Chapter 3: The First Cut

In Prison

I sat quietly in the cell with my back against the cold bricks. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness so it made the surroundings seem a little less dismal… a little. The boredom and restlessness was starting to get to me though. I never felt entirely comfortable unless I was doing something productive; whether that be reading, drawing up new tactics, reviewing battle reports, puzzles, anything to help sharpen my mind and prepare me for my next challenge. That or my new found hobby of drinking heavily. None of that was possible in our current predicament however. Not only that, but questions were still buzzing around my skull about my companion and our captors. Speaking of my companion, Legault had been sitting at the door for what had seemed like hours, but it was hard to tell without a good view of the sun or a time piece. His ear was pressed up to the metal with his eyes closed. He was apparently waiting for some sort of sound. I wasn't too sure exactly what sound, but his patience and discipline was as polished as ever. Or he might not have been waiting for something at all; maybe it was some kind of meditation to get his mind off the smell.

By the smell, I of course mean the singer boy. Enough time had passed since his death that he started decaying, and boy did he decay. The fumes coming off the corpse were positively rank. I tried to breathe through a scented cloth I had kept in my bag in case I came across such ghastly smells, but I still had to make a conscious effort not to gag when a particularly potent whiff of it reached my corner. There was something about the rancid stench though that I didn't understand. Our cell was cold enough to be considered refrigerated, surely that would delay the body's decay significantly. Granted I still wasn't aware of how much time had passed, but it couldn't have been long enough for decay to even begin. Something must have been done to the boy prior to death, perhaps experimentation? Torture? That would explain his insanity. Whatever it was that had been done to him though made him decay quicker, and stink much, much more than an average body. And trust me, I knew. I've been around battlefields for a long time and in extension the bi-products of the battlefield. I've been privileged to smells that could make Elimine herself swear, but never have I encountered something so horrid. Well, that's not entirely true; there was one incident where I fell into Bartre's laundry bin, but I'd prefer not to recount that tale…

"Something's going on out there." Legault proclaimed as he turned from the door and planted himself down on his rear, fumbling through a pocket in his cloak.

"Out there? What in the hallway?"

"No beyond that. I'm thinking the compound's courtyard." That would be a miraculously far distance to hear considering all the stone and steel in between us and there. However, I've never questioned Legault's skills before and I wasn't going to start now. "It sounds like battle."

"Battle? Someone's attacking the compound?"

"It would seem that way." Legault responded as he finally drew a lock-pick from his pocket. He turned and carefully studied the lock embedded in the thick steel door. "This is going to take a few minutes, but with any luck we'll have it open before the battle's over and we'll be able to make our escape." That was all well and good, but my concern was less escaping before the battle was over and more escaping before the room's bouquet made me puke.

Compound Courtyard

Fiora's surprise attack had been very effective, catching the compound's forces off guard. They had eliminated around half a dozen men before the guards were able to regroup and implement a defense. Since the start of the battle, the 5th wing's pegasi had been milling around compound, raining javelins down on the Sons of Garoon and dive bombing them systematically. The Sons of Garoon vastly outnumbered the knights, yet the sudden, coordinated attack was throwing them into disarray.

"Looks like we've loosened them up a little… Gabby! Nora! Pincer with your troops and drive them into the center of the compound! I'll lead a drive up the middle!" The two Pegasus knights nodded at Fiora's command and separated from the formation with a few other knights to carry out the plan. Fiora couldn't help but grin at the irony of issuing the order. Mark had used this tactic to save her life on Valor when she first met him two years ago. Blind with rage over losing her comrades, she had charged the Black Fang in a last ditch effort for revenge. Fiora had been so caught up in the fighting and the shock of seeing Florina again that she did not even realize they had been surrounded. She was so sure it was the end. Fiora thought that not only had she gotten herself, but also her sister killed out of her own recklessness. Then suddenly the enemy was thrown into a panic. Two strangers that she now knew as Guy and Dart were tearing through the Blank Fang's flanks and driving them in tight. Then Sain and Kent charged up the middle and that was the end of that threat.

