Juan climbed down the ladder, entering a tunnel lit by shimmering amber lights. Stepping onto stone flooring, he heard quiet singing, a female voice nearby. "Hello?" He called out. "Oberon sent me. It's all safe now."
Following the sound of the voice, he entered a low wide room with a shimmering orange crystal at its center. There was a small elderly woman seated next to the crystal, and she slow...
Frogs with ruby eyes croaked all around him, giving the path a shimmering green and red light. Now that he had reached the Crystal Forest, Juan knew he was only a few hours walk from his destination, the cairn at the center which marked Dantalion's cavern hideaway. Noticing crystals forming on his boots, he quickened his pace.
"What's the difference between love and ownership?" He asked Boganash...
After the wizards reviewed the map and the path to and from the forest, they accompanied Juan down the several sets of staircases to exit the southern slope of the volcano. Juan hugged each of them, holding Scorpio a few moments longer. "Come back soon," she whispered to him. He promised he would, and left his companions with a wave and a sigh of relief.
Returning to nature helped him to feel gro...
"I don't understand," said Libra.
"It's the Bloodlust," explained Juan. "I didn't notice it coming on, probably because you were balancing me out when I was using the Hellfire against the Witchkillers. When I was fighting in the Underworld, it took over ... it's like a drug. Look, it's hard to explain. If I stay, I'm going to end up killing all of you and be a worse monster than Malachus. Let me ...
The people in the hall chattered around him, sharing their exploits and fears, the relief they felt to be standing together in the room again. Juan stepped back, feeling more and more disconnected from the hubbub. He started looking around and realized his heart was racing.
It was Malachus, Juan realized, he needed to talk to Malachus. Something important needed to be discussed, though Juan could...
Oberon bowed his head, and said quietly: "Yes, we found him. Once we breached the gates of Acis, my Marax was one of the fallen Sanglorian soldiers. He was still breathing, and I held him in my arms as he died."
Juan felt like the air was pulled from his lungs. "I'm so sorry," he said, hugging the elf wizard.
Oberon held the embrace for a long moment before he separated. "Thank you. I just ... I'...
Instead of executing the Sanglorians, Juan finished with settling the sick and wounded prisoners into the Vimana, and met with the Indigo commanders who were taking over the administration of Dibuis prison. The captured Sanglorians took the place of the prisoners. A tribunal council of Indigo, Xanthic, and Harlequin elves would administer justice, conducting trials for war crimes and genocide.
Wi...
Libra contacted Juan mentally: "Return to Acis. We have taken the city. Malachus has surrendered and is our prisoner. Your Vimana can be of use to liberate the labor camps and prisons."
Surveying the blockade, Juan regarded the black, poisoned water of the bay, the wreckage of ships and aircrafts, the waterways choked with an inferno. He asked Boganasheth, "Why do I feel so satisfied? I should be...
Juan raised the Vimana over the surface of the water, to hear the gasps of the sailors aboard the sinking vessel, relayed to his ears from the sensing apparatus on the airship's surface. "It's Death!" They screamed, "The Pale Rider!" Impressed by how quickly their iconography had spread to the Sanglorians, Juan fired two more torpedoes against the bow. The ship's prow disappeared below the waves. ...
"What is the plan of attack?" Asked Cancer psychically. The old wizard was ensconced in a giant glowing red crab form, floating in the midst of several pods of whales and dolphins. Juan thought Cancer sounded happier than he'd been since his resurrection.
Juan used the Vimana as a transmitter to communicate with the assembled sea creatures. "Our goal is to close the Strait of Woes. To do that, we...
