked, currently in the air clutching at the flying Lugia. He didn’t waste his time trying to shout back, instead speaking to Jax’s mind as he saw him fly past with Syrat in his grip.

Well, duh. That much was obvious when they didn’t snuff us out right on the spot. I figured they were either stupidly overconfident or they were going through the big song and dance purely for its own sake…i.e. to delay us. After all, who knows about that better than me? I was hoping you’d be able to figure it out, glad your Paladin transformation wasn’t just for show. As for me…well, I just wanted to get inside Meiun’s head a little. It’s really, really fun. Though getting him to fly me to the Cathedral might prove a bit difficult…

His thought patterns betrayed that he was thinking about the whole thing seriously and that he had indeed suspected it might have been a stall for time…he just wasn’t sure what for, so he didn’t bother acting upon it. Plus it betrayed a little of Melanthios’ own internal pain, that he was not quite as wild as he looked, and that the Abyss only failed to get to him because they failed to understand him. It was honestly as if Melanthios was trying to reach out to someone, imploring them to understand him, in the subtlest way possible. Jax could also probably sense something a bit more worrisome: Melanthios didn’t care if the Abyss had something up their sleeves. In fact, he was hoping for it. Relishing the chance of facing even greater struggle to fulfill his victory. It was a game…but it was more than a game. It was a trial. And the more Melanthios endured, the more he struggled, the greater his chances were of overcoming that trial.

But in the meantime, he had a Fallen Lugia to steer towards a Cathedral. Meiun might be willing to chase after Jax in order to stop him, but he also might be equally willing to let Noxan and Scyasta chase after him and keep Melanthios away from the danger zone. That is, of course, if the Sableye’s taunts truly weren’t reaching him and he was thinking clearly.

“HaH! YoU’lL bE tOo LaTe!” Meiun snorted, lagging purposefully behind the others. It seemed he was willing to go towards the Cathedral just to taunt Melanthios, but much slower than Jax or the other two Fallen intending to catch him were.

Melanthios sighed. He really hated doing this, even to creatures as disgusting and twisted as Meiun, but it was probably the only way he was going to have a chance of getting near the Cathedral on time. Slowly he climbed up the neck of the Fallen Lugia until he was close enough to those foul ears to whisper into them and be heard clearly.

“You have one second after I start to agree and fly me straight to the Cathedral of Corruption. One second in which I will stop and let you fly without any of my coercion.”

Meiun snorted. The Sableye was desperate. It was cute how he was trying to act like he was in control when he clearly had been outmaneuvered. Though he hadn’t forgotten how those words before had affected him, even just a little.

“oH dEaR, i Am So AfRaId, mOrTaL,” he sneered, still gliding tantalizingly slowly towards their destination.

And then Melanthios began whispering rapidly into his ear. The words poured in relentlessly and every single one of them stabbed into the Fallen’s brain…no, even deeper than that. His heart, his core, his very being. They ignited his darkest fears, his most repressed memories, every single moment of misfortune and woe and multiplied it a thousand fold. It was an utterly overwhelming onslaught, moving faster than he could think, every time a suitable defense began to surface, Melanthios cut it down with the very three or four more attacks that the Fallen Lugia prayed he wouldn’t.

Meiun snapped. He flew towards the Cathedral of Corruption as fast as he could, his pupils contracted until they were barely even visible, eyes wild and wide, teeth clenched, shrieking with agony as he streaked past Jax and the two others without so much as a second thought. But Melanthios didn’t stop. He just kept whispering and clutching to him, shaking a little, his eyes closed, his own form looking feverish, devoting his entire self to speak those torments into Meiun.

***​

Melanthios frowned as he looked down at Meiun, the Lugia now writhing and frothing at the mouth at the base of the Cathedral to Corruption. The large legendary’s body was shuddering and twitching and spasming, yelping out nonsensical gibberish, laughing, crying, curling up and then stretching out, unable to keep still, unable to make any sense at all. The two Cohorts that had been guarding the entrance were already dissolving corpses, having been feverishly attacked by Meiun in his fear induced madness.

“I’m…sorry. You didn’t deserve that,” Melanthios sighed, clutching at his forehead a little and groaning, as if he was fighting off a very bad headache. Jax and the others were still a fair ways away, since Meiun had flown here at top speed and then some. He had hoped they would have caught up to him; he was getting pretty weak from all these efforts. Certainly he wouldn’t be able to do that again for a long while, particularly not to an Abyssal.

