The return of Venerus.

[2-in-1]

(This is the sequal to "A feeling of grief". Some people have opted out, so If you want to join in, PM me, that is, unless you were already in "A feeling of grief".)
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A day passed since Venerus had been defeated. But while our heroes rested, Venerus was on the move. He had been moving around the world absorbing all the dark creatures that his partner had summoned. He had already gained twice as much Strength as he had the last time our heroes faced him in this way.

But enough about that, back at the ruins, our heroes were resting up, Delta looked over at Luc for a few seconds before finally speaking up.

"So, you feeling better now? Because when you are up for it, we have a city to save."

Suddenly, Delta heard a loud explosion in the direction of Suravani's Oasis. As she turned her head to look, she could have sworn she saw Venerus floating above where the town used to be, but the town was no longer there, in it's place was a huge smoking crater. Also, the smoke was covering up the place where she had seen Venerus, and when it cleared, he was gone.

"Damn it!!!! Can someone tell me what just happened?"

[Cyrus the virus]

The night had not provided Luc with much rest. Under the pressure of saving a city, perhaps a continent, it was difficult to sleep. Luckily though, it was not rest that the mage needed to replenish his magic, but a lapse in use of it. His strength was back, at least to some degree, and that was enough. Knowing Venerus' strength, however, Luc did not feel confident heading back to the Oasis until he was completely revitalized.

Unfortunately, he did not have the luxery of waiting so long. As soon as he felt somewhat up to it, he stood. It was at this time that Venus, as he still knew her, spoke to him.

"Better? I suppose," he said, his emerald eyes locked on the city in the distance as it was swallowed in shadows. "I can't hope to recover fully in this kind of situation, but we don't have the time to go elsewhere. We need to act now, before there's no more city to save."

Jya's Keep had amassed what forces it could to speed over to the city, and the tanned warriors of the desert faught valiantly against the shadow creatures. Their numbers seemed immeasurable, however, as if for every monster destroyed, two more appeared. The human numbers could not last forever.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the desert. Before Luc's very eyes, the city seemed to be swallowed by the shadows, leaving nothing but a crater where Suravani's Oasis had once been. The mage gasped and took a suspicious step forward, but the image before him was no desert mirage. Venerus had appeared for just a moment, and obliterated the entire town with his power.

"Gods help us," Luc spoke, his hands shaking. In the face of such power, not even he could keep his composure.

[Edward Judorne]

Edward woke up and looked around. The city was still standing, but there was a feeling of uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. He was unsure as to why he was uneasy, but the fact remained that he was uneasy.

Suddenly an earthquake shook the ground as his worst fear had been realized Within a second, the whole town had been reduced to a crater by a huge blast of magical energy. As he looked up at the source, he nearly screamed, but before his very eyes, Venerus dissapeared.

Edward was about to ask the others if they saw what he saw, but from the sound of things, he was sure they did. Off in the distance, Edward saw some stones from the tower they had tumbled begin to move on themselves and almost too suddenly, one of them threw itself at his head.

With a bit of effort, Edward dodged the stone only to have the rest of them come flying at him, Delta, (who, he thought was Venus,) and Luc. As Edward worked on avoiding the stones, he heard Venerus speaking to him.

"Poor prince, you should know that you cannot defeat a GOD!!!"

Edward looked around in terror as he realized that somehow Venerus was speaking to him, and him alone. No one else could hear Venerus speak these words to Edward.

But the terror was only begining for Edward as suddenly his body got lifted up and slammed against a rock by some unseen force.

[2-in-1]

Delta looked on in terror as the man with the cape got tossed around like a rag doll. She was extremely confused. How could the wizard have grown this powerful and what did the wizard want?

She just wanted answers, but instead, as she was dodging the boulders coming her way, she ended up with more questions. Before her eyes, though only for a split second, she saw the tower that her companions had recently destroyed, standing taller than ever, but as she continued to stare at that space, it was gone, replaced by the ruins of the tower that were now being tossed at her and her companions by an unseeable force.

Was what she had seen a mirage? Was it a dream? She wished she knew.

Suddenly a voice started to speak to her in her head. The voice of Venerus.

"Confused? I don't blame you. But don't worry, everything will be explained as soon as your friends die."

[Cyrus the virus]

The party was bombarded with missles, as stone after stone flew at them. Luc did his best to avoid those directed at him, using his magic to aid the others as well, but it soon became obvious to him that something bigger was in order. Throwing his arms out around him, Luc stopped the flying stones in midair, using his own magic to keep them stationary.

"Dammit, how do we deal with this?" He asked, hoping either Venus or Edward would have some semblance of an answer to offer him. "My strength has not yet returned completely. I can't fight him like this!"

As if to further bolster the point, Luc's hold on the stones wavered and broke. Thankfully, though, Venerus or whoever was controlling them did not seem to want to press the attack, and the large concrete projectiles simply fell to the ground.

"We can't go on fighting like this," Luc said. "Either we need to think up a plan, or simply flee from this place."

The mage turned to look at Venus, whose appearance was so different, yet so much the same. She still hadn't explained to him how the wizard had transformed her into this strange new form she now possessed. "Give me the word and I'll whisk us all out of here, back to Corone or Scara Brae."

[2-in-1]

Delta nodded. "This place is a little too scary. I have no idea how he got so powerful myself. All I know is that if we are to defeat him, we need to figure out where his power is coming from."

Delta rushed towards Luc. She needed to escape this nightmare, and it seemed to her as if heading to either Corone or Scara Brae would be her best bet, but as she neared Luc, the ground between her and Luc jutted upwards. She turned around and started running towards Edward, but once again a stone wall came between the two. A third time she tried to escape, but this time, when the wall came out of the ground, Delta used her spetum to vault over it.

Whoever was making the walls pop up was not quick enough to respond to her vault, for as she ran towards Luc, a bunch of other walls popped up in front of her only to be vaulted over again and again.

Finally she rested her hand on Luc's shoulder, she had made it.

"Let's go," Delta panted. "Let's go before it's too late."

[Edward Judorne]

Edward rushed towards Luc when suddenly he noticed that a wall of stone came up when "Venus" approached him. So next she was running to him, but the same thing happened. He didn't see anything that happened to her after that, but he could feel the immense power of something coming his way. Turning to look behind him, he saw the biggest fireball he had ever seen coming towards him at a high speed.

Edward ran around the newly created walls at top speed, but the fireball was gaining. As he approached Luc he yelled out in a panic. "Scara Brae!!!! Now!!!!!!" By the time he touched Luc, "Venus" had already made it to him.

*Note, I put Venus's name in quotes for the main reason that, though she is not Venus, that is what Edward knows her as.

[Cyrus the virus]

Relief washed over the mage when his two companions agreed with him. Venerus was alive, and the wizard's power had grown to become something Luc truly feared. At his strongest point the mage might have felt a little more comfortable in dealing with him, but in his wounded state he felt it would be utter suicide to do battle with Venerus.

The ground exploded into movement, as walls of thick brown earth tore upward to block the path of Luc's allies. He tried to dispel them back into the ground below, but was unable to overcome the abilities Venerus was wielding.

Through their sheer determination and skill, Edward and Venus came to him despite their obstacles, a massive fireball tailing the former. Edward wanted them to go to Scara Brae, but surely Venerus had heard his scream.

All the same, the three exploded into wind as they made contact, their bodies seemingly disappearing into the night. In truth, their bodies were now like the air, made of gas and swift as an arrow. Leading the way with his magic, Luc brought them to Scara Brae.

It took some time, but after a few minutes they became whole again in the upstairs room of Scara Brae's least famous inn. If nothing else, they'd bought themselves some time.

"Venus," Luc said after he'd gained some composure. "What do you know about Venerus? Obviously, he is somehow beyond death, because I was sure I'd killed him in the ruins. Do you know anything?"

"Edward?" He asked, posing the question to him as well.

[2-in-1]

Delta looked over at Luc, confused. "I'm sorry to dissapoint you, but if you are talking about the same Venus I think you are, she is dead. I'm sorry to tell you this, but she died trying to protect me." She paused to wipe a tear out of her eye and then continued explaining. "Venus Dimone and I defeated Venerus together a while back, but in the process, she lost her life. I am Delta Retla, by the way, who might you two be? You never gave me your names?"

Suddenly Delta remembered the topic of conversation.