Then came Mark himself, the genius of the Lycian army. He stepped out of the fog like some ancient myth. He watched as the battle continued to rage, calling up reinforcements and improvising when things didn't exactly go according to plan. He carried no weapons, yet he walked through the battlefield as if he was at the market picking up groceries. He never showed fear of being hurt or killed, as if he believed himself immortal. Then again that's how a tactician is supposed to be, profession and confident on the battlefield. It also could've been because of Lyn of course. She was beside Mark most of the time on the battlefield, and would slay anyone who dared to even look at the tactician wrong. It didn't matter what the drive was, whatever it was that made him so cool and levelheaded in battle was what saved Fiora and Florina. It was time to repay that debt.

The three groups of Pegasus knights soon shepherded the outside guards into the center of the yard, wearing them down slowly. Growing impatient at how long it was taking to repel the attack, Oz emerged from his study with his demonic coterie in tow. "Honestly, how long does it take to swat down some ponies?" The dark skinned leader grumbled as he poked his head outside for a look, quickly pulling it back in as javelin zipped by his cranium. "Bah, it matters not. We were planning on moving tomorrow anyway, it looks like we're just going to be leaving a day early." Oz was about to turn and walk back in when something made him stop. "Wait a minute…" He poked his head back out carefully and spotted a pegasus knight with long blue hair fly by, calling out orders

"If I'm not mistaken, that's one of Mark's former companions… hmmm, yes this will work out nicely. Change of plans, we're not running just yet. This may yet work in our favor. Bast, head to the holding cells and make sure none of them escape in the confusion. Ark, rally the men in the courtyard, make sure they hold out." The morph knight and the pseudo-faced giant marched out fearlessly into the courtyard, ready to carry out their orders. "Heidi, start getting my things together, we're going to have to leave soon after this is over. Aherm… we will be carrying out the plan now." The hooded ghoul quietly drew the flask of black liquid from his cloak. He uncorked the concoction and raised it to his scared and scabbed lips and drained the bottle in a few gulps. A moment passed by with no result before his body began to suddenly spasm violently. Aherm collapsed onto the floor and began to go through a violent seizure as Oz and Heidi walked back to the study.

Fiora noticed the enemy soldiers suddenly cheer and rally as two new enemies emerged from the center building. She knew right away they were going to be trouble. The large armored one moved through the courtyard as if he were taking a stroll in the park, ignoring the chaos around him as he single-minded headed toward the prison block. The tall one on the other hand stopped halfway down the path and turned its smiling mask skyward. With no warning, its arms suddenly stretched out inhumanly long and shot skyward. "What in the-!?" Fiora didn't have time to finish her expletive as she had to dodge one of the whipping arms. The rider beside her was not lucky though as the other arm swatted her and her Pegasus out of the sky. "Evasive action!" Fiora yelled out as she realized the tables had just turned.

In Prison

"Almost got it… almost got it…" Legault grumbled as he continued to work carefully at their cell's lock. While the Hurricane worked his wonders, I was balled up in the corner. The smell had gotten more intense and it was getting harder to keep focus.

Just take your mind off it… you're not here… remember that grand feast after we were greeted with at Caelin after we reunited Lyn with her grandfather? Remember how good it smelled? The smell of all the fine meats and pastries that had been served at that dinner was heavenly. It was truly a meal fit for a royal reunion! The smells were beginning to fill my nose and were slowly taking me away from the stinking cell, but then I remember what happened at the end of the meal... Matthew had thought it comical to play a prank on me. He had made a concoction of chocolate sauce and vomiting syrup and poured it over a piece of sweet cake. Having my usual sweet tooth, I accepted the cake and ate it with much gusto. I noticed Matthew was pale way too late, I didn't think you were going to wolf the whole thing down, I remember him saying. I was about to ask him what he meant, but then I felt it. Never had I run faster in my life, and never had I been prone over a toilet for longer. It had been over three years since that day, but the memory still makes me nauseous. That coupled with the smell of rot proved to be too much…

"Damn… Damn it I-." before I could warn Legault, I turned from the corner to the back wall and finally gave in to the nausea. By the door I heard the thief cringe in disgust.

"Gah! You couldn't just keep it down for a few more seconds!?" Legault exclaimed, agitated now. I wiped my mouth and groaned; my throat was sore from the force of the experience. I coughed a few times and sat back, feeling pathetic.

