The Quest for the Demon's Heart

[Theoren Roullier]

[glow=green,2,300]The Fourth Through Ninth Hours of the Night[/glow]

Theoren shook his head, letting himself hit the wall and slide down the stone to a sitting position. "Or ya could jus' hold up dere a minute, girl." he said in a most annoyed tone. She hadn't been doing all the hard work! Ok, maybe a little, but she wasn't the one dodging fire blasts and battling undead skeletons, was she? Immortal (in whatever sense you can say that) as he was, he was still in part a human being, and he still needed to rest every now and then. He was already sweating heavily and he took the moment to take the shirt off his head and retie it to pull back his matted red hair like a bandana, then took some time to wipe a little grime off his bare chest.

There were a few cuts and bruises, mostly on his back, but he didn't even have the time to think about how badly he ached right now. "I needa break." he said between pants of air going into already dead lungs. He was regenerating nicely, but he wasn't quite there and all this exertion on an incomplete form was not good, and he knew it. He was really pushing his limits with this. He let his head fall back and sucked in some more air. Lord almighty, and they were only at the fourth hour... they still had eight more to go! He didn't know if he could do this...

But then a thought struck him. Maybe he didn't HAVE to. He was always a man that saw cheating as an unfair term. Cheating meant you did something wrong when really all you did was learn how best to make your opponent lose instead of learning how best to make yourself win. A small grin spread over his lips. He didn't have to work under God's rules, why should he work under some lesser power's rules? Seoul-Mun couldn't hurt him. No one could hurt him. That was, after all, his curse wasn't it? Fingers slid down the chain on his neck to the amethyst. It glowed at his touch like a servant awaiting its master's command. He could feel the thing inside him tighten and pulsate.

"I t'ink I jus' found us a quicker route..."

In his mind he thought to himself, 'Now let's really test the limits of what power is, shall we?' He stood up and grabbed Amariette by the arm and yanked her to him forcefully. He wasn't about to lose sight of his goal, secrets be damned. There was a flash in his eyes as the magenta tones highlighted along his iris with a malicious glow. His voice sounded sick and different, tinny and almost hollow, as if maybe it wasn't Theoren that was talking anymore.

[glow=magenta,2,300]"Hang on tight... 'chere'."[/glow]

And just like that the temple faded, it was gone, there was only darkness around them, then suddenly swirling shadows everywhere like dark red and blue clouds enveloping them and trying to hold them down. The air was cold yet humid, pressing in around them like a sickness trying to penetrate them. This was not a place for human souls, and Amariette's would be frozen still yet still able to watch around her. Above her was no longer Theoren Roullier, but someone else... something else. It had massive feathered wings of black and gray that spread out with a snap and lifted up off the shadowy floor of this place, sending them both reeling up into the blackness beyond. It's hair and eyes were stony gray, though that horrible magenta glow still persisted behind the irises.

And now it was easy to see where it came from. Wrapped around the human-form's waist was a glowing entity that simply radiated hate and evil. It was glimmering black and dark red, pulsing with each beat of the human-form's wings as they soared through the Shadow Plane as if it were... home... This is where the Phoenix had originated. No wonder it knew exactly where to go and how to navigate the seemingly endless horizon of black and gray mottled shadow. It craned a long fiery neck down at her and opened its intangible beak in malice before curling back around its host protectively. Theoren Roullier's wonderful genetics were far too good to let go of, not when it had spent years protecting its investment.

They were rocketing at unhealthy speeds through the plane, a stress that surely had to be by now wearing on Theoren's body both astrally and matierally. The Phoenix was a horribly entity, full of belligerance, but it was not foolish. Its host needed rest and recooping, and it could help when it was not trying to maintain him and Amariette both on the Lesser Planes. There was another flash and an instant later they were thrown out through a portal that tore through the interplanaer fabric back into the temple proper, sending Amariette skidding along the ground and a battered looking Theoren rolling over to the side and flopping over in the dust, still as the dead.

[glow=turquoise,2,300]The Tenth Hour of the Night[/glow]

He was not dead, of course, but barely conscious, his breathing shallow and silent as the Phoenix set to work on repairing and regenerating his broken form. He lay in the dirt, face down in a heap for several moments, unable to muster the strength to even so much as lift his head to view the surroundings. Clearly the Phoenix no longer had a hold over him and was too weak itself to do anything but try to heal its host before he needed another ressurection. Slowly he began to twitch, spitting out a mouth full of pebbles and dirt, a few coughs as his lungs kicked back into working order.

The room was not the one they had been in. There were fifteen statues along the wall, each different and fiercesome in their own right, and in the middle of the room was a closed wooden chest. Theoren groaned. He hadn't been able to take them all of the way to the ruby, it had seemed, though still he had no idea what plane they were on or how distance worked in the temple. Or maybe he was still untrained in the skills of plane walking. He didn't know. "Mari..." he said, his voice definitely his, and very strained. "What's goin' on...what's de book say...?"

[Amariette Willowbane]

Amariette gave a sharp cry of protest as she was pulled towards him, a crushing strength in his grip that she did not recognize. At the very least, there was sure to be a bruise. Wincing and trying to nurse her arm, the change in his voice caused her gaze to rise quickly to his, the look in his eyes filling her with instant and unmistakable fear. As she was enveloped within the shroud that slowly consumed the two of them, she felt a cold descend upon her that she had never known before, even more penetrating and intrusive than her trance ever was. It was then that she saw the beast, and the depths of her mind exploded in a piercing scream, her body anchored to his but her spirit and soul terrified at the sight of evil that was so clearly displayed before her eyes.