“Might as well take a look…maybe I can relay the situation to Jax before he- wha?!”

Melanthios found himself suddenly encased in a bright green, glowing crystal prism. It was utterly impenetrable and completely prevented any interaction with the outside world. He was baffled. Not so much with his current predicament…but because that such a predicament was possible on this game board. He knew what this glowing prison signified…but who had challenged him? And why?

“You never really did think much about me once I was gone, did you?” droned an all too familiarly distorted voice. “That’s typical. Always forgetting your past. Ignoring all the consequences of your actions.”

The prism widened just a little bit. Stepping into it with ease was the masked Raichu from before, its tail slicing ominously though the air, that wire and crystal mask pulsating over its muzzle.

“Oh, you. You’re right, I did completely forget about you. Sorry about that. Can you ever forgive me~?” smirked the Sableye, quickly rallying into his usual cocky self. He hadn’t, in fact, forgotten the other at all. He just wanted to throw this mystery piece off balance.

He found a blade pressed against his throat before he’d barely finished the sentence. Try as he might, Melanthios couldn’t stop himself from swallowing audibly. This piece wasn’t just playing. It was deadly serious and it was personal.

“Yeah, I’d believe it. A scum like you doesn’t spare two thoughts for those he leaves behind. It’s all about your own interests. Your own little delusions and fantasies. Well guess what, Melanthios Malachi? You’re no longer able to run. You have to face me and there is absolutely no way out of it.”

Melanthios grinned weakly while furiously trying to figure out just who this Raichu with a serious grudge against him could be. It was difficult…he didn’t remember many Raichus on his various journeys…certainly none that he’d significantly wronged.

“You know, talking to me with that fetish gear all over you is hardly helping your case. Just what are you trying to hide? I’ve seen far worse forms and faces than yours, I’m sure!”

He was aware of the other’s eyes narrowing and the blade looking dangerously tense…but then the Raichu suddenly lowered it, laughing darkly.

“The disguise? That’s for your benefit, Melanthios. My Master didn’t want you immediately collapsing in despair the moment you saw me. That wouldn’t be fun, now would it? He had to see you run around a little, play the hero, actually get your hopes up that you might finally succeed.”

Normally the Sableye would have responded to that derisively. Normally. But there was a sense of dread he hadn’t felt in a very long time. It was like two icy hands had suddenly gripped over his insides. Of course Meiun had flown him straight here. The entire Abyss was probably there for the sole purpose to get him to come here with his hopes high and his guard down.

“Who…are you?”

“Do you really not recognize me? Even with the disguise? You told me once you’d be able to feel me close to you, no matter what the circumstance.”

“Who are you?!”

The Raichu was clearly enjoying dragging this out. Slowly, it unfastened its cloak. That didn’t really help much…it just looked like a normal Raichu underneath. Then it curled its tail around in front of it, unhooking the sharp piece of metal plating the end of the bolt, revealing that it was flat and not pointed.

A female.

Melanthios’ eyes widened. His heart was screaming the dreaded answer, but his brain still denied it. While he still could deny it.

Then the Raichu slowly unfastened her mask, slipping it off her muzzle and tossing it to the side. Her green eyes bored straight into Melanthios’ diamond ones, blazing with malice.

And then he knew.

He knew that it had been hopeless from the very beginning. He knew that everything had been guiding him to this moment. The illusion of victory. The pride right before the fall.

“I’m touched at least that you recognize me like this, Melanthios. It’s been so long and I’ve changed quite a lot since you left.”

“…Leonora.”

“That’s right. Leonora. The little innocent Pichu girl you loved so much. The little Pichu who cared for you. The little girl you loved for that. The little girl you loved a bit too much for that. The little girl you lusted after. The little girl who’s life you destroyed that day.”

Melanthios closed his eyes and ground his fangs together.

“You…deserved it-“

Leonora’s eyes flashed.

“I deserved what, Melanthios? I deserved to be raped? A six-year-old girl by an escaped lunatic?”

The Sableye was clutching at himself, shaking violently. He looked like he was in physical pain, as if each and every word she spoke was an actual blade, slicing into his body.

“Leonora…p-please stop it…”

“Oh you’re asking me to stop? That makes a change. Isn’t that what I kept yelling at you over and over again?”

