Speed - Galaxy ~~ Grand Re-Opening!

[The Host]

Part Two: The Altered Prophecy

Interlude Seven
Exaltoskull's Story

 Exaltoskull faced the deamon who stood in front of him, the serious look on Exaltoskull's face only a masquerade of the true concentration he was in. Standing in the middle of the Forest of the Sacred Ones, Exaltoskull and the small green deamon were compltely hidden from all outsiders. Finally, Exaltoskull's face began to rest, and the concentration left him for a short period of time.
 "Who are you?" asked Exaltoskull, still unsure of the true nature of the one who would soon allow him to become a Deamon Shadow. The green deamon looked at him, and ever so slightly, the skin colour changed a tone down, remaining green, but with the smallest hint of purple. And then the green was all gone, replaced by a purple deamon who stared at Exaltoskull with a look as if he weren't in the same dimension as Exaltoskull. Then came the deamon's answer.
 "I am older than time itself... in fact... I created time... as well as space. Under the control of the Elite Ones, the ultimate creators of the universe, I came into being. Born from light and darkness, I was given a name and a purpose. Slowly and surely, my purpose was fulfilled. But not without consequences. After I had finished my duty, Lighteora, one of the five Elite Ones, banished me from the presence of the Elite Ones, sending me spiralling dwon to the lands and continents. And though Lighteora had wished for me to go to this world, I chose Terra Eterna as my home planet.
 But soon afterwards, the Elite Ones brought forth others to inhabit my land, and I was once again banished, not only from the Elite Ones, but from my planet. I was sent here.
 I am Tyranac..."

[The Host]

Chapter Seven
The Female Magician: Part Two

 Patrick pressed his foot down, revving the engine of the black car he had stolen only minutes ago from the convenience store two blocks back from the red light he was sitting at. As the light changed to green, Patrick slammed his foot against the gas peddle, the car jumping forwards heading down the road about twenty kilometres above the limit. Around him, other drivers honked their horns, while others used a form of sign language that Patrick was all to familiar with. Ignoring those around him, Patrick took a dangerously sharp turn right onto the on ramp of the freeway.
 As soon as he was on the freeway things got fast. Now at a speed where one mistake could cost his life, Patrick swerved to the side of the road, driving on the shoulder lane to pass those in front of him. Passing road signs at a speed where they were just a blur, Patrick's instincts were becoming greater by the second. Switching lanes faster than most of the other drivers could count to one, the black car was now at the point where the speedometer was running out of space to go. Soon, the small orange needle would stop, not able to go over the speed of 200km/h. But at the moment, Patrick didn't care about stupid things like that. The plane he needed left in a little under an hour, and it would take him long enough just to get to the airport...


 The heat was unbearable. blue and white flames licked Renee's clothing, and as the beast beside her reeled over in pain, the female magician high above the two pitifull warrios laughed. Pulling the hood of her robe low over her head with one hand and holding the long scepter in the other, the female magician finally began to float down towards the two intruders. 
 Renee saw her coming first, and alerted her companion. But in their current state, their low amount of magic was the only thing keeping them from death, and so none could be spared to stop the incoming person. As the true female magician held out her scepter towards the two weaklings, a small beam of light shone out over them, and the flames began to part.
 As Renee fell to the ground beside the beast, the female magician held her hand forwards to her, and as she did so, the ground Renee was lying on shuddered, then became nothing, as did the ground underneath her companion. And as the wto of them fell, the mysterious magical being followed them into the depths of the land, and into the true world of the Land of the Lost...

[The Host]

 The stolen car swerved into the lane to the right, taking Patrick onto the off ramp of the freeway. Taking a sharp turn through the red lights, Patrick sped down the road towards the large buildings in the distance.
Shoot! thought Patrick, the cops are gonna come now, someone's reported me for sure now!
 As Patrick steered tha car into the parking garage of the airport, he crashed through many gates blocking the way, cursing at everyone. At last, he slammed on the brakes, the tires squeeling against the hard paved surface, the smell of burnt rubber in the air. As he kicked the door open, he heard the sirens immediately. Taking the keys with him, Patrick closed the car door and began to run towards the elevators that lay in the center of the garage. Punching the button with his fist, the sliding doors began to open, pinfully slowly. As soon as he got in his fist hit the 'close doors' button, followed by the 3rd floor button. The doors closed, and as the elevator began to rise, Patrick rethought his crazy idea over again in his head.
I came here to meet Jet, who I learned about over the internet. He says he's got info on the world of the supernatural, although really he could be some thug... My sister's gone missing, and the police are still searching for Patrick Inoru, prime suspect number one. And what do I do? I steal a car, run more than two too many red lights, and vandalize the national airports elevator. And in a matter of minutes I'm gonna board a plane to South America, and I'm gonna take over it... wow. Never thought these thoughts would come to my mind... but it's all true... every word...
 The elevator came to a stop, and as the doors slid open, Patrick was greeted at gunpoint by two officers, badges out, fingers on the gun triggers...

***

 Renee collapased as she hit the solid ground far below where she had knelt only seconds ago. Beside her, the beast was in the same sprawled position, black marks scorched into his body. Standing in perfect condition next to them, the hooded magician laughed softly to herself, before raising her hand, forcing the two of them to get up. And as they slowly and painfully got up, their eyes were welcomed with a strange surprise.
 "Welcome to Infinitora, the Land of the Lost. I am the keeper of hell."
 Renee's eyes opened wide, taking in the catastrophic landscape around her. While the land they stood on was solid ground, surrounding them were many islands that seemed to float in the air. The small piece of land upon which they stood was but one of the many parts of this strange world.
 "I guess I should explain more to you... I am Lyela Shinusa, the female magician, and the keeper of hell. The place you are in now is Infinitora, the last land of the three lands of Distortia.
 Distortia is the forgotten universe, comprised of three galaxies, each galaxy having only one landmass. Speed Galaxy, known as the land of deamons, or Primitora. Speed Galaxy is the first of the three galaxies. The second of the three galaxies, Mitora, or the in between land, is unihabited except for the First Being. The last galaxy is Infinitora, or the Land of the Lost. Here, I am ruler, and you two have intruded..."
 ..."So how do we... leave this place?" asked Renee, the beast beside her still not talking.
 "Leave?" Lyela began to laugh, "You don't leave from here on your own choice... I choose when you leave... and I say that... you must first become alive, then you may leave this place..."

