Author's note: WHEW! I'm so glad to be typing sanely again! In case you all missed last chapter, it was one hundred percent jibberish, and no, you were not supposed to understand it. Not even I understand it, for heaven's sake, and I wrote it! BUT, if anyone can find all the easter eggs I put in said last chapter, I will write their character, AQ or OC in the next chapter as the protagonist. Trust me, you must use your brain. There's not just one or two, there's like... nineteen ... so get lookin'. Oh, and Wolfblitzer, Crystal Lion, DA, Flame, none of you all count, since you're regulars. If you can find them all, cool, you get cookies. But I won't write you in, as you're already in. . And before anyone asks, no I'm not a big incest fan. You'll understand shortly.
Sanity's Edge
Seven
The halls of the Drakel Super City were quite; far too quiet. Something was wrong, but Artix couldn't place his finger on it. They had spent three days on the road trying to reach the city with due haste. Maria was faster then any of them, even if they were to be on horseback, she could still out run them. The once clocked her running speed at somewhere in the vicinity of fifty-seven kilometers per hour, breakneck speed. Artix had sent the majority of the strike force back to Battleon, proceeding with only Crystal Lion, Lizzie, Rayne, Trip, Safiria, Natalya, Serras, Orta Dragoon, Warlic, Vince, Felix, Wolfblitzer, Robina, and a new Guardian, fresh from training.
"I don't like this..." Wolfblitzer voiced everyone's concerns. "The door was open, and no one was guarding it to stop us from just walking in... it's very, very queer." His sword was at a ready, a torch in his other hand.
"What's even worse is the Drakel don't like the dark... why is it not brighter then noontime in here?" Rayne muttered, looking at one of the broken lights.
"These... they weren't powered down..." Vince muttered, touching one. He sniffed the air around it. "As I thought. They've been overloaded. Someone blew them out."
"So, in short, there's no way to turn them on, is there?" Felix asked, gripping Wolfblitzer's arm, shaking from head to tail with fear.
"I'm afraid not. But, on the plus side, the defenses are offline as well... so we won't have to worry about Vulcan Cannons ripping us to tiny pieces."
"Holy shit..."Artix stopped, frozen in suspense.
"What's wrong?" Rayne asked, looking forward. She brought her torch up to see what Artix saw. "Oh my god..." She breathed her sword falling from her hand. In the adjacent corridor, they had found the guards. From Rayne's best count, there were at least twelve bodies in the room... well... she could count twelve heads, as for the bodies and subsequent limbs that they should have, they were all MIA. Blood was smeared on the walls, and there were long, wide gashes torn into the bulkheads of the hall. Some of the heads that were strewn around the room had looks of agonizing pain on their faces. Their eyes were turned up inside their skulls, and their tongues had been torn from their mouthes, along with their teeth, spinal column, and brain.
"I think I'm gonna hurl..." Robina gurgled, barely holding in her dinner. "I am! I'm gonna hurl!" She ran off back around the corner and crouched down, reliving all of dinner, lunch, and most likely breakfast. Rayne tried to keep her composure. She placed her unused arm over her nose to block the rancid stench of decaying Drakel flesh.
"Captain Krieger..." Vince muttered, looking over one of the gashes in the wall.
"What?" Artix replied, trying to keep his food down too. He walked to Vince, who had one of the Drakel's arms jammed, claw side in, into the gash.
"Look at this." Vince spoke, still holding the arm.
"What am I looking at?"
"These marks. Look at them! They're huge! Long, wide, and deep. No Drakel I know can make claw marks this deep. The only thing I can think of with nails that big, is a dragon."
"A dragon'll never fit in here!" Artix rebuttled, snatching the hand from Vince.
"No dragon YOU know of will fit in here... No dragon YOU know of..." Vince repeated, pushing his own hand into the gash. "Good creator..."
"So... what do we do now, Captain?" Felix asked, plugging her nose with her two fingers. Her voice was slightly squeeky.
"There's only one thing we can do. Follow the destruction." He lead the group farther into the warpath, treading lightly, ever aware that any one step could be their last.
"Oh, holy jesus..." Vince mused, staggering behind the group.
"What now, Vince?!" Artix groaned.
"Look at these marks again... Look how many their are."
"And?" Artix asked, studying the gashes.
"Drakel have three fingers and a thumb. As do dragons. There's four gash marks. Four fingers and thumb."
