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Rescuing Felix - ARITHENDOR

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Gosha would be absolutely thrilled if the dogs ended up spending time with him, he loved animals after all. He wiped his face off and then hugged one of the two dogs, he forgot which one was which! At hearing his father and Declan mention he should get a puppy he gasped. "Really? Can I father?" He hoped it was not wrong of him to ask for something like that even though he only just arrived, but it was exciting to have his own dog!

Niculaie arched a brow, "You think so? I will consider it, it would be safer to get him a dog trained to protect him from threats." He liked the idea and nodded, "I will have to find a suitable dog, but for now I will go, and I trust that you will Declan. See you soon." He said and departed, "Behave my son, I will see you again, soon." He said and was gone, and then he and his companions were soon stepping through a gate that brought them to where he and Felix first landed. "Gemora, come. I want to show you something. Mendorin please wait, I want to insure we can make you as invisible as we are to the wards."

Nic grabbed from the air one of those arcs of energy, capturing it in a void bubble. "Felix and I tested this last time, trust me." He said and pushed that Arc into Gemora to infuse him as he had been, "Do you need me to show you again? Infuse me, and then we will cloak Mendorin in our immunity, making him appear as we do to wards." Which was to say they would not exist at all to said wards.
Niculaie showed them the way to where he and Felix had first laid eyes on the Castle, the ward though stretched out so very far, it was impressive. Gemora would get to experience that now as he and Felix had. "When it comes to Zax, Mendorin, it is not I you need to worry about. I would take his hand, or maybe his balls, it is the King of Esscha Endor you will need to convince, and his queen. Zax had tried to steal the royal couples newborn son and one of their daughters later on. Look him in the eyes and tell him his rage is not righteous. This devil friend of yours might not be who he was, but isn't every man still responsible for his actions in the end? I have every intention of capturing them alive if the opportunity presents itself."

He glanced to Mendorin, "So any ideas? Last time there was a glass cage, but we could sense the young man inside, this time.. I feel nothing of Felix, absolutely nothing.":
Scions_of_Acheron — 7/6/25, 12:35 AM
Declan pet the more buff color of the dogs Frekie and gave her a big hug. "You're a good girl, Frekie frek frek. Awe, good dog," he cooed over the animal petting her like the big dog she was to get that tail wagging happily. Then he turned to the larger brendle dog with the darker coat and repeated the show of attention. "There we go, Gerri boy. Such a good good boy, Gerri grr grr." Gerri licked him full in the fall and he laughed. "Uck that's a lot of tongue." He then eyed Gosha now they were alone. "You know, if you get a dog you have to train it, feed it, clean up its messes and most of all love it to pieces so it'll want to do right by you. Felix worked hard with this pair of dogs and he loves them and they love him. That's how it ought to be with a fellah and his dogs." He cracked a smile then. "So you never answered me. You had luch yet, Gosha?"
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Gemora looked over their mileu as they stepped outside the gateway and noticed Mendorin doing the same with the same kind of appreciation for the beauty of the area. Gemora gave a little growl under his breath and turned to Nic as he beckoned him and stepped aside with him. He nodded as he watched him and felt the surge of energy he had converted to raw energy to boost his stamina, health and spirit with. "Oh yeah, that feels incredible," he said and tried it himself, snagging an arc of natural magical energy just floating loose very likely off all those wards across the river and bringing it through the void to focus it in exodus on Nic. Nic got a little shock as the conversion wasn't pure. "Oo, sorry, Niculaie." And he tried it again, this time making sure he siphoned all the impurities out before hurling the raw energy remaining to Nic. He had captured a larger arch too so Nic got a good healthy boost.
=
Feeding his immunity to someone else was not something Gemora had ever done before either but the boost in energy helped him to isolate and draw that out of himself with greater focus to infuse Mendorin as Nic did the same. It took Gemora a little longer too because of his inexperience but he was successful the first time around. Gemora was a fast learner. Mendorin was impressed with Gemora but then Tsetar tended to be impressive, Nephalim even moreso. Mendorin felt a little bit like a demon in a church with the pair of them, one an ex-crusader if there was such a thing, the other an ex swords, both warriors against evil turned demons themselves. The devil had to have smiling on the days those two were brought into Acheron. Mendorin nodded to Felix regarding who he had to convince about Zax. "One of things all of us needs to remind ourselves of is that killing an immortal can have unforseen consequences. We rarely actually die from being killed," he scoffed a little as killing him wrong could make him more powerful. He shared that in common with Blood Mages, was not even that far from being a blood mage.
-
When asked if he had any ideas Mendorin nodded. "We need to get closer first though, but just outside the wards. I need to work a little magic that you can extend your immunity to." He informed them and after a little waltz through abyssal shadows laid by Mendorin to cross the river onto Deumas property he turned to Nic, all of them still cloaked in shadows, then crouched down. "I need you to shed a few drops of blood, here on the ground," he said pointing to a bare patch in the grass. Once Nic had done so he began to wave his hand over the blood slowly while discanting some commands. "This blood to brother it is bound, lead the way to where he can be found, this blood it be now alive, a line to lead from life to life. Lead us now." The blood then seemed to swell and take on life like a fist sized slug which began to lead them to Felix. Gemora acted quick and covered the blood tracker with his ward immunity. It did not matter that Felix was hidden in every conceivable way because Nic and Felix were bound by their blood and Nic's blood could lead them to him by that power Mendorin weilded that so few even knew existed. Blood magic was hard to beat. It seemed at first to be leading them towards the fortress but then after they entered the palace grounds the blood slug began deviating to go around the palace instead of continuing towards it. Indeed it took them back off the grounds beyond the northern walls of the palace and further out onto the expansive property around the palace and its outer walls.
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Soon they arrived at a spot of ground where the slug just stopped. There didn't appear to be anything there but sheep shorn grass and a few scattered boulders thrusting from the ground in outcrops of mossy stone and a few immense trees. "He is here," Mendorin said, pointing at the spot the slug stopped and soon after just melted into the ground to mark the spot with Nic's blood. They were all still cloaked in Mendorin's abyssal shadow cloak.
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Octavian — 7/6/25, 4:14 AM
Gosha looked at Declan and then gasped a bit, "Sorry, the dogs got me all distracted, and I know you have to take care of them. I would never let my pup go without everything it needs." He said rubbing Frekkie behind the ear. "I could eat, I am starving.. The beach, by ourselves? Maybe I could go to the playroom?"

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Niculaie nodded, "Yes that is quite the thing isn't it?" He then took his own jolt with a wince but it was a mass of energy that flowed through him. "In time you will grow accustomed to what is needed, I can handle a little jolt." Nic said as they worked through how to blanket their traits onto others, he helped Gemora to awaken that ability, "You are a natural." He said with a grin, Mendorin might indeed be a devil in church, his father would not approve of his friends. Niculaie was not sure what you called the son of a Seraph and a crusader. Did that make him more than a Nephilim?

"My instinct tells me you had better have a better reason than that if you wish to sway Octavian, regardless of what a certain devil did to Zax, it doesn't change what he did. Though, Lord Octavian has shown restraint thus far, as their castle still stands, I thought for sure he would have us strip away the wards so he could call down his Storms on it." He could imagine lighting raining down strikes melting away the stone. "However my concern is Felix, we can worry about that one after."

Niculaie would indulge Mendorin and see what he had planned, "My blood? Okay." Nic removed a knife from his belt and sliced his palm, letting it drip down to where Mendorin would work his magic and wow, not what he expected. As they watched the blood slug thing creep toward something Niculaie had to ask, "So was the rhyme just for show, or strictly necessary? Not that I dislike it, but I am curious how important it is to the process?" It was something to talk about as they went, if Mendorin was not lying and he too wanted to be free of Mekkor, hat was good right?

"I hate to break it to you.. but I forgot my shovel, am I to assume there is some underground base here? Or are we thinking something else?" Could it be in the shadow realm or one of the other planes? Niculaie looked around with the reaver sight, looking for magical residue that could off him a hint of where Felix was.
:
Mendorin looked to Nic as he said he needed to come up with something better to sway Octavian. "People can be forced to things, Niculaie, even terrible things. If you don't already know this then count yourself incredibly fortunate as one who agreed of his own free will to serve my maker. That is one of the ways you and I differ. You had a choice I never had. Indeed you are fortunate if he never forced you to do evil. I wouldn't expect Aneirien to get away without paying for his crimes either. It is mercy for him I seek." If he couldn't convince the king of that then he was no King he wished to serve. "He may yet call lightning down to crack this fortress apart. Even if we were to capture the Deumas today, the king might come back tomorrow and bring ruin to this ancient fortress the Morning Star himself built for Zaxien all those ages past." Lightning wouldn't melt the rock but it would certainly fracture it. "I agree, Felix is our present priority."
=
"If you noticed I also chanted the words as song. The rhymes and rhythm of the voice bring focus to the words making the command more powerful. Magic is a sort of prayer, Blood Magic and Necromancy especially. One can only command power through absolute belief. So magic it is belief, faith, a prayer to chaos to make such and such happen while drawing upon this force and that. Song, poetry, cadence all brings it into greater focus." He explained which really made the power that chaosian priests could harness make more sense.
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While Nic spole of shovels Mendorin began to investigate the area more closely. He chuckled at Nic's comment while feeling around the rocks. "A killer for hire who doesn't carry a shovel? That's unique." Was he joking? It was hard to say.
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Then Gemora piped up. "Felix always carries the shovels." He carried both a grave-diggers trench type shovel and a prospector's more compact shovel.
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"Digging would work, or we could try sink ourselves underground by path of shadows or abyss or..." He was feeling along the third one of those huge trees and started knocking on it. "Or find a hidden entrance... Nic, Gemora here. I think there is a doorway in this tree. It sounds hollow." He started looking for deeper cracks in the bark than usual. He began to imbue the tree with subtle energies to reveal if there was a hidden door but his power just melted away as he did so. "There is definitely magic at work here..." Mendorin speculated.
-
"I don't see it," Gemora stated with aggravation.
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"Then it must be lore. Look for a mark... probably hidden underneath something. A loose piece of bark, a stone, but it has to be in contact with this tree..." He was sure the entrance was in the tree because of the way his power had just dissolved. "We need to find and destroy the lore protecting this tree."
---
The tree in question was about nine yards away from where the blood marked the spot and was immense with a fifteen foot diameter. Its bark was smooth and almost white and its many branches spread wide forming an umbrella like canopy. The branches closest to the ground hung about seven feet above their heads. In the center of the tree was a deep broad crook filled with leaves, nuts and even some small stones collected by animals. The crook was between its main five branches which the top of its massive trunk split into. Three of the main branches were large and level enough to form footpaths while the other two curved around and shot up towards the sky above where clouds were gathering.
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Niculaie understood what he was saying, but he couldn't help but wonder. "Assuming he was coerced into these crimes of his, if he knows that the things he is doing are wrong, and he had even the slightest doubt about what he was doing.. what would that mean?" He couldn't help but wonder, "If it is mercy you seek than you might find it, Octavian keeps good council. I got to witness them in action while the king was away, so you might be in luck if it is mercy you are after for him. For my part, I have no intention of killing him, but if I can I will deliver him to Esscha Endor for whatever the kings justice might be." Not that he had a particular care about justice being served, he knew that they would pay very well.

He looked at him thoughtfully as he explained about how his words and song even could effect certain powers. "I wish all mages sang, it would make them easier to reave. He found casters who wielded power with subtlety to be the more dangerous.

"Felix was always the more responsible of the two of us, so of course he brought the shovel and of course the rope too!" Niculaie said as he scanned the area, his hold in his assault rifle, he wanted a good lay of the land.

