My Name is Lorenor.-I

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Faction: Church of Ethereal Sway

On Althanas, there was one who was born into chaos. A child of the darkness, the entity was a living embodiment of N'Jal herself. This child caused entropy wherever he went. Having a name, the creature was called Lorenor in the common-tongue. Having an identity, the creature fashioned himself into a Spider Magi. The servants of N'Jal. Having a destiny, the creature would be the herald of a pandemic given the right circumstances. During the time of greatest chaos in Salvar since the Demon War, the creature made his presence known during several different opportunities.

This was his story. This was his legacy.

His name was Lorenor.

***

Pacing back and forth in a solitary chamber in the Church of Ethereal Sway, the Salvarn lord found himself in a rather impatient position. He'd risen quickly through the ranks of the Assassin. Having joined the Church of Ethereal Sway for that sole reason, the mutant found himself making enemies quickly within the organization despite resent actions in Salvar. His involvement during the previous portions of the Civil War in Salvar had earned him the title of lordship and his own fiefdom. However, when the mutant was not in his fiefdom overseeing the matters of running its daily business, he was in the Church running Assassin missions for money. Lorenor was studying the dossier for the latest hit when he was interrupted by the emergence of a member of the Cathedral. The mutant paused what he was doing, turned to face the individual and greeted the Priest calmly. Members of the Clergy had powerful abilities known as The Word, and The Holy Light. Lorenor was a creature born of the darkness, and a direct opposition to members of the clergy. However, he was also one of their greatest Assassins.

"Brother Lorenor. I see that you are...studying the scriptures." The cleric said calmly.

"I have word to bring you from the Clergy. Your latest mission takes priority over all other projects you are working on. You will be paid well for this mission as it will be one of your most difficult so far."

The mutant listened to the Cleric and analyzed him. With a once over, he picked up the particulars of the man. He dressed in the robes of a novice Priest, and carried a scepter that most novices carried. It was made out of thick oak, and tipped with an elegant jewel. Symbols were etched across the length and around the diameter of the scepter. The scepter was approximately the same height as the man himself who stood at about five feet six inches. He was taller than Lorenor by a few inches, though the mutant was used to that. As Lorenor studied the man, more details popped up about the fellow. He was a man of average physique, with a broad pair of shoulders and thick upper arms. The mutant could see the man's physique as it was wrapped by the fabric he wore. Sitting down on a simple couch, Lorenor offered the man a seat by waving his hand towards the general direction of the empty spot next to him. Lorenor waited for the man to be seated. He moved casually towards the seat and took his position there. There were three books laid out on the table in the room.

Studying the man further, Lorenor saw that he had sharp cheekbones, a square jaw, and thin eyebrows. His hair was braided in several different places. He had blue colored hair, and dark brown eyes. His nose was well defined. He also had large ears that were pierced in several different places, a piercing on the left side of his nose, at the nostril, and other jewelry that he wore. Face tribal markings were etched in blue upon him. They were intricate in nature and seemed to have something to do with rank in the Church. The mutant had never participated in such rites and rituals. The man wore a simplistic outfit made entirely out of linen, except for a leather belt, and thick-hide boots. He wore a cloak made out of thick hides as well, which was common in Salvar due to the cold Winter. The man hair's ended at his lower back. He wore many rings, several amulets, and carried several pouches attached to his belt. Lorenor saw that the Cleric had a look of disgust on his face when he eyed the three books on the table. It was the Necronomicon that the mutant was previously studying.

"Are those the works of the Dark Lady?" The Cleric asked. "You bring such vile mechanization here? In the halls of Denebriel?"

Lorenor sighed at that.

"I am too tired to discuss semantics with you fellow. Please go with peace brother Cleric."

Lorenor meant that, he was being sincere in the way that he spoke to the man. Sitting next to the Cleric, the mutant kept his eyes in the area direction in front of him. Many were intimidated by the glowing eyes that the mutant possessed. Lorenor had a drink of coffee on the table, and so, he took the goblet in his hand and grabbed a deep pull of the hot drink. Warmth went down his system. It was a constructive feeling. Lorenor looked at his fellow member of the Church for a long moment before continuing the discussion.

"It's no different than the lies that you spread about Denebriel. Rumors have it that Denebriel worked during the recent events in Salvar. Yet the Clergy denies this involvement. What does that tell you?" Lorenor challenged, taking a look at the Cleric, locking gazes with the man.

Seeing a twitch at the man's right eye, the mutant grinned softly.

"The dark lady has no place within the halls of Denebriel. But yet my superiors accept you as you are."

"I meet all challenges head-on that's why. I am a Professional. I donot question the motivations of my masters." Lorenor said casually. "I am here to get a job done. That's what counts the most. I don't have to follow your religious inclinations." Lorenor said.

