[center][h3]Ialu[/h3][/center]
[center]and[/center]
[center][i]Invidia the Liaison[/i][/center

Ialu looked at the crystal dragon, Mirtagn. He laughed a little bit as the dragon spoke. [b][color=Gold]Caution? Four thousand? No, that was before all of the death that has just happened...Three thousand joined my army and more than two of those thousands fell in battle against the southerners and Zerabil, cursed be his name."[/color][/b] The giant of a man that was the warlord turned to Mirtagn, suddenly not so large next to the dragon. Still, he radiated power that revealed him to be every bit as dangerous. 

[b][color=Gold]"They have only a thousand men, women, and children left in Garakai, and surely not all are traitors. They will fall before us like tufts of wheat to the scythe. I'll be surprised if more than a dozen of the skeletal dragons fall. This will be an easy victory, yet you are right to advise caution. The caution must not be towards our enemy, though, so much as ourselves. We must show restraint. We will kill the traitors and the ones responsible for enslaving your kin. The rest of them and the rest of the city should be spared."[/color][/b]

He shrugged. [b][color=Gold]"It is not quite time. To maintain order I sent some of my own soldiers to fight on the ground, and it will be a long march for them. We can fly and travel far swifter than my soldiers; if we leave now we will be there too soon. We must wait a time longer to allow them to arrive. Patience, Mirtagn. I will summon you when it is time.[/color][/b]

With that, Ialu saw to some things before retreating back into his Mighty Cottage. He retreated into the dark depths of his trophy room. He rubbed a hand over his new favorite, Thulemiz's helmet, and then suddenly stiffened. He sensed that he was not alone. He spun to face a dark figure, and spoke softly, [color=Gold][b]"An intruder. Fancy my collection? Perhaps you should join them."[/b][/color] He gestured to the sight of grisly remains: severed heads on shelves and preserved corpses nailed to the wall.

The dark silhouette stepped into the light, revealing the dark robes and wooden mask of a member of the Sanguine Communion.  Had the great plan concocted at the summit held what seemed like so long ago been seen to fruition, Ialu would have likely been able to recognize that garb on sight, but for now, the heroes were strangers.  Invidia stood without leaning on a staff; his wounds had healed.  His axe was in parts, hidden inside his robes, but he did not anticipate needing it.  [i]"Not today.  It is a shame we did not meet sooner."[/i]  The air around Invidia reverberated to produce a hollow, echoing speech, given the outsider's lack of mouth.  [i]"I spoke with one of your warriors at the war summit.  A pity the dragon god stepped in and ruined everything.  It was a marvelous sight to see a gathering of the gods, however.  Only one other mortal was present that day.  But the Zerabil I knew is no more."[/i]

Ialu snorted, [b][color=Gold]"And I took you for a thief. You must be the Invidia that my man mentioned. A pity indeed about that meeting. No doubt you saw the remnants of the wretched southerners feeding the crows as you came here. If only fortune would have allowed them to die fighting the Cimex instead..."[/color][/b] The warlord eased a bit but kept a cold edge to his voice. He was not so trustful of this one.

It was some gratification to know that the mighty warrior wouldn't mindlessly attack.  Invidia felt that this man, though hopelessly enthralled by his dedication to the god he loved, would fit well into his plans.  [i]"Indeed.  The Cimex must have suffered their own catastrophe to not have attacked us.  Regardless, it is the southerners that have caused me to seek you out.  I have intelligence that their leader Thulemiz is no more than a pawn of the Execrable Chaos, Vestec, at this point.  Vestec is a devil among high ones, a mere pretender at godhood who seeks nothing but to amuse himself by playing those he views as lesser against one another.  I do not know about you, Ialu, but I have kept in close contact with the one that uplifted me.  Escre, the Great Spirit, is fighting a war of its own in the cosmos.  Only narrowly did it recently prevent Vestec from taking over the planet's core and claiming every soul for its own.  Dark times, indeed, are upon us.  I have come to you seeking to lend my strength, and that of the Sanguine Communion, to a fellow champion of humanity."[/i]

A set of piercing eyes stared unblinkingly at Invictus throughout his long spiel. While the darkness and his mask covered his face, Ialu didn't have to see the intent on one's face. He had a way of sensing their emotions. This one seemed to mean well. [b][color=Gold]"A 'Thulemiz' is their leader now? What of Zerabil? Did I slay that one when he invaded my lands?"[/color][/b]

The icy edge to the warlord's voice was gone, as were his provcative words and implications. Invictus seemed to be neither a spy nor an enemy, so Ialu would speak plainly. From his side he pulled out the Blade of Chaos, the scepter having been tucked into his belt. The artifact glowed malevolently and cackled with chaotic energy as the warlord twirled it a bit in one of his giant hands. [b][color=Gold]In Garakai, they supposedly worship the Mighty One by the name of 'Vestec'. I defeated a great Dyun and claimed this scepter from it...though of course, it was a vicious blade when I took it...the thing has a way of transforming. That 'Vestec' gave me this weapon and sent me to slay the king of Garakai and claim it for my own...though admittedly I have of late wondered whether or not Vestec and the Mighty One are truly one and the same..."[/color][/b]

Now that it seemed that Ialu was talking without suspicion or apprehension, Invidia felt that the prospects of cooperation were good.  When Ialu produced the Blade of Chaos, the outsider instinctively flinched.  Deciding that a fruitful partnership should be based off of trust, Invidia reached up and removed his mask, revealing a face without features.  [i]"You may have known, but I am an outsider.  A secret race.  If we are to be allies, I felt that you should know.  Wait a moment."[/i]  Invidia shuffled aside his robes, until his chest was beared, at which moment the huge, crimson eye there opened wide.  Even without employing his real eye, Invidia could detect a devil's taint, but doing this confirmed it.  [i]"We outsiders are blessed with true sight.  We can see through the machinations and illusions of gods, and recognize their signatures.  That weapon is undoubtedly an implement of Vestec.  It is...a truly horrible thing.  It infests its wielder with malice, making them more prone to violence, debauchery, and the like.  You are a mighty hero indeed to remain this sane."