"Are you saying a human did this?" Felix gasped.
"That's impossible!" Warlic barked.
"Not completely. X-Guardians have been known to grow claws."
"Claws!" Rayne replied. "Not claymores! Whatever made these marks must have... at least nine inch claws... a monster, no doubt." She picked up her sword again and sheathed it. "Never hurts to be prepared."
-
The group progressed for several minutes, following the destructive path of whatever made those marks. They had finally arrived at an Antechamber of sorts, a smaller room which lead into a large one. The door was shut and locked, blood smeared across its face.
"Where to now?" Artix asked.
"One rather nasty looking door there..." Natalya spoke. Artix moved to the door. "But I wouldn't be the first..." She continued. Artix hesitated before opening it. The door lock popped off, as if from years of misuse. The portal opened, revealing a rather dimly lit library of sorts. Everyone stood ridgid. Before long, Artix moved to enter.
"Wait, Captain!" Felix interrutped him. He stopped. "Might be dangerous..." She continued. The Cat Demon grabbed Lizzie and put her before him. "Send her in first." Lizzie hissed at Felix and stepped inside.
"Serras, Safiria, Wolfblitzer, guard the door. If you see anything that looks even remotely inhuman, destroy it." Artix ordered. The three nodded and waited. The other progressed inside.
The library was huge. The sheer number of books dwarfed that of the Great Library in the Isle d'Oriens. One one shelf alone stood some two thousands books. Most of their bindings lost to the test of time, however a select few remained in tact. Natalya read some of the titles off as she passed.
"'Soul Binding'... 'A Caravaner's Guide to Lore'... 'Incest; The Great Pleasure'? What the hell..." She muttered, rejoining the ranks.
"I wonder where the librarian is..." Rayne breathed. The group rounded the corner into an opening. Situated in the opening was one single table, piled sky-high with books. Around the table lay the corpses of several hundred Drakel. And sitting at the table was a crumpled over human corpse.
"Holy God of Living Fuck..." Orta mused, covering her mouth against the stench of rotting flesh. Before everyone's very eyes, the Human corpse sat up.
"'His coming shall be foretold by three signs. The Curse of Flesh. The mortal shell of the Kindre, His servants, shall be ground to water, and Lore shall drown. The Curse of Insanity. One Becomes Two, and Lore shall burn. And the Curse of Blood. From the Window, His Avatar shall flow the water of Life from whence there is no repreave. And Lore shall be devoured.'" A somber female voice spoke cleanly in the air. It finished with: "'Coridias de Marte sel Lore, This is the End of Lore.'" The light in the chamber intensified, and everyone could see that what they once thought was a corpse, wasn't, but Maria. She was missing her shirt, and three rows of short, sharp spines ran down her back, one row down the middle, and one row on each side. Natalya shuddered.
"My god... Maria?!" Her sister shouted, flinching her way. Felix grabbed Natalya's arm.
"Nat, don't! That's not Maria... at least not any more..." The Cat Demon groaned, her eyes going unusally stern.
"Preceptive, Cat Demon. Very preceptive." Maria muttered, turning to face the group. Atop the spines on her back, her canine teeth had grown into huge fangs, and her eyes, which have always been a soft, somber red, now glowed fierce, like fire. The whites of her eyes now radiated in a piss-yellow tone, small capilaries visible. Artix's eyes migrated to her hands. On each finger grew a single, sharp, nine inch claw, each hand adorned with five, and each one sharper then even a Blade of Awe.
"What on God's Lore ARE you?!" Rayne spoke. Maria, or at least what was once Maria, laughed a menacing, piercing laugh.
"Come now, little mortal. Surely you've heard the stories?" Rayne shook her head. "Well then, maybe you'd like to hear a short story before you all die..." Artix reacted.
"No stories, demon! Just you and us!" Another creepy laugh.
"There will be time enough for your death, Paladin. For now, I wish only words with you." The creature inhaled, it's voice taken from Maria's chest. "In the beginning, there were ten of us. Fea'lin and Wa'sin. My brother of Fire, and sister of Water. I'lin and Wi'lin. My brothers of Ice and Wind. En'sin and Ear'sin, my sisters of Energy and Earth. Da'lin and Li'sin. My brother of Dark, and sister of Light. And finally, Sae'sin and myself, Gae'lin. My dear sister of Creation." The shell of Maria began circling the group slowly. "In the beginning, we were all as one, what all families should be, a single, cohesive unit. I loved my brothers and sisters. To death. However, there comes a time where all families must part ways...