[The Host]

 Patrick's hand moved faster than the cops could react, he gleaming blade tipped with a crimson red blood stain, stabbing the first officer repeatedly. The second officer, stunned and shocked, let out three shots, but in his dazed position the shots were useless, hitting Patrick in his shoulder and lower arm. The blade dropped from Patrick's hand, only to be replaced by a second blade reappearing his his other hand. This blade left its last memories deep inside the second officer's chest, the bloodlines slowly trickling down the neat suit.
 Patrick gasped in pain, the gunshot wounds only truely arriving to him at this moment. Clutching his arms with his opposite hand, the teen slumped to the ground next to the fallen officers. You have to get up you idiot! Any minute now the rest of the squad's gonna be here, and when that happens, you're dead! Patrick steadied himself, pushing against the wall to support himself. Then, shoving the pain away for the time being, the boy tore off down the empty hallway, his heavy breathing the only sound left in the area.

 A tall man paced back and forth in front of his desk. He was a busy man, and waiting was not his thing. He needed to leave, and if the boy didn't arrive soon, the cops would catch him, and that wasn't a good thing. Jet looked out of the window of the room he had taken over, and as he prepared to leave, he kicked the dead women infront of him once more, before leaving his victim and her room to the silence of death...

***

 ... Life... Death... It's all the same in Infinitora...

[The Host]

 Jet walked silently down the empty hallway towards his small airplane. The sleek white coloured fighter stood only about seven feet high, and was only twenty-three feet long, but that was all Jet needed to fly himself around the globe to ensure his business was done properly. Stepping out into the cold spring air, the man was met by the face of a teen boy, the body of the teen wrapped in a long dark cloak, and the small silver glint of a gun was just visible from beneath the clothing. Jet stared at the boy for a while, then smiled.
 "You must be... Patrick..." said Jet calmly, his voice low and confident.
 "That would be me. Although, once we get started on business, you won't refer to me by that name at all. For safety from the cops," replied Patrick, as his hand slowly shoved the gun back into the inside pocket of his cloak. As the man he had confronted began to walk away, Patrick quickly followed him, heading for the small but powerful airship.
 

***

 "Uh... uh... aaaagggghhhhhhhhhh!"
 The body of the beast beside Renee collapsed, sliding into several pieces, each one still moving, but all of them dead. Lyela turned to face Renee, but the novice magician was already on her feet. "Why'd you do it? Why'd you kill him?"
 Lyela looked at Renee directly, then laughed cruely.
 "Life... Death... It's all the same in Infinitora... It's all the same in Hell..."

[The Host]

 "Deamons... that's what you seek?"
 "Yeah... and apparently you can show me one?"
 "That would be party correct... except that the deamon I captured is gone... something about helping a girl save herself..."
 "Which is where my sister comes in."
 "Yeah..."
 The discussion was on a plane. It was between to very different people. But it was concerning one thing that both knew about, and one thing that could potentially destroy the universe... Deamons...

[The Host]

Interlude Eight
Exaltoskull's Story

 Tyranac stepped back from Exaltoskull, and as he did so, his hands morphed into the shape of swords. Then, with the speed that only the greatest deamon warrior could have, Tyranac lunged forwards, stabbing Exaltoskull repeatedly until the golden black warrior dropped to the ground, his body seemed lifeless, his soul no longer willing to live.
 "Only the strongest can survive in the new land. This is the reason that you must become a Deamon Shadow, a reaper. King Axerion is finally bringing forth an army of ultimate power. He plans to destroy the rule of the Elite Ones completely. Even if my creators banished me from my land, it is still my purpose in life to protect them... And my act will come from you, Exaltoskull. Once you are a reaper, you will be able to defeat Axerion and the seven Deamon Lords." Tyranac's voice echoed slightly in the shadowed region of the forest. Moving away from Exaltoskull's body, Tyranac's hands morphed once more, this time becoming a shape of endless wonders, one that seemed to go on forever.
 Exaltoskull's body remained limp and lifeless, but as Tyranac approached him, the power emeniating from the shape his hands had formed caused him to move, slowly lifting himself into a standing position. The shape glowed, then flashed, the power level increasing as Tyranac moved closer.
 Then the shape and Exaltoskull touched, and Tyranac's hands entered the body of Exaltoskull. Exaltoskull gasped, his body live once again. Tyranac removed his arms from Exaltoskull's body, but the shape and his hands were gone.
 "What... What did you do?" exclamed Exaltoskull.
 "I have infused you... with the power of the Elite Ones. You are now Exaltoskull, Deamon Shadow, reaper of the Elite Ones!"

...

[The Host]

Chapter Eight
The King of Deamons

 Bellcast stretched his arm out, gathering the Attalna around him. As the eye like deamons swooped into his hand, Bellcast absorbed them, sealing them away until he needed them again. Landing on the turret of the northern tower of Fortress Metawar, Bellcast's white cloak bgean to darken, and within seconds, Bellcast's form was hidden in the darkness.
 "Lord Axerion... your humble servant reports back... the prophecy is wrong... " Bellcast's voice was silent, only a select few deamons able to hear it.
 "So, you've finally returned, Bellcast," the voice belonged to one of the Deamon Lords.
 "Yes... it is I... the seventh Warlord," said Bellcast, this time out loud, "Bring me to Axerion... I seek his presence..."
 "You wish to be near Axerion after such a short arrival?"
 "That is what I have said. You would do well to listen to my words."
 "Then you shall see Axerion, Bellcast, the seventh Lord. The other five Lords are with us now... we shall all report to our King..."

