"I don't know, maybe they didn't mean to! What does it matter? Just open the DOOR!" she demanded, punctuating her demand with a mighty thrust kick to the door.

There was a burst of orange light and Ivy cried out in pain amid a crackle of energy. She was sent hurdling backward, skidding to a stop near the stairs at the other side of the room. The blue aura that had surrounded her and illuminated the room was dimmed to nothing. She groaned dizzily, flat on her back and dazed. Ether looked to the door. It hung precariously from one hinge, the other broken. Whatever enchantment had protected it was spent. Ether cast a swift glance toward Ivy, shaking her head slightly. Quickly she turned to stone and pa.s.sed through the doorway, making her way through the pitch blackness.

Many floors above, Myranda scrambled to catch up to Lain. Floor after floor of monstrous beasts streaked by her. The ancient wooden floor boards creaked and groaned, Each footfall kicked up a puff of dust and dry rotten wood. Myranda wondered briefly why such a ma.s.sive place would have been built of wood when the others were stone. Suddenly, as she was about to emerge from yet another staircase, a hand yanked her back. The hand covered the glowing gem on her staff, obscuring the light. A voice whispered in her ear.

"Douse the light and be silent," he said.

It was Lain. She obeyed, and was soon shrouded in utter darkness. He whispered again, his words barely louder than her pounding heart.

"Stay here, and stay perfectly still," he warned.

Myranda did as she was told. She did not hear anything. She didn't hear Lain leave her side. She didn't hear him navigate the room in complete darkness. The next sound she heard was a peculiar squeal cut short. A few moments later, the voice was in her ear again.

"Restore the light, slowly," he instructed.

The crisp, bluish white light of the staff slowly grew bright enough for Myranda to see Lain drop a small, bat-like creature to the ground. Myranda could not discern any more details before he mashed it into paste with his heel. He closed his eyes and listened intently before continuing forward.

"What was that?" Myranda asked.

"A watcher. I've only encountered one a handful of times before. Expect opposition momentarily," he said.

With that, Lain resumed his swift pursuit of Ivy. Myranda was puzzled by the statement, but followed as quickly as she could. There had been nothing but frozen field for as far as the eye could see in all directions, but if he was not taking the time to explain, Myranda hardly thought it wise to take the time to question. It was a warning, and these days a warning was a luxury. Myranda had scarcely made it to the next floor when the mysterious threat presented itself. Out from the wooden slats at each corner of the room slipped a cloak. Then another, then another. Suddenly there was a dozen of them. Swiftly the disembodied garments began to circle about Myranda, slipping between and over the shelves that filled the floor. Myranda conjured a flame, the only truly effective weapon against these wraiths, but doused it immediately. If she was to use fire here, she would have to take great care. The wood was decrepit and bone dry. It would catch fire even more readily than the cloaks.

She rushed to the doorway after Lain. As she did, she placed her staff behind her back and willed some of the fabric of her own cloak, shredded and loose from overuse, into a bow to hold it in place. While still maintaining the light it provided, she then reached into her bag and brandished a knife in each hand. Dodging the swipe of a phantom claw and delivering a retaliatory slash, she slipped into the stairway and continued on. The creatures, save for when they chose to screech their terrifying cry, moved almost silently. There was no way of knowing how near they were, and once they were a fair distance from Myranda's light the black cloth blended seamlessly with the darkness. Myranda focused on moving forward. She had to avoid being surrounded before reaching the others.

Behind her, Ether heard the occasional shriek of a cloak, but she quickly dismissed it. The room that surrounded her was far more deserving of her attention. Leading down from the door was a long flight of stairs to the floor below. A small fire in a stone fireplace cast a dim glow. Over it was a cauldron simmering a foul smelling fluid. Opposite the fire, barely visible in the dim light, was a tablet inscribed with more of the same runes. It was undoubtedly the source of the truly remarkable amount of raw power that seemed to permeate this place. Stands held books with immaculate and detailed sketches of dozens of beasts, each labeled and described in the same arcane runes that had labeled the door. Just past the foot of the stairs was a narrow channel in the floor that seemed to have no purpose. A large platform stood in the center of the room. Upon it a now unrecognizable creature lay, separated with a surgeon's skill into neat piles. The faint brown stains of blood could be seen on the surface of the platform. Tall gla.s.s jars contained most of what had once flowed through the creature's veins. An array of instruments and tools were laid out with care on a tray. The curving blades and needle-sharp claws conjured to mind images of their use that would haunt the mind of a normal being.

