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Hey guys, the war between the Felix and Markus is finally at hand, meaning that their second battle is almost here. This chapter may be longer than most others because there will be a lot going on from the beginning to the end. This tale is going to be a huge time skip from the last one, and that is because I need to make enough room between Forgotten Sorrows and this tale for the mini series that will be coming out after the Illian Tales.

Two and a half years after Markus and Kia had left Arcanus to search for the Trinity Prophet, Arc stationed as a gate keeper for the City of the Moon, Scycrain. Of course, the reason Arc was here was because true to his word, Markus had managed to help the dog leave the Pack Scout. Yet, as a way to keep diligent, Arc applied for the job as a watchman at the front gates, where he now stood as the nearby trees began losing their green color as well as their leaves. Now dressed in a full suit of light mail, Arc was surprised to see a small dark blotch blocking his view from the ascending sun. Yet, as he focused on the blotches, he noticed that they were moving, and even worse, towards him. With a deep sigh, Arc looked up towards the soldiers up at the gate controls and yelled to them "Get ready, we've got people incoming!"

As a few of the men replied with barely audible grunts, Arc prepared himself for the arriving guests. When the blotches were within Arc's range of vision, his jaw nearly dropped as he saw who was now coming. On the horizon, four figures, two males, one female and a small child, were advancing towards them. The male in the center of the group was an Evizil that stood at least 6 feet tall, had a coat as white as a ghost, was donned in black pants, a black vest, and from what Arc could tell, a small pendant that hung around his neck. Two things that took the dog by complete surprise were the sleek blue longsword that was sheathed on his back and the horrible myriad of purple and blue hues his left iris possessed. After fully inspecting the Evizil, Arc turned his attention to the young man walking next to him. This male was human standing at a brooding height of 6' 4, wore a pure wardrobe of brown leather, and carried a sleek ash colored bow in his left hand; yet the thing that set this human from the rest of his kind were the set of silver-colored eyes, as well as his natural white hair. With the other male fully burned into his mind, Arc decided to look upon the woman and her child. The young woman was a feline with dark orange fur, a slim body, wide hips, and overall a pair of breasts that could be considered borderline DD cups. The feline was dressed in a full garment of blood red cloth, and with his keen eyes Arc could tell that the woman had countless throwing daggers stored in the sleeves of her shirt. The small child next to her was only a feline that was only year or two old with fur as white as the Evizil standing next to her. Despite its age, the child was still managing to walk, though every now and then it was forced to use all four of its legs to get around.

Shocked at what he was beholding, Arc almost tripped over himself as he yelled out to anyone who would hear him "Get messengers to the Alpha immediately, tell them Markus Snow has returned!!"

Now equally surprised as Arc was, all of the guards at the gate dropped their jaws as they beheld what Arc was saying. One small Evizil child who had been standing near the gate when Arc gave the order saw what the others were looking at, and with a high pitched voice began yelling down the vast streets of Scycrain "HE'S BACK, HE'S BACK, THE WHITE WOLF HAS RETURNED!!"

Within an hour, almost every person in Scycrain arrived at the gate to see what was happening, and to their surprise, they saw that their hero had returned at last. As the band of four made their way to the gate, Arc stood in full salute and asked his mandatory question "Who are you and what is your business?"

Now, the white Evizil stared at him with his only useable eye, his left one, as he replied with a very strong, hardened voice "I am Markus Valecruiz Snow, citizen of Scycrain and follower of the Ghost Wolf Clan. I have come to report to the Alpha Male that I have failed in my quest to find the Trinity Prophet."

As he and the others around him could feel the spirits of the citizens falter, Markus was surprised to hear the crowd around them cheer and scream "HAIL THE WHITE WOLF!!"

Turning to the woman next to him, Markus asked the feline "Kia, what's going on? I thought they would surely cast me out as a failure, but here they are praising me."

Kia merely shook her head and shrugged, answering with a "Guess we'll have to see, isn't that right, Kane?" As she said this, Kia looked down to the small child who was standing next to her. In response, the feline child simply nodded his head, which hinted Arc towards the fact that the child could not speak yet.

With their decision set, the band of four decided to follow the large crowd of people all the way to the Crescent Throne, all the while barraged with the shouts and praises of the townsfolk. When the group finally made it to the large open palace where the Crescent Throne should be, they were surprised to see that it no longer stood there, and in its place was a large, golden replica of the Wolf Goddess herself sitting down. As Markus got a better look at it, he could tell that in between the statue's legs was a small cushion where the Alpha Male could sit. Yet, before he could ask anyone what had happened to the Throne, a person appeared from behind the giant statue. The new arrival was an Evizil woman with a coat as black as ash donned in a light grey dress. Of course, while this woman's features were beyond what any man could ever hope to lay eyes upon, Markus took more interest in the fact that she was here than her physical attributes. Stunning the three next to him, Markus quickly knelt down on his left knee and bowed his head, all the while saying "Wolf Goddess Izilan, it is an honor among all others to see you."