***

 Axerion sat on his throne, his great ax to one side, and a small sphere shaped object in the other. The large room in which resided the throne was dimly lit by large candles, and the stone walls surrounding the room reflected light, maximising the light from the candles. As Axerion moved his hand towards the sphere, it vibrated slightly, the magical pressure from Axerion's hand putting an enrmous strain on the sphere.
 The Oracle del Infinitora, the proper name of the sphere, was a unique object. It possessed the power to read the stars words, without requiring the special gift of Star Seeking. It was this object that had recently been returned by Bellcast, the seventh and most powerful of the seven Warlords.
 Axerion, his hand finally grasping the Oracle del Infinitora, looked up, and the space that had been empty only miliseconds ago was now full, seven deamons  standing infront of the king. The closest deamon to Axerion was clad in a white cloak, and as Axerion's gaze fell upon the deamon, the deamon knelt before his king.
 "You have finished the mission, I hope," said Axerion, his voice fierce yet quiet.
 Bellcast looked up at him, nodded once, then recited the words he had learned from the stars. Upon finishing his speech, Bellcast faced Axerion once more. "What shall I do now," he asked.
 "Take your Attalna with you," said Axerion, "and destroy the one who calls herself Nara. Destroy her completely... after she reveals the names of her comrades... And when you have finshed with her, destroy her friends. I want them annihilated."

[The Host]

 Crioone's legs touched down to the ground inside the city of Extapolis, followed by Taverna's landing. The two deamons, finally in a safe area, began walking towards the center of the village, where the central tower stood. The tower in the middle of the village was a fairly new developpement, having only been constructed after Axerion came into power. The tower, along with other such towers in villages that resided more to the west, acted as a transportation tower used by Axerion and his followers. But Crioone had a different intention for it. And this intention was not something that the king would appreciate...

***

 Bellcast's body shimmered in the air for a few seconds, then dissipated, the ancient and powerful deamon warlord long gone. Axerion stepped forwards, taking Bellcast's former place, and looked at each warlord in turn. Then, nodding- his sign of dismissal- Axerion bid farewell to the six deamons. Once again, the throne room was empty. But this time, it was empty for good. No deamon would ever set foot in the room again. For only seconds later, the central tower of Fortress Metawar exploded, leaving an empty space in the skyline, a sight which all deamons in the close area saw...

***

 Location equals Axerion Infinite, HQ of the King and his Seven Warlords. The Silver Deamon also resides here. This is the final act. It shall happen here...

 Axerion stood in the center of the large domed room, a small beam of light the only light prsent in the room. Infront of him, a deamon covered in metallic silver hovered in the air, muttering quietly and quickly. Axerion watched him, then grabbed him as soon as he was done.

 "You put the shield up right?"
 The silver deamon looked at Axerion, his face plain of expression, his eyes dead, his mouth closed. He nodded slightly, then extended his arm. As he did so, Axerion tightened his grip on the deamon, but even his power was no match for the xtraordinary power of the Silver Deamon. In a fight of pure strength and talent, Axerion would win by far. But the Silver Deamon had something Axerion didn't. The silver one was a cast away creation of the Elite Ones, and posessed far more power than Axerion.
 As the Silver Deamon's arm extended, his body seemed to move with it, and as it did so, his body escaped the grasp of the king. "I have done as you so commanded me to. My work here is done, but I presume you wish to use my powers more than just once. Am I right?"
 Axerion nodded. 'Your powers are needed for me to complete my act. You and I share something, something that cannot be destroyed no matter what. That is why you must do my bidding. My power and rule over the galaxy, combined with your mystical powers will lead us to dominate. I have my resources, yet you have nothing. I could crush you in a second if I wished to. You may have power in a different way from me, but without the Oracle del Infinitora, you cannot use it. We both hate the Elite Ones. They cast you away, and they took power away from me when... in the past. Together we can reclaim that power. Together we can conquer not only one galaxy, but the universe and its origin itself."
 The Silver Deamon looked at Axerion with still no expression appearing. "Your plan... you say that you have resources. What will become of the resources when the plan is fulfilled? Will they not fight back for what they helped to achieve?"
 "You are a being of power, as am I. What can they do to us?"
 "There is one who may even be able to take you yourself out... the one who calls himself Bellcast... his power is beyond even my own... the deamons he can create and control can destroy your army... I would advise taking care of him first..."
 "His mission is too kill a deamon... after he compltes the mission, then you shall see. I am stronger than he..."

[The Host]

 Nara's wings ached, the deamonic blood coursing through pulsing rapidly, the muscles working with seemingly no end. The red deamon was flying north, to a point which the wisdom of the skies led her to believe as the ancient tomb. It was supposedly the place in which the being known as Taverna had been born. It was also his death bed.
 Drops of blood began to appear on the outside of Nara's skin, and as she continued to fly, she cursed the wounds she had recieved earlier. The once healed blue lines on her wings burst open as a flock of deamonic birds flew into her, and Nara cried out in pain as she was dragged down to the ground. As she plumetted, the bird like deamons began to morph, reverting to their original forms- eyeball like deamons called Attalna. Nara cried out in shock, as she remembered Crioone's words of the foul creatures she had once encountered.
 It was then, that out of the ground below, a deamon clad in white emerged, his presence overwelming the area with magical power. The deamon warlord known as Bellcast stretched his arms out, gathering the Attalna around him, bringing the doomed red coloured deamon towards him. Even as he did so, blades sharper than the the crisp air itself appeared, the silver swords moving to Bellcast's hands. Nara dropped onto the ground, her sprawled body an easy target for the deamon lord.
 Bellcast brought his arms together, uniting the two blades, forming one large blade, which then curved itself, the shaft enlarging to form a long staff for which Bellcast to hold. The deamon's eyes turned blood red, his white cloak becoming a dark black. The cloak's hood folded over the deamon lord's head, blocking his wickedly cruel smile from showing. Bellcast lowered the newly formed blade, allowing the tip to touch Nara's neck. He then whispered one word. A word that all deamons and humans alike fear.
 "Death..."

