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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQttr0gfPO
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHquC4AkCTv
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Then came that terrifying night in the Forests of Calliope.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcvjv2TvSN
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There and then I knew why we feared mortals.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQCvqREvHn
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- Arch Bishop Philippe 'The Wise' of the Church of Hecate.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrDiiOKgab
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Taken from the Documentary 'The Anarchy and the Peace.'244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNrK1nd7zP
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Book 1-Ch 3-Nevermore beyond my pane244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuBszoegdZ
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuntJi37NDF
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeiIm3JwWh
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But no matter the universe A is still A.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCq34ZW89t
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And fire is still fire.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeLUkglwIp
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyd3WHvDeN
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrc8ZxppfdV
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Creatures that even those with magic, light or dark, would fear.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRlxY3LtqJ
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboMFCH8zvu
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcTaY3oROJ
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Ross was not innocent, but he drew the line at killing animal needlessly.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZyRuuyrp9
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3874yt7PB
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8vxOEBBBE
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But they were still bats, still animals, and they had sensitive noses and ears.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLD7DFDPypz
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yRZ9xL2mF
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The twister of flying dark creatures immediately increased the distance between itself and the scarred mortal.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsUcFu0Icy
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zCEXomFnN
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BNoL74tMN
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Temptation whispered in his ear there and then. Temptation to give up, go back.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGKpJEKp6C
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxb7bv1d4u
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMAFlVugE1
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzTbghzDmq
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcDFfmWTaC
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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?244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7FmJfYGuD
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They did it because it was the unknown, where untold horrors lay, but also wonders.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWHVdohGga
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It could be the biggest mistake of his life, but also the best decision he ever made.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLLZwdxr31
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtBJTkjMoK
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Some say you'd have to be mad to live like that. Fortunately Ross was.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntELg22QVo
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So he took his heart in his teeth and marched forward.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHAj4BqpjM
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So he marched forward, with each step his feet became lighter, his lungs softer, his vision cleared.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VlblUE6TS
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He conquered his fear and used it to fuel his resolve.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlOwuMjeui
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfh5yzwdV0R
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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 him244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5CQu0fC1k
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2x45koZ3p2
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqeQME9c1F
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFAF8u3sTB
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This time Ross threw the bell from his belt right at the Golem's face.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiC54zGDF8t
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BANG.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NPd9VYyez
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPt1jttyHN9
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvB8X3d9OP
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BANG244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoRURuFVUv
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SY27aCQOi
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BANG244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OlJGYORrH
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1UZz5RpOX
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BANG244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncEzdIPITo
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfsweWMCBA
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvjCCOAzfr
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A man can dream can't he?244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTkGjMM46C
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCqRTPiRIS
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjigbGORcVQ
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXwPnJBSKy
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9icIhiOjcf
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It seemed like the forest, reality itself, was distorted in front of him as an illusion was broken.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcDml3grml
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumn0RuLPNc
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtJfLzImQs
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Yes, truly an illusion had been broken tonight.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLzUrE6TxI
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkN0X9pjOn6
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7j0mBGr8tO
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That Hexen was a step away from committing a murder most foul.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5S2y52Wcp
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCx4EYHAb8
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghGErBgU5V
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtWmgdSbnf
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Yes, an illusion was broken tonight indeed244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8zjy3GRSP
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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.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8vaH8WEH1
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"What?" She said, the knife still at her sacrifice's throat who also looked surprise by the events.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbWeQS3jCo
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And with that the clock struck 3.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WmBmK1EP6
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The witching hour, a bell whip, two illusions shattered and confusion reigned supreme now.244Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbflmOZW8p9
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Just another night in the town of Calliope.
