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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXPQjnZmmt
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdws75Sbkw7
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Then came that terrifying night in the Forests of Calliope.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnyvUlqMNi
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There and then I knew why we feared mortals.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo25TkRyYcT
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- Arch Bishop Philippe 'The Wise' of the Church of Hecate.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzs6iPceo3
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Taken from the Documentary 'The Anarchy and the Peace.'168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tus16wcjK
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Book 1-Ch 3-Nevermore beyond my pane168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡki1C12Uv6d
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZlPbEwzrw
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7t5m1G62M
168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22sV9EGOim
But no matter the universe A is still A.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBcD0483d0
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And fire is still fire.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2mQ8C7GPc
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3aMs3Y9Ht
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lUYwIrMkC
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Creatures that even those with magic, light or dark, would fear.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡybHANFm52i
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbTlumw86p
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0sQQMAX20
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Ross was not innocent, but he drew the line at killing animal needlessly.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6OkrFuGBs
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHddlfoslU
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlrBO4Wl0c
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But they were still bats, still animals, and they had sensitive noses and ears.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloc8FHFd97
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGvB043Col
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The twister of flying dark creatures immediately increased the distance between itself and the scarred mortal.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuzVs6zqpJ
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAq9nEjrGS
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvB0J1w4tLT
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Temptation whispered in his ear there and then. Temptation to give up, go back.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjbuiqRDkc
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47x2KJ7gE6
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnpjSL0dNL
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZe86F8RUD
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsp50sJopuo
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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?168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzoMd7Dj4A
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They did it because it was the unknown, where untold horrors lay, but also wonders.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFkVQjGExB
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It could be the biggest mistake of his life, but also the best decision he ever made.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAeDeM51kl
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAggf5hAgyU
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Some say you'd have to be mad to live like that. Fortunately Ross was.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzlKUUEceQ
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So he took his heart in his teeth and marched forward.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOLltgB4lT
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So he marched forward, with each step his feet became lighter, his lungs softer, his vision cleared.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFRZTJaD5O
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He conquered his fear and used it to fuel his resolve.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJw6iHiwBE
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHE64xAW8Pc
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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 him168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlPtUEXvoc
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQ8kfAiMUu
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz54uQPErCJ
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJ4xc8XPyJ
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This time Ross threw the bell from his belt right at the Golem's face.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKuyEtiasG
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BANG.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevvqZqdJOX
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1PrlVYA6E
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0B9W08Ovrk
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BANG168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzYNp0LrSa
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDiuBVCPZF
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BANG168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSd5IK3E7n0
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5Zl5rR9Nj
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BANG168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aIJxJUAyR
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytpJGG2utv
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsu3QtwXsLn
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A man can dream can't he?168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LzHePTzIH
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRcZTCNcdo
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzy3ZnP5sk
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qZnnwInz0
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztwr6MXlcW
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It seemed like the forest, reality itself, was distorted in front of him as an illusion was broken.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzY5j0ec686
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKjdKcEiet
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIobhp0lfK
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Yes, truly an illusion had been broken tonight.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisOBZzuc4u
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkszD2N4X8i
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbeaRGkEqq
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That Hexen was a step away from committing a murder most foul.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNAslHDWDa
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90kxaBDXS5
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1THotFeOc
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4Ttxw3p44
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Yes, an illusion was broken tonight indeed168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JN6BfZlMw
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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.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqFlSCzUNf
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"What?" She said, the knife still at her sacrifice's throat who also looked surprise by the events.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT56vwMS43B
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And with that the clock struck 3.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡax6yqxyTie
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The witching hour, a bell whip, two illusions shattered and confusion reigned supreme now.168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2GnlJwWfA
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Just another night in the town of Calliope.
