V S M Assembly

[Altanis]

"Tell me again what exactly it is you intend to do, here?" The tired voice of Joey Blaese asked the question for at least the fifth time since they had returned to a secretive place. "And why, exactly, we had to come all the way back down here to do it?"

"I lost something valuable in Dante's Abyss," the hellspawned centaur growled. "I intend to get it back."

"Yeah, yeah, okay...but why did we have to come back here for that?" the mechanic snapped. "We could've gone anywhere for you to do you weird magic mumbo jumbo, couldn't we?"

"This place is secret, and isolated." The calm, cold voice of Joshua Graham was the response this time. "Whatever arcane rituals she has in mind can be done here uninterrupted and unobserved, by all but the most omniscient of gazes." The pale blue eyes of the burned man blinked once, his head swiveling about almost robotically to face Altanis. "Is that not correct?"

"Hmph... Your wisdom remains as sound as ever, mister Graham." The centaur merely flicked a finger in something approximating a gesture of agreement. "I require some secrecy and safety for what I am about to attempt. A place with only one path in or out is a boon to such things, as is having some...dependable eyes watching that path."

"Gee, you hear that, preacher man?" Joey drawled. "We're dependable now. Really movin' up in the world, aren't we?"

Graham simply gave a tired shrug. "You should know by now that any kind of positive reference is not lightly given, from her."

"Enough idle chatter," Altanis snapped, brushing her way past the other two and into the heart of the underground complex. She stared up at the crude stone effigy to Darkseid still dominating the chamber. "Now it is time for work to be done." She lowered her gaze, turning to look back over her shoulder. "Mister Graham. Miss Blaese. Go keep watch over the entrance, and make sure that the cache of supplies we requisitioned on the way back are intact after the trip."

"Yeah, sure thing." Joey groaned, getting up to her feet. "I can go do inventory, or whatever...too tired to keep much of a watch on anything."

"Then I will keep alert enough for both of us, while you get some much needed rest." The burned man reached down to pick up his satchel, slinging the worn strap over his shoulder. "You haven't rested properly since before we left for Dante's Abyss."

"I know, I know. Just..." As she shuffled slowly out of the room, the mechanic rubbed her face with both hands. "...not really pleasant thoughts running through my head, y'know? Hard to get any peace and quiet up there."

As her two companions retreated further toward the entrance of the underground complex, Altanis returned her attention to the effigy to Darkseid. "What a repugnant mockery..." she hissed, and lifted a hand up. With a grasping motion, she let loose a rippling wave of telekinetic force that folded around the towering statue like a blanket.

Then she squeezed.

The smothering tele-blanket constricted like so much coiled rope, tightening and crunching the stone within it. It was a slow, gradual effort, the stonework being unnaturally sturdy and resilient. "You think you are strong enough to do as you like..." Baring her teeth, the demonic creature let out a snarl as she clenched her hand into a fist.

The rock shattered into fragments and powder, scattering and flying all over the room and blanketing the floor in dust and rubble. "You are nothing."

 

[Altanis]

Her breathing came quicker and more haggard than before, as she tried to calm her racing mind. This entire mess about dealing with Darkseid and the insanity that plagued his would-be followers was grating and wearing on her mind. It was drawing her back to an uglier, more primitive place where force was the only answer that worked.

She didn't like that place.

There were other things she needed to do rather than simply resort immediately to violence. That certainly had its place, and it was very effective when it was properly utilized. In spite of what some other individuals under the same banner she once served, though, it was not a catch-all solution. There were some problems that couldn't be solved by properly swinging around a hammer, whether on the battlefield or in the bedroom.

Before arriving in this accursed desert world, she had become much more familiar with the latter, rather than the former.

So many millennia used as just...a toy, by her captors, had gotten her used to such treatment, and used to frequent...release. Going so long without that, now, was becoming a constant problem. Her pride and mental fortitude were strong enough that she could ignore it outwardly, but internally...

There is a reason you permit the mechanic to keep walking, she reminded herself. She will be useful in more ways than one, soon.

Small comfort in the here and now, but the tantalizing thread of a well-earned reward to come could sate her for now. Lust was a powerful force, even putting aside the magic that fueled and caused it back home, but it could be beaten down and overcome with enough effort and willpower. And as much as she had many things, Altanis was possessed of immense willpower. It was the sole reason she was still mentally in one piece after so many years of such abuse and treatment at the hands of her captors.

"Put that cursed body to use!" they had teased and taunted her. "Help repopulate the world you helped nearly wipe out. It's what you were gonna do anyway, right? Grab any pretty girl you saw and fuck her until she was a quivering mess and bred full of your filthy demon spawn?"

"You always did seem like more of a cow, or a greedy fucking pig than a horse."

She snorted, shaking her head to snap herself out of that reverie. It wasn't a path she wanted to walk down now, or ever again. The physical act might have been pleasurable, but doing it on someone else's terms was infuriating and robbed her of any joy that came from it.

As her vision cleared from the fog of memory lane, she was surprised to see what stood before her. The remains of the crude effigy had been all ground down to powder, and a new form carved out of the rock wall. That of a mighty dragon, crouched and coiled down into a resting pose.

"My lord..." the hellspawn whispered, trotting slowly closer, and lifting a hand up as if to touch the statue.

