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With a sigh filled with reluctance and sadness, the Evizil replied "Yes yes...just wanted to think."

With a cheerful laugh, Oz slapped him on the back and said "Ah my friend, you will have to do much of that when I and Eon are gone. Remember, you are their leader, young Markus Snow, and you must guide them through the lands of Forgotten Sorrows."

Turning towards Eon, who was already on the back of the blue dragon, Markus asked "So you really want to head to Arcanus, the both of you?" Markus faintly recalled the conversation Eon and Valecruiz had before the Ifrit attack, but he was shocked when Eon woke him up at the birth of the new day to tell him he was actually going; not to mention Oz was going with. So for the past two hours, Markus had laboriously prepared rations of meat and bread for Oz, Eon as well as the blue dragon accompanying them. Realizing the answer he was about to get before the two of them spoke, Markus raised his hand in silence and said "Alright then, I wish I could go, but for my sake, as well as the army's, I can't."

Confused, Oz said "What do you mean your sake?"

Turning back towards the sunrise, Markus replied "I can't stand seeing my real home burned to the ground by demons and Malar, my soul won't be able to handle it. I would let the two of you really feel what my spirit feels like now, but doing so would only plague and hamper your journey. I am going to make clear to BOTH of you; don't try to save the entire city, just help the Silver Guard and rescue as many civilians as you can. We are not fighting their battles, we have bigger things to worry about than that. The two of you MUST return within two days, else I am signing the two of you off as captured or killed. And if the former must be declared, then I will have no choice but to find and kill the both of you, lest we have the enemy know our plans. Also, could you find Kane and bring him back with you, he has too important of a destiny to be killed by a damned vampire at the age of three." All of this Markus said with a steady voice, yet deep down his wavering soul began to ebb, flow and crack. There had been plenty of deaths in this brutal campaign, and many died valiantly and worth of honor; but for Markus, even a disgraceful death would have been a godsend to him. To many, their deaths were painless or regretless, but the Evizil was given no such luck; he was now a shell of heartache, misery and corruption. As more of a plea than an order, Markus locked his gaze on Oz and said "Oz Dienar, Eonarchanus Silverstrike, please live and come back."

With a stern, understanding expression, Oz stared Markus in the eyes and said "Don't worry, we will bring back Kane, you can count on it." Before Markus could say anything else, Oz opened his wings and pushed upwards into the sky, heading south-east towards the Rea. With that as a signal, the blue dragon opened his massive scaled wings, flew up into the air and began to catch up to the dark green broodling.

As the four began to disappear into the brimstone maw of the Dark Range, Markus turned towards Kia and said "Shall we?"

Concern clear across her face, the orange feline replied "Markus, what is wrong today? Ever since Eon woke us up at dawn you've been either thinking deeply to yourself or concerning about matters that don't need to be stressed. Is it something Valecruiz is trying to do to you?"

Looking towards the ashen colored sky of their forsaken realm Markus said "I don't know, I just have a strong feeling I will do something today that will forever cast me into the darkness. What am I suppose to do Kia, just follow the day until I reach that point or do something now to prevent it?"

"You know the answer to that question already, my dear Markus, you have to do what you feel will bring you back into the light. Just remember, every choice has a result we want, it just takes careful planning to reach that result." As she said this, Kia put her left hand on his right shoulder and began to gently trace her way up and down his arm, hoping to sooth the torrent of misery inside her mate. Taking a deep breath and shaking himself, Markus nodded in agreement, took Kia's hand and walked with her down to the camp. As expected, more than half of the men were already up and had begun training with each other, pitting their skills against magic and steel, or even a combination of both, as a way to learn from each other. As the sun's light reflected off of a nearby blade and into Markus's left eye, the Evizil put up his hand and laughed cheerfully as he suddenly recalled his first days as a werewolf. Looking towards his left, the man saw tall, bulky gecko swordmasters laboriously drilling and instructing recruits and privates alike through sparring matches and tactical questions. Realizing he had to cheer himself up somehow, Markus let go of Kia's hand and briskly walked over to one of the sparring matches.

In the dirt traced circle that was the sparring arena, two young men, a dog on the left side and a human on the right side, were hacking away at each other with wooden swords as if they were trying to kill a fly. The dog swung madly at the human, chasing him around and around the arena in hopes he would catch the now horrified young boy. The human continued to make backward dodges, all the while swinging left and right in a sad attempt to parry the dog's blows. While he knew these two were just fresh from their farms or city lives, Markus couldn't help but spit as the two didn't manage to land a single blow on each other, or their swords. Catching the blue gecko swordmaster completely by surprise, Markus asked him "They weren't lying when they said this new batch was fresh were they?"

Keeping his voice calm, yet still shuddering at the mere shock of the Evizil's arrival, the gecko replied "No, these boys are just hitting the age of ten and five. While I'm utterly disgusted by this, it won't really matter if they end up dying by their own hands now will it? Sir, right now, I'm suspecting at least three-fourths of our new troops have never even seen a blade before in their lives, much less wielded one."

