Raija looked at the darkness in the Tower of High Sorcery. It was madness to come again, but she couldn't be a coward. Not coming back would mean she was scared of Nuitari and she couldn't have that. Even though she was scared of him and, given his status, it was perfectly reasonable to be scared of him. But that wasn't the point!

She looked at Nightshade who, for the first time, was looking concerned. "Don't go in Raija," said her bunny. "You might not come out this time." Raija threw up her head and made confident noises.

"I've got to. I've got my pride, you know."

Nightshade shook her head grimly. "Stop being so stupid! And you know very well you have no pride."

Raija squirmed. "Well.yeah.but.um.he will! Yes, that's right!"

Nightshade looked at her, then broke into an uncharacteristic grin. "You want to see him, don't you?" The rabbit burst into laughter at Raija's glare. "Yes, you do! You're a masochist! HAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHA!"

"Hey! I am not a masochist. It's just my pride! Which has appeared.oh dammit, stop laughing!" Raija stomped the ground and waited for Nightshade to stop laughing so they could get going.



She stepped in and immediately a black wall covered the entrance. Nuitari stood in front of her, smiling in a not so pleasant way. "Back again, I see. Wasn't last time painful enough for you?"

Raija shrugged. "I've had worse." She knew it was a mistake as soon as it came out.

Nuitari smiled a slow smile. "I'll change that." Raija grimaced. "Damn. After this is over, remind me to keep my mouth shut."

Nuitari shook his head pityingly. Raija flicked her eyes warily at him, looking for an opening that she knew she wouldn't find. She and Nuitari started at each other for a bit, sizing each other up. Raija's hand darted out and a black dagger edged with silver wire buried itself in Nuitari's chest. He looked at it, smiled, pulled it out with two fingers. Raija cursed under her breath. "Pathetic. That's your best?" Raija had no time to answer.

Her own dagger zinged through the air. Raija threw herself to the side, rolling, but the dagger raced after her. She stumbled to her feet and dodged again as it swerved. She continued doing this while thinking of a spell. She paused for a second and the dagger grazed through her shoulder. Raija, eyes wild, extended a finger, pointing at the dagger that was slicing toward her again. " Lightening!" Raija's magic was different than most, as she drained magic from the air rather than from herself.

A bolt of lighting shot out of her finger, hitting the knife and melting it. "I love-ed you knife! Waaaaaaah!". She paused, panting slightly as she tried to catch her breath. Suddenly her senses alerted her and she dodged to the right. It was too late. She was caught in a black ball of dark magic.



Nuitari smiled at her from the outside of it. "First lesson, never turn your back on an enemy.or me."

"I'm sorry. I had the mistaken impression they were one and the same. Silly me, huh?!"

Raija gritted her teeth and hurled herself at the wall of her prison. She rebounded with a zap and a jolt. Nuitari extended his hand toward the ceiling and the black ball went hurtling up. Raija's eyes widened as the ceiling got closer and closer. Then the ball hit the ceiling. It immediately went hurtling back down. Raija cried out as she received a really bad case of whiplash. The ball slammed into the floor and back up again. Raija curled into a little ball and protected her head. The ball headed toward the ceiling, then dissolved.

Raija gasped and quickly cast a spell. "Steel!" A steel bar popped out of nowhere and Raija grabbed it, swinging her legs up and sitting astride it. She looked down at Nuitari and discovered he was no longer there. She looked behind her and saw him. He smiled with a strange light in his eyes. They hung there, suspended, unmoving as they glared or smiled at each other. Raija and Nuitari respectively. Then Nuitari made a fast movement and he was suddenly holding Raija's left hand in a tight grasp. His hands were very, very cold.

Raija grimaced and yanked on her hand but achieved nothing. Nuitari continued holding her hand, watching with slight interest as it grew paler and paler. He finally looked up at Raija, noticing her pain-filled face and her attempts to get her hand back.. A look of mocking pity crossed his face as he looked back at her ice-cold hand. He gestured toward her hand with his free hand and instantly Raija's hand was back to normal, and warm and alive.

