Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

[Requiem of Insanity]

She hadn't expected to be back in this dump. Lavinya brought up disgusting memories of hate and loathing, despite the fact her last kill was a work of art. But something had always left a bad taste in Cassandra's mouth about the city. It could have been a number of things, but in the end the reason she hated Lavinya was that it was a city full of darkness.

Her feet waked upon the stone street, her eyes looking around as people moved between the crowded streets. Behind was her faithful broken puppet, Kane. She still had yet to fathom how a man such as he still followed her. She had poisoned the man, cut the man repeatedly, she even belittled him to the point of tears. Not once, not once ever did she thank the man, and she never intended too. He was a tool to her, a puppet with no will.

Cassandra had returned to Lavinya only because she had one target she was dying to get her hands on. A powerful affiliate of the Traitor General's, and a woman so steeped in the darkness it called to Cassandra in challenge for days on end as she approached. Kane had advised her not to challenge this woman, thinking her far more powerful than Cassandra was. His efforts were met with the sharp kiss of her knives, and he kept one eye closed at all times, the scar a reminder not to question her judgment.

She thought about it over and over, and it became clearer with each day that this was the right action. Her Dark Companion, her twisted desires made manifest walked next to her. A silent shadow that moved behind her giving her silent aid, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. He had no objections, and if he thought she was ready, than she was ready. Still, caution was a part of her hobby, and she took steps to always be a few steps ahead.

The first thing she did was secure herself a place of work, a small hostel in the farther, rundown area of Lavinya where the urchins seemed to double in number. Here she could move almost unseen in the crowd, plotting her plans and making each scheme count when it needed to. Her eyes scanned off to the western side of the town, her eyes looking at the tall twin spiral towers. It was almost like a small fort or castle, and that was the home of her target. Getting inside was going to be difficult.

"Do we have a plan, my mistress?" Kane said, his hand rising to his mouth as he realized he spoke without thinking. Cassandra hated the word 'mistress' and her eyes glared upon him with hate before she replied with scorn.

"Yes," she motioned around her at all the servants. "There is to be a party tonight in her honor. It's her birthday after all and I wouldn't want to be rude to my new friend and not show up." Kane gave her a worried look, and her eyes narrowed as she huffed a sigh of impatience making her blond hair bounce. "What, Kane? Speak plainly." Kane bowed low, his voice rising in pitch as he spoke quickly.

"With all due respect, is walking into the mouth of the lion a smart idea?" Kane rose up stepping closer so just his master could hear. "I don't mean to sound arrogant, but you may as well just show up in the nude, for being in her presence seems to acquire the same affect. She called you out, isn't that what you said?"

"Well," Cassandra thought about it as she moved past a street urchin, knocking the child's hand away from her bag. "Technically, no." Kane's eyes locked on her hazel orbs, his head tilting in confusion. "Her inner darkness called out...at least a while back. It's hard to tell since so many people have darker ambitions like me. It's been easier and easier to see them lately, and this town is full of them." She replied nonchalantly. "So I haven't exactly been able to hear her...But that will change tonight. One way or another, I will make my presence known."

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Kane's arms shrugged. "Sounds a bit...backwards to our plans most of the time." Cassandra sighed again.

"Keeping with routine is dangerous. You have to let your hair down once in awhile. Shake things up! Otherwise you'll have no fun." Kane rolled his eyes keeping his mouth shut. Cassandra nodded in satisfaction as she looked over to the spiral towers one last time.

"Mark my words," She whispered to herself, feeling her demented lover's touch as her dark companion wrapped his tender loving arms around her shoulders, whispering into her ear sweet nothings of the woman's demise.

"You will regret challenging me, Serenity Dahlios."

[Requiem of Insanity]

Cassandra was breath taken by the enormity of the fortress before her. The place wasn't just one building with the obligatory four towers, but actually one central greeting and assembly hall, followed by annexes that led upwards to a bridge that went on for nearly three hundred yards to one of the connecting spires. A complex, rotating ring lit up with purplish witchfire held a solitary point in the air, with bridges connecting to the annexes as some form of central point. Along the out workings of the floating tower were dozens of bolt throwers and a single cannon perched on high to ward off anybody who thought to make an aggressive stance against this strange nexus.

The cold air of the night blew against her skin, and she felt a little awkward in a dress. It was a red Akishima like dress with puffy shoulders that ran only a quarter down her upper arms and left a folded over choker around her neck. The dress hugged her hips and complemented her curves marvelously; the length ran long on her left side, and her right side ended just above her right knee.

Walking into the chamber hall she felt a wave of utter darkness envelope her, washing over like the warmth of a fire on a cold night. She cooed in the gentle breeze, wrapping it around her like a blanket and she couldn't help but lift her arms to her head, taking the knot out of her ponytail and letting her blond hair bounce upon her shoulders. Her dark companion lifted from within her like a growing shadow, and she laughed a gentle cry of amusement as her twisted lover howled, floating away from her to scan the area.

Kane on the other hand couldn't stop shivering, his hand flailing around in his coat for something. She sighed deeply pulling something out of her purse, turning to Kane and linking one arm into his as her hand reached into his pocket.

"What's wrong Kane, did you forget to bring your knife?" she asked gently. Kane couldn't stop trembling, his eyes tightly shut like a whimpering child as he nodded. Ever since Cassandra had shattered his mind of reason he had been unable to handle any large social functions on his own without cutting himself with a small knife. This development had made Cassandra quite happy with her work she did to break him, and she smiled looking at him squirm.

"Do not worry, my deluded puppet. I have always made sure to leave you just on the brink of insanity without tipping you over," She whispered into his ear, letting her fingers release the small pocket knife into his hand. An instant sigh of relief left Kane's nostrils, as he opened one teary eye, wincing in pain only slightly as he began to cut himself. She pulled her arms out and patted her puppet on the back, moving out into the hallway that led to the inner chamber.