"While you two look down here I will go up, see if I cant find a clue or something up high, and it will give me a chance to check for patrols." Did Zax even have patrols, they had been very sparsely guarded last time they were here. He whistled and shook his head, big ass tree, so he climbed into it and up the thick trunk. Niculaie used claws to climb better as he pulled up toward where the trunk split into branches and discovered the trove of things that the animals had gathered. He began to dig through it looking for anything of value, maybe they brought back some treasure. Things deeped useless would soon be reaining fown as Nic discarded them looking for loot, and lore.:

Of loot there was none but within the hollow there was something marked into the wood, symbols that were etched cleanly into the wood. Niculaie pulled out his Knife and began to gouge away at the markings.

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Mendorin had a very intense look of contemplation about him as Nic posed his question of accountability. "One who has not suffered the torments of being dominated, enslaved or possessed cannot imagine what it is like to be forced to things. To kill who you love. To take pleasure in what you hate. To surrender when all you want to do is fight. To have your will so broken you can barely find the strength in your heart to get up on your feet. I have no doubt he knows what he does is wrong. But what is he to do if he hasn't the will to care? The will to ACT on what he knows is wrong? He will pay, yes, for what Lilith and her master did to him. He will surely pay for their trespasses upon him. Or maybe this King is all I have heard whispered on the wind and he will forgive a devil for being victim to brethren who wished only to control his gifts. Perhaps Zaxien is beyond help now. Is too broken ever to be healed. Is too filled with pain to ever hope again. I just pray your king, if indeed he is your king, gives him the opportunity to reclaim his spirit." Zaxien had supporters for a reason. He had once been a great virtue in Acheron, the high priest of the shrine of chaos in fact. Lilith decided he was fair game when she appealed to him to help her with a puzzle and he refused and refused again to tell her why.

Mendorin smirked slightly when Nic said mantras made mages easier to reave. "You go ahead and think that if you like." Mendorin knew better. Magic that was brought into harmony was harder for reavers to lock onto, harder for them to perceive due to the vibrations in the power which carried it further from their focus the greater it was focused. But sure, it made the mages themselves easier to spot and be targeted by other means.

Mendorin chuckled when Nic said Felix was more responsible than him. "Yes, he was often responsible so he could get away with things later. I cannot even begin to count the times he kept my boy Demascus out of trouble. My maker tangled up my hopeful so badly he looked for trouble everywhere he could. Felix pulled him from a lot of dark or perilous places. They were like brothers so of course my maker had to separate them just as they had gotten close." He had finally risked telling Demascus the truth about Mekkor having been the one to pose as him for so very long. Mekkor had imprisoned him and taken his place the very day Mendorin had claimed Dem and marked him. Once Mekkor had thoroughly ruined Dem he liberated Mendorin and let him reclaim Dem under the condition he maintain the illusion of being Mekkor. Then he placed Felix under his care. When Mendorin finally told Dem the truth he made him vow not to tell Felix who had to believe he was Mekkor lest Mekkor bring his wrath on Felix to punish Mendorin. Mekkor was out to drive them all insane. Mekkor then took Felix back and moved him to Castlegard where he finally sired him as a true demon and not just a thrall. Mekkor shifted between Morneaux and Mendorin in appearance so often even Demascus who knew the truth could never tell who was who until Mekkor gave in to his most base habits. Mekkor was very good at pretending to be Mendorin until his sadist came out, but then he forced Mendorin to acts that were not in his nature to blur the line between them.

While Nic went up the tree Mendorin kept an eye below. One of the things Nic threw down caught his eye and he picked it up. It looked like an old tarnished coin but was actually a pendant. He examined it a moment then raised a brow and slipped it in his pocket. He would give it back to Nic later. Gemora too had been keeping watch on their surroundings but when the lore glyph was found by Nic in the crook of the tree Gemora climbed up with him. Once there he told Nic to stand back while he raised his blade and swung it in a mighty hew and such was his strength that it shattered the might of the glyph and cut the symbol in half. He swung again to render the rune completely so it was unrecognizable and that is when Nic and Gemora could see the magic of the lore being released. Gemora captured it quickly to convert it and feed it into Nic and Mendorin to strengthen them in body and spirit. Oh he loved their newest trick. "Is there no way we can reave lore?" He asked in case they came upon lore too strong to destroy. He climbed down out of the tree as Mendorin answered while trying his hidden door spell again.

"Only with a great sacrifice," Mendorin said and then smiled as the door revealed itself. He pulled against the bark as the cracks of the door in the trunk glowed with a blue light and lo part of the trunk opened up to a dark stairway that went below ground.

"What kind of sacrifice?" Gemora asked whispering now even though the shadow cloak absorbed their voices as he peered inside and down into the stairwell tunnel.

"The kind where you can wield no magic yourself ever again, neither by enchantment or path. Only that which is inborn to you would remain." Mendorin said more quietly while he produced a mote of light that could pass for a firefly which flew down into the tunnel. It was empty and quiet.

"And how is such a sacrifice made?" Gemora asked as Nic led the way inside and he fell in behind him, interested in making the sacrifice if it would aid their clan.

"You think on it more carefully and with the counsel of your brothers and I will tell you how," Mendorin was cautious when it was wise to be so. He came up behind them.

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Nic had let the previous conversation die, he did not feel strongly one way or the other about the fate of Zax, so long as his brother remained whole and not some shattered mess, if that happened Nic might lose his cool. "Yes, well that is just how he is. Just be ready to shield yourself in case he tries to kill you when we get him back, okay?" He then scrambled up the tree to find the lore.

He had been hitting the Lore with his knife, several times in fact with as much force as he could manage, and it was simply not taking, Niculaie had never felt wood this hard, was it the wood? He just sighed but Gemora pulled him to his feet to take his own swing at it and it was.. much more effective. Niculaie snatched some of the power up and fed it to Gemora, so that all three of them were energized and protected. "That will work, feel better?" He thought maybe Gemora needed to hit something, so maybe that helped?

"Let us return to Mendorin."

Niculaie was concerned with Gemora's willingness to make a sacrifice, no there were other ways to deal with lore than to reave them. Unless that sacrifice gave you the ability to reave any and all lore, it likely would not be worth the sacrifice. Even then, it would not be worth it Nic guessed.

Niculaie listened until Gemora out right asked how, and he threw his arm around his shoulder. "Gemora, my clan-brother, no one will be making any sacrifices I am not going to let you do that to yourself. We can deal with lore, one way or another. How will I look my brother in the eye if you end up reaving yourself, hm?" He asked curiously, then led them toward the hollow that led inside.

"If you share it with anyone it will be with me, and I will reveal it to Gemora when the time is right, if ever such a time comes to pass." Niculaie did not like the idea of any of them shredding themselves so completely, they would find a way to handle whatever it was that came their way. "Into the breach we go."

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Gemora huffed at Nic when he said he'd not be making any sacrificed. "We don't even know what IT IS yet and you are forbidding me? I'll do nothing without my sire's consent anyway." He assured Nic but felt it was for Felix to say what he could and could not do. He was very close to Felix and though he respected and honored Nic as a clan leader Nic was not his sire.

Mendorin raised a brow when Nic dictated who he would share that knowledge with. "I will share it with you and Felix both if and when that time comes," he apprised him then looked around the room they had entered. THere wasn't much to it, just a room of stone all around with a single door with duel hard lore runes on either side of it. The glass on the floor had been hard to see but the light mote had revealed it to make it glisten where it was scattered across the breadth of the floor. "That glass is an obvious old school alarm which means someone is here other than Felix." He speculated as with a sweep of his hand he pulled every shard of glass into the abyss end of his shadow cloak to dispose of it. There was just too much glass not to stand on it. "Nic before you..." It was too late, he had already grabbed and squeezed the latch and as he did black lightning exploded from the door to strike at them all with streamed bolts that did not just strike and disappate but kept streaming abyssal lightning at them. It was a good thing Mendorin had acted the second he saw Nic make contact with the door and increase the power of their abyssal shadow cloak to compensate for the potent bolts of power lashing at them. Even with the cloak and the reavers drinking up that power they all of them still felt the force of those bolts electrifying and draining them as quick as they could feed that power to their trio. There were definintely two levels of power at play here. Those bolts were far more potent than the lore they encountered before. Mendorin started working on destroying the lore as did Gemora but this lore was far more powerful than the last. Mendorin could break it, it would just take time.

Meanwhile Nazmin came running towards the door which was still closed throwing up a layered blockade on her side of the door. One of the layers was a necromantic wall and would hit anyone coming through it with rapid withering. The second layer a morphing field that would morph metal, leather and cloth into water which the third electrical layer end of the wall would also electrify. Lastly she filled the doorway with stone so when they did get the door open they would meet with a two foot deep wall of rock.

Zaxien sighed where he stood on the other side of the room inside of the cage with his cock buried inside of Felix. He was relieved to get interrupted but Nazmin yelled at him. "Don't you DARE stop, Zax! I'll take care of these trespassers. You finish enslaving that demon! MAKE HIM YOURS!" She was way too confident.

"But Nazmin, darling... We really should leave..." He sounded so exhausted but he always sounded that way. His will was so frayed and broken that her domination of him just purely drained his verve. He was using every last bit of himself raping Felix.

"I detect only three! I can take them!" She swore. Her sweet Zax, he wasnt a fighter, he was a lover and craftsman of the arcane, and that was exactly how she wanted him. While those outside tried to get in she summoned a trio of goat demons to guard the room and went back over to her mate to make sure he didn't loose any integrity while driving himself fast and hard inside of the youthful looking Demon while thrashing him into excessive pleasures. Felix was bound up on a high table and splayed to Zax who looked like he was agony with every thrust. With but a few brushes of her fingers against her mate's bare ass he was groaning. The alluring power of her touch was potent. Nazmin loved to see men agonized with pleasure. She absolutely loved it. She then aroused Felix to greater heights with her touch as well. Nazmin was sure he was an angel but Zax swore he was not. Mekkor had altered his body to resemble an angel physiologically, but Zax knew he was no angel. He in no way felt like an angel. "Don't stop, Zax darling... no matter what happens, don't stop," she commanded him and smiled at the tear which escaped his beautiful pale grey eyes.

Zax knew he was going to die fucking this poor tormented demon but it was a death he would welcome.

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"Gemora, I wouldn't be much of a clan leader if I could not make executive decisions now would I? If Felix was here I would defer the decision to him, but he is not. I don't need to be your sire for you to obey me, just as I would expect my progeny to obey Felix. WE run this clan together, and in his absence it is my decision." He would not invite anymore discussion on it, if Gemora had a problem with what he said they could discuss it later. were they really going to need to discuss this when they got Felix back, Felix was far to lax with his acolytes!

Oh that was a nice trick Mendorin! Making all that glass disappear, but that said the door was the real son of a bitch, he tried to absorb what he could raising a telekinetic barrier to try and shield them from the rest, nothing was perfect though. If their uncanny resistance did not stop it, the reavers and Mendorin would just have to push through the pair.

His reaver sight would not be fooled by the door before him, no he could see that wicked magic she worked he hissed in agitation. "Fine, have it your way." Niculaie said and called to his hand Dawnstar, gifted to him by his father, the blade looked every bit like a blade wrought in the high heavens. Niculaie held the blade in two hands, as he did the blade began to glow with a divine light that flooded the room with its brilliance, the blade began to glow with that light, growing in length. It nearly resembled a great sword now. Just holding it seemed to make the Seraph blood in Nic's veins sing. "Fine the hard way."

Niculaie swung his blade with all his might, hewing through the Lore om either side of the door, then swung again at the door itself, the power wrought by her dark heart and ill intent was smote by the might blade as it tore through it. Would the stone stand against the might of his sword as he swung it? Not only did her spells unravel but the stone itself was smote and exploded outward with stone chunks firing like buckshot at the demons she had summoned to be her demonic doormen.