When her fingertips were only inches from the stone, she flinched and recoiled back as if struck violently, jerking and stumbling back to crash down into a heap on the floor.

"Fool...you stupid, ignorant, dumb bitch!" she seethed, voice barely a hissing whisper. "As if you had any right to touch even an image of him without permission..."

And there she lay, for what was only minutes but felt like hours, trying to work up the courage to do what she had to do next.

 

[Altanis]

Eventually, Altanis recovered herself enough to get back to standing. A wave of her hand, and she reduced the draconic statue to rubble without looking at it. She didn't need to be reminded of Goraskan any more right now.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, the hellspawn gave a brief nod. "To the matter at hand..."

She swept her hand out to one side of her, her clenched fist surrounded by a hazy aura of crimson. Slowly, she extended one finger, and then directed it down to the floor, pointing at something yet to be made.

A careful series of flicks and swirls of her arm and psychic forced lashed out in a precise ribbon, carving through the floor like a blade. Over several minutes, a large circle was inscribed, and a dizzyingly ornate series of runes and symbols within it.

"There..."

It took some time for her to complete it, but when she finally had she stopped to admire her handiwork, and to ensure it had been done correctly. Opening a path to the realm of the dead was child's play, after all. It was keeping it open for the return trip that was the hard part. Getting there to retrieve her objective would do her very little good if she couldn't bring it back with her, after all.

"Now then..." She slowly paced into the center of the newly-inscribed circle. "To open a gate to the netherworld should be..." she murmured, her eyes fluttering half-closed as she racked her memory. It had been many, many millennia since she had last needed to open a gate to the dead realm, and the specific wording of the incantation was escaping her. But her mind was as good as any library; the information was there, it was all a matter of sorting through everything to find it.

It took several hours, physically pacing around the inner perimeter of the arcane glyph while mentally pacing through her memories, but she finally located what she was after. "Ah...yes...so simple..." she whispered to herself, a faint smile curling at her lips. "Very well, then, time to begin..."

 

[Altanis]

Everyone's vision of how the world of the dead looked was different, she knew. The world itself was the same, but how it appeared to each individual differed in much the same way that it was said paradise did. One person's idea of eternal suffering might simply be another day at work for another, after all. Best to let each sort out their own fate.

As Altanis stepped across the threshold between worlds, that was what she was reminded of. For her, she saw...something unspeakable that nearly revulsed her enough to turn about and leave immediately.

An endless, sprawling labyrinth of streets. Lined with simply made houses and buildings, worked into the ground and rocks and trees and of elven design. An exact replica of the village she had been imprisoned in. But she persevered, and stepped further through into the streets.

All around her she could feel and hear it: the grinning and snickering of voices, the gazes full of hate and mirth and lust. The presence of her captors, ready to leash and chain her down again even in death, making sure she never got away from her repentance. Try as she might, she couldn't help the chilling tingle that ran down her spine, and she couldn't ignore the tiny little voice in the back of her head.

Were you angry at your captors for how they treated you, or for them denying your only wish?

Almost as if to answer her own question, she saw something else. Far away, half-shrouded in mist and barely visible, there loomed the sight of a castle. The castle of Goraskan. Crumbling and decrepit, but fires still burning within it. It was still alive.

Goraskan was still alive.

She immediately bolted forward as fast as she could, in spite of herself.

She knew it was all a lie. All just a mirage, an illusion, designed to torment her endlessly.

The castle loomed ahead, constantly just out of reach. No matter how far or how quickly she ran, dashing through the streets and bounding over carts and stampeding past (or through) people, it never grew any closer. It always sat there on the horizon, half-hidden in the mists and taunting her.

Agonizingly close, but always just out of reach.

Eventually, in spite of her formidable endurance, her heightened emotions drained her strength. Her frantic desire to just see him again, to know what became of her lord, her one true treasure, burned her out and sent her crashing down into a heap.

And she laid there, wrestling with her inner turmoil and trying to re-gather her strength.

This is why you sent the others away, a voice in her head scolded. You didn't want them to see you at your weakest. When you act like a sniveling, lovesick child, throwing yourself at something you can't have just because you WANT it.

She clenched her teeth, willing the grating voice to be silent. It wasn't her own, she knew that; just another trick of this damnable world tormenting her and trying to get under her skin. She hated that it was the truth more than anything. On the verge of tears, she lifted her head to gaze longingly at the castle in the distance. "You will never return to me, my lord..." she choked out. "And I will never return to you...fate has other plans for now..."

Wearily, she dragged herself up some minutes later, telekinetically wiping away the glaze of tears on her face. "There is work to be done, my lord...but some day, I will stand at your side once more."

 

[Altanis]

Though it took a tremendous effort of will, Altanis turned away from the castle looming in the distance. It was just a taunting phantasm, she knew, but the way it lingered in her view even as she turned from it made it all the more agonizing.

What she saw as she turned around, however, was far more immediately jarring and worrying.

"I was wondering who it was that was ballsy enough to come to this place while they were alive."

There, perched upon the edge of a rooftop, was a sight that gave even Altanis pause. Unnaturally tall and lanky, covered head to toe in deep red armor, and with a vicious-looking weapon leaned over one shoulder. Pale green glowed in the eyes of the horned helmet as the figure gazed down at the centaur in what seemed almost like amusement.

