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Chaos Upon Valysia {Eternal Wanderer x Cinnamon }

Ariana watched apprehensively as the knight approached the unmoving warrior, uncertain what the ancient being intended to do. She followed close behind, watching carefully as he set his hands upon the warrior's temples, waiting with bated breath for something to happen.


After what seemed like an eternity, Ariana sensed The Slayer's aura suddenly burst into existence, in the same instance the knight's aura wavered dangerously. The princess watched the interaction between the two warriors, torn between her relief and joy Vill'kern's soul had properly been reinstated, and the guilt she felt at causing the end of another life. The knight had known he would have to trade his life force for The Slayer's, but he hadn't even tried to dissuade the princess from her decision. How many more innocent lives would be lost over the course of their journey?


The princess silent recited the blessing of the Khorinys people, having repeated the words more times in the past few days than she had in her short life. She looked away as The Slayer accepted the Ninth Petitence and put an end to the ancient knight's suffering, promising silently not to allow his death to be in vain.


Ariana stumbled into a run behind the warrior as he pulled her along behind him, casting one last look around the trembling chamber before they were through the door and out into the fresh air once more, turning to watch the labyrinth's entrance crumble, lost to the world forever.


The princess stood in the forest, her body feeling numb as she recalled everything that had happened within the stone passages. Had it really only been hours since they had stumbled into the Forsaken Labyrinth? It felt like years since the last time she had felt the breeze against her skin.


Stirring from her stupor, Ariana turned to the warrior, trying to gauge the state of his recently released soul. "Vill'Kern? Are you... How do you feel?"
 
Finding a rock near himself, The Slayer sat down. He felt odd, as if the torment of feelings was so strong that it was about to rip him apart. He silently recalled the sensation he had while he's been under the effect of the potion.


"I was... trapped in darkness. Ive been trapped in darkness before, but none as this... i could hear you but i couldn't answer. I tried screaming out loud for you to hear but it was all in vain, no echo, everything broke against the darkness"


He looked up to the princess. He already owed her enough, he was silently sworn to her, even though she did not know it, but from now on he was going to follow her wherever and whenever. Irreverent? He was. But that didn't mean he couldn't be sworn to protect a friend like the princess. He felt she was his friend. She wasn't her captive anymore, she had several chances of escaping yet she did not, she could have left him wherever when his life was at stake, but she did not. She was a friend.


"Saa'fim Eo" He spoke again in his native tongue, the words for "Thank you". He remembered again about home. He missed it. But he had no home anymore. He was stray, just as the princess, and that was the main reason for which he helped her. He felt he had to clear his reasons, once and for all.


"I suppose you... wonder why i am helping you. It's true, one reason is because you have saved my life more times than i did yours, and it is a moral debt. But the reason i have turned against my employer for... I was born in the city of Merchantar, on the Hall'hyn land, across the Fiery Sea. As the... name probably suggests you, we were a city of merchants. We provided goods for all the land, and the main trade of the city was merchantry."


He paused a little to take a breath, before continuing.


"While i was but a little kid, our city has been taken over by the barbarian tribes of Lok'Shahar. We had no army of our own, and the first city close to us was the military city of Rhydymnir, at three days of distance. Our people have been slaughtered by the thousands. So were my parents... i was the only survivor left. And here i am. Travelling and questing along with the sole survivor of Khorinys. Isn't life an irony?"


He smirked as he looked down and away into the forest.
 
Ariana ignored the urge to attempt to ease The Slayer's raging emotions, still wary of what happened when she had influenced his mind while he fought the skeleton army. The princess trailed after him as the warrior found a place to sit, careful to give him his space but unwilling to stray too far away in case his aura suddenly flickered out of existence once more.


She stopped several paces from the warrior as he spoke, listening to his description of what it had been like to be trapped within the effects of Samon's potion. A shiver ran the length of Ariana's spine as she felt his emotions accompanying his words, horrified by what he had experienced. She should have tried harder to reach his aura, the princess thought guiltily, she never should have kept moving until she was certain his soul was intact.


Before Ariana had a chance to express her remorse The Slayer spoke again, speaking in a strange tongue she didn't recognize. The princess would have thought he had cursed her for causing him to suffer through such hell if not for the slight swell of... of something that was not usually associated with wishing unpleasant fates upon others. He hadn't thanked her, had he? It would make more sense if he cursed her to an early grave. The princess was to blame for all the suffering the warrior had experienced since leaving Khorinys.


Again, before Ariana could voice her thoughts, Vill'Kern was speaking again. The princess held her breath without realizing what she was doing as he spoke, shocked he was sharing his past with her. The Fiery Sea. A legendary warrior from a legendary land. Ariana had heard many stories of the reclusive continent, but she had never met anyone that had been able to cross the sea and live to tell the tale. Until now.


Ariana's breath caught in her throat as he told her his story so similar to her own. So that was why the seemingly emotionless Slayer had turned his back on the Deathless King to instead aid her. Vill'Kern had seen himself as a child within the princess. Ariana felt her eyes sting with unshed tears, her anguish at the fate of both of their people echoing the warrior's own.


Slowly Ariana closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around the brooding warrior's shoulders. "I'm sorry," The princess murmured softly, shutting her eyes tightly against the assault of sorrow as she embraced The Slayer. How terrible for a child to experience such a fate, with no one to turn to. How he had managed to survive was a mystery to her, though it explained much about the man sitting before her. "I'm sorry."


Eventually the princess stepped away, clearing her throat awkwardly as she realized what she had done. Ariana's nerves were too raw, too open to outside influences. She needed time to collect herself before she acted too foolishly. "You should get some rest, it will probably be a while before your aura completely settles back into place."
 
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Her sudden embraced caused his heart to jump. He didn't receive any embrace since he was a child, and the motherly spirit felt so... good. For a small second he felt as if his own mother was embracing him. It was the same spirit, the same aura. She took care of him with the same grace, with the same dedication, even though her supplies weren't too rich. She even stole just to keep him alive. For a second, he felt like a child.


She even told him to get rest. A slight smile pulled at the corner of his lips. Standing, he looked down to her, and placing a hand upon her small shoulder, as gentle as he could, he spoke as if in a vow.


"I'll lead you to victory, and we will both rebuild Khorinys, one day. Never doubt it"


He nodded before taking his hand away.


"Now, let us seek out a place to rest. You must be exhausted"


He started walking before her, trusting she'd follow close behind. The forest was beautiful and full of life. Birds of many sorts of species sang their beautiful songs all around, and the bushes stirred with hidden beings, that watched and ran off as soon as the mercenary and the princess approached. Nothing was a sign that they were closing in to a doomed piece of land, to the Thraghul caves and the lands.


They both walked down the path, with the sun rising more and more above them. When they entered the underground labyrinths it was night, so it took them a full night to exit. Suddenly, Vill'Kern's hearing caught something. Sounds. People chattering. Friends, or foe? He couldn't tell, but he decided caution was the best. And then he realised. He held the Ninth Penitence in his grasp. And he felt a slight heat coming from it. What exactly was it?


Turning around he made a sign for the princess to stop and move away from the path, with him, while he unsheathed the sword, silently. It was slightly glowing blue. He actually had no idea of what was going on, but just at that moment, a voice rang in his head. Samon.


"I... am terribly sorry for what... my potions caused you. So, you have the... Ninth Penitence. This sword is special. It... detects the bad in people and beings. If a person is evil, the sword will shine red, and will send the victim's soul to the realm of Penitence... to roam eternally and be tormented. If the person is not evil, the sword will shine... blue."


Then the voice vanished. He couldn't understand what just happened, for a few moments, before shaking his head and turning to the princess.


"Samon contacted me. Spoke to me about the Ninth Penitence. It now shines blue, so the persons ahead are no danger. Let us go and find out for ourselves"


Nodding to the princess, he strapped the new sword to his waist, and moved forth. They soon reached a small camp. A carriage was stopped along the road, and four men were sat on beds made of hay, savoring their morning tea. One of them looked up surprised as the mercenary and the princess approached, then, standing, the man took a reverence before them.


"Hail, master traveller, M'Lady. My name is Karos, and i am the leader of the carriage of the Free Merchants Group. We are heading towards Hierys to set our stands there. Please, give us the honor of spending this magnificent morning with us. You must be hungry"


The merchant quickly nodded to one of the other men, who stood and moved to the carriage and started rummaging through it. Karos quickly moved away, inviting the two, Vill'Kern and the princess, with a polite gesture, to sit down. Vill'Kern looked to the princess, then, considering what Samon has told him about the ability of the sword to detect evil in persons, he nodded. Though, something didn't fit. Was really someone in all Valysia to not know about The Slayer?
 
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Ariana stared up at the warrior as he placed a hand on her shoulder, the sincerity in his words causing the sting of unshed tears to redoube in strength as he spoke his vow. The princess could only nod in understanding, not trusting herself to speak. For the first time since she had departed from Khorinys, the princess truly believed they would one day return.