Niculaie wasted no time, and dashed in to make the alpha strike against the enemies that awaited him, swinging a wide arc with the long glowing blade, moving to the right of the door afterward so that his allies would not be obstructed from making their own moves to join him. IF they thought a little pleasure would break Felix, they were severely mistaken, he would make sure his brother received hazard pay for this!

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Gemora joined Nic right at his side keeping out of his way while weilding his own duel pair of heritage swords at their enemies. The demons Nazmin had summoned were not enough against the might of two Tsetar blades and one forged by Lucifer when a Prince of Haman. Indeed the first swipe of Nic's Morning Star sword dropped the first goat demon cut down on his knees, his head bowed in utter submission. Gemora thrust his blade into the second demon to flood him with divine light which burned him from within to without and raised his soul cleansed of ALL evil into the upper kingdom. He would be reborn at length as the soul of a child upon its conception. Gemora's heritage swords basically recycled dark souls through the light of Auros. There was nothing left of the second goatdemon therefore but ash on the floor. The same things happened to the third demon as the first and the summoned demon fell to its knees in submission. The sword Nic wielded would lose its power for an indeterminate duration if Nic killed them while in this helpless state. Agares had made sure Nic was aware of that. Agares had always hated that about the sword. He did not believe evil should be shown any mercy. Leave it to Lucifer to show pity on demons. Felix felt a very dull sort of pity for them as he lay as listless as possible while being plowed by what felt like an automotan. The goat demons didn't ask to be summoned and forced into servitude as warriors, to be thrown in Nic and Gemora's path. Gemora looked to Nic though and with a nod he would raise the two demons Nic's sword did not favor killing unless it smote them before bringing them to their knees.

Nazmin shrieked at the three who broke into her private little bunker. Well Zax's bunker technically. Nazmin really wasnt clear on when exactly she started Dominating Zax. It was during the capture of Remus when he had refused to do anything unkind to the beautiful albino. He had finally put his foot down and REFUSED her appeals. He had started getting defiant during the entire child abduction fiasco but unable to convince her to change her mind he finally just relented. It was worse when she decided to send the outlaws back for a second try. He had raised his voice to her saying how wrong it was and how he just couldn't be a part of anything so purely evil but she soothed him with her voice and touch, applying her charms to him for the first time and finally calmed him down and made him serene again. But Remus... she lost him completely on that one and had to outright enslave him to get him to cooperate. She didn't call it enslavement though. She called it soothing her distraught husband. She called it helping him to find his tranquility again and had kept him 'happy' ever since. Only he didn't look very happy pumping his seed inside of Felix did he? He looked like he wanted to cry and maybe had been crying. He looked miserable. Felix looked... like a porcelain doll with eyes as empty as a doll's. His heart was buried in some deep dark place that had taken the light out of his eyes.

Whatever his wife had or had not forced Zax to do Nazmin went at the intruders with livid fury. She wasn't getting to see the Reavers make her power just dissolve at first for as she slung spell after spell at them Mendorin either disrupted her power or shielded them from it, but then after he jolted her with a few potent cracks of a whip he produced to let her feel the sting of being infected with Hellfire, and after he punched the shit out of her a few times with telekinetic blows, he stepped back and let Nic have at her while he went to pull Zax off of Felix. When he did Zax collapsed into his arms sobbing. Felix just stared... Stared hard at the sight of the demon that had been raping him falling into HIS arms. He was shocked by the sight of HIM, sure it was some kind of vision conjured by the demon witch to torment him. Mendorin then laid a spell of deep slumber over Zax that would end the moment Nic laid a hand on him. When he was out cold Mendorin moved to Felix who started shaking his head. "No... No... NO! You're DEAD! You can't BE here!" He was panicking and tried to get up but was too weak and bound by ropes of cloth to the table. Nazmin had drained his blood to keep him weak. He still had tubes in his arteries draining him into vats in the large cage he was in. Mendorin realized his mistake as he watched Felix struggling. He withdrew from the cage to let Gemora go to him as he was rushing over now as it was with Nic not far behind finishing up with Nazmin.

Gemora embraced Felix tight the moment he arrived at his side and pressed many a tender kiss to his brow and cheeks telling him, "We are here... you are safe now. We are here," before kissing him again then pulling the tubes out of his flesh one by one and covering each artery with a hand as he did so until the punctures stopped spurting blood. In a fury he kicked one of the barrels over to spill his blood all over the floor yelling in rage and anguish before sending all that blood into the abyss. It was a wonder Felix was conscious at all and there were three more barrels. After sending them all into the abyss he went back to Felix and unbound him, also angrily, before he gathered him in his arms. He said nothing but carried him through a gate and the fuck home without another word to anyone. He knew Nic and Mendorin would take care of the prisoners. Once he had Felix back in the quarters he shared with him he put him to bed and climbed in with him just to hold him close. Oh the guilt he felt for not following him instead of listening to orders and the rage he felt at what had been done to him AGAIN.

Mendorin meanwhile warned Nic NOT to let Nazmin or Zaxien for that matter touch him under any circumstances. He could touch her but she must NOT touch HIM. As for Zaxien touching Mendorin when he collapsed into his arms? Mendorin had thrown a telekinetic skin over himself before pulling Zax away from Felix.

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Niculaie smiled, he did not have to speak though, having Gemora here was good sure he wasn't Felix who knew most moves he was going to make, but Gemora had a good battle IQ and seemed to pick up on what was needed of him. Niculaie could not kill a defeated opponent with this sword so he left that to Gemora, to send them into a rebirth.

Niculaie let his eyes take in the scene, Mendorin wasn't the only one working against Nazmin, his eyes and the void becoming one and he drank in her power, pulling it in, devouring it. Devouring her stamina, becoming a void for her magic to be drawn into. His eyes were completely black and yet he could still see. Mendorin broke off his attack with a warning not to let her touch him, very well.

Niculaie moved in for the offensive with that blade of light in hand he swung from outside her range but willed the blade just another couple inches hoping o land a hit, his own barrier of telekinetic force surrounding him, he modulated the length of the sword as he made cuts at her, a singular cut was all he needed!

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Nic had little cutting Nazmin as she was quick but lacked the haste which Nic could use to so easily outmaneuver her by. How many times had Zax tried to convince her to let him teach her haste and thought a showy ability for vampires? She wished now she had listened to her husband but she rarely did that because it made her feel inferior to him. She was furious that he not only made her waste her power by swallowing up all her spells but he was also draining her. "YOU CHEAT!!" She called him in a rage and then found herself trying to dodge and shield herself from his sword but he just devoured her shield and came at her with the slightest burst of haste to slash her shoulder and OH how it hurt!! She snarled at him and was about to shift into demon form when she found herself collapsing to her knees unable to so much as raise her eyes on him. She started blubbering how sorry she was but she wasn't sorry for anything other being found by these cheating MEN. But weren't they ALL?! Defeated she just sat there are her knees shaking with rage and the terror that blade of his filled her with. She watched as the other (Gemora) dispatched of the last goat demon, having sent all three now to their rebirth, and gritted her teeth as he came for her. Gemora was going to do it to, so he could go to Felix and just BE DONE with her but Nic shook his head at him. Gemora had growled and gone to help Felix then as Mendorin retreated from him, his very presence horribly upsetting to him. It pained Mendorin because he loved Felix.

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Niculaie smiled at her complaint that he was cheating, but, he just kept at it until he scored a blow. She did not realize that every time he blinked he had a lapse in his power, and the longer he didn't blink the more strain that came over his eyes, it was powerful sure but not without its weaknesses. Before Mendorin joined them, Niculaie knelt well out of her range, "Tell me, were you born this way or did you have to work hard at it, Nazmin?" He was curious but, regardless of how she answered he would rise to his feet to greet Mendorin when he returned.

"Well you didn't betray us and join forces with her, so that has to count for something, thank you Mendorin for helping me get my brother back." He didnt call Felix a clan brother, because he felt that it was more than clansmanship, it was a real connection. "Yes, let us deliver them." He was of coure unaware that Faustus and the king were actually rather close they had both been black lions, thought Faust remained one, Seth had been oversired by the Morningstar, but he still considered them clan all the same.

"Nazmin, hands behind your back and clench your hands into tight fists." He commanded her, using the domination the sword had over her, he then reached into a hip pouch and pulled out a heavy duty ziptie, specifically made for handling immortals, it was made from a carbon fiber mesh material meant to resist being torn apart. "Let us take them now."

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Nazmin just sneered at Nic briefly but it was so painful to show even that lack of respect that the sneer fell into a grimace. "Am I supposed to know what you mean by any of that? Your questions are very dull and insipid." Like your face, she thought but the survile nature of the power over her wouldnt let her say that part. Still, she used the opportunity to trade insult for insult. When asked to put her hands behind her back she tried to refuse but found herself doing it anyway.

Mendorin shook his head at Nic's comment about not joining Nazmin. "The thought never crossed my mind, Nic. I am ever available to aid Felix, You or any of your clan. You may have severed yourself from us, but you will always be family in my mind." Whether he cared for it or not it was just the way it was. And so they left, each ushering a prisoner along with them only Mendorin pushed Zax towards Nic when they landed.

Mendorin stepped through shadows and abyss with Nic to arrive back in Gothtyrdan's courtyard where Faustus awaited word from them, his arms standing ready in the event their support was needed, but to his great pleasure Nic and Mendorin returned with a bonus of two very wanted prisoners entow. "Now THAT is a lovely sight." Faust said then motioned to Roary and Kael to come and take them.

"Wait!" Mendorin called out. "These are Sumari Demons. They require special handling. If they so much as TOUCH anyone they can dominate them, and if not dominate they will be so magnetic to anyone they touch that they may as well be dominated. Allow me to outfit them so they are safe to be handled," he offered and Faust nodded, curious to see how he meant to do that. Mendorin did nothing fancy, he merely conjured clothing to their bodies which covered them completely. Even their faces with only a small holes for their eyes and mouth. Their hands were covered with mittens sewn onto the sleeves and with cloth boots much the same. The hood parts were a breathable cloth but with a tight enough weave not to allow contact. "Just to be safe, be sure the holes for their mouths are avoided in case a kiss is attempted." He advised. He trusted Zax not to attempt escape on his own but he in no way trusted Nazmin's influece over him. "And hold them in separate blocks." It came to mind.

Faust was greatful for his knowledge and aid but... "I'm afraid we are going to have to place you in holding as well, Lord Mendorin, until we can assess your intentions. I grant you this one opportunity to leave Esscha Endor a free man. I cannot promise you how our commander will respond to your presence here."

"And your commander is?" Azale asked.

"Artorius Abraxas Xavier." Faust weighed him heavily with his eyes as he said this.

"I see..." Azale understood. "I came here hoping for aid in ridding myself of the menace who once treated him so cruelly. I will take my chances with Artorius. Understand, it is not just my life hangs in the balance but those of my clan as well, and they are good people. They deserve a chance to become better people." Well Dennis, aka Snake of the Windfall Raiders wasn't exactly good but he was not evil, not really, and he had his uses as a thief. "I must free myself of him that I may free THEM. I have just one request if I am to be imprisoned." Faust nodded, willing to hear him out. "I may be able to help with Zaxien. Please put me in a cell with him."

