Concealed Illusions

Author's Notes: Stupid Writer's Blocks! Why don't they go away? *hits her head against her computer desk* Well, I have nothing else to say right now, except that this chapter will build on Bane's, Rex's, and Donnia's characters.

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"Ack! This stuff smells!"

"I can't see!"

"Quiet! Do you want the Commanders to hear?" Rayman's harsh answer quickly silenced any further complaining. Rayman was walking along quite casually towards the large mansion of Razoff, where Morphina currently resided. Beside him Globox followed, carrying the large burlap sack Morphina gave them earlier, only this time the bottom and the sides of it were stained blood red and made disgusting squishing noises as it bounced to the rhythm of its carrier's walking. Slung onto Rayman's back like an extra skin, Rayman carried Freya's limp form. Freya looked like she was slain, with her tongue hanging out comically out the side of her neck.

Like Ivy, they were playing a game of deception, only this one was a lot more convincing. With some help of Davis, Rayman gathered some special plants that resembled blood and literally filled the burlap sack with the slushy red dye. Inside the sack, Davis and Bad-Rayman sat inside, trying hard not to cry out from the horrible smell that engulfed them. For a finishing touch, some dye was splashed on Freya's neck to look like she was stabbed with a knife from behind. Hey, just because Rayman and Globox weren't a part of Morphina's army anymore didn't mean that the Commanders had to know. Soon, they were close to the entrance without a struggle.

"Rayman, I see you collected Davis's body as planned, along with a wolf female as well." The burly man that Rayman met in the dining room with Morphina ran up to him, spear raised. Rayman saluted back, trying hard not to drop Freya as he did so. He imitated the haughty nature he had when he was under Morphina's command. "It was a piece of cake. It's such a shame that Lady Morphina had so much trouble with these pests in the first place!" It felt almost sickening to call Morphina Lady now. The Commander prodded the sack with his spear, smiling when he felt solid goods inside. Inside the sack, Davis bit his lip to keep from crying out as the spear tip prodded his back.

"The lady would request for you to show me the body first before I let you inside." The Commander requested. Rayman smiled, then ordered Globox to set the bag down. He reached into the sack and pulled out a disembodied hand with a coating of bloody material, a sneaky advantage for Raymanians like Rayman and his dark counterpart. Neither hand nor blood was real, yet the Commander almost choked on his own bile. "If you like, I can show you the rest of the zombie-tamer." Rayman said dryly, as if holding a disembodied hand wasn't a big deal. The man quickly declined. "T-That's enough proof for me! You may pass as ordered!" Rayman was let inside the mansion without another word.

Instead of taking the normal route to Morphina, he took the side route to the weapon storage room, where everything of fighting value was stored. As he passed the hallways, he noticed that the walls were now bare of anything Razoff had hung on them earlier. Inside the storage room, the only light was a little light bulb that hung on a cord above Rayman's head. He switched on the light. The weapon room was a small cluttered room filled with weapons of every type. Swords and knifes were hung with care in their holsters, guns and hand-cannons were sitting on racks, ammo and arrows were stored on cluttered shelves, and even old fashioned spears and stone slings were placed carelessly on top of modern weapons. What luck; no one was in the storage room except for Globox, Rayman, and the 'corpses'.

"Okay, the coast is clear." Rayman whispered. Immediately, Freya leapt to her feet to rub the irritating liquid off her furry neck. Davis and Bad- Rayman emerged from the large sack; both of them coated in a spotted pattern of red dye on their bodies. Freya almost burst out laughing at the sight, but she quickly remembered exactly where they were. Davis looked at his soaked-through clothes in disgust. "Great. I feel like I slaughtered a whole room of Commanders..." "Looking like you did is nothing compared to actually doing it, like what I have done." Davis didn't reply back as he did his best to ring out the dye from his shirt. The dye painted the ground near his feet a drab reddish-brown color.

