They are out there...HUNT THE DEAD!

Lucian looked around and he relised that he had to act...now.Lucian pulled out his elven sword and twirled and stood up on teh edge of the air ship. He looked back once more and lept off into a dive he looked around looking for something to grab on as he saw another air ship pass below and shoved his sword in the edge of the ship slowing his fall and landing on the ground receving minor sprains. He quickly dove through a window and looked around hopeping no zombies near by had heard or saw him. This was it Lucian was on his own now for the hunt. He tiped his head to there air and caught two sents one of a Warrior in much pain and the other of a dwarf sweaty and ready for a fight. Lucian sheathed his blade and grabed ahold the rooftop and climbed across, the hunt was on.

"Aye. So then I had this odd white cream on me hands. The poison ivy Lopex had gotten into had spread to....areas. Anyways the wee eejit--what the fekk?" James was explaining to Tangerine before he was cut off.

"MAN OVERBOARD!" a crew member yelled leaning over the railing and pointing at the falling Lucian.

"More like fekkin bollicks o're board," James said.

Lucian landed and found himself on the opposite side of the city from Herod and Erron. Using his Lupine senses he began to track them but soon ran into trouble.

A sprinter zombie tackled him. However by doing so, both the zombie and Lucian found themselves in trouble.

The silver gates of what was once a cathedral lay in a horizontal position, propped up up rubble. Lucian felt one of the silver fence posts push through his back and out of his stomach. What was worse was the silver spike also pushed into the top of the Sprinter's head, trapping Lucian.

After about five minutes of struggling though, the rusted bolts holding the fence post in place gave way to the weight of Lucian and the Sprinter.

The spike snapped in three.

Lucian was now free but had a six inch long silver shard trapped inside of his liver. If it was left there he could die. And if his liver was removed he could die. Lucian wasn't having a good day.

Meanwhile....

Herod and Erron left the building. The crypts weren't far. No undead even payed attention to Erron. Which made things incredibly easy for Herod, since when a zombie would come near him, Erron was able to get in a sneak attack and help protect the dwarf.

Chaos was all around them, but eventually the two made it to the crypts.

The steel door was a jar and deep inside voices could be heard.

Erron and Herod crept inside and down into the dark tunnels. They walked for about 5 minutes and came around a corner and nearly walked right into the back of Genesis.

The two quickly ducked back around the corner and listened.

"Dammit we're too late," Erron whispered to Herod.

A ghostly apparition spoke to Genesis and handed him a gold bracelet formed of gold ivy in the shape of a triangle.

"You were the first to seek the power, and so ye shall be the sole one to receive it. I, the Ghost of Nomerie give to thee, Genesis, The Triad. The very essence left over by the Gods of Evil, Good and Neutrality. Their power is now yours."

Meanwhile....

"I don't care if he jumped! We aren't going back. We're going to Teseron and that's--" Hellcat shouted at the Helmsman before being tossed from her feet to the deck. The entire ship lurched sideways, and shards of wood flew everywhere. Somewhere on the ship a canon had fired.

The Sky Palace had just been rammed by another Pirate Airship.

"Board 'em and bring me Hellcat!" the Captain of the rival ship shouted.

Both ships were lodged and stuck into each other. Several crew of the rival ship began running across the wreckage, hundreds of feet in the air to the Sky Palace.

"Oh shite," James mumbled.

Meanwhile....

The man sat at the desk across from the minotaur. The King of Riddik snorted and rubbed one of his horns.

"And you guarantee my people will remain free?" the Minotaur King asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Of course. The War of Decimation is nearly upon us. The small battles of Port Skell, and what was once the city-state of Peregren were mere skirmishes. If the rumors hold true that have been delivered to us by The Hellfolk, then even they are being driven from The Hellhole by refugees from Krest. Everyone knows the small battles spread throughout Aeon is only a sampling of the coming tide."

"I agree. The slaying of all of the Drakoni, by the magical backlash felt this morning, is a sign," the King replied.

"Many believe it to be connected to their brethren, the ancient dragons, who once warned the people of this world of the coming Ravaging," the man in the black robes who sat across from the King said.