It was like a fantasy tale with the amount of people all walking around and talking. Acrobats held small private shows off int he corners of the room to entertain the guests, while servants danced around with a methodical precision dropping off glasses of wine and taking orders for any drinks or appetizers. She rotated to her left, lifting a single hand up and felt a weight drop into it as she brought the wine glass to her lips, drinking the vintage and letting it swirl in her mouth.

Her eyes lit up in surprise and she nearly spit out the drink if not for a sudden in take of breath. She gasped as she swallowed it down in one go, and a few people laughed at her struggling. She smiled like a ditz and turned away from them, taking another, smaller sip as she let it swirl in her mouth again. The liquid was thick, with a grape taste, and an aged bitterness to it, but it also had one last quality that made her shiver in ecstasy. Blood was mixed into the drink as well, though she doubted very many of the patrons knew this.

She looked around the party looking at the dignitaries do their verbal jousting contests, seeing different, proud noble sons eye each other warily as she walked around. Few heads turned her way as she walked, her heels clicking on the polished stone floor beneath her. She recognized a few outfits that belonged to guild members of Lavinya, mostly of the trade guild. Her eyes looked to vaulted ceiling, seeing the dazzling chandeliers all lit up with a baleful glow of pure white. Upon a raised alter sat a single table, with one chair that was fit for no less than a king, and upon that throne was a woman of intense beauty.

Serenity Dahlios was only a woman celebrating the ripe age of twenty, her long, high knotted hair wrapped up in a beautiful ponytail. Her lips were painted with a cherry red color, and her dress was more akin to a stripper than a formal member of the state. She wore a single pieced suit, a tube top fashion that stretched only down to her upper thighs. One gentle wrong move, and the whole thing would ride up, and give every yearning man a show. Her fingers were painted in the same cherry red, and one finger swirled inside her goblet like a seductive imp waiting for the right prey.

Cassandra felt out and looked above her, to the side of her, and then at last she had found what she had been looking for all along. Sitting on the ground lazily was a single bobcat like shadow, it's tail whisking around lazily as it looked right at Cassandra. She felt a gentle, cold familiar feeling on her shoulder, and a primal chuckle in her ear from her Dark Companion. As the two met, the bobcat sat upright, moving forward towards its master, and Serenity made a motion to pet it, though nobody but Cassandra could see the animal she gave affection to. The casual observer would only see Serenity flexing her fingers.

The life of the party stood, her fingers pointing right at Cassandra as she let out a vile smile. Cassandra smiled back, despite the flooding emotions of worry and concern. Serenity rotated her twist so her palm faced up, and motioned for her to come with one finger. Mocking surprise, Cassandra pointed to herself, laughing as she shook her head. Serenity continued the game, laughing herself as she lifted her hands to her chest like she was pleading. The skirt was beginning to rise which caused every male eyes in the room to turn. Cassandra shook her head again, and was about to turn and leave when two pairs of arms lifted her up from the spot, walking her forward.

"It's rare that the center of attention would share on this day," a warning voice whispered. "Serenity never, ever, shares. So I would get up there." Cassandra shrugged breaking free and walking on her own accord.

"No problem," She said mildly irritated. "I've walked into bigger lion mouths."

[Requiem of Insanity]

"Greetings," Serenity said moving over on her chair so Cassandra could share it with her. "I decided to make you my playmate tonight!" She giggled like a school girl and her intent was deadly clear. Cassandra had no choice in the matter.

"I am honored." Cassandra feigned, suddenly feeling irked by the rushing of the two's meeting. Serenity just playfully slapped her new friend on the shoulder.

"I noticed a few eyes gawking at you, and I got jealous." Cassandra laughed turning her head so Serenity couldn't see, and she groaned wishing to slap herself on the head. Oi, Cassandra, what have you gotten yourself into... she thought miserably, turning her head and smiling back.

"Well, it's hard to compare considering the way you dress and the way you present yourself." Cassandra said, her words oozing with silent venom the hidden insults. Serenity laughed again, adjusting her self so she sat across Cassandra's lap.

"This old outfit? I grew too big for this thing years ago. I wore it today to see if I could pull it off. It takes skill to raise one's blood without revealing a single thing. The imagination is a powerful tool, no?"

"So to understand this correctly, you dressed like a slut to get the guys going?" Cassandra blurted out, her eyes widening as she felt a sharp pull on her mind from her dark companion. Serenity gave her a playful look, nodding.

"Torture, pure and simple." She said. "I love to make men want, beg, plead...woman too now that I think of it. Hell, torture is just plain fun." Cassandra gave her a sideways glance, hiding the smile of understanding from her new friend. "Well, excuse me a moment." She said, patting Cassandra on the shoulder as she got up, settling the crowds. She turned to Cassandra, winking after she yawned before addressing the audience.

"My goodness, such a turnout. I want to thank you all for coming, for playing with me today on this special day. I know I throw such an ostentatious party just to be the center of attention, but these things, these occurrences as getting all the friends I have together at once, is too rare an opportunity to pass up. I think of the day of my birth more as a day to be with you, than for you to be with me!" A round of clapping exploded from the audience, and some even cheered for Serenity. She let the attention wash over her, and like wet towel she discarded it moving onwards.

"Now I have a small treat for all of you!" She raised her hands to the sky, and a four walled cage fell into the crowd, slamming into the smooth stone and sending dust upwards in a whirlwind. A cry of alarm filled the audience, as well as curses and shouts for explanation, but with a single gesture, a solitary cute shrug, Serenity had control of the room again.

"Whoops, somebody will hang for that!" she chided innocently. The crowd laughed, forgetting the fact a steel cage dropped into the midst of them, and the door held open to release a few trapped patrons. Serenity nodded to a corner, and two men began walking forward. "I arranged earlier in the week to have any noble son who wishes to court me enter their name in a hat. I then picked, at random, two lucky guys. I present to you Arneth Vaul, and Hauclir Stagg." The man Arneth was a bright looking boy, a man of the age twenty five and he carried a short sword at his waist. The other man, Hauclir, was a decent specimen, but nowhere near as gorgeous as his opponent. He carried only a single axe at his side.