Everything in the room had a meticulous, obsessive feel to it, and the feel that life was meaningless to the person who created such a place. Ether's eyes turned to the far wall. Instantly a fury began to build inside of her. There, like forgotten playthings, were a handful of nameless abominations. They stood motionless, just as all that she had pa.s.sed in her descent, but these were different. They bore no resemblance to anything of this world. The products of a mad man's cruel mind or a twisted reality, the creatures were an affront to Ether's very existence. Ma.s.ses of tentacles, pincers, and spidery legs in configurations that defied logic.

Ether stalked toward them, preparing to destroy the creatures, when a bright light and astounding power appeared behind her. She turned to see a disc of what looked to be darkness itself swirling into existence. It grew until its edge dipped into the channel in the floor. Slowly the center of the disc parted like smoke and there could be seen the form of a man. He stepped forward and emerged from the portal. Quickly, with a loud, thundering clap, the portal closed. Ether surveyed the man. He was thin, almost gaunt. His clothes were of fine cloth, with no armor to speak of, and stained with various unidentifiable fluids. Around his neck hung a large piece of fractured crystal, glowing faintly blue. His hair was dark, with a peppering of gray. His skin was pale. Long, thin fingers gripped loosely the head of a silvery weapon. It was the size of a staff, but tapered into a blade along its length. Four similar weapons hung from his back, each head adorned with four tiny crystals, each crystal dim with blue light. He was a head shorter than Ether's current form. The man who stood before her, in appearance, was no threat. In presence, however, the same could not be said. He didn't so much look at Ether as a.n.a.lyze her. His eyes were intense, piercing. There was no hint of fear. He seemed to radiate a feeling of command, of superiority.

"The shape shifter. The watcher announced only the malthrope. Properly training it to identify a shape shifter in an elemental form may prove an intriguing challenge," he remarked.

"Are you the one responsible for creating these monstrosities?" Ether demanded, pointing a finger at the twisted creatures behind her.

"I am," he stated.

"Then it is my duty to destroy you. You have b.a.s.t.a.r.dized nature itself," Ether proclaimed.

"Yes, yes. So you say. If you wish to do battle, I must request that we do so outside of this place. It is quite near to my records room, and I am not quite certain I have created duplicates of all of my notes," he said.

"Ether, something is happening upstairs! I think the others need our help! We . . . " came Ivy's voice from the doorway, but it swiftly caught in her throat.

The man turned.

"Welcome home, wayward one," he said, almost pleasantly.

Ether took full advantage of his distraction. She swung her stone fist with all of her might at the stranger's head. In a flash, the four staffs on his back extended, splitting into segments. Insect-like legs extended from along the length. The edge of the silvery things reached the floor and planted themselves. Ether's fist clanked off of their bodies uselessly. Before she could attempt a second blow, three of the creature weapons weaved like metal centipedes to her. Two wrapped around her ankles, digging their legs into hers, and buried the tips of their tails deep into the floor. The third planted the rows of legs nearest to its head and curled its tail like that of a scorpion, striking again and again.

A few floors above, Myranda finally reached Lain. Several dozen of the cloaks had been left in shreds on the floor, but still dozens more stood between him and the next flight of stairs. The creatures had been keeping their distance until now, picking at their targets as they had in the past. This was different. They were united in a frenzy to keep Lain from this next door, and they were succeeding. In her fight to reach this far, Myranda had felt the rake of the black claws of these creatures more than once, and she knew well that if Lain's sword and skill were not enough to quell the tide, her own blades would do precious little good. She had to use fire, but first she had to protect the ancient tinderbox that surrounded them from it.

"Keep them from me for just a few moments," she said, shutting her eyes and trusting that he could do so.

Lain shifted his stance, swatting the creatures away instead of trying to strike them down. Quickly Myranda's plan became clear. The temperature of the room was dropping dramatically. As she drew the heat from the walls, floor, and ceiling, frost began to form. She pushed the spell as far as it would go, until the wood was fairly white with ice.

