Chapter VI: The Alchemy of Fear


Atropos bled through the corners of the known, drifting in and out of existence. His form shifted, becoming whole from the ichorus sludge, the spiny appendages, the dripping of Nyctashas's blood, he felt at home in this incarnation. While often he was content to terrorize the sleeping realm of mortals, there was an important matter at hand to attend to. Even the pieces of deceased deities sometimes needed to reflect upon the current state of affairs; whatever that meant for a being as insanely twisted as the Bane Elemental. The wild scenery around him altered uncontrollably as he came upon a black obsidian gate. Within it was his own little corridor of madness, a repository for the minds of all his special victims, his paradise, their hell. A chorus of weeping seeped from behind it, he was most eager to enjoy himself after his less than regular expedition.

A pillar of flame suddenly shot up before the entrance, blocking his path. "Joy. It is you…" He begrudgingly hissed. The fire sputtered and twirled forming a face, the face of a being equally troubled, the face of Demnok Lannik. "What do you require, bookworm." The inferno scowled at him, its voice booming. "Watch your tongue Elemental!" It surrounded him, circling his position; in a taunting manner. "You are bound to my black grimoire! Know your place!" Bane managed a sneer, shaking his head. "You overestimate your worth flesh bag. It is you who are shackled to that sad novel of yours. I do wonder what would happen if that book became lost, or heaven forbid it be destroyed. You obtained me with stolen power, at too high a cost, and are living on borrowed time, conceited maggot."

The blaze formed weapons and creatures of various types, all of them deadly as they closed in on Bane, stopping just short of his throat. "Silence!" The Warlock commanded. The keeper of nightmares was not about to comply… "Careful there, wouldn't want to break your thieved magic would you? Then we could have some real fun." The fiery hazards reformed once more to the face of his visitor, intimidation abated, and replaced with inquiry instead. "Did you do as I instructed?" Atropos responded unenthusiastically. "Yessss. While your precious Magus is not so easily defeated, he has weaknesses you can exploit, mortals always do." Embers crackled from the scorching form as it slowly circled him. "He is quite protective of his friends, even the ones he barely knows. The honeypot for your triumph will be in his fondness for the favored god child, Lyralei. What a tasty morsel that one is." The face closed its eyes, contemplating these new details. "Good, very good, await my next set of orders. They will come soon I assure you." Bane emitted a highly pitched laugh. "What is so funny, slave?" The demonic scholar questioned.

"Mortals die, stones crack, memories fade, your book will rot, but I am eternal. There will come a time when my black gates open for you. I've arranged a special list of wonders for us to enjoy my friend. Your suffering will be immortal. Parents will whisper to their younglings your tale, the price of hubris. This I promise, til the end of all things." Demnok didn't reply, instead his form quelled instantly, he was gone. The nightmare of creation looked out to his home, as the gateway screeched open he moved onward into the beyond, all that could be heard were the wails of the inhabitants and the gentle whisper of Atropos. "Don't be so depressed my children. Soon, all of you will have a new playmate. We don't want to make him feel unwelcome now do we?" The whimpers became screams.


Ultimyr University possessed an almost spiritual quality in its architecture, Razzil noted as they marched upon one of its many entrances on their respective rides, Ogre and horse. The morning sun flooded over the vast structures as both he and Tarkin rode through the bristly entry. The knight's injuries had delayed their arrival. Even now he sat slumped over his steed in considerable pain. Despite Razzil's distaste for the man, he respected the Captain for the ability to fulfill his duties. The alchemist wasn't at all certain, if he would have been able to do the same in such a condition. Of course as an educated Keen, he never would have taken such a gamble in the first place. "Yet I still lost." He groaned out loud.