Melanthios coughed. The cough sounded wet and sickly. As he pulled his hand away from his mouth, he could see his dark blood dripping from it, evaporating into purple wisps of energy as it travelled toward the ground.

“N-no…”

“That was another word I kept using, wasn’t it? Didn’t seem to have much effect on you either. ‘Please.’ ‘Stop.’ ‘No.’ ‘Don’t.’ ‘It hurts.’ ‘You’re hurting me.’ Sound familiar? Want to try one of those on me next? See if I’ll let you go?”

Melanthios could barely see…his vision was swimming, his eyes growing dim and dull…more blood was dripping from his body, from wounds that hadn’t been there a few seconds ago. They were opening up all over him, and he was sinking to his knees, too weak to stand.

“I…”

“What? What? Do you have some brilliant justification? Oh, no, that’s not good enough for you, Melanthios! Surely you’ve deluded yourself in some way! Rewritten your entire past to make sure the incident never actually happened! Oh well done, you! You truly are worthy of the rank of a Magus!”

She applauded him in a mockingly fake way, laden with such bitterness and hatred and pain that each sharp sound of her paws hitting against one another caused him to jerk and gag and cough up more blood. Still, he looked up at her weakly, his teeth clenched together.

“I…loved…you…”

Leonora’s large foot connected with his face, her toe claws slicing into his cheek, scoring deep lines there as she kicked him against the wall of the prism.

“Don’t you ever say that again you perverted freak! Never! Never again! Never, ever, ever!”

She kicked him over and over again with each word, her own teeth clenched in blind fury. She kicked him until her foot went numb…and then she started punching him. He took every single one of the blows, the Sableye coughing and hacking and groaning with what must have been an unimaginable pain. His eyes barely held any light within them anymore. Still she swore and spat and attacked him, releasing all of her hatred upon him while she still could, while he still could hear her.

Then, finally, she stood up, gazing coldly down at him.

“I would love to torture you some more, Melanthios. An eternity of pain is not enough for what you did to me. But I know how this works. I know why you’re still alive, in spite of all this. So I’m going to crush you, completely and utterly, the way one crushes a disgusting being like you.”

She leaned down a bit closer to him.

“I’m going to tell you the truth.”

 

[Agent Tectonic]

OoC: Me being the cruel person that I am, I thought it best to go with this plan as the other Prophets were handle through stealth. So, this one was not going to finish like the rest. =D

Zix Dragontamer: Typhlosion
Esteran Rainforest

We'll go the direct way, I feel that the poison is pat of a diversion and is not as lethal as I expected." I explained, starting off in a dash within the trees. "Follow me and I will explain. Most of the deadliness of the poison is coming from his dark magic. If we can stop him in time, we can delay the toxic attack and take him out at the same time. If we can get there without being seen or spotted, we will have the upperhand. I know he's inside the main chamber near an altar, using it to amplify his own powers.”

And with that, Seng was off and running. She blended unnaturally well with the surrounding trees;however, she always seemed to leave enough evidence of her passing for me to tail her. It wasn't long before we reached the edge of the forest as her guidance to evade patrols was invaluable. To me, it provided a rather refreshing teaching in moving swiftly and quietly as my rather infernal days were long behind me, so my abilities to do so have been rusty to nonexistent.

The trees were noticeably getting thinner and spread out, meaning that we were about to leave the safety of the rainforest. Sure enough, the tall crags of the mountains loomed up in the distance, and it was here that I caught up with Seng as she spoke into my mind, 'There, we can climb that to get into the temple.' I spoke to Zix, using a Seer connection. 'I can get up there easily, and I can assist you. Once inside we'll have to find a vantage point within the large room, and to prevent any reinforcements from trying to disturb Delath.'

She pointed to a long crack within the mountain itself that would lead straight into Delath's temple. From our vantage point, I could see there were occasional spots where one could rest before continuing. I studied the distance from our point to where the base of the crevice was at, judged where it might end as it penetrated into Delath's abode, the spots where rest was assured, and how far away the nearest patrol was. At a quick pace, it would take about an hour to reach the base, which left us at a precarious disposition of being discovery about forty-five minutes in. I checked the temple and the field for anything that may be off; I couldn't place it, but there was something that was too easy about this. I detected only one presence in the temple: Delath. Curious, I expanded my search to the crevice itself: one trap, a siren that was implemented on the fourth out of five spots that I saw that acted as rest stops. A hunch growing in the back my mind which I couldn't help but suppress a smile, I focused on the field. I shook my head at the overconfidence of the Prophet we were targeting.