"Hmmmmm... Well, I don't know much. I can tell you that he seems to be gaining power from something, though. Most likely, unless we can find a way to counteract this gain in power, we will be helpless against him."

[Edward Judorne]

Edward had seen his share of weirdness in his lifetime, but this topped everything. He was sure they had rescued the right girl, but did that mean that Venus had died in the tower when it crashed down?

Suddenly it came to him, Delta was the name that Venus had given him as the friend who died in a similar situation. He had put part of the puzzle together in his head, but he was unable to figure the truth out.

"Ok. So you are Delta. got it. I am Edward Judorne. Now, as far as I know, Venerus could have still been alive when we left the tower in ruins. We never did search for his body, Right? As far as I am concerned, you may not have defeated him. He seems to be between this world and the next one as far as I can tell, but I can't venture any more than guesses at this moment, though. Do you know anything, Luc?"

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc looked at Delta with skewed eyes. Venerus had taken Venus into his tower, but when the mage, Culix and Edward went up to get her, Delta was there in her place with Venus no place to be found. Until now, he had simply assumed the wizard had done something to alter her appearance, for that sort of thing was not uncommon when someone with the power to do so wished their captive to look a certain way.

But it didn't add up. Delta explained to him that she and Venus had defeated Venerus before, and Venus had died at the same moment. Luc and Edward had traveled with the supposedly dead woman only a day ago, however. It simply didn't make any sense.

Before Luc could call attention to this, Edward piped up and the mage lost track of his thoughts. "I killed him, alright. He was smacked to the ground and the tower fell on top of him. Not even a titan could survive such a thing."

Edward asked him for his thoughts, and Luc thought to lash out at him. After all, if the mage had any idea what was happening, he wouldn't have asked for Ven... Delta's thoughts. But he took a moment to think.

"Venerus was absorbing those shadow creatures, and I don't believe that those beings exist on Althanas. Have either of you heard of the Great Nether?" Luc paused, looking to his two comrades for some sign. Seeing none, he continued. "It is a plane of torment for the evil dead, another dimension where souls are locked away for eternity. Now that I think of it, if Venerus was a creature of the Great Nether, an undead spirit who somehow escaped back to our plane of existence, it would explain fully his ability to come back after these two deaths we know of."

"It would also explain how he could summon those shadows. I believe them to be souls of the Nether. If he was powerful enough, he could absorb them like he's doing."

The mage paused. The smell of roasted meat wafted up from downstairs and into their room, reminding him of just how badly he needed to eat and rest. "It might be something worth considering, but we don't have much time. I might have to take a quick visit to Ankhas after we get a quick meal. If there's anywhere I can find some information on creatures of the Nether, it's in that library. I only hope the dark elves will leave me be as I search it."

He sighed and made his way to the door, taking the brass knob in his hand. Without turning back to them, Luc spoke a few final words. "You two can dine and sleep at my expense. I've no need for the gold, so don't worry about it. I'll take some food to go, and be off for Alerar immediately. Expect me back in the early morning, right here, and we'll move from there depending on what information I can come up with."

In the meantime, Edward, you had better do all you can to set her mind at ease, he thought.

With that, Luc was gone. He made sure to leave a sufficient amount of gold downstairs to pay for the room and any amount of food Edward and Delta could eat. They would need the energy.

[Edward Judorne]

Edward was usually a bookworm, himself. He was a true believer in the saying 'knowledge is power'. He was almost always in pursuit of wisdom, but something held him back from going with Luc. Mainly the fact that, if he went with Luc and Venerus tried something, Delta would have to take care of it alone. So, with a little bit of reluctance on his part, Edward found himself staying at the inn with Delta. This didn't totally stop his pursuit of knowledge, though.

As mentioned earlier, Edward had noticed that in Venus's story, Delta was supposed to be dead, and vice versa. Edward didn't want to get Delta's hopes up, but at the same time he had to tell her about the last time he had seen Venus. This was awkward for him, though, because he had to put up with Delta constantly calling him a liar, at least until he described Venus to her. Afterwards, Delta told him all the details of when she had last seen Venus. Edward compared her story to Venus's story and soon realized they were exactly the same story, just with a different person dying in the end, yet for some reason, Edward was unable to figure out exactly what had happened that day.

After the talk, Edward ate and went outside to check if Venerus's influence had reached Scara Brae yet. Everything appeared to be normal, so he started to head back inside, but just as he reached the door, Edward heard a loud roar. When he turned around to see what it was, he wished he hadn't. In front of his eyes was a giant dragon.

[2-in-1]

Delta just wanted to get her mind off of Venus, so she planned on going straight to sleep, but Edward pulled her aside. He looked concerned and confused at the same time, and Delta soon understood why, as he described in detail how Venus had thought she was dead, how they went into the tower to rescue Venus, and how instead of venus being there, she was. Of course, Delta was pretty sure that Edward was lying in order to try to give her false hope that Venus was still alive, and she told him so every chance she got. After he finished his story, delta got up the nerve to say "If you are so smart, then what does Venus look like and act like?" Delta was pretty sure she had called his bluff, but Edward was able to describe Venus for her beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Finally Edward started asking her about the last time she had seen Venus. Delta started to describe everything in perfect detail, but when she finished, all she got from Edward was "That's what Venus said too."

Afterwards Delta headed up for a nap, only to be interrupted by the growl of a dragon. "Dang it all!" Delta thought to herself as she rushed out the door, "Why can't I get my beauty sleep?"

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc didn't have time to deal with the drow guards at the library of Ankhas. As he passed them by, the dark elves merely felt a comfortable breeze.

In the form of a gust, the mage had made his way to Alerar as quickly as he could, and was now passing through rows upon rows of dark hallways with dim candles. There were, thankfully, few people in the library at this time. He climbed over a dusty balcony and over a table with a pile of books upon it, then slid down low to the ground and soared between the legs of a chair.

Eventually he came to a dark corner, where a large cabinet stood next to a lamp. Here he became solid again, as if he'd been cloaked in some manner. Immediately the smell of old paper and dust gripped him, and his vision was hindered. As wind, these things did not effect him. He needed to struggle to hold back a cough.

Delicately, Luc pulled on the drawers of the cabinet, looking for any series of books that had something to do with studies on the Great Nether. He found a few, but many titles told him they were not serious studies, but theory. Luc needed concrete information.

Then he found what he thought he was looking for. The title led him to believe it was a book written by someone who had been to the Great Nether, an unbelievable situation. It it was true, though, he had found exactly what he needed.

Luc went to the proper directory and found the book, which ended up being a thick, tall tome with leather covers. It seemed to have been well-read by the bend corners of the pages, and the first page declared that the book was "fully true and accurate." Simple enough.

The mage read. He learned some simple things about the Nether, such as how those who were banished to it were undying, yet there were millions of corpses about the blackness. The author described what it meant. Apparently the banished could be hurt as if they were in a normal realm, but they could not die. So if someone was stabbed to 'death', they would feel the stab wound for the rest of their stay in the Nether.

Luc cringed at this and turned the page, skimming certain parts in order to find what he was looking for.

Eventually he did. The author detailed how he'd escaped from the Nether, using magics he obtained within. He conquered the dimension by embracing it, becoming part of it. He also could willingly travel back and forth between Althanas and the Great Nether, and he detailed this as well. How Luc had not heard of the method before, he didn't know. If nothing else, it helped him believe the whole thing was fiction.

All the same, he tore a particular sheet of paper from the book, close it, and placed it back on the shelf where it belonged. He had what he needed. He folded the paper and placed it under his belt, then became wind again to rush back to Scara Brae. Perhaps he'd still be able to get some rest if he got back in time.

[2-in-1]

Delta rushed out with her Spetum in hand. As soon as she got outside, though, the dragon breathed a fireball at her. Delta rolled out of the way, barely dodging the flame that it shot at her. The dragon shot another blast at her, only to have her miss again. This continued on for 6 more fireballs as Delta continued to rush towards the dragon. Eventually, Delta got close enough to attack. Delta drove her spetum deep into the dragon's wing. The dragon swung it's wing around wildly, making the cut wider, but eventually managing to toss delta into the air. Now that she couldn't dodge as easily, it fired one last fireball at her for a direct hit.

With a bright flash of light, Venus Dimone took the place of Delta Retla.

The dragon looked on at the new girl in a confused fury. Normally when it attacked someone like that, they died. End of story. But this time was differant.