He took another pull of the coffee. It was made from potent Salvarn beans. Lorenor placed the coffee goblet down upon the table. He looked at the books for a moment, and then the dossier of the next target. The dossier had arrived about a week earlier in his personal quarters within the Church. Lorenor had plenty of time to memorize the dossier. He knew the target's name and potential location by heart.

"Besides. According to your religion, I am the enemy because I am Forsaken." Lorenor offered the man a drink from the pitcher of coffee that was freshly brewed.

He ate some breakfast while he studied the scriptures. Lorenor waited for the Cleric to respond. He saw that the man was rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Bold sentiments. But you are right about one thing. You are a professional, and that is why the Clergy keeps you around. But in my opinion you are too dangerous to keep around."

Lorenor paused for a moment as he listened.

"Would you like some coffee?" He asked the Cleric who was completely shocked by the question.

[Makira]

Makira sighed. A cloak hid her features. It hid all of her. This was fine, she didn't like the cold anyway. What was prominent is that the cloak was well made. Black hide with fur on the inside. Made noticeable by the snow that brushed the bottom on the cloak. Her wings as well were folding around her, the phoenix Burning darker but strong. No wonder she hated the cold. With a phoenix as a companion she avoided it.

She approached some sort of religious building. Simple monks stood at the doors inviting people in. She didn't care nor spoke to them as they wished her welcome. She stayed a silent specter. The cloak wasn't hers anyway so their blessing and words of good intentions meant nothing to the leader of the thieves guild.

The phoenix shook out as if to ruffle its feathers. The black feathers seemed to absorb the heat so it appeared a black and honeyed fire kissed exotic bird. though it was hard to describe.

She looked at everything. The details of the building. It was warmer in here there was no doubt of that. She closed her eyes adjusting to the warmth. She had in her hands a rolled scroll of sorts. Strictly for a freind of hers. Information he had requested. She didn't really care about the information its self. She would've done it for free being that he was a good freind of hers. However she did despise the cold. It froze her wings and it just purely annoying to be in. So she had charged him the usual fee for information gathering. Of course he had tried to negotiate and she conceded but not by much. She hated being religious places. She had no idea why but they gave her an odd feeling. She shivered, rushing the cold from her body. She asked one of the believers residents of this place. She didnt pay attention to features, or the religions so the style of the place meant nothing specific unless it was supposed to.

The monkish man lead her down a hallway. A plain closed door among many but he stopped at one. She nodded and he bowed leaving. She phoenix on her arm she knocked on the door and waited. The cloak still over her, she waited.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Busy with activities, the dormitory area of the Church of Ethereal Sway had many employees of the organization moving about freely. Monks in warm robes moved back and forth from their personal quarters to the larger expanse of the cathedral proper. It was a flow and ebb of traffic that was vibrant and active as a beating organism. There were also assassins within the group hidden in secrecy that moved about gathering their tools of the trade. Of this lot, Lorenor was one of them. The church was a multi-faceted organization with several echelons of power.

At the top of the organization sat St. Denebriel with its hand carefully manipulating Salvar like a chess-game. St. Denebriel was now directly in charged of the Church of Ethereal Sway for ill or better. They all knew this, and followed despite the loss of their former leader at the hand of Ashiakin and his cohorts. Lorenor had ever only interacted with Lev Testhan once or twice in his professional career as an Assassin. He'd never had the chance to interact with St. Denebriel due to his worship of the Dark Lady known as N'Jal.

Inside this section of the Cathedral, Lorenor sat in a room with one of the fellow monks. He was obviously an errand-boy by the looks of his robe and the demeanor of the fellow. Lorenor sat in the plainly decorated bed-chamber on a couch. There were no windows present as per the request of the mutant. There was a coffee table in front of the couch which had various documents of research upon it. Including, the three books that comprised the chaos engine known as the Necronomicon. With its pages open, the pages of the book were visible. However, no writing was inked upon those pages that were visible to the untrained eye. Lorenor and his guest were both drinking coffee as they debated the current state of affairs in Salvar, and in the world. Called the time of prophecy by the ancient prophets, the world was thrust in a second age of darkness. With the world locked in self-imposed war, those like the mutant were taking advantage of political bodies and the financial machine behind the wars. Having fashioned himself a new identity, Lorenor had become a war profiteer of sorts.

As a professional assassin working for the Church of Ethereal Sway, the mutant had won tremendous respect within the ranks of its followers. The mutant knew that he'd won a home, a fiefdom, and lordship due to his involvement with the Church. Furthermore, he'd found secret documents during an assassination mission that lead to the location of a place known only as Antioch. As he drank coffee and spoke with the monk, there was a different sort of disturbance. A knocking on the door, as if rap, rap rapping. It was then that Lorenor caught the scent of a familiar person, a friend. Perhaps something more than a friend. The mutant nodded towards the monk/cleric for a moment.

