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Not sure if this worked but you guys should now be able to post comments. Sorry for the delay. And if it worked I would like to take a bow to Toumal. Same as last time these characters are mine and any similarities with other chars is purely coincidence. And the scotty is supposed to talke like that it is part of his accent. Enjoy ##### Avatar Ch.1 ##### by Mangy Mutt Two figures sat alone at a table in the back of the bar. They were barely noticed amid the jumble of drunken commoners. Tables creaked as the inhabitants banged against them while waiting for their drinks. Most of them would make passing grabs for the waitress's rear ends, and most of them were met with a slap across the face. But the two figures in the back were here for a different reason. One of them was scanning through the crowds. It was a velvet-furred wolf; his quick emerald eyes could hardly be seen, as they were hidden behind his long crimson hair. He was exceedingly tall although you could not tell from the way he was sitting, and quite well built to say the least. His attire differed a bit from the rest of the crowd: a dark red tunic with foreign markings covering his torso, and black pants, which blended in completely with the shadows. Many pouches and compartments covered the length of his thick leather belt. Possibly the most pronounced feature of his garments was the long ebony scarf tied around his neck with the long sash from it going down to his feet. The other figure that seemed to be in heated conversation with an attractive vixen was a shaggy gray scottish terrier. His clothing was rather odd to say the least. A green and red plaid hat covered his head and a ruffled white shirt covered his broad chest. A long plaid strap went over his shoulder and down to his kilt, which matched his hat. He stroked his mustache as his one good eye roved about, for the other eye was covered with a black patch. A short otter with a pointed hat roamed through the crowd. His eyes shifted around nervously as he made his way towards the door. The wolf tapped the scotty on the shoulder. "Hold on a wee sec lass," the scotty told the vixen in his northern accented voice as he reluctantly swung over to face the wolf. "What the hell do ye want? Can ye no' see that ah am busy?" The wolf pointed and the scotty followed his hand and spotted the otter. "Is that the scoundrel?" The wolf opened his nostrils and inhaled deeply. "Yeah that's him alright. I recognize the smell." "Great go an' git him," the scotty mumbled. "What? I got the last one." "If ye have no' noticed ah am a wee bit occupied at the moment." He motioned towards the vixen. "Quit being a lazy ass and go get him before he leaves. It's your fault we are in this situation anyway. " "As much as ah loove a braw fight lad, ah will no' be stirred from mah seat. An' by what ye said this one will be too weak tae give mae a challenge." "Will you just get up and go handle it." "Why don' we flip a coin tae decide?" "Flip a coin? Why the hell do you think we are here? We spent the last bit of our gold on these drinks." The scotty put his hand up and stroked his chin as if in deep thought. Then he quickly tapped his foot paw against one of the table legs and sent the wolf's drink falling to the ground. Fast as lightning the wolf got up from the table and shot his hand out catching the drink in mid air. "Well, now that yore oop ye might as well get the blaggard." The scotty chuckled. The velvet wolf grumbled as he began to walk towards the entrance to the bar. He downed his drink in one gulp and dropped the glass. He turned and sunk into northern dialect to match the scotty's. "If a braw fight it comes tae then ye will have missed oot." The Scotty laughed as he turned and continued his conversation with the vixen as the wolf irritably made his way out of the bar. Outside the bar it was quite silent. The blinders of all the buildings were shut for the night. Shadows from the buildings cast a dull look upon the area. The wolf looked to his left and spotted the otter strolling down a dark path. He stuck to the shadows as to not reveal his presence too soon. He would have to wait until this fur was a good distance from civilians, for this could get messy. The otter began to walk more confidently. No more traces of his nervous demeanor as he trotted down the road. The wolf decided that they were now a fair distance away from the groups. He slinked out of the shadows to confront the otter. The otter simply stared at him warily. "Who are you?" The wolf began to approach the otter. "Your worth a lot of money Hrakor, at least seven full bags of gold." The otter became more cautious as he stared down the wolf. "I believe you have mistaken me for some one else sir." The wolf sniffed the air again. "No I'm certain. You smell of demon. And by your stench I would say the body you are using has been dead for about...four days, I would think. So why don't you just make it quick and show your true form. I haven't got all damn day" The otter stalled for a bit but then his body began to stretch. His eyes rolled back in his head and his skin seemed to peel off. A dull mist seeped from a tear in his forehead and began to take shape as the otter skin fell to the ground like a dried up husk. The smoke finally took form as eight massive claws erupted from it. It was an arsist, or a spider demon to make it simple. The black and red markings covered the length of the massive abdomen and the pincers at its mouth clicked together audibly. Its six golden eyes glared hatred at the wolf as the arsist stood to its full size. It towered over most of the buildings and made the wolf look puny in comparison. The wolf merely looked on unafraid. "Not very impressive. I've seen bigger, so don't expect your size to scare me." The arsist clicked its pincers together loudly as it yelled. "Leave mortal I have urgent matters to attend to. If you do not go I will feast upon your lifeless corpse." "I would love to sit here and chat with you but I have things to do. So can we just speed this up?" "Arrogant fool," the arsist hissed angrily as it brought one of its massive clawed legs crashing down. The wolf jumped back as the claw came crashing into the floor making debris fly in every direction and the earth tremble. The arsist brought a second claw down towards him to follow the second. This time the wolf waited for the claw to land and leapt on to it. He began running up the claw towards the head of the massive beast. Just when he was about to reach it the creature opened its giant mandibles and spat a steaming stream of green liquid at him. The wolf jumped from the leg just in time as the liquid landed where he had been a second earlier. The liquid did nothing to the armored flesh of the arsist, but as soon as it hit the ground it made loud hisses as it burned large holes in everything else it touched. The wolf rolled as he hit the ground and regained his footing. He turned to face the threat. He pulled both of his hands together in a weird motion. There was a bright flash and the wolf's body multiplied into five similar forms. Each of them began running towards the arsist. The giant demon had a hard time attacking as it spat in every direction trying to hit each of the wolves advancing upon him. All five wolves dodged the acidy streams as they ran towards the creature with increasing speed. In a synchronized motion all of them leapt towards the spider demon's head as it continued its attack. The arsist hissed angrily as the five forms landed upon its segmented body. It flailed its claws about smashing buildings and destroying everything in its surrounding. Once the five forms landed atop the arsist they all converged back into one. The red wolf quickly made his way to the top of the demon's head. Once he reached it the beast let out a loud screech as it launched its entire body into the air. The wolf rolled down to the demons back as it flew through the air. The giant creature flipped its body around and brought its back crashing down into a building in hopes to crush the wolf. The structures around it also collapsed as the humungous bulk smashed into it. The arsist cackled as it began to pick itself up. "Foolish mortal, thinking he could possibly kill me. I should find the body though, this fight has stirred my hunger and he shall make a fine meal." The demon squealed in surprise as its entire body was suddenly lifted into the air. The wolf grunted with exertion as he lifted the massive bulk over his head. He flung the giant creature from him sending it crashing into the pavement. The arsist righted itself up with each of is legs working madly and began to back away from the wolf cautiously as it clicked its pincers in an excited manner. "Your strength! How...how could you have possibly lifted me? You...you are not mortal? You can't be," it hissed. A cold laugh escaped the wolf as he reached behind him to draw his sword from its sheath. He drew forth a long katana. The razor sharp edge of the deadly curved blade glinted in the moonlight. He ran straight for the creature while holding his blade outstretched. The massive demon brought two claws down to stop its antagonist. But it squealed in dismay as both of its claws were cut off by the wolf's deadly blade. The green blood sprayed out from its wounded legs splattering over the ground. The loss of two of its legs caused it to topple over. The wolf not wasting anytime leapt into the air and landed right on top of the arsist. He brought his blade stabbing down into its head once, twice and then the creature let a loud gasp as its life slowly faded away. The wolf lifted his blade from the head of the beast when he heard a voice shout from behind him. "No you idiot," the voice yelled. He turned around to see a figure advancing towards him. The one who shouted was an ebony furred female wolf. Her fur held a light sheen as it reflected the light from the moon. Her gray cloak swished behind her as she stormed towards him angrily. Her blue eyes glared at him from behind her veils of light blue hair. He hopped down from the top of the