"Ugh… damn, I'm sorry Legault I just couldn't-." I stopped myself as my eyes locked onto the body again. I hadn't been paying any attention to it for the past few minutes since I was trying to keep my mind off it, but something had changed about the body. Having cleared my system and feeling a bit better, I dared to crawl over to the corpse to inspect it closer. The smell was still ghastly, but at least it was having a little less of an effect on me now. I got up close and peered through the shadow down at what remained of the corpse. It was hard to tell form the lack of light, but it appeared that what remained of the poor, insane singer had contorted somehow. "This is… perplexing…" I mumbled as I debated whether or not to lean in closer to try and adjust my vision better.

"What is?" Legault asked with a loud 'thunk' from the door. With the lock finally undone, the steel blocking our freedom swung open with a lumbering groan, slowly spilling candle light into the freezing chamber. The extra lighting would be just what we needed to see... and unfortunately we did see… "My god…" Legault gasped in horror as his eyes found what we had been just sitting in the same room as. The body of the singer boy had decomposed rapidly. VERY rapidly. All that remained now was a skeleton garbed in the singer boy's clothes lying in a black puddle of rancid foulness.

"What the hell did they do to him?" I mumbled as I circled around the skeleton slowly, trying to understand what exactly it was that had happened.

"Beats me… Damn, the guy's singing did get annoying but he didn't deserve this. What do you think could've done this?" Legault questioned as he tapped the bones with his foot. The body rocked slightly at the touch of the Hurricane's foot, making the notable clicking sound that bones made.

"I don't know." I lied. "But we've got to get moving, now's our chance to escape, right?" Legault drew both his daggers and nodded. He turned and shook his head, either out of pity or in an attempt to get the image out of his head. "Yeah, it's now or never. Let's go."

Legault lead the way down the narrow, cold hallway as I limped close behind. It took a good amount of effort to even move at this slow speed, but I have no right to complain. If Legault hadn't given me that elixir I'd probably still be on the floor of the cell not able to move. My eyes couldn't help but wander as we passed through the small prison. Piles of dust were scattered around the hall, the remains of the morphs Legault had dispatched earlier. I felt no remorse for the unholy creations, but what did weight my heart were the bodies that were strewn about. The limp bodies of men and women laid on the floor with bloody wounds on each of them. They were all dressed in regular peasant garb; surely none of them had done anything to deserve this kind of slaughter.

I bumped into my companion's back when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Legault? What's wrong?" He gave no response, but was staring silently at something on the ground. I edged around his side in order to get a view of what had caught his interest. Unfortunately I saw it. A woman had huddled herself over as a defense against the onslaught around her. It clearly proved to be a useless gesture as told by the spear shaft leading down into her back. As disturbing as that was though, it wasn't what had caught The Hurricane's attention. What had was the small bundle in rags clutched desperately in her arms under her huddled form. Neither of us had the heart to check, but we both knew what we'd find if we had.

"Mark."

"…Yeah?"

"These bastards need to pay." I placed a weak hand on Legault's shoulder, but he turned abruptly and continued on towards the door. I took one last look at the heroic woman and continued on after him. Before we could even reach the end of the hall, there was a loud clank from the exit. We both froze in our tracks and stared at the heavy iron door. Seconds later we heard the familiar thunk of the door unlocking. I quickly glanced around to try and see if any of the nearby cells were open, but these ones had been closed again. We made eye contact and had a brief unspoken conversation. We both knew who was going to be coming through that door, and there was no way we could take him. I was too weak to make it back to our cell without being seen and there was no way Legault was going to carry me back there. There was only one thing left we could do.

The heavy door at the end of the hall flung open and the opening was filled with the armored figure of Bast. The morph stood silently in the doorway as it was greeted with the sight of a corpse filled hall. No signs of life. The creature stepped in and closed the heavy door behind it, cutting off the frantic sounds of battle outside. With one lumbering step after another, the armored monstrosity made its way down the hallway, checking the handle on each cell to make sure they were locked. As he continued on, he easily pushed each corpse aside with his colossal feet. He had just passed us when we decided to make our move.

Blending in with the dead bodies certainly wasn't pleasant, but it was the best course of action. Legault rose up slowly from the floor with the silent stealth he was known for and reached out for Bast's belt. With skilled dexterity, he removed the morph's key ring without him even feeling it. He gave me a nod of acknowledgement as I still lay motionless on the floor. Checking to make sure Bast wasn't looking I made some quick hand signals to Legault. He pursed his lips in disapproval, but nodded grudgingly all the same. I had established a series of hand signs back during the war when I had to communicate silently or from a distance with someone else. Everyone who has ever worked with me on the battlefield knew them, it was a relief Legault hadn't forgotten them after all this time. He crept on ahead in silence toward the door and I returned to my motionless state, praying to Elimine that the plan would work.