"Make yourself comfortable. I will be answering the door." He didn't wait for an answer and simply got up, walked to the door, and opened it to allow Makira in.

"Ah. There you are my friend. Come in. I trust you are cold from your adventure, I have coffee freshly brewed that is waiting to be consumed. I ordered some food as well and its on its way." Lorenor said.

Leaving the door open, Lorenor walked back to the couch. He motioned for Makira to have a seat.

The dossier for his next assignment was plainly visible atop the other documents. Lorenor had been studying it for a time as he waited for Makira to bring him back necessary information from within the Thieves' Guild. Makira had her resources, and the mutant respected that. He'd often considered joining the Thieves' Guild himself as a Professional like he was. He would talk to her about the possibility when the time was right and they were alone. Lorenor noticed that the cleric was looking at Makira's general direction.

"Ah. Lady Makira. So glad to see you in fine health. Well now, as it were, I must take my leave my friends." The cleric stood up, and handed Lorenor an object. It was a container that had a scroll within it.

"I almost forgot to give this to you. It's from our leadership body. When you read it, you will understand."

Seeing that the cleric bowed deeply towards Lorenor and Makira, the mutant nodded his head in return.

"Well then I shall leave you too to your devices. I shall return when the job is complete to speak of your reward for this mission." The cleric moved towards the door and stopped as if remembering something.

"Lorenor. When the time comes, we must speak at length about your training as a professional."

The mutant nodded.

"Very well." The cleric took his leave and Lorenor looked at Makira. "You have the information I requested?" Lorenor asked.

[Makira]

Makira took off the cloak and spread it over a chair. She said down. She wore black soft leather boots and pants. a cloth shirt under a tan bodice. And gloves. She placed the rolled scroll on the table. She shook out snow from her hair the other two talked. The bird landed on a perch. she stood taking moments to orient herself and warm her self.

She nodded her head to the monk when he left. She sat down on the couch pouring herself a goblet of coffee, She watched as her frozen hand warmed around the cup. She took a drink and it seem to warm her to her bones. She sighed in relief. " Why you persist in living here is a mystery to me." She commented when the monk shut the door. She was still more or less just waring herself. She hated the cold, always would.

"If i didn't know better id say you were trying kill me in this frigid place." She shivered and drank more coffee. She was completely enjoying the warmth it brought to her. The phoenix seemed more than happy already falling asleep in the warm room.

Makira smiled at the phoenix at closed her eyes once again enjoying the warmth of the room, the clothes, the coffee. It seemed a luxury to be this warm. her wings easily accommodated the seating.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Seeing the information scroll, the mutant nodded towards Makira. He removed a small pouch of gold that he'd prepared just for her return. A man of his word, the mutant paid her for the service provided. The tactical information would be crucial when facing this powerful new opponent. Unclasping the scroll case, the mutant carefully removed the scroll from its container. He slid the thing out and held it delicately in his hand. It was made out of a papyrus and printed in standard black ink. The mutant unraveled the scroll and read the contents quickly. He studied it briefly for a moment and compared the notes from the information Makira had gathered to the information the Church had gathered. It all matched up. Lorenor nodded to himself for a moment, took a deep pull of the coffee and then set the goblet down. He turned to look at Makira for a long moment.

"You've done well. This will be our toughest mission so far. I want you to work silently in the background whilst I prepare for the job. I will take out the target myself. I don't want you to get your hands dirty in this business."

"From what I understand this will be the first of many such jobs."

He said casually hinting at what was coming. With the church in utter disarray at the loss of the Justice, there was no central leadership. Rumor had it that Denebriel herself was now guiding the Church with her hand of mystery. The mutant didn't know how true this was. All he cared about was completing the job so that he could move on to the next mission. The Church paid him well, and he was thus able to employ the services of the Thieves' Guild directly out of pocket. He took the small pouch of gold and handed it to Makira. It contained one hundred gold pieces as was the nature of their personal contract. Though Lorenor knew that Makira was a friend, he also understood the nature of business. It was key to be able to uphold one's word in this day and age, even for a villain.

"I've been told that this will be the first of a series of missions against the Church's enemies. All of her assassins are in full movement against the enemy of the church. I will need your help in getting close to the target."

Lorenor pulled out his pair of mythril daggers.

"I will use these to do the job. You still have the dagger I lent you. Use it wisely."

With that, Lorenor continued to read the scroll that she'd handed him.

"This information will do nicely."

He said as he read and waited for her response.

[Makira]

Makira nodded. She took the pouch and began counting. She nodded in satisfaction at the amount and placed the pouch at her belt. She looked up at him. " Tell me Lorenor, why do you do this. Not to long ago you were in your temples praying to your goddess, now you are housed in another, working for another faith. Killing for them. I don't disagree to any of it. I am merely surprised." She said her wings curled against her as she sat back.

