Gairanda watched the shadowed ground below her as it passed by, it's blurred passage seeming to match the strange haze of her mind. She had started to remember a few things...but not in the way she should have.

Her mind was still stuck halfway between the world and something else. She wanted to say it was the dreamworld, but it wasn't...at least, it didn't quite seem to be. It was more like a thousand dreamworlds all overlaid, each one siphoning through her thoughts, splitting them a thousand ways before flowing back together into an indescribable river of images and feelings. She saw things in these strange worlds, and felt echoes of thoughts in each one. It was as though she was looking through a thousand sets of eyes...no, it was like she was seeing into the imaginations of a thousand different people. Whatever this strange half-world was, she couldn't seem to pull herself out of it.

She knew Sudvana's name, not because she remembered it, but because it was in one of these strange worlds. She appeared in images and scenes, the most prominent of which was not unlike the scene she found herself in in the real world. She saw the angel Annelique, and the faerie called Kaboom.

She saw many other faeries as well, living in a shadowy city; awake now, though they slept during the day.

She knew this because it was somehow *in* the scene, as though there were a silent narrator explaining it to her.

She knew Ishiar, Ralier, Ushan and Blast, because there were images of them swimming in and out of her mind, seeming to originate from Annelique and Sudvana. They seemed tinged with concern and fear.

She was gradually coming to realize that this strange world somehow contained the thoughts of others, though in strange forms that were often difficult for her to understand. There were so many scenes that she could only make sense out of things that she recognized; otherwise it all blurred together and she could only get the general idea.

She was just starting to get used to it when something caught her attention and almost made her flinch.

She saw images of Annelique, Sudvana and her other companions, but they were from a different mind...if you could call it that. It was more like a different set of scenes, shifting in and out of focus, silently narrated. But somehow, she knew who these images were coming from; someone who was incredibly dangerous.

Leiasell. She didn't have any specific memories of her, but her gut told her all she needed.

"Annelique..." she said over the rush of the wind.

"Yes?" the angel replied.

"Leiasell is looking for us. She's here."

Annelique instantly swooped towards the ground, with Kaboom eventually falling in behind her. Annelique and Kaboom placed Gairanda and Sudvana on the ground, and Annelique's sword was instantly in her hand. "Where is she?"

"I'm...not sure." Gairanda answered.

"You didn't see her?" Annelique asked.

"No."

"Then how do you know she's here?"

"I'm...the things in my mind seem to actually be images from other people's minds."

Everyone looked at her, all perplexed except for Kaboom, who was smiling, with one eyebrow raised.

"Well, that should be handy," she said cheerily. "We've got ourselves a mindreader!"

"What? How is that possible?" Sudvana asked.

"I don't know," Gairanda answered. "But I've seen yours, too. You're worried about the others."

"Does Leiasell know where we are?" Annelique asked.

"No, she's distracted...something's bothering her."

"What?"

"A woman with red hair. She's...Rea. Someone named Rea...she's one of Leiasell's allies, I think, but..." Gairanda's speech came in spurts as she strained to puzzle through the impressions in her mind. "She sent Rea after the others. But I don't think she wanted to. She's angry at Rea...or she thinks Rea is angry. It's hard to tell. There are images of violence, but they're vague. Sort of hazy images of Rea killing people. I can't tell where the thoughts end and the dreams begin--everything seems to just keep going and blurring together every which way. I'm not sure which parts are real. Wait--" Gairanda shook her head slightly. "Centauresses are attacking her."

"Wow. That's gonna be short," Kaboom said.

"She's in the air, warning them..." Gairanda continued.

"She can fly..." Annelique intoned somberly.

"They're throwing spells--it's getting--"

Gairanda's mind was flooding with images of the sudden battle--centauresses firing bows and casting spells, Leiasell taking on her shadow form and firing her deadly laser. She saw a dozen different versions of the same scene, each overlaid with unseen inflections, impressions, feelings, thoughts...there was so much going on that her mind started to slip, dispersing into the tide of images as though it were a drop ink in an ocean of water.

She started to fall over. Sudvana and Annelique were instantly at her side, catching her and holding her up.

"What's wrong?" Annelique asked.

"I...c..." Gairanda almost looked like she was falling unconscious. Gradually her mind started to come back and she fought to push the images out and reclaim the part of the universe that seemed to be hers. "There were too many images, too urgent...they're fighting. I lost myself in it for a moment."

"Who was winning?" Kaboom asked eagerly.

"I'm guessing Leiasell," Sudvana said. "Are you alright?" she asked Gairanda.

"I think so...but I can't get the images to stop. Every time I focus on one or push one away, it feels like I'm going to fall asleep and start dreaming it..."

"Well...if we know what Leiasell is thinking, maybe we can avoid her." Annelique said. "Just don't delve too deep, okay? I don't know if you can survive another encounter with the ghosts."

"Oh, I'm sure we could manage," Kaboom said, patting her belly. "Ghosts taste pretty good. Weird, but good."

"They're retreating..." Gairanda said. "Leiasell has won."

"Total shock," Kaboom said. She had pulled out a shotgun and seemed to be loading it.

"How close is she?" Annelique asked.

"I don't know," Gairanda answered. "I can't sense her, I just get images from her...and everyone else."

"Who else is around here?"

"Faeries...and arachnes...ghosts...us...two, I think, two centaur tribes...and...a Black Crescent port, on the edge of the mountains, near the sea..." she started to look wobbly again, but managed to keep her feet. "Wait. Aerothi is talking to Leiasell...Eronmar is under attack. She's ordering her to come back. And Rea." Gairanda raised her head. "She knows where Eronmar is from here. It's south."

"How far south?"

"...A long way. About a hundred miles."

"Still, with us flying, that's only a few hours."

"Will the attack be enough cover for us to get into the city?" Sudvana asked.

"Depends on who is attacking..." Annelique looked at Gairanda. Gairanda simply shrugged and shook her head.

