Status Report 3-29-18

Already a few months into the new year, and nothing.

While no writing has been done, the following changes have been made:

- Elaine is going full Yandere (Possessive, manipulating, aggressive)
- Lou will be taught by Penelope, and will develop a romance.
- Guilt, Doom, and Greed will be 'null mages'.
- Elaine will be a transfer mage, able to sap and boost other's reserves.
- Ryan is now a field commander, not a senator. He may transition in later books
- Siren General count in the final book dropped from ~15 to 7.
- Ro'ahn has been removed: he is an unnecessary character.
- Sirens Malice, Wrath, Envy, and Corruption have been removed.
- Logan's purpose and position has changed drastically.
- Fatalities in the final book have risen to ~10
- Siren redesign has been discussed and implemented.

Progress Update 4-6-2017

After the last update, I've taken some time to do a bit of writing. I have recently gone back and used my original writings as a template to edit the book. Soon, I will finish the first part of the hero's journey, and the first protagonist, Alec, will be propelled into his journey. Once the first of 6 parts is done, I will post the 4th chapter of the current part.

However, in this update, we will delve into the joys that are the subplots. I personally like the style that some authors do; complete a part of the adventure, then give the reader a break with subplots and different characters. So, to do that, I have created multiple groups of characters. Each one will complete a leg of their journey, and then it will switch to another group.

Book 1:
The first group is the Mercenaries:        Tyrell, Alec, Peterson
The second group is the scholars:          Logan, Ryan, Elaine, Raiji
The third group is the Demon Hunters: Winston, Ice
The fourth group is the Sirens:              Harbinger, Pain, Doom, Agony

Progress Update 3-15-17

So, the long and short of it is I haven't been working on the book. Whoops. But, now I finally have some time. The first thing I need to do is give the Sirens some character. And this will not include spoilers, so feel free to browse the list. Note, all kill counts are the current as of chapter 2.

We start the list with the only character not to change in the multiple edits...Death Paladin Doom.

Doom
 - Real Name: Dmitri
 - Purpose: Vanguard, Messenger
 - Off-Duty Occupation: Never off duty
 - Main Weapon: Compound or Short Bow, depending on the situation
 - Magic: Only known triple - Dark, Wind, and Fire
 - Other Skills: Riding horses and animal husbandry
 - Mask Design: Red stripe across the eye slats
 - Kill Count: 21 combatants, 2 civilian assassinations
 - Reason for Name: He received the name 'Doom' after defeating an entire squad of Fire Mages from Loc. He had no assistance, and was even struck twice by the highest level of fire magic. However, medicinal tonics and magical infusions kept him fighting.

Next, we move onto the other two Death Paladins, Agony and Pain.

Agony
 - Real Name: ?
 - Purpose: Assassination, Espionage
 - Off-Duty Occupation: Mercenary
 - Main Weapon: Throwing weapons and scimitars
 - Magic: Dark
 - Other Skills: Reading lips, photographic memory, house-keeping
 - Mask Design: Left side of the mask is dyed red
 - Kill Count: 12 total assassinations, 1 prior to joining
 - Reason for Name: She received the name 'Agony' for the trauma she had to endure during her trials for the previous assassination. She was additionally accused of blasphemy. This sentence saved her life, but cost her tongue.

Pain
 - Real Name: ?
 - Purpose: Demolition, Distraction
 - Off-Duty Occupation: A nobleman's daughter
 - Main Weapon: Hand-to-Hand or anything within reach
 - Magic: Dark
 - Other Skills: Dancing, sewing, fluency in 3 languages, mathematics
 - Mask Design: Right side of the mask is dyed red
 - Kill Count: 8 total
 - Reason for Name: She was given the name 'Pain' due to  an accident that left her unable to have children. She was abandoned by her fiance, as she was a 'curse' to any around her. Doom saved her from suicide, and she joined the Sirens.

The next set of Sirens are Sorrow, Guile, and Hatred.

