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Chapter 4 Balancing Act

The afternoon had been entertaining for Rick. He'd been dragged from booth to booth of the festive market, with Merelda window shopping her way through the exotic and at other times quite local goods. Teresetta feigned interest most of the time, although there were a few moments when she was interested if even slightly in an item here and there. Teresetta had been keeping an eye out for that plumed hat of Gerrard.

In her observations of her surroundings, she had spotted a group of thieves working together yet separate. When everyone's gaze was directed at a man who was juggling balls of flame and swallowing them as if they weren't harming him, a young man's man slipped along silently past Teresetta's waist, a knife reaching to cut the string of her coin purse. A smile crossed her features sensing the thievery. Her hand shot down to the wrist, those slender fingers wrapping around that wrist and then digging the nails in. The man's faced scrunched as he managed to keep his lips sealed as his wrist bones at the joint were forcibly spread apart around the claws.

Teresetta started to draw some of the energy from the thief's blood and set a small curse upon the man's forearm and then let him go. The thief ran away from the crowd clutching his bleeding wrist. When he stopped behind a cloth vender, he looked down at his wrist. He could see the bones had been shifted out of alignment. He couldn't movie his fingers at all. Course the worse thing about what the woman had done was just starting now. A dark coloring started to spread from the open wound moving over his palm and out along the fingers. In the opposite direction it spread its way halfway to his elbow and then halted altogether. The flesh went cold, and it started to smell some as if it was heavily decaying. The young man looked up and down the alley; his heart was pounding hard as he sat there staring at the darkened flesh of his arm. One of his friends passed the end of the way and looked to him. The woman came rushing over, her eyes going wide when she saw discoloration.

"What is it, what happened Poe?"

Poe looked up at her and could only shake his head.

As the young girl looked on, a crease formed at the edge of the discolored skin and much to both of their horror, the flesh of the arm sloughed off leaving just the bones which were now moving easier than ever. The fingers twitched in the air, cartilage flaking from the joints, freeing up the motions even further. Poe looked up to his friend, his eyes wide with fear, though that fear was quickly replaced with something else. A red glow filled the pupils.

The girl would have screamed if the bony hand hadn't grasped her by the windpipe while she was watching the life leave her friend's eyes. It seems the curse had been purposely delayed long enough for the young man to run off. With a toss to the side, the girl was down on the ground suffocating quickly, a total lack of oxygen through her crushed windpipe. The last few images she saw were of the man standing up and the flesh falling from his form with such wet sounds. The meat was turning dark even as it hit the ground, followed by two soft thuds. As she finally died, she looked into the face of the man she was growing to love, his eyes empty sockets occupied by two red glows. Poe looked around, sensing the distant heartbeats of the crowd and started to make his way to the masses.

No one took notice of the gaunt form walking down empty roads until it was too late. Poe had found more of the living and he had approached one of the many peasant folk. Gerrard had been making his way thru the crowd, having abandoned the nobility when he noticed the distress of a nearby crowd. He rushed over pushing aside his fellow Gaisheans. There in front of him was a skeletal figure draped in rotting flesh and clothing to match clawing at an older woman. Someone in the crowd pulled the old woman out of reach and nodded to Gerrard. Poe turned to face Gerrard and before he could take a step forward, a fine edged saber sung through the air taking him under from the edge of his collar, clear through his ribcage and out and under the far side. The light in Poe's eyes disappeared as his head, right shoulder and the attached arm slide down from atop his torso. Gerrard wiped that rune etched blade upon the corpse's tunic and turned around nice meal and settling in for the night with Roxy. Roxy, as she laid there in bed with her arm draped to signal a guard to haul this away.