"Fae'lin and Wa'sin were the first. Being the youngest, they were easily seduced by power and prestige. Wa'sin was the first to grow suspicious of her brother, and out of that suspicion, she created the Mermazon to guard her underwater palace..." There came a pause as Maria began drawing on the floor with a claw. She drew a circle with ten places, a circle on each place, and an elemental symbol on each circle. The pattern was arranged like that as Natalya had seen once before in a book in the Isle d'Oriens. Each element had it's opposite across from it. The top and bottom symbols were empty. "Following Wa'sin's deception, I'lin and Wi'lin feared for their saftey, and thus, broke away. I'lin, out of fear of Wa'sin, created the Goroggog, or the creatures you know as Groggs. As a reaction to I'lin's irrational behavior, Wi'lin created Bloatts, hoping to stay away from any conflict, which was certainly on the rise. This, was the end of a very beautiful relationship.
"En'sin and Ear'sin followed in their brother's footsteps, and broke away from the family, leaving only Da'lin, Li'sin, Sae'sin and myself. En'sin and Ear'sin, always together, yet always apart, had created the Zzots and Behemoths as a way of keeping the others at bay. More aggrivated then scared, Da'lin and Li'sin broke away, and created the two most feared creatures on Lore, Vampires, and Werewolves. While both are Da'lin's creations, Li'sin got the Werewolves, and allowed them out in the day.
"Thus, only Sae'lin and myself were left. I loved my dear sister, but never could stomach her ways. Always helping those smaller then her, it sickened me. And so, I broke from my sister. But, Fea'lin, always the hot-headed one, created something which would send everything... to hell.
"He created Dragons, and from Dragons, Akriloth was born. By this point, Lore was unsuitable for any life, and so we left, in search of a new home. However, before we left, each of the ten brothers and sisters left their mark on the world. Fae'lin, Dragons; Wa'sin, Mermazons and other creatures of the deep; I'lin, Dwarves and Ice Creatures; Wi'lin, Birds and frogs; En'sin, Ethereal Creatures; Ear'sin, The Behemoths; Da'lin, the Undead, and Li'lin, Sentinals. However, ever the... generous one, Sae'lin created Humans. Filthy, disgusting, Humans.
"And so, in spite, I stayed behind as all left Lore, and gave birth to my own followers. Plucking the best from the Human stock, I created Lizard Men, Drakel you call them. And they served me well. And then I looked back at my retreating brothers and sisters, and thought... why not have some fun?" The Gai'lin sat in a chair.
"And so, every several thousand years, I come back and check on Lore's progress. This is check number nine. Nine times I have done this, and I have yet to find a warrior who could best me. So tell me, is this the one? Lucky number nine? Will I finally find someone to fufill my ultimate wish? A quick, warrior-worthy death?"
"Why not just kill yourself?" Felix asked.
"Every time I do this, SOMEONE's got to ask the dumb question. Do you know nothing of the Ethereal Realm, little mortal?" Felix shook her head.
"Ethereal Realm creatures are forbidden to take their own lives. Their bond with the magic of Lore is far to strong. If they could find the will to destroy themselves... well... the result would be poor for us..." Natalya answered.
"I'm shocked!" The Gai'lin groaned, gripping Maria's chest and standing. "Someone who actually knows of Temporal Laws and Regulations. You are correct mortal. More specifically, if I were to destroy myself, all of the Galaxy would reign unchecked. Something I cannot allow to happen."
"So." Lizzie chimed in. "What happens now?" The Gai'lin laughed again.
"A most excellent question. Now, I begin an age-old tradition. Those gathered here before me, shall be participants in my Hunt. The rules are simple. You will all be transported to various points in the city. You are to find yourselves, regroup, and destroy me. If you can. However, be fast. For every hour, starting when I send you away, I will erradicate one quarter of Lore's population." A smile crossed Maria's fanged face. "Begin." Everyone in the room disappeared, save for Natalya. "You, however, have a different fate to come..." He motioned her closer, which she complied with rather reluctantly. "I wish to tell you a secret, mortal. Will you hear?"
"I guess. Seeing as I've no choice." The Gai'lin laughed.