With a sure tone in his voice, Markus said "Let me have a go with these two, I might just be able to save their lives."

With a scaly smile, the gecko swordmaster clapped his hands and said "Aha, thank you so much sir. Maggots, listen up; today we have a very special guest here in the sparring arena, our very own Markus Snow. He will be showing you how true combat is done, and you will be forced to fight against him, with wooden weapons of course."

Taking a step towards the two boys, Markus cleared his throat and said to them "I swear on my life I will not break or sprain any part of your body, but I will tell you that by the end of our match, you will most likely be purpled from the neck down. If you can't stand that, then I suggest you leave now with your tails between your legs." For a moment, the four men were completely silent as the human and the dog digested what he had said. When the moment passed, the two rookie soldiers backed into the side of the sparring arena opposite from Markus and drew forth their weapons, an oaken longsword for the human and a shortsword of the same material for the dog. Taking this as a sign that the two had accepted his challenge, Markus removed the sheath that held Velar and picked up two longswords that seemed to be made of a purple wood Markus recognized as Ebonwood. Basic in design, the two swords did not even have a hilt, they were just a grip on the bottom of two rounded "blades." Swinging the two swords around himself in the air, Markus managed to scare the poor soldiers when he had only wanted to get use to the inferior weapons he was now wielding. Once he was finished, Markus let himself smile as he tilted his head back twice, signaling to the young men that he was ready for them. Instantly, the two foes clad in crude steel garments rushed towards the Evizil with their weapons raised high into the air. Using part of his werewolf instincts, Markus gripped his Ebonwood weapons tightly and met the two boys' wooden blades in the air by using reversing his blade and then using an uppercut. The three now gridlocked, Markus dared to move his head closer to the two and say "Rule number one, NEVER raise your blade in the air, you leave yourself open to THIS!" As soon as he said that, the Evizil released himself from the gridlock and made a horizontal swing into the soldiers' stomachs. Even though his blades were made of a simple wood, the force he used to strike at the boys caused the metal armor to ring as the two reeled back in pain and shock. Quickly regaining himself, the dog snarled once and used his strong back legs to leap into the air and prepared a straight downwards swing, aiming right for Markus's head. Cracking his neck in boredom, the white coated Evizil brought up the blade in his right hand and parried the soldier's blade without a second thought. Using the opportunity of the moment, Markus pushed his arm forward and launched the dog into the spot where he had begun his airborne attack. With a calm yet stern voice, Markus said to the boys "Rule number two, charge into the enemy without a plan and you WILL DIE. Also, don't be afraid to assault your enemy with controlled strikes, there is a high chance you can get them to lose their standing and, therefore, end them." With that said the man regained his grip on his right longsword and used his agility to reach the two soldiers within a second. When he knew he had surprise on his side, Markus began to rain blow after blow upon the two, snarling in frustration when they did nothing to stop him. Pushing the rounded ends of the Ebonwood longswords into the boys as if he would be stabbing them, the man pushed the outside of the arena and said "NEVER LET DOWN YOUR WEAPON, EVER!! What you fought with in the garrisons or on your farmlands pales in comparison to what is out here. The Malar are ruthless, they are sinister, they are the masters of guile and swift attacks and if you cannot hold your weapon against weapons going half of their speed, then they will end you swiftly and surely. Now, enter this circle again and this time, use your weapons."

Thoroughly getting his point across to the two, Markus watched as the human and the dog entered the arena once again with their swords raise about chest level. With a nod of approval from the Evizil, the two began their charge against their skilled opponent. Right as Markus was about to swing at them with a horizontal attack, the dog leapt into the air again, while the human ran around behind the man and prepared to strike. Laughing with delight, Markus used his left blade to catch the dog in the air again and reversed his right blade as he shifted that arm behind himself to parry to human's attack. Gently pushing the two away from himself, Markus said "That's it, use each other as well as your blades. You two will be fighting together for, hopefully, a long time and as you learn to fight together, your skills will improve. This was an amazing fight, especially from two fresh recruits such as yourselves. Swordmaster, please see to it that these two are placed in the same unit, as well as rewarded with an extra ration of ale tonight."

Thinking to himself for a moment, the gecko swordmaster replied "Sir, we have none to spare, we only came with so much..."

"Then they will have some of mine. I will personally get it for them, and sir, I appreciate the work you have done training these boys."

Smiling at the compliment, the swordmaster said in response "No...no problem at all Sir, I will see to it that these two are place in the same unit immediately." With a hearth-filled smile in reply, Markus placed the two Ebonwood longswords back onto the rack of weapons where he got them from and picked up Velar off the ground where he had set it before the battle. After reattaching the sheath strap across his white coated chest, Markus was met by Kia sitting on a box of rations with a catty smile wide across her face. When he reached her she jumped at him, welcoming the strong yet gentle embrace of her six foot tall mate.

Snuggling against his chest, Kia said "You really know how to put on a show don't you?"

With a smile, Markus put her down on the ground and replied "It may have looked like a show, but those boys will probably be the best two soldiers in their unit. I have no doubts they will do great things in their lives. But come, I have to find out what tents they sleep in and give them a well earned drink."