Mention of 'outsiders' made sense, Ialu sometimes thought that he could sense strange creatures flitting around the outskirts of his town, almost human but not quite, always trying to go undetected. In truth, he had thought it was his own paranoia or delusion, so there was some comfort in knowing his suspcions had merit. Invictus showing his true form still took the demigod aback, though. He answered the revelation with only silence.

At the mention of the Blade of Chaos, the scepter glowed a bit brighter and some red flashed into Ialu's eyes. If only for a moment, he looked ready to kill. Then it was gone. [b][color=Gold]"You are right, outsider. Even now it tells me to kill you. It sometimes drives me into fits of rage, I am not always so composed. Once or twice I promised to rid myself of it, but..."[/color][/b] Ialu then thought of revealing the scary truth: that he was addicted to the thing and could never let it go, that he sometimes heard its whispers in his mind, even when it was far away, too far to send those whispers itself. He would not reveal that secret, though.

[b][color=Gold]"...the one called Ferghus cursed me to never wield a weapon again. The Blade of Chaos is harmless in my hands, but if it was taken by another then that one might not be so resilient to its effects. I don't fancy the idea of someone using it against me, so I shall keep it close...if not because it is mine by right of conquest, then because I am best suited to be its guardian. I have found that I can no longer misuse its power, nor even use it as a weapon at all."[/color][/b]

"As for your other question, the hero Zerabil died a while ago.  Vestec corrupted him, telling him his god had abandoned him.  Thulemiz is Zerabil reborn.  Some of my fellow outsiders have been keeping watch, and they tell omens of something terrible brewing in the south.  Magic that stinks of corrupted life.  And there are rumors among humans too.  They must have some new edge.  I decided that you would need one too.  My Sanguine Communion monks, though not incredible in number, are warriors unmatched.  The lifeblood flowing in their veins, runoff of the planet's core itself, sustains them from deadly wounds and gives them power to alter their own bodies.  Size, shape, power, all of it.  That power...my power..."[/i]  Here, Invidia raised one arm.  The cloth shuddered before ripping apart, and beneath, the oil-black skin of the outsider erupted in a shower of blood.  In the arm's place was the limb of a predator, long, armored in scale, and possessed of deadly claws. [i]"...Can be yours."[/i]

Now Ialu grew very suspicious. While he longed for another weapon of the sorts that he could still use, he expected there to be some price to pay, some obligation, some form of downside. [b][color=Gold]"At what price? You know, I prayed to your 'Escre' once. The Earthly Below, they called him. Eternal darkness reigned and we slaughtered a dragon in his name to receive help, but to no avail. Why does he care about our plight [i]now[/i]? What do you and him want?"[/color][/b]

Invidia replaced his mask, rearranging his robes and putting them back in order.  [i]"Have you looked into the sky at night, and seen a stream of light meandering across space?  Escre did hear you, and it did what it could to prevent the endless night.  It was the first to challenge Sauranath after he destroyed Orabil.  But none of that matters now.  Escre is no longer concerned with affairs here on Galbar.  It is looking for different solutions.  I followed its example.  What do I want from you?  I want you and yours to take our powers and destroy the pawns of Vestec.  Wipe them from the planet's surface, so that their souls may be cleansed in the Spirit World.  That is all."[/i]

[i]Vestec.[/i] That name came up time and time again. Ialu still wondered whether that was his Mighty One. In any case, the Mighty One cared only for the strongest and would not mind Ialu proving his strength against other followers...and this 'Vestec', if that was not one and the same as the Mighty One, was not worth a thought. He had no qualms with slaying the followers of the one called Vowzra, so why shy away from those of any other god? They all seemed rather weak to Ialu.

[b][color=Gold]"I would gladly hunt them to the ends of the earth. I never forget a slight, a betrayal, an attack...but I need more! Tell me all that you know of their plotting and plans; when last they moved to take me by surprise it was only through sheer luck that I discovered their ploy and managed to seize the element of surprise back into my own favor. I must know what they are doing, have time to lure them into my clutches to end their threat, to your Escre, to my people and lands....to myself. The very continuation of their existence is an insult to my power!"[/color][/b] A tinge of anger and madness began to creep into him now, he was visibly becoming prickly.

If Invidia had a mouth, he would have smiled.  [i]"Then it is agreed.  I will continue my reconnaissance on the enemy and report back here when I have the information you need.  I will send my monks to join your forces.  It is no use splitting them up; once the foe learns of our alliance, they will attack the tabernacles.  In the mean time, take this."[/i]  The Liaison produced a large wad of blood-soaked sponge from a hard case and handed it to Ialu.  [i]"Crush the sponge to release the lifeblood.  It will soak into you.  Your strength is already legendary, but with this infusion, you will begin the path to invincibility.  Hail to you, Ialu."[/i]  With that, Invidia turned toward the door, bound to depart.

Ialu held the sponge, the slightest bit of the lifeblood within seeping into him. He already possessed an unnatural ability to heal, but as the liquid touched him he felt it enhancing even further. It would be useful. [b][color=Gold]"Good hunting, outsider. My men already march north for Garakai. Soon myself and some of Sauranth's dragons will depart as well; Aztoc has made many enemies. Perhaps your monks should join us, as he does worship this 'Vestec' after all."[/color][/b]

The outsider paused before nodding.  [i]"I'll lead a contigent myself."[/i]  Then he was gone.