Ariana observed the forest around them as they travelled deeper into the trees, glad for a distraction from her over sensitive emotions. It was strange to think they had been walking through the Dead Fields only a little over half a day ago, the wooded landscape so different from the wide, desert like plains. The princess would have thought the trip through the Forsaken Labyrinth had taken them far away from their desired destination, if not for the similarities that were also present between the two lands.


While the landscape between the forest and the Dead Fields couldn't have been more different, the atmosphere of both areas were almost identical. There was something strange about this place, a prickling at the edge of the princess's senses that kept her on edge. It felt as if they were being watched constantly, from all around them, though Ariana could barely detect the presense of the wildlife the trees were sure to be home to. It almost felt as though she was remembering the feel of the forests surrounding Khorinys, sensing a memory rather than the real thing. Was it possible her senses were simply weakened by her exhausted state, over used to the point of faltering? There was no way to know for certain, the princess never having need to push herself to such extents before.


Whatever the cause of Ariana's stunted abilities, the princess was still confident something was off about the strange woods. She looked to the warrior at her side to see if he too felt the same unease as the princess, startled to see something seemed to have caught his attention. She scanned the trees, looking for something out of place, before focusing her senses to concentrate on locating what could have caught the mercenary's interest.


Ariana heard the voices before she could detect anything with her senses, truly starting to become concerned for her only saving grace. Without her ability to sense auras and emotions the princess might as well have been walking luggage for all the help she could offer. No matter how hard she concentrated she could only detect an impression of a presense, no individual aura or overriding emotion that was always present when living beings were about.


Ariana followed the warrior from the path, wary of the unusual albeit weak impression she received from all throughout the trees. The princess was distracted from the nagging sense as Vill'Kern pulled the newly aquired Ninth Petitence from its sheath, caught off guard by the almost over powering presense of the sword. It almost felt as it the weapon possessed its own soul. Ariana's eyebrows lowered in confusion, completely at a lose for what was going on within her own body.


"I can sense a strong aura from The Ninth Petitence," Ariana confided in the warrior after he relayed to her Samon's message, following him back out of the underbrush and onto the trail once more. "Almost as if the blade possesses a soul all of its own, but... But I can sense very little else within these trees. No animals, no people... It almost feels like a memory rather than an actual sense. I can't tell how many men wait ahead of us, or what they're feeling. It could just be exhaustion, but..."


But I have a bad feeling, Ariana finished silently as they came across the camp, trailing off so as not to risk being overheard. The princess watched as one of the men rushed forward to greet them, receiving the same sense from all four of the men as she had from Vill'Kern after he had taken Samon's potion. Empty vessels void of a human soul.


Maybe I'm getting sick, Ariana thought worriedly, maybe I over extended myself and my abilities are gone forever. She followed close behind the warrior as he accepted the invitation to eat, feeling nauseous depsite being unable to remember the last time she had eaten.


How odd, the princess thought as she took a seat on one of the stacks of hay, after everything that had happened over the past night, compared to this forest, the princess was starting to miss the Forsaken Labyrinth.
 
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The air did seem odd, and Vill'Kern could not deny he felt something. It was all too perfect, yet he felt crushing gazes. It was odd. The four merchants, reunited now, were serving him and the princess kindly, maybe too kind at all. He knew from his own experience how much of a pain in the throat merchants were when it came to being kind. All they ever thought was about themselves, so why would they invite two total strangers at their breakfast, especially a mercenary. Anyone knew way too well that mercenaries were the first to sack caravans and carriages.


He decided yet to act as if nothing was going on, accepting the food and thanking for it. However, his worry grew. What if the food was poisoned? It could be, as he knew that by now assasins were spread all across Valysia, searching desperately for him and the princess. But if that was so, then the princess' food should be clean. They needed her alive. Maybe only something to make her fall asleep.


And then there was something in their... eyes. They all seemed so joyful, with no actual reason at all. No one was that joyful when two total strangers, out of which one is a massive warrior who could decapitate them in the blink of an eye. Their never dying smiles and their joy were not natural, not the slightest bit. Where to put that the Ninth Penitence was growing hot against his hip. So hot that it forced him to set it aside, along with the sheath.


How strange he thought. Shouldn't it be red and hot, not blue and hot? Something was really off about all this and all he could do was sit and observe. Trying his best that his gesture won't be observed, he nudged the princess with his elbow, as to warn her about the feeling he had. He turned his head to look her in the eyes, and there it was, the same worry as his. A worldly man like him learned to read feelings in people's eyes, and she was definitely worried.


"So, how is the trading going in these rather rough times?" He dared to break the odd silence that fell on the spot, while he picked up a piece of roasted rabbit meat, and sniffed it without anyone observing as he took it close to his lips. Every type of poison had a distinct smell and he knew them all, so he would recognize it. But there was no smell at all. It didn't even smell like roasted meat, actually, it didn't smell.


Eerie he thought as he parted his lips and caught the piece of meat between his teeth, quickly inspecting it with his tongue. No taste. Could it be a hallucination? No, it couldn't, he felt it there, and Ariana saw it. It couldn't be. But he sensed again that crushing gaze into his back. And the same gaze from Karos. Was he aware that The Slayer was more and more suspicious of something? And that gaze... it was... he felt as if a very doll stared into his ey-


A doll. These men are no longer alive. That was the first thought that came into his mind as he stared back into the hollow eyes, yet so full of that false joy. He imediately scanned all the four of them for any signs of wounds or blood. But he found none.


"It is going absolutely well, my good man, our profits are raising by the day" Karos replied, holding still that smile that already became ridiculous.


A merchant not complaining at all? The Slayer thought as he squinted his eyes. He knew how greedy the merchants were and how they always complained, even as they sat on piles of gold, they always tried to draw in more and there was never enough, and this man said everything was going absolutely well.


Vill'Kern nodded, but decided not to give any sign of suspicion, yet. He wanted to observe everything.
 
Ariana forced herself to return the smile of the merchant that handed her a rather generous platter of assorted fruits, thanking the man rather than giving in to the urge to ask how they could have possibly acquired such a feast when half of the selection would not be ready to harvest for at least another two full moons. The princess picked up a piece of fruit as she felt a tap against her leg, smiling all the while, before setting it back down again as she caught the warrior's eye, trying to convey her message to The Slayer without alerting the merchants of her suspicions. She was relieved to see he also didn't seem to trust the merchants, though she couldn't sense anything from him. The princess couldn't sense anything from their surroundings, only the pressure of what felt like hundreds of eyes weighing down upon her.


There was something very wrong here. It wasn't just the fruits that couldn't have possibly been available, or the uncharacteristically friendly merchants that may or may not have currently been in possession of a soul. There was something else, something there with them. The princess could feel it like a thousand little pins poking at her otherwise unavailable senses. The question was whether or not the merchants were aware of anything out of the ordinary, or if they were the source of the anomaly. Before she could think of a way to breach the subject Vill'Kern had beaten her to it, drawing the attention of all four merchants like some kind of magnet. The princess shivered at the intense gaze they bestowed upon him, having the answer to her question. Without a doubt, the peddlers were somehow involved.


Ariana's eyes widened as she watched the warrior bring his own food to his lips, hesitating a moment before taking a bite. The princess made a small noise in the back of her throat before she could control herself, just barely keeping herself from knocking the food from his hand. Instead she up ended her own platter, apologizing profusely to the merchants for her 'slip' as their collective attention snapped back to the princess. She prayed the warrior hadn't swallowed the mouthful as she slid off the hay to collect the fruit from where she had dropped it on the ground, trying to watch out of the corner of her eye to see if The Slayer would spit it out while the men were distracted.


Ariana had been too busy trying to keep an eye on the warrior she hadn't noticed one of the merchants kneel on the ground in front of her until their hands had touched while reaching for the same soiled bunch of berries, a shudder running the length of her spine upon contact. The princess's skin felt like ice where the merchant's hand was still connected with her own, the merchant apparently unconcerned by the touch and the princess trying to keep from jumping away from the man. Somehow she thought that might seem a tad bit suspicious, even to the over zealous merchants. She forced herself to smile to keep from flinching instead, hoping the tremor in her hand wasn't too noticeable.


"I'm sorry, I'm not usually so-" Ariana's voice died in her throat as her eyes rose to the peddler's face, barely a foot from her own. Her lips continued moving wordlessly for several seconds, her mind unable to process what she was seeing. The man- no, no, definitely not a man, the princess thought with a hint of hysteria- the creature's eyes were completely black. No iris, no pupil, no white of the eye. The entire organ was completely devoid of colour, the only light to be seen was the reflection of the sun moving across the dark spheres as the man tilted his head to the side.


"Something the matter, M'lady?" The voice sounded mangled somehow, as though something was obstructing the... the thing's airway. Ariana tried to force herself to speak, to offer some sort of explanation for her obvious gawking before it became aware its cover had been blown, but her lips had barely parted when something crawled from the depth's of the merchant's still smiling mouth, moving rapidly across the creature's cheek to disappear into it's hair. A spider. A spider had just crawled out of the creature with the unblinking black eyes that was still touching the princess and it had done absolutely nothing about it. The princess could only stare mindlessly as a dozen more spiders quickly followed the first, escaping the creature's grinning maw to run every which way across the thing's face, one spider dropping from the parted lips to land on the princess's hand.