She looked up at him. "You've changed. Perhaps for the better I am not yet sure." She said she placed her coffee down and stretched even her wings. " However, You look well." She said relaxing again, she crossed one leg over the other. " that alone is good to see my freind." She smiled.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor listened to her whilst he read the information on the sheets. He carefully considered her words before responding to them. Working for the Cathedral, the mutant had been a busy fellow of late with the organization in full motion against the league of Salvic States. Enemies would surface now and skilled assassins would be needed. Drinking some more of the coffee, Lorenor moved to pour himself a refill of the hot drink. He would need the warmth once they ventured outside. Salvar had snow all year round, but it didn't get anywhere near as cold as it did in Berevar.

For some reason, the mutant found himself adjusting quickly to the cold and realized that he even enjoyed it. His hands no longer shook from the effects of the cold. Instead, they were steadied and relaxes. It had been a time since he journeyed to Akashima with Makira, and they'd encountered the creatures known as the Oni. The mutant briefly thought back to that adventure and its woes. He then let the memory quickly pass.

Lorenor was becoming old. Grinning at that thought, the mutant decided that he should focus on the mission at hand.

"It's something I've been working on for a long time now Makira. I don't have a death-wish. It's just what I've become." Lorenor said truthfully trying to understand it all.

Here he was, a follower of N'Jal working for a rival organization despite the ethical teachings of the deity that organization. Lorenor knew it was a strange sort of paradox. The Church took in a younger version of the ghoul without question. He was skilled at the killing arts then, and now he was even more skilled. The Church provided work which was the key issue here. Lorenor would always have money, he would always have a place to call home.

"It has been a time since that sordid affair with Clark. I am sorry to have lead you astray during that mission. I'll be certain that it won't happen again." Lorenor said as he looked at Makira with a calm expression on his face.

He drank some more of the coffee. Taking a deep pull, then he looked towards the documents again memorizing key information. After a moment, he spoke again.

"Did you actually get close enough to see him? They say he works miracles. A genuine prophet. The Church is targeting high-profile members of opposing factions. I don't care either way. But I just think its interesting that the Cathedral has become that paranoid."

[Makira]

Makira blinked shocked he brought up Clark. Not that it was a taboo subject, he just hadn't spoken of it in awhile. Then he mentioned the man she had gathered information on. She closed her eyes in thought. Remembering it all.

"I did. It all seemed genuine, but then you know my reluctance for believing in the gods. So i have no real judge of opinion. If i was a such a woman, I'd believe the miracles, see them as truth. The act and the results seem more than genuine." She paused and took a long drink from her goblet. " I got a good look at him, I'd be able to spot him if i saw him again." she added.

She looked at the scroll. All the information that she had gathered was there after all. Her own observations and more, but then some things she had kept to herself. However, it wasn't as if she was hiding it, He merely would have to ask her and wait her response.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Listening carefully to her response, Lorenor gathered what information he could. There were some images in the dossier for the mutant to use, but her word was more reliable than the church's. He liked to use his own resources whenever possible, and Makira was one of them.

Leaning back against the couch, Lorenor closed his eyes briefly. He listened to the vibration in the room that was fueled by their breathing. Turning towards the phoenix for a moment, Lorenor saw that the bird was asleep.

Taking a sip of the coffee once more, the mutant felt the warmth coursing through his body. It was a hot drink for a very cold place that was quite popular with the Salvarns. Tea and soup was also very popular. Any sort of a hot meal and drink was considered a commodity to the cold-prone Salvarn breed.

Once he was satisfied that he'd familiarized himself with the information at hand, Lorenor stood up and walked over to where his gear was.

"We set out right away." Lorenor said. "The information is a little sketchy, but I don't want to loose the mark. We can make the journey to Phantaria, or, we can travel across Knife's Edge on foot. Its up to you. Me personally though, I'd rather get the drop on him."

He looked in the general direction of his daggers. With a soft grin on his face, the mutant knew that she was not eager to get back out in the snow again. It was a cold winter, not the coldest on record, but a cold one nonetheless. Lorenor walked very slowly towards his destination. He began to gather his belongings, most important, he placed his hide cloak upon his person. Already feeling the warmth of the cloak, the mutant decided that it was soon time.

Wearing all black, the mutant wore a leather vest over a silk long-sleeved tunic that was colored black. His hair was worn in a dreadlock hairstyle as always. He put on a pair of thick leather gloves adorned with a combat plate on each unit. Also, he wore a pair of hide boots, a long pair of baggy denim pants, and a belt. Strapped around his shoulders was a traveling backpack where he kept many of his personal effects.

Once he was appropriately dressed, he looked towards Makira. "We can venture out as soon as you are ready." There was no time to waste.

[Makira]

"Do what you like when it comes to which direction to take. This is your mark, I'm to make sure you don't get yourself killed. " She sighed. She personally was looking forward to resting, considering she had spent much time traveling here. Apparently, though that wasn't the plan. She stood placing her empty goblet on the table.