It was a Demon, Altanis could tell just from the aura it gave off. Not the same kind she was, but that didn't matter. This...thing was dangerous.

"I have business here," the response she finally gave was blunt and to the point. It was never wise to mince words with a demon, without knowing what kind of demon they were.

"Business?!" the being barked, before breaking out into raucous laughter. "EVERYONE has business here, at some point or other!" he guffawed, slapping his knee with one hand so hard that the rooftop edge beneath his leg splintered.

He shifted forward, pitching off the edge and landing on the ground, rising up to his full lanky height. He towered over Altanis by several feet, peering down at her intently. "But I'm in a good mood right now...so I'll cut you some slack with this next one." He leaned down so that one of his eyes was level with Altanis's face. "What's yer business here, exactly?"

Altanis flinched reflexively. She could smell a trap when one was put so obviously in front of her. She didn't know what, but...something just felt off. She took a step back, her hands clenching and unclenching several times as she fought down the 'fight' urge. "There is..." Her lips twisted into a grimace. "...someone here that I came to retrieve."

"Retrieve someone, eh?" The figure straightened back up, one armored hand lifting to stroke a chin-spine of his helmet as if it were his beard. "That ain't exactly easy, ya know? Must be important to you if you went to all this trouble."

"They are...valuable."

"Valuable, huh..." He cackled at that, turning to stride off. "Well, get to it, then. Go find yer important, valuable person."

"Just like that?" Altanis sputtered. It was so...bizarre. A true demon of this caliber was only likely to let someone go if there was something in it for them.

"Just like that." He waved a hand dismissively. "I never go back on my word." He turned around on one heel, dropping to take a seat on an overturned cart. "You're free to go and try to find your precious person. I won't stop you."

"....there's more you aren't saying," the centaur growled. "Spit it out. What do you get out of this?"

"What do I get out of it?" He guffawed, slapping the wagon and reducing it to splinters. "A good laugh, for one!" He quickly composed himself, his voice dropping to a low, gravelly drone. "And at least two bodies to tear apart instead of just one."

In spite of herself, a chill ran down Altanis's spine. The sheer...confidence and self-assured echo to his words was unsettling. It was as if it wasn't a simple desire or possibility, but a fact. As if it wasn't even a question of 'if, merely of 'when'. This...thing was going to slaughter Altanis and her target.

"....is that so?" Altanis finally responded, her hands clenching into fists again. More tightly this time, her nails digging into her palms to help stop the shaking and trembling that racked her body. "You mean to let me go so that I can retrieve who I came here after...and then kill us both when we return to go back to the living world?"

"Exactly." Pale green fire lit up the eyeholes of the armored demon's helmet as he squatted down, the top of his head hovering just short of his foe's chin. "It's been a while since I had any sport, and I could use a little light exercise." He brought an arm behind his back, pounding on his spine with a fist and making an almost comically hollow clang-thunk. "My back isn't what it used to be from just sittin' around all the time. So I think I'll kill you."

"No. You won't." The centaur bared her teeth in a snarl. "I have too much to do to bother with something like being killed by an old fool like you."

"Old fool? Like me?" He roared in laughter again, slapping the ground hard enough to crater it. "You got some nerve, bitch." His mirth evaporated like a drop of water in the desert.

"If you take such great offense to it, then do something about it."

For a long minute, the two held a staring contest that could nearly sent sparks flying, before finally the taller of the two broke it.

"Kh... Whatever." He turned away, as if suddenly losing interest. "Go do whatever you came here to do, like I said. Galand the Truth never breaks his word."

 

[Altanis]

"Galand...the Truth?" Altanis repeated. "That is your name...and title, I assume?"

"Galand is the name. And Truth..." He peered down at her intensely. "...is my commandment. Anyone who tells a lie in my presence is turned to stone. Even me."

The statement sent another chill down Altanis's spine. If that was true...then with such a grave threat and risk hanging over his head, he had still said such things... That he was going to kill her and her precious prize. It was either some kind of future sight and an unavoidable certainty, or else he was simply so confident and sure of his strength that he didn't see any way for it to be a question.

....or this was all just a ruse for his amusement. He did seem the type.

"So then, anyone who tells a lie will be rendered as good as dead?"

"As good as dead," he confirmed, with an amused chortle to his voice. "Anyone who tells a lie, or goes back on a promise."

"A most fearsome power, indeed... And there are no loopholes?"

"Of course there is!" The demon actually threw back his head and laughed. A great, booming laugh that rattled the windows in nearby buildings. "But why would I tell you what it is?!"

Altanis was given pause at that, completely baffled by this seeming buffoon's behavior. So there was a loophole to avoid the effects...but he refused to say what it was. If that was the case, though...

A grin slowly curled on to her face. It was so easy.

"Why would you tell me what it is?" she parroted. "Because I'm about to ask why. What, exactly, is the—"

And she was silenced by Galand whipping his weapon around, the blade hovering a hair's breadth from her throat. "Need you to stop right there." His eyes glazed bright green beneath his helmet, and his tone was cold and free of mirth. "I can't tell a lie. And I can't kill you now, or else I'd be breaking my word. But I never said anything about tearin' out your throat if you try and get smart again."