Alright Seng. Two pieces of good news, bad news, and worse news. Good news is that I actually am quite capable of mountain climbing, so we can both scale this in quite fashion. The other good is news is that there are about five ledges on in that crevice that are safe enough to rest on should we need to stop and rest, which will most likely be the case. The bad news is that on the fourth stop, there is a trap in place that will alert the entire vicinity of our presence which is completely unavoidable. The even better news is that it is used to signal to the 200 hundred soldiers that are either hiding in the field or out on patrol to retreat to this part of the mountain in attempts to kill anyone on that mountain. Now, this particular stop is about a three hundred feet from the top with the last rest point at around the two hundred mark, so we should be able to finish our climb by the time any of the guards even reach us. This'll probably leave us with a reasonable amount of time before we either run for our lives or take on the entirety of the guards. Either way, we are going to have to fight our way out. I'm sure there is a stairway somewhere within that temple that should lead down the other side of the mountain. If we can find that, we should be able to circumvent around there, and I can signal the Altaria I mentioned to find us within the mountains and get us out of here.

So, we are about an hour away from the base with a patrol that should be near in forty-five. We need to get moving.

Seng wasn't exactly pleased with my assessment, but we really didn't have much of choice in finding an alternative path. We made our way across the field at a reasonable pace and actually got to the crack under the time I estimated. I focused on the one patrol that would be the problem and was pleased to see that they were still five minutes out and would not be able to find us now.

Alright, patrol can't find us, now; even after we start climbing. Let's get the show on the road.

Both of us started our incline. She, being quite nimble, was able to climb at a much faster rate than I would even dream of achieving. She offered her help at particular points where I was unable to reach, which was quite funny in my mind as I thought over what I said before we started. Half way up, I made a small miscalculation in my climb where I thought a particular rock would be promising, but it ended not being as stable as I thought and my left leg was now dangling as I frantically searched for new footing as the rock in question plummeted back down the hundreds of feet below us. Seng heard it slide loose and quickly made sure that I wasn't falling, which she was relieved when I wasn't after I gave a nod that I was still secure. I had found a better foothold and was just finishing a quick scan to make sure nothing was alerted.

We continued this way for quite a few hours, and we rested at the second ledge. It stuck out about a foot, so we didn't have much room to maneuver, but at least we could rest for a bit. Both of us gave a silent nod that each was ready to continue and commenced our climb. There weren't any more complications from the second to the third ledge, and it was here that we stopped to get as much of our strength back as we could as we were now about half a thousand feet away. Feeling brave, I looked down the incline and marveled that we had made quite a good amount of time in our ascension. Judging it right, we were about a thousand feet up. My arms and legs went slightly weak at the sight, but they were already that way from the climb. I wasn't sure how fatigued Seng was, but I had no doubt she was slightly winded, too. I wasn't sure if we were going to evade the soldiers that were below us, but that wasn't something that I wanted to figure out.

Not bothering to speak through our minds, I spoke, “It'll be best if you either climb at my speed or wait near that trapped ledge until we both can pull ourselves over it. Not that I think you would leave me hanging when the alarm goes off, but I'd rather not be way beneath you when it goes off.”

She gave me one of the most quizzical looks ever as if to say, “no, really,” which made me feel like an idiot: a feeling that I shook off with a smile and a shake of the head. We both were ready and proceeded to ascend to that cursed ledge. Seng had decided to simply move slower and stayed around my height until we got to the last lift needed to get on the platform. We stopped and ironically both of us looked toward the other, and in union, nodded and placed paw and claw onto the ledge.

And the plains below ruptured as troops spilled out to reach us.

 

[Slipomatic]

OOC: long post, couldn't wait, but essentially, Horizon is out of commision for a few days.