Faust inhaled a deep breath. He didn't really see any reason to refuse his request. "As you aided in the return of Felix and the capture of the prisoners, I will grant your request." He nodded to Jorden who joined Kael and Roary in escorting the prisoners to their cells. They decided to place Mendorin and Zax in one of the upper story cells closest to the Guard Room. It made them more accessible for questioning. Nazmin they buried in one of the deep cells as she had been the ringleader of the entire affair from all the reports they had received. Seth could access her easily by gate and if he wished her moved they would do so, but for now they wanted her to be in the gloomiest, dankest part of the dungeon where all the rats lived. "Nic, I will grant you and Felix free access to his cell with your vow not to attempt abetting him in escape or any questionable activity in or beyond his cell." He realized Mendorin could not receive the help he sought without them and if he was marked by Mekkor? Well that would prove his story was not fabricated now wouldn't it? And if Mendorin wasn't the evil fiend his alleged master was he and his clan might be a valuable asset to the King.

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Felix lay there quietly for awhile in his bed where his lover had placed him, just letting Gem's closeness and gentle affections warm his cold heart. But he felt so... hopeless. "Gem... was he an illusion?" he asked quietly and Gemora knew exactly who he meant. "No, he was not... but, he..." and he told Felix the story as Mendorin had told it to them and how he and Nic had seen the truth in his words through their metaphysical sight as could not be fooled.

Though demons now Nic and Gem still had a few Tsetar tricks up their sleeves. A few of those they had perfected before becoming demons. Both Nic and Gemora would find that this recent return in their celestial talents was a percursor to a shift both of them were gradually approaching... A quickening into auto-rebirth. Their actions within that interim would determine if they were reborn into devils or celestials. Devils really were just corrupted celestials. Either way, their seraphic qualities would be returned to them and they would be devils or celestials instead of demons. Maelmorda knew that when this happened Felix would feel left by the wayside as it were and nothing his brother or acolyte could say to him would change how he felt, but Maelmorda had a plan for that. He was going to recreate Felix into a sephiroth to make him more equal to Niculaie and his own sireling. Nephalim were actually more powerful than sephiroth and all but the three highest orders of Tsetar, the Seraphim Cherubim and Thrones alone were more powerful than Nephalim among the celestial orders and that of course relied on a lot of provisions such as current status and state. A seraphim newly reborn as a mortal was in no way more powerful than a half developed Nephalim.

Felix shuddered after hearing everything Gemora had to say. "He is called the dark lord of deception. He is notorius for being a devious master of deception. Is there no way he could have fooled your vision? Is your sight so foolproof? Is anything?" Felix had not heard Nic enter his quarters as he spoke to Gemora on the matter of Mendorin, who Faustus had locked in a cell with Zax for safe keeping until he was sorted out.

When Nic had spoken to Faustus about the situation with Mendorin the commander had chosen to lock the lich up until they could be more certain of his motives. None of the Blacklion trusted anyone connected to Mekkor and that included the Reaver clan, but Seth had already spoke on their behalf so the Blacklion crew accepted his determination. That didn't mean they were watching them like hawks though. Mendorin had gone along peacefully but requested he be placed with Zaxien Aneiren. Faust saw no reason why not so granted him that small dispensation for his help with Felix. Faust was a hard ass but he was also fair.

Gemora sighed hearing Felix. He hated that his sire was right. Nothing was completely foolproof. "Is it possible though that everything he said IS true and the serpent built his reputation as a deceiver? Brought him so low so no one would ever trust him and he would be forever isolated by his malignant false identity? Corrupted by being so isolated and hated even? I know you don't like to think about it, but think back to when you were with him. You told me once he used to blow so hot and cold you could not predict if you would live or die, be tortured or adored from one day to the next while with him. One month he seemed genuinely kind, even good, the next a hellish terror. I told you his story. What was he like when you dwelled on the mountain with him?"

"He was... strict but decent. Maybe... overprotective or overly possessive, I'm not sure."

"He said he was himself on the mountain yes? And when he took you to the city?"

Felix shuddered again involuntarily. "He was... HIM. Cruel... sadistic. He sired me finally but not out of kindness. So he could reshape me to please him more and use me as a more effective tool."

"Mendorin said HE took you away from him and to the city. I... I believe him, Felix and it is more than just our sight confirming our words it is my instinct that he speaks the truth. I knew HIM too, remember? He is not like him. He is so very different and he wants to be rid of HIM. Wants us to remove HIS mark and bonds from him. He like us wishes only to be free of HIM."

"Where is he now?" Felix asked.

"In the dungeon below as ordered by Commander Faustus. He is caged with Zaxien." Did he dare tell him Mendorin wished mercy for Zaxien and why? It seemed too much for him to swallow all at once but he didn't wish for him to feel they were hiding things from him either.

"There seem so many things that are connected and interconnected in confounding ways." Gemora said drawing a keen but weary eye from Felix. "The demon Zax for instance. He is evidentally some beloved devil of Acheron, a son of Killian, who was imprisoned by Lilith and the Desert wind. Lilith tried to control him and found him too difficult to enslave so Sam killed him to make him mortal so Lilith could sire and control him. But even marked and enslaved he fought her and so she broke him, broke him ways only Hell can and did so over hundreds of years. Evidentally Maelmorda when he returned from his long stint on Earth, discovered what was happening and took him from Lilith and set him free to wander Acheron and in time he slipped away while the gates were open to Morashtar during the exodus from Earth that brought so many here including Nic. Zax was this broken creature who was afraid of his own shadow and could not bear to be touched by anyone. Then he met a girl. A beautiful girl who was kind to him and with patience won his trust and heart." Felix whispered Nazmin's name. "Yes, Nazmin, who was Lilith's own acolyte." Felix thinned his eyes on him acutely and he nodded. "You begin to see. She wrapped him around her finger and perhaps it was love for her at first but... maybe it never was. Maybe she was only doing Lilith's bidding. Maybe she never even knew she was. You know how demon masters can be, Felix. The things Mekkor had us doing? But I saw her... She loved the anguish you AND her mate were in. I doubt Lilith had to force her to do anything. Did you see? Feel the desperate anguish in Zaxien? The kind of anguish where you are helpless to stop what you yourself are doing? It is the worst kind. To be forced to such low things."

Felix nodded, fat years rolling from his eyes. He knew that anguish all too well. Zax couldn't even stay hard without Nazmin touching him constantly to keep him that way. Sumari had a very arousing touch and that went for Zaxien even as robotic as his motions had been. The contact alone had been enough to highly stimulate Felix, no matter how shitty he was in his performance. "I... can't trust anything I... f-feel about Zaxien now. He en-enslaved me." He stammered slightly.

Gemora shook his head. "No, Felix. We can no longer be bonded or enslaved. Remember? Wyrvaust made us immune to that." He had to remind him which was telling of how shaken he was.

"Is that... is that certain?"

"If you feel a connection to him i'm sure it is just a lingering affect of his sexual power. It is a Sumeri trait. It will fade, I promise." Gemora was certain enough but would keep an eye on him just in case. In fact he was not going to be leaving his sire and mate's side again if he had any say. Sumeri bonds were not like the bonds of most demons though. It was an undeniable attraction they imbedded deep within the spirit of another through their touch and the sharing of their pleasure. Their sharing of physical ecstasy was not as potent as a Tsetar's utopian temple but it dug in deeper and was more lasting and could become permanent if shared enough times. One might call it an infernal bliss in Sumeri. It neither bonded or enslaved, though their blood and seed could bond and enslave, but their sexual attraction was a spiritual as well as physical magnetism. Even unbonded anyone subjected to their touch much less full blown sex desired them. That was why Mendorin had warned Nic not to let Nazmin touch him. He could touch her as long as SHE did not touch HIM.

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Well at least Nazmin was a spirited female, he would giver her that, of course he hoped she got fucked with a chainsaw for what she did to his friend and brother. Regardless of what wiles she might have tried to throw his way, he would not entertain the harpy. Still they would lift her and Zax to their feet and carry them back to Faustus who was still waiting.

Mendorin had pushed Zax to Nic and when they arrived Nic had them both in tow, allowing the black lions to see him bringing the two most wanted people in Esscha Endor into custody. Not only would the pay be substantial, but word of mouth that the reavers got shit done would soon be spreading like wildfire. Niculaie had heard what Mendorin had said, but there would need to be some time for him to come to terms with what the lich was asking of them, and what he and Felix decided to do.

After the hand off, he would only be sticking around a short moment, "I will leave the rest to you, I need to go check on my people. Mendorin, I will speak to you again soon enough." He said and then he was gone.

Niculaie dropped off his gear before he went to go see Felix, but when he arrived he was already speaking to Gemora. Nic listened as he laid on the couch he felt awful and part of him was glad they couldn't be bonded or marked, if he and Felix had shared that link he would feel him Nic felt, the guilt for abandoning him.. He had him back but his friend had been made to suffer so he could be with a woman, to deliver another mans child. Niculaie grabbed the whiskey bottle and drained it, the whiskey was infused so that even immortals could feel the buzz. The only indication they'd have that he was here was the bottle empty as it was hitting the floor as he rolled onto his side, having passed out on the couch. Using the eye voids was exhausting, and well he just wanted to sleep for the next 16 hours or so.

Gosha who was with Declan had been quarantined by Kemish, "Hey can we go yet.. whats so bad about a little fishing anyways?" He asked Kemish, the little kid looked oh so bored, and was just looking for anything to do, at least he had the dogs to play with, so he just laid on Frekkie hugging the dog close. They were so dang warm!

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Declan felt aweful for the kid. He was having such a good time and then BAM, crazy struck the wheel of chance. They had been swimming, shared a nice snack of friend chicken and home fry chips, built some awesome black castles in the sand, then gone fishing. THe kid caught a couple of nice ones too, then he hooked a big one! It was one ugly cuss but some of the ugliest damn fish tasted like lobster! But as he dragged it up on the shore one of the guards patrolling the beach came running over yelling at Gosha to DROP THE POLE AND STEP BACK! Repeating the command until Gosha did as told. Tsolaat came over and corraled them away from the big ole flopping fish. He had to weigh ten pounds, maybe more, and Gosha had brought it all by himself! WHen Declan said maybe they should head back, Tsolaat stopped him right there. "I'm sorry but you boys can't leave until Kemish gives the all clear. That fish you caught is a Doom Fish." "A what?" Declan asked. Then Tsolaat explained to them both all about the dragon attack in Keystone against enemies that all went wrong and how they poisoned the land around Keystone and Demon Horn Lake with it, and how the necromantic and abyssal contagion they spread turned people and animals into contagion spreading zombies and how the fish they caught was one of them.

Then Kemish arrived and started running tests on the fish. It was very fortunately one of those that had been treated and couldn't spread the contagion by touch, breath and just leeching the spores all over the place. After his examination Tsolaat sent the fish and Declan's fishing pole into the Abyss. That was his best pole and reel too! "Sorry boys, to detain you, but it should be over soon," Tsolaat apologized. When he wasn't staking claims to persecuted young outlaws he was a pretty good bloke. Kemish then came over and performed a few tests on them, mostly probes but also took a little blood to test it with a kit he had. He also tested the sand where the fish had been laying and the water too. Then, just as a precaution, he made them both drink some of the nastiest tasting glowing blue liquid they would ever have the displeasure of swalling again. It tasted like what old musty rotten corpses smelled like. He warned them not to puke it back up whatever they did or they'd just have to drink some more. After that, he said they could go, finally. Well at least Tsolaat had entertained them with the story of the doom zombies and the rare dragons who botched a military operation HUGELY, and best of all, Gosha had quite a story to tell.