A single bead of cold sweat rolled down the side of Altanis's face as she fought to keep her composure. She hadn't even seen the old fool move, and then suddenly she was held at proverbial knifepoint. He wasn't just confident in his abilities, his brute strength and speed indicated that confidence had a terrifyingly concrete basis.

"Very well, then, Galand..." She murmured, and lifted up a hand to rest her fingertips on the blade of his spear. "I won't ask so directly." And gently she pushed the blade away, backing up several steps as she did so. "Tell me though. What should happen if you fail to kill us when I bring my charge back?"

"Hmm?" Galand seemed caught off guard by that, cocking his head to one side. "Ah...I wouldn't worry about that. I may be a bit rusty, but not so much I can't kill a young'un like you."

Altanis chuckled at that, a smirk growing on her face. "Very well, then...perhaps we shall make it a wager instead?"

"A wager, you say?" Galand hunched down into a squat, drawing near to eye level with the centaur. "I'm listenin'."

 

[Altanis]

Ironing out the details of their little wager was tedious and difficult. Galand made no effort to hide his attempts at tricking Altanis into a lie, or into a contradicting set of circumstances to make her break some part of the wager's rules. But eventually, it was settled.

"Alright, then... So that's where we stand." Galand tugged at his armor's chin-spike again. "I'll sit here and keep watch over your portal to make sure it stays open."

"And when I get back with my charge, you shall attempt to kill us both." Altanis crossed her arms, looking back at her only exit. "If either one of us should make it to the portal, then you have failed in your task."

"And if I fail...then I'll swear an oath to your service until you die."

Altanis grinned coldly. "Indeed. And if you succeed in slaying both of us...then I shall do the same, and remain here to serve you."

Galand cackled boisterously. "This is gonna be easy." And he thrust both hands into the air. "GALAND GAME! RULES SET!" He leered down at his 'foe', a dark aura flaring around him. "Like we said, you got seventy-two hours, or else you forefeit, and I win by default."

"I am aware of our rules, Galand." Altanis narrowed her eyes. "I am bound by them just as much as you are, thanks to your ability."

The commandment roared in amusement, then plonked himself down to sit cross-legged in front of the portal. "Your time starts soon as you get to the end of the street. I'd suggest you get movin'."

"Don't rush me, you oaf," she snarled, which only earned an amused snort in response.

 

[Altanis]

Finding her way through this dead town was...tedious.

It wasn't quite a maze, but it might as well have been. Everything looked so similar and the grinning, leering faces at every corner and in every window were quickly beginning to wear her down. It was making her break out in a cold sweat, remembering the last time she had been surrounded by those exact faces. It had been an easy life, then...but a hard one to endure. Her every need had been taken care of, and in spite of her captivity it had been comfortable enough.

It was...absolutely infuriating, though. She had no freedom at all, confined to her 'quarters' and forced to endure the constant attentions and affections of anyone who happened to be passing by. She was a glorified living sex toy to them, fit for nothing else but slake their lusts with and into, and to help provide countless new children and spawn to bring the city's population numbers back up. Just remembering that, all the pampering and affection masking the iron-hard collar and leash she was bound with...it made her legs weak and her stomach churn.

Just remembering that insufferable existence made her sick. It was everything she had wanted, once, before she had been afflicted by her own curse and weakened to her current state. But being robbed of the freedom to do it at her own pace...

It was an entirely different kind of bondage, and it had left her in chains that she could never fully break free of.

The path ahead of her suddenly opened up, breaking her mind free of its daze as suddenly as her body broke free of the miasma of giggling and leering within the city. A dirt road wound away, into a densely wooded region. The leaves were green and the bark a deep brown at the near edge, but that quickly gave way to a deep, pulsating blue and silver deeper in. The telltale sign of magic at work, and of the place being...not quite sacred, but most definitely [/i] guarded.

She proceeded with extreme caution, keeping alert for anything amiss.

 

[Altanis]

The air was filled with the gentle chorus of life in the woods. The sound of insects buzzing, of birds chirping, of small animals scurrying. The sound of leaves and branches swaying in the sighing wind.

The unmistakable feeling of something watching her every move.

Had she hairs on the back of her neck, they would have been standing on end. This land of the dead was no place for a living being, even a demon, and it wanted to make sure she knew that.

Countless eyes, gleaming red and green and yellow and blue and purple, peered out from the shadows on either side of the path. They leered and squinted, and occasionally growls erupted when she drifted too far to one side. Rustling and shuffling sounded here and there, and large shadowy shapes went sprinting past. The path was dark, the leaves and branches overhead completely blocking out any light from the sky. Somehow, though, the path remained illuminated with a dim, silvery-blue glow from the odd plants. It was enough to see by, but little else.

That was fine, though. All she needed was to be able to see, and she could manage the rest.

The path wound crazily through the trees. Along the ground at one moment, through a tunnel the next. Up into the trees on a road made of interleaved branches, then down below through a tunnel of starry glass beneath the waters of a lake. Around a road made of swirling light and starts among the leaves, then through a patch of pitch darkness only illuminated by the light from either end. It was something entirely alien and strange, born from her racing mind, she knew. The longer she was here, the more uneasy she felt, and the more fantastic and alien the landscape became around her.