Venus landed on her feet just as the dragon decided to fire a fireball at her. Venus was ready for it and it showed. As soon as the fireball was shot, Venus cast Illusionary Shield to stop the blast from hitting her.

Venus then went down to edward and blocked another fireball.

"We, like, have to work together if we are to defeat this thing"

[Edward Judorne]

Edward watched in awe as Delta rushed out the door, rolling out of the way of the fireball. As Edward watched, Delta continued to rush in dodging fireball after fireball. Edward fired off an electrical missle at the dragon in an attempt to distract it from Delta, but the dragon just shot a quick fireball at it, absorbing the spell. Edward had been afraid of this. It wasn't like he practiced recently, so it only made sense that his spell had been weak, but still, it distracted the dragon long enough for Delta to pierce it's wing. Edward looked on as Delta seemed to refuse to let go. This was all fine and dandy except for the fact that the dragon was flapping it's wing around wildly which would eventually toss her high into the air, leaving her defenseless. Sure enough, that was what happened, and before Edward's eyes, the dragon torched Delta with breath that would kill any normal person. Edward was just about to give up on delta when he saw a bright flash of light up in the air. Down came Venus Dimone, landing solidly on her feet. Edward couldn't believe what he had just seen. Was it true that Delta and Venus were the same people? He just couldn't figure it out. While Edward was thinking about this, Venus blocked a fireball from hitting him.

"We, like, have to work together if we are to defeat this thing" Venus said to Edward.

Edward nodded in agreement. Looking over at the dragon, Edward noticed his opening. He quickly turned to Venus. "Cover me." Edward said as he rushed in, casting electrical missle on his rapier.

Edward continued to rush in as Venus put an Illusionary shield around him. eventually, he reached the partially cut wing. Being careful to hit the wound dead on, Edward struck with his rapier, sending the electricity from the electrical missle into the wound, rendering the wing motionless and majorly injuring the dragon.

"Damn it!!!" yelled out Edward as the dragon slowly recovered. "I can't kill that thing myself. I just hope that Luc comes back soon."

[2-in-1]

Venus nodded. She remembered Luc, of course, but the problem was that Luc was nowhere in sight, and the last time she remembered seeing him was just before she had been kidnapped by the giant birds.

While waiting for Luc, though, she decided to concentrate even more energy on her one and only spell. This time, though, she somehow managed to deflect a fireball straight at the dragon with her Illusionary Shield. Only once before had her magic done something like that, and that was back when she had seen Delta last.

The dragon stumbled backwards a bit before finally getting ready to attack again. this time, though, the shot was barely dodged.

"Like, heaven help us" Venus said with fear.

[Cyrus the virus]

Through the streets of Scara Brae zipped Luc, his form reduced to an invisible wind that brushed past the hysterical citizens of the city. Why they were rushing about in fright, he wasn't sure, but it was a safe assumption to make that Venerus had made an appearance in some form or another.

Rounding a building, Luc witnessed the dragon standing before the inn, its form much larger than that of many of the creatures he'd seen in his life. It was orange-scaled and had horns portruding from its neck, back and tail. The mage became whole again while he was still at a distance, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. The beast's maw was damaged as if it had been hurt, and upon closer inspection Luc could see Edward and Venus fighting it.

The dragon gave a great roar as it prepared to attack the two, but before it could, a series of large wind arrows pierced its side. It moved with the impact, snarling as it turned to lay great yellow eyes upon Luc, who soared toward them. It spat a ball of flames at the man, who narrowly avoided it with deft aerial maneuvering. The fireball consumed a pair of homes in the distance.

He swerved in low, next to his allies, where he drew his red blade. "Where the hell did this thing come from? It can't be a wild dragon, can it!? There hasn't been a random dragon attack in generations!"

The beast swerved, dragging its broken wing along the rocky ground as it took in a breath. Extending its neck fully so that its mouth was only several feet from them, the dragon spewed a stream of piping-hot flames at the ground. Luc threw his hands forward to combat it, just barely able to stop the fire before it swallowed them.

A struggle ensued, with a desperate Luc fighting with all his might to prevent the flames from getting to them. The dragon's breath ran out, thankfully, but it looked ready to send another stream their way.

"Split up and flank the beast!" he cried, though he stayed in front of the dragon. He likely had the best chance of surviving the onslaught, while the others split to attack from its sides.

[Edward Judorne]

Edward looked over at Luc and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where the hell did this thing come from? It can't be a wild dragon, can it!? There hasn't been a random dragon attack in generations!" Luc asked as soon as he arrived.

Edward answered quickly while dodging another fireball. "I am pretty sure that Venerus sent it from wherever he is."

Edward watched as Luc barely succeeded in blocking a huge firebreath attack.

Even before Luc gave the order to flank the beast, Edward was on it.

Edward went to the left side of the dragon and jumped on the extremely injured wing sending the beast flailing in pain. From the wing, Edward jumped to it's back and attempted to climb the neck. Instead, the dragon tossed him off onto it's other wing, but then it started flailing in pain again. Edward looked for the reason, and soon realized that (thanks to him landing directly on it with a lot of force) his rapier had pierced the dragon's wing.

"Ummmmmm....... I meant to do that."

[2-in-1]

Venus glanced at Luc.
"Like, it has been a while, Luc."

She then turned back to the dragon just in time to dodge a huge flameblast. The flame appeared to hit Luc and pause there. Venus watched as Luc barely held back the flames.

When Luc told her to flank the beast, Venus hesitated.

"You sure you don't need help stopping the breath attacks?" She asked Luc as she deflected another fireball. "Because I may be able to lend a hand."

[Cyrus the virus]

"Don't hesitate, damn you!" cursed the mage, watching in anger as Venus ignored his plea. Edward did his share in fighting the beast, albeit accidently, but Venus' hesitation allowed the dragon the time to rush forward, butting its head toward the mage.

Luc was able to enact a barrier from the very wind around him, but it buckled under the force the dragon commanded. A horn just barely missing his chest, the creature's nose plucked Luc from his feet and sent him backward toward the Inn. By sheer force of will, he was able to create a current of wind behind him to slow his approach, but not one to keep him from falling painfully to the ground.

"Edward can't fight it alone!" he barked, a day or two's worth of troubles fueling the anger behind his words. "Unless you want to die, I suggest you do as I say!"

The dragon, seemingly unphased by Edward's piercing rapier, continued to focus on Luc, taking two great steps to close the gap between itself and the fallen mage, who forced himself up. The dragon seemed to hesitate, which brought a fearful look to Luc's face.

"Now! Attack the creature!" he cried, knowing he could not defend himself against another breath of fire, and also realizing that fleeing would leave the Inn defenceless against the powerful dragonfire.

[2-in-1]

Venus didn't hesitate any longer. She knew what she had to do. She charged towards the dragon, not with the intent to kill, but with the intent to distract it from the only person there that was powerful enough to kill it. She ran forwards and dodge-rolled the monstrosity's feet as they stomped down in an attempt to squash her. Without a second thought, Venus slashed off one of it's toes, sending it roaring in pain.

Suddenly the dragon turned it's head towards Venus and attempted to swallow her whole.

"FUCK!!!" Venus yelled out in what had to be one of the few sentences that she didn't begin with the word 'like' as she rolled out of the way. "That was too close!!!"

[Edward Judorne]

The moment that the dragon went to eat Venus up, Edward did his part in the battle by swinging up onto the dragon's neck and stabbing it in the eye with his rapier.

"Ok Luc!!! Your turn." Edward said as he pulled the rapier out of one eye and stabbed it in the other. "Take it down!!!"

With that said, Edward pulled the rapier out of the dragon's other eye, just in time to be tossed off of the dragon yet again.

Now it was up to Luc to deal the finishing blow.

[Cyrus the virus]

His two companions having done their part, Luc used the moment's respite to focus on the air about him. It took longer than it should have for him to form a dozen blades of wind, but then again, he was running on few hours of sleep, and was pushing himself far too hard.

Without a moment's wait, he threw his hands forward, sending a small typhoon of swirling blades at the beast. Its attention was diverted from Venus at just that moment, as the blades began to sear through its scales like hot metal through butter. With its eyes gouged out and its body being pummeled by the wind blades, the dragon roared menacingly, becoming furious and wild.