Studying his surroundings, Gerrard looked around for any suspicious activity and didn't quite see any. He knew in his mind that this was not commonplace for the dead to be walking. He let his eyes roam the throng gathering around and nodded to their smiling faces before disappearing into their ranks. He knew something was clearly afoot and thus made his way back towards his vessel. Upon arrival he got himself inside and sealed the hatch behind him. He was glad the festival had died down by then which meant folks were dispersing now. Gerrard followed the hall down the inside of the hull and approached a heavy reinforced wooden door. His hand went forth to the lock, inserting the odd looking key and then twisting with a soft click. The door slowly opened wide and Gerrard stepped in. There was an alchemist's set on a table mounted to the sidewall. On another table was a stack of books. He pulled one forth and started scanning the pages. He found what he was looking for and left the book wide open. There was a series of texts in different languages accompanying illustrations of the grey rot. A curse used by dark sorcerers and other creatures of magic and darkness combined. Gerrard sighed in the realization that he would soon need to be getting back to work.

Nightfall came quick for Rick.. He had gotten back and changed his clothing before enjoying a across Rick's chest, was thinking about the arrival of the Demon Hunter. She was clearly distracted enough to not notice Rick's questions about what was wrong. She looked up to him and smiled before shaking her head as if to make it seem she's just being silly before speaking her thoughts.

"Don't worry my love, it's nothing important. I was just thinking about what if I never found you."

Rick smiled and drew her forth for a kiss before sinking into the mattress. Roxy laid her head back on his chest listening to his heart and whispered something so softly. Her smile grew wicked when she noticed that her spell of rest had taken hold. She drew away from Rick and went to the window and started out into the night, not at all caring what happened to the young thief from earlier. Her thoughts were instead directed to Gerrard. She knew she wasn't alone in town. She had her sister and a few others. There was a presence that she knew almost nothing of. An old presence, she knew it had interest in Rick and Merelda. She could smell traces of it on them as though it recently had something to do with them. Roxy slipped out the window, leaving the curtains fluttering in the wind. She just continued walking out into midair starting her slow descent to the ground, thus touching down lightly and starting off at a brisk pace. She had a few things to look into this night.

Jergal emerged from the rundown shack that'd spent some time resting in that evening. He gazed up at the stars and tossed the tattered dressings of a commoner aside, basking in the moonlight. His gazed swept over his environment and he sensed a demon on the move. Jergal turned towards the direction and took to the air as soon as his wings had slipped out of his back, the gears whining as they always did when he stretched the wings out and would first put them to use. Jergal didn't care for he had learned to push aside the pain of forcing his wings to emerge. Off he went over the rooftops, the only noticeable sound being that of an occasional flap of wings.

Teresetta looked into the night sky and sighs, and then she turns down a way and heads toward her sister's place. Dru had stepped out of her house sensing something afoot. She did smile seeing Teresetta approaching. She spread her arms wide, offering a sincere smile as her sister returned the embrace. Their moment of peace didn't last long though when they noticed the shadow drop down nearby. Both of them in unison brought their wide eyes upon the sight of Jergal brushing the stirred up dust from his muscled and scarred form, those wings of his folding up against his body. Dru winced hearing several clicks as the wings locked themselves into place.

Jergal stepped forward, putting his hand against Dru and easily shoving her away from her sister, knocking the woman off her feet into a crate. He turned to Teresetta, his other hand going to her throat and lifting her up against the wall so that her feet dangle. Teresetta gulped, unable but to show some fear as the scarred demon loomed close to her, clearly detecting the human's scent. She was trying to hide her fear and had almost done so when Jergal begin to speak in that husky voice of his.

"You've been around him, haven't you?" Jergal already knew the answer but he so wanted to hear it from this demoness.

Teresetta stumbled over her tongue trying to bring the words out. "Y . . . yes" she took a deep breath steadying herself enough to continue. "I've been trying to distract him and it seems to be working."

Jergal nodded his approval; he still kept Teresetta against the wall. He could feel her blood quickening from the pounding of her black heart. He looked aside to Dru who was wise enough to stay down and then brought his burrowing gaze back to Teresetta who was starting to squirm with panic. He shrugged and let her go, smirking as she dropped the several feet to the ground.