She needed to focus...that much she knew. Focus on her objective.

The realm of the dead was what you made of it, whether consciously or subconsciously. Currently it was her subconscious running free, but she had to force it down. Put the bone-chilling sights that had greeted her here on first arrival, and what was waiting for her on her return, and focus on her objective here.

She was here to find someone.

She was here to find that little firebrand, Morgans, from Dante's Abyss.

She was here to bring her angry little gun bitch back to life with her. They still had more unmade to destroy.

 

[Altanis]

Morgans.

Jean-Ray Morgans.

The little ball of anger and violence that had been one of her most trusted assets during the events of Dante's Abyss.

She was hardly what one could call 'loyal'. Or even 'sane'. But she was useful, with her anger and violent tendencies directed at something they both hated. She was crass, crude, and vulgar....but she was also effective at what she did.

That was why Altanis admired her and wanted her back.

The little explosive-toting, gun-wielding woman was an invaluable asset, especially if she could be...improved. Her determination and fortitude were impressive, but she was still only human. With the right augmentation...both magical and mechanical, she could be so much more. She could do so much more damage than her self-destruction to take out a traitor had left her with.

She only needed to be brought back.

Almost as if on cue, the path suddenly ended abruptly, the woods giving way to a barren field. On a small hill ahead, there sat a ruined and crumbling old cottage. And on the porch of that cottage, sitting on a stool that was once a chair, sat Altanis's prize.

Jean-Ray Morgans in the flesh. Bereft of her weapons, and chewing on an unlit cigarette, she stared blankly out over the barren ground around and before her. All the fire had gone out of her eyes, leaving...just a woman.

It disgusted Altanis. To see here in such a state...the world of the dead had certainly picked the perfect way to torment her. Deprive her of all her weapons and tools, and of enemies to fight. Just a wide, empty void of nothing. No creature comforts, just a plain ramshackle house and barren fields. Just enough that it was almost an insult to have it.

Altanis shook her head in disgust, as she trotted forward and up the hill. It was time to return this little firebrand back to where she belonged. Right up the hill, right up to the porch, right up to Morgans.

The angry woman only lifted her head up to stare blankly at Altanis. Her eyes were half-lidded and had deep bags beneath them, all the light and fire of life gone out in her gaze. Not even a dull ember remained.

The hellspawned centaur scowled, lashing out with a hand to seize Morgans by the chin, wrenching her up and out of her chair. "I do not recall," she seethed. "Giving you permission to die, Morgans."

A spark flickered in the woman's eyes as she blinked away the haze of death torpor.

 

[Altanis]

"Even when I die..." the seated woman groaned, blinking her eyes. "...just can't fuckin' get away, can I?"

Altanis's eyes narrowed. "No. You cannot."

Morgans jerked herself back from the centaur's grasp, shaking her head. "Go figure this place found a new way to taunt me..."

"I am not just some illusion spawned by this place." Altanis waved a hand around at the bleak landscape. "I came here personally to retrieve you. There is still more work to be done."

"Bullshit you did," Morgans snarled. "I'm fucking dead. You know, as in literally blew myself up. It ain't like you can just make a day trip to the afterlife to come and pick me up. Don't try and give me hope."

"I am not trying to give you hope. I am here to take you back to the living world." Altanis reached out and took a fistful of the despondent woman's hair, wrenching her up to her feet. "Now stop being so foolishly insubordinate, and let us be on our way. I am already tired of this wretched place."

"Ow, ow, ow, jeeze, fuck!" Morgans reached up with both hands, prying the centaur's death grip free of her head. "Okay, okay, I get it already! You're not just some fake ghost trying to mess with me!" She tenderly rubbed at her scalp, frowning sourly. "Not unless they suddenly took a different tack and got a lot more real..." she muttered.

"I can provide further demonstration to put such worries to rest." Altanis grinned wolfishly, lifting a hand as a haze of red swirled around it. "I trust you remember my abilities from Dante's Abyss?"

Immediately, the woman jerked away from her former general, holding up both hands before her. "Okay, hey, whoa, none of that's necessary. I remember that real well, save it for the fuckin' clowns! Or...whatever they are now!"

The hellspawn just laughed. "Very well, then. You are ready to depart, then, I take it?"

 

[Altanis]

"Y'know, when I was a little girl I always wanted to ride a horse," Morgans muttered quietly. "Not that I'm sayin' you're a horse or anything, but...well..."

"If you weren't already dead, I might kill you for that," Altanis growled.

"Guess I'm lucky, then, huh?" the woman snickered. "How long we got until we're out of here?"

"It was approximately one day of travel to reach where I located you at." The demon waved a hand idly at the landscape around them. "This place is mutable. Constantly changing and shifting to reflect those beholding it. With enough willpower or focus, it becomes possible to force it to shift into what you desire of it."

"Like a path leading right to me, I guess."

"You are a clever one, aren't you?" Altanis rolled her eyes. "Yes. Precisely that."

"Guessing that means it's the same for our way back." Morgans shifted in her seat. It really was pretty uncomfortable, sitting up here like she was. Some clothes, or a saddle or something, probably would've gone a long way to making it more bearable. "Though hopefully it doesn't take an entire day. Kinda would like to get outta here sooner rather than later."

