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-When I was young I never understood why we hid from them, from mortals. Even the weakest warlock or witch had enough power to summon a storm that could destroy a whole city, we could defy death, our lifespan was of centuries if not more, we were all powerful, beautiful and to the mortal eternal.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Q1Bj5eDok
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Myself and many others back then though that we were at the very least better if not wholly superior to the mortals. A not to small number of our generation openly considered them to be an inferior race that we should rule over, as a master rules a slave.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFZScHIRcC
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Then came that terrifying night in the Forests of Calliope.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTy0TCXt4v
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There and then I knew why we feared mortals.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlyy7upo7dp
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- Arch Bishop Philippe 'The Wise' of the Church of Hecate.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1iTHDO3aI
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Taken from the Documentary 'The Anarchy and the Peace.'194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLZj0DLj9y
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Book 1-Ch 3-Nevermore beyond my pane194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzXtSheVBT
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He heard it, smelled it, felt the rotten feeling that warned of its danger before he actually saw the wall of Blue flames.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhAVdEbZsS
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Ross did not have a deep knowledge of physics or chemistry but he knew that the more blue-ish a flame was the hotter it burned, this seemed to be Hellfire itself, this was fire so powerful that it felt like it could burn Ross's very soul.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDo4xdSMuy
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But no matter the universe A is still A.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuwN6P5HUO
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And fire is still fire.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWaNYLQHSm
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And the blue flames was still fire and any fire needs oxygen, so when Ross pulled out a canister filled with Co2 the flames diminished enough for Ross to jump pass the wall of Hellfire.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiT64e7eMLT
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Then came the beasts of the forest, more savage versions of wolves and bears, built to hunt across realms and nightmares, built to track their prey to the worlds on the other side of the mirror.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHqw80XMWk
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Creatures that even those with magic, light or dark, would fear.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5rp5sOMTT
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But they are still beasts, so Ross pulls out a bag of dog treats throws at them and the dire wolves and fell bats all swarm around it, this is not the first time Ross had brought food with him in the forest.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqj2wnfsDS
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After the demonic hound affair he always came prepared and had to use his treats a few times to escape the demonic animals in the forest, and these ones where laced with sedatives.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4u8LiM7PwS
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Ross was not innocent, but he drew the line at killing animal needlessly.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0W7Sd091a
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Then came the fell bats, their screeches on the wind and shapes that flew in an out of the little light that Ross had on his person to see through the darkens surrounded him, forming a twister of fang and claw, wing and teeth.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWoOJa07HJ
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These where the locust of the Demon Realm, a wave of devouring mouth that could swallow all flesh that they swept over.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXk2HnlwWyc
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But they were still bats, still animals, and they had sensitive noses and ears.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqgfPUgNCW
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So Ross took out a canister that was filled with a substance that had one of the most foulest stenches known to man.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAdfoVrFji
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The twister of flying dark creatures immediately increased the distance between itself and the scarred mortal.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaC190jg1am
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Then came the subsonic flute that was connected to a small hand cranked pump, with that it was too much for the ears and noses of the fell bats as they flew away.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVc6JfOUE0
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Ross fell to his knees there and then as the terror momentarily overwhelmed him to such a degree that he had to stop and recover, this temporary pause in the horrors ahead gave him the necessary time to recover.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsh0MikYMc
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Temptation whispered in his ear there and then. Temptation to give up, go back.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4GMYI0T44
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Ross looked back to the path he had walked upon and he knew that all that was behind him was darkness and beasts, in front of him lie the unknown that send shivers down his spine.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzs13vmORo
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So he continued on, despite every muscle in his body, every brain cell in his head, every fragment of his soul shouted for him to go back as the whispers continued to say the same.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVW7M5ijlGi
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"I'm not stupid enough to listen to the reasoning of a crazy man, especially my own." Ross said to himself as he treated forward.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXDstF8IcM
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His feet like they weighted a ton, his lungs like concrete, his vision blurry as his body reacted trying to protect him.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcI3JvS63jp
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Yet still Ross trudged on, this was the crazy things about mortals. They would march forward in the darkness, and why? Why did they marched into what seemed to be the Belly of the Beast?194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN042MDhhHR
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They did it because it was the unknown, where untold horrors lay, but also wonders.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcK1IAYafk
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It could be the biggest mistake of his life, but also the best decision he ever made.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2NegnLGiG
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And as long as that small threat of hope remained. That single weak ember of a better tomorrow burned, then that ember could light a fire and even the weakest fire could banish the dark.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBL5zhomZgM
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Some say you'd have to be mad to live like that. Fortunately Ross was.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡej34UdJi66
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So he took his heart in his teeth and marched forward.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStjUMXAqHe
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So he marched forward, with each step his feet became lighter, his lungs softer, his vision cleared.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuwbgacALe
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He conquered his fear and used it to fuel his resolve.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTAINeWn0X
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Ross walked past the beasts and now before him stood a golem made of earth and rock, with a skin so thick that no blade or bullet could pierce it.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKVuBvXDnl
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Yet unlike the curse of before, or looking at the deep dark woods, or the hellfire and beast that he faced, it's not fear that grips him194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcJWVCKTs7
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"Turn back now or suffer my wr-" The Golems words where cut of as Ross, used not a blade or bullet, but threw a small bag of salt into the Golem's opened mouth.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf731WBx2Vm
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The Golem collapsed to its feet as Ros moved to run past the now coughing construction of rock, soil and magic, but a great caught his leg and hoisted Ross upside down.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFGRgKeqxd
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The Golem growled at him, but like before when it wasted time with words or deeds it was struck by Ross's quick counter.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjFmLOjySp
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This time Ross threw the bell from his belt right at the Golem's face.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZd0SFQ1dO
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BANG.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXrbZ6zgZc
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The golem let go of Ross as it cradle it's head both from the force of the blow but also from the bell's holy sound.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiNwo7G3Ji
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Ross fell to the ground and quickly grabbed the bell and attached to it a rope that he had for climbing and then swung the bell around and over his head once to gain momentum before striking the Golem once more with the bell.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwLDaGdGqm
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BANG194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Fa1HqyjxX
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The Golem now shielded it's face and crouched down against Ross who was half the Golem's size, yet was now Ross was the one on the offensive.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUezbKb2dv
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BANG194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHf1NnmaNmR
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Another blow from the whip like weapon as this time Ross aimed at the Golem's right leg, making the creatures topple down, then Ross struck again.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9hEvz3zzv
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BANG194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILvgOEpVSB
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The Golem disintegrated into a flash of energy as Ross took a breather to regain his strength and vigor. His leg ached like it had been a slightly stronger squeeze away from being broken, Ross was certain it would swell like crazy and be as purple as an eggplant tomorrow.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNj7IIBbZQz
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Only the painkillers he took in advance before entering the woods helped. For not he managed to avoid using the stronger ones like opioids and he hoped that the worse was behind.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoXeRVSDtG
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A man can dream can't he?194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJonM6tUgA
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"Needs something sturdier, perhaps a chain and something on the handle if they get into close range." Ross said out loud as he studied the whip like bell tipped weapon and it's surprising effectiveness.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIOFFkTZAI
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When the flash dissipated in the Golem's place was a great red orb, one that Ross looked at in disbelief.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTEQJtLgI2
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"Well now, here's hoping that brute strength is the answer here." Ross said as he instinctly whipped the red orb, smashing it.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8TTKJB4pH
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Immediately in front of him a curtain of energy flashed and reformed itself like the image of waves crashing into white foam on a beach.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsMvrFkvMI
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It seemed like the forest, reality itself, was distorted in front of him as an illusion was broken.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNHBdAmuWk
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And in front of him was Hexen surrounded by other witches and warlocks and standing over a bound and gagged woman, with a knife at her throat.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqgdlW7pQh
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There, Ross's closest friend, a flawed yet kind and caring person who had come to his aide many times before despite danger, stood over another ready to kill her in cold blood.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9OcC15oi8
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Yes, truly an illusion had been broken tonight.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZj2KEEtVH
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Ross froze at that, he was tired, scared, lost in the woods, exhausted and from the brief touch of the Golem his leg was close to making him limp, only the shock of the sight before him was what made his brain ignore all of that and focus on the image of Hexen.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuyeyDxAwI
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Kind Hexen, sweet Hexen, always there for him Hexen, who called him so many wonderful things and made him laugh so often, brave and noble Hexen who always rushed to protect him when this mortal was in mortal danger.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRPG2JOGHv
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That Hexen was a step away from committing a murder most foul.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeS9G93af0Z
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"Ross, there's something I have to tell you. I'm a witch." Hexen said awkwardly and gave a smile belonged on the cat that caught the canary. Which in Hexen's case was the poor struggling girl at her feet that was the same age as Hexen.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfPdYILIdK
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Ross still speechless then and there realized why the Myr had affected Hexen for that Hexen was not just a witch, but a dark witch.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsKnmYqnoO
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A very, very dark witch. Dark enough to be affected by the Myr like full blown demons and Ross had just interrupted a human sacrifice.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZFHNvWBJm
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Yes, an illusion was broken tonight indeed194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46kUSOgQp9
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"I always thought you to be an elf." Was his reply as a confused Hexen and the other witches and warlocks presented looked at him in surprise.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTthqwmbISt
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"What?" She said, the knife still at her sacrifice's throat who also looked surprise by the events.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbOv5K6mGo
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And with that the clock struck 3.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8aFGS1IAC
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The witching hour, a bell whip, two illusions shattered and confusion reigned supreme now.194Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfFMtk0I0a
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Just another night in the town of Calliope.