Luc couldn't wait any longer to finish the beast, not unless he wanted the entire island to be burned to ashes before his very eyes by the wild spit of the dragon. He drew his blade and flew forward, piercing the dragon's throat with the sword of red steel. The dragon thrashed but he held tight, willing the blade to explode into flames while embedded in the creature.

The roar became a whimper, and Luc pulled his sword back out, running desperately to get away from the falling head of the dragon. Dust kicked up from the road as the dragon's lifeless skull bounced against it, bringing a cheer of approval from the folk who'd been watching since the dragon found some competition.

"Sorry we can't stay to clean up the mess," he said solemnly, sheathing his blade and looking to his two allies. "I've made some discoveries. I believe Venerus is a lich from the Great Nether, able to travel back and forth between planes at his will. This means he can't die in this realm, but can only be killed in the Nether.

"I've discovered a way for us to travel to that dimension, where we can fight his true form. If we can beat him there, he'll stay dead. Of course, we're traveling into the realm of evil spirits, so it will be dangerous."

He revealed the torn page from his tunic and unfolded it. "This glyph can form a portal that will take us there. It should take me about a half hour to complete it. Are you both sure you want to come with me? There is a great chance we will never return."

[2-in-1]

Venus watched in awe as the dragon was finally slain. It had finally breathed it's last.

Afterwards, She listened to what Luc had to say.

"Omigawd!!! You are saying that either we, like, let Venerus live or we get trapped in the Nether forever? Ouch!!! not much of a choice there. Either way we are fucked." Venus stated trying to find a loophole.

After mulling this over for a bit, Venus nodded.

"I'm in. Even if it costs us our lives, we mustn't let Venurus do any more damage."

Venus turned her attention to the dead dragon. "How do we begin cleaning up this mess, though?"

[Edward Judorne]

Edward landed on his butt in the most ungraceful fashion possible. He was unable to see the finishing blow being dealt by Luc, but nonetheless, he was able to hear it as the dragon's body fell down to the ground, almost squishing him. It was only because Edward was able to roll out of the way that he didn't get squashed.

"Ugh, what a mess. We need to get to Venerus fast." Edward stated.

When he heard what Luc had to say, though, Edward hesitated, but after much consideration, he spoke up. "Well, I guess I understand the situation here, but how long will the gate to the nether remain open? Is it possible that if we hurry we can esca......" Suddenly, Edward's sentence trailed off as he smiled. It was obvious he had thought of something.

Edward calmly walked over to Luc and, making sure to speak in a whisper so that there was a chance that Venerus wouldn't hear, said "If Venerus can travel between dimensions, then we know it must be possible to get back. Also, we know that Venerus can't be killed in this dimension, right? So all we would have to do is either observe him making a portal back, and learn the spell that way, or wait for him to try to escape and finish him off before he goes through the portal. Neither way would be easy, but at least we've got a shot, right?"

Edward then backed away and said in his normal tone of voice "In any case, I'm in. Let's smash him to bits"

[Cyrus the virus]

"It's the only chance we have," Luc remarked, his voice low as he caught his breath. "As for the dragon, his skin, his teeth, just about everything about him, can be used for the benefit of the people here. We'll let them handle it."

He turned toward the Inn, his cape flapping behind him as a wind coursed through the streets. "I'll have the portal ready in a half hour. Do what you need to in the meantime."

+++

Sword in hand, a focused Luc stepped warily about a groove he'd made in the ground. In his other hand he held the torn sheet of paper, upon which was the very glyph he carved now in the grass. As far as he could tell, the likeness was uncanny. As he drew the last line, he stepped back to survey it.

The circle glyph was intricate and seemingly random, with designs of blood drops mixed with lines that appeared not to serve any purpose in the overall crest. He raised his hands and chanted the appropriate words, and the circle took on a deep blue hue, solidified, and became what he believed was a portal.

Edward's plan of escape was the only plausible one, for Luc had not a page from the book that detailed how to escape the Nether.

"If you're ready," he said, gripping the hilt of his sword as he stuffed the paper under his shirt. "We move now to the Great Nether."

[Edward Judorne]

Edward started training his magic as he waited for Luc to open the portal. He was extremely nervous about going into this unknown realm without a way out, but he knew it had to be done. He fired quite a few electric missles at the dead dragon. After 5 minutes, Edward grew bored of this and slept, using the dragon as a pillow until Luc had the portal ready.

When Luc had finally prepared the portal, Edward got to his feet.

"So, I guess this is it, then. Hopefully we will make it out alive."

Edward stepped into the portal. It was extremely dark. Screams were heard all around. The dead were living in a realm of chaos. Edward knew not what to make of it, so he just sat down and waited for the others to arrive.

[Cyrus the virus]

The fog, alone, overwhelmed the mage, who followed Venus into the portal moments before it shut. It was dreadfully dark, wrapping the group in cool tendrils of an otherworldly chill. For Luc, it was difficult to discern left from right and up from down, at least at first, because of how out of his element he felt.

It only then occured to him how lucky it was that he could breathe. The revelation made him chuckle, for he hadn't even considered what the air would be like. The laugh carried with it an obvious hint of nervousness, of fear, giving Luc an uncharacteristic shade of tentativeness. He decided he'd keep his forgetfulness to himself.

Luc had expected silence. Instead, the screams of a thousand demons haunted him with each breath. The Nether was a realm of suffering and terror, reserved solely for the souls too evil to be allowed into any positive afterlife. When someone died in the Nether, their suffering did not end, but actually stretched out for eternity with no respite.

One could only imagine the kind of terror a fate of that nature would include. The feel of burning flesh, of a stab wound, of a decapitation, prolonged eternally. The very thought of it made the mage shudder.

"Venerus' true form will be somewhere in here. I have no sense of how large this place is, nor do I sense any elements with which to use my magic. It looks as if I will fight with my sword and the flames that come with it."

He looked doubtfully at the pommel of the Sword of Slykrit, imagining yet again what his death on this plane of existence would entail for him.

Bolstering his resolve, Luc took a breath, used it to vitalize himself, and released it. "Follow me."

Before them was a thick wall of the blackest due imaginable. The mage thought to fly over it, but realized there was no wind with which to do so. He walked along the surface, and eventually found of portion of the wall which gave way to a narrow passage. Beyond that, however, was a fork. He had the feeling it was a maze, designed to torture the souls which dwelt here.

To his left he spotted movement, and followed it closely, narrowing his green eyes. "Stop!" he commanded in the demon tongue, with which he had little knowledge. Sometimes it paid to study. "May we pay you to guide us?"

Of course it was a shot in the dark, but if Luc's hunch was correct regarding the nature of the wall and the corresponding path, a guide would be well worth its price.

Out of the dark mist stepped a small green demon, red horns atop his head and eyes as yellow as the sun. "What need have I for gold, human?" it asked in it's gutteral, ugly demon tongue.

Luc thought about it, and in one swift movement drew his blade, engulfed in flames from a thought. "Then guide us or be flayed alive. I imagine lying on the ground in eternal torment from the flames of my sword is a fate you would like to avoid."

The demon choked on its words, seemed to think to run, but the flare in Luc's eyes promised exactly what he described if it did. Tentatively, the demon approached, and the mage slowly lowered his sword and fizzled the flames out, showing he was not going to betray the thing.

"It will take us through," Luc said to his allies, reverting comfortably back into the common tongue as the demon quickly went into the maze.

[2-in-1]

The fog, alone, overwhelmed the mage, who followed Venus into the portal moments before it shut.

Bunnying allowed. Sorry it took me so long to get around to posting here.

Venus followed Luc through the maze. It seemed to go on forever, but she put her faith in Luc and the little troll. The maze itself was surprisingly void of monsters, but it was filled to the brim with screaming souls and dead ends.

When they where finally out of the maze, Venus looked around. She was utterly confused. Something about this place seemed oddly familiar, but she KNEW that she had never been here before. That was only part of the reason she was confused, though. Off in the distance, she was sure that she saw Suravani's Oasis. Was it possible that instead of destroying it like she had assumed, Venerus had just moved it from one dimension to the other?

She didn't bother asking, though, for when she looked around, she saw something that struck fear into her heart. It was a huge black castle, Lightning striking all around it, there was no doubt in her mind that it belonged to Venerus.

"Well, let's get a move on."

[Cyrus the virus]

The maze, for all its imposing size and the screams of souls within, was navigated rather quickly. The demon led the way without pause, and once they exited it turned to Luc. Nodding, the mage dismissed the little thrall, and it bolted off into the dark mist.