In response, the woman merely waved her hand and said "Rise young Markus, there is much to tell you." As the Evizilan man rose, Izilan's face sudden began taking an expression of sadness as she advanced towards the group. When she reached Markus, she placed her light seductive hand on his cheek and whimpered, afterwards saying "Oh what has the Augment done to you, my poor Markus?"

Without any hesitation, Markus replied "Much, Night Mother, but that is of little important at the moment. I have come to tell Uren that I have failed in finding the Trinity Prophet."

At this, Izilan merely laughed and took Markus into a large embrace. The moment the two were together, the Wolf Goddess whispered into his ear "It's alright Markus; many of us knew you wouldn't find the Prophet. However, what does matter to us is that you were willing to find that person, no matter what the risk or cost. That is why these people are cheering your name throughout Scycrain."

Hearing just what he subconsciously wanted to hear, Markus let out a large sigh of relief as he whispered back to her "Thank you, Izilan. By the way...how is the child?"

At this, Markus could feel the Night Mother smile as she said "They are doing fine, I promise you that. Both of them are girls, one I decided to name Sophia and the other Everin named Julia."

Before Markus was able to ask her about the specific choice of Sophia's name, Izilan merely shook her head and said "So where are Oz and Cyn, I'm surprised they aren't with you, they didn't get hurt did they?"

Realizing the need for a change in subject, Markus simply replied "No, they've gone off to find the rest of the dragons. The two of them hope to bring them to our cause in this fight."

With a small smile, the Wolf Goddess replied "Now that would be a miracle we could all use."

Hoping to change the conversation to his favor, Markus looked around and said "I'm sorry, Night Mother, but I must find Uren, we have much to talk about."

As he said this, Markus could only watch in dismay as he felt every single person in Scycrain grow ghostly quiet. With fear now pounding in his heart, Markus noticed that even Izilan had grown silent, and even worse, she now refused to look at him any longer. With an unintentional bark, Markus said to the Night Mother "What's wrong with him? Is he hurt?"

Now, Izilan looked up at him and stared him directly in his left eye as she said "Markus...Uren is dead, he has been for the past month."

In pure denial, Markus backed away from Izilan as much as possible as he said "You can't be serious, there is no way Uren could be dead, he was in a city of over two thousand people, all loyal to him..."

Izilan now interrupted him and said "Except one. This one person dared to tamper with the Crescent Throne and enchant it with a magic draining spell. Once Uren was caught in its trap, it was a simple matter of stabbing him in the heart with a silver dagger."

Filled with an undeniable rage, Markus began tapping into his large reserve of magic energy and said "Who Izilan, who? Please, let me be the one to bring judgment, for Uren's sake."

With this, a small smile appeared on the woman's face as she replied "Bring her forth; she will now face the wrath of betraying an Evizil." Now, four guards appeared from behind the bronze statue with a tall, slim Evizil woman in the center of them all with her legs and feet bound by silver chains. From behind him, Markus heard Eon nearly cry as he said "It can't be...Tasha would never do such a thing!!" Now looking carefully at the girl in the center of the guards, Markus now saw it was indeed the young girl who had lost her maidenhood to his best friend. As she drew closer, the only thing she did was smile.

With rage encompassing his heart, Markus locked the girl in his cursed left eye as he said "Do you deny killing Uren, Alpha Male and friend to all who hold homage in Scycrain, the City of the Moon?"

In response, the girls smile grew wider as she said "Aye, I killed Uren Hellstalker, and I'd do it again for the glory of the King."

Markus now clenched his left hand in a fist as he said "You mean Felix Lightbane, the Vampire King? How could you betray your OWN PEOPLE for the ruler of the Dark?"

"Simple, I did it for love. Felix promised me that if I killed Uren, he would love me and cherish me forever, take me away to his mighty castle and give me countless..."

With every bit of himself consumed by rage, Markus merely snarled and said "ENOUGH!! You betrayed your leader for the falsehoods of a man who holds no truth in his heart. Dear girl, I GREW UP WITH THAT MAN. Let me tell you what he really would have done to you; he would have taken you to Bilamarsh, raped you until he found you useless, thrown you into the dungeons, and if you had any children, he would have slit their throats in front of you."

"YOU LIE; HE LOVES ME...HE LOVES..." But before she could say anything else, Tasha felt a sudden knot of air swell in her throat, and when she noticed that Markus had briefly closed his eyes in concentration; she knew he had silenced her.

Once the girl was silenced, Markus drew a pentagon in the air and held his left hand face up in front of him. Suddenly, a magic orb the color of blood filled his hand, and with a tone of pure disgust he yelled over the sound of the now raging magic "YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN SEALED BY YOUR OWN ACTIONS, TASHA WHISPERWIND. MAY THE GODS OF DEATH AND TORMENT WRACK YOUR SOUL WITH ENDLESS YEARS OF PAIN!!!" With that, Markus drew his hand back, fired the furious red ball at the poor girl and finally declared the name of the terrible spell by screaming "BLOODLETTER!!" Faster than the poor girl could react, the magic hit her, and soon, its damage began to take hold on her body. Within seconds, literally every hole in and on her body, including the pores on her skin, began draining her body of her blood. With the feverish pain now consuming her, Tasha was reduced to scratching at her own bleeding face and scream a deathly shriek in desperate hope that it would end the pain. Yet, only moments after being hit by the "Bloodletter", her body refused to release any more blood as the poor girl shriveled up and slumped on the floor. Shocked by what they had just seen, everyone in the room released a gasp of horror and surprise, everyone that is except Eon and Kia.

