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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ksX3RWECK
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUfy7T7bwE
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Then came that terrifying night in the Forests of Calliope.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAzXs8kdvH
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There and then I knew why we feared mortals.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lr5eZnAOC
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- Arch Bishop Philippe 'The Wise' of the Church of Hecate.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG1xuNVwNFF
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Taken from the Documentary 'The Anarchy and the Peace.'159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFqGlPNxHh
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Book 1-Ch 3-Nevermore beyond my pane159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXZXqwkniI
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmugNmDTHSP
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWNg5ytUxp
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But no matter the universe A is still A.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fMN8hHgr6
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And fire is still fire.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtpnOQaFe8
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygCpzR3Fmn
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2pDP8qlah
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Creatures that even those with magic, light or dark, would fear.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYs70gPG3Ia
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SNJI9rcPu
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6rQcltRjO
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Ross was not innocent, but he drew the line at killing animal needlessly.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1t0TidgfwE
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOTd13KvBG
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZVdNbHdNy
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But they were still bats, still animals, and they had sensitive noses and ears.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5eIvA3Sia
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxercer8Vm
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The twister of flying dark creatures immediately increased the distance between itself and the scarred mortal.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNMJwZBwNC
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyyL4bH2H7
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4us3j3w7aT
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Temptation whispered in his ear there and then. Temptation to give up, go back.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnamTkgd7C
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JF5mMTfuy
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLv7XVwCF8
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nCHdCuuvp
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdAMWprpvu
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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?159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGBZpl3YnL
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They did it because it was the unknown, where untold horrors lay, but also wonders.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKbX92rNaj
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It could be the biggest mistake of his life, but also the best decision he ever made.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpHgZmK4tU
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmN43J2etn
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Some say you'd have to be mad to live like that. Fortunately Ross was.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXrZRq3G4H
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So he took his heart in his teeth and marched forward.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyz89HoDDHo
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So he marched forward, with each step his feet became lighter, his lungs softer, his vision cleared.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4PpW24Jlj
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He conquered his fear and used it to fuel his resolve.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXXDeh18jH
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYDPJmHKB6
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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 him159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIAQgYUgmK
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNoTpBIp1u
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJQkM1nlR2
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkircDwrrX
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This time Ross threw the bell from his belt right at the Golem's face.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQd9cCEjXmv
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BANG.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9XNqXUxiJ
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuc25BVnExA
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTW3RBP0sz
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BANG159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LfnssdF1f
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieHNInKpHC
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BANG159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4FKQUEi6N
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtxLmP2uVs
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BANG159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIcIlWmwR6
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhIeNKTNKz
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ801282cfT3
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A man can dream can't he?159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOajo6GKzdm
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthEvIDhOW4
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfztrLYrVUL
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0G6ydcOKh
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjQGtLydxG
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It seemed like the forest, reality itself, was distorted in front of him as an illusion was broken.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLntEnlyCGy
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcizT1R9q5
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSQqqxNpFe
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Yes, truly an illusion had been broken tonight.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5NDxTYenE
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoidX2BoSD
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8CZ4s7bwN
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That Hexen was a step away from committing a murder most foul.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisRwzKB36R
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCyYXYFW8D
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sIBorFc61
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6LzQWE7Cw
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Yes, an illusion was broken tonight indeed159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuqKUKpGH2
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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.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNZM4MiRSW
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"What?" She said, the knife still at her sacrifice's throat who also looked surprise by the events.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YcgSVDTk5
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And with that the clock struck 3.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasZxlYn81y
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The witching hour, a bell whip, two illusions shattered and confusion reigned supreme now.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0qLsN2r7c
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Just another night in the town of Calliope.