Sorrow
 - Real Name: Selena
 - Purpose: Tactician, Magic Support
 - Off-Duty Occupation: Secretary to General Norton of Col
 - Main Weapon: Sword and Shield
 - Magic: Dark and Earth
 - Other Skills: Toy making, hunting, eating
 - Mask Design: Red 'tears' falling from the eye slats
 - Kill Count: 1
 - Reason for Name: Selena lost her brother because she misinterpreted some combat information. Naturally, she blames herself, although the messenger admitted to delivering false information. Unlike all the other Sirens, Selena chose the name 'Sorrow' herself. Under her leadership, the Sirens have yet to experience a single defeat or loss of life.

Guile
 - Real Name: Unknown
 - Purpose: Assassination, killing
 - Off-Duty Occupation: Never off-duty
 - Main Weapon: Reaper Scythe
 - Magic: Dark and Earth
 - Other Skills: Navigation, sailing, floral arrangements
 - Mask Design: Heptagram at the forehead, and kill tallies on each cheek
 - Kill Count: 600 confirmed, hundreds more possible
 - Reason for Name: 'Guile', or 'Reaper', is Calamity's executioner. Only critical personnel are assigned to Guile. He uses a combination of Earth and Dark magic to shred apart his foes. In one battle, he wiped out an entire company of Col Dragoons. Calamity keeps him on a short leash, but when he releases the Reaper, it rains blood.

Hatred
 - Real Name: Heather
 - Purpose: Healer
 - Off-Duty Occupation: Never off-duty
 - Main Weapon: Morning star or spiked flail
 - Magic: Water and Space
 - Other Skills: Diving, farming
 - Mask Design: Right eye slat covered by a steel plate
 - Kill Count: 4 combatants, 12 via torture, 3 assassinations
 - Reason for Name: Heather was one of the first Sirens. Doom found her screaming vulgarities and scathing remarks in a nobleman's courtyard, most of them involving the word 'Hate'. They became fast friends and she later became the medic of the Sirens. She studied briefly under Celica.

Progress update 8-27

    So, today I moved into the dorm for my 5th semester of College. But, I've been able to get a bit of my book done before then. Here is chapter 3 of part 3. It is a personal favorite of mine, because in it a very special character delves deep into the pits of insanity. A great reminder to both reader and author; no character is safe from the ebb of time. Time does not heal their wounds, it only makes them fester.

Enjoy...

            Gobehyz sat back on the throne. Peak Sol was indeed a mighty fortress. It was not however, impregnable. He had single handedly defeated the palace defenders and dethroned the king. The King put up less of a fight than Gobehyz would have thought. But Darin was something more than a simple king. He told the men to stand down when Gobehyz entered the throne room. Logan had barely made it to the king before he commanded the troops to evacuate. And then, he just let the invader sit upon the holy throne. Logan shifted in the chair and propped his head up with his hand.

            “So…Gobehyz Logan returns with a woman. I thought I’d never see the day.”

            “It’s been awhile, King Darin. Have you been well?” The king smiled. “Better than you seem to be, Logan.” The king carried a chair from the foyer and set it before Logan. “And, I’m impressed that you found a woman willing to put up with your attitude. My condolences, lady Eryn.” She smiled. “Not at all, your majesty. I am very happy to be with master Logan.” Darin nodded and took a seat. “What are you doing here, Gobehyz?” Logan frowned and glared at the king. This man was clever. Too clever. He was appointed to the throne after completing the trek up Mount Eclipse. At the top of the mountain lay this palace, Peak Sol. Only, he had not made the journey on foot. He rode a bear. The man tamed a bear in one week in order to climb a mountain. Darin was as smart as he was strong. He was always planning something.

            “I’m looking for the last book. I know where the others are.” Darin cocked his head. “But, the first volume was lost. The Royal family lost it about forty years ago. You would know that, if you payed any attention at all.” Logan bit the inside of his cheek. Of course it had. That put a halt to his plans. But Ryan was coming with the second part. His plan hadn’t been ruined yet. “Very well…but I’m still going to light the forge.”