Now while Gosha was catching fish of various kinds and Nic went to take a break to visit Felix or take a nap as it turned out, Faustus sent word to Seth about the capture of the Deumas by Nic, Gemora and Mendorin with the rescue of Felix and passed onto him a full report on Mendorin with his present status as a prisoner, letting Seth know it was done at his command. Faustus didn't know how much Seth knew about Mekkor, few in the clan knew a lot, but what they DID know was enough to want to end him permanently if at all possible and failing that just removing him from the board by any means possible. But WAS Mendorin the same being as Mekkor was the question. Proxies were often considered an extension of their maker. Mael often cited that Killian was he, and Malachai was HE, and Auros was HE, etc. But some of them were extremely independent as Killian was. Who looked upon Killian and saw Maelmorda? Very few because they were very different in many ways, and yet they both served Chaos with the same unfaultering devotion. Most importantly though, Killian SERVED Maelmorda. ALL his proxies did. Did that mean Mendorin served Mekkor? Well if he wanted free of him he obviously didn't WANT to, but in the mean time? Mekkor COULD command him. Until he was FREE of Mekkor, he was STILL his bitch. These were the concerns Faustus put before Seth in his wisdom as a lifelong protector of his clan. Faust advised they keep him imprisoned at least until he was cleansed of Mekkor if that was even possible. Then once that happened? They could cross that bridge when they came there. "But," Faust told Seth, "The sooner he IS purged of Mekkor the better, for the longer we wait the more opportunity his master has to use him against others, possibly us since this is where he is."

There was some trouble with Zax almost right away. He was extremely claustrophobic from all of his experiences as a prisoner with Lilith and having such constricting clothing on for a prolonged period while being locked in a cell was making him behave very irrationally, frantic even. He hadn't been in his cell for an hour when he started pacing and throwing himself against the wall, the bars of the cell and then tried to just scrape the hood off of his face with the rough surface of the wall. His stiffened as he felt a pair of hands settle on both of his shoulders then Mendorin's serene voice began to sooth him with promises that all would be well, that he would be free soon to reclaim himself, and that he was in a good place despite being held captive. But that did nothing to resolve his heart pounding, breath seizing phobia.

"Zax... Do you remember your true name?" He asked him to try and refocus his thoughts.
"I... Zachary Deumas..."
"Deumas is your married name. What is your TRUE name?"
Zax shook his head. "Zachary... Just Zachary... Zax is what I named myself... when I was... lost. Nazmin called me Zachary."
"So you do not know your true name..." Zax shook his head. "And yet the name you gave yourself IS a nickname for your true name."
Zax looked at him through those small holes in his mask. "You know who I was?"
"No, Zax, I know who you ARE. Your true name is Zaxien Aneiren. You are not a demon. Not at your core. You are a trueborn devil, son of Killian who loved you. You got separated from him ages ago, when he disappeared from the earth. You were quite old by then."
Zaxien gasped and got excited and started pawing at Mendorin with his mitted hands. "I want to be him again... I want to be that person again. How can I? Was I better than this horror I have become?"
"What horrors have you commited?"
"I... let my wife arrange bad things. I let her try to take children from a happy home... to make her happy. I did try to persuade her away but her mind could not be altered. She was so good to me until... until the bad bad things started to happen."
"Well that is bad, but it's hardly a horror. What did you do that was so horrible?"
"I tried to say no... but she used our gifts to calm and convince me. I love her but I could never do what she insisted I do. I asked her why she couldn't and she just said it had to be me... She needed to know I would do anything for her. But not that. No never that. But... in the end I did. I was calmed and I was convinced and did what she commanded. I... forced myself upon a beautiful young man. A kind young man. I was as gentle as possible... I tried to gain his consent first... tried to seduce him, but he would not until I used my power upon him. I seduced him with my power which is the same as force. I never wanted this KIND of power. I HATE IT. I thought Nazmin loved me but she stole my love away when she made me commit that horror. However kind I TRIED to be such an act is a horror on the soul. But my soul is like a breath of wind and cannot stay where others try to bind it up and strangle it. Always there are cracks my will, my heart, my mind escape to. But I am so weary of it all... of the horrors unending. Of the bitter taste of cruel hearts on my tongue." Zax then dropped down on his knees like a stone before Mendorin. "Oh kill me, Lord. Please kill me, I beg," He pleaded with all his heart pulling on Mendorin's robes.

Mendorin heaved a great sigh. "Even if I wanted to grant your wish I cannot. The wards will not permit me to harm you." He apologized for not being able to slay him. He watched as his shoulders fell in a hopeless slump. Then he begged him to at least remove his mask. Mendorin had reinforced the cloth so it would not tear. He went to the door of the cell and called for a guard. The guard was impressively quick to come. "This prisoner needs his hood removed. Turns out he is severly claustrophobic," He did all he could and put in a request. The guard said he would pass on his request.

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Niculaie might have wished he could sleep for sixteen hours, however not even thirty minutes into his nap he felt something nagging at him, and he just could not get back to sleep. So the reaver got up and pushed into the room where his two clanmates were laid in bed. He gave a belated knock and not 5 seconds later he crashed into bed beside them heaving a sight as he glanced over at them his left arm reaching up behind him to pillow his head as he looked over at the couple with a grin. He then rolled over and gave Felix a big hug and kissed his temple, "I am glad you are back, brother. I.. Hope you can forgive me, I should not have left you like that, especially not for some woman." The words did not feel right though Magda wasn't just some woman, and she was clan now too, he loved her.. but, the guilt that he let Felix get captured like that. "I should have been there beside you, Felix, I hope you can forgive me." He then plaved his hand on Gemora's shoulder, "Your progeny did well, you should praise him, he was only a little insubordinate!" He said playfully, he thought Gemora had done quite well, though he did intend to discuss clan dynamics with Felix later.:

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Felix rolled over as Nic woke him up with a groan, his eyes still mere slits against the last rays of the sun lancing through a crack in the western window curtain. He closed his eyes again to the kiss and seemed to drift back off to sleep but he was awake and listening. His eyes then opened wide on him with a smoldering burn after he made his apologies. "Don't be ridiculous. No one is to blame but me. I was reckless, just acted without real thought. I did not wait to be sure I was followed... just stupidly pursued. I just haven't been myself lately and I can't even say why. I feel like something is just... missing inside of me. I can't indentify what."

"It's the mark," Gemora said from the other side of Felix.

Felix almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What the fuck, Gemora? Why would you say that?"

"Because it was a part of you for hundreds of years and unwanted or not, evil or not, you were used to feeling your sire inside of you, and though you were terrified of him, he was at least familiar and that connection to him made you feel safe, wanted, desired in other ways. But no one, Felix, loves you, desires you, wants to protect you more than I. I vow I will never fail to follow you again, upon my soul I swear it."

Felix sighed deeply. Seemed Gemora blamed himself as well. "I TOLD you, Gemora. The blame falls squarely on MY shoulders." Then his lips pursed. "And in what way was Gemora insubordinate?"

------------

Nic just stared at him a moment after he was chastised, "Fine.. you win, I will try not to blame myself." He said as he was about to tell him about Gosha then Gemora spoke up, interesting.. "We have had our Marks gone for a while now, why would it suddenly become an issue? Why would its absence mean a thing, I like the fact that we can no longer be claimed by some random godly fucker, you know? Maybe thats just me.."

He was interested to hear more of Gemora's little hypothesis though.:

------------

Gemora looked to Nic as he sought more clarity into his hypothesis of the mark. "It's like when you are away from home. It doesn't bother you at first, in fact it's exciting and new. But after awhile you begin to feel almost uncomfortable and after awhile longer you miss it so badly you almost feel sick. It was that way for me with Haman. I felt empty for a long time. But eventually that homesickness faded."

"So you're saying I'm homesick for that monster's mark?" Felix was in denial.

"Yes, out of no conscious thought or desire of your own. It's just the loss of something so familiar to you. It will pass though and you'll feel yourself again."

"I can't have whatever it is or isn't distracting me from my work in the meantime," Felix griped.

"Just pratice thinking before acting and you will be fine, sire," Gemora promised him.

Felix nodded and looked to Nic. "I have NO desire to me marked and controlled by ANYONE ever again, I promise you," Felix guaranteed his brother.

"But we are all still marked and though he hasnt done it yet, the Morning Star can control us if he wills." Gemora reminded him.

"I'd say the trade off is worthwhile," Felix believed with all his heart.

------------

Niculaie snorted, "I dont know if I buy that, but.. I will take your word for it, compared to Felix I bore the mark for a speck of time, and thankfully I did not have to abide his presence all that often." He said as he rested there beside them, listening as they spoke while he got lost in his own thoughts for a moment.

"I agree with Felix, the mark of Maelmorda was worth the risk, it will have to be a VERY cold day in hell before he needs to use our mark for anything, were small fries after all." He then sighed softly, and rolled onto his back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Oh I guess I haven't told you yet.. Mendorin brought something with him, he apparently found Gosha caught in some Cannibal trap, Gosha is here, so there is that.. not something I expected to ever happen.":

------------

Felix stared up at the ceiling himself. He didn't want to tell either of them... but he still felt a strong tie to Zaxien. He wanted to go to him... and... well he didn't know beyond wanting to BE in his company. Gemora said it was a lingering presence of his power, but it felt stronger than that to Felix. Was Gemora right and he... MISSED that feeling of belonging to someone? Could that be WHY he felt such a desperate need to go to Zax? Gemora loved him but he couldn't bond him. But if he couldn't be bonded was he just... ATTRACTED to his rapist? How sick was that? Then Nic said something that caught his attention.

"I don't think we're small fry at all... In fact I feel we are very BIG fish. HUGE fish who a lot of people are gonna be after. I think we should speak to Maelmord and see if he will protect us. I know we can protect ourselves for the most part, but there are powers in Acheron and in other realms we cannot take on until we grow our powers and our clan a LOT."

Gemora smiled. There his sire was! There he was thinking again! Then Nic said something else that drew both their eyes on him.

Felix keened bis eyes on him sharply. "I would normally say that's great but... MENDORIN brought him? Cannibal trap? WHat the hell man?! Is he alright. Are you certain Mendorin didn't... DO anything to him?" He was scared to death his kid might have been exploited.

Gemora could feel Felix's heart racing but he could also feel a deep uncertainty in him... something was troubling him and he intended to ask what after he and Nic discussed Gosha. "How old is your son?" He wondered who was going to take care of him while they were on mission. "This girl Magda... Do you love her by any chance? You could use a wife, Lord Lutrova." Felix just rolled his eyes. Nic get married again after what Anna did to him? That would be the day!

------------

Niculaie watched him a moment he KNEW something was bothering him, but he did not know what, if only Felix would tell them how he felt Nic could have passed on the information. He did not have a full picture, but Mendorin had explained that.. or rather said that he shouldn't let them touch him, something about their touch was dangerous. What did being a Sumeri demon mean? Niculaie could have sworn he heard that name before, maybe it was in one of his mothers books, she had drilled so much information into him as a child. While other boys and girls were playing he and his siblings were learning how to slay demons.

"Well, we are small.." Nic liked it that they were small, he couldn't imagine them being some massive clan, and since they could not mark or bond like traditional demons and devils they needed to make sure those they did bring into the fold were deathly loyal. Niculaie had a high bar that was for sure. "We could also build up the relationship with Octavian, we have delivered to him the masterminds of the attempted abduction to his children, I think we ought to discuss the idea of opening an office here in Esscha Endor." Did mercs have offices? Well maybe they could! "We could also recruit, not for people to join the clan, but to work under our name, we might find some worthy of being Clan Reaver." They had never decided on a name but The Reavers sounded cool, didnt it?

"Well, Mendorin did say he got him free before the Cannibals arrived to check their traps. and I see no hint of fear and Mendorin did seem uncomfortable around Gosha, like he did not want the boy too near him. Though he seems to have taught him some sort of magic, Gosha was going on about being his apprentice. HE said he did not touch Gosha and I saw no lie in it, such a straight forward question is hard to fool, even for tricky creatures like our former maker."