"These two men shall now fight for my attentions. The winner of course can have me, and the loser...well...you know what losers are!" The audience laughed again. The two warriors entered the cage, and a group of spearmen walked over, sticking their barbed weapons through the links in the cage, creating a spiked wall. Cassandra was mildly impressed with the arrangement and gave Serenity a measure of credit.

"And now, fight." Serenity said, turning her body and walking back as the two men charged like wild beasts at each other, cries of battle on their lips. Cassandra felt Serenity's gentle weight sit upon her lap, and she leaned against Cassandra, linking her fingers with Cassandra's wrapping them around her chest.

"You take a risk with idiots like these?" Cassandra asked. Serenity shook her head as she leaned inwards to Cassandra, so her breath could be felt against the nape of her chin.

"I told you I LOVE torturing people." she pointed to the battle. "See Hauclir? He's under a love potion currently, because that bastard hates me and despises me. Probably has something to do with his father being dead by my hands." She feigned a shrug, making sure her dress didn't ride up. "His mother cursed me four or five thousand times, and Hauclir vowed revenged against me. I slipped him the potion, telling him to join me at my party despite his mother's wishes." She adjusted slightly so Cassandra could move her head. "She's the one looking at the battle with intent." Her hand lifted, and she pointed to an elderly woman who looked overly concerned.

"Hauclir is a decent fighter, probably could have been great if he hadn't lost his father. All his ties to the guild master died with his father. So he's really in over his head. Arneth is a skilled fighter, the best in the lot of men who wanted to have me for one night of passion." Cassandra watched as Hauclir took another huge cut to his chest, swinging wildly with his axe to prevent Arneth an opportunity to do a killing stroke.

"Still, Arenth will win, and he'll get to have you. My question stands," Cassandra said irritably. "Do you not worry about that?" Serenity shook her head, nuzzling the side of Cassandra's face.

"Nope, because Hauclir was given one simple order from me. No matter what, he's to kill Arneth after he loses." As if on cue, Hauclir cried out in agony, a fatal wound to his chest knocked him down to his knees. Arneth's face twisted into a vile grin of amusement, satisfaction etching all over his features. As he turned to leave the cage he stopped, his eyes going wide and blood pooled out of his mouth before he stumbled onto the ground, a bloodied axe lodged deep into his back. Hauclir stood over him, but fainted to the ground, exhausted, and about to die. "Whoops," Serenity said sweetly. "Show time!" She jumped back to her feet, fixing herself quickly as she approached the crowd.

"I guess there is no winner then..." Serneity faked her shock, and two woman shouted in agony as they ran into the cage, holding the dead in their arms weeping. The party laughed, continuing on as if nothing happened, servants pulling the two woman out of the cage and out of the building.

Serenity turned back to Cassandra, her mouth in a vile smile. "The best part? I killed Arneth because his mother was so damn cocky, claiming her son was the best suitor for me. By the Gods she didn't get that I am a Dahlios! I am one of the great bloodlines!" she said full of venom as her eyes looked past her throne to a mural on the wall. "I was created by Seth Dahlios! One of the great Hex Magi, but not the greatest...no that title will be for me!" Ice coated every word she spoke, and her eyes were lit with passion until she looked down to see Cassandra looking back at her. "What? Does this trouble you?"

Cassandra yawned and sat back in the chair, taking complete control as if she was the queen in this situation. "So, then...why so much trouble to torture all these people?" Cassandra asked, her tone full of sincere interest. Serenity cracked a smile, and she walked over to Cassandra, sitting on the arm rest of the chair.

"Why, I thought that was obvious." She said full of mirth. "I did all this to impress you," Her lips moved closer to her ear, sending a shiver down Cassandra's spine. "I did all this just for you, to welcome you to my hunt, Cassandra Remi." Cassandra's eyes lit up like fire as she looked to Serenity with a careful, fearful eye.

[Requiem of Insanity]

This was a new one for Cassandra. Never before had she been in a situation where she was the prey instead of the hunter. Her hands trembled as she looked into Serenity's eyes, and she saw no hints, no trace of falsehood. With a careful grace Cassandra slowly stood up, her mind racing with thoughts as she looked to Serenity with careful consideration.

"What's wrong, Cassie?" Serenity chided. "Are you all the sudden knocked off that high horse you rode in on? Did you honestly expect to come into the domain of my lair and expect to make me one of your carved up cadavers?" She snorted in insult. "Don't take me so lightly, you gutter trash. I had honestly expected an ounce, a measure of some skill, but tonight you showed me just how much you are not ready for a woman of my caliber. At first I was honored you came to me, now I feel..." She shivered in disgust. "Insulted to have your attentions." Cassandra felt her world spinning, and the gentle hand of her dark companion fell upon her, allowing her to steel her nerves.

"If you'll excuse me," Cassandra said in a defeated tone. "I must be going." Cassandra turned her back to Serenity, who cursed as she spoke a silent phrase so only Cassandra could hear.

"Time is passing you by, Cassandra." A wave of sudden coldness washed over her, and she felt her muscles suddenly constrict and disobey her commands. She couldn't move an inch as she stood motionless, allowing Serenity to walk over and look her in the eyes.

"No," she seethed. "I dismiss you when I am done. I want you to truly, clearly understand just who it is I am, and who it is you are dealing with. I am not a token prize kill, I am not a notch on some bastard's belt. I am Serenity fucking Dahlios. You are..." Serenity cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Who again?"

Cassandra wished her lips could move, but she couldn't produce the sounds or even part her lips. Serenity gave off a cruel, vile smile as she laughed lightly to herself.