She stood waling to her cloak and pulled it on, her wings folding around her carefully under the cloak. " Lorenor, I will never understand your reasoning for the uncomfortable environment in which you chose to live." She said. She walked to her phoenix and pet the black fathers. Once again she was reminded how much she had been looking forward to rest and respite from the cold.

The phoenix woke and hovered to her shoulder where it rested. It even looked annoyed to be going out in the cold, They more likely wore the same expression. she pulled up the hood and was more than ready to venture out, it was more she really didn't wish to. " let's go then, be done with this frigid lands." She said the annoyance ringing in her tone.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

One of the images in the dossier pack was an image of the target. It was supposed to be a simple mission. Get in, whack the target, get out. The mutant had handled such jobs in the past and was used to executions. He had no trouble killing people, what bothered him though, was that they were going after a religious target. I don't care about who the opponent is. But what I do care about is robbing people's hope. It is not my job to do that. The Church is going too far. Lorenor thought to himself. Shaking his head for a moment, the mutant had his doubts. He was a member of the Assassin's Guild in the Cathedral, but he was not a follower of the Ethereal Sway. He was a follower of N'Jal. N'Jal was the dark lady of the Thayne Codex. Sitting there for a moment, he did not have the same need to rush that Makira had. After all, they were taking a life. Despite his status as someone who was lawful evil, the mutant valued life. He was a leech at the end of the day and had grown to respect the meaning of the blood. Blood was a valuable commodity. So was the heart of a man.

Lorenor thought for a long moment. He knew what the drill was, what the order was. It's how he'd built a kingdom of informants and connections around his person. The mutant grew disheartened at the growing complexities of the jobs at hand. Lorenor carefully considered what he was about to do. This is a religious target for a religion I don't even follow. Makira is right, why am I even here? Concentrating on the task at hand, the mutant was prepared to turn the mission down for just a moment, when he realized how important the mark was. Considered a level-5 target, the mutant knew it was going to be hard. Makira can't involve herself in this, I must act alone. Whilst Makira waited for the mutant, some time passed. Once a solid five minutes passed, the mutant made up his mind to proceed forward with the mission. He had no choice in the matter. Standing up, Lorneor took a deep pull of the hot drink before him. Shortly after that, he took some of the food that was upon the table as well. He ate some beef strips with crackers and cheeses of varying sorts. Turning towards Makira, he prepared to face the unknown.

"He's a miracle worker." Lorenor said out loud. "The Church is only going after him because his religion is gathering numbers. This whole thing stinks rotten."

Shaking his head once again, Lorenor kept looking at Makira. "Either way it goes, I am a blade. It is not my place to question the mission. It is my place to make things happen."

With that, he gathered his belongings. He gathered the dossier of the target. Getting in and out would be an easy matter. Confronting a genuine miracle-worker would be hard. Lorenor had only heard about the wielders of the light in the past in small whispers.

"Well I have a plan none, the, less. We are going to infiltrate his lair by going through Phantaria. Once we are there we can find a door to his personal quarters and be done with this job as soon as possible. Me and you can part ways once on site and you can make sure that the matter doesn't grow out of hand. Once I have the man's head we will retreat to a safe location. I have ventured into Phantaria before so I know what the law in that land is."

When he was ready, he gathered his personal belongings and put everything on that he needed to equip.

"We will need to be outside to travel to Phantaria." Lorenor said and began to move towards the door.

Once there, he opened it and ventured out into the hallway.

[Makira]

"Lorenor, It's also your job as a follower of n'jal to follow the will of gods. What happens if this man is not a fake." She said aloud. The pause however was simple enough a time limit that she got ahead. She didn't care one or another, but what she had seen was genuine. She shrugged. A monk passed them scowling at makira. That particular disliked her nonreligious state. She didn't do anything but offer a smile in return.

She sighed once outside. The bird also irritated about the cold. Makira reached up, running a hand over the silver blue pendant at her neck. " Let's go and be done with this then lorenor." She said. " let us spill this blood ordered to be spilled and move to a warmer place." She said the phoenix even hunched closer to her for warmth.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Snow drifted along an invisible path down to the ground below. Knife's Edge was busy with activity even in this dreary weather. Finding a sort of peace within the land of endless winter, Lorenor walked in silence. His boots crunched softly against the snow on the ground. Nobody interrupted the pair when they left the church's halls.

A stream of servants for the church entered and left the building following their own orders. Lorenor needed a good place to access Phantaria that was not crowded with the denizens of Knife's Edge.

People moved quickly from place to place as they completed the various tasks of the day. Salvarns were a sturdy lot that were built for the cold. They had broad chests and shoulders, thick beards, and often had long hair. They all wore winter dress when venturing outside in the cold afternoon. Thick clouds overhead blocked out the sun. In Salvar, since the sun was well-hidden by a thick canopy of clouds, the mutant did not feel the effects he normally felt in the daylight hours.