****

The harsh winds of the Rea lashing at his face, Eon screamed at the top of his lungs "HOW MUCH FARTHER TO ARCANUS?"

Just barely hearing him, Oz flew right beside the blue dragon carrying Eon and replied "About a month's journey on foot, but if we're lucky we can make it there before midnight."

Letting his anger take over for a moment, Eon returned "Midnight?!? The whole city will be in utter chaos by then. There has to be a way to get there faster."

"I'm sorry Eon, but this is as fast as we can go without being forced to take a break, and if it were to come to that then there would be no way in the seven hells of Rea we would make it today. You're just going to have to deal with it as it is."

With a grunt, Eon said to himself as the wind picked up "How did Markus ever put up with you?" Suddenly spotting an odd path through the mountains on his right, Eon pointed to it and said to Oz and the blue dragon "Where do you think that would lead us?"

A tone of surprise and delight in his voice, the blue said without turning his head towards Eon "That path seems to cut straight through the mountains, and with the way the wind flows through these terrible mountains, I'd say we could double our speed without having to worry about this terrible backwind. Master Oz, I'd have to agree with the young human on this, we should take the valley path."

Contemplating the decision for a moment, Oz responded with "You're right, but we will have to stay in a single file line, the path is too narrow for us to glide side by side. Since you can float easier on this wind than I, you may have the front my friend." With that, the blue dragon dipped sideways out from the clouds and into the spiked domain of the Dark Range. Almost missing the valley, the blue had to barrel roll to his left in order to slip his way into the chasm. Hanging on for his dear life as the giant suddenly turned upside down through the air, Eon screamed to the dragon and his friend "There is a thing we have called COMMUNICATION. Next time, how about we use it to warn each other if we are about to do something that could endanger one of us!?!"

Laughing as he spryly floated behind the blue dragon on the rush of wind blowing through the valley Oz replied "Quit whining like a child with a sore tooth, thanks to the person you're riding on, we may just make it in time to save the Golden City." Realizing the forest green broodling was right, Eon decided to hold his tongue for the rest of the trip. For hours, the three remained airborne in the tight chasm that cut straight through the Rea until finally, the blue said to Eon and Oz "The exit is dead ahead, looks like we will be back in our realm within a couple of seconds." Nodding in understanding, the young human held his grip firmly on the dragon's neck as they passed through the mouth of the valley and were hit with the afternoon rays of the declining sun. As his eyes adjusted to the more bountiful light of his normal realm, Eon could do nothing to keep his jaw from opening. Beneath him and the others, a scar of fire and corrupt soil trailed from another opening in the Rea all the way into the horizon to the south. In a tone of despair, Oz responded to this by saying "We're too late; they have had more than a week's head start. Boy, if you still want to go to the Golden City then know that we will be facing forces the likes of which our realm has never seen before."

Grim determination in his heart, Eon replied "We have to go no matter what; Markus is counting on us to bring back Kane." A nod of approval from the others was all the man needed to know that they were ready to fight for his cause. The air pure and gentle on the dragons' wings, they were able to afford increasing their speed without having to rest or sleep, cutting away hours from their trip until by nightfall, the three had finally made it to the Golden City of Arcanus. At the large main gates, countless Malar, Ifrits, goblins and behemoth creatures Eon had heard of only in fairy tales were assembled; breaking down the massive wooden barrier between them and the city with a large spike headed ram. With each hit of the colossal weapon, the gate creaked and splintered, until finally it had no choice but to give way and collapse into the entrance of the city. Behind the now fallen gate stood hundreds of soldiers, archers, mages and healers; all with their weapons and magics pointed at the Races of the Dark. Silence and fear filling the hearts of both man and beast, it took a single unsteady arrow of an archer to pierce the heart of a goblin and begin the bloody battle. As the small green being slumped onto the floor with its heart impaled by the barbed projectile, a massive tidal wave of bodies flooded through the gate entrance and collided with a large mass that was the army of the Golden City. Blades gridlocked, arrows found their places in the chests and limbs of both demon and hero alike, and bodies began to shrivel away or melt into the ground as sorcery took its hold. Knowing he had to help them, Eon almost jumped straight off of the blue dragon before a scaly hand pulled at the back of his fine leather tunic. Turning around, Oz said "It would help if we weren't fifty feet above the battle before you dropped, foolish boy. I will go off to find Kane and bring him to safety until we are ready to go. Our dragon friend here will try to evacuate the city of as many people as we can. Eonarchanus, I am giving you permission to do whatever you wish in order to help these soldiers, but under NO circumstance are you allowed to be captured, is that understood?"