"Aye. I have heard rumor from some of the Spice Traders from The Long Reach that it may have something to do with an artifact in Dead Town," the King informed the man.

"Regardless, all of the Drakoni are now dead. Their bodies are being found everywhere. It's as if the entire planet is just falling apart," the black robed man said.

"Any word of Nju Shenghuo?" the King asked while accepting a glass of wine from a servant.

"The same as The Epicenter of Aeon. All scouts are never heard from again," the man answered.

"Damn," the King muttered and then sat silent for a moment, "So be it then....the Kingdom of Riddik will now be under the protection of your people. You have guaranteed we will not come to harm. And in return, all minotaurs shall soon begin to follow your cause. It is a shame this agreement could not be met when the Ravaging of this world first started a few short years ago," the King finished, slicing open his palm and pressing it onto a piece of parchment.

"The past can not be changed your highness. But I assure you the future is ours to protect," the man said slicing his own palm and pressing it down onto the parchment.

"It is done then?"

"Yes," said the man, "We will teach your people our ways...and the Civil Agents of The Fallen, shall protect your kingdom from the coming Decimation."

Browden tried to ignore the others. However, seeing Lucian jump from the ship stirred something inside. Something hadn't done in a long time. He cried...

...as he laughed.

The human was so excited to be rid of the mongrel that he stood up and cheered, then sat down that no one else seemed to be as joyous.

He remained silent afterward. He watched Aldion and the monkey. The animal began to annoy Browden with the noices, and was just about to get after the elf and monkey. However, the animal had taken a candlestick to the darklings head. So Browden was rid of the werewolf, and Turk'en was knocked unconsious with a blunt weapon!

The monkey was the favorite creature on that ship now.

Then the fight broke out.

Chaos in the air just like the ground.

Browden heard the captain call for a hellcat, whatever that was. Browden found himself tipping over and landing on his chin, breaking a tooth.

He spit pieces of tooth and blood before trying to get up again. He fell down instantly. Apparently sea sailors aren't always good sky sailors.

However, Browden didn't hesitate to curse like a sailor as he clumsily stumbled around the deck.

Aldion whistled and the monkey ran over to him and climbed up his shoulder, "Good boy," he said, drawing his sword. He ran up the deck stairs and stood by Hellcat, "Like old times, captain. Well, except I hand two hands then, and didn't have the monkey," Punky squawked at this acknowledgement.

A pirate of the opposing ship ran up the stairs, "The captain be wantin' Hellcat!" he roared, brandishing a cutlass.

He lunged at Aldion, the elf sidestepped, dropping an elbow onto the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

He reached into the pirates holster and drew the flintlock. Two pirates charged for Hellcat and he managed to shoot and drop one of them, "All yours Cap'n!" he said as he handed the gun to Punky.

He pointed to the downed pirate, "Watch him," he said as he ran off down to the ower deck near Browden.

Punky held the end of the gun against the now waking pirates head and squawked.

The pirate fainted at the sight

"Tell me ghost....one of my enemies dropped this. I believe it to be of some importance. Can you divine it's past?" Genesis said holding out a small pendant in his hand to the Ghost of Nomerie.

"The pendant controls the urge. The pendant controls the rage. The pendant controls the instinct. The pendant controls the wolf," the Ghost said then vanished.

Genesis held the pendant to the bracelet. Arcane words that sounded more like a moths wings flapping, tumbled from Genesis' lips. And then he was silent.

"I see. The one called Lucian....he is now under my control when he transforms. ha ha ha," genesis laughed, putting the pendant around his neck as he left the crypts.

"Well, that's certainly not good," Erron whispered to Herod.

Meanwhile....

Punky held the gun to the pirate's head. As Aldion took off across the ship to help in the fight, another pirate tackled him, both of them tumbling over the side of the railing.

They fell through the air. Aldion was quick to remember his first battle on an air ship, and scanned the area as he fell.

He reached out and grabbed a rope with his one good hand. The pirate tumbled through the clouds to his death. Aldion, however, swung under the Sky palace and crashed into the hull of the enemy ship creating a very large hole.

He coughed and opened his eye.

Eye!?