"Ah, that's right...a nobody. Learn your place worm." She flicked her wrist, snapping her fingers and a tingling sensation washed over Cassandra as she felt like dropping to her knees, but she kept herself upright as she stumbled forward, before breaking into a brisk walk.

Her steps echoed in the halls as a few curious eyes followed her, but she paid them no mind as she walked looking around for Kane. She felt a sudden presence nearby and she looked to see her minion walking in tow with her, a look of concern on his face. She whipped up one hand and motioned for him to approach and he hastened his steps.

"What do you require of me, my master?" He said in a low, reverent tone. Cassandra looked up to the sky as she left the hall, seeing the clouds approach overhead.

"There has been a drastic change in plans, Kane." She muttered loudly. "If we wish to make everything we worked for count, we will have no choice but to strike tonight." Kane's steps dropped out of tow with hers, and he had to jog to keep up.

"What do you mean, attack tonight?" His eyes flared with fear. "We can't just waltz back in here like we own the place." Cassandra turned on her broken puppet, her hand raised to slap the defiance out of him, but she held herself in check.

"When have I ever cared about defenses, or security codes, or clearance or strength or ANYTHING to get in the way of me and my Love's time together?" Kane looked to her, his hand held up defensively. His mind raked with worst case scenarios, and he vocalized them after a moment of thought.

"Are you sure you aren't just...playing into her hand?" He asked defensively. No amount of preparation was enough as her hand hit him square in the jaw, sending him to one knee where she punched him square in the jaw, cursing as she retreated nursing her fingers in her arm. Her eyes winced only once before she shook it off, her tone dead set.

"Let's not forget that I am a master manipulator Kane. I have woven far to many webs to be snared up inside one now. No, I will make her sing to my Requiem, and she shall sing it to me, tonight!" She turned on her heels walking as fast as she could away, and Kane looked to her with worry as he felt blood pooling in his mouth.

[Requiem of Insanity]

Cassandra sat upon her bed in the dirty hostel room she had rented. Her mind was closed to everything around her, and she had Kane run off and do some investigating on the spires to make sure that tonight's sudden change of plans would go off without a hitch. During this time she meditated to listen more clearly to her darker intentions.

The inner sanctum of Cassandra's twisted mind was akin to a single steel cell with no windows or doors. Shadows hid the walls and only a single light was shined from the ceiling. Before her were the scattered pieces to a deck of cards, and she continued to pick them up and shuffle them over and over.

I don't get it, my darling. Cassandra whined. How did she come to know of us? The darkness around her chuckled softly, and she felt a welcoming cold chill run down her spine.

Somewhere down the road, you made a mistake. I would assume that would be obvious. she gave him a glaring glance, placing the deck on the table and drawing up a fresh hand of cards.

My love, I am always careful. There couldn't have been a single, solitary reason for anybody to have discovered it was me. The darkness gave of a sigh, as if a parent had to explain the obvious for the third time to a small child.

You are so beautiful, and yet you are so blind. Look to the past, my deluded dutiful darling. Gaze upon that which has happened and see how it led to the present. Cassandra sighed back, playing the first card from her hand on the table.

The shape of a tiny cat was on the card, it's ears cut off and whiskers ripped off. Cassandra remembered it as her first kill as a tiny child. She felt an affection and twinge of pride looking down upon the picture, and the darkness spoke again, as if one from many voices. Not so far back, take recent events into account. Where have you been...

Cassandra played the next to cards from her hand. A small picture of a spire shrouded one card, and the other was covered with tiny islands. Lavinya and Black Archipelago...after I went to the Black Archipelago I went to, her hand reached for her deck, and she played another card. Emprea, which is near the borders of Carthage! Where I killed... She played another card, and found the face of her father upon it.

My father. She whispered. The darkness covered her like a blanket, and she shook off the painful memory. Before Emprea I was in Lavinya as well! So then...that means... She placed the Lavinya card and the Emprea card together. During these kills... She played another card, which was titled Alaster Caine, the man who had screwed with the Lavinan guilds and the people. Her lips parted in a smile, and the darkness laughed with glee.

Do you see it now? Cassandra nodded happily. I do, sometime between then they sent a spy to track me, and he reported back to Serenity all his findings. I guess I really piqued her curiosity. The darkness laughed insanely and she let out a cry of triumph herself.

And now that I am back on track, I can safely say this game will end in my favor. Soon my darling, the final last verse to our song will be sung from the lips of Serenity, soon we can be together forever... she stood from the table, walking away, the final card she played displayed for her dark companion to see.

On the card was Serenity Dahlios, a cry of anguish on her face as she was chained to her own bed surrounded on all sides by knives.

[Requiem of Insanity]

Cassandra was dressed in her vlince sneaking suit, far happier than the dress she wore only a few hours prior. According to Kane, the party was still roaring with excitement and the chance to move forward and onwards was exhilarating to her. She walked freely in the shadows, embracing the darkness around her as she moved swiftly to the castle fortress.

When she reached the edge of the entrance, she saw Kane hiding behind some garbage cans, and she moved with him in silence as he led her to a portion of the wall that he had previously staked out. He lifted her up in the palms of his hand, boosting her up and onto the railing, where she in turn turned and lifted the broken puppet up. They fell to the ground on the opposite side, and he pointed to a direction where they ran into the shadows of the building spire.

"Where is her room Kane?" She asked expectantly. Kane pointed to the third tower set off amongst the others.

"It's only accessible from one of the other two spires. The other entrance is far to well guarded for us to make a play. The other spires however, are less guarded."

"How many guard their spires?" Kane gave small sly smile.

"Just one," he motioned to the tower behind them. "We climb up this after dispatching the guard, and we cross the bridge to the inner keep. There we will have a problem." Cassandra reached into her bag, and pulled out a vile of liquid. Kane lifted a quizzical eyebrow. "May I ask?"