Horizon the Victini
Recovery room in Sylath, Synamax

Horizon woke up, feeling sore all over and heavy. He blinked a bit to see soft white lights above him. He looked around as best he could, feeling his neck protest in pain as he swiveled his head to get a look of his surroundings. It looked like he was in the hospital and only then did he realize how bad off he was. As if on cue, a blissey walked in with a clipboard and she smiled when she saw him awake. She set the clipboard down on a nearby table and walked to Horizon before gently pushing him back down so he was resting on his back. She said, “You are one brave victini, Horizon. Taking on your own fallen with the amount of training you had was suicidal. You were extremely lucky that your fallen had lost interest in you and that Crescent arrived in the nick of time to get you transported here. You owe your life to Crescent for getting you here, otherwise you would have died with those injuries you had. Unfortunately, even with our healing capabilities, you will still be in a leg cast for a few weeks as it was a clean break on the leg. Your back will be fully recovered in a few days. Your fallen did a serious number on you. I am very surprised that you will make a full recovery given your injuries.” She paused in giving Horizon the bad news and handed him a few sitrus berries and said, “Eat these, it’ll help speed up your recovery and help soothe your stomach as I’m sure you’re starving.”

As if on cue, his stomach let out a loud gurgle and he blushed slightly and ate the berries slowly, taking care not to spill any juices on his bandages. When he was finished, the soreness felt slightly better and he didn’t feel as heavy, but he knew he couldn’t really move much. Blissey smiled and said, “If you’re feeling well enough, I can bring Crescent in. I’m sure she’ll be relieved to know that you’re awake and on the way to recovery.” She left, humming softly, not noticing Horizon paling as she went to get Crescent.

Horizon was panicking inside. He didn’t know how to apologize to Crescent for doing what he did. In fact, he didn’t tell anyone what he was going to do. He was very sure that Crescent was going to chew him out for pulling a stunt like he did. Actually, he didn’t really know how the battles went or how long he was out. He was so busy panicking inwardly that he failed to notice Crescent walking in. It took a soft, quiet, wavering voice to bring his attention on what he dreaded the most as of right now. “Why Horizon…? How could you go and get yourself mauled like that?” Horizon could only look down in shame, like a child who had gotten caught trying to take cookies from the jar. He failed to notice her form shaking before she surprised him and leapt onto his bed, hugging him tightly, causing him to squirm and gasp for air. “You idiot, idiot, Horizon…” He cringed slightly, feeling Crescent shaking all over him, only for his eyes to widen when he heard her sobbing and crying. Automatically, his hands reached up and stroked Crescent’s back, trying to soothe her. It seemed to work as her sobbing grew less and her form slowly stopped shaking.

When Crescent pulled away and Horizon got a good look at her face, he winced slightly at how bad it looked. It had looked like Crescent had been crying for a good long time as her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Just as he was about to speak, he saw her eyes harden and she raised her paw before slapping him hard in the face, causing him to cry out in pain. She spoke sternly, “This is for leaving me and worrying me to death about you.” What she did definitely surprised him as she leaned closer and kissed him full on. Unprepared for a kiss, Horizon froze up in the kiss, unable to do anything in shock. She pulled away with a small blush and said, “This was for being a hero. Regardless of your rash actions, you helped deflect the main powerhouse of the invading Abyss army from making to the city. The battle on the west side is still going on, but they’re slowly pushing them back.” She looked away shyly and refused to meet Horizon in the eye. Horizon blushed heavily and couldn’t speak as he was still caught off guard by the kiss. So many emotions were running through him and it was too much for him and he fainted, still blushing heavily. Crescent immediately became concerned but calmed down slightly when she saw Horizon’s chest move up and down as he breathed softly. Even though he was passed out, she quietly whispered in his ear, “I love you Horizon, don’t go scaring me like that ever again, you hear me.” She thought she saw him smile, but as soon as she thought she did, the smile had disappeared, leaving her to think she must have imagined it. She quietly padded out, casting a glance at the sleeping Horizon before leaving.

 

[Flash Sport]

OOC: Finally managed to carve out some time to get something up...

Liechi the Whimsicott
Outskirts of Sartaras, Victakan

“Do we really need to involve ourselves in that fight?” Rycero lazily questioned as he watched the females work with one of the defensive machines. “If we make needless detours then our chances of reaching Houan Peak diminish.”

“This isn’t a needless detour,” Liechi told him in a strained voice as she adjusted a bolt with a wrench. “There are Pokémon fighting in Sartaras, two of which are Seers and if we can provide support then we should.” She looked up to Salut who was near the head of the mech. “This one’s done!”

“This is war,” he deadpanned. “Pokémon die in one all the time.”

“Not if we can help it,” Salut told him, calling to Liechi afterwards once she had finished adjusting her side.

He shook his head before setting a clunky pair of spyglasses on his face. “Females.”

