Nocturnal backed up a bit as Molag Bal was right there in front of her, kneeling on his knees with his clawed hands intertwined with each other. He had this devious smirk as he snickered a bit, checking out Nocturnal's body a bit. Nox Eternis cawed out of annoyance and cleared his throat as Nocturnal snapped out her staring turned herself to the side with a frown.
"What?!...why.. how did you…?" Nocturnal mumbled as she backed up more, clutching her own arms as she felt uneasy around this certain intruder.
"First of all… I said Itzal would be a fitting name for you to name your… shadow was it?" Molag Bal snickered as he pointed to the ground behind Nocturnal, lashing his tail behind him.
Nocturnal just raised an eyebrow and crossed hers, knowing that he wanted her to turn around and she wasn't going to find out why he wanted that as she sarcastically replied, "Yes my shadow… and I'll consider it as a name for it but why are you here and how did you get in here?"
Molag Bal started to laugh before separating his hands and reaching out a hand to her, tracing it up Nocturnal's body and snickering, "Don't play stupid, you know why I'm here~! And here I thought today was going amazingly after my time stealing Namira's first today~! But now that I know your little secret… how long did you think you could hide and evade me? Seems not very long… hehe~! As for how I got here~!"
He started to laugh with a bit of drool dribbling down the right side of his mouth as his hand trailed up to her face as he whispered, "Your Shrikes have quite beautiful and alluring bodies~! I couldn't help myself but taste ALL the ones you had guarding the east side gate of this castle… I don't remember if any survived, but I do know that I made sure none could scream during or after my heh… time… with them~!"
"You… You raped them?!" Nox Eternis cawed out angrily.
"Such is my nature~! I just can't help but break the body and spirit of any gorgeously ravishing virgin I come across~! They are just so mesmerizing, I get the urge to NEED them~! Hehehehe…~!" Molag Bal whispered more as his hand cupped around Nocturnal's face.
Nox Eternis puffed up his feathers and in a swift motion, jabbed his beak into the back of Molag Bal's palm, cawing out once he pulled out of his flesh, "Don't you touch her...! Don't you EVER touch her! You… insufferable… pesky… pig…!"
Molag Bal growled as he snapped his eyes to Nox Eternis, glaring. His hand moved away from Nocturnal's face and flicked at the raven, sending him zooming through the air and out of a glass window. Molag Bal's hand healed quickly and he smirked down at Nocturnal. She was still trying to process all that just happened but still thought to back up as Molag Bal crept forward. She was still speechless on what just happened and kept backing up, hugging herself and glancing around to look for routes of escape. Molag Bal's smirk grew wicked as his tongue slithered out of his mouth and eyes suddenly glowed a bright white. All the curtains on the windows in the main hall closed shut and dawned a bright blue ward as Molag Bal started to laugh. Nocturnal reached the door behind her but just as she let go of herself to push it open, a giant glowing ward appeared on the door and it was locked shut. Nocturnal pushed it a couple times to no avail before freezing when she felt breath on her back. Her hand glowed purple as she quickly turned around, forcing shadows to come up with her as she knew it was Molag Bal right there. She closed her eyes when she did so, hearing a bit of screech and the stomping backwards of his footsteps as she assumed her shadows hit their mark.
"You little…!" Molag Bal roared out.
Nocturnal shot open her eyes when she heard the sizzling and brewing blue flames in Molag Bal's throat. She went to bolt to her left but Molag Bal spewed out the blue flames out in front of her. She tripped over her feet trying to stop herself from running through those scorching bright blue flames. She quickly turned her head around but only to see Molag Bal spew flames on the other side as well. She clenched her fist as she could feel her powers diminishing. Just as Nocturnal feared, the flames were too bright for her shadows to manifest. She glared over at Molag Bal and judging by his smirk, he knew this fact as well. She was trapped between a warded door, two walls of flames and the king of rape. This was not a spot Nocturnal didn't want to be in, so she thought to go the one direction that was opened to her.
"You… you can't corner me! This is my castle! This is my realm! I have the power here, not YOU!" Nocturnal scream as she scrambled onto her feet.
"Bwahaha~! And what can you do against me in this? You can't fight me! And you have nowhere to go…!" Molag Bal laughed as he neared Nocturnal, reaching his greedy hand to her.
Nocturnal jumped and, using the back of Molag Bal's hand, she launched herself upwards to the second story of her castle. Though she knew Molag Bal warded the windows and the doors downstairs, she thought that he forgot about the upstairs doors. Seems Nocturnal was right as she burst through those doors and, hearing Molag Bal climb up from the ground floor, she started bolting down the hall. As she ran down the hall to the next room, she could hear those claws on his feet clicking and slashing on the stone of the hall. He was starting to come fast down the same hall of her. She ran through the doors of the next room and quickly closed them, and locking them as she looked around. Though it was semi-dark, Nocturnal knew exactly where she was.