"Of course," she said proudly. "While I was bored waiting for Garth I made these...flash bangs as Catrina wrote them, to handle Garth. Turns out I got to save them." Cassandra patted the book of Catrina Ferman, a tome of knowledge about all things poisonous and deadly in the arts of alchemy and chemistry. It was a priceless possession she had gathered from killing the previous owner.

"Than I guess we are in good standing." Cassandra felt the tight grip of her dark companion, and she turned in time to see a cloaked man walk forward, his hands hiding two short axes in his hands.

"I'd think twice about such a comment..." he said, laughing to himself as he twirled his axes up.

[Requiem of Insanity]

Cassandra watched the axes with careful consideration, and with a sudden shove Kane went tumbling forward, his mouth unable to respond as he stumbled to his feet. "Kane, Hunt!" Cassandra commanded. Kane turned his head back to her, and he gave her a pitiful whimper. "Kane..." she warned with a low growling tone. Kane sighed heavily, and he pulled out one long dagger in his hand.

"Make the grunt do all the work, guess that makes things efficient. The guard muttered. He charged forward, axes held high as he swung both down a vicious vertical assault. As they landed on the ground causing it to spark he jumped forward, both weapons going wide. Kane was unable to block the attack and he was shoulder tackled to the ground, his blade spinning off into the darkness.

Using his momentum Kane rolled to his back back onto his feet and lifted upwards, grabbing the man's wrist. He tried to fend him off, but the guard found Kane was a much stronger person than he first gave credit for.

"What's the point, loser?" He muttered. "I'll just kill you in the end." Kane twirled his whole body to the right, and the guard was able to keep his footing, able to lock a choke hold on Cassandra's broken puppet. He squeezed with all his might and Kane found himself growing light headed. "Your strong, but no fighter." He hissed into Kane's ears.

The sound of Metal piercing thick skin broke the tension, and the grip on Kane's neck was released as the body dragged itself down Kane's body. He turned to see Cassandra standing over the body, kicking it off one of her larger fillet knives. "My thanks." He whispered gathering his breath from the struggle.

"Don't thank me you fool. Because of your incompetence I had to dirty one of my knives. I should kill you for that, but I still need you." Kane nodded once, fidgeting with the guard's belt pulling off a set of keys and grabbing a small hand axe.

"I would think these keys would allow us safe passage into the inner sanctum. Come, we have one last guard to kill and we head up the stairs." Kane led the way, and the two midnight shades stalked the ground over to the front of the spire, where they opened the door and entered quickly, slamming the door shut. The two looked at each for a moment, and Cassandra felt an overwhelming urge to slap Kane.

"What?" A startled voice said quickly. Both Kane and Cassandra turned to the man, lifting up their weapons and tossing it into the man. The fillet knife entered his chest, and the axe hit the right eye.

With a heavy thud and the rustling of a body falling down stairs they looked back at each other. "We got exactly ten minutes before a change in the guard." Kane said quickly. Cassandra nodded and she ran over to the body, pulling the fillet knife out as Kane grabbed his axe. The two ran up the stairs, Cassandra three at a time as they went up the winding narrow way. As they reached the top, Kane grabbed the keys and unlocked the door. Before he opened it, he turned to Cassandra.

"Prepare the vials, we have one shot. And be swift as a bird, for the guards will see the bridge is moving. There is nothing to be done about that." Cassandra lifted her satchel and pulled out the flash bangs and began to shake them a little. She gave him one nod and he opened the door and off she went.

Cassandra's feet pattered heavily across the bridge, it swayed in the wind heavily making her feel uneasy. But she knew she had no time to dawdle as she ran as fast as she could.

As she reached the floating tower a door opened, and with a rush of excitement she tossed the vials into the room. A loud explosion went off, and her ears rang with a deafening sound. Four men exited the room, all confused and stumbling. She elbowed by them, pushing them all off the bridge. One fought back and she nearly went with him if not for Kane who punched the man in the jaw, grabbing Cassandra by the shoulders so she wouldn't fall to her doom. Cassandra shrugged off Kane as she ran for the door that blocked passage to Serenity's room.

Kane tossed her the keys as the hurried shouts from down below screamed for the alarm. Cassandra unlocked the door and the two ran into the room. Kane ran past her, digging his shoulder into himself as he gave off a cry of battle, slamming into the door and knocking it off the hinges. He fell to the ground with the door, bouncing a bit, and Cassandra slowed her pace.

As Kane got up onto his feet his face turned to the right, only to be met with a hard slamming cudgel to the face. He was down in a moment and Cassandra drew up bag of knives, making them ready as her hand glided effortlessly over to the hilt of her Dehlar blade.

She looked to her challenger and smiled a vile grin.

[Requiem of Insanity]

"I am both amazed, and dumbfounded at your tenacity, Cassandra." Serenity mocked a salute with the cudgel, dropping it to the ground. Cassandra sauntered into the room and looked at the traditional spoiled brat room. A large four post bed with silk sheets. A fire place. And trinkets and other useless garbage adorned the walls. Only one corner of the room seemed to be different from the rest. It was a workstation with notes scribbled all over the top, book's opened or full of book marks.

"Been studying?" Cassandra asked causally, turning her body and drawing up the Dehlar blade Butcher's Bill. She turned and lifted the heavy blade up, slamming it down on the ropes to the bridge cutting one side. With a bit of effort she managed to slam down the other side as well, watching the bridge fall to the ground below. Satisfied she dropped the Butcher's Bill to the floor along with her satchel of knives.

"This is so...different from your normal patterns. I suspect I set you off a bit, didn't I?" Cassandra turned back to the woman and shrugged.

"It's like changing the color of one's hair. You have to try new things once in a while." Serenity nodded in understanding.

"To bad you picked a wrong time to try it. You know for a fact that as of this point you will not leave this place alive, correct?" Cassandra laughed, her eyes flashing with wild abandon.