Teresetta's hand went immediately to her throat after she regained her senses, her eyes rose up to meet Jergal's gaze. Even though Jergal was clearly partly blind, she still felt all of his attention clearly on her. Then she worked up the nerve to speak openly. "We are not standing in your way, my sister she has done nothing and I have only entered the male's life to wrap him around my finger." Jergal tilted his head and smiled at her before speaking once again. "Make sure that is all you're involved in my dear demoness. I will not tolerate it if you or your sister opposes me." The two sisters both averted their eyes, a clear sign to the powerful demon that they understood fully the consequences. He turned away and strode off towards the fairgrounds.

The two females were so shaken that it took them several minutes to even work up the courage to move. Dru lifted herself from the smashed crate and crawled over to her sister upon her knees and hands. She then stood up on shaky legs and helped her sister to her own feet. Together they looked down the way that Jergal had gone and shuddered. Jergal had a way that made a female's blood rush and turn to ice at once. Only they knew Jergal wasn't interested in them for them, he clearly thought they were in the way.

"What was that about?" asked Dru of her sister who was still trembling. Teresetta only shook her head and was quiet for a moment before saying anything. "Maybe I should simply keep proving a distraction to that man Rick." Dru nodded and left it at that. She opened the door and led her sister into the house. The two of them sat by the roaring file for a while in an attempt to relax.

Jergal had made the fairgrounds in due time. A single guard had noticed him though on his approach and had followed the strange shadow into the trees. Jergal knew he had been followed and had hid in the shadow of a large tree. As the soldier moved by not even noticing him, Jergal's clawed hand had shot forward, the claws slipping under the rim of the man's helmet. The man tried to turn around in surprise which led to his being pulled closer to the shadows. The guard's body went limp, his sword slipping from his grasp when Jergal's claws drove into his neck and shattered his spinal under extreme pressure. The man screamed though no one was there to hear as Jergal threw him down and tore the man's helmeted head from his shoulders. Jergal had emerged back into the open a short while later with such satisfaction. The sentry would not be found for some time considering he was floating down a creek at this very time.

Clouds had moved in the way of the moonlight, bathing the area of land in a deep darkness. Jergal made his way across the grounds; he turned to his left and gazed at the manor there in the distance. The lights in the windows were being put out one by one. The baron was holding a meeting deep inside the halls with those closest to him, even Gerrard. Jergal could only guess where Gerrard was at the moment, but he proceeded to the airship anyway. When he arrived he found no sign of life that was apparent. All except for a lantern was outside the main hatch that was lit. There was some steam arising from a few vents emerging from the hull. Jergal only stared for a bit and then made his way up the side of the craft. He had no issue using the ladder up the 15 feet or so to the upper deck. Once there the demon stopped and took everything in visually. Pleased to see that he was quite alone up there, he descended the stairwell into the ship proper. The demon stepped past the threshold and found himself at an intersection. He gazed down one way and saw a door, his gaze roamed to his left, seeing the hall vanish around a corner. He stepped forth to the door and found that it wasn't locked. The door opened outwards and he stepped in. Inside was a store room. There were pieces of machinery nearby, clearly spare parts, there were crates of food and other necessities. Everything one might need to sustain himself and the craft. Jergal closed the door and went down the other way. He found a junction, one way led off to the side and there was a door there, actually a finely carved double door. The curious demon shoved the doors open and stood there, beholding the grandeur of Gerrard's living chambers. There were handcrafted items of furniture throughout the room. Several mirrors lined the room placed at what seemed like random intervals. Jergal sensed nothing out of the ordinary. He left the chamber, the doors closing behind him as he made his way down the next hall. Through one door he could hear gears turning and the hissing of steam being expelled. The demon had no interest in mechanics. He found a very well locked door. He managed to pry it open and was taking a glance when he heard voices. His eyes roamed the open book on the desk before the volume of the noises distracted him fully. Not fool enough to be caught. The demon rushed back the way he came. As he passed the double doors, he realized there were several of them in there now. He soon arrived at the staircase and rushed up them. He went past the raised platform with the wheel and leap off of the far side of the deck. As soon as he cleared the rail and one of the props, he spread his wings and gave them a flap sending them on his way off into the darkness.