"Now don't let them leave," she said.

She unleashed all of the stolen heat, combined with as much as her mind could conjure at once, at the swirling swarm of cloaks. They took eagerly to flame, rising in a chorus of unholy screeches. Like paper thrown on a fire, the creatures flitted madly about, knocking the shelves to the ground. They charged at the pair of heroes, but never attempted to flee through the door they defended. Myranda deflected a few with a hasty shield spell, and Lain dispatched the rest in huge swaths with mighty swings of his sword. The injured creatures needed barely a slice to finish the job the fire had started and rob them of their will. Once that damage had been done, they fluttered uselessly to the floor where they sizzled at the frost and smoldered. Before long, all that remained of the army of cloth wraiths was a cloud of choking smoke and a mound of charred embers. Lain sped through the smoke toward the door and Myranda followed, the mystic exertion reminding her of the tremendous spell that had disoriented her earlier.

Below, Ivy remembered why she had come here, and rushed down the stairs in an attempt to free Ether from her predicament. The centipedes were taking their toll on her. The strikes of the steel tail were chipping easily away at her stone body, and the blasted things were far too fast for her to strike at. As Ether reached her, the man gestured to the remaining two weapon creatures. They responded to the wordless command and flowed up the stairs, raising the door back into place. They then each planted their legs into the door and the wall, barring it with their bodies.

Ivy, the glow about her a piercing blue again, walked in a wide, cautious circle around the man, who did not a.s.sume the slightest of defensive postures. Slowly he walked to a shelf on one wall. He opened a box upon it and pocketed a number objects from inside. As he did, he spoke casually to Ivy, who was fruitlessly swatting her weapon at the attacking centipede.

"I see you carry a club. You were given the strength for such a weapon, but I would have expected a more elegant one," he said. "We never trained you with a club."

"Shut up!" Ivy demanded. "You were there. You were one of the teachers!"

"Mmm. Teachers. My little experiment, I am so much more than your teacher," he said.

"What did you call me?" she asked. The word seemed to cut her deep.

"Experiment. Altered Chosen Revision IV. The forth attempt and the only one with any degree of true success, though the second and third are not without their usefulness and, with you as a prototype, the fifth is looking very promising indeed," he said.

"What are you saying?" Ivy cried, storming up to him and shouting in his face. The aura around her shifted sharply to red.

"One moment please," he requested casually, utterly unconcerned. He pulled from his pocket a gem the size of a small stone and held it up.

Ether had grown weary of weathering the attacks and grip of the centipedes and shifted to wind. Her turbulent form streaked at the stranger, who thrust the crystal forward. The instant Ether came in contact with the gem she cried out in pain, the stone quickly taking on a bright white glow. More of her windy form streamed off and into the heart of the gem as long as Ether remained near it, and the effect it was having on her was clear. The intensity of the wind that was her body decreased significantly. Finally she pulled away, greatly weakened by the encounter. The gem maintained its brightness as he pocketed it. He snapped his fingers and the three centipedes formerly attacking Ether clattered along the walls and to the ceiling, where Ether hung recovering. The four small gems that shone like eyes on the heads of the creatures, Ether soon found, were of the same type as the one used to weaken her. Ether flitted fruitlessly about the room in an attempt to escape them, but the fleet footed creatures were everywhere, it seemed.

"I am Demont. I am responsible for designing and producing some of the finest living weapons in creation, and you are unique among them. I really should work with Epidime more often. The direct link between body and spirit was a stroke of genius. Permitting the most basic of functions of the brain access to the vast reservoir of energy the soul has to offer makes even the most feeble mind capable of devastation," he mused.

"I'm not an experiment! I'm Ivy! You didn't make me! You couldn't have!" Ivy raged.

"Ivy, eh? Well, the body is my work. Nature must take the credit for the soul," he said.