"Maybe the Black Crescents can help us," Sudvana said. "They're good at stealth, aren't they?"

"Or maybe they're Aether-whatsernoodle's allies," Kaboom replied.

"No, they're not," Gairanda said. "They're neutral."

"Do you know where their port is?" Annelique asked.

"Yes...it's east, not far from here."

"I guess we can ask, so long as we don't let any of them know who we are," Annelique said.

"But what do we offer them?" Sudvana asked. "We don't have any money...Ushan had all of it."

Annelique bit her lower lip.

"Maybe we can find one who's willing to do it just to save the world," she finally said.

*****

Ralier just couldn't stop looking over her shoulder, half-expecting Rea to be there every time she did. She had both of Rea's weapons, but somehow that provided little comfort. In fact, something about one of them--the golden blade--just made her feel almost sick inside. She couldn't get the image out of her head--Blast, stabbed through the heart, hanging limply from that tree...even the forest itself had started to seem darker somehow because of that.

Blast was leading her somewhere again, but she was no longer the spritely girl she had been only an hour before. Her skin was pale, and rather than hopping and skipping, she was walking awkwardly, almost stumbling. She kept raising her hand to her chest, touching the spot where the golden blade had pierced her, as though it was still hurting her.

Ralier was a little worried about that. She had yet to find any problem that Blast couldn't solve with some sort of potion, and something as simple as an injury should have been ridiculously easy. Yet she was just letting her potions and reagents hang on her belts as if she didn't even know they were there. She had pulled her flute out, but she had not played it--it simply sat idle in her hand as she walked.

Ralier had asked if Blast was alright...in hindsight it was kind of stupid since Blast never talked, but usually she made some sort of response. She did--she just stopped for a moment, keeping her head turned away from Ralier, then slowly started walking again. That hadn't exactly eased Ralier's worries.

Not that she blamed her. Three quarters of their group had been separated from them...or killed. They didn't even know which. Ralier clung to some hope that Ushan and Ishiar would make it, and she figured the Angel and Gairanda could definately handle themselves...then again, Ishiar could normally handle herself too, and Rea had more or less handed her her ass on a plate.

She looked nervously over her shoulder again.

She wanted to say something, but she just couldn't find any words; she couldn't think of anything that might console the poor girl in front of her.

Hell, she couldn't think of much to console herself...except maybe the fantasy of stabbing Rea with her own damn sword, pinning HER up to a tree, then beating her in the face with a hammer for a few hours. Ralier didn't even want to eat her. She just wanted to hurt her. A lot. But she knew she couldn't...she wouldn't stand a chance against her, and that just made it all that much worse.

Blast stopped. She looked around for a moment, taking in the trees, looking up at the sky for a moment--with a start, Ralier realized their actually was a sky, as a few golden rays of sunlight filtered through the trees into the glade. But rather than taking heart from this, Blast just seemed to worsen. Ralier saw a tear roll down her cheek and she slowly sat down on the grass, looking more like she was crumpling than anything. The flute hit the grass with a whisper as Blast simply sat there motionless.

Ralier just watched, feeling as helpless as ever.

She hated feeling helpless. She was sick of feeling helpless. And yet here was one of the few friends she had in the world, suffering in a way she couldn't even understand, let alone cure.

She walked slowly over to where Blast was sitting and tried to hug her. The girl's skin was cold. She held her for a long time, but Blast never moved.

Suddenly, the back of Ralier's neck tingled as she realized there was someone else in the glade. She stood up and looked around, wary of yet another ambush--what she saw, however, was a lot different than what she had expected.

An angel with curly red hair, about a foot shorter than Annelique, stepped out from behind one of the trees in front of her. She looked at Blast for a moment, then took a few more steps away from the tree.

As she did, more angels appeared--a taller one with wavy black hair, then another, with white hair and freckles. One by one, angel after angel stepped out from behind the trees in the clearing until they were practically surrounded. The glade seemed to take on a glowing haze, the air filling with a strange light.

Finally, the last angel stepped out. She was taller than the others; a lot taller. She was almost twice the height of the next tallest angel, and pink curls framed her beautiful face. She wore white robes that almost glowed in the sunlight. But despite her beauty, Ralier felt a great sadness when she looked upon her. Yet, even for all that sadness, she also felt something else.

Love.

For the first time in days--hell, months--Ralier felt safe, comforted. Though her mind was still paranoid as ever, she felt her tense body letting go in spite of her, surrounded by this host of Brightwind that had suddenly come to them.

Blast, on the other hand, hadn't moved--she hadn't even looked up.

The tall angel slowly walked over to the small girl and knelt down, placing a caring hand on her shoulder. Blast finally looked up, tears streaking her face.

The angel paused a moment. "I'm Miss Sara. Do you remember me?" She said.

Blast nodded slowly.

The angel pursed her lips. The sadness Ralier felt suddenly turned into a spike of anguish before gradually subsiding again.

"You can't give up," Miss Sara said.

Blast's face fell. The angel put both hands on Blast's cheeks and gently lifted it up again.

"They need you," she said. "She needs you."

The expression of anguish never left Blast's face as she slowly pulled it away from the angel's fingers. Her lips trembled as she looked down to her belt and lifted something off of it for Miss Sara to see.

Ralier reflexively flinched back as she saw what it was.

The object in Blast's hands was unmistakable; it was Ushan's whip, a grim reminder of what had happened to them just a few hours before.

Miss Sara bit her lip. "I know it's hard..." she continued. "She was a good person. But you must be strong. I know you have a strong heart."

Blast's fingers moved to her chest again.

A new look of concern crossed the angel's face, as if something new had crossed her mind--or an existing fear had been confirmed. She looked towards Ralier, but rather than looking her in the eye, she looked at the golden sword in her hand. The feeling radiating from her changed; instead of sadness, it almost seemed to be fear--even a little revulsion.

