DECEPTION

CH4

EMBODIMENTS OF DREAD

In the silence that followed the acceptance of Quartermaster's terms, thunder crashed. It was sudden and caused already tense nerves to snap like bowstrings.

Takar's fur rose as his ears pricked. He swore that another sound had followed the crash, a animal howl of rage. Almost without knowing it, he had shifted so that he could peer at the glass doors.

The mist moved greedily against them. Takar squinted, the shadows in the mists seeming to dance inside this pupils, then within his mind, invasive demons begging for attention.

Cautiously his hand inched toward the arcane blaster slung on his shoulder. Made to run on traces of arcane energy in the air, it was one of the few things he had been lucky enough to to be carrying before the bastards had taken the Strikeflier without a trace. Also slung over his back was the heavy two handed runic blade Rhalgder-often purposed in brute force and with his own magic.

Takar had to bare his teeth to bite back the harsh growl rumbling in his throat. He could feel the muscles around his eyes pulling into a narrow eyed glare. The Strikeflier was, to him, a extension of himself, as much as a arm or his tail. He needed his home, sanctuary, and the only friend he could unconditionally count on. Living beings were still not high on his list of reliable things in the world.

Another movement flashed outside. Takar jerked up into his full height and advanced a few feet toward the door, slinging the arcane blaster off his shoulder. It was large, powerful ranged weapon, affectionately named Myridar-even better, he could heft the two handed weapon easily, and didn't have to be a precision shooter to destroy things with it. He shifted on one foot, feeling the weight of the heavy dagger at his hip.

Only vaguely did he notice that the others had stopped speaking. He heard padded steps behind him, and then Fearon was at his shoulder. The swordsman had moved with all the silence of a ghost, and sometimes that feeling felt all too accurate to Takar.

The blue green varon's visible eye, eerily feline in yellow orange colors, had fixated on the doors too. The leader rocked onto his toes, hands spread and arms out in a predatory stance. He was a crouching animal ready to spring now, and Takar soon spotted the white flash of his teeth as a grin emerged. Fearon lived in part for this, the thrill of combat and the shedding of enemy blood.

"What do you see?" Fearon breathed. His runeblades slid out with a low hiss of steel on leather, the enchanted metal gleaming sharp silver.

Takar let his brows furrow and allowed his own angry snarl to grow. One thing after another seemed determined to churn his temper into a blazing pyre. "I think..." more movement. Flashes of teeth and a glimpse of an eye, gleaming with a animal light. "That I just saw some mean looking bastards."

Then, with a swiftness that mirrored a sudden storm, the glass doors shattered as a slavering form crashed through it with a rush of brutality.

The pilot leaped to the side, screaming in anger as he loosed a barrage of shots. Allowing his magic to surge, he felt the blaster leap as he released shot after enhanced shot. He had become one with the technology within Myridar, and the arcanite blaster hummed in response. Plaster rained, and Takar laughed as the charging shape stumbled. Burnt scents of flesh and fur wafted into his nose. It was intoxicating, a escape from all his fears and worries, a way to empty all his present frustration fully onto a enemy bastard.

The beast jerked upright further, stiffening. Takar spotted a canine visage through the the dust, red eyed, smeared with blood. Wet teeth gleamed on the bottom jaw, the enamel stained brown, rimmed blue from the sudden flash of light from outside.

Thunder. But where the hell had the storm come from?

The beast whirled, and Takar only saw teeth. He yelled and swung the blaster. The metallic arcanite shell slammed into the thing's brow, pounds of parts and enchanted metal. The creature withdrew and then lunged again, the brief gap allowing Takar to smoothly transition from Myridar to Rhalgder. With a bellow he swung the two handed weapon. The blunt slash cut a deep incision across the beast's face. It was easy to tell the monster had just avoided getting much worse from the heavy runeblade, by pulling back just in time.