Taken aback by what she had just seen, Izilan looked at what use to be Tasha, then back at Markus and asked "That was...Shadow Magic. Markus...you didn't..."

Turning towards the Wolf Goddess, Markus kept his same serious expression as he replied "It is a magic I have been forced to wield by the demon living inside the Augment you and your father put inside me before my birth. Night Mother, Valecruiz of the Void, the most feared being ever to walk on Illian, has returned and you are the one who brought him back." At this, many of the citizens now stood in absolute fear as they realized what he had just said. Before anyone could speak out, Markus once again used his deep, booming voice to say "Know this...the demon has been seeking control over my body since the day I fought Felix Lightbane in Arcanus, and for more than two years, I have kept him at bay. Now...the day of his return is almost at hand, but before that day comes, I wish to help Illian in any way I can, even if it means ending my own life. So before you cast me aside for what you just saw, know that I wanted none of this, and I will do everything in my power to keep everyone of you safe from the wrath of the demon."

After a minute of silence, a pregnant gecko girl in the back of the large auditorium that was the palace suddenly screamed "Even in his own plight he wishes to protect us, I say FORGIVE HIM!!" In response to this, everyone in the whole area let out a massive cheer, followed by "HAIL THE WHITE WOLF, HAIL THE WHITE WOLF!!"

After the crowd let out three cheers, Izilan stomped her foot on the ground, causing a massive shockwave to emit throughout the entire auditorium, and yelled "AS YOUR GODDESS AND YOUR LEADER, I DECIDE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BOY. Now, Markus Snow, normally for the use of tainted magics, I would have your hands cut off and force you to a life sentence of imprisonment. But because you have proven countless times that you wish to save Illian, I believe you when you say that you did not ask for these...powers. However, know that neither I nor Gree would ever think of bringing back a force as evil and corrupt as Valecruiz of the Void, even in times such as this. While I will not deny the fact that it was our idea to bestow a mortal with the Augment, it has been the act of another god, one that not even Gree himself knows, that has caused you to become the harbinger for the Voidwalker. Now, Markus Snow, you claim you will do anything in your power to save Illian?"

Without even batting an eye, Markus replied "Anything."

"Good, then accept the rank of Alpha Captain and lead the entire army the Races of Light have to offer and destroy Felix Lightbane once and for all." With this, the crowd cheered once again.

Taken aback by the sudden request, Markus realized that he had no choice but to accept if he ever hoped of giving Kane a chance to live a normal life. After regaining his thoughts, Markus simply looked up at the clear blue sky and said "As Gree as my witness and holy guide, I swear to take upon my shoulders the mantle of Alpha Captain, and through that rank I will end the wrath of my brother." As was Evizil tradition, Markus pulled forth his stunning blue longsword, and it was then that Izilan noticed what it truly looked like. The hilt was a stunning golden handle with two sharp horns at each end of the top, where the blade started to protrude. Along with its dazzling golden color, the hilt had a collection of small runes etched into it, hinting the Night Mother and anyone else who looked at it that the sword was created by a god. Despite this, it was the blade that set even Izilan's hairs on end. It was a long, sleek blade that, as far as she could tell, was made of Crystal Tyrs, the strongest ore ever known to Illian and only used on building or weapons of ultimate power. Like the hilt, runes ran up and down the blade, twisting and turning around the blade like a typhoon of ancient and powerful words. Upon further inspection, Izilan found that these runes shared the same red glow as the very fires of Rea itself. By the time she had finished examining the blade to every minuet detail, Markus just finished pulling out the weapon. With a tone of curiosity that Izilan wished she hadn't shown, she asked "What is that weapon you hold there?"

As he looked down at it, a hint of sorrow flashed across his face as he said "It is named Veral, or in the common tongue "The Ender." It is a blade that I gained at the cost of my two most prized weapons, Vice and Blaze. But as to more pressing matters, I believe we should get this ceremony done and over with so that I may leave as soon as possible." With that, Markus placed the tip of the blade on the ground and as if he were cutting through paper, created a small circle around himself. When that finished, he held out his right hand and carefully made a gentle cut with the blade, making sure to let the blood pour into the newly created circle. When the circle crevasse made by Veral was filled halfway, Markus knelt down in the center of the small area that divided him from the rest of the auditorium and awaited the next part of the ceremony.