            “A very grave mistake, Gobehyz. Guilt already consumes your life; do you wish to make it worse?” Logan shook his head. “This time it will be different, Darin. I am in control.” The king nodded sarcastically. “I see. Of course you are.” He stood and walked out of the hall. “Try not to get your blood all over the tapestry when this horribly backfires. I just had those repaired.” The king left to return to Zander’s Cove. Hopefully the king would point Ryan up here when he arrived. Eryn walked over to the throne and leaned against it. “What are you really up to, Logan?” Eryn was looking a lot better since being freed. The weight she lost during her confinement had returned, and she was able to fly again on her wings. The feathers that fell out had been replaced and their healthy brown color had returned.

            It was times like this that Logan remembered that she was really a demon. An unholy creature from another plane of existence. A force that was too dangerous to leave alive. But she was needed for Logan’s plan. It involved using her powers to ignite a magical artifact called a forge. These ‘forges’ do not produce weapons, rather they dispense them. These ‘forges’ were more like vaults. Logan was more interested in a piece of the book he sought. It was in this forge, but opening it would be a problem. There was one matter that needed to be taken care of first. Now that all the pesky inhabitants had been removed, Logan needed to scour every inch of the palace to look for the Forge. Inside, and out. And the blizzard had not let up since their ascent. Logan rose to begin the search.

            What better place to start than the outside? Logan slipped into his heavy cloak and took a walk around the perimeter. The walls encompassed an area of about twelve miles. The forge could be anywhere outside. At least it was only snowing at the moment. He marched through the knee deep snow, guided only by the pale light of an obscured moon. The cold clawed at his mind and body with each passing minute. Logan flared a bit of earth magic to keep himself warm. Earth magic was special; it could block physical or magical harm for the user. In this case, he used an inoculation to keep the cold from doing any lasting harm. If only he were a fire mage, he could just melt all the snow.

            Logan couldn’t tell if he was sick of the cold or satisfied with his search when he turned to go back inside. The blizzard picked up again. Regardless of his true reason, his magic would not protect him from those fierce gales and the bombardment of hail. He shook the snow out of his hair and took a deep breath. The warm air of the palace filled his body and soul. It couldn’t be outside, because Logan would have felt the magical presence. He bit his lip and walked towards palace underground. Prisons and torture chambers were empty. No sign of anything in the servant’s quarters. Only a few stone motifs decorated the storage rooms. None seemed important to the forge, so he left them after jotting down a quick note for his personal journal.

            The magical presence grew more powerful as he reentered the throne room. Eryn stood in a doorway. “Master Gobehyz, I have prepared some supper. Would you care to eat?” Logan nodded and followed. The two sat down in the dining hall. Throughout the meal, the power of the forge waxed and waned. It pulsated like a heartbeat and echoed inside his brain. Logan finished his meal and stayed a while to chat with Eryn. All the while, he was thinking of the location of the forge. He rose after saying thanks and resumed his search. The dining hall and kitchen were empty. The throne room was empty. He had checked every room in the palace, including the king’s private quarters. It was nowhere to be found. Tired and defeated, he took a seat on the throne again.

            It was not there. No matter where he looked, no matter how he searched, the forge was hidden. Gone. It wasn’t in the armory, it wasn’t in the vault, it wasn’t outside, and it wasn’t in the king’s quarters. It was most likely hidden in plain sight. He closed his eyes and reclined in the chair. An outline of the palace appeared in his brain. He checked off everywhere it couldn’t be. He was left with the foyer and the guest rooms. Eryn brushed up against his arm. “I never did repay you for saving me back there, Gobehyz.” Logan opened his eyes and smiled kindly. “No payment is needed. I was simply doing a favor for Donald.”