demon's head to confront her. The jet-black wolf leaned on her tiptoes to try and make herself look menacing as she addressed him. "Why the hell did you kill that thing? I was tailing him. He was going to meet up with some other demons and pass valuable information. But no! You have to come flashing in and kill him," she huffed out. He looked down at the female emotionlessly. He bowed low to her. "Sorry m'lady but I do believe I got to the demon first. Now forgive me if I interrupted your dealings with him but if you had claims to the beast you should have dealt with him already." Her face was indignant, and she was about to make a response but turned to face a loud rumbling sound. Advancing upon them were large groups of demons. Some were small with pincers clicking angrily as they approached, while others were as massive as trucks stomping their claws during their charge. Others were the same size as the furs and wielded all assortments of odd mangled weapons. They all howled their rage as the mass jumble of tendrils and claws and razor sharp teeth made their way towards them. The female wolf raised her arms in fighting position. "If we can manage to hold them off for awhile we might be able to make a run for it." The red wolf laughed coldly. "Run from these weaklings? Hah, these demons coming are the lowest of the low. Just because they are large in size does not make them great in power." He swung his blade in anticipation. "Although I hate it. I'll have to get him. Moggy would never forgive me if there was a fight and I didn't alert him to it." The wolf let out a loud whistle that seemingly echoed around the buildings. "I think the actual danger of the situation eludes you. Either that or you're a damn lunatic," the female wolf shouted to him. The demons were almost upon them when the scotty ran up and stood beside him. The wolf stared him down disapprovingly. "Hope I didn't disturb you from your chat with that vixen," he remarked sarcastically. The scotty shook his head. "Nay, think nothin' o' it. It turns oot that the wee lass already had a mate. Ye saved mae from havin' to fight wi' the bastard. So tell mah Zero, why have ye called mah here?" Zero pointed towards the demons running towards them. "Well Moggy it seems we have a fight on our hands. I could have handled them without your help, but I know you would be brooding for a couple of days if you missed a chance to kill something." The Scotty laughed causing his moustache to flap as he looked towards the demons that were just now only a few feet away from them. "Ye call this a fight? Och, these be the weakest beasties of the lot. But they should serve tae put oop a decent scrap ah'd reckon." He turned to face the demons while drawing forth his broadsword. He yelled his battle cry while slamming his sword against the ground. The ground split and quaked as an enormous shockwave flew from his blade sending the demons flying back. Zero and the scotty both ran about slashing their blades into demon flesh. Their swords became two swinging vortexes of death as they swung them back and forth in their path of destruction. Zero turned to the Scotty who was in the middle of stabbing his blade through a beast's head. "Moggy, I can handle this area. But the girl might need some help. Go cover her." But he didn't realize how wrong he was. He was surprised at what happened when some dark creatures with long scythe-like hands descended upon the female wolf. She drew forth a thin saber to meet their advance. Her blade flashed back and forth parrying and thrusting against their weapons with ease. Moggy laughed. "Looks to mae that yon lass can defend herself." He turned back to the red wolf and looked up. "Zero, ye may want tae scooch a wee bit tae the left, unless ye want tae be nothin' but a smear upon the ground." The wolf glanced above him and saw an enormous clawed foot coming down. He immediately multiplied his body to five separate forms again as they all jumped out of the way. Three of the wolves leapt high into the air to attack the wooly beast that had just stomped its foot down, while the other two flanked around the scotty and helped him dispatch of some serpentine demons who had managed to squeeze through. The creatures regrouped as they noticed that their numbers were slowly degrading. After they formed together they mounted another charge. There was a loud crash as the wooly beast fell to the earth showering blood from its body. The five wolves collected back together into one being. He then ran towards the scotty who was backed into a corner by a group of the creatures. Moggy held his hand forth. A red glow surrounded his hand as it began to gather heat. A spark of energy rotated around his hand with a loud hiss. An explosive burst of flame emitted from it with a loud bang. Body parts showered in every direction as the demons were blown to bits. "Ye varmints will have tae do better then that if ye wish to kill mae!" "Moggy," Zero yelled as he sliced through two demons with an audible hiss to get to the scotty. "Moggy the things are mounting a charge, you hold them off from entering into the city. We don't want any casualties. Just keep them occupied, I'm going to end this." The scotty nodded and ran up to meet the charge of all the creatures. The female wolf joined him as they both fought off the dark creatures advance. Moggy held his hand out with his sword level with his shoulder. His sword arm was suddenly surrounded by a blue aura. Extra limbs erupted from his side as his one arm split into six, each one holding a broad sword. His six arms slashed back and forth cutting through the demon hordes in a frenzied motion with each arm working in unison. Zero concentrated as a golden glow surrounded his body. His feet left the ground for a second as he kicked up dust with a quick explosive burst of speed escaping from him. He ran through the demons at such speed that they could barely see him moving through their masses. Time seemed to slow down around him as he charged past the smaller demons until he spotted his target, a large six-legged demon that resembled a moving whale. Long tusks extended from the sides of its lips and a great horn protruded from the base of its skull. Green scales covered the length of its massive body. Its mouth gnashed together containing rows upon rows of saw-like teeth. Zero stopped and lunged into the air. He flew straight towards the creature's legs, each one as long and thick around a tree trunk. He brought his blade slicing through one of its front legs with a flash. The creature wailed in pain as it leg was reduced to a bloody stump. It began to fall over for its weight was so great that without all six limbs it could not support its massive bulk. As it fell everything else seemed to pause. Even the demons stopped their charge to look upon the great titanic mass falling down towards them. They all scattered to get out of the way, but it was to no avail. The creature came crashing down upon them. It made the entire earth tremble with a massive thud as the beast fell immediately destroying all the smaller demons under its weight. Moggy hooted with laughter as the wolf came padding back. "'Twas a mighty braw display ye jus' put on mate." Zero spoke while matching his accent to the scotty's. "Ha, It was, was it not? But yon demons were not the type we be used tae, eh Moggy? The scotty shook his shaggy head. "Nay. These assholes be pushovers compared to the ones we face back home." "Ahem." They both looked over towards the female wolf. "I do not wish to wait around to argue with the townsfolk so can we hurry it up a bit?" She was indeed right for lamps were lighting up all around and shouts were coming from all the wrecked houses. The residents of the town would of course be infuriated as to why half of their town had been destroyed. "If you have no where to stay you can come with me. Besides, I would like to know why two trolu are all the way out here," The dark wolf remarked while raising an eyebrow. Zero turned to her sharply. "How did you know that we are trolu?" "It's quite obvious. You use spell magic and it is all to clear that you are not from around these parts." "Tis a shame that we will no' be able tae collect the money for that arsist ye vanquished. But ah must agree with the lass. Ah am not obliged to waitin' around here either, so can we no' get a move on?" Moggy grumbled as he wiped the blood from his blade. "How is it that you communicate with him," she turned to ask Zero. "I can only make out snatches of what he is saying." Moggy glared at her. "Ah would oblige ye tae no' chastise the way ah speak missy. Ah am in nae mood tae listen tae yore damn questions." "You get used to it after awhile," Zero said while sheathing his katana. They were all making their way out to the town's limits when there was a roar behind them. One demon had survived the crash. The left side of its body was hideously maimed, but it still ran towards them with a jagged sword in hand. It clawed feet smacked upon the pavement with each step it took. It lunged straight for the female wolf. "Look out," Zero yelled as he pushed her out of the way. He had managed to get her out of the way in time, but not enough to protect himself. The jagged blade ran him through, going straight into his gut. He winced as the weapon penetrated his flesh. He recovered from it and grabbed the demon by its throat. He snarled as he ripped the beast's head clear from its shoulders. The demon fell to the ground, and the gnarled stump where its head had once resided began spouting black blood, which stained the ground. "Shit," Zero grunted as he pulled the blade from his body. The female wolf kneeled to help him. "You have been wounded let me help." He waved her off. "I'll be fine." He held a hand to his wound to staunch the warm blood that was now staining his shirt. "Fine? You should be in tremendous pain. That thing's blade went all the way through. There is no way it didn't pierce anything vital," she spouted as she tried to tend to his wound. "What be the problem lassy?" Moggy came padding up to both of them. "He was stabbed. If we don't hurry