------------

"You want to move to Esscha Endor? Isn't Castleguard as a big city a better place to drum up business? Also, what about our tavern? The property is pretty big. We could expand it to include an office and more rooms. Hell, we have room to put additions on and to add stables. It's why I bought that property. It has so much potential." Felix was homesick, for his tavern! It was the ONE thing he had been able to have for himself even while with Mekkor. He had only the best memories for that place. It had been his man cave. His getaway that also happened to turn a decent profit. It didn't make him rich but it was a decent living. "I love the idea of hiring people to work under us so we might vet them as POSSIBLE clan members. The next progeny will be YOURS." That he promised unless fate threw another Declan at him! Which was unlikely but would be just his kind of luck, just to test him and Nic.

Gemora had something to say on Azale. "Mendorin spoke the truth. He wants to be rid of the serpent. He was used by him in a sick game to shipwreck his reputation soas to isolate and ultimately corrupt him. To turn clan against him. But..."

Felix shivered almost uncontrollably as Nic spoke of Mendorin being uncomfortable around Gosha. He climbed up out of the bed suddenly and walked towards the liquor cabinet built into the wall. He had loved that about the chamber. "I can't do this... I can't talk about HIM anyone." He reached for a bottle of strong liquor called Wild Irish Rose... invented by the Noctmaire youngbloods Kelly, Matthew and Kent, who stole the name as a joke. It was distilled from Rock Rose vines, a powerful narcotic flower that was physically non addictive but potent. He uncorked the bottle then taking a long swig he turned on Gemora, eyes burning as if to dare him to say another word about him.

"BUT..." But Gemora had guts. "As to his motives? That remains to be seen." He finished despite the threat in his sire's eyes.

Felix took an even longer draw off the bottle, then gripping it's neck tightly, he rushed forward at Gemora suddenly and plowed into him to pin him against the bed straddling him. "Another word and I'll fuck your lights out," he growled and he meant it.

"Is that a promise?" Gemora just kept daring him.

"Is this the insubordination you were talking about, Nic?" Any second now he was going to tear Gemora's clothes off. Nic could stay or go, that was up to him!

------------

"Move to? Were a business, brother, we can have more than one office with some office staff to inform us of potential clients, we dont need to abandon the tavern you clown, we can do both. Declan is a merchant he will be able to help us find some crew, hell maybe a few of his will be open to the idea of running the office? and if not, we will hire someone who can do it." Niculaie did laugh a little, "I am a picky sire, hell my only progeny was done the long way, by knocking up Anna." He said with a smirk, part of him was still living in the past, but he had moved on for the most part.

Niculaie popped up to his feet after Felix and took the bottle from him after his first swig and he claimed the second. "Fine, then you and I can have a conversation." He said as he looked to Gemora, "Would you mind excusing us, Gemora. I wont keep him over long." He said trying to ignore the pair of them with their verbal foreplay. "I will make sure to flirt with Magda just like this see how you two like it, now Felix, let us speak!" He said and ushered Gemora out of the room, before locking the door and raising a dome of silence over them.

"I think if you want to truly grow the clan we need to think about how we are going to proceed and act as a clan. I know you are a possessive sire, but when it comes to discipline, I cant have Gemora or ANY of those in the clan being insubordinate, especially in front of a stranger. I know you and HIM have a bad past, but he shared that there was a way to Reave lore, but it would require a sacrifice. I told Gemora no, HE accepted that answer, however Gemora wanted to pull the 'you're not my sire, bullshit.' We rule this clan together, we SPEAK with a unified voice, do we not? In your absence I need to know that your progeny will obey my decisions, just as mine will obey yours. Does that make sense?"

Niculaie had grown up in an almost military fashion, it was no surprise he liked order and hierarchy, but would Felix agree or were they gonna end up fighting over the matter?

------------

Felix didn't really want to punish Gemora. He wanted to shut him up and he knew exactly how to do that. He loved Gemora deeply, he did, and hurting him was the last thing he would ever do. The threat to Gemora was in Felix unchaining his lust completely on him. He would fuck him for days non stop. Felix just wasnt considering how weak he was presently. They had completely drained his blood supply over and over and over again, and drained him of essence, his vital force as well to render him helpless and try to weaken his bond immunity. Felix was damn weak at the moment and his arms began to shudder where he pinned his lover to the bed they shared. Gemora gazed on him with deep but loving concern and turned the tables to flip Felix over with ease and pinn HIM to the bed. "You need rest, My Lord. You must recover yourself. I am sorry. I never should have spoken of such things to you while you were feeling so unwell. Forgive me, love."

Felix gazed up at him with a passion that enflamed his eyes. "I will always forgive you. You have the truest heart, Gemora. You deserve better than a blackguard like me."

Gemora laughed at him. "You're as black as new snow, My Lord, my love. Pretend at being evil all you like, we who love and see you know better." Then Nic looked to him and asked him to step out of the room and after glancing up at Nic he looked down at Felix who nodded. Gemora kissed him then climbed off of him, but winked at Felix in such a way that communicated he'd be coming back to his bed and to please him soon. Hence he stepped out of the room and sat down on a bench outside on the landing. He wasn't going any further away from Felix than that.

Felix sighed deeply after hearing Niculaie out. He saw his point but did not agree on every point he made. "Niculaie... brother... I don't know exactly how you look upon progeny but Gemora, Declan, Frekie and Gerri. They are FAMILY to me. They are who I love and hold dear. I want them to have what I never had. CHOICE. The choice to become who they are meant to become. The choice to follow their own hearts. I want to guide and teach them but also let THEM guide and teach me. Gemora has taught me what love really is. What is more important than that? But in the field, yes, chain of command is absolutely paramount. I agreed with that with all my heart. This thing you speak of... IF it CAN be trusted at all... If Lore can be reaved and if to do so requires a sacrifice my progeny wants to make... Should that not be his choice, his sacrifice to make? Depending of course on WHAT that sacrifice is. I am not sure I care for the idea or think it wise for either of us to dictate what our progeny's personal choices are, but to demand caution of them and accept our council is a good thing. I want to be a different kind of clan. A clan who loves and respects another. Gemora listened, yes? Are not actions more valuable than words? That said, I would let him do nothing stupid without knowing exactly what the benefits and pitfalls are."

------------

Niculaie waited patiently until the two of them were alone, he sat down in whatever was available, a chair, if not that the bed then. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms as he listened to him. Niculaie knew that sometimes in a family, the head of the family had to make hard decisions, being a family did NOT mean everyone could just do as they pleased, especially with a family made up of those Nic and Felix had brought under them. "Guiding them means sometimes taking them by the hand and LEADING them down the right path. If he wants to put down his sword an no longer fight, that is his decision, that is any of our decision. I am not trying to make them our slaves, Felix, but any decision that effects our capability... NEEDS to go through us, we are a family, but the head decides where the body goes does it not?"

Niculaie moved over to him and placed his hands on either side of his face, "I know why you think that... think that 'a different' sort of clan is some lofty idea, but, you cant have a tribe of chiefs, now can you? If you really want to grow the clan, this is a requirement, Felix." He then straightened up and sighed, "I.." He just sat on the bed, "They are all your progeny, realistically the family is yours, I only really have any say out of their respect for you." Niculaie shrugged, he didn't think Felix wanted to listen, his idea about what a family was, what he built up in his head... well, how could he fight that? "The only way I know is how my family did it, I know you didn't have a normal family life so what I am saying must sound strange, but... it works." Nic really just wanted to insure their family was safe, and he did not think that everyone just having full autonomy and absolute freedom was the way.

Niculaie missed his family back on earth and his only other family had been torn apart by the man he thought of as a sort of adoptive father, the rift inside him left by that felt like a cold knife and he wasn't sure how to mend it. He wasn't even sure how Felix felt about Magda being part of their clan, "Do you want me to check if there is a bond to reave, left by Zax?"

------------

Felix was not closed off to what Nic had to say but they definitely had differing ideas on what family and clan should be. Felix saw that as a problem they absolutely needed a solution to. "You were raised by militant monster slayers who, though I'm sure they loved you, raised you like were a soldier. You were a KID, Nic. Not to knock your Mom, I'm sure she was a good mother in her own way but kids should be allowed to BE kids. I didn't say anything about absolute freedom. No one gets that, not even kids. They get sent off to school, have to do chores, have to do this and that. I'm not dense, Niculaie. I'm not some hippy who wants free love, drugs and do what the fuck ever for our clan. I just want them to be treated with decency and respect and follow their own path WITH our guidance. I want our blood to be a gift to people we think are worthy of it, and I think I have chosen well. Declan hasn't really had a chance to prove himself but I know he will. I just KNOW it. He is loyal. I can feel it in my bones. I think... he... even loves me. Not like Gemora but like family. Gemora would lay his life down for both of us. You know he would. If my... methods ever backfire... it's because I chose wrong and that acolyte was rotten from the getgo. By the way... Have you seen the dogs?" They always came to greet him when he got home but there was no sign of them. If anything happened to Frekie and Gerri he'd never forgive himself!

He shook his head to the offer of reaving him. "What's the point? We're immune to bonds right? Why are you asking anyway? You know we're immune." Was he being just a little defensive?

------------

Niculaie did become a little defensive when he spoke of his mother in a less than glowing light, Felix would know he treaded on thin ice. Luckily he did not say anything that was specifically untrue. He could still remember learning to fight in the way of a slayer and crusader. “Perhaps my family was different, but, we still need a hierarchy, I don’t imagine that will be any different. I too would lay down my life for the clan, I’m not trying to doubt anyone I just want there to be.. structure.” As to the dogs he smiled, “they and Gosha have become fast friends I imagine they are with Declan and Gosha.”

He looked at him with an arched brow, “so then what is the harm? If we’re immune I’ll see nothing to Reave, right?”

------------

Felix sighed a little. He was so tired and... "I told you I am all for discipline and chain of command in the field and while on duty. But at home I want things more relaxed. I want discipline to be based on solid guidance and mentoring. Surely you don't take issue with that?" When Nic made another very casual push towards examining him Felix just rolled over on his side. "I'm really tired, Nic. I'm going to get some sleep. Why don't you go see your kid and Magda. Seems you have enough on your plate there." And he closed his eyes. Evasive much?

------------

Nic sighed and punched his arm, "Dont be an asshole Felix, well I will introduce you to him later." He said then shook his head, he wondered why he was being such a hard ass about this? "Sleep well, Felix." He said dropping the dome and then left Felix to his own devices, and nodded to Gemora, "Have a good night, Gemora."

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## 00 #######################
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Esscha Endor - Saving Lost Souls...

Felix would have said that it was Nic being the hardass but was too tired to argue about anything anymore. He groaned in a grumpy manner when Nic punched his sore arm and hunkered more deeply into the covers and pillows. "Night," he said quietly and already sounded drowsy.
---
Gemora stood as Nic came out on the stair landing to bid him good night in passing. Gemora snagged his arm though. "Did he seem alright to you?" He couldn't shake the feeling that something was deeply troubling Felix, if not being held by the Deumas then something else. He released Nic's arm as he answered.