Ether could not avoid the constant a.s.sault by her attackers. Soon she felt that she could not hold together any longer and dropped to the ground. One of the creatures dropped down beside her and Ether's form wrapped in an intense cyclone about the beast. There were a few moments of chaos, then silence, and where there had been three creatures, there were now four. The remaining centipedes ceased their attack unsure of which was their foe. Ivy turned back to the man and smiled. In the brief silence, an odd ringing noise followed by the clattering of one of the centipedes tumbling down the stairs in pieces marked Lain's entry. Demont's face turned not fearful, but stern. Half of the door fell away, sliding down the steps. The four remaining creature weapons clamored quickly to Demont's side. Lain leapt at Demont but was intercepted by a pair of the centipedes. Ether in her stolen form tangled with another, and the last occupied Myranda. Ivy bared her teeth and charged, fear entirely supplanted by anger. She was clearly on the verge of becoming the chaotic form that had ravaged the dragoyles before. The red aura was blinding.

"HALT!" Demont ordered.

Instantly the aura vanished. Darkness swept in. Myranda conjured light. She could not afford to wait for her eyes to adjust. Lain dispatched the first of his opponents. Ether was still entangled with hers. Ivy stood with a confused, disoriented look on her face.

"Much as I would like to see the cascading reaction Epidime described, I must not permit it here. This fort houses the only physical manifestation of a great many of my creations, and I do not wish to destroy it unless it is absolutely necessary," he said. "Now listen closely, all of you. I do not feel that this place is an appropriate one to capture you, and with the exception of the human, strict orders prohibiting me from killing you have been reinstated. Thus, I must insist that you leave this place. If you do so quickly and willingly, I shall do you no more harm."

Demont made his way to a long case in the corner of the room. A final swipe of Lain's sword finished his opponent. He charged at Demont, but the case clicked open and ten more of the centipedes charged out to his defense. Myranda, who had yet to find something in her mystic repertoire to effectively combat one of the nasty things, now had six to contend with. Lain destroyed two of his own quickly, but the remaining three maneuvered well within the radius that allowed an effective sword strike, and proved more troublesome. Ether, however, managed to tear the beast she tangled with to pieces, and weaved her way quickly toward Demont. Of all of the skills these creations had, intelligence was sorely lacking. They could not tell friend from foe, and with Demont distracted pocketing the loose notes, books, and tools from around the room, there was no one to guide them.

Ether sprung to Demont's leg. The needle-sharp legs of her current form dug deep into his flesh and she summoned all of the strength the abomination could muster. Like a flash of lightning, The blade of a tail sunk just a whisper into Demont's skin. Before it could slice further, a trio of the creatures latched onto the shape shifter and tore her free. Dark blood ran from Demont's back as Ether was stretched taught by the creatures. With little more than a nod, creatures began to peel off from attacking the others and a.s.saulted the immobilized shape shifter. Ether shifted suddenly back to stone, bursting from beneath the beasts. She charged at him. In a swift motion, he revealed one of the tools he had selected and drove it into her chest. It was a rapier-thin serrated blade, striped with filaments of the crystal. The filaments led back to the grip, which bore a delicate metal claw. The claw held a large, finely crafted jewel. On contact, the web of lines illuminated and the gem shone brightly. Ether reared back and grasped the cruel weapon, trying madly and futilely to tear it from her chest.

"It is a soul extractor, a simple tool. Merely a clarified and refined thir crystal. A lesser soul would be drawn from the body. Trapped entirely within. I suspect you exceed the gem's capacity. We shall see," he explained.

Ether's motion slowed. Ivy watched, as though from a great distance. Demont's command had shaken her to her core. It felt as though her mind had been pushed aside. There was nothing stopping her from moving, but she lacked the will to do so. Somewhere far away, she heard Myranda cry out in pain. Her fingers tightened on the grip of the club. Slowly her head turned. The creatures were all over Myranda. A flex of her mind repelled them, but as quickly as they were gone, others replaced them. Her face was sc.r.a.ped and bloodied. She was losing the fight. Ivy's lips drew back. Her teeth clenched. Demont waded through the carnage. It dutifully parted before him. He reached the door at the top of the stairs. This monstrous man, this fiend who would endanger her friends, was about to go free. The thought burned at Ivy's mind. Finally she regained control.

With a mighty blow of her club, she smashed at the centipedes attacking Lain. He broke free from the creatures and sprinted up the stairs to swing his weapon at the General. A trio of the creatures hurled themselves in the way of the sword. It sliced through them all and cut a cruel gash along Demont's arm. All of the remaining centipedes scrambled to haul Lain away from their master. He grasped the injury, his face finally showing pain. It shifted quickly to anger.

