The two of them continued through the fade, mouse asking questions about the tower, how it was now, seemingly harmless questions, but something still did not sit right with Neve, so she answered the questions as vaguely as she could, skipping on any specific details.
They continued to walk along, when mouse suddenly stopped, his ears pricking up,
"There's another spirit ahead, it's not your demon, it could help" with that mouse went bounding of ahead,
Neve was unsure as to whether she should follow, what if this was a trap, on the other hand what if mouse was right, what if the spirit could help. She followed the mouse, what did she have to lose, if what mouse said was true she was running out of time. She turned what can only be described as a corner and caught up with mouse, there she saw what must have been the spirit, all though it looked more like a bear of nightmares, large fang like tusks, lengthy sharp prickles protruding from its back and claw like paws that could easily take someone's head clean off their body.
"hmmmm….soooo….you are the human being hunted, and what's this, have you brought me a snack?" the spirit drawled, slow and lazy, as if speech was a task in itself.
Mouse transformed back into his human form, hoping the increase in size would change the spirits mind about him being a snack.
"I don't like this, I don't think he's going to help us, I think we should get going"
"What it was your idea to come to this spot"
"The demon will get you eventually, perhaps I will be lucky, and there will be scraps left" The spirit continued, rising to its feet.
"Just what kind of spirit are you exactly?" Neve asked
"I was wrong, this is no spirit, it's a demon, a powerful one, maybe more powerful than the one hunting you!" mouse whispered
"Be gone! Surely you have more pressing matters to deal with, instead of questioning sloth, I tire of you already!" the demon slumped back down to the ground.
"Why did you call yourself sloth?"
"I am a spirit of sloth, a creature of the fade, you mortals are ever just visitors here, yet you serve your function, it is only mortals such as yourself who are truly annoying"
"What do you mean? Mortals like me" Neve questioned
"You have an awareness, a mortal with power and will, some creatures…hunger…for that kind of creature, in fact I could well partake in such a meal myself, to see the world through your eyes would truly be interesting…however I am disinclined to begin such a struggle"
"Well aren't I lucky" Neve couldn't resist the sarcastic reply, "you've mentioned the demon hunting me, can you offer me any help?"
"You have a staff, what would you need my help for?" yawned the demon
"Maybe he could teach you to be like him?" Mouse offered
"Like me? Why would I do that exactly, you mortals are far too attached to your own forms, but you little one, it has been many years since you let go of your human form, you would be a better student"
"Oh I, I don't think I would be a very good bear, where would I hide?"
"You could help me fight the Demon" Neve offered "Hiding solves nothing, we need to face our fears"
"I'm sorry, it's the fade, it changes you, but you're right, if you will teach me sloth, I will learn"
"Hhmmf, but it's so exhausting, no I think I shall rest, away with you" the demon retorted.
"I told you he wasn't going to help us" Mouse sighed, a hint of disappointment in his voice
"No, mouse wants to learn, teach him, why say something that you have no intention of doing?" Neve stated, her mood becoming slightly more agitated
"Very well, answer these three riddles and I shall teach your mouse my form, if you fail, I shall eat to both"
"I accept your challenge Sloth" she had always been fairly good with riddles, and confidant that she could outwit this demon.
"Hmmm, well this is getting more promising, Very well mortal, here is my first riddle: I have seas with no water, coasts with no sand, towns without people, Mountains without land, What am i?"
Neve thought for a moment quickly repeating the riddle in her head
"That's easy, A Map" she could feel a small smile creep across her face
"Correct, let's move on, my second riddle: I'm rarely touched, but often held, you'll use me well, what am I?"
There was a hint of smugness in the demons voice as he finished this riddle, he obviously felt this riddle to be more difficult than the previous, the smugness was short lived however,
"My Tongue" Neve answered the smile on her face growing.
"Yes, yes your witty tongue" the demons voice becoming more agitated as the thought that he may not actually fool this mortal danced in his head.