"I don't really care anymore. I'm here just to hear you scream...that's all. I want to add you as my last, final verse to my Requiem of Insanity. Once I hear your solo fill my fiber, I shall have my content. They can lock me in the darkest dungeon's. They can torture and rape me for all I really care..." She said in a daze of lust. "Once I completed the song I can be with the one I love forever. An endless song that will echo past the mortal veil into his own heart, and he shall feel the love I have for him."

Serenity blinked a few times, before scowling at Cassandra. "You do have to know you are completely, one hundred percent, bat shit insane, right?" Cassandra shrugged in response. "What's that supposed to mean?" the female hex mage spat.

"I feel pity, Serenity. You can not hear the beautiful attentions of you own twisted harbinger. I can see him near you always, but you do not harbor him near you."

"Ya, whatever nut case," she muttered. "You ready to dance?" Cassandra nodded once, and the two woman charged at each other, shrieking like banshees as they collided.

Cassandra felt her hair being pulled tightly to the side, and she clawed her hands underneath to where Serenity's lymph nodes on her neck were located. Once she felt she found them she squeezed, pushing her nails deep into her throat.

Serenity opened her mouth, but didn't scream as she broke free from the grasp, head butting Cassandra in the face. Blood poured down her face and she retreated, reaching for her bag of tricks. Her wrist was stamped upon and she yelped in pain, slamming her free hand into Serenity's knee just below the knee cap. The attack made her stumble, but she recovered quickly kicking Cassandra in the chest. She pulled back another kick, but as it came in she grabbed the foot and rolled so Serenity fell forward.

The body of the Dahlios clan slammed onto a chair, breaking it in the process and Serenity moaned in pain. Cassandra woozily got up and stumbled a few shaky steps forward, wrapping one arm around Serenity's neck, and placing the other around her head. Serenity flailed around, and dipped low jumping upwards. The top of her cranium slammed into Cassandra's face, and she bit her lower lip and grimaced in pain as she lost her grip.

Serenity stumbled about for a moment, circuling back on her target as she charged tackling Cassandra, mounting on top of her grabbing for the Cudgel on the ground. Cassandra's eyes flashed in fear and she closed her eyes tightly as she waited for the blow. But instead she heard a loud grunt escape Serenity's mouth and she fell flat on top of her.

Cassandra moved the body off her and found Kane standing with a shattered piece of the chair in his hand, blood pouring down the side of his face.

"I think...we need...to talk...about a raise..." He breathed heavily, spitting blood out his mouth as he gave his master a crooked smile.

[Requiem of Insanity]

"You're probably wondering why you are here..." came the cold, seductive voice from beyond the veil of darkness. Serenity's eyes fluttered open, and looked around to see she was in her room, but the lights were all dimmed to cast shadows through out the room. She tested herself, and realized that she was chained to her bed by all four posts, and her body was naked.

"Actually, I'm not." She said dully testing her bonds one more time. "So this is the humiliation, the shame you place your victims into. It's...a unique twist." She admitted.

Cassandra walked out of the darkness, her sneaking suit half off as she watched the fire dance upon the skin of Serenity Dahlios. Her blond hair was tied back into a tight pony tail, and her eyes looked at her prey with venom.

"You spoiled this hunt, you know..." Cassandra seethed. "You forced me to move at a faster beat. I don't like playing the game quickly. I wanted to savor this." Serenity grinned in satisfaction as she laughed back at Cassandra.

"Ha, at least I get to say in the afterlife that I made the great Cassandra Remi worry so much she had to rush the job." Cassandra felt her dark companion leave her, howling in challenge in the air, and it only served to make Serenity laugh more.

"What's wrong, Cassie?" She spoke jovially. "Are you upset I'm not playing your game? Well, I have to admit it, little girl, It's hard to play other people's game when your in the middle of playing your own!" Cassandra gave her a worried glance and motioned for her to continue talking. Serenity laughed with glee as she listened to the darker attentions of Cassandra try to infiltrate her mind, and make her fear the darkness around the room. But she never once backed down from the darkness, and she wasn't planning on doing so now.

"You see, I had manipulated this whole evening. I knew you would eventually make your way back to Lavinya. My invitation was a far cry from subtle. Yet you continued to dally and twiddle your thumbs, mucking your hands with nobodies and other useless gestures. Quite pathetic really. I was about to give up on you when suddenly I found you were coming back."

"My heart sang in joy, and I prepared a feast in your honor. I manipulated and played games with the nobles of the city, getting it just right so that I tortured two families all in your honor. I made it so that tonight's guards were all people I had wanted to get rid of anyway, making it a light shift so you could move more freely. You killing them was actually a minor boon." She said chuckling to herself. "Why, I dare say Cassandra Remi I even had a minor sexual crush on you. It's the pains of hero worshiping I guess. You were the object of my obsession, and I had to find a way to make you special to me so I'd never forget this night for all eternity."

"But then you came, and I was able to experience you in the flesh, and I was saddened to see you for a weak, frail mindless worm. You have no ambition, no spark. You are not guided by your own dark path, but a mere child holding the hand of a parent who walks you down the road of their choice. It sickened me, it disgusted me, and I thought you were dead to me."

Cassandra let a small smile of triumph grace her lips. "But then I decided to come at you when you least expected it, striking at you far sooner than you had expected." Serenity gave a snort of disgust as she winced in pain as if the words struck a sour note.

"As if," she said in a high tone. "You played so masterfully into my plans I thought about sparing you just for the hell of it. Your so stupid, you know that? Your like a ditsy girl with a stupid crush on some hunky guy they can never have."Cassandra looked at her crushed, her eyes open wide in wonder.

"I planned this whole thing from the start, and so far everyone played a part into shaping you for this one last, final thing. Cassandra Remi, I told you I planned to be the greatest Hex Mage, and I don't think you properly fear why the Dahlios name has prominence in this world. Seth Dahlios, my father is the Lavinian Demon. And I shall now show you why you should be afraid."