"Geez, I thought Razoff was only interested in guns! Take a look at this stuff!" Globox exclaimed. He pulled off a hand-cannon off its rack and peered inside the barrel, examining the craftsmanship. Freya ignored the projectile weapons and instinctively headed towards the supply of blades. She produced a beautiful two-edged sword the size of her arm with a metallic ring. It was crafted with silver and had a hilt with several ancient symbols carved into it. She balanced the sword in her hands, weighing it as she gazed into the silver. "Strange; why does it have my village name carved into the hilt?" Immediately, her partner ran for a closer look. "How can you tell? Those symbols look like decorations to me..." Freya smiled impishly. "That's because my written language is different than yours. These 'decorations' really spell 'Virtue speaks for Terralance'."

"I'm not surprised that you found a family heirloom; this probably isn't the only weapon storage room in this house. Razoff is a collector of both weapons and prey, which is probably why Morphina feels so much at home here." Bad-Rayman replied casually as he replaced his rusty dagger with a new blade that fitted his liking. Suddenly, the company heard the faint sound of approaching footsteps. They sounded like they were heading towards their direction. "Someone's coming! Quick, everybody hide!" Quickly but quietly, Rayman switched off the hanging light bulb as he dove for cover. The rest of the group of five pressed themselves against the walls behind crowded weapons, trying their best to make themselves invisible. Meanwhile, Davis placed one ear against the wall closest to the door as he squatted near some boxes.

"What's taking Morphina so long? Doesn't she know that we're half a day away from the Cave of Bad Dreams?" A haughty voice, the soft alto voice of a female, shouted to a companion as she walked beside him. There was a brief pause before the other replied with a deep male tenor. "Morphina's smarter than you think, Silk. She does have the Concealment of Evil t' help us conquer the Cave of Bad Dreams and that miserable talkin' eyeball." "Concealment of Evil? Hah! If the Veil of Darkness didn't work a long time ago then what makes Morphina so confident that the Concealment is going to work, Richard?"

Slowly, the door opened. A tall human male walked side-to-side with a female ermine into the storage room. Silk switched on the light bulb and sat on a box near the doorway. She was so close to Davis that he could hear her breathe softly. Silk tossed back her furry white head, her golden earrings jingling. "Still, if Morphina wants something than she should seize the first chance she gets. Haven't you noticed that she has a large army, limitless powers, the Guardian of the World by her side, a large wealthy estate, and a sea demon to top it all off? What is she waiting for?" Richard picked up a dagger hanging off the wall and placed it in his belt, his green eyes matching the dirty tunic he wore. He sat down on a barrel nearest to Freya's hiding spot. "She's waitin' for the zombie- tamer's band of merry travelers so she can come and tear 'em limb from limb!" "That's what that sea demon's for!" "No, Morphina gave specific orders to the demon that anybody not wearing a Commander's tunic shouldn't be allowed in the mansion!"

The concealed group of heroes continued to listen to the two Commanders' conversation. Freya had to hold her breath as she felt her back begin to itch. Silk rubbed the back of her long neck. "Still, if she had acted sooner than maybe Ruby-Eyes would still be here. And if she spellbound Razoff immediately, then we'd probably know where the best places in the swamp are for an ambush." Richard leaned back. "Yes, but that was one mistake. I still think that Morphina's thinkin' quite clearly nowadays. Before this ordeal started, it was just huntin', gatherin', and destroyin' useless cities..." "What exactly does the Concealment of Evil do to people anyway, Richard?" "Didn't you see the test subjects? Released inner demons, no matter how innocent at heart the victims happen to be, transforms anyone caught in the Concealment of Evil's web into powerful beings filled with hatred. It's sickening to watch, and even sicker to think about." Richard shuddered, and then he saw the confused look on his friend's face. "It's best not to go into it, Silk. We'll see for ourselves when the action finally starts."

The two Commanders left the storage room, conversing softly about related topics. Everyone let out their held breath almost at the same time in a loud whoosh as soon as Silk and Richard were gone. Davis was the first to recover. "I wonder what the Concealment of Evil does to people if even a Commander is afraid to mention it." Freya lifted herself off the ground and stole a glance towards the door. She wrinkled her nose in distaste as she brushed the light coat of dust off her fur.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it will make this approaching battle even more difficult than it already is." Rayman stood next to her, his eyes reflecting the same fear that passed through the others' emotions. "Nothing is ever easy anymore...."