The animal barked, then howled, the pain of both attacks clear in the tenor of the keening cry. It whirled as Fearon attempted to attack, a blood-chilling snarl on the animal's mangled face. The blades glanced off the hide, eliciting nothing more than a irritated hiss. The monster's paws came down, one managing to catch Fearon on the shoulder. The varon snarled and fell back, jumping another claw swipe and bringing one foot down.

Fearon's heel cracked into the center of the animal's paw. It keened in anger and pain and flinched back. The opening instantly clear to him, Takar twisted the barrel of the arcane blaster.

"Gods-dammed beast!" Takar hefted Myridar and shot wildly again.

This time he managed to knock the creature back. The dragon sized wolf's claws skittered on the ground with a hoarse, grinding squeal. Smoke wafted from the charred hair, and Takar caught a satisfying glimpse of red skin, though more minimal than he'd have liked. This far, the amount of damage this thing seemed vulnerable to appeared to be wildly inconsistent. And the more that happened, the more Takar grudgingly admitted to himself that it inspired fear in him.

White glared around the wolf even as it attempted to right it's footing again. Ice began to creep up the legs of the beast, twining and interlocking almost as if they were vines. It began to thicken layer after layer, and the monster began to struggle. Scout leaped from below and latched onto the beast's head, biting it's ear. Smoke began to broil from between his teeth, and the wolf let out a angry scream of pain.

"Get to him!" Brendon held his staff tighter, the dragon totem glowing like a white star. "The ice won't hold that long."

Fearon hissed. "More than happy to perform that service!" he lunged with vigor, Kharash and Syraphe's runic engravings glowing with vigorous light. Fearon brought the blades down, lightning fast, teeth bared in a snarl. A howl rang as he brought down the blades.

Takar squinted at the spot of the break as Fearon kicked off the beast's flank and landed in a flat-footed stance. The hide of the monster had cracked, creating a thin flow of blood.

Fearon cursed loudly, echoing Takar's own thoughts. The blows should have been far worse-runeblades in the hands of a powerful wielder could cut bare iron with ease unless it was heavily enchanted. Yet even the direct hit had done nothing more than a minor injury at best.

The huge wolf tossed it's head, even the small amount of blood seeming to fuel the unholy fire in the red eyes. A second violent toss threw Scout off, the creature's claws detaching from the monster's suddenly tougher hide. More thunder sounded, the beast's teeth and claws flashing demonically in the light. It seemed to swell, drawing the light into itself. Chips of the ice began to fall, even as the fire eating the beast's ear began to flicker out. The animal shifted, ever so slightly, and more cracks began to leak through. Brendon cursed from nearby, and sent a white hot blast of fire from one hand. The fire pushed the animal back, but resulted once more in nothing but singed skin.

Any normal creature would have had bone showing at that point.

The pilot took a unintended step back. It gave him the chance to see a completely empty room besides them, empty as though never inhabited. The residents had faded into the night almost like shades, and even the stark flashes of lightning revealed no one hiding in the shadows. The fields outside had as much life as a graveyard, stretches of grass lit and pockmarked with shadows and eerie light. They had been left alone with the monster and bane of these people.

"Bloody hells, where are all those bastards from before? Damn them!"

The black form of the monster tensed, then twisted, cracking the remaining ice open in a single powerful motion. As it shook out a stinking pelt and began to crawl forward almost like a reptile, Takar began to circle toward the monster's tail. The animal shifted to the right, then let out a high pitched yowl as a runic trap flared. Takar felt the hum of increased gravity even from a distance as the grotesque canine was slammed hard against the earth. Streaks of orange-arrows-embedded in the flank. As the power of the trap faded, the projectiles exploded in burst of arcane.

Takar smelled the burning, saw flesh flying. He could well imagine the mess Lehvahk had made out of it, and smelled the charred fur and skin. The wolf snarled and crouched, then whined as Takar shot in turn.

He took savage joy in the result of a second incinerated ear, other burns just missing the eye and instead marring the brow. The animal had moved, causing the shot to go wide-but he had still achieved something, rendering the wolf partly deaf where Scout's attack had failed.