Knowing what to do next, Izilan advanced towards Markus and stopped at the circular line that stood between her and the young Evizil. From the depths of her dress, the woman pulled forth a small, sharpened dagger, and mimicking exactly what Markus had done to his hand, let her blood fill the gap made by the blade until it was filled to the brim. When this was done, Izilan flexed her hand as her regenerative powers took affect and said in a leader-like voice "Markus Valecruiz Ealar, you kneel know in the confines of what we know as a Blood Circle because we have found you worthy of accepting the title of Alpha Captain. With a few words, the blood we put into the Circle will rise forth from its depths and unless Gree objects, claim upon you a mark that signifies you as the Alpha Captain." As she finished speaking, Izilan knelt down and placed her palm on the cold marble floor that held the new throne, within seconds creating a glyph in the shape of a large star. Once the glyph was created, it began glowing with a white radiance that brought with it a sense of peace and stability.

When it had reached its full power, the class 7 glyph caused the marble floor to rumble and shake and, true to Izilan's words, cause the blood within the Blood Circle to come shooting out of the hole in a circular formation. Now surrounded by a pillar of blood, Markus kept his head down so that he would not get anything in his eyes or on his face. Yet, to his surprise, the blood neither moved into the pillar or out of it, every last drop was now suspended inside the large pillar as if it were the framework of some large tower. Suddenly, a bright flash of light in the sky caught his attention, and through some odd force, he knew that flash had come from Gree. When he turned his attention to Izilan, he noticed that she had also seen the bright spark, and afterwards she turned to face him and said "He has accepted you, Markus Ealar." The moment she said this, the giant pillar of blood seemed to collapse within itself, leaving Markus no choice but to brace himself for the sudden impact of a stream of blood. Once again, the Evizil found himself nearly speechless as he saw the blood now gently floating in the air, almost as if it was waiting for something. Suddenly, Markus stood up, and held himself still as a gentle wave of red mist wrapped itself around him. The young man could almost swear he felt his own pulse resonate from the bloody mist, but soon he dashed these thoughts away as he saw why it was wrapping around him. At first, the blood seemed to create a thin membrane around his clothing, but soon he discovered that it was changing the very construct of his wardrobe. As a red light emitted from his body, Markus felt the black pants and black vest grow heavy and sturdy, almost like armor.

Sure enough, as the light began to fade, Markus was donned in a full suit of unrecognizable armor that brought only fear into the hearts of those he opposed. The armor was a blackish-grey color, almost like the color of a full moon against the darkness of the midnight sky. Where normal shoulder pads would be, Markus found pauldrons on each of his shoulders that resembled two grey wolf heads. The maws of the wolves were wide open, allowing them to emit a blackish glow whenever the Augment was triggered. Where at first Markus began growing concerned that the open pauldrons would leave his shoulders unguarded, he soon realized that a thin layer of Mithril was placed in the very back of each maw; and because Mithril is almost a crystal-like ore, the malignant radiance of the Augment would only be increased. As Markus began focusing more on the body and leg armor, Izilan just smiled and said "This armor is made from the skin of Gree himself. It is stronger than any ore that will ever become known to us, yet it is lighter than that sword you carry. This armor is bound to you now Markus; the only way you can remove it and equip it is by summoning it. If you wish to remove it, simply picture yourself without the armor, and it will disperse and fade away; on the other hand, just imagine yourself with it on to summon it to your aid." With the burning sensation to test out the trick behind the armor wracking his mind, it took a while for Markus to steel these emotions and inspect the rest of the armor fully. The chest armor was made out of the same material as the pauldrons; it even had a large, open-mouthed grey wolf head right in the center of his chest, where his heart and the top of his rib-cage was. Unlike the pauldrons however, the inside of the open part of the armor was pure Crystal Tyrs, which Markus knew would take the light from the runes and magnify it to the point where merely staring at the Evizil would cause the enemy to shake in his boots. The leg armor, however, had nothing of interest to show except for its unique, almost liquid like, ability to move with the exact motion of his legs. With the armor fully memorized, Markus began recalling images of his unarmored self, and sure enough, the armor turned into a mist of dark red and disappeared inside his body.

Knowing he was now ready to take on not only a full fledged army, but his own brother, Markus looked at Izilan and said "I am ready, Night Mother."

At this, the young, ash colored Evizil in front of him smiled and said "While you may be ready, your army is not. Give me tonight to summon the Races of Light, and on the morrow, you may head out to save Illian."

Before he lost his question, Markus asked Izilan "This is war, isn't it Izilan?"

Now, the woman's face looked far older than her body did, and with a sigh she said "Yes Markus, for the death of Uren was not their first slight against us. If you've noticed, The Castle in the Ether is gone, destroyed under the deceptive devices those damned Vicen can create." Now, Markus was more than shocked, surely his brother had gone mad. First he struck against the Alpha Male of the Evizil, and now he destroyed their most favored relic. As she noticed his look of utter surprise and horror, Izilan just smiled and said "It is no matter to me or Everin, we still have Scycrain, and that is all that matters. Now, if you excuse me, I must go and find myself paper and pen." With that, Izilan summoned her closest bodyguards and left Markus and the rest of the citizens of Scycrain inside the auditorium.