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"Come back here and meet your fate like a real hunter, you yellow-bellied bottom-feeder!"

Bane swiped swiftly with his deadly claws, literally turning the tree between him and his prey into a rain of splinters. Several Commanders gathered in a safe range around the two fighters jumped back, avoiding blinding wood-shavings. The only one who didn't flinch was Razoff, who stood smiling at the frustrated demon. Bane rumbled deeply in his throat; his smile was like flashing a red flag to an angered bull. "Are you finished yet?" Razoff asked. Bane only roared wordlessly as an answer as he dove for the Count. Luckily, Razoff sidestepped away from the charging mass of scales and teeth.

Ever since Razoff got separated from Ivy and the rest of the group, he had been fighting an endless battle between the giant sea demon Bane. He no longer held Ruby-Eye's claimed gun, Bane scrapped that one long ago, but instead swiped weapons from the nearest Commanders to injure the demon. As for the members of Morphina's army, they were either too tired to care or too stunned to act as the two fighters wore each other out. The ones that did care gathered in a large ring around demon and Count. Right now, Razoff's weapon was a crossbow. Bane's body trembled in rage, his eyes clouded over as he let animal instincts take control. Twang! An arrow hit sensitive skin right above Bane's left eye, embedding itself between the scales. Bane ignored the trivial pain as he stepped closer, teeth bared. "I'm going to do what you did to my family those years ago!"

"Really? I thought they were shot to death! I don't think you can find a gun big enough for you to properly hold." Razoff stated. Bane paused; his tail swishing the ground is distaste. "True, but I can still remove your head and mount it on a wall!" Bane suddenly lunged, catching Razoff completely off-guard. The Commanders cheered, being the bloodthirsty scum that they were, as they saw blood being shed. Poisonous claws raked across his body as Razoff was dragged under Bane's scaly body. He was pinned to the ground by Bane's front claws, his veins burning with poison and his mind losing focus. He looked up and saw a confident smile spread across the demon's sharp teeth. The demon poison wasn't as fast acting as Morphina's, but Bane's venom did its job just as effectively. Bane opened his mouth and lunged forward, and Razoff knew that this was his end.

Whoosh! Something small and golden striked Bane in the nose. The demon, temporarily off-guard, got off of Razoff to see what the interruption was about. Razoff could barely hear the familiar voice yell at Bane. "You useless sea-dragon! By playing with this useless creature you've let Ivy's friends stroll into *my* mansion without a decent fight to tenderize them!" 'Your mansion?' Razoff thought venomously as he slowly got up into a sitting position. He sat there without moving; even breathing hurt his poisoned and sweat-drenched body. Bane paid some attention to Razoff; a claw blocking his closest exit as Bane discussed with Morphina in the shape of a beautiful golden eagle.

"Let me be Morphina! I must take my revenge on Count Razoff." Bane hissed. The eagle hovered a few inches above Bane's eyes. Morphina's voice sounded extremely strange coming from something as gorgeous as a bird of prey. "If you want, I can do the honors." She quickly darted to Razoff and placed a talon to his neck. When their eyes met, Razoff saw the eagle had the same dark purple eyes as Morphina's human form. "It would be my pleasure to do the job for you..." To everyone's surprise; Bane swatted Morphina away from Razoff. The golden eagle fluttered pathetically to regain composure. "No! A demon's revenge must be done with honor and respect! A fair chance for both to act upon each other!"

If looks could kill, then Morphina would've slain Bane in a second with the glare she shot him. In mid-air, the golden eagle shimmered and twisted until it was a larger bird; a giant carrion bird. The ugly vulture reflected Morphina's bad mood; a habit that shapeshifters often follow. "You should talk you bloodthirsty monster! You've slain enough people on that sunny beach coast to turn the very sea red. Honor does not matter; not when your purpose is empty..." Bane stood still in shock. "You mean, this creature is innocent? He murdered my best friends with his own two hands!" Bane made a wide gesture towards Razoff, who was still awaiting his fate on the ground. How pathetic of me to so low that I can't even act, thought the Count. "Have you forgotten that I have mind-reading powers? This weasel wasn't even alive when you were captured; rather, his father was the one that went after you and killed two of your friends. You see, you're just wasting your anger on this animal when your real adversary is already dead."

