Librium

[Dugan195]

As the wolf in front of him charged him Hudson roared and stabbed his blade straight into its stomach gutting it. Stupid creature, underestimate the might of Deminas. How could such a creature think it could kill an avatar of Paitrux? It was nonsense. As his blood blade sunk deep into the wolf's stomach Hudson charged forward and pushed the leaping wolf onto its back and roared over it to escape the two wolfs charging from his side. As he did he pulled his whip back and whipped it forward onto the nearest wolf lashing its face with hard bloodiron as the blood connected on wolfs face.  

[Joa-Boo]

As you charged through the first wolf blood splattered everywhere. You were painted in a thick layer of red while he beast died over top of you. To move out of the way of the other two wolves converging, you had to finish chopping your way through the dying wolf. Its howls drained out with each cut through its torso. You made it to safety just in time. For the first time there was a crowd cheering for you. It was a subtle idea but maybe these people didn’t care what you were. Your display of strength was enough to them and the closer you got to winning the more excepted you became. Regardless of the fact that you were a Lumen, these people saw your strength and admired that. Two more to go and you earned the right to be among them. The amount of blood that covered your body had you frenzied. Your body, your mind, and your heart beat differently, it beat to a different sound, ‘Dem..i..nas…dem..i..nas!’

The other two wolves faced you. They approached from both sides of the outer perimeter, attempting again to split your attention. Their fallen wolf finally died at the end of a long drown-out sorrow filled howl. The two broke at the terrible sound of their friends cries. Their eyes glazed over with a dark hatred and teeth bared the immense desire to taste your death. They launched their attack.

From a distance you had the upper hand. You cocked back your whip and struck the wolf on the left across the face. The powerful beat from your bloodiron cut along its face and lacerated part of its brain. The wolf stumbled in its charged and faltered. The second wolf would stop at nothing. It reached you before you could take another swing. The beast jumped through the air, fangs first, ready to tear through your whole body.

Once it was within your reach you swung your sword to end the beast. The wolf got lucky and smacked your arm with its paw before you could strike it. The weight of the creature threw you off balance as it touched down with its jaws encasing you. Just before the wolf could bite down you blow up like a flail. Bloodiron swords shot out from all around you. It happened instinctually as though something inside you was making sure the stronger survived. That does not mean it prevented the pain. An excruciating amount of pain had your body feeling like it was on fire as 8 or 10 spikes opened through your flesh. It did save your life though. Every spike cut through the wolfs head, killing it instantly, and preventing it from closing down on you. The crowd cheered.

Your spines retracted and the wolf fell lose from you. Now there was just one left. The third wolf cowered in a corner. It was licking at its paw and applying the wet pressure to the lacerations on its head. When it noticed you it whimpered while trying to limp further away. It would be an easy kill. The crowd was cheering like some drug. They wanted the kill.  

[Dugan195]

As the spines shot out of Hudson's skin he let out a howl of pain, "Holy ********!" he cried as he body shook in pain as the wolf jumped into the spines killing itself. The spines themselves held feeling, as if they were just another part of his body, he could feel the pressure of the wolf's tough hide breaking on their points as it died. Eyes watering from the pain of spines tearing through his skin Hudson howled as the wolf dropped dead around him.

The blood lust that had consumed him moments before faded as his body throbbed from the spines' apperance. He looked around at the crowd howling in lust as he killed the second wolf. They were going wild from the display of blood and strength. Hudson looked down at his tattered clothes that were now completely covered in blood. It was sickening, he had never seen so much blood in his life, as he had in the last couple of days. Looking around his eyes once again met those of the human girl Fiona. The Lumen in him felt shame for losing his mind into this insatiable lust for blood, but the deminaught in him cried for more. This feeling sickened him, both loving and hating the blood that seeped out of the wolf and pooled around his feet. Her eyes met his and all he wanted for this was to be over. He had grown tired of killing, two days ago he had never killed more then a fly...and now...he couldn't even remember how many he had killed. So many living creatures had died to feed his blood lust, and yet it yearned for more. This was not the way of Paitrux.