She screamed.


Ariana stumbled away from the creature and its terrible grinning face covered in spiders, swiping at the insect on her hand before it could make its way up her arm. She froze as she felt something moving on her palm, for the first time aware of a terrible pain radiating up her hand to her arm. Slowly, so very unprepared for what she was about to see but unable to ignore the sensation, the princess turned her hand over so her palm was facing upward, revealing the source of the pain. Had she any air left in her lungs, she would have screamed again.


Half a dozen spiders the size of a large coin were crawling across the exposed wound across the princess's palm, creating a web inside the cut. The princess followed the thin threads of the web as if in a daze, the almost invisible strings connecting her hand to a much larger connection of webs. Ariana looked slowly around the camp, the scene differing greatly from what she had seen only moments before. The fragile looking threads were everywhere, connecting everything together. The webs hung from every tree, covering the space between each shrub, extending from the branches to connect into one giant network of webs, the threads condensing around the merchant's caravan until the threads were as thick as the princess's arm, making the vehicle almost impossible to see through the nest of webs.


Ariana followed the individual threads with her eyes back to the merchants, for the first time seeing the webs wrapped around their limbs, moving them about like marionettes. All four simply stood grinning at her with their black eyes, varying sizes of spiders crawling all over their lifeless bodies. There were spiders all throughout the webs, some as tiny as a speck of sand, others the size of a large animal. Some of the spiders were creating more threads, while others seemed simply content to watch the latest prey that had stumbled into their domain. And that was what the princess was sure they were, as she looked back at the hundreds, if not thousands, of pure black eyes staring at back. Prey.


Feeling as though she were about to be sick, Ariana slowly turned to the warrior, looking to see if he could see the same as she. The sight made her gag. The Slayer was sitting atop a massive spider nest, no longer appearing as if it were hay. In his hand, presumably what had previously seemed to be the roasted rabbit, was a smaller spider's nest. With a distinctive bite sized chunk missing out of one side. The worst of the scene, if there could possibly be a worse, were the dozens of spiders crawling across the warrior's bandages as they tried to breach the gauze, a thin thread connecting the wound on his neck to the network of webs.


All but lunging at The Slayer, Ariana started swiping at the spiders on his person, severing the thin thread connecting the warrior to the connection of webs in the process.
 
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Vill'Kern was still analysing Karos and his three road companions when the princess' little problems occured. He sensed the danger closer and closer, and felt as if his whole set of bowels was rising from his stomach to his very head. It was worse and worse with each second. Odd how he, a simple human, could feel such dread, but the merchants seemed happier than ever. Did they smoke something? He knew herbalists across Valysia who could provide people with herbs to help them with their stress. But no, it wasn't that, their joy was unnatural and not that kind of unnatural.


But he saw nothing more. The princess picked up her fruits and sat back, right on her place. So did the merchant, who set his uncomfortable gaze again upon The Slayer. Then he felt something on his cheek. It was crawling. With a hand, he captured it. He brought the palm of his hand to his gaze, and saw it, a squished spider. Rising an eyebrow, he looked again to the merchants. How come they all stared at him, yet no one even warned him about the spider that wasn't so tiny at all? Too many questions in his mind, and no answer at all.


Looking back to the princess, he tried to capture her attention again, with a nudge. But she didn't even answer. Squinting his eyes, he nudged her, a bit heavier this time, but without receiving her answer. Moreover, a strange cold was rising. The sun above, middle of the summer, yet it was cold. Finally, the princess turned her head, and he was struck by a sudden shock. Her eyes were empty. Devoid. Nothingness was trapped in them, yet they seemed happy. Just like the merchants. That was it. It was time that the merchants answer some questions.


With a turn of his head, he focused on Karos. Unarmed. No surprises. None of the merchants were actually armed. As quick as a panther that strikes down its prey, Vill'Kern leaped over the food set on the ground, and with his arms, pushed Karos on the ground, in the same movement placing a dagger at his throat with a hand while holding his upper half down with the other, by the chest. Staring in threaten into his empty eyes, filled only with that sinister false happiness, he grunted.


"Alright, Karos, enough play, what is going on here? What did you do to Aria?"


But the merchant didn't even flinch. He didn't even seeemed to be the least to say a bit panicked by his situation. He just lain there, with that smile over his face and the joy in his eyes. As for the other three men and the princess, they didn't have a reaction either. And Karos was cold. His skin felt like ice. So, i was right, he is dead, Vill'kern thought in his mind, while holding the blade against the cold skin of the merchant's throat. But even so, why wasn't Karos attacking him? Something else controlled the empty carcass.


For a second, he though he saw something, emerging from inbetween those slightly yellow teeth, uncovered by the disturbing smile. The leg of a... spider? But that is impossible, to say the least. Or could it be not so impossible at all? After all, they lived in Valysia, the home of all the strange things.


With a move of his hand, he dragged the blade across the merchant's throat. He felt as if he just cut a piece of leather, nothing more. And no blood drawing. That wasn't surprising him that much, as the merchant was dead. But still, it looked like a fresh corpse, so it should have some blood at all. And then something made him shudder and drop his jaw. From underneath the skin, he saw them. Small, flexible spider legs that stretched out and slowly pulled out the rest of the bodies. In the blink of an eye, at least ten spiders were crawling out of the corpse, and onto Vill'Kern's dagger and hand.


He was so caught by shock, as he watched spiders also crawl out of the nightmarish smile. But the merchant kept staring at him, and his voice was once again heard.


"Is there any problem, friend?"


This was insane. With a quick movement, The Slayer rose to his feet, letting Karos go, as he started using his hands to put away the spiders that were constantly crawling on him. He saw the realm change as he looked around, and saw the princess, the real princess, caught in the web and struggling for freedom, as hundreds and hundreds of small and big alike spiders used the web to crawl to her, and on her. He reached at his waist to pull the Ninth Peniten- The Ninth Penitence! He set it on the ground just minutes before, and now it dissapeared under all that spider web that was on the ground.


But he still had both his swords. Drawing them quickly, he started slashing at the thickening webs that were laying out before him, trying desperately to reach the princess. One of the swords quickly dissapeared from his hand, entangling in the sticky web and being taken away. He felt his body being invaded by crawling things, tickling his skin and... the pain. He felt his hand being bitten, and he saw the quickly thickening piece of web that tied his free hand to the network. His eyes also fell upon the merchants' corpses, tied to the web with strings just like puppets, in the hands of a... puppet master! There had to be one, and even though he didn't wish to see it, there it was. He followed the strings with his gaze, and ended up gazing at the master.


A giant, black spider, bigger than anything that he has seen before in his life. And they fell into the trap. His other sword has been taken away just as quick, but his hand remained yet free, and he struggled to keep it that way, for as long as he could. He couldn't believe how he fell into such a trap. Now all he thought of was how could he make it out of it, so he could save the princess.
 
Ariana fought against the deceptively strong threads, pulling against the webs that were slowly but surely dragging her away from the warrior and the merchant puppets, forcing her towards the mother of all nightmares instead. She had barely managed to reach The Slayer before the threads connected to her injured hand had yanked her back painfully, the spiders the princess had managed to knock free from his person quickly replaced in greater numbers then before. She had yelled a warning, trying to rouse him from the hallucination, but it seemed as if her efforts were futile. Vill'Kern had continued to sit upon the nest of webs as more and more spiders had descended upon him from the trees and surrounding greenery, the mercenary eyeing the merchants suspiciously but otherwise seemingly unaware.


Ariana had continued trying to catch the warrior's attention as she scrambled to collect her dagger from the sheath at her waist, the awkward positioning of her body making it difficult to find a proper hold, intending to cut herself free before dealing with the spider infested puppets. If she couldn't rouse The Slayer from the delusion she would force the illusion to dissipate as it had for her, by revealing the merchants' true nature. A particularly painful jolt through the princess's arm had momentarily stolen her attention from her infuriated plotting, causing her to lean her head back precariously far to locate the source of the sudden discomfort. A spider similar in size to that of one of the domesticated cats popular in Khorinys before the massacre was hanging from a near invisible thread above the princess, it's knife like pincers clacking together with a terribly ominous sound.


Ariana had watched in horror as a green liquid slowly gathered at the tips of the obviously sharp pincers, unable to free her hand in time to avoid the toxic looking fluid before it dripped onto her wounded hand, a burning sensation travelling the length of her arm before it was abruptly replaced with the impression of ice, the princess no longer able to control the appendage. She had lashed out at the creature as it once again prepared to drip it's poison onto her, her mind full of the memory of the lifeless merchant's ice like skin when it had come into contact with her skin. The princess finally managed to pull the dagger free of it's sheath, driving the blade through the body of the spider, the dagger pinning the insect to the tree it had descended from.


The spider's legs had continued moving in a terrible sort of death dance for several seconds before it slowly curled in on itself, the green liquid still gathering on its pincers dripping harmlessly on the ground below. Before Ariana had a chance to appreciate her small victory or pull her weapon free of its target, the ground had began to tremble. It seemed as if all the forest was rattling about her, the terrible clicking of pincers echoing deafeningly all about her. Several trees were pushed aside in the distance as whatever was causing the ground to tremble rapidly approached, the clacking of the pincers lost in the thunder like rumbling signifying the arrival of what the princess could only presume to be the leader of the eight legged legion.