The two had just cleared the opening when one of the guards jotted up to them offering a heavy salute. "Captain! You are injured sir!" Tarkin grinned at the lowly initiate. "I am well aware of my condition knight. Send word to the Grand Magus that the alchemist is here. You are to escort Razzil and his Ogre to the Magus. Understood?" The man nervously looked at the giant bodyguard of Razzil's and then back to Tarkin; saluting him once more. "Of course Captain! With haste!" He gestured the two to follow him as Razzil turned to the bruised officer. "Shouldn't you at least see a healer?" The Captain assured his charge. "I will have a few of the sentries usher me to the apothecary. I'll be combat ready before long. This is where we part ways, for now, my Keen friend." Razzil offered the man a half-hearted salute and ambled away with his protectors deeper into the university. Tarkin whispered a prayer to himself. "May Aghanim watch over you clever Keen."


Rubick toiled away in his study, pouring over ancient tomes, searching for knowledge about the evening's intruder. He hadn't slept since waking up in the dead of night to defeat the monstrosity. "Where are you hiding? Atropos…Bane…Nyctasha… I remember these names…but from where?" He continued scouring the various texts, looking for anything that might even hint as a clue to the origin of his enemy. Finding nothing, the Magus tossed yet another book to the side, and as he did so there was a knock on his chamber door. "Come in." A knight entered his abode and bowed respectfully. "Grand Magus. Your orders have been fulfilled. Razzil Darkbrew, the alchemist, and his bodyguard are here as requested." The puzzled Magus grinned. "Bodyguard?" The knight nodded vigorously. "Yes sir. An Ogre. He is…relieving himself in the courtyard fountain as we speak. Rubick let out a heavy sigh. "Tell the guards to leave the brute alone. I do not need any trouble while we go about matters of the city. Escort them both to the other guests. I shall come hither shortly."

Meepo, Gondar, and Lyralei; had just finished putting on their gear when the geomancer felt a soft pat on his shoulders. "Whaaaa?" He spun perturbed and felt the sharpest pains in his groin abruptly, taking his breath from him. "You son of a bitch!" He heard a familiar voice call out. Seeing stars, Meepo fell to the ground; craning his neck upward in an effort to see his attacker. Standing over his quivering form was his good friend Razzil. "You dropped my name Meepo?! You know I've got a price on my head!" As the Keen winded his fist for another blow upon the floored rodent; a slender hand hastily gripped his tiny arm and lifted him into the air. Lyralei had stepped in to intervene. The alchemical outlaw squirmed and jerked about at the empty space in front of him screaming. "Let me go damnit! I'm gonna tear his ears off, transmute them to gold, and make myself a necklace!"

She allowed herself a laugh replying amusedly to his rage. "As entertaining as it is watching you two quarrel, I cannot let you beat him to a pulp. It wasn't a fair fight anyway. You sucker punched him in his loins. If you absolutely have to fight, you both can at least set it up at the Laughing Lance to fatten our purses." Gondar looked on adding his own stance. "You could keep trying to fight Razzil… I can always use more coin." The Keen's face became pale as his body went almost limp. He gulped, having just realized the bounty hunter was here. "G-G-Gondar! What are you doing here?! You don't have to take me in. I can make all the gold you want! A whole mountain if that's what you need!" Gondar's red eyes squinted, shaking his head disapprovingly. "You are foolish enough to offer me that? I expected more from the alchemist that has killed so many…"

Meepo finally gained his second wind. Breathing out his side of the affair. "Listen Razzil, all ya do anymore is wander tavern to inn, hedgin bets, and drownin yerself in mead to forget all that's happened." He cradled his groin while shakily putting his other claw on the shoulder of his Keen associate. "I gave yer name cause more than anyone, ya need this." Razzil's head dipped to the ground, his inebriated eyes replaced with a vacant look of despair. "I can alter almost anything. There is no amount of gold, no mountain I could transmute…that would be worth the lives that were lost because of me. You always said you have to make it big, but did you ever stop and think of the consequences Meepo?" The geomancers ears drooped. "Not a day goes by we don't." He said looking to his other selves that were staring intently at the spectacle before them. All of them had the same gaze of regret as Razzil. Lyralei lowered the stout alchemist to the floor, he let himself slump to the ground head in his hands. "Fine. I'll do whatever this gig calls for; but after this we are done. We are even. Understand?" Razzil's statement gradually sunk in. After a pause, the master digger responded. "Understood."