Suravani's Oasis, off in the distance, was impossible for him to miss. In a realm of blackness and decay, the bright oasis had begun to take on a grey hue. Luc found the same explanation in his mind that Venus had for the town's location.

In truth, though, the presence of Suravani's Oasis was an afterthought as he gazed up at the castle. High walls of black stone blocked entry to all who would claim it, and high arches and towers surrounded the main tower. A bolt of lightning cracked and sizzled across the foggy sky every few seconds. Venerus was a vain man, it seemed.

"I don't even want to guess what we'll find within," he muttered as he approached the open obsidian gates. There was a 'yard' between the wall and the caste itself, composing of black blades of grass and thousands of bones. Dramatic, if nothing else.

The massive wooden doors bent open when Luc pushed them, offering almost no resistence. He stepped inside, could see nothing, and drew his blade and ignited it. The fire leapt from the steel and into the air, illuminating the room.

[Edward Judorne]

Edward gazed in awe at the sight of the castle before him. It was HUGE. The gates were left open, as if they were expected. The biggest worry, though, was that there was plenty of darkness here for Venerus to draw upon for his spell casting. There seemed to be almost no other elements around to draw upon for magic, though. Sure, the lightning Illuminating the castle could be drawn upon for his spells, but where would Luc draw mana from for his?

Suddenly, it occured to Edward. The answer was right in front of him.

"Say Luc." Edward whispered, "Make sure to keep some magic in reserve for Venerus. he probably has more power here than last time we faced him and, if I remember correctly, your magic was barely enough to beat him last time."

Edward headed in to the castle without saying another word. The main hall was huge, There was a staircase heading up to the second level in the middle guarded by a huge ogre. On each side of the first floor, there were ten doors. Each one was guarded by an enchanted suit of armor.

"Man," Edward stated, "Venerus spared no expense on this place. Where do you think we should head first?"

[2-in-1]

Venus looked around. 20 doors and one staircase on the first floor. 20 enchanted armors and one ogre against three of them. Not the best odds, but she sensed something was amiss, she could have sworn that there would be stronger monsters in the castle. It was almost as if Venerus wasn't even trying. She was so preoccupied thinking about this, that she barely heard Edward's question. After a short moment of hesitation, Venus spoke up.

"Well... No matter who we attack and no matter what we do, all of them will come after us at once, right? Because of that, Like, I suggest we focus on taking out these foes one floor at a time, starting with that guy there."

Venus didn't even bother pointing at the ogre. Instead, she ran up and stabbed at it's left leg, bringing it to it's knees. It grabbed her in it's hands and attempted to squish her.

Before the beast got too far in it's attempt, an odd thing happened. Before Venus's eyes, she saw a soul fly by, grab the sword out of the ogre's leg and toss it back up to her. She was unable to see whose soul it was, but she could have sworn she heard Delta's voice say "Catch!!!". When she looked around, though, she realized that she was the only one able to hear Delta's voice.

In any case, Venus caught her sword and stabbed the ogre in it's eyes, blinding it.

At this point, the enchanted armors appeared to be closing in on her fast.

"Um, guys? Mind helping me here?"

[Cyrus the virus]

The sentient armors gleamed wickedly in the light of Luc's fire, glowing red and black as the light wavered.

Sneering, the mage drew his blade once again, driving it forward in an angry stab that hit nothing. Rather, when the sword was at its full extension, a furious typhoon of flames shot forth from it, slamming roughly into the armor nearest to Venus. Luc pressed the attack, enhancing the flames so that they swam over the armor and around it, squeezing with the heat. When they finally died down, all that was left was a smoldering clump of metal, which slumped to the ground.

Unfortunately, the long attack gave three nearby enchanted armors the chance to close in on him. Luc pulled his sword close and backed off, toward the edge of the balcony, bumping into the delipidated railing. He swung his sword, sending waves of flames at the approaching enemies, but could not muster the kind of power he did against a single foe.

Cursing under his breath, Luc attempted to dispel a single armor by disenchanting it. Amazingly enough, the armor lost its sentience and fell heavily to the floor, bringing a wry grin to the mage's face despite the circumstances.

A closeby armor swung its heavy sword at him. Luc didn't dare try to parry it, instead ducking out of the way. He wanted to flee to the side, but the second armor barred the only other way he could go.

"Discard your metal!" he yelled to his companions, though he enacted his Burn Metal spell before they could have time, likely. All pieces of metal within fifty feet of the mage began to heat up to dangerous levels. Gripping his sword by its leather grip, he swung it as hard as he good, lacking any kind of skill in the process, and hit the armor to his left. The impact caused a deep rift in the metal due to how hot it was.

He wished they would all simply melt, but that was not the nature of the brief enchantment. Swinging once more, he took the head of the same enchanted armor by pure luck alone.

One foe left. It came upon him too quickly, siezing the mage by the neck and bringing him close. Luc cursed as the Sword of Slykrit was torn from his grasp, and his hands flew up to grip the iron fist of the armor holding him. He tried to call for aid, but found his voice locked deep within his throat.

His eyes wild with fear and rage, Luc could only watch and squirm as the armor lifted its sword to strike.

[Edward Judorne]

Edward started to feel his armor and rapier heat up to extreme levels. He discarded it all extremely quickly, thanking the lord that Luc had given him enough warning, there was nothing funny about it, though, as this left him almost completely unarmed. Luckily for him, Luc and Venus appeared to be taking care of things. Suddenly, though, things took a turn for the worse as Luc got disarmed in an attempt to take down all the armors by himself.

Edward had to think quickly on this one, he needed to keep the armor from hitting Luc, but he needed to do so without touching the heated metal. A lesser man would have probably panicked in a situation like this, but this was the type of situation at which Edward excelled. In fact, instead of feeling panicked at all, he almost felt right at home in this situation.

Edward quickly picked up a stone off the floor and tossed it straight at the sword as the armor raised it above his head, ready to deal the finishing blow to Luc.

It was a direct hit. When the armor swung his sword down at Luc, he realized that the blade was missing.... Okay, maybe not missing, it flew off it's handle and smashed into the wall because of a combination of the extreme heat and the velocity of the stone Edward had thrown at it.

Edward then threw another one at the armor itself, with similar results. Looking over at Luc, Edward spoke up.

"Ok, two questions. First, are you all right? Second, how long until the metal cools off?"

Before he could get an answer, though, he heard a grunt.

Looking behind him, Edward noticed the ogre get up and start to move towards him. Edward quickly realized the creature was now relying on it's ears to figure out where it's foes were. Edward decided to use this to his advantage like only he could.

Edward picked up and tossed a stone at one of the doors. When the ogre went to check it out, Edward jumped onto it's back and climbed up to it's head. There, he shot an electrical missile into each ear. The resulting explosion from the missiles hitting blew the head to bits and tossed edward clear across the room.

"I'm ok." Edward said before anyone could ask, "Which door do we try first?"

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc winced as the armor's blade came in, preparing for an eternity of pain as an un-dead man on the floor, but it did not come. He opened his eyes, and in that moment a stone came in, collapsing the helmet of the armor in on itself. It crumpled to the floor in a heap, and Luc landed hard on the floor.

In a moment, he got up, noting the missing area of his tunic where the armor's fist had clenched him. His chest was also burned, but his heart was racing too fast to allow him to realize the pain. He looked to Edward, preparing to thank him, but the man was turned away from him, splattered with the brains of some creature Luc hadn't even noticed earlier. The mage scooped up his sword and approached, forgetting altogether his intentions of thanking Edward. But he didn't forget what the man had done for him.

"The enchantment ends after only a few seconds," he said aloud, referring to his Burn Metal spell. "Let us hope there are no similar beings within this castle."

In the heat of battle, Luc's magical fireball had extinguished, leaving them in the darkness. Almost as an afterthought, he cast his Truesight spell on himself, enabling his eyes to see perfectly even in the darkest conditions. Able to see well once again, he rushed to a door on his left, turning the knob.

"Come on!" he called, not wanting the remaining monsters on the other floors coming for them.

[2-in-1]

Venus quickly followed Luc through the door. Inside the room were three bookcases full of books on necromancy, the dark arts, the Great Nether, and deadly curses. In the middle of the room was a table with a lit lantern and a book on glyphs with a single page torn out of it. If her guess was correct, That page held the key to getting from the Great Nether back to the world of the living. Venus stared at the lantern for a few seconds before deciding to move on.