            “But –“

            “I mean it. And believe me…in due time you shall repay me.” He stood and stretched. “You may sleep in the king’s room for tonight. I will continue my search.” Eryn nodded but remained where she was. Logan left the room and began to inspect the foyer. Nothing out of the ordinary. A large fireplace gave heat to the entire palace, which was no small feat. He searched around the fireplace and even extinguished the fire to look all around. Not a thing to be found. He searched the guest rooms long into the night. Eventually, fatigue took over and he fell over onto a bed for a moments rest. Morning was upon him before he realized he had fallen asleep.

            Logan crawled out of bed and stretched. He popped all the joints he could and fished into his pockets for his medicine. He took a bit, and his muscles and joints felt relieved from their pain. He did some more rigorous stretches. Soon, he was awake and ready for the day. He noticed that Eryn was still asleep. He smiled at the thought of her roosting like a bird for the night. Once the humor faded, he went back to the foyer. The fire had gone out since last night and the cold began to set in. Logan tossed a few logs into the pit. The fatigue from last night caught up with him as he threw one log. The wood hit the top of the fireplace, sending a clang through the palace. Logan instinctively rubbed his hand over the area to see if anything got chipped. The metal was fine, but a layer of soot and ash lay over the metal.

            Logan rubbed some more and uncovered a pattern. Scholarly curiosity made him go fetch a rag to wipe down the metal. Several destroyed cloths later, he had discovered a most peculiar pattern. But, it wasn’t for the forge. He rebuked himself for letting his hopes rise. Instead, he struck one of the matches and lit the flames. The patterns began to glow. A faint orange at first; but as the metal grew hotter, the glow grew brighter. After an hour or so, the seal was red like blood. Logan watched in awe as black runes began to appear over the pattern. Little wonder he never found the runes among all the soot. Logan let a genuine smile creep across his face. The forge was before him. The runes finished appearing and began to turn and grow. His eyes were playing tricks on him.

            “‘Offer the hand of a demon to the sacred flames. Once purified, then shalt the treasures be thine.’” He spoke the words again aloud. A third time. Then, in the ancient language spoken by his people. A brilliant white sigil appeared in the back of the fireplace. This was it. The forge needed a demon to operate. Logan ran to Eryn. “Eryn, come now! I’ve found the forge.” She roused herself from sleep and stared at him sleepily. “What? Oh…you did? That’s marvelous!” She jumped out of bed and practically flew over to him. “I need your help to open it though. Can I count on you?” She smiled broadly. “Of course you can, Master Gobehyz. What do I need to do?”

            “Come with me. I will show you.” The duo ran towards the fire and Logan pointed out the sigil. “All you must do is put your hand on that sigil. Then, leave the rest to me.” The flames had grown since he left. Eryn nodded and stuck her hand forward. She yelped as the flames licked at it. She retreated and began to cry. “I don’t think I can do this.”

            “Please! You can. I know you can.” She tried again, but with the same response. She fell to her knees. “I can’t! I’m too frightened.” Logan opened his mouth to argue, but the words stuck in his throat. Finally, he knelt beside her. “I’m sorry for asking you to do this. I should have been more sensitive to your feelings.”

            “But I’m the only one…who can-”

            “I know…I’ll figure something else out.” He took a quick glance at the focus on his right forearm. Half of the indicator pits were lit. He frowned. That might just be enough for what he had in mind. “Give me your hand.” She clutched it close to her. “Please.”

            “No!”

            “Eryn…”

            “No, no, no!”

            “Please…trust me.” He held out his hand. She timidly put it out to him. He clasped her wrist. “Now then, don’t resist. I’m going to coat your hand in a barrier until we get to the mark, alright?” She nodded as their hands moved closer. An amber light enveloped both their hands and they pushed further on. The flames attacked, but were repelled by the barrier. Logan began to sweat from the strain. “I’m letting go now…touch the sigil.” Their hands became dangerously hot instantly. Eryn pushed forward and touched the mark. The forge began to glow. Eryn was barely able to scream when the flames shot out like a dragon’s breath. The red-blue flames engulfed their vision. A thin barrier of amber light stood between them and burning. Logan was now bleeding from his eyes and ears from the stress. The flames finally died down and Logan dropped the barrier. He dropped to his hands and knees coughing up blood. Eryn was still in shock from the trap. Gobehyz recovered enough to wipe off most of the blood. He forced himself to a sitting position and stared at the forge.