Gerrard could have sworn that he had heard something outside. He waved a quick gesture to the baron's advisor who shushed and the two of them went to gaze out a window to study the darkness. Gerrard looked around and heard a slight screech in the air and simply smiled at the thought that it was just a bat. He turned back to the advisor and smiled.

"Yes I would very much appreciate hosting the baron's ball at his manor." He nodded to the older Gaishean with the neatly trimmed beard and then continued, "Course I shall take it upon myself to hand out some personal invitations." The advisor frowned and shook his head clearing away his disgust. "As you wish, Lord Gerrard, but if the common filth disrupt your Uncle's Ball, it will be my head."

Gerrard put his hand upon the distressed man's shoulder and put on a clearly insulted look before changing his expression to a warmly humored smile." Don't worry, nothing bad will happen." The advisor sighed and shook his head once again and turned away muttering," If you say so." Gerrard watched the man leave and then went to look back out the window. He then stepped over to a mirror and gazed at himself. He needed a long bath; his hair was looking somewhat unwashed. He loosened his doublet, working his way out of it and setting It aside over the top of a chair. Gerrard then eased out of his cotton shirt and put that aside as well. His eyes moved to the mirror fully, he gazed over his muscled torso studying the scars he's picked up in his life so far. Particularly a long pale line of tissue where a demon's claw had dragged through his side, he shuddered at the memory of it and then he carefully smoothed down the patterned downy fur of his chest. The man chuckled and felt silly knowing he could use a good bath anyway. He slipped a sliding mirror to the side and entered a small chamber occupied by a tub that had warm water being pumped to it by the ship's steam engine. After sometime the nobleman was at peace in the warm water. At this point in the process, the water which was keeping the tub filled was not unbearably warm anymore.

Teresetta had made it back to Rick's side in just a few hours. When she had arrived back in the room, much the same way that she had left, she noticed that Rick was quite sound asleep and seemed at peace. Considering what was on her mind, she did let a small smile emerge on those lips of hers. Rick wouldn't suspect a thing and that's how it needed to be. Merelda would be an issue but that could wait. She laid there; she pulled Rick's arm over her and snuggled close to him. The encounter with Jergal passed through her mind as she passed into sleep. Deep into the predawn morning, a genuine smile spread across Teresetta's lips as Rick subconsciously embraced the woman, not even stirring to do so. Teresetta's mind was at peace and she was completely short of dreams.

Jergal disappeared into the night, making his way beyond the horizon to go look into something. He knew the ferals of the land would be drawn to his overhead presence. He was counting on gathering them up. A loud rumbling in the air briefly stole his thoughts. Jergal could smell the change of weather in the air. It was about to start raining. The storm was coming and Jergal would welcome it.

The beast looked to the sky sensing something powerful. A long flash of light shattered the cloudy sky, revealing a winged figure making its way along. The creature was not perturbed by the immediate following of the earthshattering boom of the thunder. It moved off on all fours with such a grace that outdid that of a cat. It did not know where its senses were leading it, but its mind didn't register any care.

Some distance away, an old man opened his eyes, his ears picking up the sound of rain and his mind something else. The old man sat up slowly in bed. His joints complained greatly but he managed the motion. He turned sideways and reached out for his cane. He brought his right hand up to his face and rubbed the sleep from his weary but ever alert eyes. His whitebeard brushed against the floor until the old man creaked his way to his feet. His body felt old. He could remember most of the things he had learned in his life though. He was also wise enough to know something was seriously afoot. He crossed the small chamber at the top of the old tower to a window and stared out at the rain. He sighed and spoke to himself, "Things are certainly going somewhere"

Sometime deep into the night Jergal touched down in a remote valley in the mountains. There in front of him loomed a pile of rocks. A rockslide had collapsed here some time ago. The demon rubbed his hands, knowing there was a great a deal of work needed to clear the rubble. He could hear the haunting voices of those drawn to him; they were off at the base of the hills judging by the sounds. Jergal knew he would need some fodder to reach his goal. He directed his gaze back in the direction in which he had come from. He could see one of the suns starting its way over the sky, the light of the second one only just lighting up the line of the horizon.