Ralier noticed another angel was jogging quietly across the clearing towards Blast; she had snow-white skin and flowing black hair that was clipped behind her, hanging almost to her waist. She was carrying a very large book, bound in dark blue. Bending down, she whispered something in Miss Sara's ear as she showed her one of the pages, being careful not to let Blast see it. After a moment, Miss Sara nodded--her face was sullen now, and Ralier felt a wave of worry and despair wash over her, but also a small sense of hope--hope that she could somehow tell was clinging to her by sheer force of will.

The angel with the book briefly locked eyes with Ralier--she had odd eyes, like sapphires of the deepest blue, almost the same color as the book she carried--before hopping back into the circle with the other angels.

Once again, Miss Sara's hand was on Blast's shoulder.

"Don't let it make you forget who you are," she said quietly--the look on her face was different now, almost pleading. "Don't let it destroy you."

She stood up slowly, turning finally to face Ralier. Ralier blushed suddenly--all eyes were on her now and she had entirely no idea why, or what she was supposed to be doing.

"Never use that weapon," Miss Sara said, looking to the golden sword. "Never let anyone use it."

Ralier looked back at her for a moment. "Why?" she asked.

The angel looked tellingly back at Blast, still crumpled on the ground, before turning back to Ralier. "Because it..." She looked back at Blast, her expression more pained than ever before. "It can harm more than just the body."

"Um...I think it might be better if you took it with you, then," Ralier said, acutely aware of the fact that if Rea came to take it back, she would more than likely get it back--and she would be more than happy to use it.

The angel looked back at her, her expression more pained than ever before. "I can't. I have to protect my angels. If one of them were to be hit with--" she stopped herself. "It is a terrible thing, and I wish I could simply destroy it forever. But I cannot. I'm not sure anyone can."

Ralier turned the sword over in her hand. Aside from the black handle, it didn't look particularly evil--or even particularly powerful.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

Miss Sara simply looked at her, as if she were debating whether or not to tell her. Finally, she lowered her eyes and motioned to the angel with the book.

"Sela...show her..." she said, her voice suddenly cracking.

The black-haired angel walked towards Ralier, flipping pages as she did so.

"I can't read Angelic..." Ralier started.

Sela smiled. "You obviously don't know this book."

She held it open in front of Ralier. Sure enough, there was a garbled mess of Angelic letters on it, all incomprehensible...at least, there was for a second or two. Before she could even get a good look at them, the words and letters reassembled themselves into--of all things--the language of Ralier's monster tribe.

She felt a chill go down her spine when she saw that, running alongside the page, there was a perfect illustration of the sword that was in her hand.

Suppressing the feeling, she silently began to read.

"The sword called Lo'i Klaethe, or 'Soul-Cleaver' in the ancient deific tongue, is believed to have been created by Neruna, the Goddess of Death."

Neruna? Goddess of Death? Ralier had never heard of her. That was certainly odd. How could someone as important as a Goddess of Death, of all things, be obscure?

"The blade is unique in that it disrupts spirit energies on all levels, utterly annihilating the spirit of the target in the--"

Wait. What?

Annihilating the *spirit?*

What kind of fucked up sword was this?

"--annihilating the spirit of the target in the area that it strikes. Though the nature of this effect is ill-understood, it is known that it typically cannot be healed naturally or by magic; in fact, there has been only one reported case of this damage being recovered without the intervention of a Goddess, due to the actions of the void mage called Eternity. It is theorized that this inability to heal stems from..."

Ralier looked away, suddenly feeling sick. Sela closed the book and backed away.

"She can feel the hole in her heart," Miss Sara said, gently tapping her own chest. For a moment, Ralier thought she could feel it too--a dull but piercing ache, feeling like it was in her body, her mind, and her soul all at once. It felt like her heart was being eternally stabbed, or frozen, or ground against the earth--it felt like everything and nothing. It didn't feel like something was missing...it felt like something had been torn out and left to bleed. It felt like something was terribly wrong, each dull throb in her chest a testament to this silent truth.

She realized that Blast had looked up, and was looking at her.

Suddenly the pained expression on her face did not seem so out of place.

And that realization was, perhaps, even more painful than the heartache the two had momentarily shared.

Miss Sara stepped away. The others began to disperse, and Ralier lost track of them as they vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. Miss Sara was the last to leave; she stood near the tree she had appeared from, her hand resting gently on it's bark, looking back at Blast as though she could not bear to leave her.

Finally, she stepped behind the tree and she too was gone.

Ralier frowned and looked at the golden blade again. The runes along it's edge seemed almost blasphemous now that she knew what they meant...

Soul-cleaver.

She felt her heart stop in her chest as her mind moved back to the battle she had fought...

...how many times had Ishiar's body had been struck by this blade?

She was pulled out of this line of thought when she saw that Blast was standing.

The small girl simply stared out into the forest for a time, her red hair wafting almost imperceptibly in the breeze.

Finally, she turned to Ralier. Closing her eyes for a moment, she nodded and motioned her over.

Ralier clomped over to her. Blast hopped onto her back.

Ralier wasn't exactly sure what was going on...until she heard the flute. Simple notes, moving through the air like any other...but as the notes returned, the echos were strange. It was as though there were voices with them, returning a harmony where there were only simple whistles before. The music seemed to move into her and she suddenly felt as though she was melting into it. Her vision turned to pure light as the end of the tune reached a crescendo, her whole being filled with music from those few simple whistles.

When the light faded, they were somewhere else.

A place with hard lines of stone, butresses of steel, and banners held high on poles that no longer belonged there.

Eronmar.

*****

Ishiar thought it rather ironic that the reason she regained consciousness was because her head had smashed onto a stone floor.

That much was apparent pretty early; she could taste rock, not to mention her own blood. Her face complained from the pain, but more than that, her arm ached terribly. In fact, she could barely even move it.