***

 Crioone felt a sudden shock, even as the two deamons entered the tower. Nara was gone from existence. She was either expelled from Speed Galaxy, or she was dead. Crioone turned to face Taverna, about to tell him the same thing, but the look on Taverna's face showed her that words were meaningless. He knew just as well the fate which Nara had suffered. Neither deamon felt like speaking. Even thoguh Nara had betrayed the two of them, each had always thought that maybe, perhaps, there was a chance that it had been accidental, or that there had been a reason for the act. But it was useless to put thoughts towards one who was gone. The chance of return was slimmer than nothing.

***

 Bellcast's eyes moved back and forth, studying the empty body of the former Nara. Probing her mind, Bellcast attempted to retrieve any useful information. But the fact was, there was nothing to be retrieved. The body of Nara was a shell, the method of transportation and communication for the being itself.
 This was not a problem for Bellcast, however. The soul of Nara floated infront of him, now occupying the body of an Attalna. Moving his mind to focus on the soul of Nara, Bellcast began to examen it. But it was here where he encountered a problem. The soul was empty as well. Empty of all thoughts, memories, and future plans. It seemed, to Bellcast, that the red deamon was nothing more than a puppet, controlled by the puppet master himself. But the only trouble was: who was the puppeteer?

[The Host]

 Taverna shook his head, then continued to walk forwards. Followed by Crioone, the two deamons stepped into the tower, their energies flaring out immediately, taking out all of the guards in the immediate surrounding. Only six deamons remained standing, their dull colours hiding them in partial shadow.
 The six deamons turned to face Crioone and Taverna, rushing towards the intruders. But the weak deamons were no match for the two experienced deamon warriors. The remaining deamons fell to the ground, their life suppressed by the energies of Crioone and Taverna. The two deamons advanced once more, their new mission one of much more importance than a simple search of Fortress Metawar...

***

 Axerion and the Silver Deamon watched as a shimmering light appeared infront of them. As the bright flash cleared, Bellcast stepped through, holding the limp and lifeless body of Nara. Dropping the red deamon onto the ground infront of him, Bellcast looked at Axerion, awaiting his next orders. Even though he could not care less what he was asked to do, he ablidged to the orders, looking at them only as a way to experience some fun.
 In the old world, where Forna had been king of the deamons, Bellcast had simply perfected his skills of fighting both physically and mentally, using pure power, and magical energy. Only when the threat of a new king coming into existance came into being did Bellcast change. Creating a physical manifestation of deamonic energy, something that had never been done before, Bellcast called his army Attalna, ensuring that no one would realise what his creations truly were. Bellcast then fled from his habitation on the northern cost of the main island of Speed Galaxy, relocating himself to the outskirts of Extapolis, where he roamed the shadows for just over a year.
 After completing the Attalna experiment, making sure he was able to control his creations, Bellcast assumed the role of the seveth warlord to Axerion, as a way to succeed in the new order of Speed Galaxy, as well as to test his Attalna army on the weaker deamons. Axerion accepted Bellcast as the seventh warlord, seeing immediately that the deamon clad in white was unique and powerful.
 This was how Bellcast and the Attalna came into Axerion's leadership.
 "You have done well, Bellcast. What does the deamon know?" Axerion's eyes met with Bellcast's, the deamon king trying to intimidate his follower.
 "There is nothing, King Axerion. The body and soul were empty, the information from the skies is gone, or, perhaps, it was never there..." Bellcats's sentence trailed off, his voice becoming quiet, yet still filled with a certain athority. The Silver Deamon stepped forwards, raising his hand with a slight sigh. A barrier appeared around Bellcast, the white deamon crying out in surprise. Bellcast looked at Axerion with hatred.
 "You planned this, did you not, you sick coward. You use us to do the work you aren't able to do! You're a fool Axerion! You can't defeat me using this weekling you call a deamon! I am far too strong for you or anyone. I am Bellcast, future king of deamons!" Axerion looked at Bellcast, hatred coursing through his veins, a wicked smile crossing over his face. The giant king stood up to his full height, dwarfing the Silver Deamon and Bellcast in his shadow. Raising a small sword behind his head, Axerion laughed at Bellcast, and as he did so, the small sword revealed its true form, that of a great war ax. Axerion laughed more, as he began to swing down with his powerful arms. The ax crushed the barrier holding Bellcast, and as the barrier dissapeared, the Silver Deamon cried out as a load of magical pressure overwhelmed him. Out of nowhere, thousands of eye like deamons appeared, covering the Silver Deamon.
 Axerion's ax rested in the ground, and as Axerion looked around for Bellcast's body, the king was struck by a blast of magic that even he could not comprehend. Axerion fell back, his body bringing down the main section of his headquarters. The white body of Bellcast shimmered into view, and as Axerion tried in vain to grab him, Bellcast swooped down, holding a small silver blade in his hands.
 The blade itself was not powerful, but the magic imbued within it was its strength, and as it struck Axerion's head, the deamon king came to rest, covered with Attalna, who's mouths were red, green and blue, the colours of deamonic blood. Huddled in the corner of the large room, the Silver Deamon lay dead, only a few Attalna still feasting.
 Bellcast landed on the ground of Axerion Infinite, and as the Attalna filled themselves with enrgy, Bellcast abosrbed them, never dirtying his hands, never really killing what was already dead. The hunt was successful. The feast was great...