Rick slipped out of bed and stretched his arms out and taking a deep breath of the morning air in. He gazed out the window, watching the first sun's light encroaching upon the world. He turned and noticed Roxy wasn't there. His heart raced a bit until he heard her voice from down the hall. He stepped out of the room draped in a fresh tunic and slowly crept towards the door down the way; he paused at it hearing something strange. It sounded almost as though there were two voices there. It was talking to itself. Merelda emerged from her own chamber and looked at Rick curiously. Rick noticed her and quietly beckoned Merelda over with his fingers. She nodded and slipped closer to Rick and the door and put her slightly pointed ear to the door. Her soft downy fur along her body went straight hearing the odd conversation.

"Don't tell me what I can or can't do, you miserable wretch!" A high toned voice responded. "You need to listen to me......"

"Why should I listen to you, you little twerp" A bit of silence followed that remark until it was shortly shattered by the almost pitiful wailing voice. "Because, something greater then you know of is at work here." There was a sudden gasp and then what sounded like gurgling.

Merelda and Rick looked at each other, confusion stamped upon their faces. Rick was reaching for the door handle when the door opened up, revealing Roxy wrapped up in a bath towel with rivulets of water upon her skin. She tilted her head with a curious smile at Rick and Merelda. Merelda looked between them and blushed a little; she backed off a bit, letting Roxy step clear of the bathroom. Roxy nodded at her and Merelda put on a smile and slipped past into the chamber, closing the door after her.

Roxy looked to Rick and giggled a little at his expression; her fingers came up and eased his stammering lips shut. "What is it sweetheart?" She whispered and drew close to him. Rick swallowed hard and simply shook his head before being able to reply." It's nothing actually," he takes a deep breath and smiles pulling her closer against him and kissing those lips of hers and then parts lips from her long enough to say anything more," you're just beautiful fresh out of the bath is all my love." Roxy grinned and pushed him backwards down the hall enough, and pushed him through his open door, she closed the door, locked it and smiled sweetly at Rick, her towel slipping free from her form altogether. Rick's eyes immediately darted to the droplets still moving down her form, following those womanly curves. Rick smiled in return and realized that they wouldn't be back out for a bit.

In the bathroom Merelda was disposing of the water in the tub, watching the fresh water get pumped in, warm and steamy. She looked into the tub expecting to find someone or something that may have drowned. She didn't see anything though. So she then scanned the chamber around her and couldn't detect any signs that were out of place. She saw a small window was open a little, she went over and closed it to prevent a draft. Merelda's hands went to the belt of her robes, she slipped out of them and set them aside on a chair. She climbed into the ceramic tub and lowered herself down, the warmth of the material sending slight sensations across her bare skin. Soon after settling in the water reached an appropriate level, the water lapped at her breasts. She did not realize that only a mere short time ago, an imp had been murdered there. Her mind drifted to pleasant thoughts as the water flowed through the soft fur that swept up from her inner thighs, up the sides of her stomach and around the outer edges of her breasts. It didn't bother her one bit as she enjoyed the warmth against her skin and her soft coat.

Outside at the bottom of the wall a small creature with a tail and membranous wings lay dead. The thing had obviously been tossed out the window before it'd been closed partly. Its skin was darkening as if becoming ashy. Bits of it were actually dissipating into the breeze. Not even leaving a pile of ash as the creature was finally wiped from existence with its passing. An hour later the three of them were in the kitchen with the rest of the household. A very tasty breakfast had been served by Merelda's Sister in law.

While making her way through breakfast, the she-demon's mind was plagued with the what the imp had said. The imp had told her that she was not involved in this whole thing with Rick fulfilling some prophecy. She still scoffed internally that Rick was so important. She thought that if he was, why wasn't he killed by that creature Jergal yet. Clearly, he wasn't one of the natives, though his mind and heart seemed similar. She did not understand what a human was or where he came from, this she knew from when she had entered his dreams some time ago. She took another forkful of food and sighed when Rick's arm slid around her waist dragging her close. She realized it could be very bad to think such thoughts and tried to focus her mind on the food.