he will probably die." Moggy glanced down towards the wolf. He reached down and pulled the red wolf up and pulled his arm around his shoulder. "Ye go on ahead. Ah will carry him and follow ye." The female wolf stood up her face full of concern but then nodded and took the lead as they trotted slowly out of the city. Moggy stayed a little way behind them as he carried Zero with him. "That was close mate." Zero pulled his arm from around the scotty's neck and began walking as if he had not been wounded at all. "Thanks for covering for me Moggy. Don't need complete strangers knowing." He grunted as he felt his wound slowly begin to heal itself and close. Moggy laughed. "Nay, no' a problem a-tall mate. Seems that ye are always gettin' wounded for some reason or anither. Ah bet it must get annoyin' repairin' all those shirts." They both laughed at the joke. "But tell me Zero, did that stab actually hurt ye or 'twas that all an act." Zero grimaced as he felt his wound completely close. "No, there was a little pain but nothing excruciating. It actually hurts more when it heals." His face became serious as he began hunching over when the female wolf looked back at him. When she looked back ahead of her he stood up straight again. "And don't tell her Moggy. I don't think it would really help the situation if she knew what I am." Moggy became serious too. "Mah lips are sealed mate. But she will be a mite bit suspicious as to why ye have nae wound." "I'll just tell her I healed it over with magic." "Ay, ah reckon that would be the best answer." They both followed the black wolf and the as they made there way towards the dark forest outside the town limits. The crunch of their feet trudging on the cold ground was the only sound that could be heard as they entered the foreboding mass of foliage. * * * * * As they entered the forest a faint glow peeked from behind all the trees. They soon entered a large clearing between the dark trees. There were two large tents put up alongside one another and a roaring fire sat in the middle of the clearing. The flames licked and crackled as they illuminated the area with wisps of smoke floating from it every now and then. Sitting next to the fire warming herself was a golden furred collie. Her blonde hair came down to her shoulders circling her neck and her autumn brown eyes stared into the flame intently. Her red cloak was wrapped tightly around her body for warmth from the cold night. When she heard them approach she quickly picked up a bow and fitted an arrow to it as she turned to face them. "No Kiari wait," The black wolf yelled. But the collie had already let the arrow fly. The arrow zipped straight towards Zero's face with incredible speed. He casually lifted his hand and caught the arrow just before it had a chance to impale him. "Kiari put your weapon away they are with me." The collie put the weapon down as the female wolf ran over to Zero. "Are you alright? Having to move like that must have made your wound worse, let me-." She stopped as she saw the area where Zero's stab wound should have been. "I used my magic to heal it," Zero lied. She nodded and blushed with embarrassment for having been so startled. "Please excuse Kiari for attacking. She is edgy around strangers." Moggy scoffed. "Edgy mah ass. Damned if the lass did no' almost put yon arrow right through his skull." "It's quite alright, I'm not exactly used to warm welcomes," Zero said while dropping the arrow. "Please forgive me for firing. I thought you were enemies," The collie said apologetically. The female wolf shuffled over to sit down by the fire and soon Zero and Moggy went to join them. "I think Introductions are in order," The female wolf announced as the glow of the fire reflected off her face. "I am Lukara." She then pointed to the collie, "and that is Kiari. "So," she said while turning back to face them. "I believe I already know your name," she mentioned as her gaze fell upon the red wolf. "I heard your partner say it earlier. It is Zero if I am not mistaken." "My full title is Zero Kindarus," he responded. "And what is the name of your friend here?" The Scotty bowed low while standing near the flame. "Ah am Moggolius Patrick Rikesfield McCraggen. But ye can call mae Moggy for short." As he leaned the tip of his hat caught a stray spark from the fire. Soft giggles could be heard coming from the collie as Moggy cursed while fanning his hat to put the fire out. "So to answer my question why is it that two trolu are all the way out here? I thought trolu barely ever left the mountain. It is quite unusual for them to be out here where demon attacks are sparse and few." Lukara looked to them inquisitively. Zero shrugged. "It no big secret really. We left osiris mountain to go and take care of some of the more powerful demons down in the south. They had managed to slip past our army during a raid. But while we were there someone spent all of our remaining gold gambling." He looked purposefully towards Moggy. "So we have had to do some odd tasks to make money while making our way back to the mountain. But tell me, why is it that you were so obligated to trail that arsist that I killed earlier?" "No Lukara, do not tell them! It will jeopardize our quest," the collie yelled suddenly. "No Kiari. I believe these two can help us. They have much more experience with demons than we do." Lukara took a deep breath and continued as she turned to face the two warriors. "You see we were trailing that demon to try and get some information. There is something happening amongst the demons, something massive. How do we know you might ask? Well you might not believe it but Kiari here is blessed with the inner sight. She sees visions from time to time. And almost every single one has always been correct. Every time she has a vision whatever she has seen almost always comes to pass." "I do no doubt that. Magical abilities have been known to have be bestowed upon unusual beings or subjects," Zero spoke while looking in the collie's direction. "Three months ago she had a vision. Buy this one was different from the others. She was screaming the whole time. When I finally managed to console her she was shaking uncontrollably." She looked over at the collie sadly. "Kiari, tell them what you saw." The collie stood up reluctantly. After awhile she finally opened her mouth to speak. "I saw death. All of the lands of salandra had been burned to putrid burning ash. Bodies lay strewn across the ground sitting in pools of blood, their faces gnarled in ghastly appearances." She stopped for a few seconds as her voice began to become shaky. After she settled she continued again. "There were endless armies of dark creatures marching through the area. They swarmed through the lands killing and maiming all in their path. Women, children none escaped them. But it was not the creatures that were to be feared; it was the figure leading them. Its head must have touched the sky for its size was unreal. The earth trembled under its every titanic step. Its eyes were made of pure flame. It annihilated everything in torrents of flame and earth. And its name, even though I had never heard the name it still chilled me to the bone to hear it. Its name was Tresanix. Both Zero and Moggy's eyes shot wide open in alert. Zero brought his eyes staring deeply into hers. "Kiari, now are you sure that was the name." "Yes I am sure. Why?" Zero sighed. "If that name you spoke is true then I fear that we are in store for destruction of which the lands of salandra has never seen." "Who is this Tresanix? And why would his arrival mean such peril? Surely the trolu could manage to stop him?" "No," Zero shook his head. "There is a story of a battle long ago, a battle that shaped the very lands of salandra. The battle was fought between two gods. The names of those two gods were Irollus and Tresanix, and these two gods were brothers. The battle was said to have been provoked by the creation of mortals. When the wolves, foxes, and all other sentient beings were created, a conflict broke out between the two gods. It was said to have been Irollus who created mortals. He let them live their lives free and without danger. He truly cherished his new creations. But Tresanix became jealous. He sent lightning and massive storms to wipe the mortals clear from the face of the planet. When Irollus saw the attempt to destroy his creations he became enraged. He flew and commenced battle with Tresanix. When they clashed the very heavens shook, and as they fought the earth rumbled and flaming comets rained down from the sky. Their battle was said to have lasted six months. But in the end it was Irollus who emerged victorious. He used his power to seal Tresanix within the very planet itself." "But even though Tresanix was defeated and confined he would not keep that from letting him get his revenge. It was within the very bowels of the earth that he created a second race of beings, the demons. This was supposedly the very birth of all demons. He had created the creatures to take revenge on his brother and slay all the mortals that now walked the earth. The demons emerged from the earth and began slaying the mortals. But Irollus would not be bested. He created new beings. They did not differ in appearance from mortals, but they had an attribute that no other mortal had, they could use magic. He had bestowed a fraction of his own power upon each of the beings. And he named the beings trolu. This is how the trolu order came into existence. The trolu went forth to slay the demons. Their battles were hard and fierce but they finally managed to push the demons back into the netherlands from whence they came. But Irollus knew that the demons would keep attacking as long as mortals existed. So he descended his massive hand from the sky and touched the earth with two fingers. Where his fingers touched a massive mountain erupted forth. This was said to have been the creation of osiris mountain which still looms to this very day. Irollus brought his massive form down from the heavens to speak with the trolu. He charged them with the task of defending the lands from the demons and any