The creature, yes, The Phoenix that she had witnessed tearing its way into his celestial body had returned. Returned, to haunt her as the living nightmare that it was. She had never know such a debilitating and incapacitating fear as it raged not only through her mind, but through her very soul, the malicious intent of the monster washing over her and drowning her senses. It was almost too much to bear and Amariette felt her sanity waning as it met her gaze and hissed its fury at the purity and goodness it sensed within her. Thankfully, it retreated soon after, curling protectively about Theoren once again where it viciously guarded him and continued its journey with the pair through the Shadow Realm, time all but stopping before her eyes. There were mirages in the shadows, memories she had hidden so deeply within that she had long forgotten their existence until this moment, this vile continuum where true monsters and creatures of the darkness roamed. It overwhelmed her, permeated her very sanity and she was helpless to stop it, the force pushing in upon her far more confining than she could ever have imagined, her very heart feeling as though it would explode.

Then and only then did they reemerge on the temple’s dimensional plane, her body sent sprawling across the floor where she rolled into a wall with crushing force, instant white hot pain flaring within her body, a telltale sign that she still lived. Being in that vortex felt like dying. Severely winded and dizzy, she tried to rise and cried out in pain, an arm clutching her body tightly where a rather ugly bruise rose on her pale skin, along her ribs. Instinct told her she had broken one in the fall and that there was a good chance she was bleeding internally as well, the pain making her nauseous and incoherent for a long moment. With her teeth gritted in agony, she fought to sit up and let her eyes fall to Theoren as he slowly righted himself and surveyed the room they were now in, the radiating pain fading to a dull throb as she made her breathing shallow. He may have been virtually indestructible, but she was not. When compared to Theoren and his Phoenix, she was a mere rag doll.

Still, she did not say a word to him about her injuries or concerns and fought back a cry as she got to her feet, her arm shielding the angry and large bruise from his eyes as she reached for the journal at her belt and flipped it open again. Perspiration coated her brow profusely and she raised the journal arm to wipe at it, doing her best to hold the tears at bay, she would not last much longer in this condition, but reaching the ruby was all that mattered, and he would not succeed without her. “I think this is the Tenth hour of the Night, the layout matches the description in the book. You brought us a great deal farther, although I haven’t the faintest idea how. Perhaps Seoul-Mun is not as deadly as we first perceived. According to this, it says that there are fifteen statues in all and that we are to place the amulets within the chest on the correct statue and call them by name. If we place them incorrectly, the god will come to life and try to kill us until we place the correct one in its place, then the Uraeus will awaken. Would you like to do the honors?” Amariette had no idea of the names of any of the statues and she was rather preoccupied with hiding her injury. For fear had rooted itself in her mind and she couldn’t help but wonder if Theoren would kill her at this point for slowing him down, or even worse, leave her behind to rot forever in this temple. He was changing, at first she had thought it was just her own delusions, but now she could feel it easily enough, the change in his eyes and manner, he was beginning to lose the war even though he continued to fight the battle. The sight of the Phoenix and the effects of vortex travel had given rise to paranoia on her part she assumed, but it was at this point, that she now expected the very worst.

[Theoren Roullier]

His whole body ached. Muscles felt like they were about to combust, bones felt like cracking in half and his brain felt like it was ablaze in flames. Everything in the room was swirling back and forth like some kind of surrealist's canvas. Turning his head to the side he spit out a mouth full of dirt and soot and slowly, fighting against the screams of his body not to move, pushed himself up off the rock floor and into a sitting position. Thankfully the Phoenix had been quelled, its power still too limited to do much of any damage for more than mere minutes, but Theoren knew that very soon that would change. Once in possession of the Demon's Heart the fight would be taken to the next level.

Rubbing his eyes he listened to Amariette and coughed up a little bit of silvery blood, spitting it to the side before looking back to her and the book. "Sorry 'bout de bumpy ride..." he said blearily, as if he were really only half aware of what had happened to them, or who had been present at the time. "I guess dat's a trick I'll needa practice more." Bracing himself against the wall he gave a quick shove to get himself onto his feet. It hurt. Oh God did it hurt. Theoren staggered over to Amariette and reached down, taking the book from her, rather passive in his behavior, really. Apparently he had been considerably drained or slowed down by the venture, though regaining strength rather quickly.

Between pages he stopped and gave her a sidelong glance. "Better brace dat arm. Look in your pack, find a cloth an' make cherself a splint while I take care o'dis." He said in a less than compassionate and some what guilty sounding tone of voice. They didn't have time to stop and rest, but with his condition compounded by hers, they did have time to stop and rest.

The book was anything but vague. Theoren made a small mental note to praise Daniel when he got back for the very detailed and accurate translation of the text he was looking at. All of the God's, their symbols, and their Athroban and Common names were written out with a few notes about them each. Moving to the chest of amulets in the center of the room Theoren looked at the book and then down into the box. Pulling out a brassy looking sigil on a chain he studied the embossed symbol closely. A scroll overtop of a fountain pen... must be Thoth. According to the book he was the Ibis-headed God of Scribes.

Taking the amulet over to the sandstone image of the man with the head of a bird, a long hooked beak and a scroll tube clutched in one hand, Theoren gingerly got stepped up onto the statue's base. He was hesitant at first to do anything, but he knew waiting wouldn't do them any good at all. With a deep breath and closed eyes and reached up and placed the chain around the statue's neck. Nothing happened. Theoren smiled some. One down, fourteen to go.