Bane realized that he'd had made a large mistake. He absently flicked an embedded arrow out of his right foot as he considered Morphina's little speech. Morphina once again shifted back into a golden eagle, a good sign that she was calming down. "Listen well, Bane. We'll forget this entire scenario never happened. I'll leave you to deal with that worthless vermin there, but I expect you to resume guarding the front entrance. However, if I see you slack off then I'll have no choice but to spellbind you!" Morphina took to the sky and flew towards Razoff's Mansion, her golden body shining in the afternoon air. After she was gone, Bane reached over and grabbed Razoff gently with one of his claws. Razoff didn't have any room to complain, since by now the poison made most of his muscles useless. Bane lifted him up to eye-level, his lovely green eyes gleaming brightly in the sunshine.

"I realize now that by fighting against you I had made the same mistake I had made that day on the beach; I was letting my anger get the better of me. I should've learned from my mistakes..." Bane's eyes dropped down to the dull shackles still around his wrists. They were a remainder that his capture's purpose was to live with his heavy conscience. "Don't fret; I suffer from the same problems! Ouch, don't squeeze that hard!" Bane obliged by loosening his grip on the poisoned fighter. Strange, aren't demons supposed to be bloodthirsty beasts? Why isn't he just swallowing me whole? The venom was eating at Razoff's brain like his head was going to split. "Please, can you give me an antidote for your poison?" Razoff sniveled. Bane nodded, then swiftly raked the middle spoke of his tail fin across Razoff's back. The sharp point drew blood and caused him to wince. "Hardly anyone knows this, but the venom contained in our tail is opposite to our claws' poison, which is why we never use both weapons at the same time. It should counteract against the other poison and heal you in about two hours. It will burn like you wouldn't believe for several minutes, but it works just as well as any dose from the Elixir of Life."

He didn't bother to place Razoff on the ground as he walked casually towards the front gate with his free legs. "Do you even like Morphina? She seems to be treating you more like a watchdog than a demon of your power. After all, you were known throughout the lands as 'the Keeper of the Deep'." A deep rumble formed in Bane's throat. His eyes seemed to burn with a hidden fire. He kept his anger contained, but his finned tail still swept angrily side-to-side like a disgruntled feline. "Even though she denies it, that venomous female has special plans for me. After she uses me to take down the Cave of Bad Dreams, she will then spellbind me and make me her royal house pet. How the mighty have fallen; the Keeper of the Deep is playing watchdog and Rayman the Great in that woman's grasp. If there were a single shard of hope for me, then I'd consider turning over a new leaf, even if it kills me in the process." Suddenly, an idea formed in Razoff's head.

"There's hope for you; have you heard of the Zombie-Tamers?" Razoff asked. Bane nodded in a thoughtful silence. "Well, they have two heirs that will most likely free you of Morphina's clutches. They have lots of friends joined to the same cause, including several demon-slayers and faerie creatures. We could use your help in defeating Morphina, and we could help you regain your dignity and your freedom, along with mine. What do you say?" He would've held out his hand, but he was afraid of Bane crushing his arm into oblivion. Instead, he would take a nod or shake of Bane's giant scaly head. After a second of considering, Bane nodded. "Deal."

Razoff climbed on top of Bane, sensing that the demon was now as docile as a kitten now that the plan had settled. He smiled; if he had Bane on his side, then maybe he could show Morphina how a Razoff reacts to a house- stealer. A pleasant image of Bane ripping Morphina to shreds appeared in his mind. As Bane lay down on the ground in front of the gate, Razoff gave him a friendly pat on the head as he made himself comfortable on the demon's scaly back. "Something tells me that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship..."

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"Ivy, I think we should meet up with the others before Morphina sniffs us out."