As Hudson sat their thinking the crowd grew bored. They started to call for him to finish the third wolf, completing the blood sacrifice. Hudson turned towards it and saw it flailing on the ground as it feebly tried to limp away from its assailant. Hudson bite his lip and looked back at Fiona, her soft eye blankly staring at him awaiting his next actions. Hudson walked over to the wolf that was trying to escape. The wolf whimpered as it neared. As Hudson looked closely at the beast he noticed that despite its size, its ribs showed. It could be bigger then it already was with proper feeding. It was just an animal that had probably been locked in a cage and neglected till it was so mad, hungry, and depraved it would attack anything they put in front of it. It filled Hudson's heart with sadness to see the poor creature like this. The bloodiron of his weapons turned to its original liquid state and fell to the ground. Hudson ran his hand over the wolfs back and patted it. "It's alright, we will get that taken care of." He whispered softly before turning to the crowd. "You have thrown me through your gauntlet and I have come out victoriously. Two wolfs lie dead and the third wounded and claimed as my prize." Hudson could see the shock and disgust in the faces of the crowd as he revealed he would not kill the final wolf. Laughing Hudson beat his chest, "If anyone still doubts my right to be here, or my right to claim this wolf as my prize then I welcome you to come down to these sands and challenge me." Hueghs had claimed this place was decided by and ruled by the strong. If that was the case then Hudson would do as he pleased and anyone who wanted to force him otherwise would meet the end of a bloodiron tip. "If not then I believe there was another battle yet to be finished here today and would like to see its end."  

[Joa-Boo]

Fiona, unlike the masses of fallen around her, was astonished. You had been the first person she had ever seen that showed mercy. The crowd around her was furious. Hudson had turned their game on them. They sat back; angry but beaten. None of them wanted to stand against the monster they had just seen tear through the two wolves. To your left, it started quietly and slowly, someone was clapping. Like an infection, the clapping grew through the clouds until they were all cheering. You had done what they wanted and displayed your dominant strength over their test. This granted you the right to be among them. Like a great wave the crowd began to cheer “Demon!” Their smiles and clapping gave you a sense of pride even though they had nicknamed you Demon.

Although you had won the heart of the crowds there were those among them that were not convinced. Unfortunately they were some of the loudest around. A great eagle shot to the sky from the back row of the coliseum to your left. Its massive wings beat at the air, allowing it to hover over the crowd for a moment, and then to pushed forward toward the inner pit. The bird snatched Fiona from her pedestal, soared across the pit, and then dropped her next to you and the wolf. Mid drop, the eagle transformed back into Sheak who tackled you through a barrel roll and tossed you against the pit wall along the other side.

“About that other fight that needed to happen. Let’s see if he really deserves the young and beautiful Fiona.” Sheak shrieked from the middle of the pit. This riled the crowd with more blood lusting cries. Fiona, near the wolf, trembled against the cold bars along the pit wall. Her cries set chills through you. Sheak’s eyes met yours; her electric purple eyes were filled with hatred. It took a second of looking at her for a dizzy spell to hit you. She smiled darkly. “Like all Deminaughts you must learn the rule of the wild. When you spare the weak you give them the chance to stab at the strong. You spare this wolf and it could kill Fiona, just as I will slay you for sparing me!” Sheak pounced over to Fiona, grabbed her wrists, and forced her to punch at the wolf. Her actions provoked the wolf. Sheak backed off after she was sure the wolf would strike at Fiona.

What happened next surprised everyone. As you came to, ready to fight back at Sheak, instead of the wolf attacking Fiona it stepped between Sheak and Fiona. The wolf powered a steady growl, glared its fangs, and readied to pounce on the Deminaught. Sheak turned to face the wolf and then looked back to you.

“Oh come on. He is a Lumen. The goblin would happily declare so. He is weak by nature!” Sheak showed immense frustration. She was so sure she could strike you down in an instant with her pistol but the looks from the crowds showed that was not the best idea.