When the Wolf Goddess was away from their sight, Kia moved up to him and said "Markus...what does this all mean?"

With a grim look on his face, Markus turned to her and replied "It means we march for war, my mate. I want you and Kane to stay here while I'm gone, I won't have my son live through any of that at the age of two."

With a slight nod, Kia said "You're right; it will be too much of a struggle for us to keep watch on Kane and fight the enemy at the same time. I know of a friend here who can watch over him, and if we happen to die, she can raise him well."

"Kia...I know I can't convince you of staying, so I'll just say this: please survive Kia. My time is almost at an end, but Kane still shows hope, and right now, he needs the guidance of his own mother."

"My mate, we will both survive this, no matter what the gods say. I'll always be by your side, Markus, remember that and keep it close to you. But for now, I will bring Kane over to my friend's place, and come tomorrow; we will set out with the largest army Illian has ever seen before." With that, Kia grabbed Kane's hand and led him to and through the main exit to the auditorium, afterwards heading in a direction not even Markus knew.

At this point, everyone, including Eon, had left the auditorium, leaving Markus alone with the giant statue and the macabre figure that was once Tasha. As a sudden urge came over him, Markus now stared into the glazed eyes of the now dead girl. Deep inside of them, horror and pain could only be found, and to his own disgust, Markus was enjoying that look. As the eternal look bored into his eyes, Markus could do nothing as wave after wave of regret and sorrow filled him. Knowing he had to do something, Markus quickly advanced towards her and knelt down in the large puddle of blood that now entrapped her. Yet, even as his pure white coat began drinking in the blood, giving his knees and lower legs a color that oddly looked a brighter shade of red than it should be, Markus didn't care. In a single furious blow he had done an unspeakable abomination upon the poor girl. Even now, he could feel Tasha's spirit being filled with malice and revenge, morphing it into a horrible banshee, according to the words of the old and wise. When the pressure became too great, Markus finally snapped and leaned the rest of his body towards her. Now with his upper body soaked, he realized it wouldn't matter if every drop of her blood covered his coat; his spirit was now tainted by the darkness he willingly had committed out of pure hatred. At this realization, Markus began freely shed tears, not for himself, but for Tasha. In barely audible whispers, Markus was able to say "Tasha...no crime deserved this punishment...not even the death of your own leader. I will not sit here and make excuses for my actions; they were from ever fiber of my being, and if I were given a choice, I would undoubtedly do it again. Please...if it is at all possible, forgive me one day; that is all I ask. Just because you died an unhonorable death doesn't mean you can't be burned honorably." As he said this, Markus immediately called forth a large amount of wood from all across the city with a class 6 Summon spell, afterwards piling the wood in a large, tent shaped stack. Once the wood was secure, Markus picked up the horrid body of the young girl and placed her near the very core of the pile. With that done, it was a simple task of putting his palms together and summoning forth a blazing ball of fire. When he was ready, Markus gently tossed the orb of heat into the wood pile, immediately setting the whole "structure" ablaze. As the fiery pillar reached its full height, Markus let out a traditional howl, signifying that he wished her spirit to be carried from the flames into the hands of the Night Mother. Afterwards, Markus merely said "May your soul find peace, Tasha Whisperwind" and with that, he left the funeral pyre to burn in the auditorium.

****

As dusk finally began setting in, Markus found himself waiting impatiently for his mate to arrive to their temporary lodgings. By Kia's request, the place Markus now found himself in was moderately decorated, decently sized, was close to Kia's friend's house, and best of all it was close to Scycrain's southern exit. As Markus took the time to inspect the little home they were staying in, he found that the little area was actually acceptable to his tastes. The walls were a rich creamy color, the floor was covered with the furs of animals that had been used as food and various other uses, there were at least four chairs in this room alone, a table, and a small dresser that was huddled against the wall to the left of the entrance to the house. Just as he finished eating a salted piece of pork he had found in the food bin, Kia entered the house with an expression of sadness veiling her face. Now deeply concerned about his mate as well as his child, Markus dropped the remains of the pork and moved closer to her, asking at the same time "What happened, is Kane safe there?"

Now, Kia looked at him and said "Yeah...he's fine. It's just that...it is so hard watching your child leave your arms, knowing that you may never hold them again..." The moment her voice began to trail like that, Markus immediately encased her in a large hug. As he held her there, he bent down to her ear and whispered "You will see him again, but for now...just relax my poor kitten." When he finished saying this, Markus bent his head down lower, so that his face was in her neck, and began affectionately biting at her.

Knowing what he was doing, Kia gave a small gasp of delight as she said "Markus, we haven't done this is such a long time..."

"All the more reason to do it now." With that, Markus began playfully biting at her again, now pulling down her long red robes as he did so. In response to all of this, Kia let out a giggle and began removing his black vest. The moment she had the vest in her hands, she quickly tossed it onto the floor and started tracing her way up and down his muscular chest with one of her hands.