other threat that may emerge, and that they would reside on the mountain to carry out this task. He told them that they were to be the protectors of peace and life. And with that Irollus was said to have ascended into the heavens never to be seen again." After Zero finished a deathly hush had fallen around the camp. All of them were too afraid to speak. But it was Lukara who finally broke the silence. "But surely this is all myth? This Tresanix is surely just some story character," she said with a glimmer of hope. "No," Zero said once again. "Tresanix is as real as you and me. This story is legend among us trolu. We all know it to be fact. And if your friend's vision here is true we must immediately alert those in high authority." "Ha," Lukara laughed bitterly. "We tried that. We went to the city of Yumin to talk to the council. They laughed and told us that they would not be concerned with mere fairy tales. That's why we were tracking that demon you killed. We knew it might have information that we could use to prove our story to the council." "Then we shall take this to others in authority. We will take this to the highest leaders of the trolu. Surely they will listen to news as urgent as this. That is if you wouldn't mind accompanying us back to the mountain," Zero said while looking them over. Kiari stood to answer. "If that is what we must do then so be it. The death I have seen should never come to pass. We must stop it no matter what. And I do not know if this will help but there is one more figure I remember from my vision. He plays a key role in the outcome of all of this. I believe his name was Rain." Zero turned to look at her in an instant. The calm had immediately left his eyes to be replaced by searing flames of hate. His eyes became slits as he glared at the collie. He balled his hands into fists as he stood. Lukara was surprised by the sudden burst of anger coming from the usually calm wolf. "Who is Rain?" Zero did not answer he merely began walking away from them. "Do no' mind him. But if ah were ye ah would be careful tae mention' that there name around him," Moggy told her sternly. "Why? Who is this Rain?" Moggy shook his shaggy head. "Sorry lass tis not mah place to say. Ye must be tired, ye should get some sleep." He turned and began making his way after the wolf. Lukara looked after them for a while longer. She then turned to see her companions retreating to their tents. She shrugged and walked over to put out the fire. When the flame finally died out she turned to walk to her own tent as fatigue began to overtake her. Darkness shrouded the entire clearing. The shadows covered the ground like a thick blanket. The two tents held no activity within them. Two figures sat in the high branches of one of the trees surveying the area. "So do ye think that yon lass's vision be fact?" Moggy asked with a long pipe protruding from his mouth. He brought his magic to his hand and a light flame erupted from his finger. He used the flame from the finger to light his pipe. He took a few experimental puffs and then relaxed against the tree with the wisps of smoke fuming from the wooden instrument. "Yes I think she does indeed have the inner sight. I could sense an aura of magic around her." His eyes suddenly filled with anger. "And if Rain is involved then I definitely have to do something about it. Rain will pay for what he did. I will settle the score." While he was speaking he brought his hand up to feel his neck, which was covered by the long scarf. "Ay mate, ah am sure ye will." Zero closed his eyes. "I'm going to take a rest. You take first watch Moggy." "Like hell ah will. Why is it ah have tae take guard while ye get tae sleep?" Zero opened one eye lazily. "Because I'm the one that had to go take out the arsist while you were trying to get a lay out of that vixen." Moggy grimaced. "Och, ye be a wicked cruel beast! Makin' mae stay oop tae watch over this damned infernal wretch of a camp," he spat irritably. Zero ignored Moggy's protests. "Stop complaining. Just wake me up when its time for my watch." Moggy muttered a stream of curses as he turned to take up his guard. * * * * * The sunlight beamed down on the camp, its rays bending around every corner to shed light on every crevice and crack of the forest. Lukara was dozing lightly but was awoken by sound of metal clanging and smashing together. She opened her eyes sleepily and reached for her clothes. She dressed herself quickly and then opened the flap to her tent to see what was making the sounds. She saw that the collie was already awake. She was sitting around the fire rubbing her paws together. Above the fire a cauldron full of some unknown substance was boiling. She sat there watching something to the left. She followed the collie's gaze and finally spotted what was making all the noise. Zero and Moggy's swords swished through the air as they met in combat. Zero blocked and parried all of the scotty's attacks with his katana scything through the air. Both of them were locked in deep focus as their blades met again and again. Lukara walked over to sit by the fire. "How long have they been at that?" she asked the collie." "An hour at least," Kiari answered." "Do you really have to do that? The noise is becoming unbearable," Lukara yelled over the loud metallic clangs. "Have to. Keeps us sharp and ready for combat," Zero answered. The Scotty brought his blade slicing horizontally through the air. But his blade hit nothing but air as Zero jumped and flipped over the shocked scotty landing right behind him. "You need to work on your cross swings Moggy, that was too easy to dodge." "Ha. Ye be the one who needs improvement. Yore thrusts be far tae slow," Moggy growled as he lunged straight for Zero. The wolf quickly brought his blade up in a flash. He disarmed the scotty and sent his broadsword spinning into the air. But the scotty moved his hand down to his kilt and in a flash and brought a long dagger to his hand. But the wolf twirled his blade once more with lightning speed and knocked the dagger from his hand. Moggy laughed as the wolf brought his katana to his throat. "Ye got lucky this time mate." "Luck has nothing to do with it old friend," Zero said as he withdrew his blade. Zero sheathed his katana inside the scabbard at the back of his waist as Moggy went and retrieved his broadsword. Lukara observed both of their blades as the two warriors began walking back over towards them. Their swords instead of being the dull gray of steel were a shining silvery white of some unknown material. "Why is it that your blades are that color?" Zero unsheathed his katana and presented it to her. "Trolu swords are made from a very sacred and special metal called cyran. It works as an adaptor to our magic, increasing its power significantly. It is nearly unbreakable and able to cut through most objects." "Quite amazing," she muttered while running her hands over the blade admiring the smoothness. Suddenly both Zero and Moggy turned quickly; both of their faces were tense and focused. "What is it," Kiari asked looking to both of the warriors. Zero's face was as hard as stone. "I feel an ominous presence. It's blocking the magic in the area." "Aye, ah feel it tae Zero. Only one type of beast would have that ability," Moggy muttered. "What do ye think they are after? Tis rare fer them tae ever come this far intae the country." Zero nodded. "I think we both know what they are after." He turned to address the scotty. "Moggy we will not be able to use our magic with them disrupting the flow of ether. Get Lukara and the others and break camp. Take them and begin making progress on the trek back to that mountain. I shall handle this myself." Moggy nodded and walked back to inform the rest of them. The collie began putting out the fire and packing up their equipment. But Lukara stared on at Zero curiously. "Tell me, if these creatures can some how keep you from using magic then how do you plan to fight them alone?" she asked. Moggy grabbed her roughly by the shoulder. "Lass do no' worry about him. He knows what he's doin'." Lukara tossed his sword back to him. "Be careful." He caught it deftly with one hand. "Thanks I will." They all left running through the forest with Moggy leading and Lukara looking back towards the lone red wolf. Zero stood in the clearing alone. A light breeze blew through the area kicking up dust. It was deathly quiet. Not a sound echoed through the area. The leaves of the trees had even stopped their rustling. Zero closed his eyes blocking out all distractions. He could feel the magic begin to leave the area. His eyes snapped open and quick as lightning he ran about the clearing slashing his blade through the air. It looked as if he were swinging his sword at nothing, but as soon as he stopped five dead bodies that had been cleaved in half fell to the ground. The bodies were obviously of demon kind from the way they were structured. "Its no use. Your cloaking spells won't work, I can smell where you are," Zero uttered while bringing his blade up in fighting position. In answer to his words a mass of demons literally materialized out of the air around him. There were at least fifteen of them in all. Long masks covered their faces, which were long and pointed. Numerous short tentacles came down from the back of their heads. Masses of thick scales covered their bodies giving it and armored appearance. Their limbs were long and sinuous with thick veins running along them. The apparent leader was carrying a massive double bladed spear while the others were carrying long dark jagged swords with gnarled handles. "So this is the one we were sent to destroy," one said in a wisp of a voice. "And he has slain five of our brothers," another finished. "He shall pay for it with his life," the leader answered. Zero looked around as the demons began to surround him. "So this is what they send after me? Only fifteen? That's insulting. I was expecting at least thirty." "Ha, you are foolish and arrogant just like the rest of the trolu," the leader spat. "Besides. We know your little secret," one of them whispered while smiling evilly. "And