Lily rubbed her eyes as she stood at the top of the gates with Anessa, she was so tired. She hadn't been able to fall back asleep after running off to the cliffs that night. "Lily, I've been thinking." Anessa started, not having heard Lily's grumble at her talking so early. "From whence do our beliefs arise. They say the teachings of the Children of Hargon are absolute. But no knowledge one discovers is ever absolute… were they then not revealed to us, but imposed? For so long, we of Moonbrooke believed it our sacred duty to fight forever more. But if this was not truly the will of the heavens, and merely a rule set by another, then I… I…"

Lily looked over at Anessa, flinching when she heard someone come up behind them. "Hey." Malroth had a hand on his hip as he looked to the two girls. "What are you two lovebirds nattering about?" When the girls gave him questionable looks, he only let out an annoyed chuckle. "Fuck it. Lily, Warwick was saying something about needing to talk to you."

Lily's throat went dry as she watched Malroth walk away from her. Why would he tell her about Warwick wanting to talk to her? She watched as Warwick emerged from the ladder before Malroth took the ladder down, hatred in their eyes as they passed by each other. Anessa gave a small nod to Lily before backing away and letting her talk to Warwick. "Lily, we must begin work on a new magical weapon if we hope to mount an effective defense against the Scare Force."

"Obviously."

Warwick grabbed her arm, pulling her back to the castle side of the wall, smiling at her. "But before that, I think it's high time you gave that bell another ring, don't you?"

Lily twisted her arm away from Warwick's, frowning at him. "Something like that." She looked down, she had plans to build other things, but now that Warwick was basically asking her to do so, she really didn't want to.


Esther slowly pushed open the door to the new chapel, her heart warm as she watched Lily place the Goddess statue, finishing the blueprint the priestess had asked for. "Lily, my lamb…" She let out a soft noise when she saw the tears pooling in Lily's eyes when the builder turned. "Do you need to talk to someone?"

"I…" Lily moved to Esther when the woman motioned for Lily to join her on one of the benches. She sat next to Esther, a pathetic whimper leaving Lily when Esther patted her lap. She did as the priestess asked and lay down on the pew, her head in the soft lap.

"I worry about you and Malroth, my sweet girl. You've both been in a rather foul mood as of late, hm? I hope you two can work out whatever is wrong between the two of you soon, it breaks my heart that some silly rumor might break you two apart. You two are such good friends, don't let this place take that away from you."

"Oh, Esther! You've been hiding our young Lily in here, have you?" Gerome laughed as he walked into the small church. "I've been wanting to talk to you, Lily, about Malroth. Your friend fights like a wild beast on the battlefield. His might is unquestionable, but it is terrifying to behold. I am not the only one who feels this way. Many of my fellow soldiers feel the same fear when they fight alongside him. His ferocity may win battles, but it is losing hearts and minds." He frowned at the girl, not noticing the deadly glare coming from the usually kindhearted priestess next to him. "I know he is your friend, and it may hurt to hear this, but there is something amiss about that man – something… different."

"Oh. My. Goddess." Lily let out a wail and sat up, stalking away from Gerome. "Would you people give it a rest?! He's helping you for fucks sake!" She dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, trying her best to not scream. "Leave him alone! If you don't like to be near him when he fights… then… Stay. Away!"

She pushed out of the chapel, nearly running into Jeremiah. "Oh! Young Lily!"

"What. The. Fuck?!" Lily snarled, shouldering past the old man. "Are you going to bitch about Malroth too?!"

"Wh-What…? No! Heavens, no! I was just going to see if you'd help me get the castle ready for celebrations! We shall win these last few fights; we need to be ready to celebrate!" Jeremiah gasped and stumbled back when Lily turned on him.

"You do realize… that had it not been for Malroth… this castle would have crumbled… twice?!" It hadn't even been a full week since they defeated the Air Force and the Scare Force was down their throats, the robots had easily broke through the gates and started on the interior castle walls, and had it not been for Malroth's ferocity, the castle would have gone down. Everyone would be dead. But none of them seemed to realize that. "It's too early for celebrations!"

"Well, it will be too late to plan the victory party after we've won!" Jeremiah grumbled before waddling away from the stressed builder.


Lily stormed into the Bell Room, doing her best to not growl like a rabid dog when someone tried to approach her, only to run when they saw her anger. She slammed her hammer into the bell, feeling her magic rush out of her with such force that it cracked the bell. "Fuck." She watched as the people of Moonbrooke joined her in the small room, as well as four new faces. "Here you go, Ness! Might as well use your trusty mirror to make sure they aren't monsters." Lily seethed as she pushed through the crowd of people and out the door.