Ivy shook her head in response to Donnia's question. They were standing casually in the middle of a hallway on the third floor of the mansion. Underneath them they could hear several Commanders converse in the guestroom. (Although none of them could understand why Razoff would have a guest room if he shot and locked up any trespassers on his property.) Ever since Bane had separated them from the Count, they had been blindly examining the hallways for any clues for any of Morphina's weaknesses. They found nothing on the subject of Morphina, but they did find out from a drunken guard that 'a special captive' was kept in the attic and that the slaves were kept in the catacombs. However, Ivy couldn't shake the feeling that by leaving her other friends behind she was digging her own grave...

"Ivy! Take a look at this!" Ivy realized that by being absorbed in her thoughts that she neglected the actions of her friends. She quickly dashed up the stairs nearest to her towards the sound of Rex's voice. She stopped when she found them staring at a beautifully crafted door. Upon closer inspection, the door was made of priceless silver with several different animal designs carved into the door and the handle. Ivy tentatively touched the door lightly, then drew her hand back quickly at the cold touch of the door.

"It's enchanted. Something powerful is in here if it needs an enchantment." Ivy explained. She gripped the handle and tried to pull it open. To her surprise, the door swung open easily. She peered into the room beyond the beautiful door, and saw that it was pitch-black. She turned to her demon- slayer friends, a reluctant smile on her face. "Well, the only way to find out what's inside is to go in." The three friends entered the room, not noticing that the door closed on them after all three went in.

Ivy felt fear pierce her heart like a million daggers. She could see nothing but darkness and she heard nothing but the sound of her breathing. She would've reached for her friends' hands, but she knew that they were loyal enough to keep by her through thick and thin. Still, she felt completely alone in the attic. Suddenly, the room was filled with a sudden flash of bright light, the exact opposite of the pitch-black darkness, followed by the sound of thunder. Ivy forced her eyes closed, but even through her eyelids she could see the light. She felt blinded by the sheer brilliance of the room. The sound tore at her sanity like it was nothing more than wet paper. Tears leaked from her closed eyes as she tried to shield herself from the light.

"Rex! Donnia! Where are you?" Ivy called. Eternal silence answered her; she felt her very soul being ripped apart by the white vortex. Then, as quickly as it came, it was over. Ivy wordlessly fell to her knees, her eyes burning and her ears pounding. It seemed like every minute became an eternity. Ivy crouched motionless; the only sign of her living was her steady rise and fall of her chest. She felt a scaly claw kick her right side sharply. A snively voice hissed at her softly.

"Geet up, female. Dey be nothin' on da floor for ye." However it was, it was someone with a thick accent that lengthened vowels. Ivy blinked, testing her eyesight, and looked towards the sound of the strange voice. A hunched-over creature stood over her, leaning on a thick wooden staff. It looked like it was pieced from the leftovers of many different creatures; thick lizard-like legs supported a hefty body covered in green fur. The monster wore a mauve cloak, concealing most of its body except for its legs, arms, and its face. The arms were humanlike in appearance, except that they had claws on each finger and green fur reaching up to its knuckles. Grey skin hid underneath the green fur, giving Ivy a sense that this monster was not living. From her spot on the floor, she couldn't see the monster's face.

"Me naame es Illusion. Ye be messin' wit' somet'in' more powerful dan ye coould understend." Illusion kicked her again with his clawed foot, urging her to get up on her feet. She nearly choked on her own fear when she saw the monster's face. Illusion's face resembled a human, only the jaw had a massive overbite. Illregular jagged teeth poked out of his jaw like daggers. His nose looked like it was broken clear off. To make matters worse, one of his eyes was milky yellow without a pupil while the other eye was green. Illusion had no hair, but instead the ragged green fur reached up to a point behind his pointed ears. It was at that time when Ivy noticed that Rex and Donnia were standing behind Illusion, there eyes filled with worry. Illusion smiled a crooked smile at her. "Are ye goin' da be gaawkin' dere all day or caan we fenish da task at hand?"