what secret is that?" Zero asked. "Do not play coy with us," the leader shouted angrily. "We know what you are!" "You are a filthy half-breed! We know you have demon blood in you. The fact that some nasty half-demon like you even exists is a stain upon our very way of life," another of the demons shouted with spittle flying from his mouth as he punctuated every word. "And to make it more disgusting you even hunt your own kind. We know how many demons you have slain. How many of our brothers you have murdered. And it is to that very reason that we came to tear your flesh to pieces." To all the demons dismay the wolf began laughing. "Yes I am a half-demon. And yes I have destroyed thousands of your kind. And your names will soon be added to the list of all those I have killed. Do you expect me to show you sympathy, or a shred of mercy for you just because I have demon in me? If anything it gives me even more incentive to kill every single one of you bastards." It was the demons turn to laugh. "And how do you expect to kill us without your precious magic. We know you cannot use it with us blocking it. No half-demon has the strength to kill us." "Why don't we find out?" Zero laughed. He began letting it flow through his body, the power of what he really was. He let the demon blood course through every vein, every part of his body. A red aura surrounded his body as his demon power flowed through him, filling him with its energy. He needed the power now. He would have to use it for his magic could not be summoned. But he let it flow through him at a steady pace. He had to maintain his control. His eyes began to change drastically. The white of his eyes turned a deep blood red while the once emerald green retinas began to turn a pale yellow. All of the demons began to back away from him as the aura surrounded him. The wolf's eyes became narrow slits as he glared at the demons with a wicked grin spreading the corners of his mouth. "What's wrong? You seem surprised," he said with the nasty grin spreading wider. His voice had changed also. It had become a low and grating whisper that carried every hint of his intentions. With a snarl one of the creatures charged towards him angrily. The beast lunged and brought its sword up to deliver the kill. But suddenly it stopped and the sword dropped from its hands as loud choking sounds emitted from its slack jawed mouth. Zero had caught the demon by its throat with one hand. He lifted the beast from the ground while sinking his fingers deeper into its throat. The demon began to gurgle and splutter as blood drained from the spots where the wolf's fingers had punctured. Its feet dangled above the ground helplessly as it felt the air begin to leave its lungs. There was an audible tearing sound as the wolf pulled the demons head from its body. Pieces of its spine went with it as the head was torn away. All of the arteries and veins sprayed blue blood in every direction, as they were torn free from the neck muscles. The other demons merely looked on in horror as their comrade's decapitated body slumped to the ground draining the life giving fluid all over the dirt. Zero's grin left his face as he looked over to the rest of the creatures. He pulled his katana free and licked the blade in anticipation. Like a deathly shadow he flew to attack them. His blade twirled taking the first demon through the throat with a deadly thrust. The others howled their anger as they swung their blades in the wolf's direction. But they began backing up as the red wolf began his vicious assault. His sword was like a snake in his hands. Seemingly having a life of its own as it curved and scythed its way to taste demon flesh. His strength was unreal. He grabbed one of the creatures and hurled him towards two others to his left. The force from the throw sent all three of them crashing through trees shattering them as their bodies collided with the wood. One of the beasts had snuck behind him. The demon lifted its blade in attempt to slay the wolf. But his attempt failed. Zero's ear cocked and he heard the swish of the sword. He turned catching the blade with his left hand. He snapped the blade in half and ignored the blood seeping from his palm from touching the razor sharp weapon. He took the sharp end of the sword and plunged it right through the demon's eye. The creature let out a loud screech as it reared back from the stab. It fell to the ground clutching at its face with blood streaming down. Zero had been so preoccupied with the one demon that he had not noticed the others sneaking towards him. They all lunged straight for him. The wolf suddenly stopped as he felt all the blades pierce through his flesh. The demons laughed triumphantly as they sunk their blades deeper into the wolf's body. But what they heard next chilled them to the bone. The wolf laughed maniacally as he looked down to all the blades sticking from his body. His eyes glinting evilly as he saw the blood seeping from his wounds. With a loud roar he swung his fist knocking all the demons flying into the air away from him. He pulled the blades from his body and tossed them away. He let out another mad cackling laugh as his wounds began to close and heal automatically. The leader of the demons recovered quicker than the others. He stood up and swung his spear while rallying his comrades. "No you fools, the head, go for the head!" he yelled as he ran towards the wolf with a seething snarl. Zero no longer smiling brought his blade up in an arc to meet the flailing spear. His katana blocked every swing of the spear with expert precision. With a loud yell the demon brought his spear swinging horizontally. Zero rolled under it and with a flick of his wrist brought his sword up and cut both of the demon's hands off. He caught the creature's spear just before it hand a chance to hit the ground. He spun it around and brought it slicing through the demons legs at the ankle. The beast fell into a kneeling position. Zero stood with his face emotionless and his pale yellow eyes two sunken pits of hate. The demon looked up to the wolf's face. "Disgusting half-breed son of a--." The creature was immediately silenced as the wolf stabbed his katana right through the roof of its mouth. Blood spilled from its mouth as its eyes rolled back in death. Zero removed his blade and brought the spear arcing slicing the body in half. The blood spurted upon the wolf's face as the parted body jetted blood in every direction. He turned to the remaining demons with the katana in his right hand and the double bladed spear in the left. With a roar he charged right into them his sword scything and the spear twirling in his other hand. They were cut down one by one as the wolf continued his insane attack. They were all dispatched in a triad of screams and wails. As one of the last bodies fell to the ground he heard a rustle behind him. It was the loud snapping of tree limbs and the sound of clawed feet retreating through the foliage. "There is no escape," Zero mumbled. Then he turned twirling the spear as his eyes fell upon three of the creatures making a mad dash through the forest. With lightning speed he took aim and threw the spear. It flew practically whistling through the air with its speed. Its aim was true. It stabbed all three of them through the chest and pinned them to a tree with a loud thud. They all wailed in agony trying to tear themselves from the tree and the spear protruding from them. Soon Zero was upon them. His blade arced once ending all of their lives with one fell swoop. Zero stood in the clearing, his pale yellow eyes glancing over all the dead bodies with the wicked grin once again forming on his face. Then all of a sudden he doubled over baring his fangs. He was trying to regain control of his body. He was trying to resist the demon essence pumping through his body. It had been so long since he had released it. He could practically hear its protests as he fought it. With a loud gasp he doubled over once again. But when he lifted his face it was no longer contorted. His eyes were once again the emerald green they had been before. He sheathed his katana and turned. He lifted his nose to the air and took a deep inhale of the scents. When he found the smell of Moggy and the rest of the group he began walking in the direction they had taken. * * * * * Moggy, Lukara and Kiari were making there way through a path down the surrounding forest. All of the trees overshadowed them with their massive limbs stretching like gnarled hands. The loose twigs and foliage snapped beneath their feet with every step. Buts despite all of this tranquility Lukara was still worried. She turned to the scotty who was leading them down the path. "Are you sure Zero will be alright?" Moggy sighed as he turned irritably. "Fer the last time lass. Zero can take care of himself. He is a blade master after all. Ye should be more concerned for the beast that would have to go oop against him." All of a sudden there was a loud snap that came from the trees to their left. Wordlessly Moggy brought a massive orb of lightning to his hand with a bright flash. The sparks crackled within his grasp as his eyes scanned the forest. He spotted a shadow slinking between the tree trunks and immediately swung his arm launching the blast of lightning. Zero stepped out of the forest and looked up. Only at the last second did he spot the hissing ball of electricity flying towards him. He brought his hand up and willed his magic to it. A large disc shaped shield of light appeared in front of his hand just in time to catch the blast. There was a muffled explosion as his shield negated it. All that remained of the blast were streaming wisps of smoke. Zero dropped his arm and the shield dissipated. "Damnit Moggy, you need to watch where you're aiming that." Lukara turned to Moggy with a hiss. "You could have killed him." Zero laughed bitterly. "I wouldn't give him that much credit. The most he could have done was singe my clothing." Moggy returned the laugh while bringing lightning to his hand once again. "So that's how it is eh? That sounded like a challenge tae mae. Why don' I toss anither