“It is settled then!” Heugh’s powerful voice returned to the coliseum. He was in the stands this time. The huge centaur stood over the crowd and his presence was very demanding. “The Demon will fight for his right to be a Deminaught!” The crowd cheered louder than they had ever before.

“Please Heugh. Let this be settled another time. He has fought so many battles it would not be a true measure of his strength if we forced him through another fight.” To your surprise the beautiful voice came from Fiona. She ran closer to Heugh, the wolf following her every step, and looked up at him. To interrupt a Deminaught was a sure way to be killed in an instant but Fiona stood with so much confidence it was as though she had already won. You could see Heugh thinking it over. The fact that he even considered was a good sign.

“I will allow this. Sheak and the Demon will fight tomorrow. Until then Fiona take the Demon to you place and let him rest.” Heugh’s words were final. Fiona looked over to you and smiled.

The crowds began to leave after Heugh spoke. All manner of humans, spinors, minotaurs, goblins, harpy, arachnoid, centaurs, and mermedons left the coliseum bleachers through hugs arch ways into the streets. No one but Heugh paid any attention to you. You made eye contact with him and you could see he was very pleased. Sheak flew off from the stadium in her eagle form. You were left alone in the coliseum with Fiona and the wolf.

The two approached you slowly. Although she saw much good in you she still had all the right to be suspicious. Not only did you tear those two wolves apart in a brutal bloody manner but you still shined with a bright blue shield on your back. Fiona did not know what to make of it. The wolf let down its guard first and ran to your side. It tried to administer it’s comforting licking to the wounds on your legs.

“Hi…” She struggled to say it. “My name is Fiona. I do not want to call you demon. What is your name?” Fiona rubbed at her wrists as she spoke. Sheak had hurt her while throwing her around.  

[Dugan195]

Hudson looked down at the small girl as they stood alone in the arena next to the wounded wolf. "My name is Hudson." He said curtly breaking eye contact and turned to his new friend the wolf. Hudson ran his hands over the gash on its head. If the wolf was still standing after this amount of time hopefully he hadn't hurt it too bad, but the cut did look pretty deep. Would there be healers among barbarians such as these people.

Suddenly Hudson remembered the barbaric rules of this town and that he technically had been "fighitng for" the girl. What did that mean? What was she expecting of him. "Uhmmm, those people I was fighting for you, who were they exactly...and why were they fighting over you?" He said with a blush of embarassment as he realized he might of got more then he bargined for when he stepped into the arena there.  

[Joa-Boo]

“Hudson, I am Fiona of the Lions. My family is a great and long lineage. I have proven my strength in battle making me worthy. I will make an honorable wife.” Fiona said with a meek bow. She could not look at you when she spoke. Although you had won her womb in the coliseum she felt as though this was wrong. The thought was strange. Who was she to question what strength had proven? Hudson was strong, he proved so in combat. She forced a smile and leaned closer to you.

The wolf, drained from the action, faltered to the dusty floor. Its body shook as though fighting back at the vast amount of pain it was experiencing. Fiona dipped near the wolf as soon as it showed signs of struggling. She ripped a length of her gown and wadded it up. She spit on the cloth and dabbed at the gash. Once she was sure it was clean enough to move the wolf she wrapped the cloth around the beasts head, crossing one eye. The pressure was enough that the wolf regained consciousness.

“We must travel to my home. My family will be most honored to have a Deminaught in our presence.” Fiona spoke strongly of your Deminas link but at the same time her voice was over compensating. She was trying very hard to ignore the shield tattooed along your back. She took your hand and tugged you out of the coliseum. The wolf followed along behind.

The day was clinging to its last bit of light. The sun sat just on top of a horizon built by mountains. Three huge peaks cut a long shadow across a vast barren waste that surrounded Niwrad’s walls. The city sat fortified in the middle of emptiness. It was at least a kilometer out in all directions before the forest wall grew out. To Niwrad, that waste land was a more powerful defense than their walls.