"This is the tower on the left side of my castle… I haven't been here in ages!" Nocturnal whispered as she rushed more to the middle of the room before jumping as she heard a loud thud against the locked door behind her.
The door rattle and cracked more as it was becoming obvious that her pursuer was trying to break in. She quickly looked around and ran to the smallest pillar holding the very few first steps of the stairs leading up. She hid behind it and underneath the cover of stairs itself, draped in the shadows of them. Peering through the opening between the pillar the ground step, she saw Molag Bal burst throw the doors. He lashed his tail around as he narrowed his eyes and looked around.
"Noooctuuurnaaaal~!" He said long and mockingly as he continued, "Wheereee aaaareee yoooou~?"
"He's gonna find you…"
Nocturnal heard that dreaded shadow's voice whisper in her ear as Molag Bal slowly crept around the room. He was smirking as he kept searching for Nocturnal, growling in delight of this game he thought they were playing. Nocturnal put a hand over her mouth to keep herself from saying anything as she looked down for a split second to see her shadow bubble. This damn shadow of hers always chooses the worst times to appear.
"I'm going to find you, dear~!" Molag Bal said as he peeked down the stairs to see if she was running down.
"I told you… Molag Bal is no fool. You can't hide from him easily..."
"So what's the use of hiding then…!" Molag Bal hissed with that grin still plastered on his face.
"You see? You need my help if you don't want him to get you…!"
Nocturnal wished her shadow would shut up, but she couldn't help but have a sinking feeling that it was right or maybe that was its influence starting to kick in. The bubbling shadow under her started to form into its familiar shape, but this time it was wedged into the hiding space with Nocturnal. It's hair drooped down on either side of Nocturnal's face as it's boney hands twitched and click, trying to reach for hers. She could feel its hands meet hers as its shadowy cloak, if you could call it that, felt like it was just oozing over her. Every part of it now was touching her body, much to her discomfort about the thought of their position, and she could immediately feel it's emotional control. It was urging her to give in.
"How do even hope to get out of this situation? By hiding in this spot after you realized running wasn't gonna help? You only cornered yourself! You HAVE to use my power now… so come on…!"
Nocturnal glared but snapped out of it, hearing those claws tapping on the stone as a growl rang out, "Nocturnal…! Stop this game and just submit to me…!"
"Come on…!"
The shadow whispered to her as it's sharp, toothy grin opened and a snake tongue slithered out by Nocturnal's ear. She started to shake as the situation she was in just kept getting worse and worse. The approaching steps of Molag Bal wasn't helping.
"I told you it was useless to hide…!" Molag Bal chuckled sinisterly as he stopped right in front of Nocturnal's hiding spot as he continued, "I heard the little steps of your feet in this room~! You didn't go faaar~! And…!"
"Come on, deary…!"
"I can smell a virgin from anywhere in a realm~!" Molag Bal mockingly whispered before he slowly sniffed the air and continued to speak, turning himself forwards and licking his lips, "And your scent is particularly sweet…!"
"Give in now! He knows…!"
Molag Bal suddenly dropped to all fours and his eyes locked onto Nocturnal's as he gleefully screamed, "Gotcha ya..!"
Nocturnal felt herself freeze as she saw Molag Bal's eyes. Her heart about dropped as the prince of domination reached his hand around the pillar for her arm. She couldn't do anything. Her shadow was right, she cornered herself.
His claws dug itself into her clothes and skin as he tore her right arm to drag her out of her hiding spot. Nocturnal put up as much of a fight she could but her hiding spot limited her movement. He pulled her out and held her up by her arm as he smirked, checking out her body. She struggled as she tried to wrench her hand free from Molag Bal's grasp but just started to shiver as Molag Bal pressed his nose against her belly, sniffing a bit with his eyes half-lidded. His tongue slowly slid out of his mouth as he kept his smirk.
"So sweet~! I wonder… I wonder if you smell so sweet then do taste as such~?" Molag Bal questioned as he tried to slither his tongue underneath her robe.
"Are you just going to let him do this?! Attack him! Get him off you! You are stronger than him! You are stronger than any of those princes! Stop him!"