The intensity that had so hastily flooded the air became stagnant, replaced with melancholy instead. Its effect was not lost upon Lyralei. It became clear to her at least there was more to the dirt tosser than his insatiable greed. "Am I interrupting something?" The pulsating voice of the Grand Magus sounded from behind her. A smile broke out on the archer's face as she kept her eyes upon the gathering and answered. "Nothing that hasn't been resolved for the time being my friend." Rubick stepped into view, taking in the gathering. "If it's all the same to you, can we get to work?"

Everyone answered with a solemn "Aye." Lyralei took notice of the Magus's tired demeanor. "It seems as if rest did not find him." She thought to herself. Rubick motioned for them to follow him. Their trip was deafeningly silent.


They had entered what seemed to be an arcane laboratory, after walking for some time, past the labyrinth of rooms that was the university. Along the way there were many like it, only they were filled with scholars and other intellectuals. All of them going about their day normally, as if there wasn't a grueling war happening over the face of the world. The last of the assembled heroes cleared the double doors save for the alchemist's bodyguard. The Ogre clumsily plopped his rear upon the stone floor and the room slightly shook; glassware clinking and loose pages fluttered about from the draft. An already demoralized guardian, he had to practically kneel just to fit inside the hallways. He snorted pulling out a large sack of wine and began gulping it down.

"Ugh." Razzil disgustedly mouthed. "Please try to not break anything out there. If you do it's coming out of your purse." His partner let out a large belch replying. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be out here if you need me." And with that said he nodded off into a nap; his snores echoing through the corridors. "Some bodyguard you got there." Gondar remarked. The Keen turned to the mercenary retorting. "You should see when he gets angry. I'd encourage you to insult him while he's awake sometime." Lyralei interjected, "Finish your pissing contest later. We have more important matters to address and..." The alchemist broke away from his anger, cutting her off. "What the hell am I doing here Magus?" Rubick had sat down, soaking in and even enjoying the scene before him. His staff pointed directly at the five quirky miners. "That my Keen guest, is a question for our resident geomancer."

Meepo griped producing the stone hewed from the deceased golem's core. He tossed it to Razzil who caught it immediately. "A rock? You brought me here…for a bloody rock?!" The geomancer explained hastily. "Not just any rock bud. This little nugget was at the heart of that creature that destroyed half the market a couple days ago." The alchemist eyed the item curiously. "What do you need me for then? I had nothing to do with that! You're the mining expert." He asked frustratingly. "That's the whole thing…I've never seen anything like it. Not in all my time digging." Razzil expelled hot air and was about to throw their evidence at Meepo's eye when Rubick intervened. "We need you to study this stone and determine its origin. Whether it has been mined from a location or if it was obtained by some other means. I am told you are the best one suited for this task. Was it a mistake to bring you here and waste my time?"

The Keen's chest puffed out, pride swelling within him. "Don't test me Magus! This is child's play, but make no mistake, I won't be doing it for free." Rubick inquired further. "All the resources of the university are at your disposal. What else do you require?" Razzil's eyes darted around the workshop and his answer followed suit. "I want my name as well as my partner's off of Ultimyr's wanted list and immunity from other lands. Rubick rolled his eyes annoyed... "Consider yourself cleared, however I cannot grant you that wide a berth for your crimes. I can grant you protection from other lands while you are within these borders, outside of them you are fair game. And should you manage to get yourself into another mountain of trouble, your wanted status goes right back up. Tripled in these lands. Do we have terms?"