“Besides, the Cathedral is a vital part in this war. If we can destroy the altar then the chance of Talandra turning into a world of darkness decreases,” she informed him, backing away from the mechanism to look at the operations booklet. She wondered if she was doing the right thing by getting involved. In all honesty, she had considered just bypassing Sartaras and continuing onward to Houan until an eerie feeling took hold of her. She told herself that it was because so many of the Abyss were congregated in the area, but that feeling just wouldn't leave her. Not only that, but Liechi wasn’t sure if she could take the guilt if something happened to the Seers with her being so near; not that she'd be able to do anything substantial. They were already in the thick of things and why should she be any different, although she wasn’t sure there was much she could do. The cathedral would undoubtedly be heavily fortified and protected by some of the strongest creatures the Abyss had to offer. If the three of them ended up getting spotted, they would be head deep in trouble. She would’ve felt surer about the decision if she went solo, but there wasn’t much she could do about it now. “What do you see?”

“Looks like the party just got kicked up a notch. Everyone’s in a frenzy and there’s a giant thing that looks like Lugia heading towards a very weird building.”

“The cathedral most likely,” Liechi muttered, not liking the news. It seemed more of the bosses have decided to make their appearance and that could only mean something big was probably about to go down. “Do you think the shells have the capability to hit that far?”

“Who're you askin'? I’m not the mad scientist,” he said, motioning to the booklet. “Doesn’t the manual say anything?”

“If we get the trajectory right, there is a slim chance that whatever we launch will strike within city limits,” Salut inserted, hopping down the machine. “The SPD Shell has the best instruments when it comes to accuracy because it needs to hit critically hard and fast due to its mediocre defenses, but the way it's currently built, its more of a melee type.”

Rycero appeared mildly impressed. He released a breath and scratched his head. “Since there’s no talking you two outta this, may I suggest we move closer then? Those retards are too preoccupied with their current opponents to pay any mind about what might be lying on the outskirts of their domain. Besides, we only have two missiles and we need to make both count if worse comes to worse.” The two nodded and Salut was about to head for the pilot seat when Rycero cut her off. “Leave it to me.” He plucked the manual out of Liechi’s paws before scaling the mound of metal, his claws making light plinking sounds as he did so. Upon reaching the top, he looked into the depression before glancing back at Liechi. “Instead of heading in with a mind to engage the enemy, it’ll probably be better if you just go in to observe. If those pokémon you said were there are in trouble then you can think about taking action. There’s no reason jump into the fray if it can be avoided. We need to stretch our resources to the fullest.” With that the kecleon leapt into the cockpit.

“He can make some valid points when he’s not whining or being sarcastic.” She then faced Salut. “When you two manage to find a good spot, release the pins located on the mechanism’s ankles and bury its forearms into the ground…”

Salut nodded. “Because of the projectiles’ recoil. Don’t worry, we can handle it from here. Think you ought to contact the Seers?”

Liechi shook her head and looked in the city’s direction. “No, I don’t think so. It’ll just distract them. Better for them not to know because that also increases the chances of the Abyss not knowing I’m in the vicinity.” Heading over to the opened receptacle, Liechi looked over its contents with uncertainty. She needed at least one means of defense to take with her.

“Take those,” the audino said after spotting Liechi’s dubious expression. She pressed the cube containing a rotating cluster of spheres that resembled silver grapes. The items materialized beside the box, appearing much larger.

Liechi lifted the cluster by the “stem” and inspected the shiny objects. “What are they?”

“Incendiary bombs. I don’t recommend using them while trying to sneak in, but if you think you’re about to end up in a pinch these will help break you free.” Salut then handed her a small fabric sack. “They’re not as powerful as they stuff used to bring down Dysan’s tower, but these should be able to disconcert your opponents at the very worst.” Liechi carefully placed the items in the sack and fastened the flap. “You can either use the cluster as one bomb or individually. All you have to do is light the fuse when you’re ready to use ‘em.”

“Right. I guess it’s time for me to go. I’m counting on you guys to provide some serious coverage if stuff hits the fan.”

“No worries, we have your back. Good luck.”

“Same to you.” Liechi mustered up a tailwind and propelled herself towards the city, keeping low to the ground this time and projecting her sights ahead of her to find a clear path. Rycero was right. Everyone was in a frenzy. The really bad thing about it was that they were all heading in the direction of the cathedral. She hoped she could sneak in without a hassle because these monsters of the Abyss were anything but run of the mill. Not to mention the monstrosity that was Lugia’s fallen was in the vicinity and there was no telling who else accompanied him. The entire place screamed certain death, but she wasn’t about to turn back with the cathedral and potential salvation in reach.