Anessa stared after Lily in shock, though before Lily could get out the door, Warwick lashed out, grabbing the builder. "Lily. Before you leave. I believe that a traitor still hides among us. I have given the matter a great deal of thought, and I think I might know who the dastardly devil is."

Lily met Warwick's gaze; her blue eyes wild with rage while his amber eyes were calm. "Oh, do you?"

"Mmm. At the moment, my evidence is but circumstantial, but rest assured, the moment I can prove my suspicions, you will be the first to know." Warwick dropped his hold, watching as Lily went eerily still. If someone said the wrong thing in this moment, the builder would more than likely explode.

Lily stood still as people inched around her and out the door, leaving her alone with Warwick, Malroth and Anessa. "Lily…" Anessa kept her gaze adverted as she spoke to the builder. "The Scare Force will soon be upon us. And their scouts barely flinch at our existing defenses. If we mean to defeat them, we must strengthen our defenses further, and devise another magical weapon with which to stymie their assault."

"No shit, sherlock. You have a plan, I'm all ears." Lily hissed as she gnashed her teeth together.

Malroth watched from the back of the room, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. He was surprised by how angry Lily was, it would be interesting to see how soon she just… snapped. Would there be a crater where the castle stood?

"To do that, we must once again set out to learn what their weakness is." Warwick piped up, obviously agreeing with Anessa. "Would you make another blueprint for us?"

"Fine." Lily turned, leaving the three others in the Bell Room as she stalked away.

Malroth smirked as he pushed off the wall and walked between Anessa and Warwick. "I can't wait until I get to watch her rip you all to shreds." He looked around, not seeing Lily anywhere nearby. He ducked into the room he had shared with her, not that he had been sleeping in there in the last week, but he had some of the yummier treats stashed away in here, that way he didn't have to share. He paused when he saw Lily deep in though as she worked in her tomb in her workshop at the back of the room.

Malroth stood there for a moment, seeing the stress and tension in her shoulders. He tossed his little sack of yummies on the bed as he quietly moved over to her, his fingers digging into the knots there. His eyes focused on her blueprint, studying them. "Electricity might work, seeing as they're robots."

Lily let out a pleasure filled whimper as his fingers expertly worked the knots away. "That's… what I was thinking." She leaned back, her head tipping to the side as he kissed along her neck. "Mal… I'm so sorry, I don't… I don't know why I used the mirror."

"Shhh." He grumbled into her ear before turning her to jelly as he nibbled just under her ear. "Let me take care of the tension before you kill everyone." Lily let out a squeal when he picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her back to the bed. They needed to talk, they needed to work out where the miscommunication and confusion was coming from.

Lily let out a soft giggle when he tossed her down, she went limp as soon as she hit the bed. She looked up at Malroth, seeing hunger and need in his eyes. "I won't actually kill people, Mal."

"Mmm, try telling that to Anessa. I'm pretty sure you would have killed her after you rang the bell, and she hadn't even said anything." Malroth helped her out of her dress, then he threw his gloves aside. He touched her sides, the rough scales that covered his hands sending shivers through his builder. "I wish you'd just give me the O.K. to kill them all, they're stressing you out."

"They're stressing you out too." Lily reached up, cupping his cheek as he started to work her shorts down.

"What's so good about him, anyways?"

Lily gripped Malroth's shoulder, her eyes wide as she stared up at him. She forced her breath out as it threatened to get caught in her throat. "What?"

"What?" Malroth leaned back, stopping when Lily dug her nails into his shoulder. "Lils…" He hissed when her fingers burned against his skin. He finally met her eyes, seeing the panic starting to fill them. "Hey, breathe through it." He watched as she forced out shaky breath after shaky breath. His fingers laced with hers, squeezing as if he were trying to help her center herself. "Focus on my voice, Lily. I'm right here, whatever has your worry… I'll destroy it. Just… talk to me, Lils."

"Shut up and drink this. If I give you enough of this, I could make you my pet, you know?"

Lily shuddered as she rolled onto her side and curled up, she could hear Malroth speaking to her, but that voice… it was so loud. And it was so angry. She felt the bed sag as someone moved around her.

"You hear that word, and you'll cut all ties to him. You'll be mine."

"Word… what was the word?" Lily sobbed, her fingers digging into the pillow beneath her head. "Mal?"

"I'm right here." Malroth cupped her cheek, he watched helplessly as tears rolled down Lily's face and she hiccupped through sobs and her panic. "I gotta say, this isn't all the big bad bangs like the last two. Is it because you just spent your magic on the bell?" He reached out with the hand that wasn't holding onto her hand and brushed the hair away from her face.

"Once I'm done, you two will never be the same."