"My final riddle, mortal: Often I will spin a tale, never will I charge a fee, I'll amuse you for an entire eve, but, alas, you won't remember me. What am I?"
The smile on Neves face begun to fade, the riddle replayed over and over in her head, she turned to face mouse, his face expressionless, she looked back at the demon there was a twinkle in his eyes, if that is possible, she was going to fail, she'd often dreamed of her future in the tower, it was all going to come to an end, and she hadn't even faced her final test, suddenly she raised her head the smile creepy back on her face
"A Dream, the answer is a dream"
"Yes, aren't you a clever mortal, very well, you have won my challenge, listen very carefully small one and I shall teach you my form"
Mouse moved towards the demon, leaning in as sloth shared the secrets of his form, after listening intently mouse moved away from the demon, and repeated the words and motions told to him by sloth, and just as he had changed from mouse to human he transformed in front of Neves eyes into a bear, a somewhat friendlier bear, there were no prickles, no fang like tusks and smaller less razor like claws on his paws, but a bear still,
"Can you see me, I'm a bear" He beamed looking at Neve with his now much bigger eyes
"There, I have taught, now, be gone and leave me in peace" Sloth yawned resting his head on his paws that were stretched out in front of him.
Neve didn't need to be told twice, she motioned to mouse, turned on her heels and quickly walked away before the demon decided he was going to have a snack anyway, mouse came bounding after her somewhat unsure in his newly learned form.
She began to feel anxious, she had already been in the fade for a long time, yet still no sign of her challenge, she had encountered a spirit, outwitted a sloth demon, yet neither, were her quarry, was this some sort of cruel trick, were mages sent into the fade under the guise of the harrowing purely to get rid of them, leave them wandering for such a time that they could be slaughtered for taking so long, surely no, Irving wouldn't allow it, and Greagoir, although a Templar, is not a cruel man, her mind spun each argument around her head, over and over, suddenly a strange feeling washed over her, an uneasy feeling, she could feel something drawing her towards a clearing she had passed just before she had encountered the spirit of valour, she walked toward the centre of the clearing, stood there silently for a few moments, she turned to face mouse and there stood between the two of them, a towering inferno of demonic power, a rage demon, this was it, the moment she had been sent into the fade for, without allowing the demon to speak Neve raised up her staff and swiftly began casting spells, the demon enraged summoned wisps hoping to encircle Neve, but mouse, in his new bear form bounded toward them, destroying them before they could attack Neve, the battle ensued for what seemed like an eternity when a final winters grasp destroyed the demon, leaving a charred patch where it had last been stood.
Neve fell to her knees leaned forward and vomited, the battle was not what she expected, not that she had expected it to be easy, she felt drained, she sat back, resting on her feet and cried, tears of joy, relief, exhaustion, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder and sensed mouse, now in his human form crouch down just behind her,
"You did it, you really did it, now you can save us both" he whispered in her ear
She remained silent for a moment, having almost not heard what mouse had said
"It's ok, I can tell you know how we can escape, you are powerful, You can release us both from this hell"
"What? What do you mean save us both" she questioned "you said yourself you have no mortal body to return to, how could you be saved"
"You could help me, between the two of us you could free me"
Neve got to her feet, she turned to face mouse, there was a look of eagerness on his face, a glint of mischief in his eye, it dawned on her then,
"That demon wasn't my test was, it?"
"What do you mean my friend"
"That demon wasn't the demon I was meant to defeat was it, I mean, I know I didn't give it much of a chance but didn't try to talk to me, didn't try to corrupt me, it just fought"
"I don't understand, of course that was your challenge, I helped you, mow it is your turn to help me"
"Help, escaping the fade, it's you isn't it, your my challenge, you've helped me, gave me some sob story, pretended you knew what I was going through. And all so I would trust you and release you into the tower, Never, I would sooner die"
With that mouses face twisted, and contorted, he grew in height towering above Neve, his appearance now grotesque,
"Keep your wits about you mage, True tests never end"
With that everything went black.