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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhjHIm9lB7
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4DHOuhLsJ
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Then came that terrifying night in the Forests of Calliope.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmLHE2f8np
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There and then I knew why we feared mortals.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUkq8RRQXK
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- Arch Bishop Philippe 'The Wise' of the Church of Hecate.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeatFlFiL8
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Taken from the Documentary 'The Anarchy and the Peace.'207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyVh5AXe41
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Book 1-Ch 3-Nevermore beyond my pane207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZZg8cz8yn
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgpV8vmg8E
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvn9fTAjIc
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PgYIYMf8n
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XBTNA10z8
But no matter the universe A is still A.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5nKXuKN5h
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And fire is still fire.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNQqmwzpzo
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9k2YASFsp
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebdOg2pRKh
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7xLHhtynm
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Creatures that even those with magic, light or dark, would fear.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAOYuZWaZu
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1yB8D0zZF2
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDvTQVewMi
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISsoJjFeN5
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcW20QDFJp
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Ross was not innocent, but he drew the line at killing animal needlessly.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8TmrivY95
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyAvWnRKCX
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ952WVfTFZ8
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GKvEHWxKs
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But they were still bats, still animals, and they had sensitive noses and ears.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETyt3LYlaO
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCbGwBhR1O
So Ross took out a canister that was filled with a substance that had one of the most foulest stenches known to man.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yETpdgGGy
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31Dwx7UBef
The twister of flying dark creatures immediately increased the distance between itself and the scarred mortal.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bY7T7vChO
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66v4fp4vnl
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0CumDjHDS
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡto4Pz0Kels
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwD6YL2ydSy
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTq1etpXxFk
Temptation whispered in his ear there and then. Temptation to give up, go back.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GY36QnHcT
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPzL4IgZST
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytWmDgH1MG
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19VeO96Rwd
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6kQ7UMZwM
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzA8m04JMfe
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqAD7molcq
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJiRpD5X3d4
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?207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UvKXQfD6j
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They did it because it was the unknown, where untold horrors lay, but also wonders.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGUPGCY3bz
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡues7QxIK0B
It could be the biggest mistake of his life, but also the best decision he ever made.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGsYcdvCaw
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5n8nAWE94
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQtj6Slbt2
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNVZ3lpRXb
Some say you'd have to be mad to live like that. Fortunately Ross was.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYnrWUBe6E
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So he took his heart in his teeth and marched forward.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQZa3tGMMG
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So he marched forward, with each step his feet became lighter, his lungs softer, his vision cleared.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5RrsgQMZj
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He conquered his fear and used it to fuel his resolve.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoIRilUC18
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6hPvVeWRJ
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRCxLH9VgBH
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 him207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUHWdIUzky
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6yddB5x2F
"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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYa2QtC2GU
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6fUNKleVk
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqx2pTlGZdi
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCZC1GYjZ4
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This time Ross threw the bell from his belt right at the Golem's face.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwkVm7ZuEY
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BANG.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcNyLe0wjz
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA56eS2e5oE
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIQJdydsES
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoANQ73Vn7
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BANG207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCxqnoD6JQ
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHhhkaSNxE
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BANG207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0fTGpx4Cb
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXZeFJc3j0
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BANG207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigPJ1R8B4C
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgwSiQFDIW
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPkTy7CyVz
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A man can dream can't he?207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDh3bsR3Q1b
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0XGDaW1XQ
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFN6Gp0TA2
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFS5nwaypAN
"Well now, here's hoping that brute strength is the answer here." Ross said as he instinctly whipped the red orb, smashing it.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9FpkFFXP8
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8edEChgkJv
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It seemed like the forest, reality itself, was distorted in front of him as an illusion was broken.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvYjHbRems
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBukQTp8RNb
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8enxZ0YRVp
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Yes, truly an illusion had been broken tonight.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9YdnWS0Gg
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIEfAh1mWG
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9M6BH7zU1d
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQrVJcXAlN
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4gtsdYolm
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That Hexen was a step away from committing a murder most foul.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpb0DODO6ax
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwft3pJQBL
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9TavURO2u
207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUp2IydSCJ3
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjg7uk6jn0u
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Yes, an illusion was broken tonight indeed207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpESlBTqLFz
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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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02Uanxd5K5
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"What?" She said, the knife still at her sacrifice's throat who also looked surprise by the events.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDjaCPxiaq
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And with that the clock struck 3.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5qac9DPhr
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The witching hour, a bell whip, two illusions shattered and confusion reigned supreme now.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqtEfy3zf4
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Just another night in the town of Calliope.