[The Host]

Interlude Nine
Exaltoskull's story

 Exaltoskull looked at Tyranac, and as if by an invisible force, Exaltoskull was gone, reappearing in miliseconds right beside the ancient warrior. Tyranac looked at Exaltoskull, then spoke softly.
 "Your Reaper powers will begin to adapt to your body. Until this happens, you will be subject to extreme danger, as your usual powers will be greatly weakened, and your Reaper side will try to take over. If you die during the process, you shall forever reside in the cursed land of Speed Galaxy, living the life as a mere shadow of another deamon."
 "Then what should I do?" asked Exaltoskull, only now aware of the danger he was in.
 "I will guard your body... by taking your spirit as my own for now. When your body adapts, I will return you to your body..."

[The Host]

Chapter Nine
Explosions

 The walls of the inner chamber of the tower cracked as Taverna passed through, and the walls crumbled following the netrance of Crioone. The two deamons lookd around for a stairway or a rift in space, but could not locate one. Blood dripped down from the wall closest to Crioone, and as she turned to inspect it, a deamon launched itself at her, claws spread wide, fangs aimed at her neck. Crioone leapt backwards, her own claws out, ready to attack. Magical pressure filled the air, and as Crioone braced for an attack, Taverna lunged infront of her, stabbing two deamons just as the shimmered into view.
 Crioone jumped over Taverna, slicing the unprepared assaulter's shoulder. The deamon cried out, but was stopped as Taverna launched a razor sharp blade into the deamon's mouth. Blood spurted out the back of his head, and the deamon's body flailed madly. Crioone spread her wings, taking to the air, watching for any oncoming attacks.
 Taverna removed the blade from the dead deamon's body, and as he did so, a sucking sound came from the deamon's body. Then the deamon exploded, his inner body parts splattering across the room. Bones flew around, still covered with wet blood. Then, from the spot the deamon's heart remained, a rift opened up, leading into a dark tunnel that lead into the depths of Metawar. Crioone looked at Taverna, then nodded.
 "Let's go. We have a job to do. We can't wait for long. Casualties will happen."
 Taverna nodded in agreement, and the two deamons stepped forwards into the darkness.

[The Host]

 Crioone screamed in pain as her body was ripped to shreads. Upon exiting the rift, Crioone had discovered that the place the window had led to no longer existed. It had been destroyed. Below her, several deamons lay on the ground, life, their bodies torn apart, bones jutting out at odd angles, dried blood caked along cracked seams, and no magical energy either.
 Life was over for Crioone, or it would have been had Taverna not entered into mid air next to her. The green deamon cried out in pain, the same thing happening to his body. But Taverna acted quickly, his life, as well as that of Crioone's depending on quick actions. Exerting vast amounts of stored magical pressure, the rift behind them slowly closed, the process of destruction slowing. Blood seeped through Taverna's arms, but he didn't stop. Soon, Crioone found the strength to exert small bits of pressure, but only enough to temporarily stop the process of death.
 Taverna's eyes focused on the rift one last time, and the portal shut, the entrance sealed. Taverna dropped to the ground, to exhausted to move. Crioone purged the last amount of energy from her body as well, causing the stone floor below to soften their landing. The two deamons collapsed on the ground, not noticing the eyes hidden amongst the dead deamon bodies. The eyes moved around, Upon finding them, the beast hidden among the dead leapt out, his savage teeth ripping into the bodies of the remaining deamons next to Crioone and Taverna. Every good meal started with an appetizer...

***

 A large ship moved slowly across the pacific ocean, making its way through a war zone, hoping to remain under the radar. The ship, piloted by a tall skinny woman, moved along at a pace that would keep it moving, but keep speed sencors off of it. Since the crossing of horrible beasts the news had called 'deamons,' war had broken out over Terra Eterna. Different people wished to control the beasts that crossed, while others wished to do testing and experiments on them. Overall, the world had turned upside down, and the earth had become a place to capture whatever you could, and kill anyone you were able to, anyone standing in your way.
 But Dolphin lead a group of refugees out of war. Dolphin was not the real name of the women in charge of the sea liner, but the people had come to know her as Dolphin, because of her vast nautical resources. Dolphin was in control of over 25 large battleships, over 100 submarines, and well over 1000 other war watercraft. Her HQ was on the ship called RainShield, the largest of all ships, as well as the only one able to fight back against any enemy ship.
 So why hide from the world? Dolphin was not an ordinary human. No, she was a mage, capable of limited magic, as well as the ability to open gates to the otherworld. Some leaders of the war had heard the myth of the women able to contact the world of the deamons, and now many people were after her. But Dolphin wasn't stupid. She had set up HQ in the middle of the pacific ocean, continuosly moving around, guarded at all times by a fleet of subs and war ships. She also had fifty men on board the RainShield, ready to launch an aerial attack, as well as to add extra defence if anyone were to board the RainShield.
 Dolphin hummed to herself, inspecting the ships own radar. Two enemy ships were within attacking range, but there was no use launching an attack on them yet. If the opposition had backup troops to send in, Dolphin's location would be easily found. Dolphin always waited until the last minute to attack. Some of her crew members had even given her a sub nickname. Because when Dolphin launched an attack, the prey were small fish, and the attacker was the Shark...