Bast was about to check our cell when the whistle by the exit caught his attention. Legault waved at the morph with a cocky grin as he unlocked the door with the key he had snagged. "So long!" And he darted out into the snow covered courtyard. With a howl of rage the monster barreled down the hallway with surprising speed and out the door after the Hurricane. I waited a moment to make sure that the armored morph was truly gone and I painfully rose to my feet. No matter how skilled Legault was, it'd be a risk to have us fight the jailer even if it was two on one. Being injured and unskilled at fighting I would only get in the way or worse yet the creature could grab me and use me as a hostage. So I signaled for Legault to lead the morph away and I would slip out after them.

After a moment's struggle I got on my feet and hurried toward the door. I felt the cold air rushing through the door way and I could hear the sounds of battle raging outside as I was mere meters away from the door. A small fluttering of hope and excitement rose in my stomach as I closed the distance. It worked! Now all I have to do is find-

My thoughts of triumph and planning were interrupted by a boot to my face. I tumbled backward onto the floor once more and grunt in pain. I looked up and saw my assailant was the black robed ghoul from Oz's study. Where did he come from!? I noticed something about his structure was different; it almost struck me as familiar. But what had changed and where he came from didn't matter, he was in my way and I needed to get through! I struggled back onto my feet as quickly as I could as he walked calmly from the doorway toward me. I drew my knife as an angry snarl stretched across my lips.

"Why are you doing this? Do you have any idea what you fools are trying to do by awakening Garoon? Do you have any idea what you're doing!?" Aherm stood there in silence in face of my anger. It's hands extended from its robes and pulled the hood back, allowing locks of brown hair to fall down around a familiar face… my face.

My jaw dropped and before I had time to lunge at him, he extended his hand out into the air and squeezed as if he were trying the crush something. My vision suddenly blurred and there was an eruption of pain in the back of my head. I screamed out uncontrollably as I fell to my knees. My hands flew to the bump on the back of my head and I clawed at it desperately. Whatever the bump on my head was the ghoul had put it there. I could barely form any thoughts after that as I soon collapsed onto the floor. The pain had ended but I was still shaking out of shock. I saw the ghoul's feet before me and was able to roll over just enough to look up at the face it had stolen from me.

"We know exactly what we're doing." Aherm responded to me in my voice as he reached down and removed my green cloak. I saw him shedding his own black cloak and donning mine before I finally blacked out.

Compound Courtyard

Fiora didn't need Mark in order to see the battle had taken a turn for the worse. Since the tall man had appeared on the battle field he had swatted three of the Pegasus riders out of the sky and the soldiers had reformed into a proper formation. Some of the other riders were able to land some strikes on the creature's arms but they seemed to have no effect. Fiora had gone on the defensive, weaving through the air to dodge the creature's whip-like arms and the arrows of the soldiers supporting him. This is no good! I need to find a way to break through and get to Mark or my knights' loses will have been in vain!

That's when someone emerging from the prison block caught her eye. She'd recognize that green cloak anywhere. "Mark! Mark up here!" she felt a smile spread across her face as she tried to wave and get his attention. He appeared unharmed, which gave her some measure of relief, but they weren't out of the woods yet. I have to get to him before the enemy realizes he's escaped. Before she was able to move, both of the tall man's arms began whipping around her furiously, trying to strike her down. "Damn! No good!" She muttered to herself as she swerved vigorously to evade the strikes. "Gabby!" She called over to a nearby Pegasus knight. "That's him! That's Mark! Get him to safety!"

"Yes commander!" She called back and dived down toward the ground. She swooped down through the enemy soldiers and finally found a clear run to get to the tactician. "Mark! Give me your hand!" Gabby called out as she drew closer towards the tactician. The green cloaked man turned towards the oncoming Pegasus and its rider's extended hand. He slowly outstretched his own hand and made it appear ready for him to jump on. However, when they grasped hands he did not jump as he should have. He pulled instead.