at ye for good measure?" "You try it and I'll rip your arm off." For a second the Scotty looked as if he was going to attempt it. But then he tilted his head back and let out a loud bellowing laugh. But after he finished his face became serious once again. "So tell mae Zero. How did it go with the demons?" "Taken care of." Moggy shook his head. "Ah am still surprised to see demons of that kind here in these lands." "Me as well old friend. It was no mere coincidence that led them here. Someone obviously sent them." Moggy merely nodded in answer. " Aye, but who?" "We will have to worry about that later. Right now we need to find the best route to get back to the mountain." While he was speaking Zero reached into one of the compartments along his thick belt. He withdrew a small clear marble. He held his hand out with the marble set in the middle of his palm. It began to slowly levitate a bit from his hand. It glowed with a fluorescent blue light as it began to expand in size. It kept expanding until it's was roughly the size of a globe. The light dissipated slowly and small figures began to appear within the sphere. Upon looking closer it could be made out that these were no mere figures. It was a revolving map of all of the lands of salandra. Zero pointed to a certain section of the sphere. "Well, there seems to be about a few towns on the way. We could make fast progress if we took this route." Moggy looked to where the wolf had pointed. "Aye mate, that be true. But ye would risk travelin' through charsin territories. Nasty lot they are." "Yeah that would be a problem. Especially considering how much you pissed them off the last time we confronted them." "Lets no' git intae that again. Ah told ye it was an' accident! It's no' mah fault that the bastards worshiped a damned hunk o' wood." "Yes but you didn't have to step on it and break it." "Fer the last time, Ah did no' step on the damn thing! Ah merely tripped. Now can we jus' drop the subject an' git back tae findin' a route home?" After a while of searching, Moggy pointed towards another area on the floating sphere. "This way would fair well." "Yeah that would keep us away from any dangerous areas. It would even bring us through a couple of towns. I guess that would be the best choice." The sphere began to shrink back down to its original size. It dropped back into his hand and was soon pocketed into the small compartment at his belt. "Well we better get going while we still have a bit of morning left." They all turned and continued their long trek through the forest with the two trolu in the lead. It was now much later in the day. They had made decent progress so far. The forest had begun to change the further they made their way into it. Instead of the dreary darkly formed shapes they were no surrounded by light flowering shrubbery. The sun had disappeared behind a veil of dark spiraling clouds. The four figures still trudged on taking in the views as they progressed. Kiairi giggled as Moggy whispered something in her ear. But Zero stayed mostly to the back of the group. His hand was on his chin as his eyes looked towards the ground as he was locked in deep thought. Lukara drew her gaze from the scotty and the collie. She looked up to the tall red wolf. His flaming red hair could not hide the far off look in his emerald eyes. She gasped as she looked above his head. There was a kind of mist forming right above him. Its color changed every few seconds from sky blue, to fire red, and to shining yellow. When Zero heard her gasp he broke from his trance and looked down to the black female wolf. "What's wrong?" he asked curiously. "Above your head," she said while pointing. "What?" he said as his gaze turned up to stare at the mist above him. "What is it?" "Oh that's nothing." He waved his hand once and the mist disappeared. "When trolu are in deep thought we sometimes produce magic without meaning too." She lifted her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. "What's so funny?" he asked while raising an eyebrow "It's nothing really. Your just so serious all the time." "I try to stay focused on my objective." "That doesn't mean you can't relax once awhile." He shook his head and continued walking. He could feel her eyes on him. He wouldn't look back but he knew she was looking him over. There was a loud reverberating crack of thunder and an audible swooshing sound. The thunder cracked again, this time leaving its echoing sounds lingering for a bit longer. Lukara looked up only to have a large raindrop splash right in her face. Soon more followed as they all came down in enormous drops. The leaves and all of the surrounding forest swayed as the large raindrops berated them. Her fur was getting completely soaked and her hair was matted against her face. She could feel the water straining down her body, drenching it. The ground became moist beneath her steps and sunk in more as she walked upon it. She bunched her cloak around her to hopefully negate the cold of the rain. But then all of a sudden the rain seemed to cease. She looked up to see what had caused it to stop. She saw Zero's arm extended into the air above them. Another disc-like shield of light that was similar to the one he had summoned earlier hovered above his hand. The rain splattered onto its top, harmlessly dissipating into the thin vapors with every drop. She moved closer and hugged herself to him to get the rest of her body out of the rain. His body was surprisingly warm to the touch, despite the icy chill of the rain. She wrapped her arms around him as she hugged herself closer to him, embracing the warmth that was seemingly radiating from his body. Zero was surprised at first when the female embraced him. But soon got used to her weight and brought his hand to rest across her shoulder. He knew Moggy and Kiari were not far behind. He turned and could make out the outlines of their bodies through the thick sheets of rain showering down. He knew they would have to find somewhere to wait out the rain. Magic or no this storm was getting worse. He soon spotted what he was looking for. He looked up to see a tall rocky outcrop amid some of the trees in the forest. Short tufts of grass could be seen sprouting from it at odd intervals. And deep jagged crevices showed from the side of the rocky structure. But all the way at the top he could vaguely make out an opening in the side among all the rocks. He turned and swung his hand with the shield back and forth to signal Moggy to follow him. He looked down to the female still clinging to him. He leaned down to her so that she could hear his words over the angry howls of the storm. "Lukara, I want you to hold on tight so you won't fall off okay." She nodded and responded by digging her hands to grip at his chest. When he was sure she was secured to him he stretched his legs a bit and then proceeded to launch himself high into the air with a mighty leap. He flew through the air with Lukara still gripping to him against the rain. He landed right near the opening the he had seen from down below. He ducked low under the protruding mass and made his way inside. It was far beyond what he had expected. He had expected it to be some small compartment that would at least be able to house all four of the travelers. But instead what he had found was much greater. The cavernous walls were small at first but seemed to stretch quite wider the further he went down. The walls themselves had a crystalline appearance to them. They seemed to reflect light everywhere around the cavern. Large gems of various origins protruded from the ceiling like needles. Lukara moved to bring her hand rubbing against the smooth wall while admiring the feel of it. Pretty soon the walls widened out into a large area. Zero stopped when he figured that they had traveled far enough. He could soon hear the loud pad of footsteps coming from the entrance to the cavern. Moggy and Kiari soon burst into the area while also proclaiming their wonderment of the thick caverns. "Would ye look a' that? Ye would never expect the likes of this tae appear in some forest," Moggy said as he stared in awe at the wondrous cavern. Zero shook his head to fling all the water from it. He then also turned his attention to the caverns. "Yes it is quite rare for these kind of structures to appear in such a strange place. I would not be surprised if there was some magic involved in its creation." He walked to the middle of the area and placed his hands to the ground. There was a spark and a small blue flame appeared. He willed more of his magic and the flame began to grow more and more. When he was satisfied with the size of the flame he withdrew both of his hands to let it crackle and hiss with heat. Moggy moved to sit with his back lying against one of the walls. He produced the long pipe once again. And brought the magic fire to his hand to light it. "Hey where did Zero go?" Kiari asked while scanning around the area for signs of the red wolf. It startled her a bit when the red wolf suddenly materialized from a dark tunnel that supposedly lead deeper into the cavern. "There seems to be an enormous area down below. There is also a lake of some sort down there. The water seems fresh. Here I managed to retrieve some." He opened another compartment on his belt and removed four small cylinders. He squeezed them and then set them on the ground. The cylinders began to grow in size just like the marble had. When they took on a fuller shape they resembled oddly shaped canteens. Kiari picked one up and gave it a shake. A loud sloshing sound confirmed that there was water inside. Zero turned and began to make his way back down the tunnel. "An' where exactly would ye be off tae?" Moggy asked while rasing an eyebrow. Zero turned to look down at the scotty. "I'm going to do my training paces. I haven't really had a chance to in a while." Moggy shook his head. "Zero ah can see the means fer trainin' wi' a blade. But why do ye have tae spend so much time trainin' yer magic? Yer already strong enough as it is." The flame filled Zero eyes once again. "I'll never stop. Not until I am sure I am strong enough