The Coliseum was built in the dead center of the city. Fiona brought you out on the north end with a road leading east and west. She tugged you left into a mess of concrete homes. Although it was getting late the night was only beginning. For Niwrad’s people it was socializing time. Many groups of people huddled near fires by the streets. They sang songs, danced, told stories, some spared, and everyone had fun. Barrel after barrel of wine was emptied into pitchers all around. Countless faces shook your hand or cheered ‘Demon’ as you passed by.

“They call you Demon Hudson, what is a Lumen? How is it you came to be here?” Fiona stopped walking and turned to face you. Her look made her words feel loaded. The wrong answer might not get your into her house.  

[Dugan195]

Hudson blushed when Fiona proclaimed she would make a good wife. Marriage was something that Hudson had hardly thought about back on Sanctasplin. The inescapable stigma of being fallen would make getting married all but impossible. However, now that he was a Lumen it shouldn't be that hard...actually Hudson was unsure if Lumen could actually get married. Honestly as a member of the Third Guild he hardly knew anything about what Lumen were. He had learned a hundred times more about them in the last 24 hrs then he had back in the city. They were more of mythical mysterious figures for those of the Third Guild. Demigods sent from Paitrux to protect them, but as far as what they did on a day to day basis no one really knew outside of the higher level guilds.

But being married to this girl? Part of Hudson felt some longing for her, but marriage? Something felt odd about that. For one this was the first time he had even spoken to her. Second, for this weird intense feelings that he had weren't that of lust...however he wouldn't say there wasn't some type of longing in him for her...companionship. These feelings were not something Hudson had ever felt before. They were completely new to him, it threw him off. Well whatever these feelings were he could figure them out later.

Hudson stopped in his tracks as Fiona asked him the question of what a Lumen was. Hudson looked around at the crowded street around him. There was lots of people around them, but none seemed to be paying them any mind. They were preoccupied with their own festivities. Hudson took a deep breath as he looked back towards Fiona, "A Lumen is just like a Deminaught. Blessed by the god Paitrux to fulfill a destiny and join Paitrux in the afterlife. Gift with unique powers, except instead of turning into a beast Lumen have control over the elements around them." As Hudson spoke he put his hand over the ground between them and pulled the ground gently up till it was touching the palm of his hand. "Honestly I can barely speak for what a Lumen is as both of these marks I bear are barely a day old."  

[Joa-Boo]

“A day old, you were brought to Niwrad almost a week ago? How can you have so much power being this fresh? And which are you, A Deminaught or a Lumen? And how do you know of this Paitrux?” Fiona could think of a hundred question to ask on the spot and each question seemed to lead to another. She held her breath, fearing the masses of questions would upset you.

Fiona examined your molding of the rock between you and her. She watched as it moved by your doing and her eyes burst with excitement. It was one of the most wonderful things she had ever seen. Fiona marveled at your powers. Her smile showed it all.

“Ha look the Demon is making the ground move. Why don’t you give us a show Demon?” A voice from the crowd cheered. His words followed with a number of requests, some near, some far.

“Yeah that thing you did when you exploded like a porcupine was incredible. Show us what you can do!”

You were beginning to feel a bit like an animal in a cage.

“Don’t get too excited. It won’t be long before the Eagle Sheak tears him apart.” A different voice said darkly. Another laughed with him. The crowd riled with these words. Their excitement for the battle was overwhelming. As the crowd moved around you found the source of that comment. It was the two men that were forced off of the floor when you showed up. They were the original two to fight for Fiona’s right. One had a sword already pulled while the other slowly circled around the back. The crowds were so wild no one noticed. You would have not noticed if you hadn’t remembered that voice.

“Hudson its Welton and Balic. Those pigs. I’m sure they are here to hurt you but you can’t fight back. If anyone sees you can still fight the battle would be back on now.” Fiona showed her worry as she stepped closer to you.  