With a shocked scream Gabby was torn from the back of her steed and she tumbled down onto the ground. The man who appeared to be Mark walked calmly over to where she had landed on the ground and grabbed a hand full of her hair. The Pegasus rider shrieked out in pain as he dragged her out into the open and forced her to kneel. Fiora was watching this whole time with mouth agape, not understanding what was happening. The tall man ceased his attack on Fiora, retracting his arms and signaling for the Sons of Garoon to stand down. Fiora and her riders hovered in the air, confusion spreading through their ranks. "Mark! What are you doing!? It's me, Fiora! We're here to save you!"

The green cloaked man's eyes rose up to meet Fiora's as Gabby struggled in his grip. The look in his eyes frightened Fiora. "Something's wrong." She mumbled quietly to herself, still fighting the shock that was consuming her. The man who appeared to be Mark reached to his waist band and drew his knife. He forced Gabby's head down and stood in a striking position. "Mark! Stop! Let her go!" He looked back up at Fiora one more time with a blank expression on his face. The man rose Mark's knife up into the air, prepared to do the deed. "Mark!" Fiora shrieked out one last time as the knife came down.

Complete silence filled the courtyard after the savage act, save for the thud of Gabby's body as it slumped onto the ground. The imposter looked up once more and made deliberate eye contact with a completely floored Fiora. "C-Commander?" Nora, the pink-haired pegasus knight beside Fiora stammered in terrified confusion. The Wing-Borne warrior shook her head slowly, still with a horrified expression of shock across her face.

"Retreat. Everyone fall back." Fiora ordered with all the zeal gone from her voice. The Pegasus knights somberly turned and flew away, leaving the compound far behind them. The Sons of Garoon cheered heartily as their invaders retreated. Aherm, who had assumed Mark's identity, re-sheathed his knife and turned to greet Oz as he came out into the yard.

"Well, I see the potion worked like a charm." The tan skinned male complimented as he raised his hand to Aherm's chin, turning his face to inspect it. "Look at that! No scars, no gray skin, perfectly normal, and perfectly like Mark." Aherm showed no visible reaction Oz's comments only giving a slight bow of thanks. "Tell me, she did see you kill that girl correct?" Aherm nodded in affirmative as Ark walked up beside them.

"It's a shame though. I was trying to grab the blue-haired girl for you to slay. It would've made turned more heads if Mark had killed his own trusted ally." Oz waved off Ark's suggestion lazily.

"In due time my friend. For now this was the best fortune we could've hoped for. Someone who can unmistakably identify Mark saw him working with us and more importantly killed for us. Everything is going according to plan. Has Bast snatched that run-away yet?" His question was answered by Legault's unconscious body being thrown on the ground before him. He looked up and was met with the sight of both Heidi and Bast. "Excellent job. Get him, Mark, and any of the other prisoners still left alive ready for transport. As soon we're packed up here, we head for Sacae."

Night-time, somewhere in the Ilian woods

Fiora sat in her tent resting her chin on her knees, clutching her legs tight to her. She hadn't decided yet what to feel. Mark… Mark what was that!? What did you do!? Why would you do that!? Maybe that wasn't Mark… no, no it had to be. I've known him for so long and my eyes are as sharp as ever… there was no mistaking it… Fiora jumped when the flap to her tent suddenly opened. It was one of her scouts, Nora. "Commander. I just got back, those mercenaries finished packing up and they are heading South… That man Mark was riding with the commander."

Fiora stared at her scout for a moment in silence before letting out a heavy sigh. "Good work Nora. Take a few of the other knights and follow after them. I want to know where they're going."

"Commander? You're not still planning on trying to save him are you? He killed Gabby!"

"I know…" Fiora replied calmly. "And as of now no, it's no longer a rescue mission. But clearly they're up to no good and it can be a threat to Elibe… We need to know what they're doing and how Mark's involved. Make sure they don't see you Nora." The pink haired knight bowed respectfully.

"I won't Commander, I promise." She was about to turn and leave when she hesitated.

"Oh and Commander… your sisters are here to see you." She nodded as Nora left the tent. Fiora wasn't too surprised. She had sent out a message to her sisters right after the mission explaining what had happened. They must have been riding for hours to make it to them this quick.

As typical of Farina she burst into tent, letter clutched in hand with Florina cringing behind her. "Fiora! This is some kind of practical joke to get back at me for something I've done, right?" Farina said pointing to the crumpled letter.

"F-Fiora… please tell me that sister's right. That this was a j-joke."