"Congratulations. You have motivated me to disobey direct orders," Demont hissed.

He motioned to the rune-inscribed tablet before sprinting out the door. One of the beasts launched toward it, shattering the brittle stone. It was as though the whole of the structure shattered with it. The floorboards creaked, the cries of a thousand horrid beasts rang out at once. The spell that had paralyzed the countless monstrosities on display above was broken. They were awake. Trampling feet shook the ceiling. The cauldron held above the fire gave way, spilling its foul smelling contents and scattering the flames. Myranda, momentarily left alone by the centipedes, put her mind to work. She swept up the liquid and guided it to the cl.u.s.ter of creatures. When they were mired in it, she froze it solid. She then tried to use what was left of it to extinguish the spreading flames, but it merely sizzled and blackened. Instead, she turned her mind directly to the task. The flames, as though guided by an unseen hand, had spread directly to the supports in the room. Already they were buckling and splintering under the weight. She turned her mind to keeping them together.

"Myranda, come on! We need to go now!" Ivy said, fear quickly moving in to take the place of anger.

"I need to keep the fire under control. Help Ether," Myranda managed, sweat running from her temple at the rising heat and ma.s.sive effort.

"Why? She likes fire! Now that the teacher is gone we can go!" Ivy urged.

"With that thing . . . in her chest . . . no telling what will happen. Can't afford . . . to lose her . . . for any amount . . . of time," Myranda struggled. The flames were slowly creeping forward, and the supports were beginning to split. She redoubled her efforts.

Ivy rushed to the motionless Ether. She tugged and pulled at the extractor, but the hands that had tried so hard to pull it free were now locking it in place. Looking at the rapidly failing supports, panic made her decision for her. She bent low and pulled the stone form forward onto her shoulders. One arm was hooked behind its legs, the other over its neck and still clutching the ever-present club. The weight was enormous. Straining desperately, her fear fueled muscles hefted the shape shifter from the ground. She turned her head to Myranda. Their eyes met.

"I will follow . . . I swear to you," Myranda said.

With that, Ivy made her way up the stairs. With each step she gained speed. Fear, determination, and a c.o.c.ktail of other emotions empowered her every motion. She emerged into the next floor. Madness itself lay before her. Nameless nightmares, maws belching flame, wretched black mist, and substances that defied description filled the room to every corner. In the center, a swath of shredded beasts led to Lain on the stairs across from her. His sword dripped a dozen shades of blood as he fought to clear the way ahead. She rushed as fast as she could, but the gap he had created was closing. In her ears there was naught but the thunder of unnatural cries. Her legs worked of their own accord. There was no hope of warding off the fear now. She could only hope to lend the urgency and purpose she felt now to whatever it was that would very shortly rob her of her wits.

Lain sunk his sword to the hilt in yet another beast and tore his weapon free. His senses were under a.s.sault from every conceivable direction. There was no telling what these creatures were capable of. No two were the same. There was no time to learn their motions, to plan, to think. His instinct slipped directly from his mind to the tip of his weapon, guiding it to whatever patch of scales, fur, skin, or sh.e.l.l might suffer worst from its bite. The darkness that had made his first encounters with these creatures all the more difficult was now banished by the pale blue light pouring from Ivy. Her thumping footsteps increasingly shook the weak floorboards. Myranda was not behind her. Before his eyes in the moment he could spare to see her, she changed. Her eyes clouded over. She surged forward with an impossible speed. The blue tinge of her aura vanished, leaving a brilliant white. The last few creatures before her were swept aside by the sheer force of her motion. With a single stride she leapt up the stairs and past Lain. Foregoing the landing entirely, she planted a second stride on the wall of the twisting stairway. From there she thrust herself to the floor above without touching a single step.

Tiny scampering creatures were crushed underfoot. Huge hulking beasts were outmaneuvered. Lain now followed in her wake. Keeping close as he could manage, he slashed at any beast that ventured near enough to threaten either of them and as many others his weapon could reach. Utterly unique creatures, similar only in purpose. Creatures made to kill. Prototypes, failed attempts, discarded imaginings. The first and last of their kinds. They leapt at him from all sides. The air was thick with their stench, their breath, their blood. He struck down as many as he could. He had to. His mind, in fleeting whispers, turned to Myranda. Every level of monstrosities that they left behind was one that still lay before her.