Ivy moved like a zombie towards Illusion. She noticed that the attic seemed to be bare of anything but stacked wooden furniture and unmarked barrels. Windows let out shafts of light, and Ivy wondered how Illusion made the room pitch-black without shutting the windows first. He led them towards some unmarked barrels, his clumsy limp slow and unnerving to watch. Wordlessly, he pointed to three barrels, indicating that Ivy and her friends were to sit. The heroes quickly followed Illusion's orders without pause. "Ye fink dat ye caan defeat Morphina, yet ye come here fer more help. I'm here da pretect Morphina's biggest prize of dem all." Illusion leaned against his wooden staff; his lizard-like claws leaving small gashes in the bare wooden floor. Donnia swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat, then became the first one to talk.

"What in heaven's name are you?" Donnia asked. She unsheathed her sword with a metallic ring. "Because if you're a demon, then I'll have no regrets destroying you." Suddenly, they heard a sinister choking sound coming from Illusion, and one could easily guess that he was laughing. "Heh heh. Ye be a nasty one, female. However, I be no mor' of a demon dan yeself. Ya see, I be Morphina's oldes' crush." The room suddenly became deathly still. Ivy felt cold sweat running down her neck. If this was what Morphina did to her boyfriend then what did she do to her mother? She felt all eyes turn to her, and Ivy realized that she had screamed. She rose to her feet, her dagger now present as she advanced towards Illusion. "I want you to answer some more questions; do you know a woman named Rosemary and how did you become like this?"

"Hey, no need fer blades like dat, missie! I be answering, den I be dooing me ordered besiness." Illusion coughed nervously, which sounded like a wounded animal. He turned to his audience; a crooked smile kept on his illregular face. "I be aanswering de second question ferst. Morphina be a sly on'; she caan chang' others appearaances alon' wit' hers. When she find oout dat I be cheating on her wit' dis pirate chic', she punish me in the best waay possible. Rosemary be the on' t'ing I be promised da keep safe. Ya see, I be guardin' da pretty Rosemary meself!" It was these words that made Ivy move towards Illusion, dagger upraised. She was pushed back by an invisible force; like a thunder without sound. She fell on her back as she heard the sound of the choking laughter.

"Hah! Ye t'ink ye caan slay me dat easily? Morphina gave me Rosemary's powers just soo ye caan not be savin' Rosemary! Soo, da maake dis even bette', we be battlin' in da best arena of dem all..." There was a sudden flash of light, then the attic melted away before their eyes. The room became a dark area inside of the Cave of Bad Dreams. Ivy stood motionless in shock. Were they at the real cave, or was this just a trick? She turned her head to see every detail of the familiar cave. Yep, it was real all right, including the purple tainted water that fed the writhing vines beneath them. Donnia and Rex were both in battle poses as if Jano himself would leap out of nowhere to attack. There was brief moment of silence before Illusion broke it. "Why do ye t'ink me name's Illusion? I caan make anyt'in' happen..." Illusion tapped his wooden staff on the ground, and suddenly it morphed into a long sword. "Let da battl' begin!"

With an angry cry, Illusion leapt towards the group of three, slashing the air with his long sword. Donnia blocked it with her own, the metallic sound ringing off the walls. Rex paused, red fire leaping from his fingers. "I, demon of Shadows, call upon the power of my ancestors, so I may defeat my enemies! RED...BLAST!" Illusion screeched as his twisted body was licked with a shower of red flames. Instantly, the red fire disappeared with the same thunderless sound and shot back towards Rex in a counterattack. Rex jumped out of way, but he forgot that he was standing in the poisonous Cave of Bad Dreams. He would've fell into a pit of writhing vines and screaming spirits if he hadn't grabbed onto the ledge at the last moment. "Drac!" Donnia shouted as she sent a bolt of lightning through her sword and at Illusion. Ivy quickly jumped to Rex's aide, and pulled him out of the deadly pit.

"Damn! It's like he's reflecting everything we have!" Rex screamed as Donnia was hit with her own lightning spell. Donnia looked a little worse for the wear, but Illusion still looked the same. With a bounding leap, Illusion latched onto Donnia with his twisted claws and threw her backwards into the wall with amazing strength. With a strangled cry, Donnia was out for the count. Rex quickly rushed to her side to heal her. "Hey! No one hurts my friends and gets away with it!" Ivy cried. Her dagger, now clutched in her right hand tightly, grew white-hot with her staple power; the Tamer's Light. Illusion flashed her another one of his twisted smiles and bounded towards her to meet her blade, his powerful reflection spell ready to use. Illusion never touched her dagger. He instead flew sideways into a cave wall with a pathetic scream. Then, Ivy heard a familiar voice.