to bring him down," he muttered as he turned to proceed down the tunnel. Lukara watched the wolf storm off once again in anger. She turned to the scotty who sat their taking puffs from his pipe. "What did he mean by bring him down? Was he talking about that Rain guy Kiari mentioned earlier? Tell me." Moggy sighed. "Ah am telling ye lass, lay off it. Ah told ye before tis not mah place tae say. If Zero wants to tell ye then he will. Yer treadin' on hollow ground bringin' oop that name around him." Kiari decided to give it a try. She leaned down to the scotty and put her hand on his shoulder. "Can you please just tell us a little? We are not asking for you to tell us everything." "Ah cannae tell ye." "You don't have to tell us everything you know. Just tell us as much as you can." Moggy laughed while shaking his head. "Ah can see that ye are not goin' to give up no mater what ah say." He sighed. "Well...maybe jus' a bit. Ah cannae say no tae a beauty such as ye." He looked behind him to see if the red wolf was anywhere near. "But do no' tell Zero that ah told ye any of it. He would rip mae a new one if he found oot." He drew a deep breath. "Now then. Ah do no' know everythin' aboot Zero's past. But what ah can tell ye is that when he was younger that fellow Rain snuck ontae the mountain an' attacked him. Why he did it ah do no' know. But ah do know that Rain used to be one o' us, a trolu. But he supposedly turned rogue. When that Rain fellow fought Zero he nearly killed him. But somehow Zero had managed tae git away wi' his life. After that incident he changed. He started trainin' in his combat an' in magic with unmatched intensity. He was lik a machine when he fought. If ah were that Rain fellow ah would be shittin' mahself if ah had to face Zero in that kind of rage. Zero an' Rain's pasts are intertwined in a way. But that's all ah am tellin' ye. If ye want to know everythin' then ye can go an' ask him yerself." After that they could get no more from the scotty. He refused to say anymore. He just sat there blowing smoke from his pipe. He closed his one good eye and relaxed while lying back against the stony wall. * * * * * The walls of the tunnel opened up into a massive area. It was wide enough to fit a small house in it. In the middle of this wide area was a swirling lake. It was far too large to be called a pond; the water's surface seemed calm excluding the ripples that would come every time a droplet of moisture fell from the spires on the ceiling. The walls of the cavern reflected an aquatic glow from the water contained below with streaming lights. Zero pulled his tunic off. There was a slight few sparks that erupted from the tunic as it hit the ground. Few knew this, but the markings on his tunic were more than just decorations. They were spells he had put on it so that it would be able to withstand magical attacks. He left the black scarf tied to his neck as his broad chest was now exposed to the air. The thick muscles in his arms and torso relaxed as he strode to stand right next to the lake. He closed his eyes and lifted both of his hands. He began to let the magic flow through him. Let it pump through his body; fill every crevice of his very being. He let himself become completely immersed in its gentle waves. His hair began to lift into the air and sway as if being blown by some invisible gust of wind. With his eyes still closed He lifted both of his hands towards the water. He willed more of his magic through him and let it flow through him into the water. At first there was no response. The calm water sat there with no sign of any outside influence. But then the water began to churn. Slightly but steady the swirling picked up pace. The water began to swirl and become a whirlpool as it spun around faster. Zero motioned his hands yet again. The water began to lift up from the very depths of the pool itself. The water drew up and floated from the lake. The water began to form together into a massive ball above the lake. The lake had been completely emptied into the now floating ball of liquid. Zero motioned one of his hands in a circular motion. All of the water began to swirl towards his body like a slithering snake. Another rotation from his other hand sent the water circling around his body in a massive tunnel. He stood within the raging torrent of water waving his hands around to direct its motion, as the massive waves spun around him like a tornado. The spot beneath where he stood was the only part of the ground that could be seen excluding the tunnel entrance through which he had come. The circulating tunnel of water covered the rest. He began to move his hands faster, and the water responded by turning loops around him in intricate patterns. But then it all changed. While most of his mind was focused on controlling the magic, another part of his mind wandered elsewhere. He began to see flashes from his past, all of the things that had already transpired within his life. Rage began to fill him as his mind remembered the face of the figure he hated the most. Rain's face flashed through his mind and his eyes still closed, contorted in anger. His rage built even more as his mind roved over the image of what he truly was. His hand movements became faster and heavier. And the water's movements became harder and fiercer as it whirled around him. The water began to undergo a drastic change as his anger affected it. Where the water had once been a light flowing blue it suddenly become the color of freshly shed blood as it whirled around him in tight circles. Ghastly shapes began to from within the waves of the water. They took on the appearances of deathly creatures with distorted faces. His hands maneuvered the water faster and faster as his rage grew more powerful. He could feel it once again, the demon essence rising through him, its power once again flowing through him. But he did not care; he let it flow through him anyway. He let all of his malice shape the waves that swirled around him. The waves now full of demonic apparitions formed by the water began crashing against the walls of the cavern as they echoed his rage. Then he felt another presence in the cave beside himself. He turned as he heard a gasp come from behind him. He quickly opened his eyes as he turned to the intrusion. Lukara gasped as she saw the devilish figures that had been formed by the water. But what she saw next shocked her even more. The water split and she saw the red wolf in the middle turn to face her. Fear rose in her when she saw his eyes. They were not the emerald green she had grown used to. The pale yellow retinas that now gazed at her were surrounded by scarlet red. And they were formed into a permanent crease that gave them a sinister look. Zero quickly turned away from her and sent both hands back towards the empty pit where the water had once resided. With a loud crash the waves of water were sent splashing back to whence they had came. The surface thrashed about violently as they tried to readjust themselves. But after awhile the surface finally began to settle and the gentle ripples of the lake made it look as if it had never been touched. Zero still stood facing away from the female behind him. "Why are you down here," he asked without turning around. Lukara was still shocked from what she had seen. It took her awhile to find the courage to form words. "You're... You're one of them aren't you?" A loud sigh came from the red wolf. "I will explain that, but first I would like to know why you are down here." "I came down because the cavern was shaking violently. I came down to check and see if you were okay." She quivered a little as the next question came from her. "You're a demon aren't you?" He sighed once again. "I am only half demon. And you have no reason to fear me. I am not going to attack you." The fear began to slowly leave her eyes only to be replaced by curiosity. "But how can you be half demon?" she asked while taking a step closer to him. He sighed once again. "One of my parents was a demon." She stopped. "But how is that possible. Was your mother raped by a demon or taken hostage by a group of them?" "Actually my mother was the demon. It was my father who was mortal. I don't know how they met and I do not know whether they were in love or not." Another sigh of forlorn escaped him. "All I know is the inevitability of what I am." "Surely it cannot be that bad." "No. It is worse. The same look you just gave me I have seen hundreds of times before. Many of the other trolu gave me that same look when they first discovered what I am. Although in time I have managed to gain their respect and cooperation. They will always be on alert while they are around me. And who is to blame them. We have been taught to fight demons in all size, shape, and form, whether they are our comrades or not." Lukara took another step closer to him. The realization hit her. "So that would explain how you were able to fight those demons without magic." He shook his head. "Yet another paradox of my situation. I have demon in me and yet I kill demons. The demon blood grants me enhanced strength, makes my magic more potent, and gives me abilities beyond that of a normal trolu. And yet it is a curse disguised as a gift. Sometimes I cannot even control it, it just takes me over. And when that happens, I become no different from the very beasts I am fighting." "But you are not like them. They are evil and you are not. It's your decisions that make you different from them. You chose to fight for good and that's what makes you different. It does not matter that you have demon in you. And if the other trolu cannot see that then they are all fools." Zero turned and did something that was almost foreign to his very nature. He smiled. "You certainly are optimistic aren't you?" She walked up closer and stood face to face with him. "There is nothing wrong with looking on the bright side of things. Turn every weakness into a strength I always say." "A little too optimistic," he laughed. "Got a problem with that?" she huffed out. He smiled again. "Not at all. It's kind of refreshing in a way." She giggled and gave him a