            A small little handle had popped out of the wall where the sigil had been. “Heh…Darin’s going to be mad about the tapestries. I don’t think that there are even ashes left.” He struggled to a stand and walked over to the handle. He gave it a tug, and burnt his hand. He was so close to his goal now that the pain meant nothing. He kept pulling until it clicked. The back wall dropped, revealing the treasures that lay within. Inside was a blade made of a cloudy metal and another black book. Logan let his tears flow. After all this time, the last book was finally within his reach. But his hand was drawn to the dagger. A unique weapon, it seemed to be made of an alloy instead of a pure metal. But, the only metal he knew that was nearly transparent was the legendary mythreal ore found in the old legends. Was this one of the weapons used by the Sages to defeat Calamity?

            Logan put aside the knife and took the book. He opened to the front cover. Sure enough, it was the book he had been searching for. Logan eyed it hungrily. He began shaking as he flipped through the pages. Page after page, filled with secrets long forgotten. He feverishly scanned read it; turning the pages with unbridled excitement. He wanted to glean all of its contents, to learn the most painful of truths. Then it stopped. Not one half of the pages were completely filled before the text stopped. He frantically searched for anything more. The blank pages mocked him with their silent laughter.

Logan at last let out a chuckle. His posture fell. “I don’t believe it…it’s not even finished! Is it…is it hidden? Is there another half? This is it – all of it?” He closed the book. He sulked for about an hour. He stood and picked up the knife. A fit of insanity washed over him.  Logan laughed until his sides hurt; until he could hardly breathe. “This is just too funny!” He laughed all the way to the main door. He burst through it like a madman. The echoes of insanity rang all the way down to Zander’s cove, some hundred miles away. “Come now, my sweet.” He called behind him. “We must go and pay a visit to our fair Princess of Col.” 

Progress update 8/3/2016

One of the most long-awaited battles of the series : the clash of assassins! This is one of many similar battles. Assassin vs Assassin...there can be no victors.

            Agony faced Kline. The two masked assassins watched each other behind false faces. No movement was made. Even though chaos surrounded them, neither budged an inch or showed any notice. Kline and Agony activated their dark magic at the same time. Then, each took their stance. Kline stood with his arms up like a boxer. Both his hands became coated in magic as black as tar. Agony crouched down and put her left arm forward. Dark magic coated the arm from the elbow down, creating a razor for inflicting pain. The movement ceased. Both had been trained to finish battles in one blow. A small gust of wind from one of the other conflicts caused Kline’s cloak to rustle. That was the queue to begin. Agony and Kline ran forward at each other. The claws left trails in the air that followed their movements. Both assassins thrust forward with their attacks.

Aside from that one paragraph, I've successfully cleaned up the mess that Ryan made of the plot. With any hope, I'll be able to finish up the last of the plotting and get back to writing.

Per Dio e Onore

Progress Update

Hello everybody!

    After a lot of planning, I find myself changing things mid-chapter. Because of that, some characters have gone through a good deal of changes (ex. Dmitri, Logan, Plague, Tyrell, etc.). And because of that, some future events have been scrapped. Some of which were key to the vision I had for the story. 
And some that were key to certain points of character development I wanted to hit.

And some that were key to specific plot points.



And some that will leave plot holes so large, you could very well fit a planet in them.

    This is all because, in my blind ferver to get things done and on paper, I over worked a currently sidelined character: Elaine. Elaine was not supposed to be a full character. In all honesty, she wasn't supposed to be introduced until midway through the 'ENDGAME' portion of this story. Elaine's introduction forced me to change the occupation, introduction, and associations of another, more important character: Logan. This all happened before I had a chance to see what was happening.
    To make matters worse, this influences a large chunk of my cast. Specifically, I now need to further develop and possibly redo the relationship that Ryan has with Elaine, Logan and the others. 
    IN edition, Kyle (or Kline), may need to be changed also. I also royally messed up my plan for the Demon Hunter sub plot, but 'accidentally' setting it up to mingle with the main plot. As such, Kyle (or Kline) will have more interaction with the primary cast, the sub-plot cast, and possibly become their own separate entity. 