"Most excellent! Here is what I wish to say to you. Your sister, Maria. A fine specimen. She is perfect in every way for my... gift to take root. She held everything I needed to manifest myself within her. Hate, an inescapable blood lust, a reason to live. However, one thing prevented me for the longest time from taking what was, by right, mine. Her accursed purity. Her body was kept much like a temple. She ate properly, exercised regularly, and was, on the whole, uncorrupted. However, one little mistake, one innocent foul up corrupted her body, spirit and mind. Do you know what that was?"
"Irregular sleep patterns?" Natalya snapped back a witty retort. It didn't even make him chuckle. "What? Not even a titter? Tough crowd..."
"No... not that... what corrupted her so was far more... damning." He reached a hand around and stroked Natalya's hair. "Her flaw... her only corruption, was a lust of a different kind. She wanted you, Natalya! She craved for what she couldn't have... willingly, anyway. She longed to touch you... make you feel... special. Special like no man ever could! Special like only a sister knew how..."
"What are you saying, foul creature?" Natalya barked, slapping his hand away. The Gai'lin chuckled and continued to stroke her hair and neck with it's massive, sword-length claws.
"Ah, I suppose what I'm saying is: She loved you, and not like a sister. Like a wife, a girlfriend. Like she loved the Vampire..." A slight purr escaped the Gai'lin's lips. "Often, she would pick the lock to your door, slip in and watch you sleep at night... fantasize about you... But soon, it wasn't enough. It wasn't good enough to just watch, and think. She had to do! She had to put herself into motion... so she would sit on your bedside at night... stroke you, as I do now... and when that lost it's interest, she would crawl into bed with you... pull the covers up to her neck and pull up close to you... feeling you on her... It was enough... for a time. As her feelings grew, so did the urge... the urge to take! Take what could not be returned!" The Gai'lin's voice was harsh now, barking. It frightened Natalya. "And so, on one night, she snuck into your room, took her clothes off... slipped into bed... pulled your cloths off... one piece..." He slipped a claw under Natalya's armor and pulled, the shoulder pad popping off and falling to the ground. "by one slow... steady piece..." He slipped the same claw under another section of Natalya's armor and popped the other shoulder pad off. "Until it was just the two of you... naked... under the sheets... and she would touch you... caress you... love you..." He leaned closer, hovered his borrowed lips over her ear, and hissed his last words. "Rape you..."
"That's a lie!" Natalya barked back instantly, raising her defense. Another laugh from the Gai'lin. "You tell me nothing but lies! You spread dissent amongst the ranks!"
"Come, come now! You who knows so much of Ethereal Realm creatures... you of all people should know, Ethereal Creatures cannot lie...We just can't..." He smiled, victorious.
"Damn...!" Natalya shouted, slamming her fist into the table to her left. "I... I still don't believe you! Maria wouldn't do anything like that! She... she just wouldn't!"
"Ask her yourself, little mortal..." The Gai'lin smirked. The creature collapsed to his knees momentarily, before falling to it's stomach. Natalya crouched down.
"M... Maria?" She asked uneasily.
"Nat...? That you?" Maria asked.
"It's me, Maria, it's me..." Natalya's voice was less then entusiastic.
"Listen... Natalya, I know how to destroy the Devourer! It's in a book called the Cordiais de Marte Sel Lore... You have to..."
"Maria, I have a question." Natalya asked before Maria finished. The younger sister took her time before responding.
"Is it an important question?"
"No..." Natalya started. "And yes..."
"Listen, this is no time for questions! You have to find this book and..."
"Remember poker night a year ago?" Natalya questioned, cutting Maria off.
"What?!" Was Maria's response. "Of course I do! This is irrelevant!"
"I need to know something... I need to know something very important. Just... hear me out, and answer my question."
"Fine, fine, what?" Maria barked.
"Remember when you said that you had fantasies about me when we first met?" A look of puzzled anger stuck to Maria's face.
"We covered this already, Natalya! Now is not the time!" She barked, trying to stand.
"It is!" Natalya shouted. The sheer action of Natalya raising her voice to Maria... it scared the younger. "Tell me, Maria. Have you ever acted on those fantasies?" Her voice was piercing. Very stern. Maria's limbs trembled under her own weight. She couldn't hold herself up. Her lips remained closed, betraying no response. "Answer me."
"I..." Maria started, searching for the correct way to answer the question.
"Answer me..." Natalya's voice was shaking, enraged. She knew what the answer was, but she couldn't be satisfied until she heard Maria say it. Her fists clenched at her side.