Fearon edged a few steps back. "No idea, but those cowards can't be our concern now. We'll get our answers later-"

The huge canine wheeled, claws squealing, and leaped in Takar's direction. His breath caught-the remaining air left him as the pilot forcibly hit the earth. The paws, both half as big as him, began to try and push down. Takar caught a blurred glimpse of the blackened, reddened mess that was the result of Lehvahk's shot.

Takar hissed, a pathetic sound with what little air he could spare. His mind raced, thinking of survival and questioning why he had not deducted this would happen. His weapon having been knocked away and Rhalgder pinned under him, the kerion clawed at the digits of the paw. The coarse fur refused to break.

I'm not dying here. Not to a unthinking monster.

Attempting to hold in his breath, Takar managed to fix his gaze on the flickering lights. Willing his magic to reach the circuits hidden there.

And felt nothing.

Nothing? How the Seven Hells-

The paws pushed harder, the wolf barking and swinging slavering jaws. This time something broke for certain, and Takar couldn't hold back a cry of agony. It tore his throat, even as he prayed, over and over, that the sound hadn't been his spine.

Then the weight vanished as green entered his sight. Taker frantically shoved himself up and then back, knowing only he had to regain his gun, and accessed the damage.

Patting at his trench coat, Takar felt the warm hint of blood, then cursed himself for being so careless. It hurt to move, but the pilot did so anyway, relieved it could be so at all. Yet he never took his eyes from what he was seeing. Being caught unawares could mean death.

The creature was struggling now in the cloying grasp of thick vines. It had already clawed many into countless pieces like so many leaves, only to face a bolt of white light. The rush of arcane energy was followed in turn by the burn of nature magic, in golden light and fury. The wrath of the sun and moon, channeled in the way only a druid could manage.

Ivya rushed forward after that, even in motion changing. Takar's breath faltered as a slight thrill of admiration took him, the smoothness of the transition breathtaking. When the change had completed and Ivya collided with the wolf as a bear, the agonized howl dragged the pilot from the watery depths of his reverie. She had latched onto the neck of the monster with her teeth, the shoulders with her bear claws, and was now locked in a primal struggle of power. As Ivya's attacks dug deeper, more red stained the beast.

Ignore the blood, ignore the lightning, and ignore the pain. Takar hated how shaky his own thoughts sounded, echoing in conjunction with his equally shaky breathing. His cracked ribs hurt, stabbing over and over. The lightning jarred his ears each time it sounded, a sliver of sound seeking his eardrums. But now the anger burned in him, anger directed at anything that moved, anything that wasn't his friend.

Friend?

Takar's lip's curled up. "What a novel idea..."

Xxxviii

Ryfen stood with Draconix in the far right corner, by the shattered glass doors. The fragments crunched under her boots every time the felisar shifted her weight, and her eye kept flickering to the window. Maybe being this close to the open wasn't a wonderful idea.

She gripped her axe even harder, the haft engravings digging comfortingly into her fingers. It was too late now to change the spot of their stand. If other monsters were to come, so be it.

The wolves that had already arrived circled, their eyes red, moving more like vultures than proud hunters. Drool matted the fur on their jaws, and when one tossed their head, Ryfen noted green in the fur. It almost seemed like infection, as though the creature was rife with disease. For all Ryfen knew, it was- and the green reminded her of something else. Of the results of death magic, the dark work of necromancy.

No. don't think about that time. Those shambling horrors have nothing to do with this, and were banished years ago.

"Nice. A whole pack of you against two. Any chance you'd play fair, even the odds?"

Predictably, Ryfen received nothing but more growls. She laughed anyway, a empty cry, chilling as the night outside the windows. It was how her mind felt now-placid, icy, calculating. With the fire of determination tamely resting in her abdomen.