After breakfast the adults had for the most part cleared the house for their daily chores. Merelda, before she went to cleaning glanced over at Rick noticing his distant gaze out at the mid morning horizon, her gaze then drifted towards Teresetta. The women held a thoughtful expression on her face,.she seemed to be oblivious to her surroundings for the time being. She wanted to say something but then the small feeling of distrust arose in her mind and she turned away with a dust cloth in hand.

Teresetta did indeed have a lot on her mind, she hadn't realized how long her mind had been away. She looked around and noticed Rick was at the window so she strolled over and stood behind him. She studied his back for a time and winced as an image of Jergal clawing him crossed her mind. She didn't understand why she cared. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his sides, grasping her own forearms and burying her face into his back. Rick hardly noticed, his own thoughts had drifted back to that day. It was very vivid for him, he could remember all those moments he spent with his girlfriend. He remembered the voices. Then he saw the dome of the cockpit spider-webbing and that flash that suddenly filled his last thoughts of it. He blinked and looked forward again, seeing the light gray peaks beyond the far off green hills. He had not a clue something was going on there. He put a little more of his weight on his hands which gripped the upper window edge and just relaxed there in her arms.

Teresetta slipped around him and looked up into his eyes with a mix of sorrow and determination. Rick looked into her eyes and tilted his head curiously.

"What is it my love?" He kept one hand out supporting himself and reached his fingers forward to caress her cheek. She responded softly, "I need to go into town and get some medical supplies. Don't worry I can take care of myself." She put on a joyful smile and gave Rick one more hug. Rick smiled and tilted his head a bit to the side holding that smile. He released her so she can get ready to head off.

"Just don't stay away too long." Teresetta simply nodded and stepped away, she backed up a bit, turned on one heel and made her way into the rest of the house. Once She was back in her room gathering her stuff she finally sighed and just sat down. She looked at her hands and flexed them. She shifted the facade to what was really there, she then looked studied her hand. Long Slender leathery fingers tipped in trimmed claw-like nails. She got up and moved to the mirror on the wall and looked at herself once she'd quickly set her disguise aside. Emerald orbs back from an angular pale velvety face. It had the roughness of leather up close, but it was deceptively soft. The she-demon sighed once more and restored her human guise. Why was she leaving Rick in the hands of Jergal. Why did she even care? It's not like she loved the human. But even that was something she just told herself. The woman scooped up her stuff and took off, making a beeline to her sister's once in town. She didn't think she should see Rick again.

The day had gone and passed for Rick when he realized something was strange. He shook his head as if there were a few cobwebs in there. He did not understand what he was feeling or why. It's as though with Roxy's departure for town had set something off in his mind. He planted the shovel's head in the dirt and stared off into nowhere. Sweat had coated his bare torso and now was just a sheen in the dimming light. He lifted his hand up and grasped the end of the haft, thus supporting himself on it. It was just as strange that Teresetta hadn't come back. But that wasn't occupying all of his thoughts right now. He was thinking of the white light that he had seen before he woke up to falling snow. He still hadn't figured out what exactly that was. Maybe he should ask Merelda. He looked off towards her form tending to some vegetables and wondered why she had been so distant to him. He was about to abandon the shovel for an audience with her when the droning of the airship's props suddenly became audible. He gazed up into the sky to see that particular craft traveling the skies above. It made him wonder what travel had been like before his own kind had made it to Earth's moon and then to the inner system asteroid belt for mining operations. He simply smiled as his thoughts drifted back to the matter at hand.

Rick left the shovel as is and approached Merelda who was kneeling in the garden, almost purring as she brushed some potatoes clean of dirt. She looked over and smiled when Rick knelt next to her and tried to help. She noticed for a moment he seemed brighter then usual and returned to her task, glad to have some help. After some time She stopped him and motioned not to clean harvest anymore.