Aldion panicked. A wooden shard had cut out his eye in the crash! Blood seeped from his eye socket. He searched and couldn't fine the ball of flesh for his socket anywhere. And then it was as if the gods had returned one last time to give a gift to Aldion...

As he searched for his eye he saw he was in a cabin...a dwarf's cabin. A dwarf who invented things.

Laying on a table was a mechanical hand. And oddly enough, strange thin rubber chords ran from the hand to what looked to be a mechanical eye.


On the deck of the Sky Palace, the helmsman was shot and killed.

James tumbled into Browden as the ship tilted.

"Someone has to get to th' other ship if'n we're gonna disengage the two. Otherwise we're all gonna fekken crash! You got to it. I'll guard yer back," he finished pulling out his rifle and shooting another pirate, blowing out a kneecap.

Popurum tumbled head over heals as he fell through the air over the side of the ship. And then his foot became tangled in a rope ladder. The small Riverfolk realized he had just been saved from death. It was at this point when Aldion had fallen past him along with a pirate. They had swung under the Sky Palace. Popurum had no idea if Aldion had fallen to his death or not, as he didn't know Aldion had crashed into the hull of the other ship.

The jostling of the ship woke Turken. He was confused at first and then rembered something about a monkey squawking. He saw his surroundings, and found himself in a cell next to a mute prisoner who wore a dirty vest with the words Lopex written in black ink on the left side of the chest. Unfortunately, the "P" in the spelling of the name was backwards. It was then that Turken realized this was the same Lopex everyone was talking about. Was Lopex infected or not???

Aelemar slid down a broken mast slicing the arm off of a rival pirate and landed with ease to the tilting deck of the Sky Palace. She smiled at Tangerine, who shot her a hateful glare. Then Tangerine's eyes grew wide.

One of the pirates from the other ship stabbed Aelemar through the back of the neck with a dagger. The tip of the blade protruded out of the small Hellfolk's throat.

"NO!" screamed Tangerine rushing toward the pirate and Aelemar.

Meanwhile....

Somewhere in The Epicenter of Aeon, a minotaur guard tacked up a wanted poster on a pole.

It was a picture of one of the Heroes of The Ravaging.

The druid, known as Leif.

"ALDION, no!"

Popurum began to twist and and bend to get onto the ladder properly. After he untangled himself, he was able to get upright and climbed down. The ships were shaky, but as soon as he got to the bottom of the ladder, he looked for any signs. He couldn't see anyone falling. Only bits of debris.

Tears already started to water in his eyes. However he wasn't ready to think that. He climbed up this time and got to the deck. Like, Browden, he stepped around clumsily. However, he found Punky, the monkey...

Popurum didn't know if the animal would bite the riverfolk's eye or not, but he extended his arm.

"Wanna find your daddy?"

Aldion growled, "First my hand, now my damn eye!" he said angrily. He lost his sword in the fall, so he grabbed one of his daggers and peeked around the corner. Clear.

"By the stars," he said tersely as he pulled out the splinter, "Someone owes me a damn drink!" He crossed the hall way to the room with the mechanical body parts, "What the hell...?"

He grabbed them and stepped into the hall way, where was a damn dwarf when he needed one!? He turned a corner and found his quarry throwing treasure into a pouch.

"Planning to sneak away on Hellcat's ship?" Aldion asked through his teeth, his eye hurt unbearably bad.

The dwarf, whom only had one eye, and a hand much like Aldion held looked at him. "Never, the cap'n wont lose!"

"He did before, I was there," Aldion said confidently.

The dwarf ignored him. "Hellcat doesn't like stowaways. Makes 'em walk. Long fall my friend," Aldion continued.

The dwarf stopped for a moment, "What do ye want?"

Aldion looked at the mechanical items, then gestured to his missing parts, "Make them work, and I will get you passage on her ship, if not, I kill you here and now. Deal?"

The dwarf dropped the bag, "Fine lad," he grabbed the items, "Its gonna be hurting' like a bitch tho'"

Aldion nodded, "Losing in the first place wasn't a fun time either, lets get it over with."

All across Aeon small battles of the super type zombies and the horde zombies waged.

No where was safe.

The city of Peregren had fallen. Only hours before the battle at Dead Town had started, Mathias had teleported in packs of horde and minotaur mercenaries.