 

[strategiser24]

OOC: Sorry for the delay, had a busy weekend.

Tariq The Archeops
Scarwell, Azmarax

Relieved that Kraxel was awake, Tariq rubbed his throat after Kraxel grabbed him. He seemed like he was in shock as he looked in a hand mirror and saw his wounds. Thankfully, Tariq had saved him in time for them to be able to heal. Though, he was right, it didn't seem like he'd be his former physical self for a while: That was the result of fighting a Fallen. Tariq was almost surprised when he mentioned the Fortress in the north as the next possible move. "...I think heading to the place in the North would be the best option. I'm sure it will be a welcome break from the recent hell and battles," Tariq answered.

Thinking for a moment, Tariq came up with a quick plan. "I know where we need to head; I'd be able to fly you, but...Lets just say I had a close encounter while you were unconcious the first time," Tariq continued, "Best plan I have now is to borrow a boat and follow the sea north to Snowpoint: I'm not in the best shape to fly all the distance; I can explain more about the plan on the way...Take your time. When you're good enough to get up, come down to the docks,"

Leaving Kraxel's side, Tariq headed out of the field hospital in the Palace and headed to the docks. By now, relief and celebration was breaking out among everyone left in Scarwell. They'd won an important victory, had they lost, the soldier's morale would likely have been shattered after losing Azmarax. Heading to the docks, repairs were already starting to begin on the ships. There were, thankfully, still ships that hadn't been sunk or damaged. One of them was guarded by a group of soldiers, keeping watch. The soldiers seemed happy to see Tariq as he approached them. "We're in your debt Seers, both you and your friend," the soldiers said, addressing him.

"I appreciate it, but the victory will have to be short lived for now," Tariq explained, "I need you to come with me and Kraxel to Snowpoint: We're using this ship,"

The soldiers looked at Tariq in confusion. "...With all due respect, why the urgent need to leave without time to to recover?" one of them asked.

"We might have won the battle, but we're far from winning the war, and we're not likely to win again if the odds dont change and we don't get help," Tariq continued, contemplating if he should share the plan, "...There's an ancient ruin in the North in Snowpoint valley. Its said to have been the fortress of our ancestors who fought the Abyss millenia ago...The difference is that they fought them in a different way than we did, and it obviously led to victory over the Abyss; I think there may be records of some sort that can give us a clue or some sort of weapon or strategy to fight the Abyss. The catch is, two Seers are needed to reach the inner area of the Fortress...At least that what's been said in stories...Listen, you and I both know that we won't survivee another attack like that if things don't change. After the hell we've all survived, this shouldn't be another life and death mission; if we leave quickly, we'll make sure the Abyss doesn't have a whole lot of room to recover,"

The soldiers looked at each other for a long while as they considered Tariq's proposal. "Sending one of our few remaining ships up north while we're regrouping...That's a tall order," the Sergeant answered, clearly unsure, "...Then again, the Commander has told us that if we have any ideas on how to turn the tides in the war, that we're to put them to action immediately,"

The squad whispered to each otheer for several minutes, unable to reach a unanimous decision. After seeming to be at an agreement, they turned to address Tariq. "Well, I suppose there's not much of a difference if we die here or...whereever you want us to go," the Sergeant answered, giving Tariq the answered he'd hoped for, "We'll leave once we check the ship again for any damage, and you give us the word...For all our sakes, I hope you're right,"

Turning to the ship, the soldiers hurried on board and below deck to begin inspecting the ship for any casualties. Sitting on a crate on the dock, Tariq prayed that his vision wasn't wrong and that they'd find SOME way to turn the tables on the Abyss. But for now, though, Tariq hoped Kraxel would be well enough to travel.