Serenity closed her eyes, and her lips parted into words of power as the chains that bound her loosened so her left hand became free. "In all of Althanas, in all of this entire galaxy for all I know there has been only two, just two, Hex Magi to know this spell. Seth Dahlios and Arkham Zarro. Both men had to go through extreme measures to get this spell, and I have done it as well, going into the depths of hell itself. I did this just for you, Cassandra, because you were my hero."

Cassandra felt her dark companion suddenly grab her mind, but it was far to late. Serenity spoke clearly, her eyes glowing with arcane power. A red orb began to glow in her hand, and as it reached it's zenith she spoke, "Atone for your Sins..."

The orb rushed forward and slammed into Cassandra's heart, and she felt her Dark Companion fly away from her, as if blasted out of the very fiber of her soul. She felt nothing for a moment, and her eyes met Serenity's for the briefest of moments. She saw her prisoner's lips move, and the simple word 'goodbye' was mouthed.

One laceration appeared on her upper arm. Another laceration appeared across her lower neck. Another one she felt across her back, then another across her scalp. She felt another and another and soon she began to groan in agony, her body trembling.

Another cut deep on the side of her leg, another cut across her right breast. She felt one of her fingers fall off and her eyes exploded in pain and suffering.

Her sneaking suit ran red with blood as the crimson life soaked through the vlince fabric, before the cuts washed through like a leaking faucet. Despite her pain, despite her injuries she kept from howling out in untold agony. She managed to mumble in garbled pain the words, "What's happening....to....me...?" Serenity relaxed against her pillow and gave off a vile grin.

"Sin Harvest is a powerful hex spell that looks back on your entire life. For each and every sin you committed you are cut. Each sin is weighed in it's severity, and I am more than positive you have committed a few deadly sins. The pain you are feebly fighting off will continue on until every sin in your life has been atoned for. You may well be dead before the last one is done." Serenity watched as the blood flowed across the floor, and Cassandra fell to her knees.

"MY LOVE!!!!" She shouted in agony, the pain overwhelming her as she reached out to the moon in the window above her. "HELP ME, MY LOVE!" She shouted again before another one of her fingers was sliced off. Her skin began to crack and fall off as each cut no longer could find a simple piece of flesh to lacerate. Her hair began to fall out in chunks of gore as the blond was stained a dirty red. She collapsed to the ground, one of her eyes rolling out onto the stone before it was cut and lacerated into nothing but goo.

The spell continued to weave its way through until her screams were cut short, her lungs being cut apart as the bones were sawed away. After the lungs followed the stomach, soon shortly followed by the kidneys. The muscles were long since torn asunder, ripped and cut to shreds of red mush.

The last piece to go was her heart, which beat in a fast rhythm until the last cut managed to lacerate it into a paste, and Cassandra Remi was no more.

[Requiem of Insanity]

Kane looked to the pile of mush, his eyes in disbelief. His mistress, his love...was dead. He took a few stumbling steps forward, and he felt a wave of dread, terror, relief, freedom wash over him all at once. He bent low, picking up a piece of Cassandra, only to have fresh cuts lacerate the area before it melted away.

"She was a terrible sinner," Serenity said playfully. "Now, what was your name?" she asked looking to the broken puppet of Cassandra Remi. "Ah, that's right. Kane." She motioned to her chains. "Will you be a good boy and unlock these for me? I won't harm you."

Kane's body trembled as he looked to Serenity, and he felt an icy stare of intent pierce his mind. He slowly took a quaking hand and lifted it to the lock, slowly releasing her from the bonds.

Serenity sighed in relief, getting up and walking to her dresser, turning on the light to banish the darkness. She changed into some simple pajamas and walked back to Kane, touching him on the shoulder.

"You okay?" She asked sincerely. Kane just remained dumbfounded and he looked to his former master who he traveled with for nearly a year. He wanted to cry, he wanted to rejoice, his mind couldn't decide. A year of careful mental destruction had burned away his ability to feel and he shivered. "Kane, look at me..." Kane did as he was commanded, and Serenity lifted up a glowing golden orb.

"I hope you don't mind dark places... she whispered as she pushed Kane into the farthest recesses of her mind. He screamed for a bit in pain, unable to move or think clearly when suddenly he felt a deep purging run through him like a tidal wave. After a few moments he felt his mind expand, farther than it used to ever before and he turned, puking his guts out. Serenity ran a gentle hand on his back, and when he was done he turned back to her.

"What," he shuddered. "What did you do to me?" Serenity laughed as she went to her bed, getting into the blankets.

"I destroyed everything she had ever done to you. I went into your mind, cleaned it up, and made it so you are truly free. I want her to suffer in Hadia. I don't want even a shred of her soul to feel triumph or pride in the afterlife. I spare you because it means she'll have nothing to look back at with pride." She laughed patting her bed invitingly. "Come sleep Kane, tomorrow I shall let you go free. And I pray never we meet again after that."

Kane looked down upon the broken, shattered remains of his former master, and even though he couldn't feel her destructive soft voice in the back of his head, he still couldn't ignore the love he felt for her. He turned back to Serenity and he bowed low. "Thank you, but if you don't mind, can I please leave now....I am...troubled and want to be far from this place, never to return."

Serenity sighed, and nodded getting out of the bed and walking towards a bookshelf. She lifted a single book and a hidden chamber opened up. She walked down the chamber and down into the courtyard where dozens of guards and guild members waited. Serenity spoke in an even tone, talking about how Kane saved her. For his reward she just wanted him to leave, now and forever, never to return.

But for all Kane was thinking, he didn't hear a single word.

[Requiem of Insanity]

Kane walked upon the moonlit road, his feet heavy as he carried the last remnants of Cassandra's things. He tied the Butcher's Bill to his belt, and he felt a sort of emptiness in the road before him. But he was a free man again. He no longer heard the whispering hatred of his dark mistress around him, nor the uncomfortable feeling of dread he had to withstand in her presence.