The next few were easy, Ptah the God of Crafters had a hammer, Isis the Goddess of Magic had a spell scroll, Sekhmet the Goddess of Protection a shield, Soker the God of the Underworld fire, Horus the son of Ra a scepter, and Bastet the Goddess of the Hearth an olive branch. Some Theoren never would have guessed without Daniel's help. Osiris the God of the Dead with a flail was rather esoteric, Maat the Goddess of Justice with a feather, Aenpu God of the Necropolis with a medicine vial and Hathor the Goddess of Beauty with a cow were also things Theoren never would have gotten on his own.

As he laid the amulets in their proper places he could feel the entity within him repair his bruised and broken flesh. Regeneration was not a pleasent nor was it a painful process. It was tingly and odd, a feeling he had always been uneasy with yet grateful to have. Without it he would be years behind on his work, and the Demon's Heart would still be far beyond his reach. For a moment he contemplated allowing It to heal Amariette as well, but that thought was soon dispelled. God only knew what it would do if it got a chance to latch on to someone else. Theoren ventured the guess it would not possess her, but using her, tainting her, or killing her were not beyond it's twisted sense of fun and morality.

The last four amulets were placed, the book was closed. He approached Amariette with some caution, looking to see how she was fairing physically. It wouldn't matter much longer. They were almost out, and he was sure someone would help her once they reached the surface. There was a crackling and the sound of falling rocks behind them as the giant Uraeus shook off its sandstone prison and hissed its vile tongue at them. "Sssso, you have bypasssssed my brothersssss in the other trialsssss. How clever. We think maybe they are not motalsssss after all." It almost looked expectant of a rebuttle, but spoke again too quickly for Theoren to snap at it.

"A long ssssssnake with a ssssstinging bite, I ssssstay coiled up unlessssss I musssst fight." It said with a curvy, serpentine smile. Theoren frowned and leaned on the wall. Snake with a stinging bite? Was it talking about a type of snake or was it just a metaphor? What had a stinging bite and looked like a snake? There were a few types of vines in the jungle he had come across in research that were like nettle plants and stung with small poison thorns, but that didn't fit the last portion of the riddle. Something that stayed coiled until called upon to act... Something idle and tame when unused and vicious when active... something under human command maybe? That wouldn't be an animal... what else was like a snake? Vines... hoses... whips? A whip!

"A whip?" He said aloud, almost blurting the answer and at once froze, fearing that it was the wrong answer. The Uraeus gave a snakelike sigh and swished its tail. "Passss through the door, ssstrange onesssss. You are nearly there."

[Amariette Willowbane]

[glow=blue,2,300]The Eleventh Hour of the Night[/glow]

Amariette busied her herself as Theoren went about placing the amulets, rather relieved that he thought her arm injured instead of the more serious truth of the matter. Still, she worked fast and let the pack she carried fall from her shoulders to the floor, the sound doing nothing to disturb the solemn silence that seemed to fill the temple now. They were very close. She could almost feel the excitement of the demons that lurked within the stone, just waiting for their chance to descend upon her in feast, anticipating the sweet taste of her soul. Wincing in pain and muffling sharp cries of agony as she rifled through the clothing in her pack, she pulled out a torn shirt she had kept to use as rags and ripped a long strip free, her fingers almost a blur at the speed in which she moved. Taking care, she began to wrap the strip about her bruised skin, tightening the vice so that her broken rib was realigned and set rather securely, a outcry of agony escaping her lips and causing her to fall once again to her knees in supplication to her stinging nerve endings. Tears spilled from her eyes for no other reason than to find an outlet for the massive discomfort she was forced to endure for the time being, but soon she had knotted the cloth solidly about her body and took a few moments to steady her wavering unconsciousness.

There was still one more problem to address and she was running out of time. With her chest heaving for air and the filling of her lungs only causing a numbing throb, she replaced the tattered cloth in her pack and closed it once again, reaching down to retrieve a new vial from her belt that was heavily capped and dark. Letting her eyes fall closed, she tilted her head back and began to shake the contents as quickly as she could, the internal bleeding causing a fever to rise that would draw her into a coma rather soon. The remedy was a rather strong one, created for the sensitive task of healing internal injuries whatever they may have been, a mixture she had only recently learned to craft to efficiency. It was absolutely disgusting, as thick as cod liver oil and as black as the soul of the most wicked creature imaginable, still, she was left with little choice and sank her teeth into the cork stopper, pulling it forth and spitting it aside. Her nose curled in repulsion and she felt her stomach lurch in response to the horrid smell, the vial rising to her lips and the liquid disappearing down her throat where it coated her esophagus along its descent. Throwing the vial aside, the glass shattering against a nearby wall, she gingerly got to her feet, a slight movement of her rib causing her to grunt as she leaned down to retrieve her pack and slip it back onto her shoulders. If the vial’s contents were fast-acting, as she hoped they were, she would make it through the minor dilemma with little more than a knotted stomach and mild discomfort, symptoms that would vanish within a few days and leave her a little less than new.