A distant creak and snap rang through the structure and the very floor beneath their feet shifted. Far below, a torrent of shattered wood, burning embers, and ruined creatures tore through a widening hole in the ceiling above. Myranda was thrown back. The fire was all around her, long ago having slipped from her control. She struggled to her feet, gasping a lungful of choking smoke and pushing aside the searing pain of the fire that lapped at her ankles, Myranda a.s.sessed her situation. The staircase was blocked by the very remnants of the floor it led to. Injured but threatening creatures began to pull themselves from the rubble. Above, the supports for the next floor were giving way. She forced every last drop of her will into maintaining the integrity of the floor. Her life was lost. It didn't matter. All she could hope to do was to give the others a chance. Flames climbed to her legs, smoke strangled her lungs, and half broken beasts drew menacingly close. With a strength she did not know that she had, she managed to force the shaky floor back into place.

Above, Lain and Ivy entered the final floor. The ma.s.sive creatures found here were far too big to be swept aside by Ivy, despite the momentum that had continued unbroken since she had begun her ascent. Lain managed to inch ahead of her just as the tangled ma.s.s of snakes that dominated the room attempted to strike with one of its many mouths. The bite of his weapon caused the beast to recoil out of Ivy's path. As she approached the door she lowered her shoulder, leveling the stone body of Ether with the solid planks. With a force that was difficult to comprehend, the speeding hero struck the door, using the petrified shape shifter as a ram. The planks fairly disintegrated on impact, the door destroyed utterly. Ivy was staggered by the blow, losing her footing and tumbling violently across the frozen ground outside. The stone body of Ether, though riddled with cracks after the collision, skidded to a stop just outside the walls in one piece. Lain darted out the door, followed by a flood of beasts and a vast billowing column of black smoke.

Many of the creatures below had been designed to breathe flame, and thus had set the fort alight in a dozen different places. It was clear now that the horrid place had been designed for just this purpose, to consume itself and all within rather than fall into the hands of an enemy. Myranda, still in the very heart of the structure, sensed that her task was done, that the others had escaped. She began to release her agonized mind's grip. As she did, like a waterfall, the ruined wood, ash, and fauna began to pour down before her. The floorboards she stood on and those above her head began to buckle. Finally they gave way.

Ivy's aura faded as Lain rushed to her side, turning to the creatures that had filed out of the fort. With a rush of smoke and superheated air, the whole of the structure gave way. It collapsed into the pit it had been built in, disappearing into the black smoke that belched out. Red and orange flames cut through the smoke here and there, casting swaths of light upon the night-darkened field as the column rose into the sky. The rumbling collapse of the structure was a blessing in at least one way. The worms that had guarded it now flowed into the fiery hole, destroying themselves in attempts to attack the source of the rumbling. Silhouetted against the smoky orange glow of the ruined fort were the only survivors of the collapse, the snake monstrosity, the horned tiger, and the scorpion-tailed hawk. Lain held his sword ready.

Ivy held her head, dizzy but still managing to get to her feet after her ordeal. She looked to the spectacle before her, seeing it but not comprehending. Her wits had returned, but the intense few minutes gone by were lost to her, a blur of sound and light. She wasn't sure how much time had pa.s.sed, or even where she was. The last she remembered was being inside the fort, now there was no fort in sight. A piercing cry came from above and she looked up in time to see a needle-sharp black tail whiz by her head. She jerked away from it, reeling and falling back to the ground.

Her blurry vision locked onto a hulking form she had made sure to ignore when she'd entered the fort. Lain was standing in front of her, facing down a dark shape that moved toward him with alarming speed. The a.s.sa.s.sin slowly side-stepped. Each time he did, the creature charging at him turned slightly, shifting its path toward him and away from Ivy. She turned her eyes to the sky. A barely visible shape wheeled about and began toward her again. She felt about for the club that had finally slipped from her hand when she had fallen.