"We are in agreement in that regard." Altanis swiveled her head about, gazing over her shoulder with one eye. "The land of the dead is not a place that could be said to be anything close to pleasant, even to visit. And the longer one stays here...the worse it becomes, as it really sinks its hooks into them and learns what truly drives them to dread."

"So that's why this place got a lot more awful the longer I was here, huh..." Morgans huffed out a sigh. "Go fuckin' figure."

"Consider yourself lucky your stay was only a temporary one." Altanis smirked, turning back to watch where she was going. "Most people tend to find it a permanent new home when they arrive here."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it...I owe you my life and whatever."

 

[Altanis]

It was several hours of travel, filled only with the sound of Altanis's plodding hooves and Morgans' incessant complaining about the netherworld's awfulness, before anything of substance was said again.

"There is one minor complication that we will have to deal with, before we can leave this place." Altanis lifted her chin, gazing upward slightly as if searching for something. "I encountered a very...peculiar individual upon my own arrival here. And he is waiting for our return at the site of the portal I created."

"Uh-huh...?" Morgans' confusion was evident.

"He is a demon, of a different caliber than myself. As much as I am loathe to admit it, he is far more powerful than I can confidently handle."

"Wow. Must be a real nightmare, then." Morgans shook her head. "So we just gotta find another way out or something, right?"

"Unfortunately, we cannot do that. There is a..." Here Altanis paused, her lips hanging open for a long moment as her mind frantically ran in search of the right word. "...complication." was what she finally came up with. "A very delicate, dangerous complication. It involves this demon's own power and special ability."

"I assume you're gonna actually tell me what it is and not leave me hangin' forever in suspense? Or do I gotta actually ask?"

"I believe I will wait until you actually ask."

"Ffffffiiiiiine!" Morgans threw up one arm dramatically, the other grasping her ride by the shoulder to keep herself steady. "What's up with this demon fucker? Why's this mess such a risky one?"

"He claims that he has specific ability. An ability that worries me greatly," the centaur murmured in response. "He calls it the 'Commandment of Truth'. If anyone should tell a lie in his presence, or go back on their word or promise given to him, they are turned to stone instantly."

"Fuck...!" Morgans sputtered at that, coughing and stumbling over her response. "You've gotta be kidding me! You really believe that garbage?! That sounds exactly like the kind of playground bullshit kids make up in their make believe games to one up somebody else!"

"I am aware of that," Altanis snarled. "But I am not in the business of taking needless risks."

"What the fuck ever," Morgans huffed out a dismissive breath. "What's this weird-ass power he might or might not have actually got to do with anything, though? Sure it's a fancy little toy, but what's it got to do with us?"

"I was forced to make a deal with him." The centaur hunched her shoulders. "He aims to try and slaughter both of us when we make it back to the portal. One of us has to get by and reach the portal before he is able to."

"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!"

 

[Altanis]

Morgans pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a long, slow breath. "So basically," she finally said. "What you're telling me, is that we're fucked."

"Not necessarily." Altanis's tone was incredibly level and flat.

"Explain' fuckin' how, then." The disgruntled woman slapped a hand against the back of Altanis's head. "'Cause you just said you can't handle this guy easily, which means I sure as hell can't either."

The centaur growled at that, both hands curling into fists. It took a monumental effort of will, but she forced down the urge to rip Morgans' hand off for such a thing. "We do not need to 'handle him'. We merely need to get one of us past him."

"Oh, is that all. Greeeaaat. And I suppose you've got some master plan for how to do that?"

Altanis just rolled her eyes. "Of course I do."

"Gee, that's just swell. You gonna share with the class?"

"I will distract him and keep his focus," the hellspawn said simply. "While you sneak past him to the portal."

"Oh. Yeah, cool. Lemme just Solid Snake my way past a fuckin death dealer, no problem. Easy." Morgans howled out in mocking laughter. "Stealth ain't my thing. I can snoop around without bein' heard easily enough, but I'm shit-awful at not being seen."

"Then it is perhaps time for a crash course at being properly stealthy, isn't it?" Altanis came to a halt, grinning wolfishly. "We still have some time before the arranged limit expires and my word is broken."

"....uuuuh."

 

[Altanis]

A wave of invisible force tore a deep furrow in the ground, sending Morgans stumbling backward to avoid it. "Fuck...!" she hissed as her ass met ground. "God damn it."

"Still not good enough, miss Morgans." Altanis murmured, idly observing her nails. "I was, admittedly, quite aware of where you started, but even so...that was a very poor showing."

"How am I supposed to sneak past someone who knows I'm coming?!" the woman snarled, as she scrambled back to her feet.

"That isn't my problem to sort out," the centaur responded with a shrug. "Stealth has never been something I was good at. I am far too large and noticeable for that. So I can't teach you how to avoid being seen; that much is for you to figure out."

"I really hate you, you know that?"

"Many people do."

 

[Altanis]

Minutes turned into hours, and the collection of scrapes and bruises from Altanis's telekinetic interruption of Morgans' failed sneaking grew ever more pronounced.

She was making progress, though.

When they moved into the woods, her progress went through the roof. Actual cover to hide behind and dart from hidey hole to hidey hole let her maximize her natural proficiency in not being heard, and focus on not being seen.