Ariana was not incorrect, no matter how much she wished she had been. The beast was revealed as it uprooted the last of the trees blocking it's path, the princess's eyes locked on the green pincers larger than even The Slayer, the only visible bit of colour on the eight legged monstrosity. It was larger than even the golems of the Dead Fields, at least from the princess's vantage point beneath the infuriated behemoth. She could see every hair standing on end on the massive spider's body, it's eight, shiny black eyes apparently all seeing as it appeared to scan the encampment for its prey. The princess redoubled her efforts to free her uncooperative arm from the tangles of the web, none too keen on being spotted beside the still impaled remains of the spider she had stabbed.


It seemed her efforts futile, the thread about her hand tugging her into motion once more. The princess ignored the smaller- though not particularly small when considered individually- spiders crawling across her person, for the time being dealing with the lesser evil while she attempted to extricate herself from the webs leading her to undoubtedly gruesome death. The threads connected to her injured hand were as unyielding as ever, and with her dagger fair from reach it seemed her fate was already sealed.


She craned her neck to see how Vill'Kern was fairing with the puppets, hoping at least one of them would escape the forest without being host to countless spiders inside and out. The princess was shocked to see he had managed to free himself from the effects of the illusion, uncertain how long he too had been tangled within the webs. Ariana closed her eyes against a swell of misery, already mourning the death of the warrior as she witnessed his sword being swallowed by the inescapable webs. Perhaps it would have been better to stay in the Forsaken Labyrinth for the rest of their days. It wasn't so bad, if you didn't include the army of undead. The puzzles had been quite intriguing, if you ignored the certain death awaiting those that failed. Even only being able to see by the torch light wasn't so bad compared to-


"Vill'Kern, the matches!" Ariana yelled, praying he could hear here above the commotion the spiders were creating, and understood what she was asking him to do. The princess would rather burn, taking as many of the Damned eight legged beasts and their precious home with them than be used as an incubator, waiting to trick the next unsuspecting victims into becoming the insects' next meal.
 
This was by far the most horrid situation they've been since the departure from Khorinys. And there seemed to be no solution at all. All Vill'Kern could do was flail his arm about in the air, to throw away small spiders that kept crawling on it, and to avoid being bitten. He had to stay that way. He tried in the time to think of what he could actually do. The princess became more and more entangled in the web, and it wouldn't be long until she dissapeared into it, and have herself filled with thousands of spiders that would eat her insides and leave her as an empty carcass, to reside within it and attract other unaware travellers.


He then remembered about his remaining dagger. But what exactly could he do with the small blade? The swords he had were as sharp as they could, being able to cut even through wood without any problem, and they could do nothing against the web, so the dagger would be even less of use. Despite the panic that clawed at his innards, he yet remained calm as much, so he could think about the situation. His eyes fell at times upon the leader spider. He just couldn't believe what he saw, one leg was thicker than even the Old Pillars, the ruins remaining from the old city of giants named Lay-jar.


He felt the web string attached to his left hand slowly dragging him back, off the ground. He had to stay on the ground, if he lost his balance overall, he was as good as dead. But he has been in worse situations, hasn't he? He now remembered himself, hanging, holding his whole weight in only one hand, by a piece of rock, while lava was boiling just a few feet below him. And he made it out, alive. He remembered slaying ogres, and not just two or three, tens, hundreds, single handed, with nothing more than an axe to wield. But then again, he was at least free, nothing restrained him from moving.


If only he could find a way to call for some outer help, or a miracle. Then an idea suddenly hit the back of his head. The potions. The belt of potions. Samon told him some of them would increase his abilities drastically, but which? And would they really? Could he just drink them all and hope for an improvement? No. But he suddenly remembered that probably Samon was still watching over them, or something. That if they weren't out of his-


Vill'Kern, what is going on? He heard the old mage's voice in his head. Even though he did not believe in gods, he thanked all of them or whatever helped him. But could he answer? He hoped so, as he phrased the words in his mind.


Samon, the princess' life is at stake. We are trapped in a spider web, we fell into a trap, i have only one free arm, and there is a giant spider here, the size of half of Hierys, if not larger, and i don't know what potion should i use?





He awaited for an answer while continuously waving his arm, trying his best not to let himself pulled up by the thread.


The... blue one, Vill'Kern, use the blue. I-it will increase your strenght and endurance and your agility radically. My dear gods, such a spider wasn't seen since my grandfather was a Master at the University of Mages from the Thyr Archipelago... li-listen, i don't have... much time... the Ninth Penitence, use it. Have faith in its power and it shall lead you to victory. Always.





Before he could reply, the voice was gone. So, his only bet was on the Ninth Penitence. But he had to uncover it, first and foremost. He heard the princess yell something about the matches. Yes, the matches should burn the web, but it would burn them with it. No, he couldn't risk the princess' life for this. The giant spider advanced, and he almost felt its tremendous hairs brush against his armor.


It was time to see how the potion worked. Reaching for the potion belt, while still struggling to remain on the ground, he grabbed the vial with the blue liquid, and opening it rapidly, he managed to gulp it, until the vial remained empty. At first, he felt a slight scratch in the back of his throat, followed by an intense pain in his muscles. Could it be that the potion failed to do its effect? No, it shouldn't. Then, all of a sudden, he felt that impossible rush of power. He felt it run through him like electric bolts, awakening each and every of his cells.


Rage like no other, a torment of it. It was overwhelming him. With a strong jerk, he set his left hand and arm free from the string that was attached to it. His head was storming, he only witnessed himself lowering down, and ripping apart the web that covered the Ninth Penitence. The huge spider wasn't even aware about the mercenary, as he held the Ninth penitence in his grip. He had to dismantle the head of it all, the behemoth, if he wished the princess to be safe.


"Let's play" he grinned furious as he released his own storm of rage upon the giant spider, with a battle shout so loud that could be heard probably through all the forest.
 
Ariana's pounding heart was deafening to her own ears, each accelerated beat mimicked by the throbbing of blood rushing to her head. Nothing had changed, no hint that a flame was catching across the wire like threads. What did that mean for the warrior? Had he simply not heard her, or was he no longer in a position to be able to strike a match? Perhaps he didn't want to be responsible for the princess's death, though a death by fire- resembling that of the Khorinys death ceremony, an honourable passing that would light her way to those awaiting her on the other side- would have been a far better fate than what would occur when the leader of the spiders had finally finished reeling the princess towards its snapping pincers, the poisonous green drool dripping heavily from it's gapping maw. Anything would have been better than this. To be eaten alive from the inside out, her lifeless corpse used to spawn the next generation of eight legged minions and to lure the next unsuspecting victims to their terrible demises, was a fate worse than even what the entity controlling the Deathless King had been planning for the princess.


Would her soul still be able to pass on to the other side after such a horrid death? What if she became trapped within her body along with the spiders her remains would play host to? Ariana desperately continued trying to extricate her frozen arm from the unyielding webs, gritting her teeth against the urge to cry out in defeat. She would never be able to see her father again, to beg for forgiveness from the people of Khorinys that had died simply because the princess had been there. At least Valysia would be spared from the whims of the Deathless King, but even that was little comfort to her now. If the princess died here, and barring some kind of miracle it most certainly appeared that was the case, everyone in Khorinys would have died in vain. The knowledge filled the princess with an irrevocable angry, her hatred of the spiders crawling across her skin as though her body was already their possession giving her the will to continue fighting. She spat curse after curse in Khorinys's tongue at the Damned beasts, lashing out at the insects on her person and surrounding area despite the constant pull on her arm still dragging her towards the master spider.


Ariana knocked at the spiders to the best of her abilities despite only having access to one usable arm, the awkward angle making it difficult to use even that limb very successfully. Had Vill'Kern been able to escape the webs? The princess hoped he had manged to get away, fleeing from the forest while the spiders were distracted with their appetizer. It was impossible to tell, the princess too deep within the heart of the thick webs to see anything beyond the large threads. Ariana was almost within reach of the leader of the spider's pincers when she heard an earth rattling roar.
 
And now the horrid spider was fully aware of his presence. As big as it was, it couldn't do much against an enemy the size of... nothing. Vill'Kern dashed forward, wielding the Ninth Penitence with a skill only he was capable of, strike after strike cutting throught the webs that in vain tried to stop him from advancing like a tornado. An odd aura was forming about his body, glowing red, a flow of rage fed by the fury with which he performed each slash. He kept repeating in his mind the words he always based on. Victory or death. There was no inbetween. The Ninth Penitence glowed with the same energy that coated him, as he became one with his weapon. Nothing could stand before them now.


The very heat of his rage caused all the small spiders that were approaching him in an attempt of assault to burn in no time. Emerging from inbetween the creature's legs, he saw the princess. Helpless, trapped with the spiders, yet fighting for her life bravely. He couldn't let her down. Looking up to the behemoth's head, he saw the green liquid form on the pincers and drip down to him. Poison meant to paralyse him. With an agile leap he moved forth and turned around, gazing in defiance at the huge 8 eyes that stared at him with the gaze with which a hunter looks at its food.