Malroth watched her, he gave a tilt of his head as he locked eyes with her. "Oh, that's new." He watched as her eyes began to flicker from the deep blue they usually were to a duller gray blue color. "What are you fighting off?" He jerked back when Dracken was suddenly standing at the foot of the bed. "What the fuck?"

"Step away from her, Malroth." Dracken waved his hand impatiently, a growl leaving him when Malroth didn't budge. "Oh, for the love- if you want her to survive, move." He put a hand on Lily's head, his white masked face tilting as if he were looking to Malroth. "Who gave her this magic?"

"What magic?"

"I-" Dracken let out another growl as he leaned down, his mask against Lily's cheek. "Malroth, who all enters this room?"

"Just Lily and I. This is Lily's thinking chamber; they know to leave her alone when she's in here."

"Good, keep it that way." Dracken stood, turning his full attention to Malroth. "And try not to go berserk while I borrow her."

"Borrow? What the fuck? Who are you?"

"Oh, I guess- wait. You've seen this form, you attacked me at Moonahan. Or do you not remember that? Oh well, probably for the best. Anyways." The being in the red robes snapped his fingers and suddenly Tiny was flapping in the air.

"Tiny? What the fuck?" Malroth gaped at the tiny monster. "That answers nothing."

"I'll explain in due time, My Lord. But, I need to get Lily straightened out." He changed back to the being in the red robes and touched Lily's forehead.

As soon as he did, the being disappeared and Malroth was alone with Lily's body. He whirled around, he couldn't feel her, she wasn't here. Even if her body was. "Oh, come on!" He climbed back onto the bed, giving Lily a little shake. "Lily? Lily, c'mon…"

Lily lifted her head, a whimper leaving her when it took more effort than she was used to. "Malroth?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, my child." Dracken walked up to her, picking her up off the ground with ease. He carried her princess style, walking through the shallow water. "We need to figure something out. Someone fed you a monster magic. While you and Malroth share a bond- although, now that I say that, I don't feel it. Did something happen to your bond with him?"

"I… I don't know."

"How very odd. Anyways, someone has been feeding you monster magic for a while. I apologize for not realizing sooner, we could have saved ourselves this headache. I can remove most of it, though without knowing the Power Word, I can't remove all of it. All we can do is hope that the one who fed you this magic won't have another use for you."

"Whoever it is… they hate Malroth…"

"Mmm, do you remember them saying such?"

"I… think so."

"What's so good about him, anyways?"

Dracken looked around, a frown in his voice. "Ah, makes sense. Humans are easily swayed creatures."

"I know that voice. I hadn't recognized it before… It didn't sound like quite like that before."

"Is that so?" The two paused when they heard a rumbling echo around the area they were in.

Now that Lily was actually paying attention to it, she noted that it was a dark room with faint torch light, that came from somewhere, but she didn't see the torches. The floor covered in ankle deep water and the only thing in the room was the chair she was sitting in. "Dracken?"

"I must cut this short, my child. We have a visitor, but you needn't worry. It is my fault they got in. I have taken care of most of the magic that is not yours, you shouldn't create any more craters. Unless you are given more of that magic, stay vigilant, avoid any Power Words for the time being." He stepped away from Lily, a noise leaving him. "Oh, dear. This isn't what I was expecting. Hm. Send Malroth my regards."

Lily opened her mouth to ask a question, but before she could get it out, she was back in her room in Moonbrooke. She looked up, seeing Malroth hovering over her. "Mal?"

"Are you back?"

"I am. And I think I figured out my blueprint."


The duo stood on top of the gates, looking out over the blueprint as Jeremiah made his way up to them. "Builder, why must you come up here so often. It is hard for an old man to climb those ladders." He grumped as he waddled over to Lily and Malroth. "I might have some insight for you to consider before going about finding a weakness for the Scare Force."

Lily turned to the old man; a brow raised. "I'm listening."

"During my time among the monsters, I learnt of a gooreat- … sorry, I mean a great treasure that lies hidden away in a place they call the Freezing Fortress."

Malroth purred from behind Lily, clearly intrigued by this. "Well, I'm always up for a treasure hunt, Lils. Plus, I'm sick of being cooped up in this castle all the time, aren't you?"

"Most definitely." Lily agreed as she put a hand on her hip, waiting for Jeremiah to finish his tale.

"From what I gather, it is an artefact of immense power. Mayhap the ideal material from which to fashion a magical weapon?" Jeremiah tapped his finger against his chin, glancing back when Warwick climbed up the ladder and stood next to him. "I have already informed Warwick and Anessa of my thoughts-"

"If you will permit me, I'd like to join you on your expedition this time, Lily. There is something I'd like to see for myself…" Warwick started in on the builder, stopping short when Malroth shifted forward. "Right, anyways-"

"No. I'd rather you not."