"What I wouldn't give for some actual camouflage at a time like this..." she grumbled, hunkering down among a mess of tangled shrubbery. "Or hell, I'd kill just for some actual clothes." She idly fidgeted with an unraveling strand of her jacket. The fact there was anything left after she'd blown herself to pieces trying to take down that wizard was a miracle. Frankly, though, she was just glad that she didn't really feel cold while dead, and that her boots had survived intact. She didn't relish the thought of trying to walk through some spooky-ass dead forest barefoot.

She shifted slightly, ready to make a dash for her next hiding spot, and stepped down on something that went crunch under her boot. Her eyes widened just as a lasso of mental force seized her about the neck and wrenched her forward, sending her sprawling down into the dirt.

And banging her head against a tree root in the process, to which she let out a howl of anguish which trailed off into a string of curses as she clutched at her head.

One of Altanis's hooves came down just a foot from her head, and the grounded woman slowly shifted her hands to peer up at the centaur. "Bitch. Didn't have to grab me by the neck," she grumbled.

"No, I didn't have to," the centaur agreed. "But I doubt that Galand will be merciful, either. This is merely preparation for what he might try if he spots you."

"Or maybe you just like to choke people." Morgans hopped up to her feet, rubbing gently at her neck. "Seems like the kinda thing you'd be into."

Altanis barked out a laugh. "Fortunately for you, no. I only choke those who I intend to choke the life out of entirely, and only very rarely for any entertainment."

"Riiiiight....so you do something even more freaky in the bedroom, then." The woman just sighed heavily. "What the fuck have I gotten myself into?"

"Perhaps one day you may find out." Altanis turned away, resuming her trot down the forest trail and swatted the woman on the ass with her tail. "It all depends on you, after all."

In spite of herself, Morgans yelped in surprise. "Bitch!"

 

[Altanis]

It was a hard thing for Morgans to do, to slow down and focus on not being seen. She knew she was going to have to rush, to move quickly and get from place to place. She might not have time to take it slow and steady, when they got to the meeting place. This Galand fucker sounded pretty dangerous, if little miss ego princess had admitted she couldn't handle him. Not the kind of thing she wanted to tangle with, even if she had been fully armed like back in DA.

Still...this stealth shit was hard. She was getting so worked up and anxious about not being seen or heard, it was starting to give her some serious anger problems after messing up so much. Everything in her head was screaming at her to just say 'fuck it' and make a mad dash. Throw stealth aside and just book it, to pounce on this bitch and prove that sneaking around like a thief just wasn't her style and that it wasn't necessary.

She knew it probably wouldn't work, but hey. That didn't just magically make it any less tempting to try.

She did, however, manage to come up with another plan that just might.

Same thing she had used when playing with other kids back when she was young: just distract them.

She hefted a rock in one hand, weighing it and guessing how far she could throw it while carefully and quietly creeping along through the trees. "Just gotta find a good chance...open enough for me to cover some ground but still dense enough to not get spotted..." she whispered. Somehow, saying her plans out loud had always helped her work things out easier, even if they were so obvious and simple as this one was.

Her opportunity to act on it came just a few moments later, when Altanis stepped over a fallen log. Grinning, Morgans pitched the rock in her hand like a baseball, watching as it sailed through the air and hit the ground with a solid whump and the sound of crunching leaves and shattered bark.

Altanis immediately waved a hand toward the sound, sending out a wave of force that ripped up the greenery (even if in this case it was more blue than green) and scattered the plants from around the sound.

Morgans was already on the move, moving in a crouched run through the trees and finally springing out to wrap one arm around Altanis's torso, yanking down to bring her crashing down to the ground with her. "Gotcha, bitch!" she yelled, thrusting her other arm into the air triumphantly.

"Congratulations, miss Morgans," the centaur grunted. "You appear to have finally grasped the concept of distraction making sneaking up on someone easier."

 

[Altanis]

The remainder of the travel passed without incident, as Morgans rested and recovered from her Altanis-induced injuries.

When they finally reached the outskirts of the village that had been set up to make a mockery of Altanis, they paused.

"Galand is in this village," the centaur murmured quietly. "If his ability is genuine, then he remains true to his word and will be found at the site of the portal." She turned to look down at Morgans. "This is where your newfound stealth capabilities will come in handy. You are prepared, I hope?"

"Do I have a choice?" the woman huffed. "It's sneak past a killer demon, or stay stuck in the land of 'you you, you're dead' for all eternity, ain't it?"

The hellspawn smirked. "Very astute of you." She resumed her forward progress. "Then I suggest you get to sneaking off elsewhere for now, and follow at a distance. You will recognize Galand, and the portal, on sight without trouble."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever... I'm on it." And she did indeed turn and run off, setting to clambering up a nearby wall. "If I end up getting caught, and we both die and end up stuck here for good," she called over to Altanis. "I'm putting my fist so far up your ass I can knock your teeth out!" And then she hauled herself up over the edge of a rooftop and disappeared from sight.

"Such vulgar threats and promises," the centaur admonished, shaking her head. Her expression held nothing but a grin, though. "A shame we won't get to actually follow through on it, as I intend to see us out of here safely."

 

[Altanis]

The village was every bit as frustrating and taxing as it had been the first time.