"I...I..." She stammered, her eyes scanning the ground looking for something to use.
"ANSWER ME!" Natalya shouted, her voice knocking three books off the shelf.
"YES!" Maria barked finally, her arms finally giving out, her torso falling. Natalya relaxed. She had her answer. She had her painful... damning answer.
"How..." Natalya tried to regain her composure. She inhaled before continuing. "How long?" Her tone had shifted to a calm, understanding one. Maria, defeated, spilled.
"I lost count..."
"Give me a ballpark."
"S..." The word was hard to say. "Seven years..."
"Seven years?!" Natalya's face went ghost white, almost as if she was dead. "Seven YEARS?!" Maria couldn't move. She had been found out, and it killed her. "SEVEN FUCKING YEARS, MARIA? SEVEN?!"
"YES NATALYA! SEVEN! WHAT IN THE FUCK DO YOU WANT ME TO DO? DRAW YOU A FUCKIN' MAP!?" Maria's voice came out hard and harsh. A shaking hand covered the older sister's eyes as she closed them. That was that. Her knees gave out and fell, hoping to be friends with the floor. Maria still couldn't pull herself off the ground.
"You know what, Maria. I don't know what to do with you anymore..." Natalya droned through her hand. "First, you beat the shit out of me... then you have the guts to, first of all, TELL me you've been having fantasies about me, but, oh, never mind that you've been LIVING them for the last SEVEN FUCKING YEARS! NEVER MIND THAT! You think lying to me will work Maria?! I..." She stood painfully and began pacing. "I've always protected you, Maria! I've always been there for you, haven't I?" Natalya didn't wait for an answer. "Two years ago... Paxia. Remember we went on that raid together. We got captured. They were going to kill you... But I stood by you! I had your back then! I protected you until help arrived..." Her voice trailed off. Her once perfect face had been stained with tears, her eyes bloodshot. Weather her eyes were bloodshot due to the crying, or the sheer rage she felt was uncertain. "I admit. I enjoyed sharing that piss-poor excuse for a bed roll we had then with you... but... for the love of GOD, Maria! Does anyone know about this?" Maria shook her head.
"No... Listen..."
"NO YOU LISTEN!" Natalya shouted throwing a threatening finger at her. "YOU listen to ME for a change, Maria! I protected you! I cared for you! Who the hell do you think found the money for your training when mother died? Me! Who the hell arranged for you to become a Guardian at such a young age? Me! You needed discipline, Maria! You always were brash! I thought that if I had you trained to fight, you'd start looking at life a little more..." She struggled. "I dunno... objectively. But I guess I was wrong. You're just the same now as when you were younger. Only older, and less alive. You're not that special! You're not! You are just like everyone else who's a Guardian! Young, naive, vulnerable. You are not a god, Maria! You can die! And if I had half the mind I do know, you'd already be dead, I swear upon mother's grave I would kill you so fast..." Natalya gripped her fingers around air to try to subside her rage. She was trying her very best not to kill her sister.
"Nat..."
"DON'T YOU 'NAT' ME, MARIA! DON'T YOU FUCKING 'NAT' ME!" She had used her hand to slap the side of Maria's head hard. She slapped her three or four more times before restraining herself. "Do you know what you're problem is, Maria? I'll tell you your problem. Your problem, is you can't keep your fingers out of holes that don't belong to you! That's your fucking problem! You can't keep your fucking hands to your fucking self!" Maria didn't move. She was too scared to move, thinking any single motion would force Natalya to kill her. "Maria... Listen..." Her voice had become softer now. "I don't mind once... Once could be considered an issue... once... we could have seen someone about it... fixed the problem... but over the course of seven years? I can't allow that! You... you... Ah, fuck, I'm so mad I can't even THINK straight..." She pressed both hands against her head and tried to focus. After a time, she continued. "Maria. I'm not going to say anything else, for fear that I just loose it, and kill you, which, might I add, I have every right to. But, as you are my sister, I am going to try to walk away... just pray... for both our sakes, we never see each other again." Natalya stood and walked to the door, but didn't get halfway before whirling back around and coming back at Maria, anger once more in her eyes.
