Concealment of Evil: "Nothing is Ever Easy..."

Author's Notes: By now, these little footnotes are probably bugging you. :p I never thought Concealment of Evil would be this long, so this isn't the last chapter. Instead, the last chapter will be about one or two chapters away, if things go right.

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"This way! We must not be caught off-guard!"

"Hurry! I don't think any of us want to be in Morphina's care!"

Ivy Thorn, Rex Skyler, Donnia Starhunter, and Rosemary Thorn all dashed through the mansion as a single charging force. Concealment of presence was forgotten; they rushed by resting Commanders without bothering to cover their identity. Behind them, a group of irritated soldiers chased after them, yelling obscene phrases at the reckless team of heroes. Ivy cursed to herself as she ran through the mansion for letting herself fall into a well- placed alarm like that. Why didn't she ask Illusion about any hidden bugs? Why did she forget about the little magical quirks that Morphina liked to use? Why did she forget the small things? "Don't feel down. You did your best, Ivy." Donnia seemed to feel exactly what Ivy was thinking. Ivy nodded, but she didn't slow as the group raced on. They were almost to the main entrance. They couldn't afford to slow down now...

Suddenly, a group of armed creatures jumped to greet them. Ivy's mother shouted a wordless warning and everyone skidded to a stop. At the same time, both groups drew their weapons against each other. The group of armed creatures then became familiar, and Ivy was the first to recognize them. "Davis! What in heaven's name are you doing here, and why are you wearing *that*?" Davis grinned heartily at his sister's comment, his stained clothing hidden underneath flexible chain mail. "We decided to go after you to tell you about our mother's imprisonment but from the looks of it, you didn't need our help after all." Rosemary quickly cut her daughter off before Ivy could make a comment. "We need to leave now! We're all in danger if we linger in here!"

There was no need for other words, the combined team of mismatched heroes ran towards the main entrance and burst out of the house into the opening. Everyone was relieved to be finally out of the accursed mansion. However, they weren't out of the danger yet. In fact, they were a lot safer in the mansion. When Bane and Razoff fought each other to the death, their fight woke up every Commander in the swamp. After Bane and Razoff became friends, Morphina ordered her horde members to stay alert and guard the mansion in case anybody suspicious exited the mansion. Nine people with armor and weapons dashing out of the main entrance at full speed seemed suspicious enough for them. Now, a large swarm of wide-awake Commanders surrounded them, spear tips and sword points each pointed at chest level. Ivy bit her lip until blood ran freely down her lip. They would've had a better chance of survival if they jumped out of a window!

"Well, it looks like this mansion has a bit of a vermin problem!" The group parted, and suddenly the demonic Morphina stepped into view. Everyone in Ivy's party tensed, each one waiting for any chance of escape. Morphina didn't present much of a choice. She stood importantly, her human shape as beautiful and as shapely as women could possibly get. She gave a quick hand gesture and suddenly Bane walked into view with Razoff still riding onto his back, his strides as lowly as a goaded pet on a leash. Morphina smiled at the group, but Ivy knew that the smile was directed towards her. "It's a good thing that I know how to get rid of zombie-tamer vermin. How will you like your death? Do you want it quick and painless, or paaaainfully slow?"

Ivy held up her dagger, it's blade gleaming orange in dusk's half-light. "I'll take none of the above, you evil demon! I'd rather see you die first!" At this shout out, Morphina began to chuckle. Her laughter made Ivy's anger boil within her like hot water. Morphina held up a graceful hand and snapped her fingers. A shapeless shadow materialized from the depths of the bared crowd and went to Morphina's aide. The shapeless wraith- like thing curled around Morphina's hand like a swirling, pulsating necklace. The shadow was as pitch-black as the Veil of Darkness, only it was acting like a living thing and it was much smaller and compact. Morphina pointed towards the writhing mass of shadows with her other hand. "This is the Concealment of Evil. Before I tear you limb from limb, it'd be best to show you the very thing that has frightened zombie-tamers for eons!"

The Concealment of Evil suddenly began to expand until it was the size of Morphina's head. She glanced at the group of heroes like they were nothing, then pointed at the bodyguard standing to her right side. The guard was none other than Ruby-Eye's best friend, a burly man with as much scars running down his chest as there were hairs on his head. The Concealment of Evil then coiled like an angry cobra and shot itself at the unsuspecting man. Before the guard had any idea of what was going on, the Concealment of Evil wrapped itself around the Commander, shrouding him in a dark mist. Everyone in Ivy's team stood as motionless as statues as they watched the swirling mass of darkness thrash and writhe. After what had seemed an eternity, the Concealment of Evil let go of its victim and returned to Morphina's hand.