With a purr, Kia said to Markus in a very gentle tone "You've gotten so strong over these past years Markus. I remember when your body barely had any meat to it and now...built like a rock."

At this point, Markus had finished playing with her and was now carefully removing the robe from the waist down, all the while saying "Ahh but where I grew in body, you grew in spirit, my love. When we first met, you seemed so shy and so uncertain of everything, but today, I'm sure not even my sword could break through your soul if it were something that could be cut." With this, Markus had finally taken off her robe, and with a quick slice of one of his clawed fingers, Kia's black bra slid to the floor. With that same finger, Markus began circling his way around the feline's left breast until reaching the nipple, where at that point he used his thumb and his finger to give her a small pinch. With the pinch came a small gasp from the woman, followed by a loud purr as he starting using the same two fingers to gently twist the nipple into hardness. Once the pink of her breast was as hard as stone, Markus used his other hand and repeated the same process with her right breast. Once Markus knew he could tease the woman no longer, he simply smiled, removed his pants and underwear, picked her up, and sat her upon the table. Knowing he could perform one final trick on her before she was truly ready for him, Markus quickly used his teeth to remove the girl's slightly wet panties, dropped them on the floor and placed his face close to her now welcoming sex. After taking in a deep breath, Markus began gently licking the wet, pink lips of the feline's moist sex. Because of his rough, dry tongue and Kia's soft, wet sex, going down on her was much more enjoyable for Kia than a human would be with their already saliva-coated tongues. As Markus started to increase the speed in which he massaged the feline's sex, the pleasure Kia felt also grew in strength and size. Finally, it got to the point where Kia could no longer stand just having the outside of her sex touched; so to make her point clear she pushed Markus's head forward, causing his tongue and the tip of his muzzle to be devoured by her now steaming pussy. Knowing exactly what needed to be done now, Markus started licking every part of his mate's sex that he could, every now and then making the speed at which he did so faster. When it got to the point where Kia began combing her own hair and mewing, the Evizil knew she was done for. Sure enough, the feline's whole body prickled and shuddered as she released all of her pent of ecstasy. As the rapid stream of intoxicating juices came rushing towards his muzzle, Markus quickly backed out of her sex and opened his mouth to receive his prize. As wave after wave of fluid entered his muzzle, it was as simple as letting it fill his mouth, then in one bold move, gulp it all down.

After letting himself enjoy the sweet taste in his mouth for a few moments, Markus quickly stood up, pinned Kia against the table, and penetrated her with his now rampaging manhood. Because the table was a hard, sturdy surface, Markus was allowed to pump harder than he could on a soft bed or in the air, yet still not enough to hurt his precious feline. With each slow, secure ram of his manhood, Kia bounced and rocked; yet because she was pinned against the table, her movements were slight, whereas her voice was not. When Markus started increasing in speed, Kia started to mutter under her breath, and the look in her eyes were glazed. 'Hah, she's enjoying this much more than she really wants to reveal...alright then, let's see if this adds to the excitement' Markus thought to himself before he began massaging Kia's breasts in rhythm to his strokes. With her pleasure becoming much more unstable than she could bear, Kia was reduced to scratching Markus's back to vent out some of her rushing emotions. Even though the scratches brought minor pain to Markus, he took this as a sign that she was getting close to her breaking point, which caused him to increase both the speed and strength at which his pummeled his mate. Now going at a speed only made possible by the sturdy table as well as his Evizil body, Markus finally felt his own seed swell as he felt the poor woman shudder beneath him. Finally, with one last stroke, Markus sent a large canal of seed up into the deepest parts of Kia's sex. When the two were finally finished, Kia let out a large breath and said "We haven't slept like THAT ever."

With a large laugh, Markus pulled himself from his mate and said "Well...I guess it never hurts to try new things, huh?"

"I'll say, now, let me get a bath going; we have to be ready by sunrise tomorrow."

"Mind if I join you?"

With a seductive trot and a swish of her tail, Kia looked behind her and said "Come on, big boy; show me what else you can do."

****

By the time the sun started peaking its head out of the misty horizon, Markus, Kia, Eon and every last able bodied man and woman who heeded the war call stood out on the grassy plains outside of Scycrain. In total, over 40,000 people stood before him now, and yet even with their unimaginable numbers, Markus was almost having second thoughts about this war. While it is true Markus had numbers, Felix had treachery and trickery on his side, not to mention many of the Races of Light hid some form of prejudice against each other; making it harder for Markus to get these people to work together. In the front lines, a combination of dwarves, Evizil, humans, dogs and bears twined together to create the best attacking force Markus could think of. Right behind them stood the relief lines, which was composed of rabbits, geckos and felines. After the relief lines came the spell slingers and mage-knights; and after them followed the mindbenders. Finally, in the deepest recesses of the army, were the healers and wood nymphs. Upon taking a good look at the army, Markus started to realize that it would be impossible for him to command all 40,000 of these people without assistance; and after realizing this, he called Eon and Kia to him. When the two were within earshot of him, Markus immediately got to the point by saying "I need you two to be my Lieutenant Generals, which means you two can pick and promote as many Lieutenants, Sergeants and Captains as you find needed. But Eon, I want you to take care of the prejudice situation we have between the rest of the army. Kia, I want you to focus on preparing battle strategies for the mindbenders and the wood nymphs, whereas I will be preparing the attacks and formations for the rest of the army. Is that understood?"