I tried to have my cake, and eat it too. 

    But, I love cake. So I'm just going to continue eating. I like the direction that the story has gone, and I find myself giving into the will of the characters. I put them down on paper and they tell me how the story should go.
*Please do not take that literally, it is a metaphor. I am not crazy enough to be institutionalized.*

    The goal of my writing so far is to publish. Even if it takes years, I would like to see this work leave my hands and go out into the world. I'm having a great time writing this, and at times I lose myself to the world. I would not change anything for the sake of making my life easier. 

    So for that reason, the updates to this blog will enter the unfortunate phase of uncertain updates. I may or may not post anything of major content importance until I sort out my plot issues. It'll be fun, and I'll post all the hair-pulling planning. It will be unique, and I'd like to post at least an update once a week. Anyway, enough of the random ramblings; here is my intended schedule for this week.

*Fix all plot elements related to Elaine
*Fix the sub-plots and their mingling with the main plot
*Finish one half of part 3 chapter 1


    At the end of the week (probably Friday), I'll give an update on how things are going. If you have any suggestions or other (helpful) comments, please feel free to leave them here or on the post they apply. Happy July 18 for all those State-side, and have a wonderful Monday.

- Dominic Palermo

Part 2 Demon Hunter Sub-Plot

Demon Hunters

            Dmitri yawned as the group marched towards the Maverick estate grounds. The leader of the caravan had stopped Xena and Dmitri last night. The plan was to let Xena and Dmitri, the youngest in the group, go and try to get permission to explore the estate looking for Hati. Xena knocked gently on the door. There was no answer. She knocked harder. Still no reply. “Are they not home?” Dmitri stepped up and grabbed the knocker. Xena shot him an angry look. “If they didn’t respond to my knocking, what makes you think they will respond to that thing?”

            “I don’t know…I just wanted to try it. M-maybe they just – ” Xena threw her hands up and groaned. “Fine. Fine. Go ahead, play with your little knocker then, Dmitri.”

            “Don’t be like that, Xena. I’m just trying to help.”

            “No, no you’re not. You only want to bother or embarrass me.” Dmitri looked visibly shaken. A bit of anger and fear flared up in his eyes for a moment. She heard him whisper something under his breath. He pulled on the knocker and let it drop into place. Before the echo had fully stopped, the door was pulled open by a butler. He was not from the Maverick estate, or so the Regale emblem told Xena. “Greetings, travelers. I hope you will excuse my curtness, but the Lord and Lady are unavailable presently. I shall go and fetch one of their retainers.” He closed the door and departed. Xena couldn’t believe that the servants had not answered the door when someone knocked. But as soon as the knocker was struck, there was an answer. She felt sick inside for being so rude to Dmitri, but Xena would sooner die than apologize to him.

            The door opened up to reveal another butler. He was much older than the first one, and had a refined look. His clothes were neat, and he wore a dress coat while the other butlers wore only a vest. “Good day. I am called Winston and I am the overseer while my Masters are away. I apologize for the delay. I was rather busy, but that is little excuse. Make yourselves comfortable in the meeting room, if you desire.”

            “Thank you, sir. But we will only be here for a short time. We would like permission to explore your estate. We are on official Leneel Sect business.” Winston narrowed his eyes and gave a pointed look. “I see. And what business is this, exactly.”