Ivy and Davis's jaws dropped, Rosemary felt her pulse stop, Rayman felt all hope leave him, Globox fainted, Donnia and Rex dropped their weapons in shock, and the two ex-Commanders suddenly felt their blood turn to ice. A clawed demon stood where the guard once was, sharp black scales gleaming unnaturally in the light of dusk. It was a twisted parody of the guard that was, complete with shiny pink scars running down its bare chest and slimy green hair running down from the top of its serpentine head to its strong shoulder blades. Morphina patted the monster's head like it was nothing more than a trained house-pet. "Don't you see, Ivy Thorn? The Concealment of Evil is the reason why even the god of this world cannot stop me. Jano managed to take my Concealment away from me those many years ago, but he wasn't enough to stop me from obtaining it again! You have no chance of survival at all!"

Ivy's back became coated with cold sweat. She opened her mouth to speak, but it flapped uselessly. How can she beat Morphina now if she can create demons out of anyone with the Concealment of Evil? She flinched when Rosemary grabbed her shoulder gently. "Remember this well, my dear. No matter how dark the path may seem, the Tamer's Light will guide you." Rosemary whispered into her ear. Ivy gave her mom a confused look, as if to say 'this isn't the time for cryptic phrases'. She then heard Morphina talk to them again, her voice really calm and collected considering the events taking place. "I thought the zombie-tamers would prove a great threat to me. I thought the fairy races would give the magic of the Tamers to a bloodline that would create an army as great as mine, find weapons capable of destroying any demon Bane's size, and befriend warriors of great talent. What do I end up facing? Two teenagers and their mother with some ragtag bunch of demon-slayers, two limbless misfits, a mutt with an attitude, and an overweight frog. I think I'm wasting my time." Morphina motioned to Bane, who quizzingly lowered his head to meet hers. "Bane, destroy everyone but the two teenagers; save them for me. Make sure you do it as painfully as possible." Bane narrowed his eyes at his demon oppressor.

"No." everyone turned to him in shock. Bane lifted his head back at its reasonable height. His eyes were narrowed and filled with unshed tears. "I will never tear the flesh of another innocent. My shackles were to remind me of my wrong deeds, and now I must make sure I never do it again!" With amazing dexterity, he dealt both Morphina and her demonic bodyguard with a well-aimed swipe of his finned tail. The Commanders instantly shrunk back, afraid of the demon's power, and ran to their maiden's need. Then, Bane lowered his body to the group of heroes, who were watching Bane with a mix of mistrust and confusion. "Get on my back! If you don't hurry, you will see what an enraged demon can really do!" That settled all doubts. Everyone in Ivy's team hopped onto Bane's back and grabbed onto his jutting scales for support.

Bane dashed in the direction of the Cave of Bad Dreams, his powerful strides almost knocking his riders off his back. "This sure beats riding that rusty cannonball! Yeeha!" Razoff exclaimed to his friends as he braced himself on the powerful demon. Bane didn't even glance once behind his back to check on Morphina's progress or the well being of his riders, afraid that he would only slow them down. No one had problems holding onto Bane's scales; even Globox, who was still unconscious from his big scare, was held on by Freya and Rayman. However, Morphina wasn't through with them yet. She rose to her feet, watching the traitorous demon go. Her eyes became burning coals as rage consumed her.

"Attack, my lovely veil! Drag them to my will!" Morphina commanded the Concealment of Evil in a loud demanding tone. The veil shot itself towards the running demon at an impossible speed, forming the shape of a pitch- black comet. It grabbed the three closest people in reach. Razoff, Rex, and Donnia were dragged off of Bane in one fell swoop before they had any idea what was happening. The three hunters landed on their back almost at the same time, their breath knocked out of their bodies in an instant. When they got off the ground, they could see Bane's shape streaking across the ground at lightning speed away from them.

