Vadellya heard Galan call out the order and tried to look forward. The howling of wolves in the distance caught her attention as she turned sharply with out thinking. Then she stopped stunned. The image of yourself hanging does things to a person. Vadellya only shook as Greyson grabbed under her arm and snapped her out of it.
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As they ran the sounds of wolves chased them.
Morgan's feelings went from elated to concerned and the sounds of the wolves meant the devouring of that dumb whore to chasing them. Her magically summoned invisible mount outpaced the wolves. Though, they were on the other side of the tree line and could not cross onto the path. There was one creature she could not out pace. It ran on two legs. A strong broud human like body devoid of any fat. COvered in thick course timber wolf hair. Hands with elongated fingers each sporting clawed finger tips that extended 3 or so inches beyond the end of the finger. The head was not really man or wolf it looked like a bat. A beutiful bat. Large webbed ears adorned either side of his striking almost entrancing features in his face. When she saw its eyes she then knew exactly what it was. It was not a trick,it was not an illusion, it was not a creation of the vistani. Those eyes she had seen looking back at her in the mirror her entire life. He had her eyes.
After a few miles the creature seems to bore of the hunt, long after all the wolves had given up. He stops crouches throws his head back and lets loose a terrifying sound. Resembling a cross between a manical scream and a blood thirsty dire wolf howl. It floated into throaty laughter and back to the howl several times as they continued their flight like pace. MOrgan saw everyone shutter at the sound. But no one could have been more worried then her.
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To speed up their travel Serith took Silver Dragon form, as large as he could with the constraints of the small path. Greyson, Dante, Vadellya all jumped on. Serith moved at a quick pace building momentum as he rode. Too many unknowns. There was a time where he would have improvised his way through a whole encounter. This whole things was much to choatic for his mindset now. Seeing how Khan with some planning unravelled he and all his companions, being locked up in Sigil prison adn realizing that he was guilty of much more then the crimes he was convicted of but of constant impulsive behavior that cost many lives. Then when he understood that what the Dark One and his minions wanted was Choas, he decided he had to bring order to the world and that started with himself. He needed time to think this through and a plan with set steps.
A small little boys ball dashed across the path catching Serith's attention but not causing him to slow. He felt it give under his feet but not want to believe it. He had trambled a little boy who chased the ball across the path. He ignored it, simply veritas playing games. He could not ignore the wet mush under his claw at every stride.
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NIght fell as they ran. It was too early for the sun to set but Greyson had realized long ago that the laws of normal no longer applied. Once they could no longer see, which according to normal he had no problem seeing in the dark, he would always remember the sounds.
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Galan led them on. His horse laborred and he knew that it would give out any minute but he pushed on. They passed the Set temple several miles back so they were getting closer. Galan was exhausted and he was not even the one that was running. He could tell the way his horse was starting to miss steps that it was done. Even if they stopped to rest the horse would not be the same. He reached down and saw blood coming from the horses nose. He laid his hands on his stead and prayed to Tyr that the horse be granted strength.
They road on the Horse lifted by divine power far beyond one would expect any animal to go. He looked over and saw that even Blade was tired. Several times Galan and called on divine grace to heal the horse and several times it had. They had travelled so long and so far he felt he had exhausted the grace Tyre granted him. He knew it was coming, as the horse stumbled and fell to the ground he tumbled to the side just short of the tree line. Taking only but a moment to look back at his horse he started to run. "GO GO, don't stop we're almost there."
In fact, they could see it. The bright pillar of light which indicated the path openned into the plains between the wood and the fortress. His horse had fell just a few hundred yards short of victory. THe light was blocked by something or somethings. A troop of soliders, carrying the Imperial markings.
He raised his hand to them and they to him. They all halted for a moment as Galan told them through laborred breaths what he knew. "Captain Falconhand staid behind. I believe she has fallen. It is Veritas we need to regroup and develop a plan of attack. Anyone who goes in there is dead or worse. We should fall back."
With out saying a word the soliders looked at him and the skin rotted off their flesh. "Ghouls." He called out and they sprang to combat. He could not tell if theses were pure creations of the vistani or if perhaps this was a patrol sent to find and assist them which had fallen to his corruption or the corruption of the wood. He hoped it was the first.
Simple ghouls were no match for the raw might of the party and as quickly and the threat was identified it had been eliminated. Moving a little more than 200 yards brought them all past the tree line. Galan took a moment to catch his breath.
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Dante slid off of Serith's back and landed firmly on the ground. Rather unimpressive he thought in comparision to what he expected. He noticed Bella was shaking. She must have been pretty shaken by something. His concern for her was
shifted by the sound of a small girl crying. He looked over to see the small girl clad in a white dress on her knees huddled over crying. Her dress covered in blood he wanted to help her. "Stop" Morgan called out and Dante froze in his tracks. "She's a trick. Veritas is trying to lure us on we should move."A little boy came and stood beside her. A little gypsy boy and it appeared that he was trying ot comfort her, "Its ok, they are nice people." It was the little boy Serith ran over on the way out. He was even holding that little ball. "I bet they'll even play with us." Turning to Dante, "Play with me." He rolled the ball to Dante's feet. Dante went to kick it back at the child with anger, "I won't play your game." He connected but the ball did not fly forward as he expected. There was something on his foot. He looked down and saw he had managed to lodge his foot into a rotting skull.
His rotting skull. THe image sent shivers all through his body. Shivers that turned to violent shaking. vomitting. Dante's hearts threatenned to beat out of his chest all he could do was swallow to try and keep in inside of him. He barely noticed he had fallen ot the ground. So horrified he was begging for death to make the feeling stop.
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Morgan turned to Bella and says, "All creations of your creature to caputre us move."
At that moment Bella felt anger boil up at Morgan for revealing her to Veritas but that was quickly removed by fear. The little boy and little girl turned to mist and in a moment the mist turned to him.
"Oh my sweet Bella. I should have recognized you. What sort of Father Am I. You intrigue me, the way I intrigue my kind. Though I do not wish to destroy you only perfect you. Come with me. I will find what about you granted an independent existence, and what about your flawed creation led to perfection." Greyson, Dante, and MOriana all rushed Veritas in an attempt to protect Bella. Moriana's crossbow bolt strikes dead center of the chest. Earning the response of a cold laugh. Veritas grabs the bolt and pulls it from his hearless chest with ease. following the bolt came hordes of maggot and puss coated with worms and slime.
Bella could literally see the fear wash over everyone who was staring at him. Almost like it was a tangale flood of emotion he emitted. Galan and Morgan were the only ones to shield their eyes and the only ones not curled up on the ground crying for fear.
He stepped closer but Morgan stepped between Bella and he. Bella now trembled like a frightenned girl. Morgan spoke maybe hoping to redeem herself for her foolish naming of Bella. "We should all be about our tasks. We've left your wood and we all have things to do."
TO Bella's shock and amazement veritas stops and examines her carefully. "He has your eyes."
"I Know I saw him."
"And you do not wish to view and meet the creation of your womb? Even I have empathy for my creations." Pointing to Bella made her shiver if she had blood it would run cold. "Very well. I will raise him as my own." A wall of misty fog rolls from the plains into th wood and Veritas is gone.
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After 2 painfully boreing days of quarinteen to ensure no one had the zombie infection Vadellya teleported them back to what she now considered the center of light in the universe-- Geneva.
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