"Yes, but if you excuse me, I have some demons to fight." With that, Eon jumped off the blue dragon and found himself falling to the ground faster than he had anticipated. Searching around in his mind for anything to help save his life, as well as his limbs, the young man suddenly recalled a spell Markus used to prevent a fall such as this. With unsteady fingers, Eon managed to draw a triangle in the air, hoping it was the correct seal to use to bring up the earth like his friend had not so long ago. Instead, the magics inside him became confused and befuddled at the request with such a low seal, so instead a small block of dirt appeared directly underneath him and with a loud crash, the young man had managed to survive the fall with only a sore back. With the spell complete, the dirt block dissolved into the ground as Eon pulled forth his ashen colored bow and an arrow tipped with a head made from sharpened steel. Turning towards a cluster of Malar, Eon let loose the sharp arrow and watched as it passed through at least three of the blood-loving beings before it finally found a home. The attention of the rest of the cluster now turned to him, Eon almost panicked as eight Malar began to rush at him with their blades and axes raised high. Just as he was about to lose himself, the young man remembered what his archery master in Scycrain taught him when he had proven himself worthy of the bow. With a newfound confidence, Eon pulled forth five arrows, turned his black bow sideways and released the arrows from the string of his bow, each one aiming towards a different Malar. Before waiting for the arrows to reach their mark, the young man pulled forth another set of arrows and released those seconds after the first barrage, and continued this motion over and over again. Soon, the air became palpable with the feathers of arrow shafts and the sharp ends of arrowheads as at least 85 arrows sang their music of death to their master's foes. When his quiver had finally emptied, Eon put his bow on his back and unsheathed his bronze shortsword and turned towards a large, hulking being to his side. This behemoth was clad in leathery grey skin, stood at least fifteen feet tall, wielded a club that appeared to be the trunk of a tree and had a face that was contorted and mashed together to create a primal image of a human visage. Just as he was about to foolishly take on this mammoth of a foe, Rilus and Pridus sprang forth into his mind and said in unison "Not this foe, Bound One, head towards the castle, the enemy has made it past the main force." Turning towards the road that would lead to the Castle district of the Golden City, Eon could already see the large houses made of cobble and wood being burnt to the ground from the inside-out. With a prayer of forgiveness, Eon bolted down the street of burning domiciles towards the Golden Castle of Arcanus.

****

As the clouded light of the sun began to retract into the horizon, Markus, Kia and the rest of the army began heading north-west, towards the Tower of Bone and Skin, where Markus knew he would find the source of his birth and the evil in his world. With tents placed in bags and rations stored in crates, the Races of Light found their traveling across the barren lands light and oddly enough, relaxed. Not a single being moved across the land they walked, not even the evil forces that were abundant in this realm of hatred and shadows. Keeping his pace steady and his heart calm, Markus turned to Kia and said "Kia, where do you suppose the creatures of Forgotten Sorrows have gone?"

With a small smile, Kia returned "I'm guessing your father has them placed inside the confines of Bilamarsh, waiting for us to charge foolishly into his trap."

"While I agree it is foolish, there is only one way into Bilamarsh that will lead us to the Tower of Bone and Skin; through the front gate."

"Then we make it a fight damn worth fighting for, eh?"

Laughing merrily at this, Markus gave Kia a gentle kiss on her left ear and said "You'd better believe it." From out of the horizon, a tiny, thin image appeared, heading straight towards the marching army. Focusing his Evizil sight on the blur, Markus said in surprise "By the gods, its one of us!"

Not understanding what her mate meant, Kia tilted her head forward and realized what the blur was; it was a lone vixen with a face of determination and calmness. She had a coat that reminded Kia of summer cherries, full hips, had breasts no bigger than B cups, sharp, pointed ears with the top part of her right ear bitten off and was donned in a tattered brown cloak that covered her entire body, save her head. The closer she got, the more visible her appearance became, until finally Kia and her mate could tell that her eyes shone with a purple radiance. When she was about three feet from the two of them, she turned her gaze towards Kia, than towards Markus and said "It's been too long, wolf boy."

Suddenly remembering who this mysterious girl was, Markus bowed his head and said "Fiona...I'm sorry I didn't save you back in the Nexus Stalkers' cave."

With a smile, the fox said "It's alright Markus, I saw what happened to you in there and I know you had no choice but to escape then and there. In fact, if you had rescued me, I would have never found the Millar that had taken my carnal knowledge without my permission." As she said this, she pulled a large, bat-shaped skull from her cloak that had been picked clean of any sort of fleshy remains. Once she put it away, she stared at Markus and said "Markus, I've been sent here to kill you."

Lifting his head again, the Evizil replied "What are you talking about? You haven't..."

With a shake of her head, Fiona said "I did not join Uru or his Races of Darkness, but a force you might recognize, Trinity Prophet. And yes, I know what happened to you, Markus Snow, and I know you carry the ex-Sinan Valecruiz of the Void within you. You see, shortly after the Nexus Stalkers left the cave near Crysal, I found myself hopelessly wandering the hundreds of tunnels that crawled throughout the hills. As the hours became days, my body refused to move any longer, and I thought I would surely die there; yet it appears other forces still needed my help. I was met by the shade of a Sinan named Ixus (Ich-sus), who told me that if I were to let her live inside my body and help her end Valecruiz of the Void, she would in turn help me kill the Millar who raped me and finally let me live out my life in peace. Markus draw your weapon or prepare to die here and now." As she finished saying this, Fiona's body began to radiate with a white light as her body began to grow and transform. She grew to a height of eight feet tall; her breasts grew to D cups, her coat changed from a light red to a pure white, the claws on her hands grew slightly and a large blue staff tipped with a blade materialized in her right hand. When Ixus finished her transformation, she looked down at Markus and said with a voice as calm as the wind "For the sake of Illian, please let me put your soul to rest Markus Ealar."