"Don't worry my lovely bunch of traitors, you'll see your friends again." Donnia, Rex, and Razoff turned their heads in unison at the sound of Morphina's voice. They saw Morphina standing behind them, the Concealment of Evil wrapped around her waist and her lower lip cut and bleeding. They noticed that her blood wasn't bright red, but rather dark enough to be considered black. Morphina wiped a gentle hand across her lip, ridding her of the excess blood. "Your friends got lucky. I let my guard down on that foolish sea serpent. He has quite amazing strength if he can cause me, the greatest demon of all time, to shed blood." Morphina licked her lips, running her tongue against the cut. "However, I won't make the same mistake again. You three will be very helpful to me."

Morphina suddenly burst out laughing, despite her fresh wounds. That was the last thing the three slayers saw before everything became engulfed by a swirling vortex of pitch-black.

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Bane never slowed, his bounding strides almost knocking the wind out of his passengers. Bane ignored every obstacle in his way as his powerful girth knocked away any foreign objects. He ran for about ten more minutes before he stopped at a great oak tree in the middle of the swamp. Ivy smiled in glee; they had arrived at the entrance of the Cave of Bad Dreams. Bane knelt down, letting everyone off on dry land. He was standing in swamp water and mud, his sea bound soul feeling the pleasure of cold water lap his feet once again. When everyone was off, he gave a wandering glance towards the group.

He found the points of several blades and a hand cannon pointed at his throat. "Okay, start talking you demon!" Rosemary shouted. Bane swallowed nervously, his throat still sore from the fight he had with Razoff. "What do I have to say? I saved your life back there, and I brought you to the Cave of Bad Dreams! What more is there to know?" The weapons lowered slightly at this shout out, but Rosemary still held hers up. "We want to know why! Demons are supposed to help each other through thick and thin, no matter what the cost is. I bet there's an ambush waiting for us here, you demonic slime-sucker!" Bane flinched when he suddenly realized with a wave of sorrow that Rosemary was one of the demon-slayers that had imprisoned him. No wonder she doesn't believe in my actions, Bane thought. Nervously, he lifted his head to look at the sky through the swamp trees. He saw that the sky was starting to turn dark. Bane bit his tongue, because he heard from Morphina that the Concealment of Evil gained more power after dusk.

"Okay demon-slayer, I'll tell you exactly why I helped you. Just put your blade away before you get anymore ideas." Rosemary's blade disappeared, along with the weapons of the others. Finally, Bane began his explanation. "Even before I was imprisoned, I hated Morphina with all of my heart. She had always wanted power on both the land and the sea. The greedy little witch would do anything to obtain power, even if it meant taking the lives of both plant and animal in large areas. My species thought differently, so my pack grew to loathe her. Since we weren't on her side she retentively tried to capture and spellbind us. Morphina was breaking many rules in this process; demons usually either ignore or help each other, but never hinder or harm one another. I finally showed her that I wouldn't follow her ways by attacking her Commanders while they were taking refuge on a beach coast I often visited. I snapped the spines of over thirty Commanders that night with my teeth alone."

Bane smiled as he saw the same awed expression etched on everyone's faces. He continued without much delay. "After that, Morphina and I never bothered each other. It wasn't until the fairies' price on my head before she started noticing. She sent Commanders to kill me, because if they gained a reward then she would have more power. After I was spellbound by fairy magic, I began to realize that my dark intentions were as dark as Morphina's. As I slept in that dark tower, I would dream endless dreams of the lives I've killed and ruined. I would see girls crying because their lovers would never return, babies left homeless because their parents were on a boat I destroyed, children whimpering because they would never see their big brother again, and elders weeping until they fell asleep because their son or daughter was killed with my own two claws. It was those dreams that changed me; I now I am no longer like my kin. It took Razoff to make me realize that the chains I wore were to help me, not imprison me." Bane lowered his head until his chin touched his chest. "I was just too blind to see the possibility before. No wonder demon-slayers are of such need nowadays."

"Speaking of Razoff, where is he?" Freya exclaimed, spelling the end to Bane's story. Suddenly, Ivy began to fret. "Oh no!" She cried, "Donnia and Rex are gone too! They must've fallen off while we were escaping Morphina!" Rosemary shook her head in sadness. "There will be no use finding them now. If Morphina has them, then she would've used the Concealment of Evil on them..." Everyone in the party of heroes felt their blood turn to ice. Ivy wrapped her arms around her body as if to ward off a sudden chill. She turned her head to the darkening woods and mist that cloaked the Marshes of Awakening and then turned to her mother. Rosemary could see that a fire had sparked behind her eyes. "Then that means we'll cover our backs! If Morphina's Veil of Darkness can be defeated, then the Concealment of Evil must have a weakness as well! We'll just have to find a way how!"