"Is it just me, or do you guys think that lantern is, like, way too convenient?"

Almost is if to answer her question, the lantern started levitating and a creature of pure fire broke out and shattered it from the inside. The creature was about 4 inches in height and it looked like a fireball.

the creature turned to Venus and blasted a fireball at her. As an almost instantanious reaction, she put up her illusionary shield. The fireball deflected right back into the creature, making it grow an inch bigger. The creature turned towards the bookshelves and lit them on fire in realization that fire made it grow stronger. Soon it was sitting in the flames and growing at an incredible rate. 1 foot, 2 feet, 5 feet,7 feet. It would keep on growing as long as there was fire for it to absorb. If kept in the flames long enough, It could grow to a 100 feet.

"Like, Omigawd. This can't be good."

[Edward Judorne]

Edward was happy to see all the books as he entered the room. It was almost calming to realize that they might be able to find the glyph they needed in one of the books. Imagine his horror as the fire creature burst out of the lantern and started burning the books up.

"Fuck" Edward yelled out. He knew that there was no way he could battle the thing with his weapon, it was almost guaranteed to melt. Instead, he threw three electric missles at it, which surprisingly made it shrink a bit. Edward realized at this point that if they hit the creature enough times at a fast enough speed, they should be able to beat it.

"Hey, Luc. If you hit it with your fastest spells repeatedly, I think we might be able to beat this thing. I am pretty sure that would be our best bet unless you know some water spells."

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc's first reaction as the lantern exploded was to conjure a swift wind at the table, plucking the single paper that lay there and summoning it to his hand on a gust. He, too, thought it important, but he had no time to read it as the creature grew.

Unlike his comrades, however, he merely grinned as the monster grew and grew. Edward's electric missles didn't do much to stop it's growth, but it didn't matter. Luc didn't respond to the man's suggestion, instead holding out his hands and focusing hard on the flames. Little by little, the firey bookcases extinguished, and finally the creature was gone as well, winked out of existence except for a single flame Luc kept around to light the way.

"No need," he said aloud, flicking the paper he had in his hand to straighten it. It was indeed a glyph, but before he could study it, the paper deteriorated and fell from his hand in dust.

Before he could question it, a booming voice echoed throughout the room amidst the small of fire and burned paper. "Come, fools. If the next room does not kill you, I will personally see to your fate."

Luc didn't need to be told whom it was. Venerus was waiting.

[2-in-1]

Venus opened the door back out of the room. To her surprise it did not lead to where she came from, but to a totally different room. This room seemed to be just as real as the last two, though. She looked around as she realized that this room was not an illusion at all, or at least not in the way one would think. Being an illusionist herself, she could sense illusions to some extent, and the room was no illusion, just the stuff inside it.

The room looked like one long tiled floor with no monsters or obstacles, but Venus knew there were obstacles somewhere in the room, the question was where.

Venus started to speak when Venerus once again let out his loud booming voice confirming her suspicions that the room itself was real.

"You fools shall die here and now!!!! As you can see, I have the power to change this castle at will, and soon I shall have the power to send all of Althanas into the Nether!!!!!!"

Venus Gasped in horror as she heard what Venerus had said.

"I, um, don't like this place at all. We need to be Extra careful."

[Edward Judorne]

Edward got an ominous feeling as soon as he entered the room. He didn't need anyone to tell him there was something wrong here. The room seemed utterly empty, but Venerus seemed pretty sure that they would die there. Still, not even Edward could have guessed how much trouble they were in. As he started swinging his rapier around over one of the tiles in an attempt to feel his way around, he heard the sound of a Guillotine coming down and before he knew it, all he had left of it was the hilt. As if that weren't enough, when the blade of his Rapier hit the ground, it set off another trap, exploding it into nothingness.

"Damn!!!!!" Edward swore loudly as he was still trying to figure out what had just happened.

Thinking quickly, Edward attempted to figure out where the traps were by setting them off with a blast of his electrical missle, but the spell fizzled due to a strong anti-magic barrier... Or at least one strong enough to cancel out Edward's spells.

"Double Damn!!!!!"

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc walked to the edge of the entrance, just before the tiles began. His eyes were focused and his jaw was steeled.

"Edward, come here," he said, grasping Venus' hand with his own gloved appendage. When Edward arrived, Luc grasped his arm, and all three of them became wind.

They soared effortlessly over the tiles, but Luc could feel the strain on his energy. Venerus's anti-magic was almost powerful enough to overcome his Windwalk spell, but not quite. In a moment they were at the other end, and they became solid once more. Only Luc was exhausted from the strain.

Before them was a door with a golden handle. "Let this end now. For the good of Althanas, for Suravani's Oasis. For us."

He turned the knob, and walked inside. It was brighter than anything he'd ever seen before in his life.

[2-in-1]

Venus had been to all sorts of bright places, but this took the cake. The light in the room was blinding, so she had to use her other senses to feel her way around. She felt a few walls, but other than that, it was an empty room, with one exception... Venerus. She could sense his presence in the room, but she couldn't pinpoint his location.

He didn't stay hidden from her for long, though, because suddenly a fireball hit Venus hard sending her flying across the room and into the wall knocking her unconcious... That's right, unconcious. No transformation into Delta or anything like that. She was bleeding pretty badly too.

Venerus just laughed.

"I knew it. Once I captured that other girl's soul, that woman is a weak fool. no more invincibility or switching. Best part of it is that if I destroy her body, both will be down for the count."

The brightness in the room faded as Venerus finally showed himself for what he truly was, a powerful Necromancer.

[Edward Judorne]

As Edward took in this information, he started to lose his cool. Venerus had been playing them the entire time. Venus and Delta were out of comission because Venerus had removed the one thing that made them almost unbeatable. Edward had no weapon and Luc looked extremely tired because of the last room alone. There was one tiny problem, though. Edward still had a bit of strategy up his sleeve.... If you can call it that.

Edward charged in and hit Venerus with a strong elbow, knocking the breath out of him. It was an unexpected strike that Venerus wasn't prepared for. After all, nobody was stupid enough to attack a more powerful being without a weapon, right? It was the fact that Edward knew that way of thinking that made the strategy work... Too bad he didn't have much of a clue as to what to do afterwards.

Venerus grabbed him and tossed him aside like trailer trash before approaching Luc.

"Come on, Wizard. Let's see what you've got. I just hope you are more of a challenge than these fools."

[Cyrus the virus]

In the time it took Luc to recall the incantation to his Truesight spell, Venerus had done away with both Venus and Edward. As the enchantment took him over, dilating his pupils until they were mere freckles in his eyes, Luc took a quick survey of the room, looking for the source of that incredible brightness. He couldn’t find it straight away.

Venerus’ command was as demanding as his presence. He radiated power as profoundly as fire radiated heat, an aura of blackness about him. He stood a foot above the ground, black hair, black pants, black cloak orbiting his body as if by wind – yet Luc did not feel or sense any. Even the wizard’s eyes were black. Just looking at him seemed to drain any remaining energy Luc had. He suddenly felt as if he should give up and accept death.

The wizard before the mage seemed to pick up on the feeling, to bask in it. He was the supreme force in this realm now; no geomancer was going to strike him down in his domain.

That didn’t mean no geomancer was going to try, of course.

“I know no cantrips with which to duel you, boy,” Venerus laughed. “Forgive me if my spells overwhelm you utterly, but I’ve never been one to dwell on learning the simple things.”

Around the mage, air turned to wind and in turn to blades. Venerus reacted quickly, conjuring a barrier as black as night itself to absorb them. One by one the green shards of razor wind disappeared into the liquidlike wall, swallowed as if thrown into a deep vertical puddle. As quickly as it had happened, both were conjuring again. Venerus finished first, lifting his hands to summon a trio of skeletons from portals in the floor. Armed with crude bronze weaponry and shields, they charged. Luc’s finished spell was abandoned when he saw the threat, and he began chanting something else.

The skeletons got close, but his spell was off before they were within striking distance. The summoned creatures halted for a moment, seemed to waver, then spun and rushed toward Venerus, directed by Luc’s mind as he enslaved them. Venerus, shocked, fell back out of reach, but was hit by the reaching blade of a sword. Enraged, he threw a hand out and blew the skeletons away with a blast of darkness. Obliterated bones tumbled across the slick tile floor.