"HOW COULD YOU?!" She growled, grabbing her by the neck, hoisting her up and squeezing. Maria didn't move. She just hung there, her sister throttling her constantly. Being undead, it didn't bother Maria. Natalya knew this, and the strangling was more symbolic then practical. "How could you?! How could you?! How could you?!" Natalya repeated, shaking her sister back and forth, steaming with untamed rage. Finally, as if running out of juice, Natalya threw Maria to the floor and collapsed to tears. She just sat there and cried like some neglected three year old. It was rather pathetic, really, but it did make Natalya feel better.
After crying for some time, Natalya finally stopped and looked again at Maria, who's face was of a somber pain. Natalya spoke after a pause.
"Do you teach this kind of thing to Gale?" Natalya asked, wiping her tears away.
"Leave Gale outta this..."
"Do you?! Is that your idea of 'parenting'?" Natalya continued. Maria reacted.
"Natalya, leave my daughter out of this!"
"SHE'S NOT EVEN YOUR DAUGHTER! YOU HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHOS DAUGHTER SHE IS! WHERE THE HELL DO YOU GET OFF SAYING SHE'S 'YOUR' DAUGHTER!? SHE HAS NO REASON TO LOOK TO YOU FOR ANYTHING, AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO EVEN SAY HER NAME!" Natalya's voice was raw from all the yelling, her cheeks redder then a pickled beet. She calmed down some before continuing. "How many times has Gale snuck into Kay's room and raped her? Huh? Because that's what it is, Maria, rape. Plain and simple. How many times has... has... has... shit!" She came to a sudden realization. "How many times has Gale snuck into Sage's room and raped her?! HOW MANY TIMES?!"
"I WOULD NEVER TEACH THAT TO GALE, AND YOU KNOW THAT!" Maria shouted back.
"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know what to believe outta you anymore. You may not have taught Gale that, but I'll be damned if kids learn more through sight, then with words."
"No one saw me, Natalya!"
"OF COURSE NO ONE SAW YOU! OF COURSE NO ONE FUCKING SAW YOU, MARIA! THAT'S WHY YOU DID IT A NIGHT! BECAUSE NO ONE CAN SEE YOU! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU TAKE ME FOR, I'M NOT STUPID!" Natalya continued to shout, despite her raw throat. A silence befell them. Finally, spent and yelled-out, Natalya stood and walked to the door.
She opened it with a hard kick, which shattered the hinges and broke the frame. Standing in the middle of the room was a very aghast Serras, Wolfblitzer and Safiria. Ignoring their glares, Natalya moved to the table in the center, sat, and put her head in her arms, tears escaping.
"Uh... Natalya..." Wolfblitzer started, hovering his hand over her shoulder.
"DONT! Touch me, Wolfblitzer! Don't FUCKING touch me!" She barked, slapping his had away with a quick motion from her left arm. Wolfblitzer recoiled, but was unhindered.
"Look, Natalya. Listen to me. Don't. I really don't care about that. But what I do care about, is you. I can see there's some animosity between Maria and you..."
"It would please me very much, if I never had to hear that name again, thank you..." Natalya responded.
"But you have to find some way over it, or we'll never survive this Gai'lin shit." Wolfblitzer continued, sitting on the far edge of the bench as he could.
"She..." Natalya started.
"I don't care what she did, Natalya! I don't! Really. I could care less." Wolfblitzer stopped her with a wave of his hand. "The important thing is, she did something you didn't like. It happens all the time. I've done terrible things in my life. Terrible! Ninety percent of them were stupidly terrible. But you know what, I made up for them as best as I could. Yea, I've hurt some of my friends. Some, badly. And when I come clean, yea, they're mad. But we find away around the anger. I'll be honest. I've told Serras this already, and she was pretty understanding. I've seen the pair of you naked. I'll admit, I saw you in the shower together." Natalya started to say something, but Wolfblitzer stopped her again with a wave of his hand. "Yes, I understand whatever Maria did to you was probably three thousand times worse then that, but that's not the point. The point is, if I had not come clean with Serras, she'd probably would have beaten the living gastric juices outta me by now, and made a Wolfblitzer Skin Rug outta my hide. I'll admit, she was stark pissed when I first confessed. She had her fingers around my neck and everything. But you know what, we talked it out."
"Wolfblitzer, you don't understand! I can't just talk this out. It doesn't work like that! I don't live in your perfect little fucking world, Wolfblitzer. What Maria did to me..." She saw him trying to stop her. "Can it and let me finish!" She barked. He nodded and allowed. "What that... woman did to me is beyond forgivness! It's sinful!"