Taking a quick defensive stance, while the energy flowed out of his body, he analysed his position and how exactly he could destroy the beast. As he looked upon it, he observed the liquid web that the being shot at him, in an attempt to catch him in it. With a graceful pirouette to the left he avoided the attack, quickly retaking his stance. Then as in a blink of an eye, he dashed forward. The only solution left was that he injured the beast in the leg, to make it fall so he could climb to its head and kill it. The Ninth Penitence was now sheathing into the behemoth's leg, and his ears caught the sound of the thing's cry of agony and pain.


Before he could pull the sword out, the leg rose, lifting him off the ground, then with a jerk, he found himself landing on his back more than ten feet away, while his sword remained attached to the creature's leg. Standing quickly, and dizzy, he felt the aura around him dissipate. Was the effect gone? Was all this over? No! It couldn't be. The princess was in danger and needed him with desperation, he couldn't let her down. This caused the rage aura to burn once more about him, and so he felt another rush. Dashing forth, he decided to take on the creature with bare fists.


A crazy decision. He ran with the speed no human ever had, and, leaping, thrusting himself in the air, he struck his fist in another leg of the beast. A shockwave spread out upwards, causing the leg to shake, and a thunderous sound mixed with the thing's cry of agony filled the surroundings. The leg split open, allowing a green liquid, the blood, to squirt out and bathe the mercenary. He started spreading punches all over the injured zone, watching as it crumbled under the rain of thunder fists he shared.


Opening his arms to the sides wide, he gave another deafening battle roar to the skies and struck the leg with both fists, in the sides, the pressure causing the limb to blow and chunks of it to splatter all over. The beast cried out once more, as he dashed towards another leg, assaulting it with the same fury, strike after strike. The creature, losing its balance, slowly started cowering back, trying to escape the savage beast that The Slayer had become, but there was no way back.


He thought of the Ninth Penitence, drawing it in his mind while he assaulted the creature heavier and heavier, and as if at a command, the sword made its appearance into his hands, glowing still with the same rage as he.


Standing below the eight legged nightmare being, he sheathed the Ninth Penitence into the ground, releasing an energy stronger than ever before, a storm of rage that engulfed the creature immediately, while his voice thundered.


"By the power of the Ninth Penitence, i sentence you to DEATH!"


The storm of energy raged even heavier, causing his long hair to flick furiously, while his eyes burnt with the same rage. The creature was turned to absolute nothingness in a matter of moments. Vill'Kern stood now in the middle of the empty scene, with the Ninth Penitence still glowing in his hand, savoring the moment of his victory. The small spiders quickly cowered away, leaving all the webs empty.


With slow steps, he approached the trapped princess, and ripping the web apart with his bare hands, he spoke, in a calm tone.


"It's over. You are safe."
 
Ariana couldn't believe what she was seeing as all eyes, human and countless insects alike, turned to see the cause of the sudden disturbance within the nest of webs. Was that-? No, It was impossible. Not even Vill'Kern could pull off such a feat... Could he? There was no way for The Slayer to be standing within the labyrinth of metal like threads, the thick strands too impenetrable even for the legendary mercenary. The princess knew that, had seen the warrior struggling with the webs to little avail before she had been caught within the confines of the great beast's master web. The princess had seen it with her own eyes, and yet there Vill'Kern was, cloaked in some sort of fiery aura as he stood beneath the monsterous spider's legs, defying the very laws of nature.


Ariana could only stare in awed disbelief as the spiders, small and large alike, rushed passed her on their webs to charge at the glowing warrior. The princess barely had time to think of a warning, let alone utter it, before the approaching spiders were turned to ashes, unable to even breach The Slayer's radiating aura. Was this really happening? How had the warrior suddenly acquired such staggering strength? A terrible thought occurred to the princess, her blood turning cold. Was it possible he had already perished, returning as an avenging spirit to reak havoc on the beasts responsible? Was there any living being truly capable of such speeds, of an aura visible to the mortal eye.


The answer was yes. The Slayer left no room for doubt that the burning aura encasing him was his own unyielding spirit, the prominent life force acting as a second weapon as he mercilessly launched attack after attack at the unprepared behemoth. Ariana's eyes could barely follow the unbelievably fast movements, never knowing a man that could reach such speeds. If not for the burning trail his aura left in The Slayer's wake, the princess would have thought he had been lost beneath one of the pillar like legs instead of assaulting the limbs stronger than any man made material.


Ariana covered her ears as best she could with only one free hand, the mammoth spider's screams of pain threatening to burst her ear drums. The Slayer didn't seem to notice, landing blow after blow against the monstrosity with not only the Ninth Petitence but his bare hands. How? How had the warrior come to so strongly resemble that of an avenging angel, sent from the skies to slay the great evils upon the ground? The princess could only watch and wonder.


Then, as suddenly as the spiders had appeared from within the shadows of their illusions, there was nothing left. With a sentence of death and an explosive aura that would have made kings bow down before him, The Slayer stood alone within the recently cleared area, only the abandoned webs left as proof of what had been. The princess watched the mercenary's slow approach towards her, barely hearing his words as he tore the webs enveloping her wrist free without so much as a straining muscle.


Ariana's arm fell limply at her side, the frozen muscles all but forgotten as she stared at the aura encased Slayer in utter shock, watching a bead of the spider's green blood slide down the side of his face. All that was left of the thousands of spiders. How had any of his actions been possible? Maybe she had been right in her initial assessment of the man, maybe he wasn't actually human. No mortal man could pull off half the feats of the warrior, but this? This was a whole new level, even for the legendary mercenary. Slowly the princess shook her head, trying to clear room for a coherent thought.


"I... How...? I don't know how it still surprises me when you pull off the impossible." Ariana rambled shakily when she finally found her voice, her lips tilting in a vague smile despite the near disastrous situation. How many times had they been at death's door since leaving Khorinys? The princess was losing count, but this was definitely the closest call to date. Yet, by some miracle or another, Vill'Kern always seemed to get them through in the end. "Thank... thank you."


Ariana could feel her senses slowly returning to her, whatever the spiders had done to limit her ability to detect auras dissipating. Her nerves felt raw and over exposed, as if every aura was screaming for attention. The princess looked around the web littered trees, sensing the blatant truth she had missed for so long. Careful of the still hanging webs, she slowly moved towards the trees until she could place her uninjured hand on one of the trunks, ignoring for the moment the dread she felt at her unresponsive left arm, the limb still feeling as though it were frozen solid.


"This forest is dead." Ariana stated when she was absolutely sure, sensing the lifeless tree beneath her hand and all those beyond it. They felt hollowed from the inside out, as the spiders had been intending to do to them, with what felt almost like a toxin lingering within the very core of the deceptively healthy looking greenery. "It will never recover, poisoned at the core... We should burn it once we reach the caves of Thraghul. Maybe something will be able to grow from its ashes."
 
He felt the aura slowly wear off, while he helped the princess out of the disgusting web. Her comment and question caused a slight smile to tug at his lips, while he watched her limp arm. That one didn't look good. He feared at the thought of it necrotizing, but hoped it wouldn't be so. Yet he had to see. But as soon as he wanted to open his mouth and ask her to stay so he could analyse her arm, she was already on the move. Wow, and she says i'm strong, he thought. She was just off the train of death and already walking about, with a limp arm.


He followed her closely, and nodded as she spoke about the forest being dead. He looked back at the carcasses of the four merchants, then to the carriage. Well, maybe the carriage still had some useful things that shouldn't be burnt down. Moving to it, he reached it and started rummaging through the goods inside. Clothes, clothes again, a few carpets, some rotting food... nothing of great use. When suddenly, out of all the things, he found it. A small bag of gold. But would it be of any use? Probably not. He still yet took some gold coins, smiling, then returned to the princess.


He still knew they had to find a place of rest, she was probably dead tired, but they couldn't rest in that awful forest. So he started walking beside her, while thinking and reliving the experience he had just before, with loud voice.


"That... thing earlier. It was the Ninth Penitence. There was a bond between me and it, it spoke to me, it was part of me, it gave me that godly power. Now i see why no one ever has defeated the old knight. With such power, i could fight gods..."


He almost smiled at the thought, the very thought of himself being a supreme ruler over anything and anyone. Dismissing the thought, he moved forth, while watching the surroundings. Who knows what else might be lurking behind the corner.


"We should stop somewhere and look at your arm. I don't think it's too well"
 
Ariana turned to watch the warrior as he rummaged through the abandoned carriage, waiting to make sure his attention was diverted before turning her own focus towards her unresponsive arm. Hesitantly, the princess carefully rolled the sleeve encasing the poisoned limb back, her heart dropping at the sight awaiting her. The veins running the length of her arm were standing in stark relief, the raised blood vessels seemingly an inhuman shade of dark green even through the thin layer of skin containing them. If anything, the pale shade of her clammy skin only emphasized the sickly veins.