The city-state fell quickly.

The Prime Minister Zoei Fantasy was only one of thousands missing.

Everywhere on Aeon cities were burning. Villages were being ransacked by marauders.

Somewhere in The Long Reach, a pack of Brutes ran across the tundra on their way to Kosp to feed.

Somewhere in Nju Shenghuo a powerful Wizard plotted the destruction of everything ever known.

Somewhere in The Epicenter, a Civil Agent was signing a contract with a minotaur mercenary, who would protect dwarven workers as they were pushed to develop the criss-crossing railroad tracks for steam trains and as they would build factories to develop weapons that would fire hundreds of bullets.

Nerin Toth bled.

North Krest was falling to roving mercenaries on dwarven steam cycles and dune buggies.

South Krest was being assimilated to the Civil Agent way of life, and the minotaurs began to learn the delicacies of eating human flesh.

And then the moon hid itself behind clouds in the night sky.

And the world that was once a place where the mighty were judged by swordsmanship...died.

And in it's place an apocalyptic enigma...a devastated landscape...a disgusting steam driven and gun powder driven world was born.

And as the dwarf did his work on Aldion, teaching him how to use his new mechanical hand and eye, somewhere in Dead Town...near the demolished city-square, Genesis spoke:

"I raise this arcane shell of divine might to the stars. For it is in the stars where those who created us eons ago fled. And to them I beseech to grant me the power to set this world anew. To bring back the light that the darkness fed upon. To bring life to the dead for it is they who rot and fester in the ground to fertilize the trees and grass. I beseech them to grant me all of their power. So that I may remake this world in an image they had originally intended. Where none die forever. Where even the dead live. Where the creatures and denizens of this world shall be immortal. Oh how the gods would weep to see their beloved peoples slaughtered like cattle. Oh how they would weep with joy to see ALL OF THEM returned to unlife! I beseech them to grant me the power through this...THE TRIAD...I beseech them to grant me the power to take their place and rule over this dead world. I BESEECH THEM TO GRANT ME AS IT'S RULER! AS THE KING OF THE UNDEAD!!!!"

With those final words a bright light shot out of The Triad shattering the artifact destroying it forever. The light filled the sky. And for the first time in six years, the sun filled the sky. There would never be perpetual night again. The sun would rise as it was originally intended. Night would fall only for part of a day, as it was meant to in the beginning.

And it was the daylight that revealed the true horrors of Aeon. The smoke in the air seen in the distance from the gunpowder and steam factories. The corpses piled in the streets. The blood soaked earth.

And it was Genesis words that echoed. All was silent. Everyone....even the undead of Aeon stopped and stood in confusion.

Genesis' words continued to echo...

"I beseech them to grant me as it's ruler! As The King of the Undead..."

SHUNK!

Erron's blade stabbed up and through the back of Genesis and out of his forehead. Genesis dead body slumped to the ground, never to rise again.

Erron spoke; "There's only one King, bitch."

The first day of the War of Decimation had ended.

No one knew what the second day would bring.

Aldion flexed his new hand, it was tingling, feeling like it was asleep. Before Aldion could speak, the dwarf said, "No, the tingling won't go away, but you get used to it after a while," The elf nodded.

He could see again, even better he thought, but he must have been imaginig it. The dwarf grabbed his bag and stood, I'm with you, they'll massacre me if I walk over alone."

Aldion said nothing, just flicked his wrist a few times, causing blade like claws to pop out at his finger tips. He waved his hand for the dwarf to follow, then put a finger to his lips.

They walked quickly for the steps to reach the deck, Aldion now holding Reaver. "Its been to long," he said softly, talking to his old friend.

The dwarf turned a cannon to the trap door leading up to the deck, lit the fuse, and ran for cover.


BOOOM!


The door shattered, taking with it a pirate who was unfortunately standing on it at the time. Aldion ran up the stairs and made it on deck, spinning Reaver over his head. "I'll buy you the time, do it now!" he yelled to teh dwarf.

A musketball whizzed past him, and two pirates were charging headlong. He smiled darkly. The first came at him with a downard slash, Aldion easily blocked it with reaver's staff and pushed it to one side, then twisted and stabbed the crescent blade into thep pirates side.