            “Classified.” Xena answered. Winston stood in the doorway and confronted her. “I do not like your attitude, young lady. I do not take kindly to your kind to begin with, and I have been rather frustrated of late. I would hate to vent that pent up rage upon you.” Xena shot him a glare. “I will do as I like!” Winston removed one of his gloves and slapped Xena with it. “Answer me like that again, and next time I will use my hand.” Dmitri stepped between the two of them. “Um s-sir?” Winston gave him a powerful glare. Dmitri swallowed hard and continued. “We are looking for a powerful demon.” Xena punched him in the back. “That is classified, Dmitri!”

            “Ah…you mean the Ice Wolf, Hati? Yes. I was aware of his presence. The beast has done no harm to the estate, so I was going to leave it be. However, if you perceive it to be a threat, you may remove it. I will be accompanying you. And I shall bring along another, simply for my sake.” He turned and called up into the house. “Ice! Come hither this instant.” A small boy ran down. It was eerie how much the boy mirrored Winston. Ice looked as though he could be Winston’s grandson. He bowed slightly and looked at the two church hunters. “Yes, Mr. Winston? How am I to assist you today?” Winston pointed towards the guests. “We will go and help these fellows. The plan is to go and hunt the demon wolf somewhere on the property.”

            “Okay, I see. I am glad to help.” The boy turned to Dmitri and bowed. “I hope to be of some assistance to you.” Dmitri nodded. The boy pointed off to the east. “The creature has begun its assent up Mount Sickle. You had best hurry to catch it. If you do not, I’m afraid that it will be nigh impossible to stop it.” Xena and Dmitri looked at each other. They exchanged fearful glances. The boy nodded. Winston continued his thought. “As you see, Hati is but one of three demon wolves. Should Hati succeed in his quest, then the next one will be released.”

            This information confirmed what the Demon Hunters had feared. If this wolf succeeded, then the world would be plagued by another. One more powerful than Hati. It was just as the legends told. But Xena couldn’t help but wonder if the legends could be wrong. Was the bedtime story she had heard so often a reality? Xena dismissed those thoughts. “So, how do we stop it?” Winston shrugged. “You had best take us to your group. We do not have much time and we have much to do.” The duo nodded and departed with the butlers in tow.

*****

            “So…they move to destroy Hati?” Two church assassins knelt before the speaker. “I see…” The one assassin stood. “Lord Tomas, what – ”

            “By Rohda, I will be addressed as High Priest!” The speaker tossed a glass of some drink at the assassin. He caught it and charged up a spell. “At ease, brother.” The other assassin said to soothe his comrade. Tomas fidgeted in his chair. “If you are so eager to get your claws bloodied, go and kill the servants. The less here the better.” The man took a deep breath and turned.

            “I don’t understand how Kyle can be so difficult.” The remaining assassin shook his head. “My brother is simply going stir crazy. You should have let him track down the Northerner.” The Priest shook his head. “No. He would have killed the man. I needed you to do it.” The priest stood and ran a finger through his greasy hair. “I’m not so sure it was wise to dwell underground so much. I actually miss the dry sun.”

            “Are the preparations complete?” Tomas stood and motioned for Kyle to follow. “I need you to go with the Gran Magus. Follow this Northerner and see that he returns.” Kyle nodded again. “What are you planning, master Tomas?” The priest smiled darkly. “They will not succeed in stopping Hati. The seal will be broken, and Skoll will be released.” Kyle understood and finished. “You plan on releasing Fenrir the dark wolf, correct?” The priest smiled. “Of course. And if that monster isn’t enough to suppress the north, then I shall release our trump card.” The priest pulled a vial of blood out from his sleeve. “If they manage to stop Fenrir, then I will just have to release Mother Earth upon them.”

*****

            Winston stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Ice pointed to a small peak on the map as Winston began to speak. “This is White Hill. Hati will need to wait on the top of this smaller hill until the moon is at its peak. Once the moon begins to descend, it will need to rush to the top of Mount Sickle. We don’t have enough time to cut it off at the river, so we will need a new strategy.”

            “Thanks grandpa, but we knew that.” Winston looked at the leader. He slipped his hand out of his glove and slapped her with the glove as well. Xena flinched slightly at the sound. “Goodness…What is it with you women? Such rude behavior. Now if you would please, woman, allow me to finish.” Winston put his hand back in the glove and continued.