Swallowing hard and smoothing her loose hair back against her head, the sweat matting them regardless, she got to her feet and broke into a trotted gait as Theoren passed the Uraeus and they continued on through the open door to the next trial, her head clearing a great deal, which was truly a blessing among blessings. As soon as they entered, the stone door closed shut firmly behind them, leaving them in total darkness and Amariette’s heart racing, her breathing rate quickening as she felt a rather familiar sensation brush over her foot. “No wait!” She whispered as she raised an arm to block what she thought was an advancing Theo, “Listen, do you hear it?” Turning her head from left to right, her eyes could not pierce the black abyss, but her ears could most certainly detect a low reverberation of hisses rising about her. “I think they’re asps, so we have to be especially careful with every step we take. When the first small boat was transporting us, I took the time to skip through the trials to get my bearings for each one.”

She kept her voice to a low whisper and continued, “If I remember correctly, we have to navigate through the snakes and find a stone ladder marked with carvings and words. We are supposed to feel our way along the ladders’ steps and there will be words on each step that we have to look out for because a few are rigged to crumble if we put our weight on them. But first things first, don’t move.” Trying her best to move as slow as possible, she drew her pack down onto her left arm and opened it carefully; gasping and freezing as she felt another serpentine body work it’s way over her right foot and around her leg to vanish once again. As her pulse throbbed in her ears, she searched inside until she felt the round length of wood she had taken from their last campfire, a sulfur head match tied to it with a thin piece of twine. Removing the two items and readjusting the pack on her shoulders, she closed her eyes and whispered a secret prayer, lifting her left foot and striking the head of the match, causing it to flare to life so that she could light the end of the wood and create a makeshift torch.

The sudden illumination allowed Theoren to see the color drained completely from her face as she gazed about at the sight that was offered them, the entire temple room covered from ceiling to floor in dangerous asps, curled about old statues and skeletons. The ladder rested against the opposite wall at the other end of the writhing room, the very floor looking as though it were covered in a flowing wave of glistening black bodies that were just waiting to overwhelm them. “Oh….my…..”

[Theoren Roullier]

[glow=violet,2,300]The Twelfth Hour of the Night[/glow]

Darkness. Wonderful. He shuddered slightly at her prediction of snakes. He hated snakes. Old residual angel thing, he supposed. As she struck up the match and lit the torch he cringed at the sight of the hundreds of serpents winding around the structural surfaces in the room and took a few steps back towards the already vanishing door. "Snakes..." He whispered with a lump in his throat. "Why did it have to be snakes? I hate snakes."

He was all for leaving as soon as possible. Pulling Amariette along by the arm he dodged the vipers as lithely as possible, muttering and gasping a few times here and there if one got too close. When halfway across he finally realized they had noticed the pair and he grabbed the torch from Amariette's hand. Waving it along the ground the flames snapped out at the poisonous snakes with a fiery tongue, causing the serpents to double back, faint and staggered hissing sounds coming from all around them. The ladder was so close and yet so far.

Theoren must have clung to it like it was a lifeboat and he had just been throw overboard during a storm. He clambored up on the first rung, not even looking to see if it was safe and held the sides for dear life. "A'right, what's goin' on here?" He asked, still glancing around at the snakes as he handed back the torch so she could read. The rungs were rather spaced out, he noticed, almost two feet between each of them and from what he could see, marked in the ancient athrobian language like everything else in here was.

As she read him off the words of each rung he shrugged. Other than the asps, this seemed pretty easy even though the ladder extended a good twenty five feet or more into the blackness above them. Wealth, Murder, Family, Ocean, Theft, Marriage, Faith, Heart, Justice, Greed, Woman, God... how ironic that God would be at the top. Tying a rope around his waist he offered the end to Amariette as she closed the book and held the torch. "Hang on t'dis, tie it to yerself, whatever you got to do I don' care... jus' hold d'sides and b'careful where ya put your feet."

The trial seemed easy- just don't touch the a-morl worded rungs. The first one seemed so simple- Murder was bad, don't touch it. He stood upon Wealth and reached up to grab the bar marked Family, hauling his own weight and Amariette's up the ladder using the sides as braces, letting her step to the Wealth bar after him. Ocean seemed benign enough- two more feet up they went, and he pulled her over the Murder bar to Family. Theft was also obviously bad. Skip that one. Marriage, Faith, Heart, Justice all went without much consequence. Greed was another no brainer. He reached up to grab the bar marked Woman. He was in the midst of hauling himself up when there was a cracking sound. Panic flashed in his eyes as he suddenly felt the air cut out from beneath him and a free fall start as the rung marked Woman snapped clear in half.

He was quick to reach out and snatch up the Justice bar, dangling there by one hand. He blinked- what the hell had happened? Woman? How was that a-moral? He looked down with annoyance in his voice. "'Eh, didn't Danny say dis tribe had a problem wit' women?" He said, suddenly recalling something Daniel had babbled at him before handing over the book. There was a faint outline of Amariette nodding in the darkness. "Woulda been nice o'him t'put dat footnote down in his translation..." Theoren muttered as he began pulling them up once more.

He got his feet on the Justice bar and began to shimmy up to the top of the latter. Grasping the bar marked God he felt it burn a little hot for a moment on his hands and he sneered, curling his upper lip at the taunt. "Yah... I get de joke, whoever ya are." he snapped as he pulled himself up and over the top of the ledge, helping Amariette as she came up behind him. The Uraeus was already awake and waiting for them. "It hasssss a mouth but doessss not ssssspeak, has a bed but never sssssleepssss."