"Did someone mention the Concealment of Evil?" A rough voice called. Everyone turned to the source of the voice almost in unison. Lo and behold, Jano was walking (if you could call it that.) towards them at a steady pace, a lit lantern carried along with him. Upon closer inspection they saw Illusion, wrapped with his precious cloak, following Jano. He was carrying something in a basket, but it was too wrapped in blankets to be seen. In the light of the glowing lantern, Ivy could see that Illusion was now a handsome-looking man in his mid-thirties with curling green hair. Soon, they were standing in the midst of the group, the lantern giving off much- needed light. Illusion sat down wordlessly beside Jano as he returned to the subject at hand. "The Concealment of Evil is a fearsome demon magic that cannot be warded with just about anything. From what I heard, a few of your friends got caught in the Concealment of Evil. Am I correct?"

Freya answered. "Yes. Donnia, Rex, and Razoff are all missing and we're guessing that Morphina used the Concealment on them. In these circumstances, it's best to go with the darkest outcome first." Jano murmured in agreement. "If we be helpin' ye, den ye should ferst tells us what happened between Morphina and ye, starting with de ferst Commander fight!" Illusion stated. It was settled then. The group told their story of adventure, starting with the Commanders' visit in Bluddwiek. Each traveler had a different point of view that interested the others. Freya told of the fight against Striker the fox, Davis told about how he ended up with Razoff, Rayman and his counterpart excitedly exclaimed about the fights they won, Bane told about how he befriended the Count and why he turned against Morphina, and Ivy told about the ruins of Menhir Fort. Every once in a while, Jano would stop the storyteller to ask about a detail left out. The combined stories took more time than Ivy expected it to take. When they were finished, the moon was high in the sky, bathing the swamplands with milky light.

"That fight we had earlier wasn't Illusion's first time in the Cave of Bad Dreams. That's why I could recognize him and distract him by warding off his magic." By now, a campfire was lit in the campsite that the group of fighters stayed at; a dry area of land closest to the Cave of Bad Dreams. Ivy immediately felt how ironic the situation was that they were making a final stand in the same place they did six months ago. Of course, they didn't have a large sea demon standing guard six months ago. Also, Jano handed them something even more important than knowledge; roast chicken. When Illusion handed the warriors their dinner, Ivy realized how hungry she was. With the power of a jackal, Ivy and her friends tore at their food to satisfy their aching stomachs. Strangely, Bane was the only one without an appetite; instead, he snapped up any leftovers and inedible parts the heroes threw at him. When they were finished eating, Jano explained the rest of what they needed to know about the Concealment.

"A few weeks ago, Illusion transported himself into the Cave of Bad Dreams to steal something. He caught me off-guard, seeing as he knew that I would be teaching Davis and Ivy how to control their magic better. He found what he was looking for in my treasure room; the Concealment of Evil itself. It was in a locked chest, but he smashed that open easily. Inside, the Concealment of Evil was hid; dormant and in the shape of a pure black orb. The Concealment of Evil comes from a breed of cloaks that do various things, and when they have no orders to uphold they form the shape of an orb about the size of a fist. When Morphina woke it up, it was hers and only hers to command." Jano reached into the basket, which had lain by his side throughout the dinner. He brushed aside the blankets and produced several longneck bottles made of emerald. Their stoppers were crafted to look like perched falcons. "This is the cure to the Concealment of Evil."

"Really? You mean that if we pour it on someone infected by the Concealment it cures him or her?" Freya asked breathlessly. Illusion shook his head. "If it be dat simpl', den anybody could do it! It be needin' somet'ing more..." Then, Illusion slipped off his long cloak, and revealed that he was wearing a solid black tunic. Strapped to his side was a hilt with a sword contained inside. Illusion slipped off the hilted sword and tossed it to Ivy, who caught it easily. "Dat be yers, missie." Illusion hissed. Ivy unsheathed the sword, and saw that it was made out of a white glassy material that made it seem like it was worthless. To have Ivy test it out, Illusion threw a block of marble the size of Ivy's head. Ivy swiped at the block, and much to her surprise, cut through the marble like a hot blade through butter. When she saw what the sword did to the marble, her jaw dropped. "That is the Tamer's Sword, and I think it belongs to you. Before you ask, I couldn't give the sword to you six months ago during the War of the Souls because the Tamer's Sword only appears when the Concealment of Evil is released. The blade's sole purpose is to be the Concealment of Evil's poison. When the Concealment of Evil is destroyed, so is the sword."

