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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3XWNyE7U3
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOt3DGefYa
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Then came that terrifying night in the Forests of Calliope.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNUcPwnbsX
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There and then I knew why we feared mortals.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7jvk6Mq4C
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- Arch Bishop Philippe 'The Wise' of the Church of Hecate.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQKR7EYFV5c
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Taken from the Documentary 'The Anarchy and the Peace.'75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODVdan6CUA
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Book 1-Ch 3-Nevermore beyond my pane75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpm3Yr6zl0m
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQszsdK25fN
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEHYO294pH
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But no matter the universe A is still A.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbAkb41Jnf
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And fire is still fire.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7q9UIrELf
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6u14kp0jKa
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzhAHw21Zz
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Creatures that even those with magic, light or dark, would fear.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMtXlIcMzU
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIiIMBovyw
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Vw4a2iFt1
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Ross was not innocent, but he drew the line at killing animal needlessly.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLM6kXieoqM
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2DTqXOhrH
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMChakfjN8
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But they were still bats, still animals, and they had sensitive noses and ears.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueGz5YKYcj
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdsFI2gtXgr
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The twister of flying dark creatures immediately increased the distance between itself and the scarred mortal.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsz3EDmSQhW
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TmyRtSTLb
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWWArI2Hcz
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Temptation whispered in his ear there and then. Temptation to give up, go back.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2r8nXhEsE
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRDk6Nvbk9
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswvDON4Tib
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcs2yHTFXqD
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL61kooUXUY
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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?75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Vt65ODWa2
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They did it because it was the unknown, where untold horrors lay, but also wonders.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RRUp5gdWs
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It could be the biggest mistake of his life, but also the best decision he ever made.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pHsTLJacO
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3vkKAGFf7
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Some say you'd have to be mad to live like that. Fortunately Ross was.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6tdyGYQO3
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So he took his heart in his teeth and marched forward.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjJlJw4VyN
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So he marched forward, with each step his feet became lighter, his lungs softer, his vision cleared.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7cdIk0XYx
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He conquered his fear and used it to fuel his resolve.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqscnBB3rV
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6zklDL8dY
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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 him75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOp1JlI1Pj
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGb5bTPNOxJ
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHziZh6PBq
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBK27xS4lF
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This time Ross threw the bell from his belt right at the Golem's face.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTqNMAcxRN
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BANG.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYE8qnjp0x
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKzOzIXQPi
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZMzOjH5zX
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BANG75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeF5JM5LS7D
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8FgObNG9t
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BANG75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30FO0YGl0c
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5x0xuLLQsP
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BANG75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzSXj6wAjS
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacaYVSIjaa
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq2MOTY5wod
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A man can dream can't he?75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS447cNn6Cq
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYy3oJ416YM
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhG7AI3z1tn
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdo6WNudcPS
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuTscdqgKQ
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It seemed like the forest, reality itself, was distorted in front of him as an illusion was broken.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpob1LcDvQy
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbXen6iIbj
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVDDyNBcp2
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Yes, truly an illusion had been broken tonight.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMCg9EWzAu
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7tTQd1TRQ
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92ZxBGFCW1
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That Hexen was a step away from committing a murder most foul.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWU2RvIIvB
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5pX6WbsTE
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWS1D4PNZP
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgPhlYKTj9
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Yes, an illusion was broken tonight indeed75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9yg2q68ID
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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.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfx7Hv2q6pu
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"What?" She said, the knife still at her sacrifice's throat who also looked surprise by the events.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZFPGzkIrx
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And with that the clock struck 3.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPHu7IKFc9
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The witching hour, a bell whip, two illusions shattered and confusion reigned supreme now.75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacrIYb1Ozn
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Just another night in the town of Calliope.