Theoren was getting pretty damn tired of riddles. What the hell had a mouth? A bed? He looked at Amariette. "Caves have mouths." He said. She shook her head and he sighed. The second part wouldn't make sense, she was right. "Bed of moss? No, dat don' work either... mouth?" He shook his head. "A river..." He heard a quite voice behind him. The Uraeus was smiling down cruelly at the little village girl. "Very good, Missssss." It said with an almost happy tone, happy that they were going to finally meet their doom now. "Passss..."

Theoren looked back with a small smile. "Not bad..." he remarked as he tossed the torch into the pit of asps, the door beyond them opening into light. Striding through like the king of the world Theoren looked over his shoulder. "What's de last test?" At the creaking sound of a monsterous yawn he turned his head, slowly and with a sinking horrible feeling in his stomach that he was about to see something he really didn't want to. There before them was the biggest, meanest, most evil looking three-headed dog he had ever seen. It turned its heads and six red eyes gleamed down at them, just beyond them a set of five pedastals. "Oh Hell no..." Theoren murmured. "Dis jus' ain't right."

With a roar the beast recognized the intrusion and lunged down at them with a gaping maw splayed. Theoren gave Amariette a quick shove and ducked out of the way as its snout crushed against the wall, causing it to curl back and yelp. "How we 'sposed t'kill dis t'ing?" he cried as he lunged for the fifth pedestal on which rested the whip of an animal tamer. Cracking it in the dog's face he nicked it's nose, causing a small scratch to open up, blood running down the creavace between its nostrils. "Better do somet'ing ..." He said, circling around the thing, trying not to get backed into a wall.

From the corner of his eyes he spotted the flute on the fourth pedastal. "Mari! Grab dat flute! Play it fer all you're worth!" He said as he ducked another attack and went careening for the sword on the first pedestal, grabbing it and waving it in the dog's other face to keep it at bay. After all, music soothed the savage beast... he hoped that went for demons as well.

[Amariette Willowbane]

She gave a sharp scream of surprise as the hellhound lunged and she was shoved clear, pitching forward to taste the sand covered floor once again, her body filled with sudden pain from her aggravated rib. Amariette didn’t have time to complain, after all, better mild pain than no pain at all, which would mean she was dead. In fact, they weren’t far from that fate at all and as she gritted her teeth and pulled herself to her feet, she was just in time to dodge another swipe of a massive paw, her figure moving into a fluid roll that brought her to the pedestal where the flute awaited. Theoren had practically ordered her to play it. Play the flute?! She had no idea how to play a single note! Amariette was a dancer by nature, but certainly not a musician. The idea of courting a flute was beyond her, but she reached for the thing anyway and brought it to her lips, her entire mind and body freezing as the hound renewed its attack on Theo. She had to work, and she had to work FAST! “Oh moons, Mother, I need your help. I fear this may be the end of us.”

Her mind was crying out in absolute desperation now, her heart racing and her eyes closed shut tight in total prayer, the girl’s very soul opening to hear her mother’s voice. “You can play it Amariette, deep within, you KNOW how to play it. Trust in yourself, you are no mere girl now. Feel the beauty that lives and thrives within you, feed the flute with the essence of the most pure. Hurry girl, you MUST play or all will be lost!” Nodding her head at the powerful and familiar voice, Amariette took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, her lips curling in just the right way to allow a soothing note to part the air and ring in the ears of Theoren and the beast. Her fingers began to dance along the variety of holes and the melody came to life and filled the room in beautiful tones and pitches that reached out to the evil within and hypnotized it, the true attraction of the light. Every ounce of goodness within Amariette’s spirit was carried in that tune, that haunting symphony that made up her soul and mind and body in its’ entirety. All that she was, is, and would be was poured into the music, sweeping up the hound and drawing its attention like a moth to a flame, the great beast having turned its head to watch her in marveling silence. Its bloodthirsty nature was being curbed and its many eyes lingered on the image of the village girl as she was slowly turned on a spinning disk that laid hidden on the floor, her overwhelming innocence and purity lulling it to the point of eternal slumber.

The temple monster began to advance on her in frightening steps, a formidable sight that she was simply oblivious to as she played, the feather soft fingers working like the wind over each depression in the wooden instrument. It was then that Amariette’s beauty was the most visible, the very essence of the maiden laid bear to see, where all mortal blemish was done away with completely and she simply existed as the creature of goodness and justice that she was. The dirty, tattered clothes vanished, the scars and scratches and bandages were no more real than the lingering warmth left by a lover’s kiss long after they have passed on into the vale of death. She was Life. The most basic and simple example of a flowers’ color, a nightingale’s song, the moon, and the very stars, a being so untouched and unrivaled, that the very Heaven’s yearned for her smile to bring new light to their gates. Her hair was let down, the ringlet strands the color of fire and existence, so brilliant and bold that it verged on blinding and her skin was moon washed and pale, as though she had bathed in the very starlight that shone through even the darkest of nights. The woman’s body was clothed in white light, her gown made of the very fabric of time out of mind, of a time where the creatures of magic lived forever and the dawn greeted Man with bright sun shine that gave life to the most wanton of souls, the most desirous of entities.