Both Eon and Kia went into full salute and said in unison "Sir, yes sir!" With that, the two went off to pick their ranking officers.

Once everyone had said their goodbyes and were prepared to leave, Markus went in front of the whole army and used his booming voice to say "I know many of you are here to enjoy the experience of battle, and to this I say you'd better find another reason pretty damn quickly or you'll find this war to be much more difficult than you imagined. We are known as the Races of Light, the pillars of peace and prosperity for all of Illian, and if you fight for only the fight, then you do not deserve to carry that title. Fight for your family, your honor, your lover, or maybe just yourself, but for the love of Gree, fight for something!! We march out to war today, and there is a high chance many of you will not return home when this war is over. But make damn sure that I will be on the front lines with you, and if I need to, I will carry you back home myself. If it is time for you to hear the might horn of Rez the DeathCaller, then follow him knowing you died saving Illian. Now, men and women, WE PREPARE FOR WAR!!" When he was finished, all 40,000 people cheered and called out his name, and within moments, the earth shook as they marched.

Within five months of their original march, the army experienced the coldest and bloodiest battle that will ever be known on the face of Illian in the dark plains of Hellsong, a dark, evil region that bordered the Dark Range. With winter almost settled in fully by now, Markus began feeling annoyed as the army was forced to slow down their pace. By now, he had fought against goblins, trolls, and even a tiny army of Malar and in each and every one of these battles, Markus had prevailed. Yet, even as the army of what was now 30,000 marched onto Hellsong, Markus couldn't help but feel an unnerving sense of despair fill his body. While on their long march towards Rea, which through there would lead them to the Malar capital of Bilamarsh, Markus had discussed his battle plans with Kia and Eon. "This snow will be hard for the men to charge through and harder yet to keep battle positions in. What I'm thinking is have the mages melt all of the snow in the area with one large, combined fire attack. While it is true we would be without their support, I'm sure we can pull through. Now, once the snow is gone, we can use the large area we have to our advantage by breaking the army into three separate pieces, each with its own healers, mindbenders, front lines and relief lines, and if possible, any willing mages. I'll leave Eon to control the left piece, Kia to control the right piece, and I'll control the center piece. Once the center piece mixes with the enemy, the left and right pieces will come in on the left and right, hopefully allowing us to gain the upper edge by cutting them off to any escape routes. Before I go on, I need to make sure you both are in agreement."

Kia looked at him with a look of pure gravity and said "I agree one hundred percent Markus, the plan sounds perfect. I'll go ahead and prepare the mages and the mindbender for their part in the plan."

In turn, Eon nodded his head and said "I have to admit, I couldn't think of a better plan myself, and I'll ease any tensions between the men and make sure the left piece is ready." With that, Markus's two Lieutenants hurried off into the depths of the army to find and share the battle plan.

After three hours went by since Kia and Eon left, Markus and the men near him witnessed the one sight they truly thought they'd never see before. Standing in front of them was a sea of goblins. Markus couldn't help but hear one soldier mutter under their breath "By Rez, I think every single goblin alive is here."

In turn, a soldier right next to him said "Better kiss your asses goodbye mates, we're going for one 'ell of a ride."

Immediately after sighting the enemy, Markus called for the whole army to halt. As he did this, Markus noticed the enemy starting to advance, meaning that the head of this massive army of goblins knew they were here and had already been prepared for battle. As the sea of what were possibly over 100,000 goblins stormed over the Hellsong plains, Markus kept his head and made sure everyone was ready. With no need to turn around, Markus yelled out to the whole army "Soldiers, today we face the greatest amount of enemies any army has faced since the War of Shattered Souls. But where they have numbers, we have skill. I want all mages to prepare their combined fire magic NOW; hopefully we can catch a few hundred of these bastards in the flames. Everyone in front, prepare your shields, your arms, and most importantly, your minds for the most gruesome battle any of us will face." Even as he said this, every person in the front and relief lines raise their shields and prepared their weapons. Behind him, Markus felt a ungodly amount of heat above him, and when he looked up, he might as well have seen the very sun before him. In the place where the very clouds stood, a ball of fire almost half the size of Illian burned with a rage that Markus knew was fueled by every mage behind him. With a smile that no one had ever seen him smile before, Markus pointed to the center of the charging army and said "_RELEASE." _With that, the large fireball was hurled straight at the countless goblins, and when it hit them, it exploded into a huge shockwave of fire. As the snow as well as countless goblins burned under its might, the shockwave passed through Markus and every person in his army harmlessly.