With a voice that was not his own, the Evizil replied "Ixus, I can't let you harm this man, I need him to reclaim my treasure. Do not think that because we were once joined in mateship means that I will not kill you, for those days are long gone for me." With that, the Blood Oath pendant released Valecruiz from its encasement, where he used his dark magics to transform the white coated werewolf into his black, malignant visage. When his form was complete, Valecruiz reached for his wings and pulled them straight out of his upper back, where he then connected them by their bases and watched as they formed his double-bladed scythe Belgagan. Standing at least a foot higher than Ixus, Valecruiz laughed and said "You really thought I would let you kill me without a fight, dear mate?"

With a snarl, Ixus said "Valecruiz, the day you used your powers to kill the Keeper of the Void was the day our mateship ended. Know that I will do everything in my power to end you once and for all!"

"Ixus, I love it when you get riled up, it made sleeping with you all the more enjoyable. But enough about our past, I believe it is the present that should have our full attention." With that said, Valecruiz swung Belgagan around himself once as a way to get use to the feel of his long-time companion. When he finished, the demon's eyes flared once in delight as he disappeared in light trail of black smoke. Suddenly reappearing right in front of the white coated Sinan, Valecruiz began swinging one end of his scythe diagonally, then immediately brought the weapon back up and swung in the opposite direction using the other blade. Living in the moment of battle, the black demon continued this motion over and over and over again, each time increasing the speed in which he brought Belgagan up and swung one of its deadly wing-shaped blades. Desperately trying to stay alive, the white coated Sinan had no choice but to parry the barrage of attacks with her blue staff and as the attacks grew faster, the more obvious it became that she would have to find the upper hand fast. Realizing what Ixus was searching for, Valecruiz abruptly stopped his assault and tripped his ex-mate with the back end of one of the scythe's blades. Her left leg bleeding immensely as it was bitten by the demonic weapon, Ixus was forced onto the ground and stared up as the scythe was about to be plunged straight into her heart. Acting purely on instinct, the Sinan rolled to her right as fast as she could, dodging the fatal blow by a matter of milliseconds. While frustrated that he had missed, Valecruiz pulled his scythe from the ground with ease and swung it once in a horizontal sweep. Hearing blade meet flesh, the demon looked down in disappointment as he only cut through the first few layers of Ixus's stomach, which was now leaving a thin red trail of blood. Snarling at the wound, the Sinan knew she had to attack now or never. Wielding the staff in both hands, Ixus held it so that it was positioned the way a spear would and began to jab forward at the demonic ex-Sinan with fury in her heart. Laughing, Valecruiz simply moved backwards while shifting his body to the left or right depending on which side Ixus was jabbing at. When the tipped staff came for his chest, the demon arched his legs and made a short jump, landing blissfully on the part where the staff connected with the blade. Not bothering to use a complex spell, the demon simply faced his left palm towards the Sinan and laughed as a sphere made from the Void itself came at her. Coming to the conclusion that there was no way she could avoid the incredibly fast magic in time, Ixus lifted her staff to an upright position, sending Valecruiz flying behind her and blocked as much of the Void as she could with her weapon. As the Void and the staff collided, an explosion of black smoke erupted and as it slowly died away, Valecruiz's anticipating eyes sunk low with depression. In the center of the smokescreen, the white Sinan stood tall with only an inch of staff left in her hands; the rest of it was nowhere to be seen. Realizing that his old mate had sacrificed her staff in order to save her life, Valecruiz let out a howl of a laugh and said "Oh Ixus, if you're ready to give up and die now I can most certainly give you that without a moment's hesitation."

Snarling, the white coated Sinan replied "I still have a trick or two up my sleeve you bastard of a mate. Remember that with Fiona as my anchor, I can use any magic I wish."