Jano held up one of the unusual green bottles. "These bottles are filled with the Elixir of Life. If you find your friends and they are imprisoned by the Concealment of Evil, then you must use it or else the Concealment of Evil will keep a hold on their bodies until they die. Coat the blade with the medicine, enough to cover one or two sides of the blade, before you face your friends. When you do, you must press the coated side of the blade to their skin and send the Tamer's Light through the sword. If done correctly, the Concealment of Evil will leave the body without taking the life as well. I know it doesn't sound easy, but the only other ways of freeing them would be to kill them. There is no other way." Jano shrugged to his awestruck group. Ivy glanced at the sword warily, as if to plea for an easier way. Bane swished his tail with indifference as he listened to the Guardian. "When you face the Concealment of Evil's core, the blade alone will suffice. However, I can't properly say that your spellbound friends won't give up without a fight, or that Morphina will use the Concealment of Evil in different purposes that I haven't discovered yet."

Without anymore talk passed between them, the group of heroes drifted off into a fitful slumber, dreaming of the danger that would come tomorrow.

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Bang!

The echoing sound of a gunshot filled the swamplands. Ivy, Freya, Rosemary and Bad-Rayman shot up almost in unison from their sleeping positions. Rayman, Globox, and Davis still slept on, still undisturbed by the sudden noise. Bane was glaring at the direction of the sound, his teeth bared into a snarl. Jano and Illusion were immediately getting ready for any sudden attacks. "I know that sound anywhere. That wasn't any ordinary gun; that was one of Razoff's custom fittings!" Bane hissed to his companions. His scales rose on his back like an irritated feline. At Bane's words, Ivy quickly grabbed a bottle of Jano's curing oil to coat the Tamer's Sword with, along with her hunting knife in case she wasn't facing Razoff but a Commander with a gun. Freya and Bad-Rayman joined her too, but they didn't bother to wake up the others for stealth purposes. Three fighters were less noticeable than six that's for sure. Rosemary sat up in her makeshift bed and watched her daughter prepare herself. Rosemary herself couldn't fight- that era of her life was over-instead, she gave her daughter helpful advice.

"Don't coat the blade immediately; only if you know the identity of the attacker. That way, not a drop will be wasted. After all, the Elixir of Life is the most powerful healing device we have at our disposal!" Ivy nodded in agreement, then set out to the direction of the noise with her friends. With a quick good-bye, the small group disappeared into the dark.

The swamp was too quiet, even for nighttime. Ivy glanced around nervously as she heard no owls, coyotes, frogs, or crickets. Freya clutched her sword until her knuckles turned white. The three heroes glanced at each other to make sure that none of them strayed away, but they didn't want to reveal themselves with any conversation. It wasn't until they stepped into an area surrounded by tall swamp trees that the hidden attacker came out of their hiding places. It was too dark to see at this time of night; instead, they saw three slick shadows emerge from the mist. The attackers' eyes glowed red like embers, and their breath was visible in the night's cold air. The three shapes stood unmoving, as if hoping to scare off their intruders.

Freya took a step forward, almost like she was meeting an unspoken challenge. Boom! A bullet hit Freya's left paw with amazing speed. Freya fell backwards, but it was more from the swiftness of the blow than the pain. Her foot instantly became coated in her own blood. At the sight of fresh blood, the monsters were immediately on them. The monsters divided themselves up intelligently to meet their attackers; one for each of their prey. Ivy was shoved to the ground by her opponent, causing the wind to be knocked out of her. Bad-Rayman and Freya backed up until their backs touched as they sent two different rays of magic at their foes. Despite her new wound, Freya stood on both feet as she chanted the runes needed for battle magic.