She opened her eyes and looked around, propping herself up on her good arm as well as she could manage.

She was in a small stone room, lined with torches. There was a large table looming above her to her left.

Three familiar women stood in front of her, looking down on her with very different expressions.

A blue-haired woman, armed like a battleship and eyeing her warily, as though she expected an attack.

Leiasell, holding her staff idly in her hands, looking down at her with an expression of resigned pity.

Aerothi. Aerothi, looking down at her with no expression at all.

She felt a sudden kick to her ribs. Glancing to her right, she saw Rea, looking extremely annoyed.

"Thank her, you idiot. She's the only reason you're still alive," she said.

Ishiar groaned and looked at the women in front of her. "Which one?"

"Which one..." Rea muttered angrily, circling the room and shaking her head. Ishiar noticed her hair was wet--both Rea's and her own.

"She was curious about you," the blue-haired woman said.

Ishiar's face contorted in pain and frustration. "Which one!?" she repeated.

"I was," Aerothi said. She turned her head, looking across the table at something Ishiar couldn't see. "Status?"

"They're still moving slowly," came an unfamiliar voice. "They're relying on their artillery. The dragons will be here in four minutes, but my scouts report they have ballistae armed with nets...I'm guessing they're enchanted. Apparently they learned from last time."

"Can we hold them?" Aerothi asked, her expression still unwavering, her voice giving away nothing.

"Only if we deploy the battlecruiser...along with the four of you."

Rea smirked. "That's what you get for deploying pressganged monsters against tanks, Shannon."

"With all due respect, Rea, you may fuck yourself."

The blue-haired woman laughed, though Ishiar detected a hint of nervousness in her voice.

Aerothi was paying no attention to the exchange--her eyes were back on Ishiar.

Ishiar looked back at her and said the only thing that made sense for her to say.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I have learned to trust my instincts," Aerothi said, her voice still flat and calm as she bent down and touched Ishiar on the chest. Ishiar tried not to flinch at the sudden contact.

"So?" Leiasell said.

"She has the mark," Aerothi answered.

"So what the hell does that mean?" Rea asked, clearly incredulous--incredulous of what, Ishiar couldn't say.

Aerothi looked Ishiar right in the eyes. Her gaze was intense now--almost intimidating.

No, not almost. Shorty little girl or not, Ishiar was pretty sure Aerothi could get a dragon to back down with those eyes. She had to consciously stop herself from scuttling backward on the floor.

Aerothi glanced away for a moment, looking at something on the table, before returning her gaze to Ishiar.

"If you remain here and do nothing to provoke or endanger us, you will not be harmed," she said.

Now it was Ishiar's turn to be incredulous.

"...Why?"

Aerothi didn't answer. The blue-haired woman smiled and answered for her.

"Sorry, that's not part of the deal."

With that, they all vanished as if they had been whisps of smoke.

Ishiar stood up slowly, getting a better look at the room. There was a door with two heavily-armed guards behind her. The woman on the other side of the table--Shannon, she was guessing--was looking back at her probingly. The table itself was a sight to behold--it alone was simple wood, but something was projecting a colorful map upon it--it seemed to be displaying a battle around some sort of mountain fortress. It gradually dawned on Ishiar that it was Eronmar--and that she was *in* Eronmar. The colorful projects on the table were a realtime map of a battle that was unfolding outside.

Shannon leaned away from the table and crossed her arms. "So why *is* Aerothi interested in you?" she asked, her dark blue eyes narrow in the flickering torchlight.

"To be honest, I have no idea...but I'd kind of like to know myself, since it seems to be keeping me alive."

Shannon looked her over, seemingly guaging if she was lying or not.

"Can I ask you a question?" Ishiar asked.

"Ask all you want. Don't expect answers," Shannon said flatly.

"Why are you guys doing this? Is it really to kill Mnokugura, or is it something else?"

Shannon simply smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I can answer that, but you could potentially use that information against us. I might be more inclined to answer if you were to give me a similar piece of information."

"You mean one you can use against me?"

"Essentially. Or one we can use to defend ourselves against you."

Ishiar simply stood there for a moment in disbelief, then suddenly smiled and chuckled darkly to herself. "You are SO a Darkswallow."

Shannon smiled broadly and bowed, sweeping her arms to her sides as she did so. "Shannon Kaleta, at your service." Her grin revealed a set of perfectly white teeth--impeccable, yet somehow predatory and menacing beneath her dark lips.

"Well, how about instead of exchanging dangerous information, we just go with things that we're not going to hurt each other with?" Ishiar said.

Shannon smiled again, as though amused by the notion. "Such as?"

"Well...Aerothi is interested in me. Apparently neither of us knows why...who else is she interested in?"

"I'll tell you the ones I know of if you tell me the ones you know of," Shannon said.

Ishiar sighed. "You're just deadset on making this difficult, aren't you?"

"We are enemies," Shannon said. "As such, I must ensure that any exchange between us is to my advantage."

"Well, at least you're honest," Ishiar said.

"Of course. You are Aerothi's guest...I would not show you the disrespect of lying to you. Unless, of course, it benefited her, or myself, enough to justify it." She was smiling again. It was like she was enjoying this.

She probably was.

"Alright...I'll make you a deal," Ishiar said. "I'll tell you something valuable, if you'll promise to tell me something in return."

"What are you offering, and what do you wish to know?"

"I do not know why Aerothi is interested in me...but I have a theory."

"Interesting. And in exchange for this theory, you would ask?"

"Why each of you is helping her."

Shannon weighed this. "Interesting. You doubtless hope to dissuade us, but knowing why Aerothi considers you valuable could be of value to me..."

"Take it or leave it," Ishiar said. She still wasn't sure this was a good idea herself, but nonetheless...

"Very well. I will tell you of Rea and Arake, you tell me why you believe Aerothi is interested in you, and I will tell you of Leiasell and myself."