"I… I really wish I could." Fiora could see the tears building up in Florina's eyes already. She could even see Farina getting worked up by it, clenching her jaw in anger. "You're naïve if you think I'd fall for this! It's a load of pegasus dung! Mark wouldn't do something like this!"

"Farina-."

"You sent me this letter to get me all flustered, leave the job I was working on, and come here so you could laugh at my reaction!"

"Farina I-."

"You know I never took you for such a trickster! I wonder what I could've done that would call for such a drastic prank?"

"Farina I know-."

"Oh, I know! This is revenge for the time I told Kent about how you like it when-."

"FARINA!"

Fiora's sudden fury caused Farina to recoil and shut up immediately, shocked at her sister's emotion. "Farina, I know! I know how ridiculous it all sounds, but it's true! It's true and I wouldn't joke about something like this! I saw him myself and there was no mistaking it! I saw him take a knife and stab poor Gabby and kill her!" Fiora was breathing heavy now, seething and turning red at the fury building in her. Both Farina and Florina were absolutely speechless, it had been a long time since their sister had gotten this emotional over something. "I saw… I saw him kill her… and I couldn't bring myself to stop him." With those last words the tears finally broke and they began to stream down her face.

"Oh, sister…" Florina's own tears started flowing too with the sight of her sister's anguish.

"Fiora… I'm so sorry. I-I just couldn't believe that Mark… I mean he's Mark! He couldn't hurt a fly… he… I'm sorry Fiora." Farina trailed off as she placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder.

Fiora wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head. "No… No it's okay Farina. If I was in your position I wouldn't believe it either. But you must believe what I saw. I had been following him for days, observing him at Lord Pent's request. He wanted me to watch Mark, let me know if there was anything strange going on around him. Last night he was drinking in a tavern at the nearby town. A group of those men I wrote about beat him up and took him away. I called to the rest of my knights to join me and we attacked their hide-out and that's when…" The only sound in the tent was the soft sobs of Florina as the three thought about the matter at hand.

"It's just so hard to believe…" Farina sat down on the floor of the tent and scratched her head. "They beat him up and now he's working for them? It doesn't make sense… Maybe they did something to him? Like brainwash him or something?" Fiora managed a small shrug and sighed. "I don't know. I'd love to believe that Farina, but all I know is what I saw. I mean if Mark has been possessed somehow that's one thing, but if he is truly so evil then… I just don't know who to trust anymore."

"Y-You can always trust us Fiora. What do you need us to do?" Florina finally was able to stop her crying and speak up.

"Yeah, you wouldn't call us here unless you had something in mind right?" Farina added as she rested her chin on a clenched fist. Fiora nodded and walked across the length of the tent.

"I need to find out what's going on… but we also need to take precautions just in case the worst is true. I'll have my knights continue to track their movements and try to figure out where they're headed exactly. I need to go meet with Pent in person, tell him about what has occurred and see if there are any answers he can give me. Meanwhile… Farina I need you to fly ahead to Caelin and warn Kent. These mercenaries are nothing short of an army and they're clearly dangerous. They're heading south toward Sacae; Lycia could very well be their next stop." Farina stood up and gave a serious nod to her older sister.

"You can count on me, sis."

"I appreciate it. And I'm sorry about leaving your current job for this Farina. I can reimburse you if-." Farina laughed and poked her sister in the chest playfully.

"Damn right you're gonna reimburse me, but we'll worry about that another time. Some things are more important than money… very, very few things, but this is one of them." Fiora couldn't help but smile and chuckle at her younger sister. "Thank you Farina."

"What about me?" Fiora turned and looked at her youngest sister and cleared her throat.

"Yes, Florina… I know I'm about to put you in a difficult position, but I think you're the only person in all of Elibe who will be able to do this."

"O-Okay… what is it?"

"Well… Florina… I need you to go let someone else know about what has happened here."

"W-Who?"

"…I believe Lady Lyndis has a right to know."

-fin-

Firedude: Hello everyone, I know it's been a long time since I've updated, but I felt the urge to return to this story and continue on with it. I hope you all enjoyed it, and if you did I please ask to leave a review. If you didn't enjoy it, I still ask that you leave a review because constructive criticism (or flames) is also welcome. So please leave a review (Or flame… burning, hot, soul-crushing flames…) and I promise to try and get the next chapter up soon.