Gemora himself had been going through something, feeling and remembering things, been able to grasp things so long forgotten, and he could swear it was happening to Nic too, but for him it was different, because he was not ancient or Tsetar, he was Nephalim, whose powers came like a roar of gusting wind whereas the Tsetar had grown their powers over the ages out of wisdom and patience as a steady breeze. The angels of swords were not among the highest orders, but the thing about Tsetar was Sword or Seraphim they all commanded the same paths of power. Higher orders were physically tougher, regenerated faster, commanded a lot more paths, and had auralscopic sight, but they could all choose from the same paths. Gemora had been a dedicated student to those paths he had chosen to learn, but lost all memory and the ability to command all that knowledge when he had fallen and become mortal only for Felix to find him naked in the desert when he had traveled there looking for Nic, and sumarily sired him soonafter with Mekkor's consent. Oh the things Mekkor had intended for Gemora that he had only BEGUN to get around to. He had started out easy on him to lull him to a false sense of security. He had invited him to share Felix with him and what a treat that was for them both. Gemora had only experienced Mekkor's dominating side, and not even the worst of that before he was killed in the attack on Sapphire Canyon and hurled into a prison waiting JUST for him, something special Lucifer had constructed for him. Mekkor would not be bothering anyone for a very long time.

Mekkor had been and would continue to suffer every evil deed he had ever commited. He would live the life of every last being he had ever harmed. Lucifer knew his penance would either be transformative or Mekkor would perish. There would be no in between for the fallen Behemoth. If he did perish, Mendorin would perish with him. It was the way of proxies. Unless... If Mendorin was free of his mark and influence he would no longer BE tied to him. No longer BE his proxy. Lucifer was aware that this had happened before, just not to his own. Ris had a special gift for creating proxies that he could just cut the strings of at will. Such as with Sophia. She began as a proxy but he had cut her ties releasing her AS his proxy. She became more like a daughter. Lucifer could do the same thing but had never chosen to. He had considered it with Killian but always changed his mind. Ris trusted himself more than Maelmorda did evidently. Lucifer hadn't even had to tell Ris how to liberate a proxy. He had ways of figuring things out with those experiments of his. Lucifer and Ris shared that in common. They were both avid fans of finding solutions to puzzles and problems.

In any case... the angel in Gemora was awakening and he could feel it in the knowledge he was gaining and in just the way he felt. His intuition was sharper for one thing. Nic was about to find that out as Gemora locked his gaze on Nic. "Felix might be safe at home now but he still needs our help, My Lord. Please, we have to DO something. He feels ALL wrong." He plead with Nic to help him help Felix. Gemora was afraid to try aiding him by himself for if something should go wrong... He just couldn't bear it if it should. When Nic asked in what way he felt wrong, Gemora tried to think of how to put words to it. "It is like... his thoughts are no longer for us. They are adrift, lost and troubling to him. He is so deeply troubled. I know it is wrong to do so... to trespass... but I think we need to see inside of him... see his thoughts. I... remember how to do that. How to intuit what he is thinking and feeling. I know it is an invasive thing to do, but I also think it's important that we do it... What say you, My Lord?" Gemora had a better sense for clan hierarchy than Nic realized. He would never do anything like he was suggesting without consulting with Nic and getting his approval AND his help.

------------

Niculaie stopped and looked at his clan brother who halted him, and he thought about it, "Not entirely, some ways he is the same, but.. I dont know how to explain it." He said as he looked pensive for a moment, "He got defensive when I offered to check if the Sumari had done anything to him, sure we're supposed to be immune to Marks and bonds, but.. what if they are able to penetrate it, like we can with wards?" He asked with a shrug of his shoulders, "Surely that isn't impossible?"

Niculaie had felt something inside himself changing as well, it was not like what he felt when he had become a demon, it was closer to what his crusader powers had felt like. But not quite the same, and infinitely more vast. It was dark, but, not evil perse.. He had not time to think about it though as he was already moving. "Let us go and find out from the cause itself." He said with intention of going to see Zax, this time he grabbed Gemora. "I will help you, but first I will learn what that spineless snake did to him, if I have to rip it out of him. So join me." He said and made for the cells, he had been the one to capture them with some help, surely they would deserve a chance to speak with them.

------------

Gemora was happy to attend Nic in questioning what he believed might be the source of Felix's troubled spirit and Gemora felt the same, that Zax was responsible. "I am with you, My Lord." ANd away they went to the deep prison of Goth only Zax was to be found on the first floor not far from the main guard room just a few corridors from the Eastern Hall's entry. It was off the same hallway as the King's suite so was very well guarded and the entry was expertly hidden in the wall midway down the corridor. Two of the six guards escorted them from the north end of the corridor to the concealed entrance to the prison. The wall itself opened into an antechamber where two prison guards met them and sent them on down the next two tunnels to the guard chamber where their weapons were checked and they told the rules for visiting and questioning the prisoners. No lethal force, no magic, no bringing the prisoners anything without consent from Sarzgard, the prison warden. The guard addressing them pointed to a rough looking fellow standing at a desk. Sarz didn't sit down very often. All that done they were allowed to exit the guardroom and told the cell was at the very top of the corridor and the only one occupied.

------------

Niculaie was glad to hear it, he felt something and when he closed his eyes he could see it, two forces pulled at him, one was a powerful force, it felt familiar, that power that had awaited him since conception his angelic birthright. The othe was a colder fierce power that felt so familiar to what they felt when reaving, the power of the abyss, calling to him. The pull of the latter was stronger, every trial that had left crack and fissures in his soul had strengthened that call to the point that he craved it. Niculaie barely registered the trip to the cell, like he was on autopilot. They did eventually arrive though and he stood by the bars of the cell. “Zax, I need to ask you something.” He said as he called the Sumari demon to him, “it is of vital importance, please.” He said, a subtle plea in his voice.:

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Zaxien was asleep in a bed of straw when they arrived and Mendorin shook him awake then pointed him to Nic, repeating the words to him Nic had spoken. The devil turned human turned demon pushed himself up off the floor and straw and not even bother to brush the straw off him because he no longer had any pride, he walked over to the bar side of the cell to face the Reaver whose capture he had to thank for. A capture he was in fact grateful for because it meant his wife could no longer enslaved and direct his will. Zax was no longer wearing a hood but the rest of him was covered. "How may this lowly creature help the warrior who captured it?" he asked quietly, not once meeting Nic's gaze. No, that was for equals, that was for decent people gazing upon the same. He could feel something in Nic though which stirred him, something dark, something that wanted to win over the better part of him and break free. This felt very familiar to Zaxien... like something in himself lost and buried in time and shadows.

------------

Niculaie was somewhere between pity and rage, how could this be the creature that had been fucking his brother into a sort of submission, this weak willed thing that came to him now like some broken thing.

"Damn you, stop this act!" Nic said and punched him in the stomach, and how that darkness in him fanned the flames of his rage, he was so close to being consumed by it, unlike Gemora who was gradually being remade, it was threatening to utterly consume Nic without a moment to spare! Niculaie grabbed him by his throat and lifted him, his demonic strength made lifting zax a trifle matter, and it was only Nic's restraint that kept him from crushing his throat and windpipe. "What did you do to my brother Felix, answer me you worm! I cant kill you, but I swear I will snap every bone in your body to get what I want!"

That darkness was growing by leaps and bounds, what was good in him being overshadowed, though not destroyed, this was righteous fury not evil. He only just noticed that Zax was trying to talk as he thrashed in his grip, the demon dropped him and stared down at the pathetic creature before him, "What did you do to him?"

------------

Before Nic released Zaxien Mendorin rushed over to the bars and brushed Nic's arm lightly with his fingers through the bar just trying to calm him. "Nic, go easy on him please. He's as much a victim in this as your brother is. Please..." he appealed to the better side of his nature. When Nic did drop him he didn't feel it was anything he had said either, more perhaps to the fact that Zaxien was trying to speak but couldn't because he was being choked.

Zaxien fell down on his knees when released him and tears he could no sooner hold back than the crushing guilt in him could stop assaulting him spilled over from his eyes. Zaxien was a beautiful creature even unkempt as he was, long curling locks of jet black hair a tumbled mess on his shoulders all but concealing his handsome cream-caramel color face. He looked a lot Killian but with his deceased mother's Japanese skin tone though just a shade lighter. Neither was he quite as tall as Killian and leaner because he had been starved ror hundreds of years.
-
"I did as I was bid to... I enslaved him... but perhaps not in a way you might expect. It is... a deep attraction... one so penetrating you would do anything for the one who holds your heart in their desires. Who would not desire Felix for he is so beautiful and his heart so gentle and kind. I did not wish this one him... I would wish it on no one who did not willingly surrender to it. I know of only two ways to break him of it. Remus as well." Which meant Remus was still attached to him. He was just hiding it to protect Zaxien. "It can fade over time, a long time. Or kill me. When my soul is released from my flesh, the attraction will be broken." His confession was one of full disclosure. He would recommend killing him but didn't think he needed to. Under the circumstances they had no other choice.

------------

Niculaie just looked at Mendorin briefly, but said nothing to him before he let Zaxien fall to the ground, he was doing his best to show mercy. It was exceptionally difficult to one who hurt someone you loved like a brother.

"Did as you were..." He wanted twist one of these bars around his neck for playing the victim, even if it was true a man ought to own up to his decisions, Niculaie just slammed a fist against the bars. "You enslaved him, end it voluntarily, I DONT CARE how much you adore him, he belongs to Gemora!" He said slapping his clan mates chest. "And Gemora to him, they are mates. YOU have no claim, now released him." He said as he turned on his Reaver gaze to look into the being before him, the first thing he did was looked for any Mark that Zaxien bore and he began to unravel it. "We have grown tired of this, how cavalier others have become in throwing their weight around. Perhaps it is our turn!"

Niculaie's rage was like a focus, he began to pull at the threads of the Mark his current owner had placed on his soul. The first time he had done this blind, but now he knew what to do, he was more deft and sure of his work.

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Gemora had stood stock still as if frozen in place the entire time Nic and Zax had interacted and even as Zaxien outlined what he had done. He listened carefully to everything he said and HOW he had said it. The regret in his voice and very demeanor were so palpable he could taste its bitter essence in the air. "He doesn't want Felix, Niculaie, my lord, can't you see?" He said as Nic clapped his hand against his stalwart chest.

Zaxien had glanced up at Nic for but a second as Nic spoke of Felix not being his but Gemora's. Then peered at Gemora when he saw into the heart of his words. "I want only to let him go," he finished saying for him as there was nothing he wanted more. "I want to let them both go... please..." He was about to beg him to kill him when Nic began to tug at the threads which bound him so cruelly to Lilith. It felt as if his heart was being being pulled out of his chest one string at a time only more and more rapidly with each passing second until the very last strand of her hold on him was plucked out and he doubled over on hands and knees vomiting up with little food Mendorin had encouraged him to eat that day. He was shaking like a leaf by the time it was done. He sat there awhile breaths heaving then lifted his head and burned Nic through and through with his eyes and threw himself against the bars. "KILL ME!! KILL ME NOW!! He roared with all the heart and passion he had left in him.

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"I understand Gemora." Was all he said as he worked his gifts unbinding Lilith's hold from him, until Zaxien fell to his knees. "I will not kill you, THAT is not our way." Niculaie was not a pacifist or anything, but, killing this lowly creature would be to take the easy way out of this. Niculaie knelt and reached through the cage and pulled Zax toward him, he grabbed the back of his neck, where the flesh was exposed.

Niculaie grabbed at that material that covered his chest and pulled it taut, he summoned Dawn breaker and sliced the material open before letting the sword disappear into motes of light, he placed his sword hand on his chest. "You hurt my brother, but... I have been asked to save you, give yourself to me, I will save you, Zaxien." Niculaie said as he looked into his eyes already preparing the weave of his mark to ensnare this creature under his protection and the protection of the reavers. "Do it if not for yourself then do it for Mendorin your friend. You have wrongs to right, Zaxien, now let me save your wretched soul."

Niculaie let Gemora have his back, to halt anyone who might try to interfere long enough for him to do what he thought he needed to do. He would not leave this one free to be taken advantage of again, but if Zax wasn't what Mendorin said, he would see that Mendorin wallowed in hell with his maker!