"Ha, never mind. I wasn't going to seriously expect that. All these years, and I've yet to see a true fair fight when it comes to blind fools-"

Snarls and a roar showed she had gotten to them. Ryfen smirked. Clouding minds like this was always fun, making sure the artist and warrior could keep the edge. The monsters all tensed and leaped as one, jaws gaping. Ryfen bared her teeth, a rumble of keen joy residing in her throat. The fire raced from her middle and into her veins, her national heritage coming to life.

The beasts were caught. Hook and line, she had them. Fish lured by the perfect bait.

"Charge of the light brigade, it seems." Ryfen slammed her axe handle to the floor, channeling her arcane power, continuing her mocking words. "To bad that tactic..."

Blue flared, becoming the power runes associated with defense and protection. The wolves hit the powerful shields with heavy thuds, bone and gristle cracking in the case of one. The beast fell back, whining, falling onto one side. The remaining pack-mates scratched at the barriers, sparks flying, and snapped their drooling teeth. Ryfen remained unshaken, calm. Her will maintained her barrier-the felisar had already gotten control of this situation.

"That tactic tends to be easily uprooted." Upon finishing her sentence, Ryfen planted one foot forward, axe now close to the ground. With a single muttering of ancient words, the felisar primed her shield to explode.

They did, in brilliant flares of blue, the broken shards of magic flying. Scarlet splashed as the shards cut before vanishing, leaving the animals howling.

More blood joined the former spots as Ryfen struck, moving eagerly into the anticipated moment. She swung, a grim satisfaction thrilling through her as one paw went flying, severed, and another wolf died from a slit neck. The last yowled as the runic axe bit it's shoulder. The lamed wolf fell, flailing, while the one with the injured shoulder stumbled. Ryfen stood ready, this segment of the pack down to one, and stared the monster in the eye.

The orb was the singularity that showed this was no mere, diseased wolf as she had first hoped. Neither did it seem to be the undead abomination Ryfen had theorized. A whole different mind lay behind the glassy barrier, one that swirled with hate, a deep defining evil, and a ultimate goal that Ryfen couldn't distinguish. The small monsters would yield nothing concrete. They were all chaos, and had barely any actual thought process.

She glanced at the alpha beast. That was the one-the one with potential hints to the cause of their current problems. She suspected it wasn't all that much more intelligent, but it was the strongest. Some piece of Shak'ora Delmu's puzzle was locked behind it, but the true question was how.

In the next bolt of lightning that lit the room blue white, she thought for a second that the animal had become transparent, but the flash was gone before Ryfen could spot anything else.

A corrupted spirit? A ghost? Ryfen snorted. Ghosts. I can believe it at this point.

A roar came from Draconix, scarlet flames turning white as he vented his fire breath. Two of the animals fell to the fire dragon's elemental magic, while a third lunged from behind the cover of the burning bodies.

Ryfen reacted fast. Spinning, she thrust one hand out. A new shield flashed into being, the attacking monster hitting it hard. Cracks spread from the impact, and Ryfen clenched her fist, encouraging them. With a quick hand motion, the broken arcane shards daggered into the wolf's head and shoulders. It shrieked, a high, piercing sound Ryfen had never heard from a canine before.

"Nice try, but no dice, and no luck." The felisar backed up closer to her dragon. "And obviously no tenacity. You all might as well be corpses."

She couldn't help a involuntary shudder at the reminder. "But even those have more fight. So what are you?"

Ryfen had been gazing about for Edna the entire time-she spotted her friend not far away, and nodded in satisfaction as Edna's arcane constructs battled the monsters. Ryfen began to walk, stepping carefully across the broken glass shards.

Edna fluttered her hands, the oddly delicate motion setting off a wave of small, insect like constructs. They swarmed some of the grotesque wolves, causing them to yelp and writhe as their blood fell. The illusionist slid one foot forward and barked out a second spell, and one of her larger arcane constructs-a bear-seamlessly obeyed the spellcaster's command, raking another animal in the throat with conjured claws.

"You've kept us in suspense long enough." Ryfen paused nearby, her gaze flitting across the embattled canines. "You should show these creatures your last trick."