The short fellow scratched his head and after a moment's hesitation gave a reply. "I want a job, right here in the university too! I hear your alchemical department is lacking in real world experience." The Grand Magus chuckled at the bold proposal. "That is unfortunately true. Very well. If you can impress me with the task you have been given, you will have a place within these hallowed walls. Are we agreed?" Rubick extended his hand out to his guest. "You have yourself an alchemist. I don't know how long it will take for me to pinpoint this thing you've given me. But it will go a lot faster if Meepo and his gang stay. I need someone to cut stones. I take it there's more where this came from?" All of the mining expert's ilk shouted in unison. "You bet yer ass we do!" All their sacks emptied out the remnants of the dead creature all over the floor. Meepo sighed. "Will ya pick those up?! Those things are worth more than the fur on yer hides!" His others laughed scrambling to pouch everything back where it had spilled from.

Suddenly the snoring of the Ogre was interrupted by a large gust of wind as a courier flew through the open door and nestled onto one of the lab tables. Rubick recognized it immediately as Captain Tarkin's thresh. Around its neck was a piece of parchment caked with blood. He ripped the paper from the animal, frantically reading the message. All eyes turned to him. Even the Ogre, rustled from his slumber, peeked his head through the doorway to see what the fuss was about.

"The city is under siege. Twelve more abominations have appeared within the city proper. The knights are doing what they can to contain them as the citizens are evacuated to shelters. An entire battalion has fallen to the carnage. We have no knowledge as to what is driving them to attack. I ride with my men to face the foe head on in our second wave to counter attack." He read out loud. His eyes flared up alarmingly. Rubick traced his finger along the empty back of the message writing furiously in a bright green. He pulled the beast towards him. "Take this to the regiment stationed in the northern bastille."

The courier let out a snarl and took off in a blur cracking the table it had landed upon. "I pray they can spare us enough knights. I require your Ogre." He said turning to the wide eyed alchemist. Razzil made no attempt to dissuade the request. "Meepo will stay here with his brethren to assist you. Work with haste. I need to know what we're dealing with. Lyralei, Gondar, you are with me as well." The Windrunner smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way old friend." Gondar chipped in. "My blades have been aching for another fight." The Ogre joined in. "This is gonna be fun." They sped out as one to the fray.


The day was terribly hot Cormczi noticed as he set about the daily routines of his farm. A humble man, he had avoided most of the trepidations of the war in his lifetime. Wizened at thirty years with his wife Challa and newborn Idra. He paid each faction a large portion of his earnings from crops, so they would stay off his lands, away from his family. With these new mana based seeds from UItimyr, he hoped to have an even greater yield, providing even more for his home. As he tilled the fields for this year's planting, he took off his straw hat; wiping away the sweat from his brow. The farmer looked out at his work, basking in what would be the future of his lovely wife and child. "With my two hands I'll give them a life worth living." He thought to himself. His straw hat nestled back on his head he arched his back stretching, looking up at the golden sun.

Cormczi grinned upon his fortunes as an agonizing tearing filled his center. Glancing down he could see a long slender blade of a dagger protruding from his chest. Neck straining to see the assassin he could only catch glimpses of a cloaked figure. A soft, almost soothing voice; that of a woman started to speak. "Shhhhhhhh now. Easy there. I hate having to kill you so fast but we need these lands. Savor this moment. It will feel exquisite, my body shivers just thinking about it." He struggled to scream only to have blood spurt from his mouth, his lungs were filled with it. The blade receded from his body, he felt the world beginning to slip away, into darkness.


Akasha looked down upon the pathetic human. The seductive demon watched as his life drained into the very soil he slaved over and licked her lips, dipping her finger in the growing pool, tasting his essence. Off in the distance she heard the cries of an infant followed by the cooing of a mother. The Queen of Pain knelt over her mark, quietly laughing to herself. "It would seem you were full of surprises farm boy. Looks like I'll get to have a little pleasure after all." The corpse stared blankly out at the dirt as she pet the back of his head.

"Oh don't worry. They will have such a better time than we did."

The demoness vanished from sight as if she was never there.

The sun shining upon her art.