[The Host]

 The eyes of the beast belonged to a large an unproportioned deamon, whos head was quite large, housing massive dagger like teeth. Unfortunately for the deamon, his mouth was so large that his eyes, ears and nose were greatly reduced in size. The deamon's body was long and skinny, its fore arms long, its hind legs short and muscular.
 The deamon was called Vulture, as it was a scavanger. The deamon looked powerful, but in reality, the reason it scavanged was because it was weak. Opening its mouth wide to bite into another deamon's chest, Vulture let out a roar, as he he clenched his teeth into the dead flesh of the deamon, blood spurted out wildly, and the sound of crunching bones could be heard.
 Taverna rolled to the side, his mind coming back into control. He stopped moving as soon as he recognised the presence of another deamon in the vicinity, and focused his renwed energy on Crioone, binding her down, while also healing her. When he was sure that the savage deamon was turned away, Taverna propelled himself into the air, keeping himself up with his powerful green wings. Searching the ground for any other living deamons, Taverna continued to heal Crioone, but also fed his own energy to himself, ensuring his ability to take out the deamon below. But while he was looking around, Vulture, below him, had discovered his missing meal, and had spottoed it in the sky. Leaping up, Vulture's mouth opened, rows of teeth tipped with blood moving towards Taverna's leg.
 The green deamon's energy flared out around him, blasting Vulture back, knocking many teeth out, and cracking many others. Vulture howled in pain and rage, and thrust himself up to fight back against Taverna. But Vulture had met his match, and both deamons realised it. Taverna flew towards Vulture, grabbing him by the neck and plowing him into the sea of dead bodies below. Vulture's eyes rolled back in his head, but he wasn't dead just yet.
 Taverna walked over to Crioone, and as he neared her, Crioone managed to stand up, dried blood falling off of her as she did so. "What happened to us?" she asked, still regaining consciousness.
 "Metawar's central tower has been destroyed," responded Taverna, "Meaning that the rift led to nowhere, and that to rid itself of something to nothing, it had to destroy us."
 Crioone turned away, then asked, "Now what. We came here to fight Axerion, but if he's not here..."
 "Nara. We need to find her," said Taverna calmly.
 "That lying traitor! Why do we need her?"
 "Don't you remember the prophecy we read deep in Metawar's depths? It said something about joining together to defeat the evil something or other. We need Nara to complete ourselves. She may have lied, but what if there's a reason for it?"
 "She's dead. Remember?" Crioone said bluntly.
 "No. She's not dead, I'm sure of it. But even if she did die, we could get her. We could go to Infinitora to find her and bring her back. We have to, don't you see?"
 Crioone shook her head. "One day I'm gonna regret this. But I knda miss Nara, and if we find her, it would be two on one, so we either get her back, or kill her again."
 Taverna looked around the old chamber, at the many dead bodies surrounding them. "When we leave here, there's gonna be an explosion. Metawar is getting taken down completely, then no deamons need to suffer death because they came to visit. The rifts will all close," said Taverna, turning away from the ground and looking at the sky.
 "And what do we do with this deamon you injured, leave him here to die?"
 "No. He's coming with us. We're gonna need him later. I can feel it." Taverna looked at Crioone, his face sad yet determined. "You ready to go?" he asked, and when Crioone nodded, Taverna gathered Vulture in his arms, and pushed himself into the sky, following Crioone. When the two deamons were only one hundred feet away from the fortress, a small crackle began. Taverna smiled.
 "And then things went boom!" he said, laughing.
 Metawar exploded in a fiery uproar of flames. The heat in the surrounding area was unbearable, but Crioone and Taverna pushed onwards, their flight headed towards the northwestern point of Speed. Eterna Peninsula...

[The Host]

 ... The earth skook violently, and waves crashed over nearby cities, the ocean's quickly claiming over a million victims. Tidal waves rose up, only to crash down on bridges, tearing them from their foundations. Earthquakes vibrated the whole world, knocking over buildings and communication towers. Men and women scurried this way and that, trying to escape the treacherous disasters that were  appearing all over the world. Magma bubbled over the edges of volcanoes, streaming down the sides, burning through anything that got in its way. Trees caught fire, and spread over the land, burning crops and shrubs, flowers and bushes. The wind picked up, hurricanes brewing over the raging seas, and tornados twisting their way across the quaking mainland. Very living thing was facing death.
 The apocalypse had come, and it had spared no one. And yet, out of the shadows, an army of warriors in white emerged. The people reached out to the army, but as the gunshots rang out, the people recognised the twisted faces of the warriors in the army. They were human, but thier faces were warped, and the deamonic like cries put fear into the people's hearts, and death to their bodies.
 It was the end of the universe as it was known...   

***

 Present day

 As soon as Crioone and Taverna touched down to rest their wings, Vulture awoke, his teeth gnashing, his claws slicing through the air. Crioone flexed her leg, trapping the weak deamon in a bubble of energy, then spoke softly to him.
 "We're on an important task, deamon, and your wild atacks won't make it easier for either of us. So shut up, and stop wildly slicing through the air. We may someday find use for you, but until then, your a simple free loader, susceptible to whatever we do with you." Crioone's words were quiet and harsh at the same time. Once she had finished, the bubble of energy surrounding Vulture broke apart, and Vulture collapsed onto the ground.
 "You ready to keep going?" asked Crioone.
 "Yeah. By the way, what's your name?" asked Taverna, his question directed to Vulture.
 "Some people call me Vulture. Other than that, I have no real name."
 Crioone kicked Vulture with just enough force to put him out of consciousness, then picked him up, tossing him onto her back. "Let's go."

***

 "Miss, we're surrounded. Enemy ships came out of no where, and most of the guard ships have been wiped out or taken over. They're using our army gainst us!"
 Dolphin looked at the man speaking to her, then slapped him. "So why are you telling me this? Call Jet and ask him to get the airforce over here ASAP. Then get all personnel into the last defence war ships, and get an inventory on how many navy forces we've got left!"
 "Yes, miss Dolphin, I'll go immediately!"
 Dolphin sighed, then went back to the main controls, directing the ship to a defensive position. If the RainShield was going to be attacked, it might as well be in a good position to fight back. Once the ship was turned, Dolphin lowered anchors, locking the ship in place. She wasn't going down without a fight. Triggering multiple torpedos, Dolphin launched offensive attacks at any nearby enemy ships, sinking them immediately. But more were pulling in, and as powerful a ship as RainShield was, it could not take assault from multiple enemies. The intercom hummed to life, and a male voice came into frequency, his voice blaring orders to the RainShield's captian.
 "We've got you surrounded miss Dolphin. Stop your attacks, and my men will deal with the situation quickly and harmlessly. If not-"
 "Stop your idiotic ideas and get real. This is war we're at. There is no quick and harmless way to end this. So come at me with everything you've got. We'll fight back!" said Dolphin, cutting off the voice on the other end.
 Dead air, and then, "So be it. I'm sorry it had to end this way."
 Dolphin laughed. It wasn't close to ending yet...