Edna raised her eyebrows playfully. "You think? Well, this is getting boring. Hey, wolfies!" Edna moved one hand, weaving patterns in the air with the other. The glint that rested in her hand began to gain strength, growing and growing further into a glowing orb."Take a look at the shiny thing. I bet you want it."

The wolves eyes lit up, gleaming with savage opportunity, and they sank down into hunches. Instead of looking afraid, however, the illusionist just laughed. "It's cute how you think you can take me down."

With that, she threw the orb. The focused arcane power exploded in the midst of the animals, causing them to yip and run on haphazard circles. Some clawed each other blindly in a maniac rage, shedding blood and drool.

Ryfen leaped in herself, and struck as the light began to fade. More blood splashed her bare arms as her runic axe gutted one monster. It fell away, and Draconix lunged in, burning the rest in a sea of fire. Ryfen circled, expecting to see more enemies, to see with relief that there were none in the immediate area. She stood, trying to catch her breath.

"What are they doing?"

Ryfen abruptly looked up. She eyed the desperate scene not far away, where the Lycanthropes were making passing blows at the lead wolf. "I'm not sure." She paused, eyes on the fire pit. In a world of advanced technology and magic, any kind of idea could be brewing within the mind of the pilot. "But something tells me it'll bear results."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Somra was having fun, at least in the first few minutes. She had already massacred one canine, gutting another and then whirling to face a third. The animal tackled her, and she had to twist to avoid claws tearing her throat out.

Brendon, Lehvahk and Scout were no longer near them, the three all having become distracted by the monster's smaller pack mates. They seemed to be managing well enough from what she could gather, Lehvahk going crazy with his traps and explosive arrows. Brendon and Scout seemed to be creating burning wolves by the minute. While happy they were fine, Somra was having much more fun focusing her attention on her own targets, all to get back to the main prize of the alpha.

Somra pierced wolf through the throat, her weapon emerging bloody from the back of the neck.

"Killed you."

Somra flipped back, onto her feet. Rocking back on her heels, she kicked outward, hitting a muzzle. Kneeling, Somra pulled out a dagger and planted it in the neck of another beast. Magic powering her thrust, she tore downward, spilling blood and snapping muscle.

"And now you join the ranks of the fallen." Somra planted one foot on the hand of the animal, standing to her full height. She bared her teeth, daring the remaining animals to come for her. "Come on, that's all these minions have? Where's the real challenge?"

The howls of the lead monster became even more frenzied. Rearing and tossing a bloodstained mane, the beast charged and rammed Fearon with one shoulder.

"Eargh!'' Fearon picked himself up even as he struggled to stand on the bloodslicked floor. ''One minute we can hurt the bloody thing, then we can't. What kind of monster is it?''

Somra evaded a darting snap of the wolf's jaws. ''Wouldn't we all love to know.''

Somra shifted on her feet, guided by her heated blood to evade and strike. Of course, predictably, Somra was met with the unholy resistance of the animal's fur.

The hells is with the inconsistency of this thing?

Growling in frustration, Somra glanced around for Takar. She found him with blood on his hands and

side, crouching by the small engine powering the fire pit.

She narrowed her eyes. Takar wasn't moving with ease. In fact, he seemed to be wincing with every movement. Somra could only analyze this in flashes-moving to the rhythm of the wolf's sporadic attacks was ignobly distracting, and at this point she just wanted it to end. Even a challenging fight could old if it dragged on this way.

"What are you doing?'' Somra's shout was hoarse, and the weaponsmaster only then realized how dry her throat felt.

"Coming up with a way to save your asses.'' Takar painfully stood and waved his hands. ''Hey, lure it closer."

"For what? To have a nice cookout with him?" Somra sidestepped with a quick, precise step. The monster of a wolf's bite missed, and it skidded several feet before pivoting. Takar muttered a curse from his position by the firepit, then articulated a muttered spell harshly under his breath. The firepit engine flashed green.