"You've picked the wrong place to pick a fight, Illusion!" Jano stood there, his skull staff upraised. Illusion picked himself up and snarled at the Guardian. "Hissss....Ye be Morphina's worse enemy besides da zombi'- tamers. If I brin' baack ye da Morphina, den she be givin' me greet rewaard!" Illusion dove for Jano again, but Ivy was ready for him. As the crazed monster was distracted, Ivy sweeped his belly with the white-hot blade. Illusion gave a strangled whimper and fell to the ground, clutching his injured stomach. Ivy wasted no time. She grabbed the monster and raised him up to eye-level. It was easier than it looked; Illusion was extremely light for his size. She pointed the still-white dagger under his stomach. "Listen, you sorry excuse for a demon, and listen well. I want you to do anything that I say or else you'll be breathing out of a new mouth. Understand?"

Illusion shivered and nodded to Ivy in silent reluctance. Ivy's friends and mentor watched her in great amusement as she interrogated the wraith. "First, I want you to tell me anything you know about Morphina's secrets! Tell me!" She gently jabbed the burning blade in the open wound, but that was enough to make Illusion talk. "Okaay! I giv'! Morphina be keepin' a cloak dat be mor' powerful dan de Veil of Darkness! She also be controllin' a sea demon, but I be hearin' dat he's not too fond of it." Illusion paused as Ivy slightly lowered her blade. She glared at his misshapen face. "How did you get us to the Cave of Bad Dreams?" Again, she quickly jabbed the hot blade towards Illusion's wound. Ivy felt the monster flinch as it choked out the answer. "Teleportation. Rosemary be haavin' dat power lon' aago. I teleported ye here!" By now, the blade's power started to fade. It didn't hurt Illusion as bad when Ivy jammed the blade into his still-open cut.

"Okay Illusion, since you've answered my questions with complete honesty, then I'll be sparing your life. However, if you don't free my mother then I promise you that I'll have no regrets ending your pathetic life!" Fear seemed to radiate off of Illusion's body. Ivy could sense that Illusion didn't have a single courageous bone in his body, and only hid away in the attic because his darling Morphina encouraged him with promises of humanity and power if he did the job right. She smiled, and sheathed the dagger, which had now completely lost all of its power. She turned to Jano. "Jano, warn any magical beings about this! If Morphina has both a demon and the Concealment of Evil on her, then there is no telling how much power she has already obtained." She once again held her gaze on Illusion. "Teleport Rex, Donnia, and me back to the attic, free my mother, and hand over her power. After that, I will free you without anymore scratches in your body. Don't utter a single breath to Morphina, Bane, or a Commander. To seal the deal, I want you to come back to the Cave of Bad Dreams after you've freed my mother and I free you. Tell Jano to fix you a dose of some Elixir of Life. That will change you back into a human again."

"Reaally? Ye be noot lyin'?" Illusion whimpered. Ivy nodded. "If the Elixer of Life accidently kills you, then I'll have to tell Jano to strike me unconscious, okay?" The deal was sealed with another nod from the demonic- looking monster, as Ivy still couldn't chance to put him down. Ivy placed him on the ground, but her friends were still poised in case Illusion was lying. He wasn't. There was the same sudden flash of light as before, and Rex, Donnia, and Ivy appeared in the attic once more. After that, there came a clasp of thunder and suddenly a limp form appeared at Ivy's feet. Ivy gasped; it was her mother Rosemary! "Dere. Dey be Rosemary. I be headin' for da Cave of Bad Dreams now." Illusion disappeared in another flash of light. However, he was ignored as Ivy scooped her mother's still body in her arms. Rosemary looked exactly the same as she did in Ivy's dreams, except her hair was more dirty and unkempt than the flowing red hair in her vision. She was also wearing steel shackles around her legs, which looked vaguely like the cuffs around Bane. Rosemary made a whimpering sound and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Rex and Donnia staring at her in amazement.