Ariana quickly dropped her sleeve back over her infected arm as The Slayer appeared to finish his search of the deceased merchants' wagon, making sure to pull the material low enough to cover passed her fingers. The princess fell into step beside the warrior as he continued down the path that would supposed lead them from the forest, glad to leave the cursed trees behind. Even if a part of the woods could not so easily be walked away from.


Ariana listened silently as Vill'kern explained how his aura had become one with the Ninth Petitence, suddenly wary of the warrior for the first time since he had agreed to travel with her to the caves of Thraghul. Such power was a slippery slope, and he had already proven himself near invincible even before acquiring the unique blade. What was to stop him if he did ever decide to challenge the gods? Who was to say if in ten years down the line Vill'Kern The Slayer had become the most ominous force in Valysia, the Deathless King and his unknown master long forgotten?


Ariana quickly shook the thought from her mind, appalled at herself for thinking such terrible things about the man beside her. How could she doubt him, after everything he had done for her? Barely minutes before he had pulled her back from the brink of death. Not quickly enough, the princess thought bitterly, her infected arm hanging uselessly by her side as they walked. Again she had to shake herself, stunned by her cruel thoughts. What was wrong with her? It had been the princess that hadn't been able to detect the trap, she who had been pulled within the confines of the spiders' den. The Slayer had still forced his way in after her, at great risk to himself. The princess had sensed the kindness in his aura, so how could she doubt it now?


"It's fine," Ariana snapped defensively as the warrior mentioned her arm, clutching her unmoving limb to her chest. She stopped walking through the thinning trees giving way to to gravel and thick stones, turning to face the warrior apologetically.


"I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean... it's just that..." It was just that she had no feeling other than the deep chill emanating from her toxic looking arm, stretching towards her shoulder. The princess could barely move her fingers, and even then she wasn't aware of it if she wasn't looking. The arm felt completely detached from her body and mind, the only thing connecting her to the limb being the endless torrent of possibilities running through her mind, from muscular death, to a slow and torturously painful death, to the thought of thousands of unborn spiders just waiting to be born. "There is nothing we can do about it right now. Even if we had access to a doctor, the chances of a known antidote... We need to get to the caves of Thraghul as soon as possible, anyway."


"Will you tell me about Merchantar?" Ariana blurted, looking for something to distract the warrior and herself from the subject of her arm. The princess winced as she realized what she had asked, immediately regretting her words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean- I just- This is the first time I have been passed the forests of Khorinys, I was wondering about the other kingdoms you have visited. W-within Valysia."
 
He watched her as she snapped, and how immediately she took her apologetical stop and gaze. He caught a glimpse of her diseased hand's fingers. Like this, she was going to lose her arm, and maybe her life. No, he couldn't let that happen. But what was he to do? She wasn't giving in, and he couldn't find a way. He dismissed it as soon as he heard her question about his homelands. And again apologies. He thought of it for a second, and found it normal for a girl her age to be this curious.


"Well... Merchantar was a fine city. Near the Sharp Rock bay. We had a dock, used to ship merchandise towards this part of the land, over the Fiery Sea. We supplied for all Hall'Hyn with the finest goods, from food, beverages and daily usables, clothing, carpets, everything a house would need, to armors and weapons for Rhydymnir, the military city, and for all the military outposts and camps set all across Hall'hyn. Of course, we had a military base there, in a special part of the city, a watchtower with soldiers and everything. Guards. Too bad that when the barbarians of Lok'Shahar swarmed, they couldn't stand a chance. I remember that, as a kid, i loved to run around through all the shops, workshops, and bother the living hell out of the owners, with my curiosity. And how my dad always, but always used to nag me about how i will have to become a fine trader, to take the family name forth, and most of all, to be a fair trader. I think he was the only fair merchant i ever knew"


As he spoke, they both moved through the forest, approaching by the step to the end of it. Though yet a long way ahead.


"I returned to Merchantar a few years ago. Now, that place is home to the sons and daughters of the barbarians that took over it. There is nothing anymore that remembers about the pride of that city. The welcoming blue flag with the purse of gold sewn on it in gold thread has been burnt down as they took over the city. The streets, once rich and beautiful are now ruins. When i returned there, i felt the burning desire to start slaughtering left and right, until i get stabbed and arrowed to death. Maybe one day i will return. And with the power of the Ninth Penitence, i will take back what's rightfully mine. I will wash the streets with their filthy blood and i will hang corpses at the gates, i will murder every single one of them, slaughter their children before their eyes so they can feel the pain i felt when they raped my mother and gutted her before my eyes."


He spoke, letting himself driven by the rage that clawed at his insides. He suddenly realised that the princess probably stared wide-eyed at him, and immediately bit his lip


"Um... i'm... sorry. I don't know what i was thinking"
 
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Ariana smiled as the warrior spoke fondly of his homeland, forgetting her concerns for the moment to instead imagine the mercenary as a child. What a strange thought, a young Slayer running in and out of the town's shops, barely tall enough to see over the counter as he questioned the shop keepers every which way about their wares. The princess was willing to bet they doted on him, despite the warrior's joking his drove them mad. She wondered if he had ever played with toy swords as a child, a popular pass time amongst some of the young boys in Khorinys before it's destruction. She decided not to ask, pleased with the tiny Slayer in her mind dashing about with a stuffed hound or rabbit rather than a small wooden sword clutched in his hands.


The forest fell away behind them as Vill'Kern spoke of his home, the trees giving way to unyielding stone. The ground appeared as if it was made up of thousands of large boulders piled together, cracks in the stone common and easily tripped upon. The princess was careful of her step, wondering if it had rained in this area recently. The stone was a dark reddish brown, seemly dark with moisture, and as the sun climbed higher into the sky the heat caused the wet stones to give rise to a light mist, the thin vapors of the evaporating moisture swirling about their knees as they continued forward.


Ariana's expression softened as the warrior spoke of his father, the genuine affection behind his words causing her heart to ache slightly at the thought of her own. How different things would be if The Slayer's home had been spared, a lifetime of possibilities lost. The princess wanted to ask a thousand questions in response to what the mercenary told her- what type of wares his father sold, if he had been blessed with siblings, if he would have followed in his father's footsteps and become a fair trader, what kind of cook his mother had been, his favourite dish- but the princess knew how this particular story ended, and the light hearted tale had already reached its turning point.


Ariana could hear the hatred and pain in The Slayer's words as he continued to speak, his tone echoed by the emotions emanating from his very soul. How the warrior had been able to return to his desecrated home without taking revenge was beyond the princess. Even she would have had a hard time not to act in violence should she be faced with the ones responsible for Khorinys's fate, and that would simply be for a lack of means. If the princess had Vill'kern's strength, if she could weild the Ninth Petitence with half the grace as he... Ariana shook her head, dismissing the thought. She didn't, and despite The Slayer's means of revenge he remained by her side. The princess's appreciation of the warrior would have doubled had it been able to increase any more.


"I will help you," Ariana vowed solemnly, lightly touching his arm in a small show of sympathy. She doubted The Slayer would be pleased if she openly pitied him, forcing herself to suppressing the tears burning the her eyes at the horribly familiar fate of his people. For a child to witness such a thing, not only to have the knowledge of the living hell his mother had experienced, but to never be able to purge himself of the memories... it was astounding the man had kept his sanity. "When the Deathless King and his unseen master have been dealt with, and Khorinys restored, we will return to Merchantar with an army. I promise you will have your revenge."


Ariana slowed to a halt as they came to the end of the stones, the ground dropping away suddenly to reveal they had reached a cliff overhang, a 90 degree drop to more stones tens of feet below them. The princess's heart plummeted as she edged closer to abrupt end of land, unable to believe they had really travelled all this way to be met with a dead end. She couldn't make out a way to descend safely to the ground below, but there had to be a way. There had to be. The princess could see a town in the distance below them, a bustling city by the looks of it with what seemed to be boats docked at a pier just barely visible in the distance. A lake, here? Did they have to cross the water to reach the caves of Thraghul? A cold dread filled the princess as she stared in disbelieve. Could they have gone the wrong way?


Ariana froze in the action of turning to the warrior to ask, a flash of blue catching in the corner of her eye. There, flying proudly above the entrance to the town, were twin flags of blue, a purse of gold sown in golden threads visible as the flags fluttered in the soft breeze.
 
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She vowed. They were both bound to each other's 'cause by a sacred vow, and he could hear the ring of honesty to her words. For now yet, they had to reach Thraghul. The surroundings changed in a matter of moments, and they were on the cliff. But how could it? He didn't have any map but he was sure there was no cliff in the way. Then he realised what she was focusing on. Blue flags. Purse of gold. Dock.


He was going insane. It couldn't be possible. He stared in disbelief at the sight, shaking his head slightly as to dismiss it. It couldn't be. They couldn't have gone so far. To reach Merchantar they'd need to cross about a thousand miles of sea, from the extreme eastern point of Elos, the land on which were Khorinys and the three other kingdoms. Plus, the flags of his town were destroyed. And his town was a miserable remain, while this one... this one stood above everything, proud as it was when he was a child. And he didn't remember any cliff near Merchantar.