"Agreed."

"Rea wants vengeance," Shannon said. "She is from Ripley, one of the many worlds destroyed by Mnokugura. She cares little for the lives of those on this planet...a great irony when you think about it. Incidentally, the others are not aware that that is why she serves Aerothi...she has most of them convinced she's in it for the money. Arake swore to defend Aerothi with her life some time ago...she does not agree with Aerothi's plan on any level, but she is a woman of her word."

Shannon smiled. "And now?"

Ishiar moved her jaw back and forth a bit before answering. "We...well, some of us...have a fate mark of some sort."

Shannon's expression instantly changed from smug to very serious, then to a calculated, blank expression.

"Go on," she said.

"We don't know what it is yet...but apparently we have some sort of destiny. But we don't know what it is, or even whether it has anything to do with Aerothi..."

"And how do you know this?"

"That wasn't part of the deal," Ishiar said.

Shannon's face remained devoid of emotion. "Fair enough."

"Now, you and Leiasell."

Shannon grinned a little again. "I am merely in it for the gold. Aerothi is paying a substantial sum for my services. Regrettably, it is a sum I don't imagine you could match."

"Probably not, considering I have no money."

"And now, Leiasell..." Shannon said. She stopped, thinking for a moment. "Of all of us, she is the one who truly believes Aerothi's plan is necessary."

"She thinks killing everyone on this planet is worth killing Mnokugura?"

"Yes. It is a matter of numbers. She and Aerothi both believe that Mnokugura will kill more people in her lifetime than there are on this planet."

"And it hasn't occurred to them that when this planet becomes a monster, it will kill even more people?"

"It has occurred to them."

"And?"

"And that is an entirely different piece of information."

"Well, that's all I've got," Ishiar huffed.

"Not all..." Shannon said. "There is the matter of where and how you found out about this fate mark, and who has it besides yourself. I am particularly interested in the former."

Ishiar thought of Charlotte, and how generous she was...and how bad things were more than likely to happen to her if she told this mercenary where to find her.

"Sorry," Ishiar said. "Bad things would happen."

"And if I could assure you otherwise?"

"I would have to trust you," Ishiar said.

"I would remind you that Aerothi is not here," Shannon said. "She gave her word not to harm you, but I never did. I could ask you this question again, with the walls of a naga's stomach between us."

"She didn't say she wouldn't harm me--she said I would not be harmed. And don't tell me you're going to try to argue with me as to what 'harmed' means."

"Do you really think I would stoop to that?" Shannon replied.

"You just tried to pull one over on me as to whether I could be harmed."

Shannon simply looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Very well...I will respect the wishes of my employer...though she may change her mind when she hears what I know. And I will remind you that your protection is conditional upon your staying here. The moment you attempt escape, you are mine."

"You'll have to catch me first."

"So you do intend to leave?" Shannon said with bright eyes. "Pity..."

"That's not what I said--"

Shannon was already whistling loudly. Almost immediately, armed and armored warriors were filing into the room.

"It seems our captive has foolishly declined our leader's generous offer of protection," Shannon said.

"You bitch," Ishiar replied.

"Don't worry, I'll meet you in the naga quarters in a few minutes. Once you're safely snuggled in you can take back all the names you decide to call me in the meantime..."

"I don't think I'll have time, you treacherous cunt of a dragon-shit," Ishiar started ranting as the guards dragged her off. "Daughter of an imp's slave, nappy piece of whoremeat, slimewad," she continued, "backstabbing demoness-toilet, leaky pissbucket, drool elemental, crusty flakes on a demongut's backside, nipple blister, unidentifiable load of intestinal discharge in a big stein that says 'DRINK ME'..."

This continued until Ishiar ran out of horrible things to say. This was a surprisingly long time; it turns out she was quite creative when she was angry, and she was nearly to the Naga quarters when she finally ran out of steam. Shannon had long since gone out of earshot, but Ishiar kept the barrage going out of sheer spite. She wanted to attempt some sort of escape, but she preferred to wait until it was less suicidal--she was surrounded by a dozen guards as they forced her along towards the naga quarters.

"Quarters" was a rather generous term; they were more like pens. It appeared as though the Naga were barracked in what was formerly a large prison, as were several other groups of monsters.

The guards took immediate advantage of the equipment in the prison. They took a set of arm and leg manacles that were bolted into a wall and used them to chain Ishiar's arms and legs together.

She was immediately and uncomfortably reminded of her stay in Faneglut.

Nagas were gathering around as if they anticipated a spectacle--or a possible meal. Several of them were salivating. They weren't the prettiest of Naga--in fact, they looked fairly inhuman even in their human parts. They were totally hairless; while some Naga had miniature snakes for hair and some had normal hair, these had neither. They simply had large, spiney scales running along the tops and backs of their heads. They had similar scales on their shoulders and forearms, making them look like some sort of demon-naga. Ishiar knew better, however--she had run into a Blackscale naga once before in her life, and she now stood before no less than a dozen of them. They were quite recognizable, and if her encounter with the last one was any indicator, they were quite savage.

Shannon wasn't long in arriving. There was another Blackscale naga following her; her features were angular to an almost unnatural degree, almost as though her face was being pulled taut against a skull that was too long and too narrow for it. The Naga had a black spear ending in two curved, pointed steel blades.

"Ishiar, I would like you to meet Ssla'Rin. She hasn't eaten a good meal in days...I'm sure her stomach will be quite eager for a tender morsel like you."

"I honestly don't know much else you'd be interested in," Ishiar said honestly. "Not that I'd tell you anyway, of course. You sort of eliminated any goodwill I may have had toward you when you decided to chain me up."

Shannon smiled. "We'll see."

She motioned to the guards, who forced Ishiar to the ground. She was lying face-up with a guard pinning down each of her limbs.

Shannon motioned again. "Ssla?"

