wildeyes

Spells in the Dark (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

In collaboration with @SunsetRoses

"Stop Being a Crazy Bitch" p.1

Triss stood outside of Alphonse's door, an old tome from the library in one hand as she bit the nails of the other. She was going to tell him, about her relationship with Sousiel. It was only fair, to him and to everyone. She figured he should get to know before she went off to Tellurian with Sousiel, otherwise she could do something regrettable and make him upset. She also wanted to talk to him in general, maybe scan the book she had and make random guesses as to which witch was her ancestor. Yes, she thought, finally in agreement with herself. That would be lovely.

Removing her chewed nails from her mouth, she knocked on his door, soft and tentative. ”Alphonse, are you in there, dear?” Was dear too much? She cursed under her breath, resting her forehead against the glossy finish of the wooden door.

Triss waited at Alphonse's for a long moment. She fidgeted nervously and shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Finally, she gave up and turned down the hall only for her heart to leap at the sight of Alphonse approaching from the opposite direction. Alphonse's face split into a grin as he saw his lover standing near his door.

"Why, hello my dear." Alphonse said, hoping he wasn't overstepping himself with the pet name. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" He came close to her and took her hand in his, ready to open the door so that the two could slip inside. He smelled different, like rose water and rich soil. Had he been walking funny?

Triss watched him step towards her, a gait that was slightly different than normal. She didn't question it, but his new scent made her cock an eyebrow. It smelled just like the roses Sousiel had given her, with an earthy undertone. His sweet words cut off any suspicion, and she let him grasp her hand.

They walked inside of his room, and by then she had framed her answer. ”I wanted to talk to you, because I think our relationship should be honest.” She turned pink, and took a seat at his desk, turning the chair to face him. ”I-I may have made Sousiel fall in love with me. Now, I have a...thing with her? I wanted to know how you feel about that.” She congratulated herself mentally, for getting straight to the point with little hesitation.

Alphonse blinked at her for a moment, utterly confused. "Um, I definitely agree that we should be honest with each other....when you say make her love you, do you mean with your power? What kind of thing do you have with her exactly?" He took her to a chair, so that they could sit and talk.

Triss scratched the back of her head, having to think for a moment about her current predicament with Sousiel. A heartbeat later, she had everything sorted out. ”Well, it started with me using my powers. Then, after the effects wore off, she confessed her love to me and said she was mine.” Triss almost laughed, but she realized how serious the moment was, and how confused Alphonse looked. ”She has feelings now, because I brought them out into the open. About an hour ago, she brought me roses and asked about my life.”

Roses? Alphonse hadn't gotten her flowers before...he felt a sudden surge of jealousy and guilt. Didn't Sousiel know that he loved Triss? That's right, he had told her he didn't...crap. He hadn't even told Triss yet.... not in so many words. "How do you feel about her?" Was all he could ask as he tried to sort out his own thoughts and emotions.

Triss was in a dangerous position, that question could break both of their hearts if she wasn't careful with it. She took Alphonse's hand, squeezing it and smiling up at him. ”I care for her, but not in the same way I care for you.” She didn't know if he would understand that, but she wasn't quite sure how she could elaborate without hurting him. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her mouth gaped open a few times but no words came out.

Alphonse returned the squeeze. He could see that she was worried. He took a deep breath. "Triss, I love you." There. He'd said it. "That's how I care about you." He paused.

Triss felt her heart soar, pounding so hard it threatened to leap out of her chest. This is what she had wanted from Alphonse, to be loved by him. She decided right then that she would do everything she could to make him happy. ”I love you too, Alphonse.” She whispered, having to keep her voice low so she wouldn't explode. She got up, leaning in to hug him. ”What do you want me to do about Sousiel?”

Alphonse held Triss tightly in his arms, elated to confirm what he had hoped they could have. About Sousiel though... "Well, Sousiel is my friend, one of my best..." Alphonse paused to consider the bro code. He wasn't entirely sure if Sousiel was moving on his girl, because he had had sex with her first, or if he was moving on hers, because Sousiel had technically confessed love first.... "I don't want to hurt her, and if you care about her....I don't know, I guess we can try to work something out." Alphonse pulled Triss onto his lap and kissed her cheek, then her neck. "I don't care who loves you, so long as you love me." he whispered in her ear. Alphonse wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but it didn't seem to make sense to hurt a good friend. Besides, it wasn't as if he bought into the outside world's ideas of monogamy, it only seemed to cause trouble when the witches tried it.

Triss looked up at him with starstruck eyes, she wrapped her hands around his neck, and pressed herself closer to him. ”That's great. I want you to know, that I love you first and foremost.” She paused, looking deep into his eyes and wondering what he hid behind them. ”Promise me something. Even if you have sex with Sousiel, or if you try to woo her with gifts, you'll always love me just a little more. Please?”

She waited for his answer, burying her face into his chest and taking in his new scent. ”Why do you smell so different, babe?” Triss asked, quiet enough that she may not have been heard.

"Of course, I'll always love you most." Alphonse said immediately, he didn't even need to think about it. Why would he have sex with Sousiel? It wasn't like she was really cute, with her cat ears, and lithe athletic body.... capacity for destruction....ok, it could happen. He chuckled to himself at her other question. "Oh, I was just fulfilling a request from one of the Green Witch families. I think they doubt my ability to return from the abyss, so their matriarch arranged a meeting with two of their scions."

The scions? He must have had fun talking with royals. Triss looked up at him, smiling merrily. ”Really? You met with scions? Tell me about it! I've never talked to someone royal!” Then her face fell as she remembered his awkward gait. ”Is that why you were walking funny? Did they do something to you?” A promise of death flashed in her eyes, her demeanor shifting slightly.