[Dugan195]

Hudson turned his head slightly as he looked at the two men slowly advancing on him. Breaking out into a fight here would lead to nothing but trouble. All these eyes on him were not a good thing. Foremost it made him uncomfertable, he was used to being ignored, nothing more then a tool to use to gather resources for the Sanctasplin. All these eyes and questions and cheers of jublian at his presence left him uneased, at a time when he didn't really know how to feel to begin with. Fiona telling him he had already been here a week made him real uneasy as well. He had been out for most of that week, or atleast he didn't remember any of it. What had happened to the woman he was with? She had risked her life to save him, and she might be dead for all Hudson knew. What about the rest of the team he had come down with? He had never even found out their purpose for coming to the ground. All these questions and no answers, all he had was fighting. That is all he had done since Varkannon had given him these damned marks. Hudson was tired of fighting.

As the two grew near Hudson looked for an escape, but the coward was not going to let him go without some type of show. They wanted to see the new novel item, many of them had never seen a Lumen before, and he was a thing of wonder to them, especially since he was also a Deminaught as well. Wait, the show, that was his escape. Hudson smiled as he wrapped his arm around Fiona's tiny waist and whispered, "hold on," as he grabbed onto the ground beneath him with his influence and lifted the to two of them off the ground and used the ground to form a wave that gently and slowly pushed through the crowd. As the two rode the wave Hudson beat his chest and let out a roar. "I will tear off the wings of the Eagle Sheak upon the morrow. Though for tonight I must rest." This statement made some in the crowd frown in disappointment as Hudson let out a coy smile, playing the part perfectly, "For with rest I shall give a more glorious show of blood and carnage in the arena tomorrow!" The barbaric ways of these people came easily to Hudson.  

[Joa-Boo]

“Wow did you see that!”

“Go Demon go!”

“He will prevail!”

So many people were crying out your battle name that it sparked a bit of pride in you. These people would worship you if you stayed. You could be one of their glorious Deminaughts and it wouldn’t bother them the slightest that you had the sign of a lumen. As long as you proved your strength they would love you. The only thing that brought you back down was the sobering thought of Odell still being somewhere in Niwrad. Many things could have happened in a week while you were unconscious.

“You look down?” Fiona caught on fast. She had no idea the condition you were in when you came into Niwrad. Nor did she know you had other Lumen friends. Where had they been this whole time? “I am sorry. I do not mean to pry. Let’s just get you home and we can talk more.” Fiona turned away from you after stepping off of the moving earth. She skipped on ahead towards a thin concrete building stuck only a meter or so away from an identical slab building. This is was Fiona called home and she didn’t seem the least bit ashamed of it.

There were no extravagant buildings or monuments anywhere to be seen. Nothing was as flashy as the architecture found on Sanctasplin. Everywhere you looked in the flying city were statues and monuments to Lu and Lumen alike. Here in Niwrad, the memories of things were only carried through stories and songs but even then they were hardly sung. Only the strength and honor of the living were truly appreciated. Once you died you were just another material to fertilize the ground. So is the way of life and chaos.

Fiona barged into her home with a bright smile that only a girl her age could produce. She was so excited to introduce you to the rest of her family that it killed her to slow down and usher you forward. She brought you around an entry way and then into a narrow 1 room space. Cushions were littered all about the floor and a few other belongings were pushed to one side on a shelf. Along the back corner was a collection of skins and more cushions. On top of those cushions was an old man.

“Papie I won’t you to meet our guest.” Fiona said while knelling at his side. She had to speak a little louder than normal for him to hear. The young woman cradled the old man’s balding head with her left hand and rubbed his chest with her other. He was as thin as bones from your standing place at the edge of the room. “His name is Hudson. You will never believe what he can do. Hudson is a Deminaught.” Fiona had to take a moment to breathe before she exploded with excitement. “You should have seen him at the coliseum. He won the battle for me. I will bring strength back to this family. You will see!” She ended by turning her head and waving you over. The older man didn’t make much noise other than a raspy grasp of air every minute or so. “Hudson, meet Strige of the Lions, he is my mother’s father. My older brother is not here either. He has gone on to fight in the pride lands. He is Timalt of the Lions. They are my family.”  