Something was clearly out of the place. A trap, maybe? More than sure. Or maybe... Something rang in his head. What if some people of Merchantar managed to flee? They got out, took a ship to Elos and established there, recreating the Merchantar? No. He didn't remember anyone being able to flee, other than he.


"That is not Merchantar!" He spoke out loud, skeptical, no, rather denying the sight with a desire. "It cannot be. We're on Elos, not on Hall'Hyn, so that is clearly not Merchantar. Whatever it is, i suggest we stay out of it. It is surely a trap. That dark... ghost or whatever is trying to trick me, and get me killed."


He took a position that clearly spoke for itself. He was not going to move and inspect the place, no matter what.
 
Ariana glanced between the warrior and the city nestled at the bottom of the cliff, uncertain how to proceed. It couldn't possibly be Merchantar, as The Slayer had said there was no feasible way they could have crossed to the continent across the Fiery Sea without noticing. It could be a trap as he had also suggested, a cruel act of trickery as retribution for abandoning the Deathless King's cause, but it seemed too obvious for that possibly as well. The Deathless King had proven himself intelligent and crafty with how he had devised the destruction of Khorinys and the double crossing of the orc forces, to suddenly change tactics to such an obvious trap didn't seem likely.


What could change the appearance of such an expanse of land? Several things came to mind, depending on whether the actual landscape had been changed or just their perception of it. It was possible the Mad Mage of Thraghul was responsible, or even the spiders they had encountered earlier. The thought caused a shiver to pass through the princess, but she reassured by the memory of the fate the king of the spiders had met. Was it possible the true leader of the spiders still lurked within the forest they had just left?


It was impossible to know for sure but Ariana thought it unlikely. If something larger than the final spider existed it would have been too large to hide within the confines of the trees. The princess glanced back to the warrior, taking in his set expression and determined spirit. She doubted knowing the source behind the sudden appearance of his ravaged homeland would ease The Slayer's disposition. She didn't blame him for his stubborn reaction, had she been in his shoes the princess would have turned back into the forest without a backwards glance.


Ariana agreed it was unreasonable to ask the warrior to venture forth into the obviously unreal town, but what was their alternative? Double back through the woods, find a way through the demolished labyrinth, and cross the Dead Fields? From what she could see there was no other way to move forward, the cliff giving view to no other route that could be travelled by foot. So what were they to do? Backtrack through all the land they had crossed, making all of the progress they had made so far mote, or risk falling into a trap, and quite possibily risking The Slayer's sanity? The princess didn't think it her decision to make.


"I'll go into the town," Ariana spoke slowly, trying to formulate a plan with so little information. "I will look around quickly- and carefully- for what is responsible for... this, and a way to pass through. As soon as I find something I will be back. You... You can look for a way to pass around... that. If we are lucky perhaps we won't have to return to the Dead Fields."
 
He never wished to look like a coward, like he just did, but he feared for the princess' life more than he's ever feared for someone before. But she was also right. They couldn't go back through everything and take the classic route. Then his mind was struck. Back an hour or two ago, he remembered thinking and speaking to the princess about a place to sleep in. And just after, they found the merchants' camp, as a trap. He now spoke of his homelands, and there it was, before his eyes, a mile or two away, an incredibly perfect copy of the Merchantar as he knew it when he was a child. This place was insane. But what would expect them if they went there?


And then the princess told him about how she should go into town and he should search around. She couldn't be serious. She didn't expect him to leave her alone, when the danger could be lurking anywhere. Especially in an obvious trap like this one.


"No. 'Tis not a good idea. We have to stick together, for your own sake. This whole area has a weird way of putting us in a trap. Remember when we exitted the Labyrinth, and i told you we should find a place of rest? We got into a trap, designed after my wish. Now i've spoken about Merchantar, and seems the trap is set. Plus, how would you suggest we go down? Rappel? We have no ropes, nothing, plus, you arm..."


He looked at what was visible of her fingers. The situation was becoming critical and he had to do something to persuade her to let him inspect her poisoned limb. And if she didn't, he had to do it. He had to slap the consciousness out of her, with the risk of her getting scared about him, he had to save her.


"Listen, sit down, and let me look at it. If you die now, you won't be able to see your beautiful city rising from its ashes and becoming yet again the pearl of Elos. And you won't be able to take your vengeance. I know you want to drive a blade through Deathless King's throat and look him in the eyes as he dies. But for that, you will have to stay alive, and you won't, if you die from a poisoned arm. Let me look at it. Sit."


He again took the position he took when he commanded, allowing her to see there was no way through or around his order. He gazed straightly into her eyes, his blue eyes shimmering as he did so, while his right hand was preparing to strike a heavy slap across her face, should she not obey his will. A slap heavy enough to send her to sleep.
 
Ariana listened carefully to the warrior as he quickly rejected her idea, leaving no room to argue as he continued with his assessment of the situation. The princess considered his opinion, slowly mulling over each point in her mind. It seemed like ages since they had left the Forsaken Labyrinth behind, since the warrior had regained his lost aura and told her the tragic fate of his homeland. The princess vaguely recalled his comment about finding a place to sleep, her thoughts full of what she had been told at that time. How long after that had they stumbled across the merchants' camp? Minutes, at the very most. Roughly the same amount of time it had taken for the double of Merchantar to appear before them.


Surely he was right about the sudden appearances reacting to his words, but did that necessarily mean it was a trap? The spiders could have been using the illusions to entrap their prey rather than the hallucinations leading them to the damned insects. They wouldn't know for certain unless they inspected the next illusion. The princess didn't think it quite as insane as the warrior for her to go alone, reckless yes, but not a certain death. Both illusions had appeared in response to his words, not her own. She had eventually been able to see through the spiders' disguise, for all the good it had done her. Who was to say she wouldn't be able to see through it again? At least this time she had an idea of what she was walking into, and her senses seemed unaffected so far.


Ariana flinched slightly as the warrior concluded his point by reminding her of the poison still lingering in her veins, subconsciously bringing her unresponsive arm closer to her person protectively. The princess looked around as the warrior fell silent for the moment, desperately trying to find a distraction from the infected limb before his attention was set. She still wasn't ready to deal with the problem, to accept what she feared in the back of her mind to be the diagnosis. She had seen soldiers with lost limbs before, how their eyes seemed void of life, their auras a dull memory of what they once were. To live in such a way was barely a life worth living, and with so much left to accomplish how would she ever see to the restoration of Khorinys? She would live out the rest of her days in a defeated state, perhaps even relieved when the Deathless King used her damaged being for whatever demon he intended to give form to.


Ariana bit hard into her cheek in an attempt to stem the panic raising within her, almost giving a cry of relief when she finally spotted a suitable distraction. There, only a few yards from where they now stood, was a rope hanging over the side of the cliff. The thick rope had been tied securely to a boulder atop the overhang, as if it had previously been used to rappel down the jagged rocks to the ground before. Just as The Slayer had suggested not a moment before.


"You were right," Ariana gasped, her voice far more breathless than need be for someone standing still. She motioned to the precariously hanging rope with her healthy hand, attempting to hide her other arm from view. The princess prayed he would lose interest in her toxic limb if she conceded to his views. "Whatever is causing the illusions is reacting to your words."


Ariana flinched again as the warrior spoke once more of her arm, shaking her head slowly in denial. How could she rebuild Khorinys without two arms? It would be impossible to plunge a blade into the Deathless King without two hands to weild it. She didn't want to live as half a being. At least if she were to die here than the Deathless King's plans would be foiled, and Khorinys's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain.


The princess's jaw snapped shut with an audible click before she could give voice to her thoughts however, noticing the warrior's unyielding stance before her. She stared back into his determined eyes, seeing he would not be dissuaded so easily this time. Ariana briefly considered fleeing, hoping her sudden burst of action would catch The Slayer off guard long enough for her to reach close enough to the mirror image of Merchantar he would be unwilling to follow. It was such a tempting thought, her muscles coiled in preparation of launching herself passed the mountainous mercenary, but she forced herself to remain still. If he caught her there was no guarantee she would remain conscious, leaving her with no voice in how to deal with the arm. She could wake with the limb already severed from the rest of her person, a void that could never be filled. Even if she did make it passed the warrior, he would be furious with her when she returned. And of course she would have to return, no matter how much she would dread facing The Slayer's wrath.


"It doesn't hurt, it's just... cold." Ariana finally mumbled defensively as she looked away from the warrior, trying to describe the sensation flooding her arm. This was the lesser of two evils, the princess told herself as she reluctantly rolled the sleeve of her light armour back to above her elbow, her trembling fingers making the action awkward and slow. She was still half convinced The Slayer was punishing her for suggesting she venture into the Merchantar look alike as she used her good hand to support her infected arm, eyeing the raised green veins standing out in stark contrast to her pale skin, the sun shining down on the limb making the two toned skin impossible to miss.
 