The other was frantically swinging two hand axes, Aldion easily stepped back out of reach, the jammed the dull side of teh curved blade into the man's throat, knocking him to the ground.

The ship rocked violently, the first explosion went off. The dwarf quickly ran up from below deck and shouted "FUSE IS TO FUCKING SHORT!" before he was just a passing blur.

They both ran across teh deck, extending their claws and jumped at the Sky palace. Aldion sank into wood, the dwarf fell just short. Aldion caught him, but only barely.

The other explosion went off, and with this one, two of the strings hold ing the ship to the balloon snapped. Both ships were stuck together, and were now losing altitude

Each using their claws and a dagger slowly began climbing the side of the ship, "Did you mean for this to happen?!"

"Shut up elf!" said the dwarf as they slowly climbed

They heard a whisper, which grew louder and louder until it was as if someone screamed in their ears.

They continued, the sun beating on their backs. "Wait!" Aldion exclaimed, "Since when is it daytime!?" he asked the dwarf, confused.

Both were blinded, and surprisingly took no joy in the warm sunshine. "Its damn annoying though" the dwarf said, continuing his climb

The monkey was friendly enough that it crawled up on Popurum, gun still in hand. Popurum didn't like the gun, but it was for Aldion. As he tried to find his footing on the air ship, Popurum propped himself up against the railing, holding onto the other side. That when he heard to voice.

Then the dark was gone. The sun appeared. Popurum shielded his face. It hurt, that much light. His eyes watered, not from sadness, but from pain.

Before he could adjust, there were a series of explosions as an elf and dwarf appeared climbing up the ship's side!

"ALDION! What the hell are you doing down there, you stupid elf? Get your ass up here, NOW! You can NOT be swinging from ropes like a Punky! If I catch you doing this one more time, I will PERSONALLY land this craft!"

The riverfolk continued his lecture on and on, both glad to see Aldion was ok, and angry for the elf to be scaring his grandfather.

Browden did as James said. He struggled to keep his footing. With his axe on his back, he stumbled towards the edge. He looked like a drunk man on level ground, he just was a sober human on an air ship. Browden would have taken a drink if he could, though.

At the edge, the ships were mangled enough he'd be able to jump form one to the other. He watched as pirates of both ships fought. Some aimed for him, but were intercepted. He stood on the railing and held tight during shakes.

"I don't think I like heights."

The darkness of the air all around only made the situation more frightening.

Without looking down, he made a leap and a bound as he crashed on the deck of the enemy ship. He couldn't see if James was at the helm of the other ship or not.

Browden pulled his giant axe and started to swing and block with it as pirates came for him. Then the voice sounded. Pirates stopped coming at him. They all listened and then shuddered at the light of the sun. Browden was about to say something, but remembered who he would be talking to.

However, the pirates had became discouraged and decided to attack smaller foes. Browden got to the helm and began to steer it from the other ship.

Browden began to wonder if he'd get off this new ship.

Browden pulled and turned the ship. It gridded with a terrible noise as the two ships rubbed free of each other. The human quickly ran to the side of the ship. This time, he looked down. He froze when he looked between the gape in the ships. Browden didn't realize it till now, but Browden suffered from vertigo...

The pirate kicked Aelemar off his blade, luckily it barely missed her spine, she wouldn't be paralyzed from it. She fell to the deck bleeding. Tangerine rushed to them and kicked him off the side of the ship and he fell to his death.

"C'mon! We've got to close your wound. It's the only way I can save you!" Tangerine said as she lifted Aelemar up and lead her to the kitchen of the ship.
"Hey, Cookie!" She yelled at the cook who towered above her, "Hold her down, and don't let go 'til I say!"
Tangerine ran to a pot of boiling water and grabbed a large silver spoon out of it. It was obviously hot because she flinched as she clutched it.
"Ready, Cookie? HOLD HER!" He held down tight on Aelemar to the floor while Tangerine cauterized her wound.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"Aelemar screamed at the top of her lungs.
"COOKIE FLIP 'ER OVER!" Tangerine demanded the cook. He did as he was told.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Aelemar wailed.
"Let her go. the wound's shut."
Aelemar then passed out into a deep sleep.