As powerful as her eyes were, the black form of the hawk against the black sky remained virtually indistinguishable. Her ears twitched as she tuned out everything else. They were far more sensitive than her eyes. She was just barely able to hear the rustle of wind past the beast. At the last moment she raised her club, bracing it with both hands, clenching her teeth, and shutting her eyes. Her motion was well timed. The beast had aimed a strike with its lethal tail directly at her heart. The force was enough to drive the fist-sized head of the tail entirely through the weapon, stopping just a whisper from its target. Now the creature madly flapped its wings, attempting to escape. Ivy gripped the weapon tightly, swinging it out and beating it on the ground. The experimental beast was swung helplessly through the air before being hammered against the ground.

The huge cat-like creation roared toward Lain. He carefully judged its speed. The distance between them quickly closed. Finally he dove to the side. The tremendous beast was more agile than the creature that it owed its size and horns, but only just. By the time he regained a firm footing, the beast was already upon him. A hasty swipe of his sword cost the creature one of its horns, but a powerful blow with its claws slipped beneath the attack and raked his abdomen. He pulled away, but the claws still left their mark. A second slice of Lain's weapon found the predator's throat. He retreated after the strike. The stricken creature writhed briefly on the ground before becoming motionless.

Ivy stood once more, planting a foot on the ruined hawk and tearing her weapon free along with a fair amount of the beast's tail. She sniffed at the barb that had nearly reached her heart. The smell of the potent toxin was intense and burned her nose. She turned to Lain. The experience had been enough to knock the cobwebs from her head. She was keenly aware of her surroundings, and of the severity of their situation. Moreover, she remembered what she had come here to do. To prove to Lain and Ether that she was strong enough to stay. She fought aside the constant burn of fear in her stomach and faced the ma.s.sive beast that remained.

Now that there was no roof to limit the monster it had risen to its full height, lifting itself on the dozen stout snakes as though they were legs. It moved with deceiving speed, as even when all legs remained on the ground, the slithering of the limbs allowed it to glide along. Its target was the petrified body of Ether. With great bounding steps Ivy rushed to the beast. Lain circled around attempting to find the proper method do attack, but with a dozen pairs of eyes, there was no sneaking up on it. Ivy was not similarly concerned, and paid for it almost immediately. When she was in striking range, three of the limbs shot toward her. Before she could react, two had constricted her, squeezing her enough to force the weapon from her hand. They brought her swiftly to the clacking beak that was hidden behind the many legs.

Lain swept in. Snakes he had dealt with. He could read their movements. He knew when, how, and where they would strike. All senses alive and alert, he moved in. The attacks were swift and numerous. Lain dodged each as narrowly as he could. It was best to stay close. In that way the beast could not attack without threatening to strike itself. When he reached the base of the limbs that clutched Ivy he sliced neatly through them. They dropped to the ground followed by an unnaturally small amount of blood. The wound where they had been connected closed quickly. The snakes writhed in pain enough for Ivy to escape, but they did not die. The core of the ma.s.sive creature dropped down in an attempt to s.n.a.t.c.h up the escaping morsel, but instead sliced into one of its own severed limbs.

Ivy scrambled to safety, the piercing blue aura betraying the fear that had managed to surge back to the forefront. She s.n.a.t.c.hed up the club from the ground as one of the other liberated snakes pursued her. She forced herself to face it, and offered a weak attack. Her state of mind robbed the strike of any accuracy, it barely grazed the beast, but it was enough. The needle sharp tip of the hawk's tail delivered just a drop of its lethal venom to the creature. It jerked and convulsed, twisting and hissing in pain as though jabbed with a hot poker. As Ivy realized what had happened, the blue aura began to fade, a devious smile coming to her face.

Lain fought his way away from the beast. A pair of attacks had done little more than release two more snakes. Ending them, he retreated to a safe distance to consider a new strategy. Ivy, it seemed, had learned nothing from her last attack, as she again was rushing headlong toward the creature. He followed, preparing to release her from the grip that would inevitably result from her foolhardy attack. When the first of the snakes lunged at her, she fluidly stepped to the side and hammered the tip of the tail deep into the serpent. The effect of the full dose of the venom was horrifying. As Ivy pulled her weapon away, snapping off the lethal tip of the tail inside the snake, she averted her eyes. The very flesh of the beast seemed to blacken and shrivel. Web-like lines of black wound along the beast's body, following the veins that swiftly delivered the poison to the core of the creature. Within the s.p.a.ce of a few heartbeats the entirety of the creature was convulsing and crying out in a chorus of agonized hissing.