Kane looked up to the moon, and thought about all the times Cassandra would open her arms to it, muttering about the dark attentions and the teasing the moon gave to her. For all it was worth, now the moon looked down upon him, the man who watched Cassandra Remi die. He felt a deep seeded guilt take root, and he looked away from the moon.

The darkness around him seemed to gather, and he lifted his lantern up to see, but no matter what the darkness seemed to grow and grow around him. Before long Kane was surrounded by the darkness, and a primal, deep chuckle escaped into his left ear.

"No, No, No..." He whispered full of fear. The Darkness seemed to gather up, and the silhouette of a man, a tall man with short, neatly spiked in a row hair with a wide, toothy grin pierced into him with Red eyes.

No is right, broken puppet, Cassandra may be dead, but I have uses for you still. Kane cried out in fear as the darkness swelled around him, and joined into him creeping through every pore of his body. Kane scratched at his skin to no avail, before he felt the darkness wrap around his heart like a coiled snake. I have worked too hard to find a dark companion like Cassandra, and I will be loath to let my twisted lover fade away. No Kane, we are going to get her back.

Kane looked down upon his chest, and he winced in pain as he fell to his knees. "How?" He managed to say.

They say parting is such sweet sorrow, but though we mourn today, we'll have tomorrow to look forward to. Just leave the details to me... Cassandra's Dark Companion said, laughing wildly at Kane's discomfort.

[Breaker]

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Quest Judgment

Alright, I’ll keep it brief as requested. Overall this was an easy read, and I enjoyed your dark twisted style. On to specifics.

STORY

Continuity ~ 6/10. This thread was very well situated in your character’s overall storyline; I had a clear idea of where she came from and where she was going to (Haidia, haha.) I also appreciated the references to previous threads. To improve this score you should work on incorporating Cassandra’s storyline even more, and going into greater detail about it. In short, you showed enough, but you could have done more. I was curious, for example, as to the specifics of how Serenity challenged Cassandra.

Setting ~ 5.5/10. The thing is, your setting descriptions are quite good. The problem is, you often overlook the setting or give it just a quick once-over. I’d like to see you get really into Cassandra’s surroundings. I mean, with all her charm, acting and lying skills, plus the fact that she’s pretty much liquid sex, she should have very interesting ways of interacting with the scenery. Think of your character’s every action as a tool for adding new details to the setting, and you’ll be on the right track.

Pacing ~ 6.5/10. Although this story didn’t delve deeply into the characters’ minds or have an epic, twisting plot, it moved quickly and kept me reading even though I knew what was going to happen (damn spoilers!). To improve here I’d suggest a closer proofread and more attention on word choice. You have a tendency to repeat the same word multiple times in a sentence or cluster of sentences. This is off-putting and always unnecessary; either the phrase can be rearranged to eliminate the repetition, or a different word can be substituted. Personally, I often write with a tab open to thesaurus.com just in case.

CHARACTER

Dialogue ~ 6.5/10. I wanted to give you a seven here, but I think you’ve got just a few too many little errors in dialogue. A couple of times you forgot to close quotations, and in several instances the dialogue seemed unnatural to the character, phrased in a manner which people don’t speak, or just out of place. For the most part though, I liked the dialogue, and the internal stuff was good enough that the red text didn’t really bug me. To improve here, I think you need to get more into the characters’ motivation. How do they feel about the situation? Are they vocalizing their true feelings, or lying? Why are they speaking at all? Another way to get dialogue more naturalistic is to read the conversation out loud as if they were a radio script. This can help you find the places that just don’t sound right, and make your roommates give you weird looks (always a plus).

Action ~ 5/10. I felt this was perhaps your weakest area. As I mentioned in setting, Cassandra is the type of character who should have a lot more interaction with the setting, more casual actions to build her persona. The thing you did with Kane cutting himself at the party was neat, but why not play that up more? He seems like he’s probably fidgeting almost constantly, and if that’s the case you need to illustrate it better. Also, when you write action it often comes off a little jumbled and non-linear. I think it’s mostly word order and verb choice that causes this. Contact me on AIM if you want more on this.

Persona ~ 6/10. You’ve got a strong handle on your characters, I think, and write them well. I’d like to see you go a little deeper into their motivation. Also, I felt a few things were slightly unjustified, like the deathmatch in the middle of a fancy party. I accepted them as “probably being the kind of thing that happens all the time in Lavinya” but it would have been better if you had described why the guests were watching and laughing rather than running away shrieking in horror, as seems natural to an uninformed reader.

WRITING STYLE

Technique ~ 6.5/10. As I think I’ve said before, you have some really nice literary devices, but you should use them more often. Not to the point that the text turns purple, of course. But if you combine this with my comments in action and setting (basically that I want more of both), and use your imagery to bring that action and setting to life, you’ll be banging on all cylinders.

Mechanics ~ 8/10. I don’t think I spotted any more than two or three grammatical errors per post, so this could only be improved by closer proofreading and spell checking. Well done.

Clarity ~ 7/10. I docked you a point here because your overall writing style still needs some refinement. This is about the voice you use for majority of the narrative (active or passive), your choice of words and punctuation, as well as the way you conjugate verbs and so forth. I can definitely help you with this, but it involves tearing a few to shreds. If you’re still interested in a brutal flensing, let me know and we’ll put it into action in our thread.

MISCELLANEOUS

Wild Card ~ 7/10. I added a point here because of how seldom quests finish with the main character dying. That was a neat twist.

TOTAL ~ 64/100. A good score for a good thread. My final advice for improvement is to always do your best. Oh, and fix the link to your profile. Right now it redirects to nothing, and that sucks.

[Breaker]

Requiem of Insanity receives 1782 EXP and 150 GP

Kane receives one oak and iron hatchet, if he wants it.

EDIT: This post was a dumb accident, but it's here now so let's roll with it.

[Taskmienster]

Haha, accident or not, whatev. Lol. The exp and gp have been added!