His powers were not dropped because of the darkness even in the afternoon hours.

Salvar was a harsh gray and white world. Wind flowed in every direction of the cardinal compass as Lorenor walked. His cloak flapped in the breeze like a caged dragon. With the memorization of the target's whereabouts, the mutant pondered the worth of making a trip to Phantaria at all. He considered the situation quite carefully. Planning to go to Phantaria was a consuming task. Lorenor clenched his fists as he walked over towards a suitable alleyway. He would need to concentrate. His target was located in the six-hundred block of Knife's Edge. There would probably be high-security thanks to the events of Salvar's Civil War. Lorenor had participated in those events. He spotted the suitable alleyway, walked towards it and nodded towards Makira.

"Over there." Lorenor said calmly whilst pointing to the alleyway.

Garbage was everywhere. Thick layers of ice coated the garbage as rodents feasted upon the meals. Bags of garbage were torn open, roaches skirted in and out of the bags, and homeless people laid against the middle of it all. The mutant would have to walk deep into the alleyway to find the place that was needed. After about a five minute walk through the garbage, the mutant found an empty area in the alleyway that was roughly twenty feet, by twenty feet. The sides of buildings were visible in this area as the structures were built close together. Water pipes were winterized to assure effectiveness and this was assisted with magic. Water flowed constantly through the pipes. The mutant paused as he looked at Makira. He began to prepare himself to summon a gate to Phantaria. It would be a lengthy process that would require a bit of time. He sat down in deep meditation for a long moment and prepared to call down Phantaria into the Firmanent. His eyes went dark as he closed them in deep concentration. He chanted a mumbling mantra and then focused on the task at hand.

[Makira]

Makira sighed and stood on a somewhat clean spot of ground. She had no idea why he had to this here, But it was his area of expertise not hers, so she waited. She huddled in her cloak the phoenix close to help with the warmth. She watched, keeping on guard ready to attack if there was anyone coming to attack them. She doubted it but one never knew.

She closed her eyes and listened. Listening for anything that sounded off, sounded new and out of place. She would make sure she protected Lorenor. She opened here eyes once she deemed it okay to do so. Lorenor seemed to still be in meditation so everything seemed fine. Joy, well she hoped this particular job had some sort of excitement to it, Otherwise it was be altogether pointless for her to come. Well, aside from the fact that Lorenor was her dear freind.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Individuals stirred within the alleyway. Some of them were consuming hard narcotics, a few were drinking, and others were simply laying there dying. Letting their worldly troubles consume them. Some were remnants of a forgotten part of Salvar's history. Before the treacherous Civil War even began, these dregs of society took to the alleys and sewers of Salvar. There they formed the secret kingdom. That is the sole reason that Lorenor chose the alleyways, the dregs and homeless folk within this place were neutral.

It didn't mean that they wouldn't try anything at all, it just meant that they were a neutral group that wanted nothing to do with the Civil War.

Calling down Phantaria onto the Firmanent was not an easy task. Lorenor had to concentrate for a time. Memorizing the mantra and incantations needed for the task, Lorneor felt the walls of the Firmanent wavering about his person. It was an awesome feat to pull off for one like he. Lorenor finally felt the pull of the door he searched for. He had to concentrate on literally billions upon billions of doors. He had to develop a mental link to the door he wanted and then call it down upon the Firmanent as a psychic manifestation of his mental state.

Feeling a surge of power from within, the Firmanent itself rippled with raw energy. For a moment, Phantaria and the Firmanent became as one folded reality. Phanteria manifested into the Firmanent as a simple door that was situated directly in front of Lorenor and Makira. Lorenor's eyes opened a few moments later, he took several deep gasps, and studied his handiwork.

It was a simple wooden door. It had a threshold, and several markings that were written in an tongue the mutant did not know. Lorenor guessed the tongue had some significance to Phantaria. Opening on its own, the door would only appear to Lorenor and Makira, and nobody else. Turning to look at Makira, he nodded in her general direction. Then, he walked towards the door.

You can bunny us going forward. The door in the normal reality would vanish once both of them enter. Phantaria is a land of doors.

[Makira]

Makira stepped in the door behind Lorenor. She was blinded for a moment before it was revealed. Doors, all kinds and colors. More a hall of doors. The door behind her not only shut, but vanished as well. She was cautious because of this. She never could recall being in such a place before, "This is Phantaria?" She asked. Making certain he had not made a mistake. She doubted such was the case, Lorenor did not make mistakes lightly.