Ssla'Rin smiled and slithered slowly to where Ishiar was lying. Bending down until her belly was sliding along the cold stone floor right along with her tail, she positioned her mouth at Ishiar's feet. Ishiar groaned as she felt the creature's warm mouth surrounding her ankles, more out of annoyance than fear. Getting eaten, yet again.

The guards unclamped her feet manacles but kept her legs firmly pinned with their arms.

She just laid her head back, resigned to it--she'd get out or she'd be digested. Whatever.

Surprisingly, the Naga stopped at her knees; she could only tell because she could feel the warmth through her armor.

She leaned up and looked at the Naga.

"Well?" she said.

"We thought perhaps you might want to reconsider," Shannon said.

"You're stupid," Ishiar replied.

Ssla'Rin began swallowing again, and Ishiar waited patiently as she did. She felt shudders of pressure as the naga's throat muscles rippled around her.

The naga did get her attention eventually, however. Right around the time it reached her hips, Ishiar flinched and squirmed very quickly.

"Um," she started, "If you're trying to torture me, you might want to tell your naga to stop licking my cunt."

Shannon laughed. "You can't blame her for having a little fun. Besides, things will change very quickly once you reach her stomach and it begins stripping the flesh from your bones."

The pampered miss Kaleta had obviously never been eaten herself. Well, not as many times as Ishiar, anyway. She wasn't frightened by the fact that the naga was eating her--if she was worried about anything, it was the fact that she *wasn't* worried.

"Whatever. Isn't the first monster that's eaten me, won't be the last."

"That will be true, provided you tell me what I want to know."

Ishiar squirmed again as she felt Ssla'Rin slide her tongue deep between her legs.

"Enjoying yourself?" Ishiar asked.

The naga simply smiled.

Well, this Blackscale was definately different than the last one...

Abruptly, the naga lurched forward and took another six inches of Ishiar's body into it's mouth. It's lips were at her belly button now.

Shannon was scrutinizing her carefully.

"Trying to decide if I'm faking it?" Ishiar asked indifferently, before giving the Darkswallow woman a grin.

"I will say this," Shannon said. "You are either very brave or a very talented actress. Or you simply have absolutely no sense of self-preservation." Shannon looked her over again. "Or perhaps you are of Gurglemeister lineage? I have heard that their kind do not fear being eaten."

Ishiar chuckled. "No, I don't belong to any of the clans...least of all the Gurglemeisters."

"So you say..." Shannon replied.

Ssla'Rin continued to inch her way up Ishiar's body, moving more quickly now. Soon she felt the naga's cool lips brushing against her unarmored neck, followed by the slick wetness of her mouth. She felt the Naga's tongue running beneath the back of her neck even as the naga's soft throat began to wrap around it. Ishiar caught a whiff of slightly foul breath.

As the Naga's body slithered forward, slowly engulfing Ishiar's body, the guards let go of her arms. They unbound her chains once they were sure Ishiar's head was firmly within Ssla'Rin's throat.

She gradually slithered down into the Naga's elongated stomach, quickly recognizable by the sour stench and warm ooze that began to soak through her clothing and armor.

She heard Shannon's voice again, though it was very faint and muffled.

"I think I'll let you two get aquainted for a bit. Maybe by the time I get back you'll be more responsive."

Ishiar chuckled cynically to herself. She felt Ssla'Rin shifting around, doubtless trying to find the most comfortable position to digest her meal.

She spent a few moments just lying in the ooze as the stomach squeezed her gently.

"So," she said out loud, "Ssla'Rin, was it?"

"Yes?" the naga sounded amused.

"You're hoping I don't tell her anything, aren't you?"

"Oh, very much," she replied. "But maybe I'll get lucky and she'll let me keep you anyway."

Ishiar chuckled again. "I wouldn't put it past her. So, are you Blackscale tribe?"

"Very perceptive, for a human. And very talkative, for a piece of food."

"Hey, she put me in here to get me to talk."

"Ahhh...a clever response. Very clever, for a human. You almost had me convinced you didn't care if I ate you."

"So what is your relationship with our miss Kaleta over there?"

"I command the naga troops in battle."

"And you let her command you? You really think she's better than you?" Ishiar said.

It was getting pretty hot. Her skin was starting to itch.

There was a pause before the naga answered. "No. But her master pays us to fight, and lets us eat those who don't."

"Sounds like a pretty sweet deal," Ishiar said.

"Perhaps...but my favorite part is interrogating prisoners."

"Is that what we're doing now?"

"Oh yes. You are very tasty, though honestly I wish you would squirm around a bit more."

"It would only make you digest me faster," Ishiar said. It did bring her thoughts back to the concept of escaping, however--it did occur to her that living would probably be a better idea than dying. If this naga had been "interrogating" people for very long, however, she probably had plenty of practice keeping down struggling prey...trying to push her way back up her throat did not seem likely to work. And even if she did, she was surrounded by other naga, not to mention Shannon's guards.

As it was, she bided her time until Shannon returned. As the time passed, bits of her clothing began to dissolve and her skin started to sting in spots. The stomach eventually seemed to realize that there was prey inside and began churning her with more zeal. Though the impact was minimized by her armor, she wondered how long that armor would last.

"Aww, nothing more to say?" Ssla'Rin eventually asked.

"Just waiting for Shannon, so I can convince her this is pointless."

"Oh, please do. I was so hungry."

Ishiar realized the flaw in her logic--she had to make Shannon believe she knew something, or she would have to trust her fortitude to see her through this Naga's digestive tract and hope that it wouldn't just eat her again.

Right around that time, she heard Shannon's voice.

"So, are we feeling the sting yet?"

"I suppose," Ishiar said. "I've had worse."

Ssla'Rin snorted indignantly.

"So how did you find out about your fate mark?" Shannon asked.

Ishiar thought it over, but did not reply.

"I think it might help you to know..." Shannon continued. "Rea took your egg. I have it right now."