Lucian stood there for a moment and slowly rose he looked inside the hole in his stomach and new it was bad. He had to try harder then he ever has befor the become half the beast the really is and get to Erron as fast as he can before he turns. Lucian began sprinting as fast as the pain would allow slicing through zombie as he ran. He was smaked by a brute through the trail of Erron and Herod thats good but also very bad. Lucian couldn't waist anytime he bagan running he cringed as the wolf strived to be freed he was close but could he make it. He enterd the crypt and took a deap breath were where they he thought. Lucian screemed trying to get attention and called for Erron all while screaming the same thing over and over "Help me Erron i cant hold it much longer". Lucian had to try he had to.

Lucian wrote:

"Help me Erron i cant hold it much longer". Lucian had to try he had to.

Erron and Herod stood in the square and heard Lucian screaming from the crypts. Which reminded Erron of something Lucian said when they first met. Something about a pendant. Erron cocked an eyebrow and looked down at the dead Genesis. In Genesis' hand lay a pendant to "control the wolf".

Erron quickly realized this was Lucian's pendant.

Lucian made his way out of the crypts and saw Herod and Erron in the square.

Erron slowly bent down and retrieved the pendant. He held it tight in his fist, leaving the chain dangling.

"Not another step lycan," Erron said halting Lucian. "I can teleport through shadows. And the pendant rests in the shadows of my enclosed fist. One wrong move. One wrong breath. One slight gesture....and I teleport the pendant to hell. And don't doubt that I can't. I've been there. Literally."

The undead began closing in around the three of them. Erron still was unsure why they ignored him but if he didn't do something fast, herod and Lucian would be slaughtered.

He had fought so long.

He had fought so hard.

He had fought for what seemed forever to be rid of his curse.

He thought of his wife and son. Of the man they loved. And the man he was now. And he decided he was no longer the man they loved. He had become someone else after their deaths.

So Erron did the one thing he could think of to once again show that there was still a part of him that was the man his late son and wife loved.

Erron sacrificed himself.

He knelt down, to Genesis and placed his palm over Genesis' chest.

"I RECLAIM MY THRONE!"

A gush of wind and rocks shot up from the ground all around them sending the undead flying in several different directions.

The ground rumbled. The earth trembled. And then it split apart. A castle of black obsidian burst through the ground with a loud explosion sending Lucian and Herod flying. It rose and rose and rose nearly 500 feet into the air. Dead Town was the out lying village of the new Castle Stairin.

All became calm.

A raven cawed somewhere in the distance. The castle was different from before. Steam pipes snaked across it in different direction. Fog and thick factory smoke surrounded all of dead town. undead dwarves were seen walking out of the castle and began walking up to destroyed building in dead town to repair them in a macabre fashion.

It then rained, just slightly. Almost barely noticeable.

And the undead roamed through the new village to Castle Stairin.

Erron stood, all injuries healed. Two kopesh blades in both hands silently burning a soft blue color. A cross bow on his hip. And his long black trench coat returned to him.

"Do not worry. They will not harm you. You are under their King's protection," Erron said putting Lucian's pendant around his neck.

"Come inside we have much to discuss. The world is at war," he said walking into his castle....and back, to his throne.

The undead stood.

The ships were starting to pull further and further apart. Browden knew he should have jumped by now, and he would have been fine. However, the gap below, seeing in the light the distance to the ground; Browden panicked.

An enemy pirate saw the man was frozen with fear and thought he'd make a hero to his captain by slaughtering the large man.

Browden was afraid of heights, not pirates. As the pirate lunged, literally leaping at Browden, the big man carefully moved a foot to the side. The man had jumped of the ship and dangling by a rope.

Seeing the man swing on the rope gave Browden chills. He cut the rope, holding the man from death, so he didn't have to look down.

Browden moved to the plank and stood at the base and closed his eyes. The big man roared and charged, bounding off the board, not looking at all. He didn't want to see if he was falling. When he felt the braided ropes that climbed up the ally ship, Browden cuddled the ropes; not letting go and not opening his eyes. He would stay on that netting as long as he could, hopefully till they landed.