"Oh, yea, and you with Lizzie that one time wasn't?" Wolfblitzer grinned.
"That. Was. Consensual!" She growled through her teeth. "She..."
"I don't want to know!" Wolfblitzer interrupted her once more. "I don't give a fuck what she did. She could..." He struggled for the right words. "Gotten you punch drunk and stole your money, then left you tied to the Oak outside Yulgar's stark naked with a sign around your neck reading 'I want to be raped'! She could for all I know, but I don't care! That's not the issue. Contrary to some religions in this world, not everything has to be solved through violence. Now. I won't help you. But I will offer you this little piece of advice. Maria can't hide her emotions. We all know that. It's easy to tell when she lies. I want you to stand up. Turn around, and march your pretty ass back in there, look your sister in the eyes, and tell me if she's not as hurt about this as you are. Moreso."
"Maria..."
"You don't understand, do you?" Wolfblitzer cut her off again. "You're upset with her, because of whatever she did. She's depressed, possible manically, that she's loosing you! She's loosing her sister to some... probably stupid mistake she made who knows how long ago! You are lucky! You have a sister! You know your sister! I never even knew my brother! He died when I was four for god's sake. You have someone you can speak with! Someone you can confide in! You have the best friend anyone could ask for. Family. Ask any Guardian. How many of them have family like you? Sure, Rayne has Lizzie, but they're just good friends. Sure, Trip has Aria, but Aria's a non-com. She's about as useful in a fight as a toothpick." He turned to Serras quickly. "Don't tell her I said that." He turned back to Natalya. "They're just good friends! Artix! Look at Captain Krieger! He's got no one. Yea, sure, Galanoth, maybe. But Galanoth's too damn busy chasing Dragons by the moon to get a coheisive word outta him. The point here is, Maria and you are sisters! Blood relatives. You loose her, you loose the best thing anyone could ever hope for. Don't loose her, Natalya. For your sake, and hers, don't loose your sister." Wolfblitzer finished. Natalya sat on the bench momentarily before standing. "There you go. Now. Head out." Natalya inhaled and walked back through the door.
"Wow, Wolfblitzer. That was some pretty moving speechcraft there. For the record, when again, did you see us in the shower?" Serras smiled cruely.
"Oh, never. I just made that up to get my point across. I think it worked."
"Hum..." Serras responded. "Thought so."
-Library-
(Author's Note: Now, I know this is kind of unlike me, but I feel I must make this clear. The following bit starts after Natalya walks away from Maria. So, the last spoken line would be: 'Of course no one saw you. Of course not one fucking saw you. That's why you did it at night, because no one can see you. What the hell do you take me for, I'm not stupid.' Thank you.)
Maria watched Natalya storm away, disappearing behind a bookshelf. She hung her head and cried, the blood flowing from her eyes mingling with her bitter, salty tears.
"Well, well, well..." She heard a voice growl. "How about that. Didn't take too well to that little fib, now did she?"
"You bastard! You fucking bastard! You give me back my fucking body right now!" The real Maria growled. The Gai'lin, which was residing inside her head, laughed.
"Sorry, lass. Can't do that. You see, my job here is to spread a little... terror and discord." The Gai'lin was a cruel creature, manipulating even Temporal Laws to get his way. Manipulating, not breaking. Truth be told, Maria never sodomized Natalya physically. She might have, once or twice, undressed her with her mind, but that was long before Maria knew who Natalya was. The Gai'lin knew this, took that information, and crafted it. He bent it into a fabrication of what it was. But, since it was somewhat true, it wasn't really a lie, so the Gai'lin could speak it. Not only did the Gai'lin have control over her body, but her face, emotions, and voice as well.
"Give it back now! I want my fucking body back now, god damnit!"
"And let you run your mouth off to your dear sister? Psh. Yea, right. Fuck that. I may be old, but I'm not stupid. Well, not like she'll believe your pathetic truth... Truth is so overrated these days. Anyways... oh, would you look at the time... it's been half an hour already! Fancy that. Your friends better hurry, or they're won't be anyone left on Lore TO save... Peh..." he chuckled slightly. Maria felt a sweatdrop roll down the back of her neck.
"Kusho..." She swore, looking around for some kind of weapon.