Ivy's blade illuminated with the Tamer's Light, giving her more visibility. She saw her attacker more clearly now, and could spot the pink scars on the monster's chest and large serpentine head. By now, the monster's breath on her face became unbearable. She knew who the attacker was; Morphina's bodyguard that she demonstrated the Concealment on. Good, Ivy thought, then I'll have no regrets! She shoved the hot blade upwards, and pinned the monster like a bug in a collection box. The Commander that was gave one final screech and fell limp. With one solid movement of her arm, she tossed the corpse aside as she met the attackers with her glowing sword. Whizz! A stray bullet missed Ivy's torso by just a few inches and hit the ground near her. Ivy held the sword up like a lantern, and could spot a lithe creature scurrying through the treetops with a gun in tow. I'll free you later Razoff, Ivy concluded. First, I have to help my friends.

Freya was shocked to see that her attacker wasn't even hurt by her bursts of fire magic. She raised her hands to cast more flames, only to be hit by magical fire shot from the monster's fingers. Freya landed to the ground back first, winding her. The monster bent down to greet her, and opened its fanged mouth to feed off of her. Whack! Freya kicked him hard in the chest with both of her feet, including the injured one. The monster stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, the wind forced out of him. "Hah! I'm not your basic damsel in distress after all!" Freya shouted at her opponent. Meanwhile, Bad-Rayman was dodging bursts of blue lightning with several parries and thrusts he taught himself over the years. Wait, why do these spells seem familiar? The ex-Commanders considered this in their heads almost in unison. With a single uppercut of his powerful fist, his enemy fell to the ground in a daze.

Ivy held her sword to the closest monster so she could see its identity after Freya got off from the ground and Bad-Rayman came over to look. All three of them gasped in shock. The person who attacked Bad-Rayman was Donnia, or as least it *was* Donnia. Her delicate fingers were now curved into claws, and her mouth was forced open by rows of fangs. Her skin was a dark green, a natural camouflage. Her tunic was ripped in various places by jutting scales. Her shoes were no longer present, as her feet were now clawed and dangerous. However, her natural form was more visible than the Commander was, and Freya guessed it was because she was more pure of heart. Above their heads, their other attacker shouted obscene phrases that they recognized when he discovered he had no ammo. With not another word, the Razoff monster ran off.

"Leave him, Ivy. Heal Donnia first." Freya demanded when she saw Ivy Thorn rise to retrieve Razoff. The zombie-tamer nodded in agreement, and coated the glowing blade with the Elixir of Life. As she did so, Bad-Rayman propped Donnia up while he kept a strong hold on her. Ivy then pressed the slimy blade to Donnia's back and sent as much of the Tamer's Light's power as she could submit through the blade. The Donnia monster thrashed, and began to shape shift as a dark aura rose from her back. When all of the Concealment escaped her body, Donnia was now normal and lying in torn clothing. Donnia opened her eyes, saw her friends, then immediately started to cry from both the confusion of the situation and the sudden guilt that had hit her like a sucker punch. Freya reassured her by patting her bruised back as Ivy got up from the ground. "Okay, now it's time for Rex!" Ivy shouted. She turned to where Rex lay, and saw that he wasn't there. In fact, the only sign that he was ever there was the uprooted patch of grass where he had fallen.

"One of them is better than none, anyways. We'll sure to help them tomorrow." Bad-Rayman said. Ivy didn't reply; instead, she noticed that there was a sudden gust of wind blowing through the trees, giving the swamps a ghastly air to it. Without another word, Ivy sheathed the sword and motioned for her friends to go back. They did, each one keeping a steady enough walk where they would reach the camp in little time. After all, they felt that they needed all the energy they could come up with for tomorrow.

Because tomorrow will finally put Ivy and her friends to the test...

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"Rex, did everything go to plan? Do we have them in the palm of our hands?"

Morphina was interrogating both Rex and Razoff on her first part of her new plan. Bane's side-switch gave Morphina new ways to snare the annoying freedom fighters, especially since Bane and Razoff were now the best of friends. The Concealment of Evil was right beside her, a shapeless ball of shadows floating by her head. She showed the heroes how the Concealment of Evil used its power, but she didn't tell them that she could regulate how much of the Concealment of Evil's magic was placed into the victim. She had purposely made the Concealment use as little magic as possible on both the Commander and Donnia.