Luc took the moment’s respite to look about again. He could see perfectly thanks to his spell, but knew the light in the room was near blinding to his allies, both of which were injured. It took him a moment, but he located the source, a sphere at the very center of the dome ceiling. A wind blade shattered it, and Venerus’ reaction told him everything he needed to know.

The room was now pitch black. Luc, however, still saw perfectly thanks to his Truesight spell. His pupils had grown to enormous size.

“It’s too bad you don’t know any simple cantrips with which to create light, Venerus,” Luc had to say. He was too exhausted to mount a powerful offense. “My friends will slay you in the dark, and end your rabble for good!”

[Edward Judorne]

Edward got up, he was battered and bruised, but he was not about to give up the fight. The battle was not going at all well, and he had no clue how to turn it around, at least, not yet. Edward looked on as the skeletons were summoned, turned on venerus and destroyed. He had hoped that one of them would leave a weapon behind, but all the weapons were destroyed with them. He began to search around the room for another weapon. His eyes finally settled on the sword Venus was carrying.

Edward snuck behind Venerus while his attention was still turned towards Luc, and took the sword into his hands. As soon as Luc put the lights out, Edward took a slash at Venerus. The blade cut into his back, but Venerus hardly seemed to feel the pain.

"I'll give you this kid, you have guts." Venerus said calmly.

Out of nowhere, one of the walls formed a fist and punched Edward across the room. Another wall attempted to grab at him, but Edward instinctively ducked.

"What's the matter? Did you forget how much control I have over this place?" Venerus said in a mocking tone of voice, obviously unable to see that the wall had not successfully grabbed him.

Edward took this information in and formed a strategy.

"No, I remember that all too well." Edward said, Shooting an electrical missle at where he had last heard Venerus's voice. The electricity gave Edward enough light to figure out where exactly Venerus was in the room. He had not moved at all.

Edward knew what came next, and he was ready for it. Venerus deflected the shot and sent the wall after him again. The wall shot off at Edward quickly, but Edward was quicker. He ran and slid underneath Venerus, forcing it to hit him instead.

Venerus hit the opposite wall hard.

"Guess that even you can get lucky sometimes, kid. Guess I should get serious now."

[2-in-1]

"Guess that even you can get lucky sometimes, kid. Guess I should get serious now."

As Venerus finished saying these words, Venus's body lit up the room as she transformed into Delta. You see, Venerus had stored Delta's soul inside himself to prevent anyone from freeing it during the battle. He had expected to only have to deal with magic, but due to the cut he endured from Venus's sword while it was in Edward's hands, and the fact that he was hit hard against the wall by another wall, (which opened the wound more,) Delta's soul was able to escape his body and return to Venus's in time to make the switch.

Also, due to the change into Delta, Venus's sword dissapeared from the scene entirely.

Delta pulled out her spetum and got ready for anything.

Venerus had had enough.

"I will deal with you later, Miss Delta."

Venerus used a wall to keep Delta in part of the room where she could not interfere.

"Now then, who's next."

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc watched the events unfold, a powerless observer in the one-sided struggle against Venerus. A deep cut into the wizard's back did nothing but release Delta's spirit, seeming not to harm the necromancer whatsoever. Though they fought in the dark, Luc could observe that the three were all at least somewhat in control of what they were doing. Even Venerus seemed to know where to send his spells. Perhaps his walls could do all the seeing for him.

Exasperated, the mage fell back and retreated backward toward the wall, too distracted to be wary of Venerus’ abilities. Seeing through the dark, Luc watched as his hopes were crushed by the wizard’s iron grip.

“So is that all?” Venerus asked of the room’s inhabitants, inviting a response. When he received none, an audible bah was what he followed up with. “I’ve ascended past the level of mortals, especially in this plane. You were fools to follow me here, and now you will die for it. But not too quickly.”

Venerus was talking big, but Luc could see he was a bit confused. Though Luc was able to see thanks to his spell, Venerus and the others were still enshrouded in black. There was little Luc could do to capitalize, however, so he was left dumbfounded, staring absent-mindedly at Venerus’ floating figure.

Suddenly, in a flash of blazing orange, a fireball spawned in Venerus’ upraised hand. Using it as a source of light, the wizard held it before his face and squinted. A grin on his face, Luc mentally bade the flame to expand and erupt, assaulting Venerus’ face like a reaching squid.

The wizard squealed and clutched his face, the fireball dancing around him, having become several streams of flame. He writhed away from the burning strands, growling louder with each passing moment. Luc, meanwhile, stepped forward, determined to keep the wizard busy.

Enacting his Whisper spell, Luc sent a silent message to Edward, not wanting to yell out and reveal his position. “I’ll keep him alit with the fire, Edward, but you need to finish him! I don’t have enough strength left to duel him. Go now and do it!”

[Edward Judorne]

Edward nodded. This battle had been tiring on everyone. He had to finish it with one blow. The problem was that even he was low on techniques. and without his rapier, he was really limited on what he could do....unless.... He looked around. It was hard to see anything in the darkness, but all he needed to know was his surroundings. Edward started to take in as much electricity as he could. He only had one shot and he was not going to waste it.

Venerus looked over at Edward as he saw the electrical glow coming from behind him, but it was too late. Edward charged in, elbowing Venerus right in the wound he made earlier. As soon as he connected, Edward released all the electricity he had stored up into Venerus's body by using Tempest Tantrum. At first it had no effect, but after a second or two the fireball in Venerus's hand blew up in his face, and thanks to the fact that Venerus was using his full power to make the fireball, the explosion finally had done the trick.

Venerus was defeated, but Edward had used almost his entire lifeforce in the blast. He fell to the ground unconcious but do to the death of Venerus, the Castle started to crash to the ground.

[2-in-1]

The castle walls were collapsing, freeing Delta just in time for her to roll out of the way of a stone from the ceiling that was falling towards her.

"We have to get out of here, NOW!!!!!" Delta said as she grabbed up Edward and ran out the door. "Man, this guy is heavy. Mind helping me out here?"

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc let out a sigh of relief as Venerus' limp, smoking corpse fell from its hovering perch and to the floor. He wanted to crumble to the floor himself and rest, to fall into a state of deep sleep, but the rumbling of the walls told him it was not yet time to relax.

“He was holding this place together himself! We need to move!”

By the time he yelled it, Delta had already gathered up the fallen Edward and was charging toward Luc and the door. Responding to her cry, Luc propped himself under Edward’s other arm and together they dragged him back through the rooms. He had time to consider, now, the strange occurrences concerning Delta and Venus. As much as he wanted to understand how they occupied the same being, he simply couldn’t.

The team reached the upstairs balcony to find it mostly collapsed. Luc ploughed forth and toward the stairs, but as he reached them, the floor beneath him began to crumble. The three figures fell back just in time, as the stairs below them crumbled to dust. Now, they appeared to be stuck on a platform that would not hold for much longer.

“Be still,” Luc asked of his friends, though only one could hear him. As exhausted as he was, Luc knew he had enough left in him to carry them down. The balcony began to collapse, but it was rock – and as such, was under his command.

It was trying, but the balcony held. It had broken off from the wall, but hovered slowly to the ground. Eyes closed, Luc couldn’t hide his exasperation as sweat covered his face. The last two feet was a drop, and the group stumbled.

They gathered themselves and escaped the structure. From the outside, Luc could see that it was pulsating, swelling with power even as it collapsed. He looked around desperately. Then his eyes shot open.

In the distance, perhaps a five minute sprint away, was Suravani’s Oasis. It seemed to be reverberating with a magical power. Parts of the structures were fading.

“Suravani’s Oasis is being transported back to Fallien!” he realized, exclaiming the fact as loudly as he could. The group began to make their way toward the desert city, moving forward as quickly as they could while still supporting the unconscious Edward.

The city was still present as they neared. Luc let Delta take Edward forward as he began to go through his pockets, looking a component to a spell that might take them there faster. If they could get within the city before it was gone, perhaps it would take them back to Althanas.

Delta and Edward got close. Luc was a ways behind when he was suddenly dragged to the ground. He hit hard and lost his breath, and could feel something heavy on him. He turned his head as much as he could, and caught a glance of a grinning green face.

“Go!” he demanded of Delta. Suravani’s Oasis was leaving, and as far as he knew there would be no other way of leaving the Great Nether. “I will see you again! There are other worlds than these!”

