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-When I was young I never understood why we hid from them, from mortals. Even the weakest warlock or witch had enough power to summon a storm that could destroy a whole city, we could defy death, our lifespan was of centuries if not more, we were all powerful, beautiful and to the mortal eternal.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkGIDOe8iB
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Myself and many others back then though that we were at the very least better if not wholly superior to the mortals. A not to small number of our generation openly considered them to be an inferior race that we should rule over, as a master rules a slave.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmySzbAjAj
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Then came that terrifying night in the Forests of Calliope.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBF9nWaXDWT
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There and then I knew why we feared mortals.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU50LdZqNze
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- Arch Bishop Philippe 'The Wise' of the Church of Hecate.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7EC2GOJ3t
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Taken from the Documentary 'The Anarchy and the Peace.'208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6M6uXD65W
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Book 1-Ch 3-Nevermore beyond my pane208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QPPrJcCqd
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He heard it, smelled it, felt the rotten feeling that warned of its danger before he actually saw the wall of Blue flames.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0BYcFJhpQ
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Ross did not have a deep knowledge of physics or chemistry but he knew that the more blue-ish a flame was the hotter it burned, this seemed to be Hellfire itself, this was fire so powerful that it felt like it could burn Ross's very soul.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfjCVEYkzu
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But no matter the universe A is still A.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURezdVa9jP
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And fire is still fire.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTExsFSQ9K5
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And the blue flames was still fire and any fire needs oxygen, so when Ross pulled out a canister filled with Co2 the flames diminished enough for Ross to jump pass the wall of Hellfire.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1capXLUn1
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Then came the beasts of the forest, more savage versions of wolves and bears, built to hunt across realms and nightmares, built to track their prey to the worlds on the other side of the mirror.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXkgRUJPrj
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Creatures that even those with magic, light or dark, would fear.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3laEBSiEb
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But they are still beasts, so Ross pulls out a bag of dog treats throws at them and the dire wolves and fell bats all swarm around it, this is not the first time Ross had brought food with him in the forest.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtULlfaZixR
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After the demonic hound affair he always came prepared and had to use his treats a few times to escape the demonic animals in the forest, and these ones where laced with sedatives.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDxeLDcsF0
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Ross was not innocent, but he drew the line at killing animal needlessly.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoeyVNXpQn
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Then came the fell bats, their screeches on the wind and shapes that flew in an out of the little light that Ross had on his person to see through the darkens surrounded him, forming a twister of fang and claw, wing and teeth.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgO2GTOhTXs
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These where the locust of the Demon Realm, a wave of devouring mouth that could swallow all flesh that they swept over.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0EgzPSOzr
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But they were still bats, still animals, and they had sensitive noses and ears.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwoAYhVUp4q
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So Ross took out a canister that was filled with a substance that had one of the most foulest stenches known to man.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAFDDk9Y8t
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The twister of flying dark creatures immediately increased the distance between itself and the scarred mortal.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iorM1DSGL
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Then came the subsonic flute that was connected to a small hand cranked pump, with that it was too much for the ears and noses of the fell bats as they flew away.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHrD1Ns5PU
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Ross fell to his knees there and then as the terror momentarily overwhelmed him to such a degree that he had to stop and recover, this temporary pause in the horrors ahead gave him the necessary time to recover.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpk9twvcJVz
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Temptation whispered in his ear there and then. Temptation to give up, go back.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNgcgoYjbP
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Ross looked back to the path he had walked upon and he knew that all that was behind him was darkness and beasts, in front of him lie the unknown that send shivers down his spine.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdW7MoawuAE
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So he continued on, despite every muscle in his body, every brain cell in his head, every fragment of his soul shouted for him to go back as the whispers continued to say the same.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6ygkzP9j6
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"I'm not stupid enough to listen to the reasoning of a crazy man, especially my own." Ross said to himself as he treated forward.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLrMWLrBeY
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His feet like they weighted a ton, his lungs like concrete, his vision blurry as his body reacted trying to protect him.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhr88JNS57i
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Yet still Ross trudged on, this was the crazy things about mortals. They would march forward in the darkness, and why? Why did they marched into what seemed to be the Belly of the Beast?208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHC8KGdPh2l
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They did it because it was the unknown, where untold horrors lay, but also wonders.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7yHEawJIp
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It could be the biggest mistake of his life, but also the best decision he ever made.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3WELB1y2a
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And as long as that small threat of hope remained. That single weak ember of a better tomorrow burned, then that ember could light a fire and even the weakest fire could banish the dark.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEoqTuaYvS
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Some say you'd have to be mad to live like that. Fortunately Ross was.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqdOU0ncWY
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So he took his heart in his teeth and marched forward.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdr0wLR22A4
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So he marched forward, with each step his feet became lighter, his lungs softer, his vision cleared.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgzuQ4jmQv