In fact she couldn't recall a time when he had ever made such a mistake, least wise not in the time that she had known him. Her arms crossed, her phoenix resting on her shoulder. This place was strange, new. It didn't seem much to explore and yet she wanted to. Just to see what there was.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Once Lorenor materialized in the land of doors, the mutant had a look of triumph on his face. Not everybody had the power to traverse reality itself and the mutant had done just that. Now, he knew what door he needed to find, he just needed to find it. Phantaria had different physics than the Firmanent and Antifirmanent. It had its own set of rules and laws, laws that were not necessarily known to the mutant or even other travelers. Stumbling into the new realm, the mutant only had N'Jal to guide him. He could hear her call even in this mysterious and newly discovered plane of existence. Her guiding voice sang loudly in his head. It was a song of caution and of triumph as N'Jal herself traveled along with Lorenor. The mutant's body glowed with living dark. It seemed to cling to the very air of Phantaria. In this land of gates and doors, the mutant felt strangely, at peace. Phantaria was not without its own conflicts and wars. N'Jal's words warned of the conflict within Phantaria. This conflict was not the conflict of men or petty governments and empires.

Nay, this was the conflict of gods themselves! Creatures of immense power were rumored to live within the halls of Phantaria. Lorenor found himself standing on a platform that was very wide, wider than the city of Radasanth herself. Standing alongside his person was Makira. Blinking a few times, the mutant understood that he was on solid ground. On the platform here were several doors, or gates, and the tiles on the ground were multi-colored. There was an intense smell as of sulfur in the air.

Wind carried debris in chaotic patterns that were visible. Lorenor had to cover his head with his cowl. There was too much debris in the air, and the mutant could not keep his flesh bare. Lorenor felt the moving wind at intense speeds, and could hear its relentless howl. A thousand tortured souls in the breeze.

"Cover your head Makira, there is too much debris in the wind!" Lorenor called out to her as he did the same.

The mutant was thankful for his hide cloak and at the same time hated it for its sheer warmth. Phantaria was a hot place. Lorenor was used to extreme heat considering his origins in the depths of Haidia, another realm. The mutant took a few steps to ensure that he was indeed on solid ground. Several pillars on this platform connected to pillars that were above and below this section. Lorenor could see many such pillars and many platforms. Some of many sizes. Not functioning like the physical restraints of the Firmanent, Phantaria allowed Lorenor's senses to become unhinged. The mutant was capable of seeing with incredible senses, with an unbound sensory grid. The mutant could see for many miles in every direction, gasping at the sudden realization. Thankful for the sudden blessing, the mutant uttered only a simple phrase to mark the occasion.

"By your will N'Jal. I am blessed." Lorenor said calmly. "Your servant is humble and accepts the rewards you bestow upon him."

The mutant walked over to Makira's position.

"We're in Phantaria now. Be on your guard. Thaynes know what sort of devils lurk in this place. I just know by the will of N'Jal I am able to see just fine in this place. With senses unbound, we have boon in our favor. Now Makira, let us continue forward to the gate we must search for. It should be someplace on this platform."

"Not so fast little souls." Came a voice that Lorenor had never heard before. It was a deep resonating voice. One that shook Lorenor to his very core. "Where do you think you're going?" The voice asked.

Then a presence manifested. Lorenor turned away from Makira and towards the presence. Before them, a tall humanoid appeared that had an impressive height of eight feet give or take. Lorenor could only guess at the man's weight but he had an impressive physique. Radiating a tremendous power, the man had a glowing nimbus cloud of orange energy. The energy seemed to cascade across the fabric of reality. The mutant did not like his odds against this newcomer. The man was covered in an armor that seemed somehow strangely familiar. However, the armor was a solid dark blue color with gold trimmings. Somehow, the armor seemed sentient, almost alive. Lorenor could not place where he had seen something like that before. His hand went to the hilt of his weapon just in case this new stranger proved hostile. The man wore an intricate helmet that covered his head completely and didn't even reveal an inch of his face. Horns jutted out from the sides of the living armor's helmet. He wore a long flowing cloak,with mysterious symbols etched upon its surface, and had gauntlets covering both hands. Many spikes protruded from the masterwork armor.

Lorenor could not even guess what the material of the armor was, for he did not want to know.

"We're mere travelers!" Lorenor called out to the armored fellow. "I am trying to find a certain gate." Lorenor continued. "Maybe you can help us out?"

"Help you!?" The armored man said. "My purpose here is entirely other, however, mayhaps we can reach an understanding. I can detect what it is you carry inside you, the many things. I can sense you are a formidable opponent." The living armor suddenly manifested a large longsword from the raw elemental energies of Phantaria. "If you were to duel me, I would allow you safe passage." The living armor said. "But first, I detect a Thayne within you, but it is not a Thayne I am familiar with. Answer me this little soul, what Thayne do you carry inside?"

"N'Jal! I am here by the will of N'Jal!" Lorenor called out. "If you wish to duel, I will oblige!" And Lorenor drew his own prevalida weapon.