"I want to kill this this monstrosity, not make friends with it! Just do what I'm telling you!"

Somra scowled, the tone grating on her nerves. She hated being given commands, especially in such a impatient way. It would only have been worse if haughtiness had been injected. "Ergh. You are insufferable!"

Fearon's outline briefly blocked the light of the fire as he rammed the monster in the side, giving Somra a opening to move away. She swore, knowing that being distracted had nearly resulted in the loss of her throat.

The distraction soon turned into bloodshed as Fearon's runeblades glowed, and the already blood-coated weapons stabbed deep through the hide, into the skin. The blue green varon grimaced as the wolf bucked, dislodging him violently. Somra felt a thrill of fear as she saw the animal twist in his direction, a fear for him-the kind that almost seemed to tear her heart out.

"Go! Use the opening!" Fearon sputtered the words even as he struggled in midair to land both feet on the ground, the attack having thrown him into a spin. The wolf's teeth caught him on the shoulder.

"Aaagh!"

The midnight blue varon found herself moving immediately as the short, pained scream pierced the air. She could feel her face twisted into a livid snarl, and her blood pumped with a volatile energy. Her magic flared like fire, and the feeling of enhancement magic ran into her corded muscles. She felt the power enter her runespear, the tip glowing red.

"NO!"

The cry wracked her throat, and Somra plunged the runespear into the wolfish monster's unprotected cheek. The weapon tore in, aided by her enhanced strength, all but shredding the skin. The animal yowled loudly, the skin flapping and exposing flashes of white and pink. Blood trailed down in congealed lines.

Somra landed and backed away, spotting Fearon from the corner of her eye. He had managed to stand, holding his bloodied shoulder awkwardly. His side was coated red, and Somra tried to help him keep his balance. The monstrous wolf snarled loudly, face limed a nightmarish red and blue from the fire and lightning outside.

Somra and Fearon had both begun to move back, Somra vaguely noting Fearon seemed to be getting his balance back. With all the unnerving patience of a predator, the monster inched closer. It snapped massive teeth together and growled harshly. Somra winced, hearing the bloodlust literally dripping from every tenor vibration. The blood continued to clump around the beast's mangled cheek, but the animal simply moved inexorably forward.

"I can walk on my own now."

Judging from his clearly strained voice, Somra wasn't entirely sure of that. Regardless, she warily let go of his good shoulder. A swift glance behind her showed that in the course of the slow retreat, they had gotten a mere five feet away from Takar. He gave them a dark smile that typically passed as Takar's version of a compliment.

Somra both hated and liked the slightly twisted humor there.

Takar stiffened, eyes glaring between Somra and Fearon's respective shoulders at the approtching animal. Somra glimpsed his lips move in what seemed to be a countdown.

One,

the wolf 's jaw hung open, revealing the full scope of Somra's gouging of it's cheek. The red eyes became barely visible slits.

Two.

The weaponsmaster thought she heard Takar draw in breath.

Three.

"Good. Good! And...now!"

Somra reacted instantly, throwing her battered form to the left while Fearon leaped right with a heavy grunt.

"Hey, you! Bastard mongrel! Come and get me!" Takar bellowed loud enough to cause Somra's ears to ring. It was a rare occasion when he chose to fully use his deep voice, and Somra could tell from the sudden stillness around her that the others could tell how much it stood out.

The wolf reacted much like Takar had likely intended. It's eyes became widened, blood red orbs, and it gathered itself into one giant leap.

Takar clumsily rolled away, his teeth bared in a obvious grimace of pain. The pilot slammed one hadn to the ground, sending out his call to the technology belowground. The veins rushed like snakes to the bonfire engine. The wolf landed with a massive crash in the middle of it, causing the horrendous screech of bending metal. Sparks flew everywhere as more metal snapped, and Takar's magic reached the engine.

The small thing vibrated, a green glow leaking from the cracks.

"Eat this! I'm giving you a world of pain!" Takar shouted, even as the room lit up with flame.