"Don't waste your strength, dear girl. You'll need it for later. The Soul Reap. Fun times, those are. You know..." The Gai'lin trailed off. "Your sister left you. You've got nothing left. Except, of course, moi. I can be a... powerful ally. A friend, perhaps. All you must do is embrace me, and I'll show you true power."
"Power? Is that what you think I want? You can't bribe me with power! I know what you want, demon! It's what all you devils want! The only thing you want is my soul! Well guess what! That's one thing you'll never take." There came a pause, followed by a course, deep, horrifying laugh.
"Soul? You think this is about your soul?" He laughed again. "Don't make me laugh! I could subdue your soul in moments. But whats the fun in that? What the point of having a body as a vessal if it can't offer a little... diversity. Oh, yes dear. I could easily take over you completely. Cause you to submit fully to my will, but that makes everything so mundane... so practical. I like variety! Color! Having you concious to everything makes it that much more amusing. Besides. It will be fun watching you, dear Maria, in a fit of rejected anger, slaughter all of your 'friends'. It will be quick. Like shattering a toothpick! Lore has become so... mundane recently. Sure, constant conflict, but what's conflict without strife? What's combat without meaning? It's like reading a violent book, with no plot... what's the point..." He exhaled. "Anyways, enough about that. Let me lay it out for you, Maria. You see, I wasn't exactly telling the truth about that whole 'Lore Reborn' thing earlier. You see, Sae'sin, my sister, can only completely re-create Lore nine times. If I destroy it nine times, then Sae'sin is unable to re-create it. Essentially, you all die, and for good. Oh, I know what you're thinking. Don't you worry about me. I'll find other sustinance. I always do. But you will no longer exist, except as a bad memory! Hehehe. Wasteful, really. The women on Lore certainly are... more full then last time. Hehe." The Gai'lin may be an Ethereal Creature, but he was a male nonetheless. "I will admit. I was very surprised when I discovered that the strongest two power readings on Lore were from women. Very... pleasantly surprised. It's a first, and I'm always willing for a first."
"Has anyone ever told you, that you talk way too much?" Maria muttered.
"Often. But I like monologuing. It makes me feel... more superior then I already am. But enough about me, let's talk about you. Now, under the usual standards, you would be re-created as some... divine figure, or figure of supreme power in the new Lore, much like my last Avatar, Nautica. He always said he wanted to see the depths of Lore. He just never specified how." A cruel, sardonic laugh escaped.
"Nautica... the Paxian Nautica?"
"Preceptive. Yes, the one and the same. He was the hardest yet to convince... however, I digress. We must continue. Now... how would you like to rule Lore? A queen, perhaps?" There was a pause. "Or perhaps rule a democratic system of governing where the government is split in half, half of the population being intelligent, do-the-right-thing-now kind of people and the rest complete dumbasses?" Another pause. "Or perhaps something bigger?"
"I thought this was it? After you destroy Lore this time, there is no remaking it." Maria muttered. The Gai'lin laughed.
"Ah, yes. I said Sae'sin could not remake Lore. I can. In my own, perfect image, of course."
"Of course..." Maria muttered rather rasply and rather grimly.
"Maria!" Natalya's voice came.
"I-" Maria tried to speak, but the Gai'lin silenced her.
"And now, for the fun part!" The Devourer spoke in her head. He made a sound of clearing its throat. "What the hell do you want?!" Maria's voice sounded, without Maria speaking. Natalya came round the corner with a dread stare. The Gai'lin just smiled.
"Look at me." Natalya spoke, grabbing the sides of Maria's face. "Tell me. Are you sorry for what you did?"
"That's not me!" Maria shouted in vein, her voice reaching no ears except her own.
"Of course, Natalya... of course... but we can't change the past..." A odd expression crossed Natalya's face.
"What's the Mage of Despair's real name?" Natalya asked.
"What?" The Gai'lin asked in Maria's tone.
"What is her name?" Maria got what Natalya was doing. She began to think of a name.
"Erin Ten'oh." The Gai'lin answered.
"Get out of my sister, you bastard!" Natalya shouted, pulling the Gai'lin into a headlock. "Serras! Wolfblitzer! Safiria! I need some help."
"You tricked me!" The Gai'lin growled to Maria.
"Just because we're room mates, doesn't mean I have to fuckin' like your ass!" Maria retorted.
"Just you wait! I was hoping to save your delicate little sister for dessert! But I guess she's just been moved up to the hours d'oeuvre!" The Gai'lin shouted.