[Dugan195]

Blushing from Fiona's remark about winning her in the arena Hudson took a step forward towards the old man and bowed slightly, "It is a pleasure to meet you sir, I am Hudson...the Demon," the last part was added with some hesitation as he was uncomfortable with the nickname he had acquired in the arena today. "I hope I am not intruding upon your home to stay the night Stige of Lions."

(wowo shitty post..not much to do though haha)  

[Joa-Boo]

“Why is it they call him the Demon?” The old man struggled to speak but something about you gave him the strength to make the effort. He turned himself in the bead of pillows to face you. “There is more to you than just strength isn’t there?”

“The people in the coliseum said he was also a Lumen?” Fiona wasn’t so sure what that meant but she was confident her grandpa could explain. She sat down comfortably near her grandfather but you were anything but comfortable. Being a Lumen in the middle Librium was one thing. Being a Lumen in the middle of a city of fallen was even worse. But it was something else entirely to be introduced to someone as a Lumen in the home of a fallen. You feared your chances of making a good impression died instantly with those words. Then again being called a Lumen wasn’t the same to the people of Niwrad. It wasn’t anything like how the people of Sanctasplin treated Lumen. It made it hard to imagine why Lumen were treated so highly.

“You’re a what?” Strige’s eyes stretched open as wide as they could. “He is both?” The old man took a moment to take all of this in. You could see his mind rattle as it attempted to wrap around the idea. “Do you know what you are meant to do?” All his thinking directed him to that question. It was a hard question, one you had not thought about before. In the end that was all that mattered. The will was either completed and you die or you die anyway and turn into a dreadful monster.

“Oh Papie do not bother him with questions such as these. He must rest before tomorrow so he is ready to fight Sheak!” The tempo of Fiona’s words speed up as they got closer to the end. She was so excited to see you in action again. “Oh I almost forgot, I am going to use some of our supplies to bandage this dire wolf.” Fiona flipped from the fighting to your wolf familiar like the toss of a coin. Her wild young energy made it hard for her to stay on one topic for too long. She left the room in a rush with a box of healing supplies and found the wolf outside the hut. Without thinking about it she left you in the room alone with her grandfather. Strige watched you calmly. His brow trickled with white fuzz and a scrappy beard tugged around his chin was an accumulation of the wisdom he must have possessed. Something about him reminded you of the Lu that brought you to Sanctasplin. Maybe it was the kindness in his eyes or possibly the caring sense about him. Strige was one of very few you had met that gave you this sense of peace.

“I have seen a number of things you could never imagine goblin, but never have I seen both marks possess the same person. You are destined for greatness. But of what form is uncertain."  

[Joa-Boo]

“Heugh back so soo.” A thick nasal voice started with a chuckle as he lowered a bar of glass around the rim of his nose. He leaned forward from his normal comfortable pose to pay his attention to the mighty Deminaught that entered his corner of the under workings below the coliseum. The centaur trotted into the voices. His look of discomfort meant his visit was business related. The voice understood and got right to work. “I see, that bad already. This is concerning as you might have presumed. The degenerative affects might alter exponentially. There may come a point that we cannot keep up.”

“Nigel, shut up and get on with it.” Heugh heaved a heavy breath of distasteful emotion. He was in dreadful pain and the voice continuing on about the future was not something Heugh could focus on at the moment.

“As you wish.” Nigel stopped as soon as he was interrupted. It was not wise to poke at someone as powerful as Heugh. Nigel might be the closest person to calling him a friend and even he would not cross him.

Nigel grabbed a band of keys out of a safe below his desk and then proceeded out of his laboratory and down a long barrel vaulted hall. Heugh followed nearly on Nigel’s heals. Whatever Nigel was about to do was Heugh’s top priority.