 

[R.I. Saraibre]

Seng the Grovyle
Esteran Rainforest Mountainside

'Alright Seng. Two pieces of good news, bad news, and worse news. Good news is that I actually am quite capable of mountain climbing, so we can both scale this in quite fashion. The other good is news is that there are about five ledges on in that crevice that are safe enough to rest on should we need to stop and rest, which will most likely be the case. The bad news is that on the fourth stop, there is a trap in place that will alert the entire vicinity of our presence which is completely unavoidable. The even better news is that it is used to signal to the 200 hundred soldiers that are either hiding in the field or out on patrol to retreat to this part of the mountain in attempts to kill anyone on that mountain. Now, this particular stop is about a three hundred feet from the top with the last rest point at around the two hundred mark, so we should be able to finish our climb by the time any of the guards even reach us. This'll probably leave us with a reasonable amount of time before we either run for our lives or take on the entirety of the guards. Either way, we are going to have to fight our way out. I'm sure there is a stairway somewhere within that temple that should lead down the other side of the mountain. If we can find that, we should be able to circumvent around there, and I can signal the Altaria I mentioned to find us within the mountains and get us out of here.

So, we are about an hour away from the base with a patrol that should be near in forty-five. We need to get moving.'

I knew there was something I didn’t like about the mountainside, and that just confirmed it. Fighting our way out was going to be a bit of a problem, as no doubt Delath had his entire temple riddled with all sorts of tricks and traps. The climb was alright, as I provided Zix with some assistance here and there. I agreed with the idea of his Altaria giving us some aerial support, as getting off the mountain after getting Delath’s blood was going to be the farthest thing from simple. I was used to climbing and scaling vertical terrain before, but rocks weren’t trees and hardly had anything to say.

Once the alarms started crying out to the others, I was ready to get up the mountain as fast as my claws would let me, however Zix would have been significantly slower than myself. They were a far way down, however there would only be so much time before they were upon us.

That’s when I had an idea.

‘Zix, I can get up the mountain much faster than you can, however I can also make it easier for you to get up the slope and harder for them to reach us if I work on making our own way.’ I spoke to him in mind. ‘Just enough to make sure the change in the terrain isn’t noticeable from within the temple. I can see the spires from here, but the temple may be beneath the stony shield. We’ll be able to hit the roof as the alarms won’t be heard from the temple thanks to the geography.’

I moved up ahead of Zix, looking at some of the more easily pried stones that looked like they were going to fall, with some help from myself. I moved some of the other rocks out of the way for Zix, knowing the more straightway he had the faster we could move. I examined the weak points in the large shale, looking down the mountain and making sure that there was no way Zix was going to be harmed in the slide. The striations in the rock would give me an easier time removing it from it’s place, and sending it down the mountain. I put my cane at my back and focused on the stone, poised and ready to strike the rock. I waited and listened, channeling power into my wrists with my eyes closed.

With one crossing motion of both my arms, my leaves struck the stone and with a slight pause, send it far and fast down the mountainside. I leapt back up to the next few boulders, leaving an easier path for Zix while sending more large pieces of shale down the mountain to give us what time we could use. I started feeling less of an incline as I walked backwards, feeling a bit tired from my efforts . I turned looking down the cliff where I could see the crack within the mountain where the peak of the temple strutted out. I looked down, seeing a sinister, black stained building with gothic decoration and violet and red stained glass. What was once a temple to honour the earth legends was not a dark practice place for whatever Delath had decided to create within those walls.

‘There it is…I’m light enough to make the jump onto the roof, and I’ll be able to help you unless you’d like to climb down separately. It might be better if we did, as no doubt once we disappear over the ledge, there will be patrols looking for us, and if we’re separated, it’ll be harder for us to be found. I can scope out the best escape roof from the building’s rooftops. Perhaps you could find a way in while I examine the area?’

I looked at the jump, judging how I was going to make it without harming myself. Making these kinds of attempts I was excellent at, though this jump would be a record longest and this was one I could not afford to miss. I took a few steps back, firmly putting my claws in the ground and taking my cane in hand. I began to run towards the gap, lifting myself off the ground just before the ground and pulling myself into a ball, turning over a good three times before I let myself open again, ready to grab the nearest ledge or pole. The spire pole that jutted from the roof looked to be my best hope, as I reached out for it with my cane, swinging around harshly as it hit the stone and metal. I let my feet land on the roof quietly, gripping the tils and craftwork that went into it. I looked at Zix, giving him a positive raise of my hand. I looked down, seeing a small crack down the face of the inside of a cliff. I looked down at the small paths surrounding the temple, noting heavily armored and bulky Abyss wandering around. Looking at the shadows of the lamps, I could see that there were even wandering in pairs or a trio. I looked back at Zix, giving him a warning.

‘If you’re going to climb, there’s a small crack down the one side just to the right of you. There are a few boulders you can hide behind when you get down, but there are patrols about.’