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Mendorin stood by for as long as he could then felt he had to step in. He felt very deeply that Zaxien was the victim here and who knew better about being ill used and forced to commit evil deeds than he? Mendorin started to move towards Nic, not understand what he was doing but Gemora shot daggers at him with his eyes and a stern haulting hand. The guards at the top of the corridor started moving fast towards them and Gemora went to meet them in their path and stall them, but was shoved roughly out of their way. Gemora reached out to Seth quickly and begged him, to without delay, to order his guards in the prison to let them do as they pleased with the prisoner Zaxien. "It's urgent you trust us, PLEASE, my lord!" He begged Seth even as he went after the guards to come between them and Felix again. Like Nic, he had heritage swords, and like Nic he could bypass wards. "HALT THERE, MEN OF GOTH. Wait to hear from your King who is aware of our actions." Okay so he bent the truth just a little to get them to wait. Seth knew they were doing SOMETHING. They were Goth guards so of COURSE they persisted. Gemora was forced to draw his swords on them and they matched his move. Hopefully they'd heard from Seth before blood was drawn.

Zax meanwhile just gave himself over to Nic completely. If he was being a passed as a slave from one master to another then so be it. At least this master would do what he needed to free Remus and Felix. Kill him when the time was right? Zaxien wasn't suicidle, well he was, but it was about what NEEDED to be done. "Do as you will with me," Zaxien pledged himself to the Reaver.

Zaxien felt truly despicable for what he had done to Felix despite being forced and felt even more self-loathing for doing the same but for a longer duration to Remus. Felix looked younger than Remus but Remus WAS younger. He hadn't known his actual age but his behavior was of a very young person. He had been all too easy to seduce. Zaxien had never done evil in his life until others had forced him to it. First Lilith... then his own wife... Lilith's acolyte. She began to break his heart when she hired the outlaws to steal children then utterly crushed his heart when she forced him to claim Remus... then Tasien who he had thankfully been unable to enslave, but he had still raped him, they both had, and then finally Felix. He kept trying to tell himself that Lilith had forced her TO force him, but her... glee at all their suffering... It had been GENUINE. Lilith had not forced her to force him. It was all her doing. Zaxien had been deeply in love with her. Loved her enough to turn a blind eye to her stealing a child. ONE child. But he never could have lived with it. As Tazien had planned to return any stolen child or children to their parents... Zaxien would have done the same IF given the chance. Nazmin had enslaved Zaxien and forced his will but his will was slippery and could only be held onto for the briefest durations, a few days at a time at most. Nazmin had to keep enslaving him but she had enjoyed so, unlike Lilith who had no patience for that. Lilith's mark though HAD bound him, made him HERS. But this demon had somehow untangled him from her mark. He FEARED for Niculaie, for ALL these Reavers if they could DO such a thing.

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Seth was caught off guard by the sudden and urgent plea for his help, it was coming from Gothtyrdan of all places. Seth created a window into the present through the power of the black oracle and peered into where Gemora had called to him from. Interesting. ~"Stand down, this is King Augustus. Do not interfere with these men, and when they are done I want them escorted to my audience chamber to await my return."~ Not the throne room but a place where he entertained guests in a setting that was afforded a bit more privacy. He alerted Niall and Mendes to the situation and wanted them on hand for the event.

~"Gemora, I have told them to stand down, but you will be escorted to an audience chamber, all four of you. I intend to come and meet with you all very soon."~

Niculaie then did as he would and marked Zaxien, Marking him with his personal mark, he was not aware what binding him with Acheron involved would mean, he wondered if he could speak to Maelmorda one day. "WEll Mendorin, perhaps this is one step closer to you getting what you want. Zaxien is one step further from the headsman axe." He did not know if he could keep the king from killing this fool, but.. maybe? Mendorin also got to witness him reaving a powerful denizen of hell's mark, the question was, could he do that to the ties he and Mekkor shared?

With the deed done and more Goth soldiers flooding in by the minute the Reavers would have no choice but to surrender, they could have escaped perhaps, but Nic did not want to become their enemies. Niculaie stood and raised his hand to show he had no intention of running or fighting.

---

Seth sighed, as he dispelled the oracle, "It seems I have another mess to clean up, my lords, my friends." He said as he stood up and gently set Desiree to her feet, "Gather the children, bring them home, my darling." He said kissing her lips gently, "Would any of you like to join me in seeing just what the hell these Reavers are up to?":

---

Seth sighed, as he dispelled the oracle, "It seems I have another mess to clean up, my lords, my friends." He said as he stood up and gently set Desiree to her feet, "Gather the children, bring them home, my darling." He said kissing her lips gently, "Would any of you like to join me in seeing just what the hell these Reavers are up to?":

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Gemora was ultra thankful it had NOT come to blows with brave diligent men of Goth and the breath of relief he breathed when the guards told him to stand down and that they would do the same was proof of his gratitude. He knew he owed the king a HUGE favor for trusting them as he had. "Thank you my Lord," he returned to Seth with sincere gratitude then repeated what he said to Nic. Gemora was already sheathing his weapons which vanished after he did, as they always did, and held up his hands to reliquish all hostility.
---
Desiree slashed her eyes angrily as Seth said they had to go. "Nope, not doing it. The children and I are staying right here and you can slap those Reavers in the face for me for taking you from your family. Slap them good and HARD. You can tell them it's from ME. THEN, when you are done, you can hang up your crown for THREE WHOLE DAYS and come back to US. You put that new Duke of yours in charge. You NEED A BREAK, SETH!" Oh she was mad.
---
Killian pursed his lips when a general invitation went around. Mistake on Seth's part because guess who else was curious? BALOR. Oh he wanted to see this king who got no rest in action in his court! Killian stood first though. "I will join thee, Octavian." Perhaps he could be of some aid.
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Balor grinned. "You can count me in My Lords. I am eager to see you in action, Lord Augustus." The other king reciprocated.
===
Memnoch decided to stay with Desiree and help with the children.
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Zaxien welcomed the bitter abyssal deep burn of Nic's mark... despite how painful his mark was it did not feel as oppressive, almost sickeningly inviting, hungry and consuming as Lilith's mark. The weight of his mark though it made him shudder... a demanding mark was that of Niculaie Lutrova. Mendorin helped him to his feet as he tried to catch his breath and the guards opened up the cell, escorting the two prisoners along WITH Nic and Gremora all the way up, out and midway across the castle interior to the council room behind the throne room.
---
Octavian, Killian and Balor were already there by the time they arrived.

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Seth sighed, "My love, don't be angry. I wont be long, I promise." He said as he looked into her eyes and then he took her hands and kissed them gently. "Three days?" He sighed, he supposed every man was beholden to his wife, and if she wanted three days of him away from his crown, then he would give it to her. "Fine I will speak to Duke Nystori tonight." He said as he looked to her, "May I have a kiss goodbye at least?" He did not care who saw how gentle he was with his wife, some kings might have been rougher with their wives, but he was not one of them.

Seth REALLY should have been more specific and invited those, he did not let it show that he had erred, he just nodded. "Very good," He was thankful Killian decided to join, "I just hope I dont bore you, I dont think it will be quite as lively as this here party." He then opened a stormgate wide and tall enough to permit the entire party.

"I too, shall join you." Andros said with a smile, "You do not think I would miss this do you?" He said, and reached out to Anwi, ~"Octavians wife seems upset, why dont you two have some girl time."~

So the party departed to Octavian's council chamber, while Niculaie and friends made their way over. Nic reached out to Declan, ~"I might be a while, Felix is safe in his room resting. Could you see that Gosha is put to bed for the night? I Will find a way you repay you for this."~ Niculaie said as he ruminated on the echo of that mark he had unraveled, he could feel her, it was like a ghostly echo, but he could feel it. However he was too far to discern where it came from, he would need to get much closer, he only knew that they were in Gothtyrdan.

When at last they arrived, Niculaie who had Gemora join him, bowed to the king and his strange court. "Greetings, my lords. It is a pleasure to see you again, King Augustus, and a pleasure to meet your esteemed guests."

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As the four men were escorted by no less than twelve guards with more standing ready to gate to them at any moment, Zaxien wondered if he could stand up to Nic with the way his mark felt. Zaxien was... so very tired. Belorian could tell an immortal who had never felt that kind of tired just what it felt like. It was simply when an immortal had just had too much. Something caught his eye though as they walked which made him feel a little less tired. Gemora had pulled out his paddle ball game from a shealth made for it on his harness. The guards reacted to him drawing a weapon but relaxed with many a shaking head and put their swords away when he started paddling. The bright red dragon on the paddle with yellow and orangey desert behind him was eye catching, and the way he paddled that rubber ball? He had mastered it and was really enjoying the activity as he walked. Zaxien had forgotten what it felt like... to be around angels. Gemora lifted everyone's spirits Zaxien could tell. The guards were walking lighter, Nic looked... well he wasn't unamused. And Mendorin? Well he was chuckling like a good old wizard. It was weird... Mendorin gave him a strong wizard bibe. You didn't feel that in Abyss Demons, but there he was. And he got the same vibe from Felix. It made sense though. Healer. Reaver. Gunfighter was the only thing that didn't fit in yet... he was definitely that too. Zax paused for a moment as he realized something. Then a guard shoved him forward. He was reading, seeing things more clearly. Like a fog gradually lifting from him. One of Zaxien's gifts had been reading people. Just SEEING them. Oh sometimes he got muddy, if the person was muddy or he himself was just clouded by whatever. But he could swear he could feel something he hadn't felt for a LONG time. Himself. He glanced ahead at Nic but looked away when Nic looked back at him. It was a little terrifying because losing that self had been- horrifying. It never occured to the Sumeri who hated being a Sumeri that Nic could feel everything he felt and know everything he thought at will. Mark masters tended not to brazen that information. Zaxien blew a sharp breath as they entered the court and Gemora put his paddle ball game away. Zaxien kept his eyes lowered. He had the demeanor of a slave. It would take some time for him not to feel that way.
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Desiree wasn't mad at Seth, it was just the way things always went that frustrated her. Seth really did need a break. He was losing his edge from just the non-stop-ness of it all. She smiled a little, just a tad at Seth and kissed him back. "I'll hold you to that," she said when he said he wouldn't be too long, which to her meant less than two days! Shit was always happening to them! If not her, him, if not him their children, in not them... well someone else! "Be safe," she added before he left.

Killian smiled as Andros joined the party and hooked his arm with his for but a moment just to show his appreciation but let his arm slide away from his as they entered court. He did not spy Zaxien as yet because he couldn't see his face and he was standing a little in front of Mendorin who had taken one of his arms in hand to steady him. The demons nerves were raw as a dog's meaty bone. (everyone knew you never gave dogs cooked bones). Killian wouldnt even recognize him at first being he was so changed from the bouyant young man he'd known as his son. Oh it was hard for him, he'd watched a dear brother go so dark he had turned against them all. Killian had been forced to destroy his own son. Those had been terrible times but life went on and got better after he was gone. They got really good in fact until... Killian went all dark over Belorian. It was a LONG time coming before Zaxien had ever learned what became of his father. Everyone seemed to forget that Killian had a family. Or maybe they didn't KNOW. Killian could be protective that way.

Gemora who was tangling with his own troubles followed Nic's lead and bowed to the King and his company but let Nic do the talking. Gemora tended to only speak when he really had something to say. He smiled a little seeing the huge warrior in the room. He had no idea the danger of being an angel and smiling at Balor. He just appreciated his tough look. He was pure warrior that one. Balor smiled back. Gemora hadn't lost his innocence yet. Felix didn't want him to because he knew no matter what it was GOING to happen, so wanted him to hold onto that as long as he could.