Lucian was amazed he looked around and couldn't believe what happend in minutes maybe even seconds. Lucian then focused on the even more bad ass looking Erron. and then he looked at the pendent around Erron's neck confused why he would really want that unless....Lucian dismissed that thought from his head. He then colapsed clucthing his deep wound as it slowly desolved his liver and worked its way deeper. Lucian cringed and fell on Erron and fainted his last words he said before he fainted were "Please....help....me, friend", he said as he smiled hopeing Erron thought the same way of the new found animal.

Erron took a step backward and let Lucian fall to the ground. he looked down on him with disgust, and then turned the weakened Lucien over with his foot.

"Pathetic," Erron stated.

Erron drew his kopesh and stabbed it into Lucien's corroded liver and flicked out the silver shard.

Lucien lay on the ground breathing heavily. Erron knelt and picked up the shard.

Erron took the silver shard to his kopesh that burned with blue fire. He then took off the pendant and laid it on the ground and melted silver drops fell onto the pendant.

Erron then lifted the pendant by the chain, and put it back on, sneering at the still hot metal touching his skin slightly.

"I am not your friend. I am your master, dog. And as long as I have this silver covered pendant, you will obey me," Erron stated.

He saw Lucian starting to change. "Hold. You still look human....but your fingernails are longer. Claw-like. And your senses are obviously heightened. But you haven't turned into your lycan form. As long as I hold this pendant you will stay stuck between human and lycan. You are now my tracker. You will do as I command."

Lucien growled slightly.

"Find Turk'en and the others. Bring them back to me. Even if you have to force them to come. Go."

Erron then turned and continued to his castle.

"Come Herod....we must speak."

Lucian stood up slowly and looked at himself and then to Erron as he walked away he looked at him and grimced with pure hate and he muttered to himself "I don't know if this is the real you or if this is the king inside you." Lucian was going under a change and the problem with him is not that he wants to be evil its that he is going mad. "Two forms can not habitat the same mind", he thought he slid his trench coat off and looked at his fingernails as they were slightly darkend and the skin under his eyes and his eye lids were darker while the color of his iris was wolf. He grined evil and then he looked sad there was more then a battle going on in the world there was one going on in him. Lucian layed his coat and all his wepons on a table where Erron would not move him because Lucian would come back for them. Lucian took a deap breath and with nothing but his leather pants and his bareback and feet he departed into the wasteland. Lucian ran as fast as he could he felt much like he did when he was a pure lycan and he smiled as he began jumping higher then the normal human and gaining speeds that of a wolf and howled with a mixture of wolf and human and he snarled at the small group of zombies that crowded around him he shoved his hand through the 1st ones brain ending it. He did the same to one more and then riped the other ones head off. He sniffed the air and he could smell the smoke and hear the crashing of would and he thought he heard the yeals of men. He wasn't sure how close he was but he would get to that ship one way or another. Lucian may have been good once but the lycan strives to live and minute by minute day by day he is becoming more evil as time passes by Lucian was a ticking time bomb.

Aldion and the dwarf climbed quickly, musketballs sinking into the wood around them. They made their way up to the deck, the dwarf receiving a gun shot wound to his left leg.

The elf got over first, then helped the dwarf up. There a loud bang, and Aldion fell to the deck, a musketball had grazed his shoulder. The dwarf was down behind a barrel as soon as he was over the railing.

"Ye alright elf?!" He yelled from behind the barrel.

Aldion pushed himself up and behind a crate, "Yeah, you?!"

They were silent, "I don't even know your name Dwarf!"

"Its Carol!" This was followed by more silence.

"Lets just stick with 'Dwarf'!" Aldion yelled back to him....

Popurum followed Aldion and the dwarf around the ship while they moved around. If they moved, he moved the same direction. Punky was getting irritated and Popurum had to hold him, thinking the "parrot" inside might try to fly to Aldion. Popurum certainly wished he could.

When the dwarf and elf made it up, Popurum rushed over immediately. Punky instantly jumped up onto his elf's head. Behind the crates, Popurum hugged Aldion. When the riverfolk felt something cold and damp on him he looked at horror at Aldion's mortal wound.

"YOU GOT SHOT? How the hell did you let that happen?"