She twirled, she spun, she played her music, her life’s song, and there was no more temple. For a single moment that seemed to extend into days, there was no evil, there was no deceit, the darkness was pushed away, pushed so far away that it was snuffed out of the universe for as long as the music lasted. Just as the hound was shaking the effects of the music’s sway, Theoren plunged the blade into the beasts’ malicious heart, the creature giving a roar of pain that jarred Amariette from her trance just in time to register their triumph. Its’ three heads swayed in torrents of agony, the monster fighting death to the very end before it collapsed at her feet and she could see black tears spilling from each of its eyes, the last breath it would ever take exhaled into the air to fade forever. Slowly, the flute fell from her hands and clattered to the floor, her image that of the dirty village maiden once more, bruised, bandaged and sweating her exertion. Heart racing, she moved quickly from the hound’s corpse and fled to Theoren’s side where she looked visibly shaken, even scared, the Uraeus hissing in annoyance and setting its’ slitted eyes on her rather greedily, forked tongue flickering out to taste the air just shy of her face. “Pretty Child, such a pretty little child. Nothing sssssso beautiful could be human. Ssssstill, even the hooved onessssss can perish here. Lasssst riddle. What is not enough for one, Just right for two, Too much for three?" The words seemed to escape her trembling lips even before she was able to contemplate the serpent’s question, “A secret….” The answer left a profound impression on her heart and slowly…..very slowly…..Amariette was beginning to understand. She was beginning…..to see….

[Theoren Roullier]

[glow=white,2,300]The Dawn[/glow]

Eyes went wide at the sight before him. How could he not have known? Of course, it all made perfect sense to him now... her innocence, her purity, her child-like nature and her love of Daniel and her entire world... it all made sense. As the light shone on him, he and the Beast were both entranced for a moment. Theoren had not seen such beauty and light since he had departed from Heaven. He turned around, dropping the whip, as if it were a dream and raised the sword high up above his head.

A terrible wind whipped around them as he plunged the blade deep into the Hound's flesh, into its ugly heart. How many demons had he vanquished before, how many times had he drawn a blade against the evil he had sworn himself to obliterate from the world? It was as though he was still Maedryn, still the Mercurial light and the warrior of Him from days of yore as he twisted the blade and a burst of red light filled the temple as the great Hound screamed and collapsed into dust at their feet. He pulled the sword out triumphantly as the Uraeus looked onwards to Amariette, coaxing her to remember the answer to the riddle, and she did.

Little did she know that the worst trial of the Temple was no trial at all... but the prize at the end of the maze.

Theoren felt a twisting within him, eyes flashing from silver to red and back to his human color. It was near. It was feet from them now. He broke into a run, sprinting past both the now statued Uraeus and the girl into the next room. The entire place shone with the red light of what had to be the biggest ruby in the entire world. It sat in the clawed hands of a demon with outstretched arms, just begging to be plucked up from the pits of this Hell and weilded. His eyes darkened, he felt... hungry. If only she knew the kind of power that lay just before them, just inches from their reach.

Bathed in the eerie red glow his eyes fixed upon the gem with a greed that looked nearly insatiable. "Jus' t'ink... de whole world... at your whim. Entire oceans bendin' to your command... An' dey tol' me it wasn't real..." He said, advancing on the rock. His fingers reached out and brushed its surface, the light shining in his eyes, so filled with desire it was almost a sin just standing there. Power was literally in his hands... the power to create, to destroy, and to challenge God himself if Theoren wanted to. All it needed was an activation.

Picking up the stone like a delicate crystal egg he looked over to Amariette with a coveting expression. He cradled the gem and moved to her side, as if showing her their prize. "It's intact... an' only missin' one t'ing..." A hand shot out and snatched her up by the wrist and dragged her in, a truly wicked smile creeping over such a handsome face as the hatred, the sorrow, and the anger inside of him allowed his parasite to grip his soul with its talons and take control. "De blood of an innocent." He crooned, moving in to whisper in her ear. "An' what better blood t'have den dat of a unicorn"

[Amariette Willowbane]

“Theoren….what do you…..you’re hurting me!” She looked upon him with visible fear, his words hanging thickly in the air and swirling within her mind as she struggled in his grip and fought to free herself. His touch was cold and his eyes were menacing, almost insanely maniacal. Yet she was puzzled by his reference. A unicorn? She had only read about them in books. Great tales of old that were passed down through generations to entertain the little ones and helped them to sleep on cold and stormy nights. Certainly he was truly mad to be referring to her as such. But was he? There was a conscious awareness stirring to life within her, a palpable sense of self that she had never know before. It was then that she saw her mother, the woman she loved and idolized above all things, stealing away into the night to run free across the mountain lands and valleys of old. She wore no clothes, but bore a gilded mane that blazed in glory, a single horn spiraling toward the skies above, as wild and untamed as the very lands surrounding, lands she had known since their birth. Her heart knew, her spirit knew, her soul knew. Amariette was trembling terribly and tears pooled in her emerald eyes, the irises now encircled in silver and glimmering with the eternal hope that would never fade or be lost. ‘I am she. I am that which fuels all legend and gives heart to the weak. I am unicorn.’ It was the next thought that rose in her mind that caused her the most panic. ‘And he means to destroy me.’