"Then I will just follow."

Lily let out a small laugh, shaking her head as she turned to head down the other ladder. "Then why ask, Warwick? Jeremiah, I'll be getting ready in my workshop, if you would be so kind as to stop by and show me on my map where this fortress is, we'll leave in roughly half an hour. Hope you'll be ready if you intend to stalk us out there."


Lily and Malroth were half way to Moonahan when Warwick came running up behind them, panting. "You said thirty minutes!"

"Oh… did I? I thought I said five…" Lily gave Warwick a smug grin over her shoulder. "You must have booked it to catch up with us."

"I did! Honestly, I have a gut feeling and I would like to follow it. It would be nice if you two would work with me for a moment."

Malroth stopped where he was, scuffing his boot in the snow with his hands in his pockets. He looked calm, but Lily knew that the smile on his face was false, he was vibrating with rage. "Do you think… they others would believe us if we told them that poor Warwick, the pathetic little fuck… stepped the wrong way in a blizzard and just… stumbled off a cliff to his death?"

Warwick took half a step back when Malroth turned to look at him, menace wafting off the bigger of the two men. "You wouldn't…"

"If you so much as breathe wrong near Lily, and your neck might just snap, kid." Malroth held his arm out to Lily, turning her away from Warwick when she tucked her hand into his elbow and lead her down the path towards Moonahan. "Two good reasons I shouldn't kill him now."

"Two?" Lily sucked in a hard breath; not really sure she could come up with even one good enough reason right now. She had told Malroth about what Dracken had told her, but she hadn't told him that she had heard the voice she'd been hearing more clearly, she hadn't told him who it had been. If he really had sniffed Warwick on her that night, then she'd be signing his death certificate if she told Malroth that. "Uhm. Well, shit. Other than the fact that I want you to live through the aftermath of his death, Mal… and that we really do need warriors to come fight on the Isle with us… I don't have any other reasons as to why he should live for now."

Malroth let out a belly deep laugh as he squeezed Lily to him. "Fine, fine. I guess that's good enough for now."


Lily stared up at the robot that was pouting in the small shack they had found; he had asked if this was Khrumbul-Dun; he had been on a mission to find bunny girls. Malroth and Warwick were leaning on opposite walls as the robot whined about wanting to see the all too famous bunnies. "Maybe he'll have something to make it worthwhile?" Malroth raised a brow at Lily. "You still have the mod rod?"

"I don't know if it'll change me into a… I still have mine. You guys wait in here." She grumped as she slipped out of the warmth that was the shack and into the blizzard.

Malroth picked at his nails as they waited, it didn't take Lily long, seeing as it had to have been severely cold outside to give her the motivation to change quickly. He looked up when she dove back inside, seeing the tight black leotard with the little cottontail just above her rump. He resisted the urge to lash out and give her a smack. Then he saw Warwick gawking at the sight of Lily in a bunny girl suit. "You're breathing wrong."

Warwick flinched and adverted his gaze. "I was not."

"Dan-cing-girl! Dan-cing-girl!" The robot bounced up and twirled around. "Dancing-girl! Accept-gift! Accept-gift!" A little door opened in his middle and a few sparkling gems fell out. "Dancing-girl-beauty: confirmed! Inspiration: obtained! Hopes: initialized! Dreams: allocated! Thank-you-dancing-girl!"

"Zapphire." Lily purred as she took the gems. "Thank you, robot." She looked to the boys, brows raising. "I'm not changing outside again." Malroth watched as Warwick left before he turned to Lily. She didn't say anything about him being in the shack, so he stayed as she changed. His eyes narrowed as she pushed the leotard down, on her right side there was an old bruise. "Something catch your attention, Mal?"

"Yeah. When the hell did you get that bruise? I thought you drank that Yggdrasil shit, that should heal you up, right?"

Lily looked down, seeing the wicked yellow bruise on her side. "Huh… I mean… it's a few days old… I don't think I've drank any of the potion recently." She shrugged as she pulled her clothes on quickly. "We'll worry about that later, let's just get what we wanted and get back before we freeze, alright?"

The three used the mod rod to change into powie yowie before they headed back out into the heart of the blizzard. As the three ventured, they made quick work of the bridge that loomed before them, at least Malroth and Warwick did. Lily stopped half way through the middle, tilting her head as she looked down at the river. "Mal! I need to go fishing."

"What?!" Warwick turned in a quick circle, his furry arms out as if trying to encompass the fact they were in a blizzard. "Why?!"

"I promised a friend I would bring her back some fish from this area." Lily ran across the bridge and went off to find the best fishing spot, a wide grin on her lips as she remembered the warm breeze and summer sun beating down on her.