            “As I was saying, we do not have the time to cut Hati off at the river. We will need to come up with a new method of attack.” Ice nodded and handed Winston a slip of paper. “Unfortunately, it is entirely too risky. If we don’t manage to pull it off, we may endanger the entire world.” The group looked at him with a mix of dread and confusion. Ice finished Winston’s thought. “We will need to ambush Hati as he is devouring the moon.” The more experienced in the group, including Xena, laughed at his statement. Dmitri spoke over them. “How do we do that, Winston?” He asked. Winston frowned and stroked his chin. “We will need special weaponry. Perhaps equipment with runes inscribed on them, like your companion’s sword.” Xena shook her head. “No way is he going to use my sword for your random ideas. I’d rather die.”

            “If we don’t use it, you will.” Ice said with heaviness in his voice. The other hunters finally stopped laughing. “Hold a moment. Go back to the part about it eating the moon. Are you serious?”

            “Of course I am. Why else would I tell you? It is written in the legends. Am I wrong, miss?” Xena shook her head. She began to tell the story she had learned. “Hati is one of the three demon wolves. It was once a regular wolf pup, but powerful magic changed it. It now has power over the Pillar of Sapphire. It uses water and ice magic to destroy those who would hunt it.”

            “But what does this have to do with the moon?” Dmitri continued her story. “Hati needs to eat the moon to gain power.”

            “Shut up! I’m telling the story! Hati has a brother, Skoll. Hati and Skoll need to pull energy from the moon and sun in order to get enough magic to free their mother, Fenrir, from a magical prison somewhere in Col. Hati will not so much eat the moon as he will absorb its power.” The group began to chuckle again. They apparently did not believe in the legends. “Well, that is just a legend.” Winston smirked. “And legends are not the complete truth.” Now, the butler had a smile across his face. “How pitiful. I would have thought that a member of the great Leneel Sect would have a bit more faith in legends.” Winston shrugged and turned on his heels. “It appears that we have little time to sit here arguing. Shall we go or shall we stay? I shall furnish some appropriate weaponry on the way up to the peak.” Winston waltzed over to the supply wagon and began helping himself to supplies. No one bothered to stop him.

            Dmitri sat alone, watching the moon drift slowly overhead. It was odd. He thought he had heard another voice in his head earlier. Xena had yelled at him at the estate, and then he heard it. The voices had returned, but they were different. This one was feminine. It was moving. Seductive. It was barely a whisper, but it had nearly seized control of him. He could have hurt Xena. And to make things worse, he kept hearing it. It would leave honeyed words on his ears. Teasing him. Tempting him. But unlike the other voice, there was no malice in the voice. It did not tell him to kill. It only told him to follow and obey. But unlike the other voice, this one prodded him with consequences. Disobedience would result in the death of those he held dear. Just as Dmitri would have begun screaming, he heard footsteps behind him. Xena stood with her hands on her hips. “Are you going to pout here all day?”

            Dmitri just shrugged and stood up. Once at a stand he apologized. Xena was quiet for a moment. “Look, Dmitri.” The two locked eyes for a time. Finally, Xena spoke again. “I…said somethings…in a way…that was…wrong.” The pain was clear on her face. Dmitri smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine, Xena.” She gave a half smile before brushing his arm off of her. “And what happened to you, Dmitri? You seem…different. You no longer stutter, you no longer are quiet. You have even done some things that I would have considered bold for you.”

The voice in the back of his head whispered a reply to him. He responded. “I’m just becoming a better hunter, Xena. I’m trying to become the partner you’ve always wanted.” The words dug a hole straight to Xena’s soul. Before either had the chance to apologize again, a howl rent the quiet night in twain. The camp was a buzz of activity as Winston handed out the modified weapons. The group ran up to the top of the mountain in chase of the Great White Demon Wolf, Hati.