"Let's go give these a rinse and prepare for some dinner Rick." Rick nodded and gathered up the vegetables he had picked and followed the young woman back to the house and it's kitchen.

That night the family and their guest shared some pot roast. Some of them were getting a bit worried that the other lady was still away. It wasn't until sometime around midnight that the city guard arrived to bring the news. Rick managed to retain his strength some when they said they had found a burned female body that didn't seem to bear any markings. The guard had said that there had been a fire in the marketplace and the young woman was found dead in the debris. It wasn't until Rick had gone back to his room, that he managed to just let everything free. He was sitting on the edge of his bed trying to fight the emotions of losing Roxy when Merelda peeked around the edge of the wall into the room. She watched Rick breakdown for a bit, trying to decide what to do. She chose to sit on the bed ear him, she guided Rick into more of a laying position and drew him close from behind, Rick took a deep breath and tried to relax some when Merelda rested the back of his head on her collar and held him close.

The soft sounds emitting from Merelda's lips eventually put Rick into a dreamless sleep. She continued to hold him close and softly nuzzle his hair. After about an hour of embracing the sleeping human she pulled him farther into the center of his bed and crawled next to him under the sheets to give some comfort in his slumber.

Little did anyone know the burned body had been a commoner with a magic disguise cast over her before death. Teresetta had been in her sister's room that night fighting off racing thoughts in her mind. Her sister had tried to reason with her that it was silly to feel such things about a non-demon. It worked visually but not internally. The sister did try to comfort her sister that night before she herself hit the sack. So Teresetta was sat there on her side of the large bed with her arms wrapped around her knees. She needed to get away from Rick before things proceeded into complications. She had even let go of Rick's mind so he wouldn't focus on her so much. She truly didn't need that good man dwelling on her. She looked aside to her sister and smiled helplessly. At least she had her sister. The deamoness crawled deep into the furs and slipped into the world of slumber.

Some distance away, Jergal was perched on ledge watching the work below. Already a few of semi-feral demons had succumbed to fatigue and died. The demon didn't care how many it took. Every so often a few of the creatures would meet their end together as they activated traps. At least the the debris from rock slides long past was being cleared away. Jergal sat there posed as though he was some gargoyle, letting his thoughts drift to the source of his continuous backache.

It had been nearly 140 years ago. One of the pit lords had decided to try and enhance several of the more reputed but lesser demons. Jergal had volunteered. Those who hadn't volunteered were either put to death or transformed into something more willing. Jergal was told that there would be pain and he chose to believe he could take it. He had been bound to a rack while one of the sadistic surgeons slipped a section of his spine clear from his form. His shoulder blades had been forcibly adjusted and a series of gears had been slid into place to work with his muscles and his reconstructed back. The surgeons even reattached his large bat-like wings to the assembly. Jergal could not believe how successful the operation had been even once the pain itself disappeared altogether. It was not something he was willing to do again though.

The Demon looked up and opened his eyes hearing one of the demons down below shout to him. He looked down and smiled with sadistic glee seeing that a heavy, deeply inscribed iron door was now visible beyond the debris.

"Finally, the time for a little fun has arrived." The large one eyed form leaped from his position and landed nimbly on his feet about 10 yards from the doorway. He brushed aside one of the workers. The creature was visibly shoved aside, unable to stop it's momentum, thus cracking it's wolfish skull on one of the stones. None of the others cared as that one squirmed in it's death throes.

Gerard had been busy working with his uncle's Scribes and the one historian in producing a list of those to be invited to the ball in the following week. He sniffed the air inhaling the scents of freshly inked paperwork and gazed at a pile of sealed invitations, wondering how many of them would show up. Really the invites were going out towards the more middle class citizens and a fair number of the higher class.

Once the pile had grown by at least a foot, a number of couriers had been fetched in order to make the deliveries. All of them were on their way within a few hours after receiving their load. Gerard's Uncle arrived as the last of the messengers were on the way.