Clearly stunned by this spectacle, the once raging sea came to a halt. Knowing he had taken the goblins by surprise, Markus summoned his armor given to him by Gree, pulled forth Veral from its long sheath, waved his sword arm forward and said "CHARGE!!" Moments afterwards, the army broke into three pieces, one spreading towards the left, whereas the other moving towards the right, and began its advance towards the enemy. Suddenly, the goblins regained their composure and began their charge once again; and within moments, the center army and the large sea collided. As planned, the moment the center piece hit the goblins, the left and right pieces sudden collided with the goblin sea, and as Markus thought, the goblins were taken completely by surprise. Yet, even with the advantage theirs, Markus knew this was going to be a dangerous fight. As sword bit into flesh, ax clashed against shield and spear pierced through bone, Markus knew the army was sorely missing their magic support. Yet, with nothing to do about that with all of their mages exhausted, Markus charged into the fray and began unleashing a hell upon the goblins. With his god-like longsword, Markus easily cut through the poorly defended goblins, leaving limbs and flesh in his wake. As eight of the little green bastards tried to attack him at once, Markus bent his back backwards and swung his sword in a circular motion, gutting all eight of the goblins in one fell strike. From there, Markus began clearing a line by cutting through the enemy in a swinging motion that looked oddly like a sideways eight. After minutes of repeating this motion, Markus realized that he was too far into the enemy territory, and so with the power of his Evizil legs, began jumping backwards until he was finally back with his soldiers. Once he was comfortable, Markus placed Velar in his right hand began drawing a triangle in the air. Once this was done, a large orb of white light began glowing in Markus's hand, and when he pushed his arm forward, it shot out as a large, burning beam. The moment he pushed his arm forward, Markus had yelled out "FIST OF THE SUN!" True to its name, the moment it came in contact with an enemy, they immediately began burning with a white flame that never seemed to die out. Of course, the beam didn't just stop at one enemy, instead it tore through at least three or four lines of goblins before it finally dispersed. Knowing he had a lot more magic to use, most of which require both of his hands, Markus sheathed his blue longsword and drew a square with his left hand and a triangle with his right. Instantly, the ground beneath the enemies near Markus suddenly burst from beneath them, afterwards releasing a massive fountain of molten lava and rock. As soon as he did that, Markus drew the seal for a class 7 spell with his right hand and watched as an orb of light filled his left hand, while an orb of darkness filled his right one. Instantly, he made the fingers of his left hand point towards the ground, whereas his right hand pointed towards the sky. Once they were in place, he put his two hands together like they were, and when he felt a massive heat emitting from the center of his hands, he began pulling them back slightly. In the center of his hands was a massive orb of darkish orange energy. Recalling the first time he had almost used this against Kia and Eon that day so long ago, Markus laughed as he shot it forth and yelled "NOVASPHERE!!" The moment it hit one of the goblins, it exploded into a large ball of unstable magic, and anything caught within it simply became nothing.

With a laugh, Markus realized that despite that barrage of spells he had just cast, his magic well had just lost a scratch of what it still had. With this, Markus drew a square in the air and placed his arms together by their wrists. Now he pulled his arms back, and the moment he pushed them out again, he yelled "FROSTBANE SPEARS!!" Suddenly, thousands upon thousands of tiny ice spears came flying out of the space in-between Markus's palms, and sadly for the goblins, he wasn't done yet. Once the first wave of spears was released, Markus pulled his arms apart and began thrusting one arm out, then the other, each time releasing another wave of deadly spears towards the enemy. After continuing this pattern about four times, Markus placed his hands on the ground, and where the enemy stood, line after line of giant icicles burst forth from the ground. Now finished with the spell, Markus was almost about to use his ultimate spell against the goblins, one that far surpassed "Red Twilight", knowing that if he used it now; he would be completely drained of every bit of magic he had left. Yet, right as he was about to form the seal required for the spell, Markus realized that everyone had stopped fighting. After breaking the seal, Markus looked up and stared in awe as nearly 8,000 giant specs flew over the horizon. Without even needing to look at them closer, Markus merely cheered and said "Boys, we've got dragons!!"

Sure enough, within seconds the large specs became the giant, magic wielding lizards of lore and might. Leading the large group was a single female dragon with a rider with scales greener than any emerald Markus had ever seen. When the dragons got within distance, the rider jumped down right next to Markus and said "Are we too early?"

With a laugh, Markus simply said "Nope, just in time Oz, just in time." With that, Markus called Eon and Kia to him, and once again called the army to charge. Now with the dragons on their side, the goblins had no chance of winning. Quicker than Markus could have imagined, the goblins were being eaten, shredded, burned, frozen, or electrocuted. Even though the odds were against them, the goblins still charged; that is of course, until for some reason, they all stopped. Right in the middle of an attack, all of the goblins moved far away, and raised their shields in a defensive position. Just as he was about to question this, a giant glyph appeared beneath Markus and everyone standing near him, including his three friends. Just as he realized what had happened, Markus screamed out "run, it's a..." just before the glyph activated. As the spell hidden inside of it took affect, anything caught inside the glyph simply disappeared.