Sighing with fake sadness, the demon responded with "As you wish dear lover, but you realize two things: 1. our precious Fiona only has so much magic she can dispense, whereas Markus here has all the magic in the world at his fingertips. 2. When you mess with Valecruiz of the Void, death is a certainty." That being said, Valecruiz turned Belgagan horizontally and suddenly pulled it apart at the center. When the demonic weapon became two, both parts began to glow a sinister purple color as they morphed into entirely new forces. The long poles that made them scythes shrank and shifted into sword grips, both donned with black hilts that shaped like tiny bat wings. From the hilts sprouted two obsidian blades that arched slightly, giving them a slight resemblance of a sickle. In the center of the blades a thick red line of blood was found squirming and moving with every motion of the blade, giving off a sense that this blood was forcibly bound to the two demonic weapons. When the swords were complete, the purple glow faded away, causing Valecruiz to say "Meet Vengeance Suddenly, the demon charged forth quicker than any being on Illian and attacked Ixus with two consistent vertical swings. Having no time to think, the Sinan was introduced to a hot searing pain as both of the arched blades sank deeply into her shoulders where by the will of their dark master, they were pulled out through the front with a hard tug. Her arms useless for the time being, Ixus let a tear fall from her eyes as her dark mate stood over her with maleficent intent. Hoping to cast the final blow, the demon swung Vengeance horizontally, aiming for the white coated Sinan's neck. Hoping for some chance of survival, Ixus did a back flip into the air, but as she began to turn right-side up white airborne, she found Valecruiz waiting there. Eyes turning into large saucers as she realized that the swing had just been a decoy, Ixus knew she had lost the battle and had failed her mission. To prove this true, the Sinan saw Valecruiz bring both of the swords together, then swing them horizontally in the opposite direction; both of which were aimed straight for her stomach.

As he was about to finish off his old lover, Valecruiz realized there was one way to make this day more enjoyable. Without a second's notice, the demon quickly returned into the Blood Oath pendant, leaving Markus fully in control and screaming as Vengeance and Sin tore through Ixus's body and cut her in half. As the two demonic blades ripped their way through the beautiful Sinan, blood came forth from the wound and found a home on Markus's face and chest. When he two reached the ground, the Evizil threw away the two swords, raced towards Ixus and sat down on his knees as he supported her head. Letting himself freely release tears, Markus saw the Sinan give Fiona control of her body once again as she was about to leave the mortal plane. Blood draining from her torso quickly, the fox weakly used her left hand to wipe away a tear from Markus's cheek and said "Markus, this isn't your fault. Valecruiz is the one ruining your life and the world, not you. Ixus...Ixus told me that you were always meant to do something good for Illian...not hurt it. Markus...you have to rid yourself of Valecruiz once and for all, otherwise you will only follow the path of Uru...and...and his followers." Lifting herself up as best as she could, Fiona kissed Markus fully on the lips and said playfully "And with a kiss...I die." With that, Fiona's eyes began to glass and her body became limp as her soul slowly drifted from her mortal encasement. Sudden hatred filling his heart, Markus immediately stopped crying and realized the simple truth that had been staring him in the face ever since Valecruiz took control of the Augment: Valecruiz had to be killed before he reclaimed the Crown of Darkness. Staring down at the Blood Oath pendant that was filled with Izilan's blood, the Evizil knew how to rid Illian of the demon once and for all. So with determination and peace in his heart, Markus cupped the pendant in his left hand, put that hand into a fist and began pulling off the pendant.

****

Soot and sweat covering his face, Eon managed to work his way into the Castle District, where he now found himself directly outside of the Golden Castle, waiting and praying for a miracle. Suddenly, to his left the now burning stable that held the entire stock of royal horses collapsed within itself. Feeling a pang of pity for all of the horses that had probably just died inside their blazing cages, Eon let surprise take him as a single horse jumped out from the wreckage. Now standing in front of him, a large black horse with a mane of fire red hair snorted and pawed at the ground as its rider looked down at him with fierce eyes. Looking up, the young man's eyes widened as he saw a tall, skinny man with black hair donned in a full suit of black and gold armor and wielding a warhammer at his side. Not sure what to say, Eon managed to let out "You...you're the mute! So...this is why you laughed at me before?"

A stern look and a clack of his teeth in response, the mute pulled on the reigns and charged the black warhorse straight towards the fray at the city's gates. Finding a new sense of hope, Eon turned to his right and saw a goblin racing towards him with bloodlust in its eyes. Not bothering to engage the tiny green monster, the young man simply held his shortsword like a spear and threw it at the goblin. Satisfied when he heard a loud squishing noise as the blade buried itself deep into the monster's heart, Eon ran to fetch it from the corpse. Pulling at the sword with all of his strength, Eon managed to pull the bronze weapon out of the goblin; yet before he was able to predict it, he was hit straight in the gut with a giant club. Coughing as the wind was knocked straight out of him, Eon thought the last thing he was going to feel was a giant round object bashing his skull to a pulp. Bracing himself for the attack, the young human instead found himself face flat on the ground and a cold beam of ice flowing directly above him. Daring to look up, Eon saw a behemoth creature with a large tree trunk in its hands frozen forever in a block of ice. Turning now to his left, Eon saw Oz on the ground next to him smiling. With a tone of relief, Eon said "Thank the gods you made it, I was about to lose my head, literally."

With a laugh, Oz said "Aye, I can see that for myself young friend. We have Kane and have brought everyone to the back entrance of the city. Eon, we've done all we can to help these people."

Wishing to stay and fight, Eon argued "My ass we have, the whole city is infested with Races of Darkness and we only have so many to fight with. We have a huge fucking dragon here that can turn all of these bastards to ice, so how can you say we've done all we can?"