“NO!” Amariette cried out, her body going rigid and her strength of will forcing her to fight against him with all her might, the village girl beating her fist against his chest in the hopes that he released her. She would flee, she would flee this wicked and demonic world, this temple that harbored all that she scorned and loathed to her very core. She would flee as her mother did so many times. She would flee to freedom. Dragging her feet as he wrapped an arm about her waist and lifted her from the ground to carry her into the final room, she cried out in angry fury and lightning exploded within her pupils, the sound of a shrill war cry of her true kind echoing in the air. Pushing against his forearm wrapped tightly about her, she dug her nails into his skin and rendered them along his arm, leaving slime trails of silver as she forced her head back to crack against the bridge of his nose. Kicking her legs and writhing her body as only she could, she gritted her teeth and screamed again, her voice rising into the air with a shocking amount of command and power, “Release me Theoren Roullier! Release me this instant! I’ll not let you sacrifice me for the sake of your evil ways!” The maiden could feel her skin burning, her very veins being suffused with a an iron resolve and determination to defeat the dark creature that sought to end her life, palpable heat resonating from her skin, now flushed a more than healthy pink. Bucking hard again, she hissed and stretched out her body, her back arching against him and her thighs tightening in violent kicks that almost forced him to drop her. Still, to Amariette’s horror, he held firm and would not let her go. Her mind worked frantically, memories not her own filling her mind, of battles fought against the darkness long ago by her kind, legions of the hoofed ones, the ancients creatures that defended life til death. It was hopeless to fight the Phoenix, but she may yet reach its slave whom she knew still had some measure of strength.

“Theoren, please, listen to me. You have to let me go. You must free me. What you wish to do is wrong and you know this. Remember your true self, the being who lived only to help those in need and serve those whom believed only in truth and justice. Do not let the demon within you win the war that you have fought for so long. It does not have to be this way. Please, I know you can hear me. Do not give in. Do not surrender to the shadow.” Her body went limp against him as she sought to reach his mind, the beautiful soul she still wished to save that was being held captive within. The voice she used was soft, coaxing, brushing at the edges of his thoughts and caressing the shield that held his soul at bay, the very promise of release held within those words, of a peace he had not known for so long, an eternal peace.

[Theoren Roullier]

The stone was placed once more on the altar of Seoul-Mun as Theoren dragged Amariette over to the great ruby with a merciless grip. From his belt he unshealthed a small silver dagger with a plain wooden handle as he grinned maliciously at her. Forcing her to her knees he took her hand and turned the palm up, running the blade across the sensitive skin quickly. It would not cause much pain but it would bleed well, if only for a few seconds, for he only cut the surface. When she looked at him with questioning eyes he merely dropped her arm and winked, the same strange red glow from within him backlighting his irises. "Waste not." He almost chuckled as his attentions turned back to the stone.

Hands reached out and grasped the rock tightly. Immediately the blood bubbled around his fingers and pillars of red light shot like lasers in every direction, consuming thr room as Theroen himself was forced down to his knees with a jolt and a small cry as the man within submitted to the pain his body was being forced to endure. His eyes went wide as he watched the light from the stone begin to creep over his body, a blinding phenonmenon that felt like fire all over his skin, yet he was not burnt.

The pain was too much to bear. His eyes rolled back into his head and the human form lost consciousness for a moment in time, just enough for the parasite to take control and begin to absorb the power that was within the stone waiting to be tapped. Theoren's special genetics would keep him alive through the process. It was why he had been hand picked, after all... to sustain such unbearable agony and heal so rapidly was a rare feat. The Phoenix almost laughed its ugly screeching laugh aloud as the power from the gem seeped slowly through Theoren's essence, tendrils of red light coiling around his arms and waist like Hell's serpents.

The room began to heat as the power inside of him began to build. Rousing into consciousness once again Theoren was helpless, his hands glued to the gem as the transformation took place, not that he would have moved them if he could. He let out a cry of pain, the veins in his face and neck beginning to push against the skinn as his muscles seized at the changes going on inside of him. There was a pulsating aura around him now, a dark glow that Amariette would know was It, the Phoenix, manifesting here in the physical world due to the power surge from the stone.

It began to take form around him, it's neck and beak unfurling above his head as its wings spread out to show itself to the world in all its glory, black and purple and red, so full of darkness and hate, the opposite of her purity and light. It let out its own cry, a deafening scream that pierced the air as the rbuy's power restored its host and enveloped them both in a great red glow. It was invigorating... it was... indescribible. Theoren's eyes, ringed in red, flashed as the gem imparted its great gift upon him. The Phoenix stretched itself beyond him and in an instant there was a crackle and everything was ablaze in fire.

Theoren, the Phoenix, and the ruby caught up in a fiery blast that sent flames of red and gold leaping high up to touch the ceiling and the walls... yet... it did not burn. Like the fire of God that Moses had seen in the desert it harmed nothing but burned brilliantly just the same. For an instant Theoren could see, truly see, everything around him- the lines between home and darkness, between Amariette's world and his own, between Ahtah and Malkhut. He could see at once, both Heaven and Earth like he never had before.

And just as quickly as the flames had risen around him and in him, they died. The light in the room died as well, the ruby lost its luster and Theoren collapsed in a heap on the ground as the light in the placed faded to nothing. There was an old creaking sound as a cog wheel opened a door at the far corner of the room and light from the midday jungle filtered through to the still form of a young redhaired man on the ground and a shy red haired girl quivering beside him. He had done as she asked. He could not fully defeat it, but he had spared her as best he knew how. What that meant for the rest of the world... would be a completely different matter.

A hand rose from the ground and flopped against the ruby who's glow had been reduced to almost nothing, only a dim light at its center. Fingers curled over the smooth surface and pulled it down to the young man's face as he pushed up off the ground coughing up blood and dirt. The stone was slipped into the bag on his shoulder as he opened brown eyes to look at Amariette still sitting before him. He nodded slightly. It was over. They had won.