"What egg?" Ishiar asked.

"The demon egg that you possessed."

Ishiar was utterly silent, her body suddenly going stiff.

"We can still make a deal that is beneficial to both of us. That is the way I prefer to operate, actually...it's just that when we come to an impasse, I have to resort to more...forceful measures. Tell me what I want to know, and not only will I spare your life, but I promise I will find a good home for your egg."

"Just give it back to me."

"I'm afraid I can't do that...the succubus Ushan might be reincarnated into this egg, so we need to take steps to ensure that does not happen...or that if it does, she is not allowed to interfere with us any further."

Ishiar bit her lip hard. She really didn't want Charlotte to be harmed...but she wasn't keen on dying, nor was she keen on the only remaining part of Ushan being given to a blackscale monster, or worse.

"Alright. I will tell you where and how, but if you won't give me the egg, I will not give you any names, and I must agree to the home for the egg. That is my final offer."

There was a pause.

"Done," Shannon said.

Ishiar could already imagine the look on Ssla'Rin's face, contorted into a snarl of annoyance and dissappointment.

The stomach walls contracted hard around her as the throat opened up, gradually but surely forcing her out of the naga's belly. It was clear from the smooth movement that the naga had done this many times.

"Don't worry, Ssla, we'll find another for you very soon," Shannon said.

Ssla'Rin simply crossed her arms and looked away indignantly.

Ishiar stood up and wiped the slime from her body.

"So?" Shannon asked.

"The egg first," Ishiar said.

Shannon scrutinized her again.

"Look, you can always put me back in the Naga, but I can't take my information back," Ishiar said.

"Very well," Shannon said. "Follow me."

Shannon led Ishiar out of the prison, still surrounded by guards, through the winding streets of Eronmar and into the fortified palace. The place was eerily like it was when Ishiar had first entered it, empty except for dried blood and the marks of battle. They descended several floors until they reached a second prison--smaller, but much more fortified and secure than the first. There were several people and creatures locked inside, guarded by girls in thick, black suits of armor.

Shannon led Ishiar to a cell with a single prisoner. It was an angel, clothed in ripped and partially dissolved robes. She had dark grey wings and firey red hair hanging in cascading tangles around her face. She was sitting on the floor, the manacles on her wrists bound with thick chains leading to a metal plate in the wall. She stared defiantly at Shannon.

"Does this suit you?" Shannon asked.

Ishiar clenched her jaw. She wanted to hatch the egg herself...but she couldn't, at least not now. And she couldn't get the egg back, at least not now. With the angel, it would at least have a chance.

"Yes--if you let her go."

"I'm afraid not. As I said, if it is Ushan, we must contain her."

Ishiar didn't like it, but she didn't have much choice.

"Alright."

"Of course, I would not expect you to take our word for it, so we will allow you to watch as we insert the egg," Shannon said.

Ishiar said nothing. There was a loud clack as the cell was unlocked by a nearby guard and a creak of metal as the heavy door swung open. Five guards entered the cell, one holding her weapon and a second holding the egg.

Two of the guards wrapped their arms around the angel's legs and pried them apart as a third grabbed her manacled wrists and pulled them back. A ragged pair of panties were ripped out from under the angel as the guard with the egg stepped between her legs. Bending down, the guard began to push the egg up underneath the angel's robes and into her narrow flower. The Angel's legs were shuddering--Ishiar could sense the pleasure shooting through her, but she also felt her fear. The egg was big--it was even bigger than Belaphonne's demonic magical dildo. It pushed into her inch by inch; Ishiar could see the angel's skin begin to moisten as it stretched around the ovoid egg. Her legs squirmed under the tight restraints of the guards as the huge, bumpy egg pushed further and further into her body. Finally, Ishiar saw the outer lips of her vulva engulf the largest section of it. They began to slowly close over the back of the egg as her body began to bring it into her feminine deeps. The angel's body shook--almost as if from pleasure--as her vaginal lips closed over the egg and it slowly began to implant itself into her body.

The angel's brow was slick with sweat and she was breathing heavily, as though suddenly exhausted.

"There now, who ever said being taken prisoner had to be all bad?" Shannon said with a mocking smile before turning to Ishiar. "Now it is your turn." She motioned for the guards to escort them into a more secluded area; they followed her into a nearby room, completely empty except for a wooden table and some empty torch brassieres. She shoved the heavy wooden door shut and turned to Ishiar again.

"So?" she said expectantly.

Ishiar's throat was dry as she gulped. "What happens once I tell you?"

Shannon smiled. "I will overlook your attempt at escape, and my employer will deal with you as she sees fit."

"That isn't very reassuring."

"That is not my concern. We did have a bargain, and I have a very hungry naga waiting for you if you break it."

That part was the least of Ishiar's worries.

Grudgingly, she started giving Shannon the answer she had promised. "In Kikagonroth, there is a demon seer. She told us that three of us bear a fate mark. That's it."

Shannon regarded her. "That's it, eh?"

"I said I'd tell you where and how, and I just did. So let's get back upstairs so Aerothi can fire you for disobeying her orders."

Shannon dismissed her comment and motioned for one of the guards to open the door and lead them back through the city.

When they returned to the command center, it was still empty except for the guards. After glancing at the table, Ishiar gave Shannon a curious look. "Why bring me back in here? Don't think I'm smart enough to constitute a security risk?"

"On the contrary, you are quite a bit smarter than I had expected," Shannon said. "Sufficed to say, I consider it unwise to let you leave this room again."

Shannon looked down and began to study the battle map. Sigils, holographic icons and numbers representing the different armies moved slowly, numbers dwindling as the different units engaged; a, unsettlingly calm picture of what was doubtless an incredible amount of carnage outside.