Pulling himself and Eon up, Oz grabbed the man's collar and replied "Because THIS CITY WAS MEANT TO FALL, EONARCHANUS. Markus knew this from the start, if he hadn't he would have sent every person he could afford to come help. Look, this place was my home far longer than it was yours, so believe me when I say leaving the Golden City to fall is heartbreaking, but for the better of Illian, we must let it happen. Cities and buildings can be rebuilt, heroes can't. Now, either you get on that dragon's back or I will force you to." Knowing there would be no point in fighting any further with the green broodling; Eon walked over to the blue dragon, climbed its side until he found himself on its back and waved a greeting to the young male feline sitting in front of him.

With a heart-filled smile and a laugh, Kane said to Eon "Hi Mister. Lookie what I found. A dragon." At this, Eon couldn't help but laugh as the white feline patted the back of the blue dragon. Suddenly feeling the dragon shift its weight and prepare to lift itself into the air, Eon bent over, covered as much of Kane as he could with his body and wrapped his arms around the dragon's upper back. Moments later, the two found themselves floating in the air, surrounded by the constant motion of wings keeping the blue dragon suspended above ground. As Oz reached them, he pointed towards the south and said "The people are headed towards the small town of Brimble; we'll also find our housing there for the night. Though prepare to wake up early on the morrow, we leave before noon." With that, the four found themselves heading south towards a small town sitting directly on the Great Scar.

Sure enough, as Oz and Eon entered the small inn in Brimble, with their dragon companion fleeing to a nearby cave, they were greeted by a short, fat man with a moustache that shot out past his face and curled. With a jolly laugh and a smile, the man said "Ahh, more of ya from The City? Don't worry a bit, old Deseric may just have a place for ya," after searching through a large folder of papers he carried with him, Deseric laughed again and continued to say "Ayep, it appears ya be in luck lads, two rooms open on the second floor, and don't worry about payin', a kind man told me 'bout the stuff going on there and the night is on me."

Grateful to the kind fat innkeeper, Eon clapped him on the shoulder and entered the rest of the inn. In the far right side of the main room, a large hearth was found blazing high into the roof, the flames inside trying to lick the red stone chimney of its air. At least five tables were scattered all across the room, each populated by a circle of six occupied seats. On the side opposite of the hearth stood the barkeep ready for anyone looking for ale or simple drink. All around the room, Deseric was found flipping through his book and checking in on how the various dogs, geckos, dwarves, humans, felines and rabbits alike were enjoying their stay. Laughing once, Eon crossed the large room, not without being invited to a table or two, and made his way up the stairs to the rooms. When he made it to the top, the young man saw that on each door, a large red sign that said "Used" was hung on the doorknob, save for the two rooms directly next to the stairway. Just as he was about to open the door, a small, smooth hand touched his and tried turning the knob with him. Shocked, Eon pulled back and said "Whoa, sorry but the room's been taken." Looking to where the hand came from, Eon saw a tall black coated canine girl with large olive eyes stare back at him.

Suddenly blushing, the woman pulled her hand back also and said in a voice laced with honey "My apologies, but I knew this room was taken, I was hoping to know who was the one taking it however..." At that point, the canine grew silent and stared down at her C cup breasts through the brown dress she was wearing.

Waving his hand, Eon said calmly "Well...that would be me, but may I ask why you wanted to know?"

Looking back to meet Eon's gaze again, the canine said nervously "I heard that the person staying here was Eonarchanus Silverstrike and I wanted to meet him personally..." Again, the girl grew silent, except this time she tried her best, but failed, to hide the dark red spots spreading across her cheeks.

Surprised, Eon asked "Why would you want to meet me? I'm not really that special, Markus is the one you'd want to talk to if you wanted someone special."

Shaking her head, the woman said with a smile growing across her muzzle "I'm sure any woman would like to meet "The White Wolf", I just can't find him interesting. While he has looks, strength, smarts and heart, that man just wasn't made for a simple girl like me. Besides, he already has a mate, and I know how Evizil get when it comes to sex when they have a mate. But you, Eon, save your pretty silver eyes and your white hair, you look normal, like someone who wouldn't mind showing a simple girl like myself a night in the famous Brimble Inn." Twirling her index finger through her rich black hair, the canine blushed even deeper, but couldn't help but keep the smile on her muzzle.

At this, Eon was shocked, in his entire lifetime, Eon had been the one who had to wile the women into liking him, but now she was trying to do just that to him. And for that brief instant, the war slipped away like sand through open fingers and with a smile, Eon opened the door, extended his arm into the room and said "Ms..."

"Talho"

"Ms. Talho, I would be honored if you were to stay with me tonight..."