When the beast was finally still, Ivy surveyed the aftermath. The monstrosity looked ruined, as if centuries of decay had reduced it to a ma.s.s of sinew and bone. Her face made it clear that she was not certain how to feel about her achievement. She looked to Lain, who approached her.

"I . . . I did it, Lain! Ether is okay! And I killed that . . . that thing! You don't need to protect me! I don't need to go . . . " Ivy said, trailing off.

She looked about with rapidly increasing desperation. As she did, a barely audible noise from above drew Lain's attention. It was a minute rustle, like the swoop of an owl. Lain trained his eyes on the apparent source of the sound. A stir in the rising smoke confirmed that there was a threat. Ivy suddenly grabbed Lain's shoulder and turned him to face her.

"Where is Myranda? She escaped, didn't she? She followed us, didn't she?! TELL ME SHE DIDN'T DIE!" Ivy pleaded.

Lain was silent. Ivy dropped to her knees facing the burning pit that served as the final resting place for her friend. As before, sadness did not have any of the effect that her other emotions had. There was no one near who was weak or compa.s.sionate enough to have the emotion forced upon them. The poor creature began to sob as Lain resumed his cautious monitoring of the sky above.

"She . . . can't be dead. SHE SWORE TO ME SHE WOULD FOLLOW. Myranda wouldn't lie. She wouldn't make a promise she couldn't keep. And it's all his fault," Ivy said, leaping to her feet.

She was obviously fatigued. Wisps of red flickered about her as her weary soul reacted to the anger that was steadily building. Her eyes locked onto the sky above the fiery pit with far more certainty than Lain's. With teeth bared, she reared back and hurled her club. The weapon disappeared into the darkness before audibly colliding with something and plummeting back to the pit below. Slowly, a peculiar form descended into the orange glow above the pit. It was Demont, riding a dragoyle unlike any they had yet encountered. It was smaller, and more lithe in appearance. The wings were feathered instead of leathery dragon wings. The neck was longer and thinner, leading to a head that seemed to be a cross between the skull of an eagle and the skull of a dragon. It was clear that he was suffering greatly from the wounds he had received. His breathing was labored.

"Your survival . . . concerns me. Your ability to locate me . . . is all the more troubling," he said. "At the risk of . . . angering my a.s.sociates . . . I may have to take . . . a slightly more direct role . . . in your demise . . . KILL HIM!"

The words burned at her mind. She turned suddenly and awkwardly toward Lain. She felt herself moving toward him. He held his weapon loosely, but defensively. He didn't want to raise the blade to her. A hatred greater than she had ever felt burned inside of her. She came to a halt. With great effort, she turned her eyes to the figure in the sky. She fought back into control of her body. Demont looked on with a stern face.

"It seems . . . your soul is stronger . . . than the body. Very well . . . we shall control . . . the soul, then," he said.

His fingers wrapped about the gem that hung from his neck. Instantly Ivy dropped to the ground, limp.

"Rise," Demont commanded.

Ivy obeyed on a fundamental level. Her body rose like a marionette on strings until it was level with Demont, high above the field.

"Face me," he ordered.

She obeyed.

"Show me anger," he demanded.

The red wisps of light began to flow weakly again as her face twisted into a look of profound fury.

"More. MORE! I don't care if you have nothing left . . . FIND IT," he ordered, tightening his fist around the gem.

Pain mixed with her expression and her eyes took on a powerful golden glow. Finally the full might of her vicious transformation spilled over. The first true outburst of its kind to be witnessed by Demont, it threw his mount backward with its force. When the beast he rode steadied itself, the display of power his creation managed brought a smile to his face.

"The mortal soul may yet be a worthy plaything," he conceded.

His smile was quickly wiped away when a blade burst through the neck of the beast he rode. During the moment of distraction, Lain had hurled his sword. The dragoyle's wings flapped a few times involuntarily before it crashed to the ground at the edge of the fiery pit. Still alive, fingers still clutching the crystal, the battered General pulled himself from the pile of rubble that had been his mount. He dragged himself away. As Lain drew near, he screamed an order to the still enthralled Ivy.

"WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE CREATURES, YOU DO NOT SEE CHOSEN, YOU SEE DEMONS! KILL THEM BOTH!" He cried.