Ishiar was surprised by many of the things she saw; indeed, there were tanks in the attacking force, along with what appeared to be gigantic artillery guns. Aerothi's battleship--or, rather, Shannon's--was directly over them, small red lines depicting it's attacks. With each beam, the number next to the holographic artillery icon was reduced. In turn, small objects brown objects swarmed around the battleship; they appeared to be attacking it.

At the front lines, there were enormous numbers--hundreds and thousands per icon, each being reduced at an alarming rate. What was more alarming, however, was how quickly numbers were going down next to the tiny icon symbolizing Aerothi and her retinue.

Shannon placed a strange object on her head; it appeared to be a headset and microphone, but had several gems embedded in it's surface. At least one of their effects was immediately apparent--Shannon began giving orders, but to Ishiar, her speech was complete gibberish.

Apparently she wouldn't be such a big security risk after all.

From the look on Shannon's face, this was not a battle that was going to win itself. She was deep in concentration, each of her garbled commands issued with an expression of great intensity. Her eyes darted from one side of the battlefield to the other as she quickly issued orders.

Ishiar started to get a sense of the sides in the battle. It appeared as though a combined force was attacking Eronmar; the most surprising thing was that, as far as she could tell, over half of it was from the Mecki clan. Ishiar had heard rumors of the Meckis, but she had never met one, and would never have expected to see such a large number of them here--she wasn't even sure where they were from.

The remainder of the force seemed to be Ironbelly, Velvet Flower and local factions. The most exotic forces were all of the Mecki's mechanized troops; the rest were simply standard infantry, archers, and some cavalry.

On Aerothi's side, there was everything she could think of and more. Demonesses, monsters, soldiers, heavy cavalry, war machines, dragons, and even a giantess. Ishiar suppressed a shudder as she wondered if it was the same giantess who had attacked Laurenti...and killed Latella.

Suddenly, without warning, Ishiar found herself standing in the company of Aerothi and her other lieutenants. They had simply appeared as though they had been there the whole time.

"Status?" Aerothi said quietly. Her face and dress were spattered heavily with blood, and even a few scorchmarks. Her companions were similarly marked, but neither she nor her companions appeared to be injured.

"I believe they will retreat within the next 30 minutes," Shannon said, her voice no longer garbled. "Their front line is faltering and their artillery is now at risk. If they do not retreat, we will overtake them and they will cease to be a military threat. The Viscera's sensors report that Mecki transports are already en route."

"Could they contain reinforcements?" Aerothi asked.

"Unlikely. Under the circumstances it would be foolish for the Mecki to have attacked with anything less than their full strength, and the number of transports suggests they plan to evacuate."

"Very well." Aerothi glanced over to Ishiar before looking back at Shannon. "As of now, I am informing you that our contract is terminated."

Shannon's eyes twitched slightly, but whatever other emotions she may have had were hidden behind a carefully crafted mask. "May I ask why?"

"You contravened my wishes. Ishiar was not to be harmed."

"You do realize that even you cannot hope to defeat all of your enemies without my help," Shannon said.

"You are incorrect. You will be replaced," Aerothi said. "Please leave."

Shannon simply glared at her. After a few moments of scowling she tapped a gem on her headset. "Viscera," she said, "bring me up. We're leaving."

With a dazzle of lights, Shannon vanished.

"I apologize," Aerothi said. "This is not the first time Shannon has taken her own council above my orders."

"Why are you being so nice to me? You've already sent at least half of the people in this room to kill me."

Aerothi gazed at her. Her eyes were not so intimidating now--more probing, curious. They were no less unsettling, of course, framed as they were with the still-slick spatters of blood that covered her.

"I have learned many things about you and your companions," Aerothi said. "You have survived open combat with my legions, and as you said, you have also survived against my most powerful warriors. But I was made most curious by the words of Leiasell. She said you had a strange aura...something resembling void magic. You were not a void mage, so my curiousity was peaked. And now I bring you here, and find you have the mark..."

Ishiar was instantly put on guard. "What mark?"

"The mark of death," Aerothi said. "The same mark that I bear."

Ishiar's heart froze in her chest. She practically had to force it to start beating again.

That couldn't have meant what she thought it had meant.

She couldn't be saying what she was saying.

But...something inside her rang at her words.

How did she even KNOW about the damn thing?

And death? That definately wasn't a good sign.

She suddenly felt sick.

"Where did you learn about this?" Ishiar said, her voice quivering.

"There are very few creatures who can see the symbols of fate, and even fewer who understand them," Aerothi said, looking away as if dwelling in some long-forgotten memory. "I felt the mark long ago. I sought out someone who could teach me the truth. And I found someone."

"Who?"

"Know this. I have spoken with legends, in the flesh. The things of faerie tales and ancient fables have spoken in my ears. Her name is Eternity."

"Eternity..." Ishiar repeated. "You mean, the void master?"

"More than a master, as I came to find out, as you will," Aerothi replied.

"What do you mean?"

"She is Eternity in more ways than just name."

"So she is a Goddess?"

"No...she is something less and more. The only way to truly understand her would be to be her. But her wisdom is beyond anyone's. She identified my mark effortlessly...as she effortlessly answered my other questions."

"Where is she?"

"Eternity finds those who are searching for her...provided it suits her. I found her in a temple on a world called Scyther, far along the western edge of the galaxy."

"And...you're telling me this because you know if we go hunting for her, we won't be in your way anymore?"

"I am curious to find the part you play in this...with the death mark pulsing in your soul as it does mine, our parts in destiny are certain to intertwine."

Ishiar gulped.

"Whether it is because you will leave or because you will find the answers you seek...I believed it best to answer your question," Aerothi continued.

"So...can you tell your followers to stop siccing my comrades?"

"If you do leave. But the journey is a long one. Upon returning you may be too late to stop me, and they may realize that."

"Then let's leave it at a 'What if.' If we go, you won't come after us."

Aerothi simply nodded.

"And then...once we do come back?"

Aerothi's gaze was unwavering. "Only you can decide what will happen then."