[The Host]

 The wind picked up as Crioone and Taverna passed over the Desert of Craiyo, and as the wind picked up, flying became harder, and the sand picked up by the wind greatly lowered their visibility. Below, scouring the sandy land of Craiyo, many deamons coloured to match the sand moved about. No plants existed in Craiyo, and even though it was a desert, the conditions of this one were vastly different. During the day, the sun beat down on the land, raising the temperature to an unbearably hot heat. Any plants that would spring up withered immediately, and any deamons that walked along the dried earth had feet with exceptional heat endurence. But during the night, the temperature plumeted to freezing temperatures, changing the entire land form. Sand would cling together, forming rocks that rose up, leaving giant pits and tunnels. The wind dissipated completely. The frigid wasteland could not support any life, and most deamons had to dig down into the depths of the sand late in the day to escape the night. There were, however, ceratin deamons that roamed the night land of Craiyo, but these deamons were rare, as well as powerful. Any daytime deamon left out for the night would die by morning, whether it be the weather's murder, or that of a night deamon.
 Vulture landed on the desert floor, scattering the day deamons apart, leaving room for Crioone and Taverna to land. The two deamons searched around, then looked at Vulture. Picking him up, Crioone hovered to a nearby rock that jutted out from the ground, and using a minute amount of power, morphed the shape of the rock into that of a small cave. Tossing Vulture into it, she seeled it, then hovered back to Taverna.
 "We can start searching now. When we find what we need, we'll get Vulture back. For now though, he's locked away, out of the way completely."
 Taverna laughed, then followed Crioone, the two deamons beginning their search for Nara in the vast desert of Craiyo.

[The Host]

Interlude Ten
Exaltoskull's Story

 Tyranac's hand plunged into Exaltoskull's mouth, ripping its way through gut and flesh, and venturing into the deepest part of Exaltoskull's spiritual body. Exaltoskull gasped in shock, spluttering blood and chunks of flesh onto the ground. Coughing violently, the black and gold coloured deamon slowly weakened, both physically and spiritually. Tyranac's hand finally reached its destination, and as Exaltoskull's eyes went wide in shock and fear, the deamon master dissapeared, following the path of his hand to the Chamber of the Soul.

Inside the Chamber of Soul; Exaltoskull
 The darkness surrounding Tyranac quickly faded away, pushed back by an eruption of light. Tyranac's body shimmered, its form now that of a frog, his eyes milky blue, his skin clear and seethrough. Inside of his body, Tyranac hosted a large ball emitting light, the object illuminating the Chamber of Soul.
 Tyranac looked all around, searching the entire chamber for the soul of Exaltoskull. When he had located it, a formless mass of moving darkness, Tyranac's mouth opened wide, his tongue shooting out a light speed, grasping the soul. Exaltoskull's soul retaliated, the dark form spreadin and enveloping Tyranac. Tyranac leapt back, his webbed feet sweeping the soul off of his body. The light inside his body dimmed momentarily, and both Tyranac and the soul became invisible. Tyranac purged deamonic energy from his body, the magical force grabbing anything alive in the chamber. The light inside of Tyranac's body flooded the Chamber of Soul with light, and Tyranac advanced on the trapped soul.
 Stretching his arm out, the webbed toes on his feet grew claws. Tyranac's back was instantly covered in powerful spiked armour, and his back legs glistened in the light, the silver titanium covering them reflecting the brilliant light. A steel visor dropped over Tyranac's eyes, leaving only his stomach uncovered. As the soul writhed in an attempt to break free of the energy that held it, Tyranac morphed once more, this time, his body taking on the form of a serpent. The armour that had covered his arms and legs had shifted, and now Tyranac's body was completely coverd in deamonic magical armour.
 Tyranac advanced on the soul, his mout wide open, his fangs ready and alert, prepared to strike the soul with power and venom. But the soul of Exaltoskull had already given up hope. The soul dropped to the ground, willingly giving up. As the snake devoured the soul, hosting it while its body recovered, Tyranac wondered if the deamon he had just stolen a soul from would live, or if the powers of a Deamon Shadow were to much for him...

A small clearing in the Eterna Forest
 The body of Exaltoskull collapsed, sprawled on the forest floor. From the deamon warrior's mouth, a small deamon crept out, covered in blood and guts, holding a small broken bone in one of his hands. Stabbing the bone fragment into the ground next to Exaltoskull, the deamon chanted several words softly to himself, and once he had finished, he touched Exaltoskull, then the bone. At once, Exaltoskull's body was gone, leaving only a space covered in blood to show he had once lay there.
 The small deamon picked up the bone, then morphed, becoming a stallion, dripping in blood. The stallion's mane was red and orange, as it was on fire. The legs of the horse were pure white, as was its body. Its head was shaped like that of a stallion, but inside of its mouth lay rows upon rows of knife sharp fangs. Its eyes were deep red in colour, raging like the fire upon its mane. The bone containing the body of Exaltoskull rested inside of the stallion's mouth, in the third row, right in the center.
 Tyranac walked forwards, adjusting to his new form, and as he did, he took note of each and every deamon watching him. Those deamons did not live for more than ten seconds after the first was killed. Tyranac laughed hoarsly, then lept through the forest, heading to the northernmost of point of Eterna Peninsula...