Rosemary suddenly jumped to her feet and raised her fists. "Ack! Get away from me, you bloodthirsty scum!" Her voice cracked with weariness and anger mixed together. Ivy had forgotten that they were still wearing Commanders' uniforms. She tried to calm her mother down. "Mom, it's only a disguise to save you from Morphina. Don't you remember me?" Rosemary saw her daughter and instantly became relieved. She wrapped her arms around her and hugged her warmly. "Ivy, you shouldn't be up here. What if Illusion-" "Illusion gave up and released you. We came here to make sure you were okay, Mom." She returned the hug. Sadly, Rex had to break them up. "As much as I love touching reunions, we're still on enemy territory. The best thing to do is to head out and meet up with our friends."

Rosemary nodded in agreement. "Yes, but you still shouldn't have come up here. Now that I'm released, Morphina now knows that you're here..."

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The sun settled into the horizon, sending crimson ribbons of red light across the land. Morphina watched as her army assembled at the base of the mansion. Like Rosemary had guessed earlier, Morphina had felt the magic barrier that surrounded Rosemary's soul break with Illusion's commanded magic. Of course, this had been planned by both demon and wraith that if the barrier was broken then Morphina would immediately know subconsciously. She knew very well that her old boyfriend wouldn't just turn his back on her; not when she promised him his returned humanity. The female zombie- tamer must've done it. Ivy Thorn was as close to her mother as honey was to bees. She slammed a fist on a wooden table with inhuman strength, reducing the furniture into splinters.

"Why must these zombie-tamers be so unobtainable? They evaded Rayman, Bane, and Illusion and managed to break out of and into Razoff's Mansion all in the same day! What can stop these little pests?" Morphina shouted to the air. Some Commanders guarding the doors to her room winced in fear that Morphina was yelling at them. Then, an idea formed into her head. Morphina began to pace the room, feeding her plan until it fully blossomed. "I'm a shapeshifter, which means I can take on any form. What if I lured Ivy into a trap by taking on a loved mentor, but what form should I take? I could be her father, her brother, that useless fleabag Freya..." Suddenly; a new idea hit her.

"I can become Jano. It's so simple that even a child could think of it! I can change into Jano's shape, lure Ivy into an ambush, and have my revenge on her personally without the help of her merry friends. Freya, Bad-Rayman, and Davis screwed me over in the past; I'll make sure there will be no intrusions this time! I'll have my army waiting for her friends to follow. My best archers, my best swordsmen..." Morphina began to trail off. She turned to the window in front of her and watched Bane the sea demon as he paced expertly among the troops. With her amazing vision, she saw a lithe shape riding Bane comfortably on the demon's back like a horse rider. She knew exactly who it was. "And to top it all off, the best gunman in the world!"

Morphina's cruel laughter echoed throughout the halls of the mansion....

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End of Chapter 5.

*sob* I'm running low on ideas! ;_; Ack! I'm feeling as if this story is coming apart... Any suggestions?

Preview of the sixth chapter of Concealment of Evil (title pending. May be final chapter):

Rayman, Freya, Bad-Rayman, Davis, and Globox finally meet up with Ivy, Donnia, Rex, and Rosemary, bringing the large group of heroes together and ready to meet up with Morphina. However, just when they come together, they finally see the true powers of the Concealment of Evil. It turns out that the Concealment of Evil brings out the true evil of even the meekest of creatures, increasing their power and abilities as well. Combined with spellbinding, the Concealment of Evil can change a normal person into an evil creature with powers almost matching a demon's. Unfortunately, the first test subject will be a certain arrogant sniper...

Luckily, it seems that the group of heroes will find help in the most unsuspected of places, along with the power to destroy the Concealment of Evil and Morphina once and for all. However, nothing is ever presented without strings attached...

I hope that I get the next chapter in faster than I usually do! ^_^

If you remember exactly what I said in the past four chapters, then you know that I expect reviews. Send me an review, or I'll fill your life with misery and woe! (Okay, not really...)