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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Dxtu5Zqlz
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLFK9Tg8SN
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Then came that terrifying night in the Forests of Calliope.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtT9AAOZwD
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There and then I knew why we feared mortals.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWTssEZJ3X
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- Arch Bishop Philippe 'The Wise' of the Church of Hecate.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8rJcnX7Ic
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Taken from the Documentary 'The Anarchy and the Peace.'111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWwwsi4vgg
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Book 1-Ch 3-Nevermore beyond my pane111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQInnqWgds
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBOwIwW6AY
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDlT6TzJyr
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But no matter the universe A is still A.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡna7iEdamrS
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And fire is still fire.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkr2lZyuv7
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoQvDrKcxv
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLnafWA88q
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Creatures that even those with magic, light or dark, would fear.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTLuA59LQp
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzeHY6kRcZ
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIsLWBm800
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Ross was not innocent, but he drew the line at killing animal needlessly.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvox8AigAX
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOY07zu4Mc
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNzxtHNnQ8
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But they were still bats, still animals, and they had sensitive noses and ears.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsyzbf18Bx
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjNDZYeZga
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The twister of flying dark creatures immediately increased the distance between itself and the scarred mortal.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2AHzBAcpw
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpVG4etGE4
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5bGaEageM
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Temptation whispered in his ear there and then. Temptation to give up, go back.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6fW06xDcv
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLh5utJIQSL
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAddUly3NWN
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTExXPbUQsh
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQxSXHs1dN
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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?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CmMY13PuQ
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They did it because it was the unknown, where untold horrors lay, but also wonders.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTpb33ugZ7
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It could be the biggest mistake of his life, but also the best decision he ever made.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjyi4LUGBl
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZbX7iYByP
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Some say you'd have to be mad to live like that. Fortunately Ross was.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2HRItee8D
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So he took his heart in his teeth and marched forward.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFOV6jH3SG
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So he marched forward, with each step his feet became lighter, his lungs softer, his vision cleared.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdyYc5euup
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He conquered his fear and used it to fuel his resolve.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCvnYek0Hb
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYQj6J2DRl
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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 him111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDx8kbcZXM
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7AnYPZeUl
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLKNy17PcO
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoGqftDPyQ
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This time Ross threw the bell from his belt right at the Golem's face.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHHsgCzaz5
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BANG.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxdPaxHW1x
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5saSYx5Lnq
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmL3ZzEzhpD
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BANG111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphqSzk0bOx
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mptjkLXp9
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BANG111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFdg7WJFpJ
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYt0MoyCNqK
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BANG111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bWu7VYJSa
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCfYhVuzkL
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKYNQRFTXP
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A man can dream can't he?111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMDL3lnlxm
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIO7TRSTAQa
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1OpWVx5K7
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuSJmmVqQE
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWAYNVDUOQ
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It seemed like the forest, reality itself, was distorted in front of him as an illusion was broken.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HHeWFSqoQ
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVL4vPG8Q6J
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCrpwgIXeK
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Yes, truly an illusion had been broken tonight.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pppaXqVTW
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqPcrGoQvC
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLF8uOc8my
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That Hexen was a step away from committing a murder most foul.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRx4U7rXzPE
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcc5jH5r3nP
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhH3EHXgDgX
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKUSPB1YS4
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Yes, an illusion was broken tonight indeed111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDyKXwxWGO
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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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihYuNv5P0e
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"What?" She said, the knife still at her sacrifice's throat who also looked surprise by the events.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9IrCl9hoA
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And with that the clock struck 3.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CUZxSeoU8
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The witching hour, a bell whip, two illusions shattered and confusion reigned supreme now.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4KUBlxhXM
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Just another night in the town of Calliope.