light push. "You should smile more often. It looks much better than the scowl you have most of the time." "I haven't had much reason to smile." "Then why are you smiling now?" "Because you gave me a reason to. I must admit I have never met anyone quite like you." She blushed and gave him another light push. But this time he toppled over and fell into the lake with a splash. The water rippled from the sudden intrusion. "Zero," Lukara called as she leaned over the edge to look through the water for any signs of the wolf. But he did not emerge. "Yeah, very funny. You can cut it out now." But still there was no answer. The water remained as calm as ever. Now worried she leaned her head over the water to search the blue depths of the water for the red wolf. To her surprise the water beneath her formed into a thick tendril. It wrapped around her mid section and brought her splashing into the water. She rolled around in the lake for a bit until she felt the water push her back up to the top. With a loud gasp her head broke the surface of the water. She rubbed her eyes to clear the moisture from them. When she opened her eyes the sight of Zero greeted her. The red wolf was standing deeper into the lake, with the water coming up to his muscled waist. A huge grin was plastered on his face. Lukara curious as to why he was grinning looked down. She was surprised to see that her cloak had been stripped from her. The only thing that covered her chest was a thin gray sleeveless tunic. She looked up to him as she waded in the water. "That was a dirty trick you know," she said while swimming over towards him. He shrugged his shoulders. "C'mon you're optimistic. You should find something good about being dunked into the water. You know, find a strength to every weakness." "Are you mocking me?" she asked as she finally reached him. He feigned innocence as she glared at him. "Of course not. I would not dare mock her mightiness." "So you think your funny eh? Well there is only one solution for that." "And what might that be--." He was completely taken by surprise when she kissed him. Her lips played across his as she leaned in more. When she pulled back from the kiss she was satisfied with the result. He was completely speechless. "Well I don't hear any of your smart remarks now," she cooed. He managed to recollect himself. "So can I expect that kind of reaction to every smart remark I make?" "That depends," she said while trailing her hand across his chest fur. "Depends on what?" he asked while raising an eyebrow. "It depends on how far you are willing to go to please her mightiness." "You stole that out of context," he remarked. "On no. I would not dare steal anything from one so powerful as you," she murred. "Now who's mocking who?" he asked as his hand fell down to stroke at her neck. "Simply returning the favor," she whispered as she leaned in to kiss him again. This time he leaned down to meet the kiss. Their tongues grazed against one another tasting each other. The cool water did nothing to quell the growing lust forming between them. His magic let the water push them towards the edge until they finally emerged from the lake still caught up in their embrace. They both fell to the ground with their muzzles still locked in their passionate kiss. They broke from their kiss to regain their breath with their bodies still dripping wet from their exploit in the lake. He pulled her tunic off ever so slowly exposing bit by bit her luscious breasts. Her nipples stood erect proclaiming her arousal. She pressed her body to his as she licked along his neck. Her breasts mashed against his chest as their wet bodies melded against one another. He caressed her face slowly with his hand. When his hand touched her face she could feel electricity shoot through her body. The feeling brought immense pleasure to her causing her to moan slightly. His hand roved slowly down stroking her neck along the way. Then it finally fell to her chest. His fingers circled her left breast emitting a gasp of appreciation from her. He leaned his head down to let his tongue glide along her nipple. She felt another wave of pleasure come through her body as he worked his tongue atop her round orb. With a light growl she rolled them over so that she was now on top. She kissed him again letting her tongue roll over his lips. She began to go lower and lower as she let her tongue slide along the length of his body. She stopped when she saw the growing tent in his pants. She looked up to his face with a smile as she grabbed the top of his pants and began to slowly slide them off. His erect pleasure was soon set free as she slid his pants all the way off. She grabbed his cock and licked the head tasting a salty bead of pre-cum that had begun to form. She licked up and down his shaft as her free hand moved down to fondle his balls. He moaned as she brushed her fangs across the throbbing head of his cock. Her tongue played across the underside hitting a sensitive nerve and sending heat through his loins. She finally leaned her head down to form her lips around the bulging head. She strained her mouth to accommodate his girth. She took him inch by inch into her mouth. Soft groans escaped him as he felt her warmth embrace his cock. She nearly gagged as she felt his length hit the back of her throat. Soon she began a rhythm. Her head bobbed back and forth on his lap in a steadied motion. She rolled her tongue along the underside furthering the pleasure as she took him into her mouth again and again. He gripped both hands against the ground to restrain from letting go. She lifted her head from his eagerness to take a few panting breaths. She reached down and grabbed his shaft giving it a few pumps before leaning her head back down to take him into her mouth once again. He groaned again as he felt his girth squeezed within her mouth. Her ministrations were beginning to take their toll on him. He could feel himself getting closer to his peak. She began sucking faster as if she could sense his nearing climax. He was finally sent over the edge when she flicked her tongue across his head. He erupted into her mouth sending a spray of his cum deep into her throat. She swallowed as much as she could with the remaining drops drizzling from her lips. She pulled from his lap with a gasp and looked to his face and he could see the roaring flames of lust in her eyes. She sat up and straddled him as she began rubbing her crotch against his stomach dampening his fur. He reached his hand down an inserted two fingers into her wet folds. She murred and pushed her hips back against his hand as his fingers pistoned in and out of her tight sex. A loud gasp emitted from her as she felt an intense wave of pleasure as his fingers probed a sensitive area. His fingers traced along her inner walls as his thumb stroked her clitoris. But suddenly she pulled back and broke away from his hand. She lifted her hips so that her cunt hovered only a few inches above his enormous length. He rubbed the throbbing head against her slick opening eliciting a few moans from her. She grabbed two handfuls of his chest fur as she rammed herself down onto his shaft. Her inner walls stretched wide as his girth drove deep into her. Her breasts swayed above his face as she began slamming down on his cock again and again. He began thrusting upwards to match her downwards strokes. He could feel her walls tightening around his cock every time he hammered into her. Her hot breath came out in audible moans every time she felt his hard flesh pound into her, raking along the nerves of her canal. A long moan escaped her lips as her walls convulsed and she came, spilling her juices onto his crotch and soaking his legs and the ground underneath them. A loud squelching sound emitted from her slick hole as he stretched her opening wider with each thrust. He moaned as he felt her walls clamp around him. She groaned as she kept her grip on his chest fur while grinding her hips against his. His breathing became heavier as he hilted himself inside her tightening walls. She purred as she felt heat began to form between her legs once again. She bucked her hips against him and her tight sex pulled at his cock as if never wanting to let go. "Oh fuckkkkkkk!" she yelled out as she came with full intensity letting her juices stream out around his cock. Zero groaned as he fired a massive load of his spooge into her womb. He kept thrusting wildly as he felt her walls tighten to him again as they convulsed. She bared her fangs and began breathing hoarsely as she road him faster and faster. With a roar he lifted both of their bodies as he stood. She still clung to him with his massive length still firmly inside her. She wrapped her legs around him as he began pounding into her with fierce intensity. He came again firing another jet of his sticky jizz into her. She cried out loudly as she felt his girth probe against her cervix in an odd mix of pain and pleasure. Every nerve within her sex was practically on fire from the intense fucking. She wrapped both arms around his strong shoulders and pushed her hips against his with fierce force. Her hips slammed against him back and forth with his cock probing her sensitive spot sending her into another screaming orgasm. Her breathing became shallow as she picked up pace ramming herself against him with her sex clamping to him like a vice. He cried out with his voice reverberating around the cavernous walls as he sprayed his seed within her again. Time seemed to stop as they sat their drawing hollow breaths. Their fur was matted against their bodies with sweat. They were oblivious to all else except each other. All of their senses were focused on one another. The rest of the world was blocked out from them. Her legs and arms were still wrapped tightly around him in a tight lock. She lifted her head and gazed deeply into his green eyes with a smile. And they both met in kiss once more letting each other's essence drift between them. "Use this to get to Avatar Ch.2"

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[Next chapter](%5C)

• * * Yet again the scotty is supposed to speak like that.