[The Host]

Chapter Ten
Craiyo's Secret

 The desert's wind whipped small rocks around, scratching Crioone as she walked along the sandy earth of Craiyo Desert. Taverna, who was at this time flying through the air, was fortunate enough to not get hit by rocks, althouhg his altitude did not leave out all bad aspects. The wind that hit his wings normally aided the avian deamon's flight, but the wind in the desert was different. Gone was the warm, gentle breeze that normally blew across the mainland of Speed, only to be replaced by high speed, bone chilling gale force winds. Taverna's muscles were all flexed, and the effort he put into his flight was more than the effort used to fight the average deamon.
 Taverna winced as the wind hit directly into his face, momentarily paralyzing him. The green deamon dropped five feet, and was then able to recover and continue to scan the desert below. But there was nothing worth noting below. Any rocks that had survived the day's heat were scarce, and the sand all looked the same. Hidden in the shadows of rolling sand dunes, small deamon's scittered about, searching for any scraps of food that were still open game. The air did not seem to show any signs of giving Taverna a hint of where the object they sought lay hidden...

 Down below, still being bombarded by bits of rock and specks of sand, Crioone was having no better luck than her companion. The desert layout held nothing that seemed to be of use, and if the object that they were searching for was buried beneath the endless sea of sand, then it would take ages to find it. No, there had to be a clue of where to look, or where to begin, but at the time, one would not appear. And the clue would not appear until later. Much later, when the sun went out, and the harsh cold of night was upon them...

[The Host]

The In Between Time
 Wind howled across the hot sand, quickly, cooling it down to the freezing point. The temperature in Craiyo Desert dropped from extremely hot to extremely cold in a matter of minutes, and any day deamons who were still roaming the endless sea of sand had only minutes of life left. Crioone yelled out to Taverna to come back, but the emerald coloured deamon was too far away to hear, and the wind drowned out Crioone's cries. The sand upon which Crioone stood began to freeze together, the moisture from the daytime that lay in the sand now acting as the cement used to keep them pieces of sand together.
 The wind was now blowing at over 180 miles per hour, and it was all Criooned could do to create a tomb of rock hard sand to save herself. Up above, being thrown this way and that by the wind, Taverna cried out in pain as the wind tore his wings apart, and as blood began to flow from wounds near the base of his wings, Taverna threw a wall of energy around himself. The wall only lasted for about a second, but it was all Taverna had needed. His wings folded back behind his body, and his arms held his body together to prevent the wind from harming him. As soon as the energy wall was gone, Taverna dropped, only to be grabbed by the wind and tossed around above the desert. While he was being thrown around, the desert below was changing vastly. Deamons with a ghostly blue-gray colour to them emerged from the sand, their powerful hulking bodies protecting them from the environment around them. Stones erected themselves all over the desert, formed by particles of sand glued together. Deep trenches formed throughout Craiyo, and when Taverna was finally able to glimpse the night desert below him, what he found was astonishing...

***

 The tomb of rock holding Crioone shattered, and the blue coloured deamon rushed out, energy that had been stored up inside of her flaring out around her, threatening any deamons that would dare to confront her. Looking around, Crioone noticed the large rocks that had formed throughout the desert, as well as the deep trenches that came into being from the sand that formed the large boulders. The wind had finally died off, and the cold was now only the temperature, no added effects from the wind.
 Large deamons had begun to gather around Crioone, thier dull and lifeless eyes complimenting thier ghostly skin tone. As the deamons drew nearer, Crioone sensed that something was wrong. The deamons were silent, not even making a sound as they marched forwards across the cold dark ground. Crioone shuddered, and closed her eyes, drawing the positions of the advancing deamons in her mind. Their movements were slow and predictable, and yet, the deamons' energy did not seem to be responding to their movements. There was definately something wrong with the deamons of Night Craiyo, but Crioone could find the answer to the problem...

 Taverna dropped, and as he did, he realised the wind had stopped. Hitting the ground brought him back to his sences, and he knew at once that he needed to find Crioone and tell her what he had discovered. Moving quickly, Taverna dashed across the silent desert, not noticing the ancient deamons that were gathering on either side of him, their silent bodies matching his amazing speed. Only when he notcied the circle of similar deamons standing ahead of him did he see the deamons following him. Crying out in surprise, Taverna stopped immediately, turning and flaring his energy around him, and at the same time dashing to and from his position to knock the ghostly blue deamons back.
 But as he continued to move back and forth, he began to realise the horrifying fact that the deamons stood untouched. The truth came to him like a painful punch to the stomach, and as he dropped to his knees, Taverna cried a cry of defeat, allowing himself to be gathered by the deamons of Criayo Desert...

 Crioone stood her ground fighting back the oncoming deamons with everything she had, but as she grew tired, she realised her efforts were in vain. The deamons stood unfased by her attacks, and the emotionless faces seemed to grow a cruel smile as crioone realised her defeat. When the cry of defeat came out from a nearby Taverna, Crioone dropped to the ground as well, knowing that she stood alone, and that if Taverna had given up, she was dommed as well...

***

 The ghostly deamons lead Crioone and Taverna to a large hole towards the northern end of the desert, and as they neared, both deamons sensed the powerful essence that lay ahead of them. Once they were within ten feet of the hole, the deamons surrounding Crioone and Taverna began to disperse, forming a large circle around the hole. Crioone and Taverna were pushed forwards by invisible hands, and at last they were able to view the inside of the hole.
 "There's something you need to know..." Taverna's sentence trailed off as he waited for Crioone to respond.
 "There's something wrong with this place... During the day it's fine, but once the heat and light go away, something happens..."
 "That's what I need to tell you," said Taverna, "When the night comes, the desert's geography changes completely... and that's where the secret comes in. The trenches that are formed at night aren't random. This place isn't Craiyo desert anymore. It's the Desert of Death. All the deamons in this place now are dead. They used to be deamons, but something in this desert changed them. That's where the trenches come in. They spell out C R A I Y O-D E A T H, and every so often, there are arrows on the letters, all pointing to this point. I noticed it when I was flying, a large black spot. This is where the artifact is. Inside of this hole, is the gate to Hell..."