She didn't use the same technique on Rex and Razoff, Morphina added with a smirk. She used the Concealment's magic to its fullest, making Rex and Razoff capable fighting machines. Morphina had to admit that she admired the two, especially since one of them already had some demon heritage running through his blood. The boy's friend Donnia managed to keep it a secret from all of her friends, to avoid any conflict, but anyone with the talent of mind reading could see exactly what Rex was. He was vampire- spawn, of a wiped-out race, something that was shunned in throughout most of the lands. Unlike most stories, his kind were not allergic to sunlight, crosses, garlic, and they didn't need to feed every day. However, he did have amazing powers to heal and a hidden blood lust that would spring up during the full moon. The Concealment of Evil saw to it that his powers would be unleashed without the boundaries of friends, pity, and caring.

Rex saluted, his hands still human-looking but with claws. "Yes. They fell for the bait. They actually believe that I ended up like Donnia and your bodyguard; that I was a slow, scaly ogre creature! Razoff also did well; he shot the wolf-girl." Rex licked his lips. "He didn't kill her, but it did shed some blood. I'll make sure that I'll get more from her, whether she likes it or not!" Rex had become something that Morphina admired. He had sprouted large wings covered in dark purple feathers, like that of a carrion bird. He kept them folded behind his back most of the time, but he could fly really well with them if needed. His face remained human and his hair was still light purple and spiky, only his crimson eyes glew soulless with anger and blood lust. His fangs, usually small enough to conceal them, were lengthened and easily visible. He wore a swirling cloak, still covered with Freya's blood where she kicked him.

He had concealed himself from discovery by making him look like Donnia. It wasn't shape-shifting, but an illusion that only special magic could see through. Rayman and Jano would've seen it, but Bad-Rayman had not because his mind was clouded with thoughts of Freya. Rex smiled, flashing dazzling teeth, as he considered it. Yes, the Rayman counterpart was worried over Freya with mixed emotions that he didn't share. The ex-Commander was talented in concealing emotions, but he was clouded by a hidden love for Freya. Morphina knew that as well, which was probably why she stuck them together. If she could get a hold of Freya, Bad-Rayman would anything she could demand, even giving up his free will on Freya's account. However, Morphina didn't count on Freya to be such an agile fighter.

"I don't think this will work, your Majesty. Ivy has the Tamer's Sword and a way to ward the Concealment of Evil!" Razoff replied. Morphina groaned; the Concealment of Evil was not as overpowering over the will as her own spellbinding magic. Concealed victims would still ask questions; something Morphina hated to take care of. Oh well, at least they were loyal enough. Besides, the Concealment of Evil works better if the victim's soul is filled with hate and greed, and Count Razoff had a pretty black soul indeed. His demon form had enough power to slay Bane even without a gun, which is Morphina's one purpose for the Count. She sighed to the demonic little gunman, then said, "The Tamer's Sword is useless without any Elixir of Life to back it up. Jano's the only person available to make any, and he's as good as dead." Morphina made a horizontal finger motion across her neck to prove her point.

"How are you going to do that? You failed the last time you tried to!" Razoff shouted. He was still arrogant, just like his original form. He still has a mouth to match his ego, Morphina thought warily. She had to keep her temper in check as she answered through clenched teeth. "Listen, Jano only got away because Ivy was there to help her. No worries, because I'll lure her away from him. As soon as she's not providing protection for him, I'll rip him to pieces faster than you can say 'zombie chicken'. If you remember Razoff, your main purpose is to attack Bane, Rex is to kill Ivy's friends, and I'll destroy the Cave of Bad Dreams to start my world conquest!"

With that, she turned and left the demonic creatures to tend to the army. After all, she won't be caught off guard this time.

Ivy can make sure of that!

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See? It's not the last chapter after all! ^_^ Bet you didn't know that Rex was a vampire. Heh, well that was Ryoko's idea in the first place, but I forgot to put it into good use in the first story. Now, Donnia and Rex are important! I'm trying to make everyone important this time around, unlike in Veil of Darkness where I stuck characters in for pleasure.

Preview of the next chapter:

The drums of war echo in the distance, and they seem louder with every hour. Everyone in Ivy's party have a role to be played in the coming events. For Rosemary, she has a prophecy to put into play. For Rayman and Globox, they have to find a way to alert any magical creatures for possible reinforcements. For Donnia and Bane, they have to choose between losing their life or losing their friends in a battle of shedded blood and tears. For the two ex-Commanders, they will learn something about each other when they're face-to-face with a force to be reckoned with. And finally, the two Thorn siblings learn that the only thing between failure and accomplishment is hope itself...

Remember to review. I'm pouring my talent into this piece you know, and you can't have gone this far without some kind of comment! :)