The two crossed through a few barred doors and then headed further into the basement of the coliseum. The pungent mildew and damp darkness resembled nothing other than a dungeon. When the two entered torches were lit. The light provoked a whole arrange of dark screeches, shrieks, screams, and yells. Most did not sound natural. The two paid little attention to the chatter and continued passed many vaults containing the fragments of what used to be prisoners.

It was strange that a society of war fairs would let the weakness of their defeated foes survive. These were not normal prisoners though. What resided in each of the cells were the leftovers of fallen lumen. It looked as though they had a whole collection of fallen lumen.

“Do you want the new lumen we took in? She was a hard spirit to break but maybe the fresher lumen will work best. The taintedness of a leist could be the cause for the resistence.

“No I have a plan for that one. The ice witch must be maintained. Just give me another leist. I will make do.” Heugh stuttered. Nigel nodded with the instructions and brought him to a cell. As soon as their torches got close an uncountable number of tentacles lashed out between the bars. A few tentacles reached out and grabbed around Nigel. Heugh reached for his axe but before he could do anything the tentacles went stiff and fell to the floor.

“Oh I am going to be so glad to not have to deal with this one anymore. So who do we have here? Ahh that’s right. Meet Helgen. She turned about a month ago. She gave us a lot of data. I think it is time we clean out this cell.” Nigel’s smile turned upward into an evil shape. He looked to Heugh who then retrieved his axe for the ready. Nigel quickly unlocked the cell and then backed away.

Before Heugh could step into the cell for the kill the over grown cancer of tentacles flopped out and latched onto everything. It was as though a thick slime had been spat into the room and would slowly run down the sides of the walls until cleaned up. The layers of tentacles threw itself at Heugh. The sheer force and wait of the abomination would have flattened anyone but not Heugh. He stood his ground, braced himself, and spun both of his axe’s around him in order to cleave every tentacle that reached for him. Luckily for Heugh part of his inspired powers was endless energy. The centaur never fatigued. He could go on for hours cutting up the tentacles, and he would have because a few seconds after each tentacle was cut it grew back, but a sudden sharp pain shot from his chest, throwing him over. He growled in pain as the tentacles finally got a grip on him. It didn’t take long however for that pain to dissipate as he became numb to everything. His eyes darkened from their normal yellow to a heavy red that glowed in the dungeon. With as much strength as he could muster he broke loose of the strangle by flexing his body and then swat away at the remaining being until there was nothing more. Killing the leist was like a drug to Heugh and he relished in the high as much as he could. Every bit of tissue, body, cell he could cut up he did and he did it with as much might as possible.

“Do you feel better now?” Nigel asked just to be polite but it was noticeable through Heugh’s posture. The centaur was revitalized in every way.

“I am not giving up Nigel. I will continue to devour lumen if I must but I am not going to let myself degrade into one of those things. If I can hold back from becoming a blight by killing lumen then that is what I will do.” Heugh was stern with those words. He made intense eye contact with Nigel he understood.

“That’s the price of being one of the oldest Deminaughts. You are way over passed your due. Let’s get you back upstairs and check your vitals.” Nigel greatly respected Heugh but there wasn’t a single living being in all of Librium that might not be just the slightest bit afraid of him. Heugh defined the word juggernaught. The combination of his powers literally made him unstoppable. At least he could go as far as his flesh would physically carry him.

Back upstairs in Nigel’s lab Heugh was being checked over. Nigel was also a Deminaught and he obtained the useful ability to communicate with living tissue. He understood its needs, wants, and could command it to do what he wants even if it went against the brains commands of the same person. Whole people were much too hard for him to control but it made him a good doctor.

“It looks as though your heart is increasing in size. At this point it is bulging against your other organs in your body. If we don’t keep a better monitor of your degrading this could get out of hand.”

“I will be fine Nigel. You know me, there isn’t anything that can stop me.”

“I wonder what consuming that new goblin that you picked up a week ago. The Demon I think they call him.”

“You mean Hudson.” Heugh corrected.

“He is a mix of both a Deminaught and a Lumen is he not?”

“Strangely he is. I have never seen that before.”

