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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscwpSL5Kvf
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPtbATipcS
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Then came that terrifying night in the Forests of Calliope.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfPkDZBYxE
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There and then I knew why we feared mortals.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYM9SD65go6
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- Arch Bishop Philippe 'The Wise' of the Church of Hecate.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxi0hFlK8Sg
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Taken from the Documentary 'The Anarchy and the Peace.'144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUclRrkpSv
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Book 1-Ch 3-Nevermore beyond my pane144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx89BISm7Se
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3f59cE3b6
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9eKzsHQX0
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But no matter the universe A is still A.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2c52j2PVa
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And fire is still fire.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXu72tx77j
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tSNM9H1Ms
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jzb3f8Aa4
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Creatures that even those with magic, light or dark, would fear.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiMBkvQ3ZU
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3noG9VDDEy
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbelx7AwaO
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Ross was not innocent, but he drew the line at killing animal needlessly.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCC0KjJTek
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQSgUYFsUd
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouBpnCU8Zu
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But they were still bats, still animals, and they had sensitive noses and ears.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8bTS08MFE
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrNl9dM8JY
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The twister of flying dark creatures immediately increased the distance between itself and the scarred mortal.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fA9hQqUOQ
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0OJe5YaJO
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOUGL1St6S
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Temptation whispered in his ear there and then. Temptation to give up, go back.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9KcnN4x8J
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHl0MWo738Y
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zV4ZjHYeh
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSxTFP7U10
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhimi5Op63R
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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?144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKelmCg4WK6
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They did it because it was the unknown, where untold horrors lay, but also wonders.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjF3esJmHPl
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It could be the biggest mistake of his life, but also the best decision he ever made.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlAHI991bM
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGR6LxfTGc
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Some say you'd have to be mad to live like that. Fortunately Ross was.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndIRi32aOC
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So he took his heart in his teeth and marched forward.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjq2J1ZkAY
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So he marched forward, with each step his feet became lighter, his lungs softer, his vision cleared.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTDS8i7rVV
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He conquered his fear and used it to fuel his resolve.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPeOp6iKB6
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qTYvGw2Wu
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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 him144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd88xzfJLpm
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfLLF0vsO8
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33rVDEcGoO
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeg61iumQB
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This time Ross threw the bell from his belt right at the Golem's face.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl407u5tb2W
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BANG.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPINetr3S1
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNc24nV0psU
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWC0HzHOmWR
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BANG144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzhqN8LVje
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YdYDEgMs0
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BANG144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ701rTeTKs3
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6A0eEeA8K
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BANG144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWaAah9yQv
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMejyxjLtD
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqQclxXwtk
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A man can dream can't he?144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6FTZf0AR1
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpd6pv61wd
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFB5YC3ufwV
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTLuaejxmU
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyA6Fx9cTo1
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It seemed like the forest, reality itself, was distorted in front of him as an illusion was broken.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGDnGuoEtY
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbd4je55Ydq
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGK39dPnV4
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Yes, truly an illusion had been broken tonight.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkMOGNxHTQ
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABCRv21LH8
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXJ4HGYjBg
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That Hexen was a step away from committing a murder most foul.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYWeqs5zwi
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYz78oMGN6
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0jVbyiJFN
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCJDzsqst7
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Yes, an illusion was broken tonight indeed144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJbl4zoBNb
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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.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXyMVxDFb9d
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"What?" She said, the knife still at her sacrifice's throat who also looked surprise by the events.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fZ3dPoAIX
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And with that the clock struck 3.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ygLC26eNU
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The witching hour, a bell whip, two illusions shattered and confusion reigned supreme now.144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKPsJogQH7
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Just another night in the town of Calliope.