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He felt the fear lingering in her. And he knew exactly what triggered it. Only looking in her eyes was enough. They screamed out for mercy, and he knew why. He felt sorry for her, but he had to take care of her. He watched with care as she moved the sleeve up, gazing at the green veins with an odd contrast to the skin. It meant that the necrosis didn't touch the skin yet. Nor the flesh. But if the poison travelled through her blood vessels and settled in the heart? That wouldn't be the happiest case.


Getting on a knee, so he could reach the spot better, he carefully took her limp arm into his hands, tracing the infected veins with his eyes. As much as he wasn't really an educated man, he still knew much in the ways of medicine, due to himself travelling mostly alone and needing to mend his own wounds. But he needed a better sight to the veins and arteries that carried the poison, but what was he to do? Undress her? No way, he thought, as he then remembered. Again, the potions. Would it be a chance of him having one depoisoner on that belt? That was something only Samon could answer.


He already knew the way to the old mage. He phrased in his mind.


Samon, i need your urgent assistance. The princess has been poisoned earlier. I hope you did place a depoisoner on that belt. Did you? Tell me you did.





He now remained in await for a reply, while he looked up to the princess and forced a smile that should make her feel secure enough.


"Don't worry, i will not let you become a cripple, i promise that" He spoke as he placed his big hand under her small one, and folded gently enough not to make it hurt. He knew she needed someone to trust on, and someone to give her security, and he was going to be that one person. While he thought, he heard Samon's voice.


Aye, i have put it there. Green liquid in the vial. But she will endure pains far beyond her strenght and the effect will make her vomit. It will be the way of the body to consume all the body's toxines, caused by the venom. Do use it carefully.





And the voice was gone, again. He looked up at the princess once more.


"Samon told me i have an antivenom potion with me. But it will give you great pains, and it will cause you to vomit. We have two choices. Set camp here for the moment, you drink the antivenom and i'll be taking care of you for all the time the potion makes its effect... or we go the classic way, and i cut the arm up and remove the infection as much, sterilize it and close the wound. But we have to set camp for the moment"
 
Ariana forced herself to remain still as the warrior knelt in front of her, fighting the urge pull her arm free of his light grasp and hide the sickening sight that was her infected limb beneath the material of her sleeve once more. The princess would have been all too pleased to continue pretending that nothing was wrong. As it was, she could barely manage to keep her eyes on the disgusting skin without the bile in her stomach burning the back of her throat as it threatened to release itself. She kept her attention on the warrior instead, concentrating on his aura for any hint of sudden action. Despite his obviously superior strength, the princess was prepared to fight tooth and nail to defend her infected arm should he suddenly draw his weapon.


Ariana gave a slight start as The Slayer abruptly looked to her with an obviously faked smile, momentarily stupefied by the unexpected action. The princess looked away remorsefully as he finished speaking, feeling as though she had been chastised rather than reassured. When had he ever given her reason to distrust him? Vill'Kern had only been trying to help her, attempting to save her arm from the fate she feared most, while she had been childishly trying to hide from the problem. Fear had clouded her mind and distorted her view, much like the illusions surrounding them.


"I'm sorry," Ariana said guiltily, squeezing slightly at the large hand encasing her own smaller appendage. She smiled slightly as she recalled his promise, reassured a bit despite knowing there was no way he could guarantee such a thing. "I just... I'm sorry."


Ariana listened carefully as the mercenary recounted his conversation with Samon, forgetting in her panic the old mage's vow to offer assistance during their travels. The princess didn't have the most faith in the wizen old man's concoctions after what had happened to the warrior after he had drank his potion within the labyrinth, and the prospect of The Slayer dissecting her arm was none too appealing, but anything had to be an improvement over completely losing the limb.


"I think it would be best if we found a way out of this place first." Ariana spoke contemplatively, quickening her speech before the warrior could argue. "If we remain here there is no guarantee the illusions won't take effect again. I will be too much of a liability to you here. I doubt a little more time will change the state of my arm, the poison hasn't appeared to have spread in the time we have been walking. I promise I will tell you if it gets worse."


Not the complete truth, the chill had definitely reached her shoulder when it had seemed to loiter in her bicep earlier, but the princess needed time to choose which course of action to take, and other than the bone piercing cold and lack of mobility, there didn't seem to be any adverse effects.


"The illusions seem to react more to you than to me. Depending on what you say, there is no telling what might occur." Ariana lips quirked slightly, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere. "Maybe if you ask nicely the illusions will show us the quickest path out of here."
 
Yes. Partly she was right, but what if... the place did react to his wishes, still attracting them into a trap? He couldn't trust anything anymore, as he just saw earlier. But they couldn't stay there forever, could they? He stood, and looked in the far distance, pondering. What exactly was the solution to this seeming complicated and neverending puzzle.


" Hm... i remember walking through a desert once, and having kind of the same problem with the hallucinations. Odd place it was. Empty. Full of sand. Nothing miles of sight to the north, nor to the south. Not even a piece of rock. Just dunes. And heat. And can you guess how i found my way out of there? A dragon. See, dragons are like horses. They won't become your mount, until you prove yourself superior, but once you do, they give in to you and you can mount them, and fly."


He spoke that, in hopes of witnessing the realms change. Half of what he has said wasn't even true. He was lost in a desert, but he didn't ride the dragon. Everyone sane enough knew that the only way to a dragon was slaying it. He just wished to check if the weird place was creating the illusions based on wishes, memories or lies. He just remained, awaiting. He felt a slight breeze blow through his hair, and a few thin grains of sand lay upon his skin. The ground under them slowly became softer, and the sights changed by the second. Merchantar vanished from sight, and along with it, the water, the dock, everything. There remained an infinite nothingness of sand all around, and they now stood on a dune.


Turning around, he gazed at the whole desert, then at the princess.


"Well, i see a desert, but no dragon. I think... i think this place knows everything about us. Or the master that controls it. There must be someone controlling it, and if there is, he knows anything. Now, all i wonder is, is this one actually a being that we can speak to and reason with? Or just another beast that wants us dead? How could we exactly find out?"


He wondered as he started taking steps, moving down the sand dune and finally reaching its base. And finally an idea struck his mind. Shallow, true that, but it could work. Or it could get them killed. But he had to try it.


"Damn, wish i could have a troll to fight now. I'm getting awfully bored of this place, already"


He spoke out loud, making the best out of his acting skills, sounding as he was truly missing a fight and needed one right away. He looked to the surroundings, once, twice. Nothing. Nothing came out swinging an axe or simple fists at them. That was it. The place or the master could recreate surroundings, but not not living beings. That must be it.


"It can't recreate living beings. I could shout out loud for hours that i want to fight the worst beasts, and nothing would happen. This place is as dead as those merchants back there. But what is the key to all this? How can we get away from it if the realm changes upon our desire? But it's actually fake. So, if i'd ask for probably, say, a wood, to take us to Thraghul, we'd get the wood, but probably stroll it for life, and never reaching its end. It's a sort of mirror. All of this. A mirror of our thoughts. But we all know the reflection isn't real"
 
Ariana stared at the warrior as he spoke, wondering if he had lost his mind. Comparing a horse to a dragon? Even the princess knew it was the equivalent of comparing a grain of sand to an apple. A dangerous, poisoned apple that would actively try to eat a person as readily as the person would try to eat it. Was The Slayer really trying to recreate such a beast here? Even an illusion of one of the great beasts would be a difficult foe to best, reknowned Slayer or not.


Ariana tensed as the solid ground beneath her feet began to shift, giving way to the pliable grains of sand. The princess looked around the now barren landscape, expecting a winged monstrosity to emerge from beneath sifting sands, a coiled flame trapped between its parted jaws. After several long moments she released the breath she had been holding, casting the warrior an exasperated glance.


"I understand your plan, but did you really need to use a dragon? A rabbit would have sufficed." The princess frowned as she considered the warrior's theory, glancing around the endless stretch of desert. "I suppose if whoever is responsible for this wants something from us they would have to make their presence known, or else somehow let us know what they desire. If they want us dead, well, I suppose they don't have to do anything at all."


Ariana followed the warrior to the base of the dunes, wincing once more as he called for another formidable foe. "Bunnies, Vill'Kern! What's wrong with using bunnies?" The princess sighed without any real vehemence behind her words, looking about for a troll she doubted would appear. The warrior was once again proven right in his assessment of the strange place, apparently the one behind the illusions unable to give life to sentient beings.


"If there is someone responsible for altering these plains," Ariana spoke slowly, giving voice to her thoughts as they occurred to her. If it was indeed a mirror as The Slayer had suggested, that meant the area they were in was limited, even if it appeared as though it was endless. "They must be nearby to control the spell. In a wide open space like this they can hide behind the dunes, or the trees in the forest, or the building of Merchantar... but in a confined space, with nothing to hide behind..."


Ariana trailed off, considering a suitable location for her theory. "In the castle of Khorinys, before its destruction, there was a small, circular room in the cellars used for storage. I rarely went in there myself, it was always frigid, even in the summer." The princess shrugged at the mercenary, uncertain how much detail was required to activate the spell, or even if it would react to her words. "There wasn't much to it, simply shelves lining the walls filled with supplies for the winter. It would have been impossible for anyone to hide within it, everything was stacked to the sides."
 
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