And just like that, the young man found himself pinning Talho against one of the walls that made for the entrance to the room while being engaged in a long passionate kiss. With his left foot, Eon reached around towards the door and kicked it shut, while using his nimble hands to undo the canine's brown dress. Wanting this even more than he did, Talho simple began to shred the center of her long gown until her breasts flared out, which were already ripe with pleasure. Taking his chance, the human kept the woman to the wall as he let his mouth slowly drift from hers all the way to her left breast, which he immediately began to massage and harden with his teeth and his tongue. When he began to lick the outer ring of Talho's nipple, Eon was surprised to feel a light trail of milk splash onto his cheek and begin to run down onto the floor. Realizing what this meant, the human took no time to exploit this by licking her right nipple once and follow that by gently sucking on it until he began to feel the rich, creamy substance crawl down the back of his throat. Letting out a woof of delight, Talho lifted up the bottom of her dress to reveal that she had absolutely nothing on underneath, not to mention she was not wetting the floor with small traces of juices that were escaping from her anxious sex. A slight pang of pity ringing throughout his body, Eon decided to fulfill her pleasure over his. So with a quick moment, the human quickly unlaced the brown leather leggings he had been wearing and removed those, along with his underwear, and dropped them onto the floor. With a nearly raging manhood, Eon quickly pushed his body against Talho's and inserted himself inside her dripping sex, causing the canine to release a moan of gratitude. With her back against the wall, Talho knew she wouldn't need to worry about moving too much, but just to make sure, she locked her legs tightly across Eon's back as he pulled back slightly and rammed full force into her. Letting out a yelp of shock and pleasure, the canine woman let her eyes flutter slightly as she felt her lover's manhood grow slightly more while inside her. Lost in her own pleasure, Talho barely realized that Eon had continued this motion at least three times, each time his manhood grew even more. When it was finally at its peak and throbbing inside her, Talho took her chance and decided to use Eon's manhood to its maximum potential. Without a second's notice, she pushed herself from the wall and began gently lifting herself from the raging manhood, only to plummet back onto it with its full force taking over her. Letting out another woof of pleasure, Talho began to do this over and over and over again, each time picking herself up even higher and letting herself drop faster than before. Finally, the two found a speed they could adjust to, and when they found that, the two worked together to pleasure the other. Letting Talho lift herself, Eon pushed himself slightly upwards every time she came back down, allowing his manhood to push slightly farther into her sex, filling the canine with more pleasure than each motion before that one. For a few minutes, the two continued this method until both Talho and Eon had released their 3 orgasm. Completely worn out, Talho released the grip on her legs, let her feet touch the ground and finally pulled herself away from the coaxing throbs of her lover's manhood. Releasing a deep breath, the canine said "So how was that for a simple girl?"

Placing his forehead on hers, Eon replied "Wonderful."

****

When his hand was fully cupped around the pendant, Markus began to pull with all of his might, praying and hoping the pendant would give. Instead, the Evizil was rewarded with a searing hot pain in the back of his neck as he realized Valecruiz had infused the pendant to his body. Letting himself recuperate after the pain started to ebb away, Markus heard the demon enter his mind and say 'Now what, may I ask, are you trying to do?'

With a quick snort, Markus replied 'Simple, I'm ending this here and now.'

'And just how do you plan on doing that when your Blood Oath pendant is bound to your skin?'

With a sadistic laugh, Markus answered 'Simple, one of us has to give.' With that, Markus grabbed the pendant again and began pulling with everything he had. Instantly, the sharp pain in his neck returned and began increasing tenfold with every second that passed while the necklace remained attached to him. But as the pain increased, the Evizil could feel the chain inside of his neck begin to tear itself apart.

With a tone thick with anger, Valecruiz began to say 'Stop this madness Markus, you need me to kill Uru, all I ever asked was for the Crown of Darkness. It's a fair deal, my friend.'

'FAIR DEAL?!? You have forced me to kill countless innocents, hurt my friends and most importantly, you have made me kill my brother and the last Sinan. No Valecruiz, today is the day where you are finally removed from Illian, forever!!' As he thought this, Markus began to pull even harder on the necklace, causing the pain in the back of his neck to spike a hundredfold and him to release a loud whimper. Yet no matter how much the physical pain burned him, he could never forget the pain Valecruiz caused him since the day he first possessed Markus in Arcanus almost three years ago. With this realization, Markus cupped the hand holding the pendant inside his other hand and with everything he had, the chain broke free. As the metal shattered inside his neck, a feeling of being pierced by thousands of silver arrows filled each and every pore of his body, causing him to keel over and scream in agony. When he sensed Kia's presence hovering over him, Markus managed to sit up, despite the torrent of suffering lashing out at his body. Pulling out Velar from the sheath on his back, Markus managed to say "You...bastard...I hope...Rea will find have a hell...FIT FOR A KING!!" This being said, Markus flipped Velar so that its blade was facing the ground and stabbed the purple Blood Oath pendant straight in the center of its lustrous jewel. Instantly, the pendant fell to the power of the blue longsword and had no choice but to be destroyed. As the jewel shattered, the black energies that made Valecruiz who he was came forth as a spiraling tower of physical magic heading straight for the dusk-filled clouds of Forgotten Sorrows. Screaming in agony and disappointment, Valecruiz said to anyone who could hear him "SO CLOSE...I WAS SO CLOSE!!!" Yet, soon the spiraling magics emptied from the broken jewel and found their place in the deepest pits of the seven hells of Rea for all eternity.

Now that his brother, Fiona and all of the innocents who had died by the demon's hands avenged, Markus let the still raging pain in his body take his consciousness as it filled his head.