As if on command by the shadow, Nocturnal's hand glowed purple as she commanded her shadows to attack. Shadow tendrils shot out of the ground where Molag Bal's shadow was casted. Some of them stabbed into Molag Bal's sides and back while others wrapped around his limbs. He screeched before dropping Nocturnal to the floor as he began to fight his sudden foe. A blue fire started to churn in the back of his throat before spewing it on the shadows attacking him, causing them to sizzle and retreat back as the fire was too bright. He growled and kept spewing on his own shadow. Nocturnal knew it wouldn't be long before his attention would be back on her. Before she could command more, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and cause her to glance down. It was her shadow.
"I won't be affected by that fire, deary…"
"I don't… I… don't…" Nocturnal stuttered as she wanted to say that she didn't need her shadows help, but could help but think that she actually did need its help.
"Stop denying it further… just accept me!"
"I won't let you show yourself…!" Nocturnal whispered to it.
"Then let me lend you some power…! Maybe you'll realize when you get more of a little taste…"
Nocturnal was silent for a bit before taking a deep breath and sighing before she mumbled, "Just a little taste…?"
"Just a little taste…~!"
Nocturnal let it in a little bit before standing back up just as Molag Bal was turning around and growling, "Oh I am now gonna thoroughly enjoy ripping into and pounding that sweet, tender flesh of yours…!"
"If you can even get to me…!" Nocturnal hissed out as she lifted both of her purple glowing hands.
"That's it deary~! Let's show this pig who he's REALLY dealing with here…!'
Nocturnal stayed quiet as she swung her right hand to her lefts side, summoning a shadow hand from the flaming blue area of where his shadow was. Before Molag Bal could react, the flaming shadow hand immediately slapped him in the face. Molag Bal shook his head before blinking at the flaming hand then looking around him as more started to rise around him. He snarled and glared at Nocturnal before they all started to claw into him. For how many hands were summoned, Molag Bal still put up quite a fight. Nocturnal was just standing there, watching and holding her hands out as she felt her eyes heat up when she heard Molag Bal's screeching.
"No…! Nocturnal…! Stop…!" He screeched.
"No…! Don't…! Let him scream! Let him feel the pain! Haha! See how satisfying this is~? Now make him regret ever coming here and thinking he could every take your… precious, delicate purity! TeAr HiM aPaRt~!"
When Nocturnal finally processed what was happening and what she was doing, she realized that this was more than just a little taste of power. The shadow was trying to get her to kill another prince again. Though maybe Molag Bal would have deserved it, the repercussions would not be worth smashing this pathetic pig to Nocturnal. She quickly forced her hands to go down.
"What are you doing?!"
"...no… I won't kill another prince…" Nocturnal whispered to herself quietly.
"But now he's going to get you! And you just obeyed him…! You're dooming yourself!"
Nocturnal didn't reply. She just stood there, clenching her fists before suddenly feeling her feet get swept away from the ground beneath her. She fell on her back and quickly went to sit up but got pinned by the blue bladed tail of Molag Bal. She squirmed a bit in the grasp of his tail, trying to free one of her arms but she kept her gaze fixed on her attacker. He stayed silent too. Just standing there, panting and growling as his claw marks slowly healed. He stomped over and quickly got on all fours over her. He leaned his head closer to hers before suddenly receiving a punch to the face by one of Nocturnal's freed hands.
"Gahhh! Why you little…!" Molag Bal screeched before Nocturnal punched him again but this time, right between the legs.
As he went down, curling around himself in pain, she quickly got herself back on her feet. She rushed to the stairs downwards, creating a shadow of herself that continued upstairs. Molag Bal shook his head a bit but his eyes snapped to the shadow running up and he roared, shaking the building before he started to chase that shadow upwards. Nocturnal quickly breathed a sigh of relief as she carefully stepped downstairs, hoping she wouldn't make too much noise to catch Molag Bal's attention.
Nocturnal mumbled quietly to herself, "You didn't have to make me do that…"
"But if I didn't... you would be screaming in pain as his claws would dug themselves deep in your skin and his-"
"I don't need to hear the rest…!" She hissed quietly to herself as she kept walking down the stairs, flashing a glare down at her shadow.
"Ohh but it's the truth, deary~! I wouldn't want such a fate on you~!"
She rolled her eyes, continuing, "Oh so you suddenly cared…"
"Oh hush! If I just let you get dominated by that disgusting… THING… I would feel that filth on me! It would be absolutely disgusting!"
"Ah, I see... You just didn't want to be disgusted by the sight and feeling of him in me." Nocturnal sighed.
"About the sum of it deary~! Awww~! Don't be sad~! I do care for you and your abilities… I just wished you sought my guidance more~!"
"Guidance? Ha… more like ways to get me to mess up the situation I am already in! Like the one I'm already currently in…"
"Ha! Mess up? I provided what you non-shadows call help! Fighting them away or even killing them would solve this… situation about your purity!"