“Consuming him might be a way to surpass the degrading. He could be the cure to the curse.”

“This thought had crossed my mind. I will make sure to keep him close. He is my last resort at this point. Keep doing your research Nigel. If you find answers I would like to put an end to this struggle as soon as possible.” Heugh had the last word. The check up was complete and the two said their goodbyes.  

[Dugan195]

Hudson sat down kneeling on a cushion across from Stinge. Stinge looked up at him and took him in, examining him. At first this made Hudson very uneasy, like he was being eyed at a market for sale; however he realized it was out of admiration that STinge looked him up and down. When he spoke Hudson let out a soft smile, "I hope that my will is great." Hudson said not specifying which will he was talking about, for he could very well have two wills..one for Paitrux, one for Deminas...that was a unjoyous thought.

Hudson looked around at the cushions and skins on the walls, they were numerous, but they were plain. Only Stinge's cushion really showed true design and elegance. The other were simple patterns or fully one color, the extravagant must be held only for the head of the house. By Santasplin standards this house was almost as bad as Hudson and the others in Guild 3, but here in Niwrad it seemed to be a pretty normal set up. Slowly Hudson turned his gaze back to Stinge of Lions, "So does it unsettle you to have a Lumen in your house. If so I would not intrude." Hudson said with respect.  

[Joa-Boo]

“You know Hudson; it was only a hundred years ago that Sanctasplin ascended into the sky. That was only 23 years before I was born.” Strige’s with the mention of his age. He breathed heavy between his coughs but slowly regained the strength to continue speaking. “My father spoke a lot about Lumen and the other races. He could never understand why they considered themselves to be chosen. There was nothing that differed them from the other races, from himself. He did always convey a distinguished respect for the lumen though because they possessed such strength. He called them misunderstood. I do not mean to offend you Hudson, be he called them slaves. That was my childhood and because of it I do not envy you, I do not fear you, and because you do not know your will; I pity you.” Steige showed so much strength while speaking to you that it was almost admirable. His frail body wouldn’t stand a flick from you but nothing that he said showed he had any quarrel. He took things to an unexpected place; pity. “What do you know of the Great God Wars?” Strige asked. His brows rose so that he could watch every part of your reaction. Everything he saw was as expected. The mere mention of the words startled you. Years of punishment and rules being shoved down your throat turned those words into red flags. On Sanctasplin it was a crime to mention the Great God Wars. Besides hearing that it existed you knew nothing.

“Nothing Strige.” You were not ashamed to say. “Talk of the Great God Wars are forbidden on Sanctasplin.”

“That would make sense. That was always Paitrux’s best quality, control.” That comment got your blood flowing. “Whoever made that rule must think they are protecting you all from a very dark truth. But like all truths they must be embraced. There are many gods Hudson, or at least there used to be before the Great God Wars. Each of them had their place on Librium; each of them had their hand in its creation. Deminas, whom I serve, and Paitrux were only two of ten. But then the gods got greedy of each other’s creation and began fighting one another. All of the other gods feel except for Paitrux and Deminas. Paitrux warned his people of Deminas’s approach and thus started the Lumen and Deminas war. My father fought in that war. Did you know that Paitrux lost? Out of desperation he shot to the sky with that city and has dwelled there ever sense. Deminas has not been able to touch that city… until YOU!” With those words Strige began to go through some weird changes. His body converged, starting at the chest and then ending through his hands. The old man struggled, as though fighting off the sense. “Hudson you must discover your will. Speak with the Farseir, he can tell your will, as he shared mine with me.” Strige continued to fight. “oh yeah and take care of my daughter. I know you will be a better father than I could be.”

With those words Fiona entered the hut with the wolf right behind her. Her face filled with screams as the two of you watched him slowly from into a crystal version of himself. He became a Demight and was now one with Deminas. A bright red eye on his chest was the last thing to fade away before all that was left was a crystal sculpture.

“What did you do?” Fiona yelled as she ran to you with her little fists and started to hit your arms.