Raija scowled. "If you did that just to make it more painful when you do something else to it, why don't you just change it back?"

Nuitari raised a delicate eyebrow. "Now Raija, what gave you that idea?" He raised his hand as Raija opened her mouth to speak. "It's true, of course, but even so.." Raija flinched at the implications but she said nothing, stilled, as Nuitari produced a dagger and began tracing her hand with it. The dagger was a beautiful thing. It was a glistening black, smooth and hard and unbreakable. It was long and slender and had a hilt that appeared to be crafted to his hand. It was the sort of dagger Raija had tried to make, but had ended up with a misshapen lump of metal. It was razor sharp. It was also very cold.

Nuitari glanced up at Raija as he stroked her hand with the dagger, smiling at her flinching. "Relax, mortal. I probably won't kill you, if that's what you're worrying about."

Raija made a face. "How on Krynn can I 'relax when I am five million feet in the air, sitting on one bar, with a god who is evil and has a knife?"

Nuitari shrugged slightly. "Might as well try." Raija sneered very slightly.

"Like to see you try." Nuitari raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who came back." Raija spat at him angrily, wishing she didn't have to. She hated spitting at people. Filthy habit, really. Nuitari calmly raised the hand with the knife and wiped the spit off his pale face. He watched the light turn on the blade for a moment, and then brought it down fast into Raija's hand.

He did it so skillfully it just penetrated the skin, letting a small trickle of blood well up. It still hurt more than it should have; the dagger probably had something to do with it. Raija let out a yell, but had the good sense to try to keep still.

"Pain is such an interesting thing, don't you think? I wouldn't know, as I've never felt it." He began to twist the point of the blade in her flesh, opening the wound. The blood trickled out and the blade absorbed it. Raija tried frantically to get her hand free, but to no avail. Every time she moved, Nuitari dug the blade deeper. Finally Raija stopped moving and tried to hold her hand still. Still, she couldn't stop the shaking.

Nuitari stopped and smiled gently at her. Raija was squinting and making faces at the pain. Nuitari pulled the dagger out and it vanished. He then gestured to the bar and it suddenly also vanished. Raija dropped, and found herself dangling over a stone floor a million miles below, held only by Nuitari's hand on hers. He looked coldly down at her. "You're so weak. I'm amazed you've lived this long." He let two of her fingers slip slightly out of his hand. Raija panicked and clung on tighter. "But you are entertaining, and that is why I am letting you live."

Raija stuck out her tongue. "Oh, I'm so grateful. I'll sing-ow-a thousand songs in praise, I'm sure."

Nuitari smirked and inclined his head mockingly. "My. Pleasure." He looked really disturbing.

He floated back over to the steps and dropped Raija down on it. He stood on the floor, about a foot from her, looking down. She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I know it's pointless to ask, but why do you keep on torturing me?"

Nuitari shrugged an impossibly small shrug. "Your pain, my pleasure, if you can call it that. You mortals are dull, but you have your uses. I rarely get to see such raw emotion as the fear and anguish that cover your face up in what you mortals call the celestial plane." Raija looked at him.

"Other people feel pain."

"Yes, but you're much more fun. " Raija's eye twitched.

Nuitari looked at her, an almost fond smile crossing his face. "I thought perhaps you'd like a change of scenery." Raija blinked at the change of subject. "so I'm sending you to a random world. Consider it a gift."

"But? What? I don't want it to be a gift!.and I don't wanna go!"

Nuitari smiled, stepping even closer. He raised a pale hand, caressing her cheek. Raija raised her eyebrows at him, then went stiff as a shower of silver streaks shot into her from his hand. She gasped as every nerve lit on fire, then went limp.

Nuitari stood over her, looking down at her limp form. Then he took out a small scroll and read the arcane words. A portal of blue and black opened in the floor. With one swift movement, he kicked Raija into it. Her body hung in the air, then vanished into the next world. He smiled. She was interesting, though pathetically weak and fragile. At least she hadn't broken down and begged like so many others would have done. He closed the portal with a wave of his hand, then vanished, leaving a small whisp of black smoke to curl up from the now empty tower.