[Makira]

Makira ended up kneeling from the wind. Having no choice but to protect her pheonix and her wings from the debris. The stranger came and she looked up watching. "men." She said and rolled her eyes. She stayed there, quite comfortable to do so as they fought. Laws of dueling. she couldn't interfere. She leaned back as a wall seemed to materialize behind her. This was a strange world. But she supposed she could deal with such a world. At least, for now.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

I have walked amongst titans, and danced with the legacy of the Thayne. I have been privy to the Grand Scheme. I have seen the future. And have been able to shape it. This is my story, this is my legacy.


The titan-man looked upon Lorenor with a look of indifference. Lorenor frowned at that but perhaps the creature was incapable of showing any emotions. Owning little understanding of Phantaria, the mutant had to abide by the laws of this place. He wants to duel, so be it. Lorenor took his sword up against the Elemental. Something told him it would not be the first time that such an event might occur. A wall blocked him off from Makira's position. I can't protect her like this!

Then, the Elemental attacked.

Drawing upon a pool of energy that Lorenor could only dream of, the creature summoned forth an impressive broadsword to match Lorenor's own sword. The mutant prepared himself for combat even as the Elemental drew close. It had flawless movement empowered by the elements. Impressed by the Elemental's movement capacity, the mutant had to draw upon every ounce of skill that he could. Reacting with his full speed and reflexes, the mutant did not have to hold back a single bit. His heart was filled with an exhilaration he had ill felt before. Fighting against such an opponent brought out the best in the mutant. He only wished his companion, MetalDrago Scorpio, could witness the battle for himself.

With tremendous skill that surpassed the supernatural, the Elemental lashed at Lorenor with all its might unbound. Seeing the creature react with such tremendous power, the mutant reacted with his own might. Time seemed to slow down for the mutant as he moved to the best of his speed and reflexes capacity. With the winds themselves flowing against the world, the mutant had to react accordingly. He found a strange sort of reaction occur, his body was no longer bound to the same laws of physics as they were in the Firmanent.

Just as unbound as the Elemental, the mutant became unbound as well. He was as a part of Phantaria, moving with the wind itself. Able to react with astounding reflexes, Lorenor moved by exerting his will alone. In an instant, the two weapons that were used by either combatant collided sending a thunderous wave of energy across Phantaria. Feeling incredible strength from his opponent, the mutant knew that he was outclassed so he would have to use every dirty trick he could in order to best him.

Clashing swords with the Elemental, the mutant felt his blade become heated with cascading energy. Sparks of energy burst from the impact of the two blades. Lorenor could feel tremendous heat from the union of the weapons, like lost lovers finding their embrace once more. Lorenor growled as he attempted to parry the weapon. Holding his own against the Elemental, the mutant could stand the heat no longer and broke the union.

"That was most impressive. You are indeed the [b]Keeper of N'Jal." The Elemental proclaimed. "But know this. Phantaria is a manifestation of one's psyche. It is a creature without form or substance changing every time one ventures into its rapture." The Elemental continued. "Furthermore, there are those within its rapture that will attempt to bar your progress. I will burn the gate you seek into your mind. You have proven a most entertaining subject."

"A most entertaining subject?" Lorenor asked. "Do you not wish to finish this duel?"

"Heheheh." The Elemental laughed. "The fight would be blatantly one-sided. I merely wished to test your worth. You have proven yourself ruthless and skilled. May your ruthless determination bring you all that you seek." The Elemental said. Then, it reached out and touched Lorenor's head. There was a searing pain and the mutant screamed.

When it was over, the wall separating the Makira and Lorenor vanished. He knew which gate was his gate, and there was something else. His prevaldia weapon glowed with Elemental energies. He looked at the shining blade with a grin. Walking towards Makira he nodded in her general direction.

"Sorry about that. Let's do this then, we have a job to complete." And he walked in the general direction of the Gate he sought.

[Makira]

"Indeed." She stood dusting herself off. "I suppose the fight was necessary." She said walking to him. She hadn't appreciated the wall that went up during the fight. It made her feel useless, Not worthy of fighting. If nothing else she was in foul mood because of the insult. She was many things, but to be brushed aside so easily as if to call her useless.. well useless didn't fit her description.

She sighed as she followed the Phoenix stretching his wings. " Let's be off then, No need to make a man wait for death now is there." She said both in a cold tone and humorous one. She looked around as she walked. No blood, Interesting. Did that mean beings in phantaria did not bleed? Curious now she wondered if they could be killed. If further enemies were about would it be futile to even attempt the battle.

Odd, she had heard a toned down version of the words transpired between Lorenor and that being. She was guard now because of it. She crouched as she looked at Lorenor's footprints in the light dust on the stones. The odd thing was, there was only his footprints. She had seen him fight before So she could almost imagine the steps he took as he fought. That alone would tell her what the opponent did in response. It was still odd however, there seemed no physical trace of the elemental. She stood. This only put her on alert once more.