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He conquered his fear and used it to fuel his resolve.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkUMZP7a0Q
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Ross walked past the beasts and now before him stood a golem made of earth and rock, with a skin so thick that no blade or bullet could pierce it.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgaLOs3mcvD
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Yet unlike the curse of before, or looking at the deep dark woods, or the hellfire and beast that he faced, it's not fear that grips him208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡys2eNLCly5
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"Turn back now or suffer my wr-" The Golems words where cut of as Ross, used not a blade or bullet, but threw a small bag of salt into the Golem's opened mouth.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeGwPmPyBH
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The Golem collapsed to its feet as Ros moved to run past the now coughing construction of rock, soil and magic, but a great caught his leg and hoisted Ross upside down.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvL9oId1bnS
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The Golem growled at him, but like before when it wasted time with words or deeds it was struck by Ross's quick counter.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1CwbKtC9G
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This time Ross threw the bell from his belt right at the Golem's face.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUoSC2f0Cp
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BANG.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuJzWbjMiT
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The golem let go of Ross as it cradle it's head both from the force of the blow but also from the bell's holy sound.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLChIwhaon1
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Ross fell to the ground and quickly grabbed the bell and attached to it a rope that he had for climbing and then swung the bell around and over his head once to gain momentum before striking the Golem once more with the bell.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj37Phj2EQk
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BANG208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0P2vbe244
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The Golem now shielded it's face and crouched down against Ross who was half the Golem's size, yet was now Ross was the one on the offensive.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLHIntfOXO
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BANG208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEK2CvpdN6
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Another blow from the whip like weapon as this time Ross aimed at the Golem's right leg, making the creatures topple down, then Ross struck again.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iatb2gv2Q
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BANG208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hWNIj8piE
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The Golem disintegrated into a flash of energy as Ross took a breather to regain his strength and vigor. His leg ached like it had been a slightly stronger squeeze away from being broken, Ross was certain it would swell like crazy and be as purple as an eggplant tomorrow.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUg1e1dxte
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Only the painkillers he took in advance before entering the woods helped. For not he managed to avoid using the stronger ones like opioids and he hoped that the worse was behind.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsnnp5XtaX
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A man can dream can't he?208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HJ5CMMALf
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"Needs something sturdier, perhaps a chain and something on the handle if they get into close range." Ross said out loud as he studied the whip like bell tipped weapon and it's surprising effectiveness.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3179kwy3C
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When the flash dissipated in the Golem's place was a great red orb, one that Ross looked at in disbelief.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wGAzCVBLl
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"Well now, here's hoping that brute strength is the answer here." Ross said as he instinctly whipped the red orb, smashing it.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxt8I9dn3cy
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Immediately in front of him a curtain of energy flashed and reformed itself like the image of waves crashing into white foam on a beach.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfDujE7btP
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It seemed like the forest, reality itself, was distorted in front of him as an illusion was broken.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHs40gHCHVC
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And in front of him was Hexen surrounded by other witches and warlocks and standing over a bound and gagged woman, with a knife at her throat.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZbGCVPsN8
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There, Ross's closest friend, a flawed yet kind and caring person who had come to his aide many times before despite danger, stood over another ready to kill her in cold blood.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHC2Hwu9NTS
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Yes, truly an illusion had been broken tonight.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFDZttdIQS
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Ross froze at that, he was tired, scared, lost in the woods, exhausted and from the brief touch of the Golem his leg was close to making him limp, only the shock of the sight before him was what made his brain ignore all of that and focus on the image of Hexen.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1UrLzr2MH
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Kind Hexen, sweet Hexen, always there for him Hexen, who called him so many wonderful things and made him laugh so often, brave and noble Hexen who always rushed to protect him when this mortal was in mortal danger.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUCZ8gj02I
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That Hexen was a step away from committing a murder most foul.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dINjnxZb3
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"Ross, there's something I have to tell you. I'm a witch." Hexen said awkwardly and gave a smile belonged on the cat that caught the canary. Which in Hexen's case was the poor struggling girl at her feet that was the same age as Hexen.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNPbDDj29y
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Ross still speechless then and there realized why the Myr had affected Hexen for that Hexen was not just a witch, but a dark witch.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZ2NpKTR5Y
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A very, very dark witch. Dark enough to be affected by the Myr like full blown demons and Ross had just interrupted a human sacrifice.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmf6fw7nhs
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Yes, an illusion was broken tonight indeed208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtegsoialRH
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"I always thought you to be an elf." Was his reply as a confused Hexen and the other witches and warlocks presented looked at him in surprise.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPkgPD7wis
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"What?" She said, the knife still at her sacrifice's throat who also looked surprise by the events.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UzlTHzb1v
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And with that the clock struck 3.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuKEZh6wR1
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The witching hour, a bell whip, two illusions shattered and confusion reigned supreme now.208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VzDYyJt6B
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Just another night in the town of Calliope.