The riverfolk shook his head disappointed.

"I can't let you out of my sights for a minute, can I?"

Lucian looked up and he saw the enemy's air ship flying below and he saw Browden clinging to the net. He saw a building just out of reach of the ships rope. Lucian sprinted and jumped off the building and extended on hand just grabing the end of the rope and he begain scalling it with ease. He got to the top of the ship and almost all the fighting seemed to stop and everyone looked at him. Lucian seemed to look diffrent as the group spotted him. "You all are coming with me I found Erron and he is alright", Lucian said this demending as he pointed at them. And then 3 pirates ran at Lucian. Lucian yelled with anger as he threw one over the edge, He grabed the other ones blade and spun him and pearced it through his stomach and out his back then dumping him over. Lucian then ran and jumped off the mast doing a twist/backflip as he wraped a rope around the last ones neck and droped him over the edge lucian then jumped back up. "Anyone else?" he said cocked eyebrow almost as if he was having fun

Erron led Herod to the throne room of the castle. 12 steps led up to the throne and beside it stood two large brutes as guards. Erron walked up the stairs leaving Herod at the bottom of them.

"It's odd," he said looking at the throne and cocking his head to the side..."once again I find myself a key player in a war I want nothing to do with. Once again I find myself at this throne. And once again....I no longer have a soul."

********************

In the town square of Dead Town, near the fountain, Genesis pushed himself up off of the ground.

"I-I...live.....he....Erron....he placed his soul inside of me.....NO! NO!!!! I was meant to be the king! ME! NOW I AM NOTHING BUT NORMAL HUMAN PIECE OF MEAT LEFT FOR MY OWN CREATIONS TO DEVOUR!"

Geneses was angry. He stormed off through the city, doing his best to avoid the undead. He was now mortal again, and in just as much danger of the undead as anyone else.

Just like his son, Adrian was in danger....


"What? Who is Adrian? I never had a son?" Geneses said, puzzled climbing over some twisted rubble.

"Of course....he placed his soul in me and reclaimed the throne. It makes perfect sense. I have some of his memories....which might also mean...."

Genesis took off in a run for a house that he saw that had been blown up.

Browden opened his eyes, and flashed them angrily when he heard Lucian.

"I aint goin anywhere, kibble-breath. You can't command me. I don't care a hare's hair about Erron."

Browden then remembered he was hanging off the side of the ship, clutching the ship's netting. The irony was that Browden couldn't go anywhere, and from where Browden stood, he was in no means a position to object to anything.

Popurum peeked out from behind the barrel he and Aldion and Carol sat at. Lucian, the werewolf was back. Had he gone? Wondered Popurum.

Either way, the man was demanding they visit Erron. Aldion would probably want that.

"Well, we were going to see the druids. But if Erron's wanti-"

Popurum stopped. His eyes grew wide in pain. He clutched his chest. Something inside was burning and painful. He started wheezing. The riverfolk started clutching his torso as if trying to hold the pain at bay.

Suddenly it was too much and the riverfolk started to scream in a high pitched, tortured cry. His squeals did not stop even as the riverfolk began to burst into flame, right there. Nothing around him was so flammable. As the flames grew and the screaming continued until the riverfolk lost his breath still crying in silent pain.

As the flames consumed him, the riverfolk's body vanished. Missing from the ship. The ship had no scorch marks, and the fire was gone. Everything in that spot was gone. Popurum was gone.

Lucian stood really confused at Poprurum and then Lucian wanted to just stop but he didnt. Browden began pulling himself up as Lucian kicked him back down causing him no pain or damage once so ever Browden grabed ahold the rope. Lucian picked the rope up with one hand and held his index fingernail/claw to the rope. Browden's eyes got slightly big "Com-on now i was just messing around" he said as big and bad ass as ever but slightly worried. Lucian sliced the rope and Browden really thought he was falling to his death. Lucian then jumped and dug his free hand in the side of the ship and caught the rope with his other hand at the last possible second. Lucian then tilted his head at Browden as his muscle's started to burn of course know one would know this and he wasn't going to show it either. "Your in no position to argue, lerch", said Lucian with a evil grin, "I'll give you one last chance", he then said.