"No, it won't! That won't solve the problem, it would just make it worse!"
"Then what do you think we should do, hmmm?"
"Well… I can't keep running away and hiding from everyone now that they know… maybe I should just let someone take it and be done with it..." Nocturnal groaned as she reached the bottom of the stairs, realizing she went all the way to the cellar.
"Phew… I don't think he can get me from down here…" Nocturnal whispered as she looked up the winding set of stairs.
"Oh, yea? We'll see…"
Nocturnal rolled her eyes and said, "He's too busy with that shadow I bet… thinking it's me but he'll find out that it isn't~!"
"It has a timer if you're saying that… cleaver, but also means you're racing against time here! If what you said before is what you're going to do then… who are you gonna choose to be the lucky person~?"
She paused for a bit as she was giving it some thought out loud, "I… I do not know… Maybe I'll go with…"
"Hermaeus Mora?"
She felt a big red blush spread on her face as she stuttered, "M-maybe… He's the closest prince to me and probably would be nicer about taking it..."
"Oh, are you sure about that~?"
Nocturnal started walking through the dark cellar, looking around as she asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Tch! You know very well as I do of those 'Research' books he keeps hidden in the corner of his private quarters! He relies on YOUR shadows to keep them hidden~! Maybe you can use that to your advantage…"
"Hmmm… Maybe. Heh, so you do actually want to help me…" Nocturnal chuckled to herself as she stopped, reaching the way back of the cellar.
"S-Shut up! Now you have a new objective so lets-…"
Nocturnal started to giggle uncontrollably as she mumbled, "Someone's embarrassed!"
'This is not the time to be carelessly laughing at my flaw of caring for you, deary!"
"I know, I know… but I never took you to be a caring type so I find this funny!" She chuckled.
"Let's just-wait… do you feel that?"
She felt it too. A shift, or disturbance in the air. It only meant one thing, that someone was trying to open a portal to where she was. Nocturnal backed up a bit and looked around to see where it was going to open, seemingly her shadow was doing the same thing.
"It's going to be Molag Bal, isn't it...!?"
"C-Can't be! The shadow shouldn't have dissipated by now!" She said as she readied herself for a battle.
"Then who… Ah! On the wall…!"
Nocturnal quickly turned back to the wall to see the portal open up there. The green and black abyssal swirl was all too familiar but before Nocturnal could say a word, a large black tentacle grabbed her and pulled her through the portal. She was quickly dropped onto a grate with a thud. She groaned and looked down, seeing the acidic water running beneath it and quickly rose to her feet. With just a few glances, she could see she was back in Apocrypha but it wasn't the same place where the meeting was. This looked like more of a private place in Apocrypha with what seems like a desk with a pen and inkwell resting on it, but there was seemingly a person resting at the desk. The black robed figure had his head own in what seemed like a book, unmoving or even reacting to Nocturnal's presence. Not to mention all the books and paper littering all over the desk and place of this isolated bit of land said something greatly. That this figure was Hermaeus Mora and he was researching deep into something. Nocturnal thought that the reason he summoned her was for said research, but what worried her was on what.
Nocturnal sighed and shouted, "Hermaeus Mora! What do you want from me?!"
As if on command, he rose from his desk and kept his head down as he mumbled, "Nocturnal…"
She raised her head a bit and started walking over to him slowly. Hermaeus Mora suddenly burst a couple of tentacles from his back, causing Nocturnal to freeze and her hands to slightly glow purple. One of the tentacles reached over to a stack of books and grabbed the top book before bringing it to Hermaeus Mora, who then began to read it as his other tentacles seemingly were looking for more books. One of them grabbed a purple-covered book with a logo of an eye on it to the desk. Nocturnal calmed herself and slowly began approaching again.
"How convenient that he's the one to show up when we were talking about him~! This moment would your perfect opportunity to get what you...hehe… NEED from him~!"
"Yes…? Tell me why did you dragged me all the way here?" She asked, mentally trying to tell her shadow to shut up.
"I need something…" He whispered.
She was confused at first, saying, "You… need something? After what I did to yo-"
He quickly turned his head around and said, "Do it again!"
"Wha-what?!" She exclaimed.
"Well, he seems eager~!"
"Please! Summon or show that shadow again! It's powers… it's appearance… It was just a slight taste of what it actually was, wasn't it? Judging by what I felt… whatever it was I felt… It was immensely powerful even when holding back! Something like that is something I can't just ignore! What I NEED is to know what it actually was! Please, Nocturnal! Tell me this one secret! Please!" Hermaeus Mora rambled as he turned around, gripping into his hood in frustration and knocking open the purple book.
Nocturnal took a deep breath and replied with a stern voice, "No."