He said nothing as he struggled to his feet and wavered there for a moment. He turned, then, one foot infront of the other as he limped towards the door of the place. The jungle had never looked so good to him as he blinked into the harshness of the afternoon sun. Shielding his eyes from the light he surveyed where they were. Right back at the mouth of the Metrenange! What luck! The boat was only a mile from here, due south! He grinned and patted the bag at his side. And everyone had been worried. He had waved them all off. Didn't they know who he was? He was Theoren Roullier, and right now, there was no one in the world better to be. "S'a new day, cherie! No better day t'be alive."

[Amariette Willowbane]

She was visibly shocked as he drew the blade along her hand, the pain hot and the blood spilling forth easily, her own essence stolen to awaken the gleaming ruby. And what a ruby it was! Amariette had never seen such a stone, but she was no more interested in it then had it been a bowl of sand, her attention drawn to her wounded palm. Strangely calm eyes settled on the sight, the crimson droplets trailing down her skin to dapple along the floor of the temple, her mind working through what contents she had left to bind it. Theoren would not have understood her plight, but Daniel would have recognized right away, having already experienced her disorders firsthand on they day they attended the fair and watched the jousting tournament. The village girl was a rather severe hemophiliac and victim to rather potent anemia, disorders of the blood that were as natural to her as one could expect, which would in turn, prevent the clotting that would impede the free flow of her already iron-deficient blood. She would need to apply a coagulate and wrap the cut as soon as possible, but her attention was captured by the ensuing scene that Theoren had to offer, Amariette completely unable to avert her eyes from the sight of the Demon’s heart brought to life.

Eyes would widen in horror as the Phoenix emerged from the man’s body to collect its prize, the power of the Athrobian jewel only helping to feed the wicked creature and offer even more strength and energy to solidify its malicious intentions. There was nothing she could do to stop it, and the erupting fire only succeeded in paralyzing her where she rested, tears spilling from her eyes as her lips parted in terrifying awe of Theoren’s quest made hopelessly real. A great sorrow filled her heart and her soul was in unmistakable pain as she watched the tides of war turn in favor of the enemy, the ugly beast gaining an ever-increasing advantage over the slave that harbored it and kept it safe for as long as it willed, until a time where it could rise and wreak unimaginable havoc upon the land. Just as suddenly as it had began, the rite seemed to end as the Phoenix retreated and Theoren fell to the ground in an apparent lifeless heap, his body a mere shell that protected a deadly secret, a immense evil that threatened the very fabric of life. A pool of blood had now formed about Amariette’s trembling figure and her skin was drained of all color, the deathly shade of waning life more than present on her young face.

Consequently, she had unconsciously ignored her own dilemma while she watched the fate of the King of Thieves seal itself, promising utter destruction to all creatures whom continued to live out their lives oblivious to the growing threat posed by his parasite. She was suddenly relieved as the still figure began to stir and Theoren quickly collected the jewel and rose to stumble toward the open door of the temple, the light of midday just piercing the shadowed darkness within, and offering a clearer illumination upon her. The change in him was evident, his very look altered in some way that she couldn’t place due to her wavering consciousness and rapidly lightening head, her heart beat growing further and further faint as she finally shook free of the trance and recognized her predicament for what it was. His light-hearted words were the last things she registered before her own voice cut through the air, very weak and shallow, “Theoren…..” In the next instant, Amariette’s body doubled over and she collapsed against the stone floor, her bleeding hand falling outstretched with the fingers curled somewhat and her thick eye lashes pressed together in unavoidable unconsciousness, the sound of her beating heart echoing into a fading lull in her mind.

She was once more that fragile rose that was so easily crushed beneath the weight of the ever pervasive evil about her, the maiden's strength failing completely and her future resting in the hands of the most emotionless character ever known. Theoren may have praised the new day and the new life he felt he had acquired, but she was losing the very battle that she had fought on his behalf for the entirety of their journey, her sacrifice lingering within the ancient walls of what may well have been her eternal place of rest.

[Theoren Roullier]

"Whoa!" He called, rushing back into the temple. She was half unconscious... and bleeding! What had that blasted parasite done this time? He picked her up, walking her outside. The choice became, save her or not to save her? She was of little use now... or was she? His mind raced... Daniel... Daniel had the map. The last piece of the puzzle was the missing piece of the map of Unguja, an old legend. Daniel had torn the page out of the library book Theoren had gone in search of. The brat archaeologist must have know, Theoren snarled to himself, sitting the Doctor's fiance on a rock with some contempt.

He would have just as soon left her there, after all, she was excess baggage, but leaving his only bargaining chip to die in the middle of a jungle was for naught if he did not have that map. The Lost Island was not something he knew how to get to on his own, nor could he get directions from a local cartographer. When he touched Amariette, something strange happen. He felt a great heat, but this time, it wasn't coming from her. It was coming from him.

In wonderment he lifted his hand, index finger extended to see heat lines radiating from the tip. What... on...earth? He concentrated on it, and as if on a whim fire burst from the tip. Startled by the flame Theoren broke his concentration and it disappeared again. He knew with each new stone he gained another power that the Phoenix had locked away, but he had no idea that they could or would physically manifest this way. Pyrokinesis... he thought... what a... surprise. He looked down to the cut dripping blood steadily from Amariette's hand. Interesting indeed.

Bringing her palm up to his finger tip he concentrated hard on the end, the flame springing forth again. There was a pop and the smell of singed flesh as the fire began to cauterize the wound. Theoren had to look away, finding the sight disgusting. But it was doing the trick. She still looked rather faint, though, and so as a last resort as she toppled into unconsciousness he slung her small body over his shoulder and started back for the ship...