The leering, grinning, jeering and taunting faces and voices of specters lurked in every shadowy corner, every doorway and every window. It was only knowing that she was almost done here, and on her way out of this accursed place that kept Altanis from lashing out and reducing so much of her surroundings to rubble.

It was still a very tense moment and a near thing, but she managed to keep her temper in check. For the moment.

The sound and sight of the portal arose in the distance down a long street, and the hellspawn steeled herself. She wasn't concerned about dying. She knew that was a futile effort, that even someone as physically powerful as Galand couldn't hope to actually kill her permanently, even if he was more than capable of putting her down in the immediate sense. It was being enough of a distraction long enough for Morgans to slip through the portal.

This was going to be a very delicate situation.

She approached at a slow, easy pace, making sure that the sound of her hooves on the road would be clearly and easily audible. As she hoped, Galand leaped down from a nearby rooftop as she drew within a hundred yards of the portal, throwing up a huge cloud of dust and looming imposingly before her.

"So, you actually came back after all, eh?" the old demon growled, his eyes blazing bright green through his helm.

"I would have turned to stone had I not." Altanis folded her arms before her. "Your ability is a most frustrating thing to deal with."

"So you'd rather come back here and be killed by me personally than just become a statue somewhere?!" Galand's voice rose in pitch as he went on. "What a riot!" And he laughed, a horrible roaring, grating laugh that rose up from somewhere deep in his lanky frame.

Altanis grimaced, just staring at the absurd demon. "Yes. I find death to be the far more preferable opt—"

CRACK

Altanis was interrupted mid-sentence by Galand's fist suddenly crashing into her humanoid midsection, and the follow-up from his sheer strength sending her entire body recoiling backward, toppling over onto the ground and flopping, tumbling, rolling backward several paces. She let out a wordless, sputtering cough of surprise and pain, as dark blood and spittle vomited from her lips in nearly equal measure, leaving a messy trail on the ground in her wake.

"That was a rhetorical question!" the elderly warrior snarled, his voice dropping to a gravelly rumble. He twirled his spear in his opposite hand, held ready at his side. "I don't know where whoever you went to get is, but they'll be coming for this portal you made soon enough. I can deal with them after I take care of you."

And with a wordless roar of battle, he leapt forward in a blur of speed, ready to deliver a killing blow.

 

[Altanis]

"Fast..."

Altanis's mind was reeling from the shock of the first blow, trying to process what had just happened. It felt like being hit by a truck all over again, as she had when first arriving to this world.

"Strong..."

More than that, it felt far more severe, as all that damage and force was packed into a smaller area. For all his absurd antics and almost comical admission of seeking violence and bloodshed, Galand was nothing to joke about. As much as it was loathsome and difficult to admit, Altanis had no choice but to accept it as fact. If she didn't give this everything she had, just to buy time, this bloodthirsty oaf would end her in mere moments.

As she hacked up a mouthful of blood, she could feel something in her chest grinding and grating. Something had broken, and her breathing came in wet rasps as she tried to regain her composure.

KRAK-KA-CRUNCH

The heel of Galand's armored boot crashed into the side of her head next, sending her senses into chaos and making the world swim and echo madly. She slumped over, bracing herself with one arm as she fought to stay conscious.

"Two...just two..."

Just two blows and she was already this far back into a corner. It was pitiful, really, but it was to be expected. He had gotten the first strike, and he was enough of a warrior to capitalize on it fully. If she let him have his way and keep his momentum...he could end it with a single strike of that spear of his.

Luckily...momentum was an easy thing to break.

She dug her fingers into the ground beneath her, and with a snarl she pushed down.

With immense telekinetic force.

The ground cracked and buckled under her, a rippling shockwave spreading out through it and the air around her as she tore a crater into the earth and sent the erupting stone and dirt exploding outward in a spectacular blast. The entire street was left looking like a warzone as rubble smashed through buildings and the tremors ruptured much of the street in both directions. Such an exertion of raw force was normally beyond her, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Galand came down for a landing some dozen yards away, spinning his lance around in both hands before setting it point-first against the ground. "So you're a mage, then," he spoke up, his tone dripping with distaste. "Way you look, I'd figured you for some kind of warrior type. I was actually hoping for at least a little bit of a fight, so I could get some exercise in. But..." He leaned forward, the simple change in his posture exerting enough force on his spear to make it crack the rock beneath it, driving several inches into the ground. "I hate mages."

Altanis, her ears still ringing and her vision still hazy, straightened up as well as she was able. Thankfully, the blow to her head hadn't done as much damage as it could have. Were she a normal human, it might have killed her then and there, or left her with a concussion bad enough to leave her unable to move at all. As it was...it had merely left her dizzy and unable to tell which Galand of the three she was seeing was the genuine article.

She spat out another wad of blood, lifting a hand to gingerly touch the side of her head. It came away wet with black blood, and she could have sworn she felt bare skull. She scowled, more angry at the disfigurement to her appearance than the damage, as she curled her bloodied hand into a fist.

"You hate mages, do you?" she snarled. "How appropriate that we had our encounter, then."

And a wave of her hand sent the entire mass of rubble around her from the ruptured street rocketing toward Galand like one giant blast of buckshot.