Too exhausted to mount any real offense, Luc barely managed to draw his blade and parry a blow from the demon’s claw.

[2-in-1]

Edward was still unconcious from his spell when Delta took him down the stairs and out of the castle with Luc's help. There seemed to be a strong magical influence around Suravani’s Oasis that Luc had pointed out. It did, indeed, seem like the town was going back to where it belonged.

Delta rushed forward with Edward in tow. Luc seemed to be lagging a bit behind, but Delta was pretty sure he could still make it. Suddenly a Chill went up her spine, something was wrong. Turning to look, she saw something grabbing on to Luc and attacking him. She couldn't tell what it was from this distance, though. Under normal circumstances, Delta would have helped Luc despite his plees to continue on without him, but Delta had to get Edward out as quickly as possible. She rushed into Suravani’s Oasis as quickly as possible and set Edward down by the entry gate. She attempted to exit after setting Edward down, but it was too late. Suravani’s Oasis was back in Fallien.

"Darn it" Delta said to herself as she turned back around and picked Edward back up. "Oh, well. Let's get you to a medical center."

[Edward Judorne]

(Going to have to do a bit of bunnying between my two characters here, sorry.)

Edward woke up in the medical center in Suravani’s Oasis to find Delta staring down at him.

"Ugh. I feel like a meteor hit me. Did I get him?"

Delta nodded. "Well, somebody did anyway, the thing is that I couldn't see anything from behind that wall. I actually thought it was Luc who..."

"What's wrong. What happened to Luc?"

Delta explained to Edward all that went on after he went unconscious.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Delta. He is a tough man who can surely take care of himself."

Delta just glared at him and left the room to cry to herself about what she considered to be a lost comrade.

Edward got up and stared out the window.

"C'mon, Luc. I know you have what it takes to get back to us."

[Cyrus the virus]

Though short and stocky, the green demon with red horns was as dense as a heavy metal, seemingly made of nothing but muscle and tough skin. Even as Luc’s blade scraped against its claw, it showed no sign of pain. Rather, its second limb came in hard, tearing long gashes through Luc’s tunic and ribs.

He screamed in pain, felt paralyzed by it, but did not surrender. The Sword of Slykrit was still between them, and only with an immense amount of concentration could Luc ignite it. The flames licked up violently, singing the demon and sending it off of him to scurry away for the moment. The mage, bleeding profusely and suffering from a myriad of wounds, could only prop himself up on an elbow and look around desperately.

Suravani’s Oasis was gone, and surprisingly, so was Venerus’ castle. It was as if neither had ever been there, and only the mist and the pillars of black rock existed.

The demon had retreated several steps away, but was showing signs of once again attacking. It was content to watch the flaming sword thoughtfully, licking the streams of Luc’s blood as they coursed down its arm.

“Human tastes good, Fyshrie wonders how much blood you human can produce over eternity in the Nether,” it said, it’s voice dripping with maniacal glee at the potential for revenge.

Luc’s understanding of the demon tongue was limited, but demons often spoke of the same things anyhow. It was safe to assume that the demon was content to consume him as slowly as possible. The human spoke two syllables and enacted his spell of Blessed Speech, enabling himself to speak and understand the demon tongue for a half hour.

“Demon, how serves the Nether as a home?” he asked between labored breaths. Without waiting for an answer, he continued. “Wouldn’t you rather be in the realm of living again?”

Fyshrie stopped his ravenous consumption of Luc’s blood long enough to cackle. “Nether is no home, fool human! It is realm of the dead, of the damned. No one dies and no one lives, and all follow Glimmery dragon.”

Luc tried not to grow irritated at the demon’s lack of an answer. “So on the realm of living, on Althanas, ruled by nobody, would be your preference. No dragon to rule you and no mist to blind you.”

As critical a demon as Fyshrie was, he looked about as intrigued as his face would allow. Luc seized the opportunity and clutched at that curiosity. “I am a wizard, I can sweep us both from this place, but what I need is time. Transport between realms is not common, but I can accomplish it if you give me the chance. I will gladly take you from this place with me.”

The Sword of Slykrit fell to the ground as Luc lost his focus, the flames licking out as the metal clanged against stone. Luc gasped and clenched his eyes shut, struggling to stay conscious. To collapse on the Nether was to invite an eternity of suffering. Luc’s will proved more powerful than that of his body.

“Let us be partners… For this brief time,” he managed.

Fyshrie looked at the remains of blood on his hand, just a few droplets now, then locked his crimson eyes with Luc’s emerald, bloodshot orbs. “Fyshrie will keep you for now, human, but not for long. Take me from this place before my thirst grows again.”

Luc didn’t know how long he had, but it was longer than Fyshrie would have allowed if he hadn’t struck a bargain. The mage figured he had a few days’ time in the Nether to learn the intricacies of plane-traveling. Amidst a plethora of demons and a dragon that ruled over them all, his odds did not look good.

And all because of a pair of women trapped in one body. In retrospect, Luc could not blame himself for the mistake.

((Holy Christ that was long. Spoils = gold, please :)))

[AdventWings]

I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. :p

OK! Very sorry for the long wait, you guys. It's time for Judgment!

Story

Continuity - 4/10

2-in-1 told us this is a continuation of a previous quest, although it would be quite better to have some form of literary link to the previous adventure. The details that I did managed to link back to the previous adventure was mentioned, but it was a bit too fleeting and fragmented to completely understand how the whole situation actually started. It could be better, that is what I will say.


Setting - 4/10

Sporatic, inconsistent, but you made good with interacting with what little you had. It could definitely use some more showing through usage and a bit less about merely seeing it. The part where Edward used the rocks to lob the armored suits was ingenious as well as fitting. The other parts, however, could use some more realism.

Pacing - 3/10

A big, big, problem with this quest was... that it had a very spartan feel to both action and plot development. Fight scenes that should be elaborated on were started and finished within a single paragraph. One action scene was literally wrapped up in a single post, only to be expanded upon from three different perspectives. Three posts dedicated to one scene that was not exactly gripping... much. Edward/2-in-1 is more guilty in this field than Cyrus, as the tendency to speed through posts seems to be the norm for you. Along with overlapping your posts and reiterating the previous poster's speech, it makes the reading pace very tedious.

Writing Style

Mechanics - 5/10

Nothing special, with some typos that could be avoided. They were a bit hard to catch but did not serve to add any literary flavor either. Mostly on Edward's and 2-in-1's side (but they're the same writer, anyway) though Cyrus also had one or two here and there.

Technique - 4/10

Most of the literary technique came from Cyrus, but I saw a few from 2-in-1 that could definitely use some development. Suggestion: Add a bit of simile here and there, mix up some more usage with alternative names in place of pronouns and proper names. Also try adding some metaphor, but make sure the sentence flows smoothly as well.

Clarity - 3/10

Clarity of a thread is not merely "Is the quest easy to read" or "Does the thread make sense" but also "Do the actions taken here make sense and serve a purpose?" For one thing, Edward's writing style is a bit hard to read, especially if the scenes just fly by and things happen out of nowhere. The Dragon Attack in particular, since dragons normally would not raid a human establishment on Althanas. Most of the big ones are either too smart to go on a rampage or mostly dead. But the thing that really made it look odd was the fact that it barely had anything to do with the struggle against Venerus.

Character

Dialogue - 4/10

Venus' dialogue was a bit trite, while Delta actually had some concrete personality in her word choices. Edward was.. a bit generic and Luc's was just him.

Action - 3/10

Some worked out fitting to the character, but much of Venus' and Delta's stance towards fighting seemed a bit too enthusiastic and seemed more keen on getting herself into trouble than anything else. Be a bit careful about how you portray your characters and how their actions/reactions fit their character thoughts and wants.

Persona - 4/10

Not much personality development, but there are twists that have very powerful potential. I was a bit disappointed by such superficial usage of the Venus/Delta duality while fighting against that ogre.

Miscellaneous

Wild Card - 6/10

I felt I was a bit harsh on this quest, but I was expecting a really good read for a battle on such an epic scale as this.

FINAL SCORE – 40!

2-in-1 receives 730 EXP and 400 GP.

Edward Judorne receives 700 EXP and 300 GP.

Cyrus the Virus receives 2,000 EXP and 350 GP.

[Cyrus the virus]

EXP and gold added!

I level up. Yay me!