Alphonse suddenly sensed that he was in grave danger...he couldn't say why, but he suddenly felt as if he were on a mission, after a mark.... or perhaps he was the mark evading death? Either way, his instincts roared of danger. Still, he was with his love. Steve could keep an eye out for them. "Yeah, it was pretty fun. A noble house will invite me to their wing of the castle, and treat me well, good food, good drink. Introduce everyone involved. You know, to make the whole thing less weird. Then me and the Scions....I want to say their names were Belle, and Petunia, we went to the garden, where they did their special rite. Most of the families have one for this kind of thing, and I got filled up with all sorts of aphrodisiacs. So, yeah, we had sex in the garden so that they could have babies that were more likely to be witches. It was pretty fun." Alphonse finished casually, though he felt a mounting sense of foreboding as he spoke.

Triss’ heart slowly broke apart as Alphonse told her his story, the entire time he looked so casual, and that made it even worse. They had agreed on Sousiel, but he hadn't even thought about telling her that he slept with women on the side. He wouldn't have told her if she hadn't asked. She looked down, her eyes twitching and her body shaking. Her hands readjusted themselves, wrapping around his throat. She gave it a nice long squeeze, looking up at him with a faux smile. Would it feel more satisfying if she did the deed with her own hands? She would need to run a few tests before making a conclusion.

”Glad you had fun, Alphonse.” She said, her heart had stitched itself back together, to experience the pleasure of hurting him in full. She wondered how many children were out there, that he didn't even care about. ”Look at me Alphonse, it's time for us to have a little fun together.” She winked, her eyes already glowing with beams of green light.

Alphonse tried to ask what was wrong, he didn't believe her words when she said she was glad he had fun, her tone was off. Still he gladly looked into her eyes, it seemed that he had hurt her. He wanted to comfort her, but he was caught unawares by the sudden intrusion of her dread power.

Triss was in his mind easily, and the first thing she looked for was grief. She wanted him to feel just as bad as she did, and maybe that would make her feel better. If it didn't, she would have to see about having sex with Sousiel. There was plenty grief there, so much so that she could feel it without even bothering to look for it. She looked to see what he was feeding off of while they were together, and it made her heart swell to see love...and a bit of concern. That wasn't enough to dissuade her though, she still planned on having her fun.

Alphonse's mind could have been that of a psychopath, every time Triss looked around she had to stop and cringe. A sense of jealousy for someone Triss couldn't pick out, a deep hatred for someone else. A subtle pride in what he did even though it was obvious that he loathed it. All these scars were deep and hideous, but they were covered by a thin veil of true affection. Triss guessed it was for her, and that just made her feel worse about what she had to do. Not wanting to target the things that were covered, she went for an older emotion, something he had long since tried to bury. It stood still in the back of his mind, sadness, anger, simple things that had swelled into monsters.

Triss gathered a ball of it into her arms and placed it in the front of his mind, next to his love for her instead of in front of it. She pulled out, and pushed herself out of his arms, she felt like she didn't deserve her spot there. She made her way over to his bed, watching him but not daring to say a word.

Alphonse sat trembling, looking at his own hands. Memories he had long ignored, that he thought were irrelevant to him now were flitting across his mind. Laughing, mocking, children, the grimace of a passing woman, as if she had had the misfortune to see something unpleasant. Stones that would often strike him out of nowhere while he was trying to scrounge for food. Worst were the keening wails. The wails of a drunken mad woman in the dead of night. "Why won't he come back to meeee!" They would wail, "I didn't mean to break my promise." she would blubber in the moldy sheet of their most recent squat. Tears streamed down Alphonse's face as he stood up from the chair. The weight of the memories hung heavy in his chest. Even in this coven, he had been isolated and alone. He preferred it that way, it made things easier. He hadn't felt the pain of it like this in years. He looked at Triss. He wanted to go to her, to take comfort in her warm embrace, but she had done this to him. "Well?" He asked, the smile, for once gone from his face. "Are you happy with what you found in my head? What the hell was that?!" He almost shouted the last words. He was frustrated. He knew that he should run, but was also certain that he had nowhere to go. Nowhere but back to her.... "Why did you do this to me?"

Triss watched him as he deteriorated, but she couldn't find the words to say to make him feel better. She was atrocious, but every time she confirmed this with herself, she went back to the same old. When he stood and looked at her, red marks from tears streaming down his face, she felt tears of her own gather in her eyes. She didn't allow them to fall, it wasn't fair to him.

His tone killed her, alongside his words. She found herself with her head in her lap, protecting herself from them. ”I suppose I'm satisfied, I looked inside your head and found your scars all covered up by the love you had for me...that was nice.” She answered, in response to his first question. ”I did it because, I was upset. Would you have told me about your meetings with noble women, had I not asked? If I wasn't able to see that you love me, I would have always questioned your feelings for me. I would have thought I was a toy.”

Alphonse stood for a long moment breathing heavily. Slowly, the images left his head. He realized that he still had others within the castle. Lorelai, Sousiel, Clarisa if he could ever get back in touch with her. Still, the love he felt remained, though it was now accompanied with caution. Should he be guilty? She attacked him, still he understood her feelings. He slumped back into his chair, suddenly very tired. "Triss, I'm sorry if my words hurt you, but you have nothing to fear there. The only reason I hadn't brought it up was because they literally meant nothing to me. They'll make a show of false affection, and use me for my seed to make the children they desire. I'm the toy. It's something I do for some of the witches around here. They say my blood is especially pure, they literally call me prime breeding stock, like a horse, or a dog. I'm sorry, I thought you knew, learning under Medusa's wing. She'd always made her opinion of me clear." He laughed wryly. "Please don't ever do that to me again."

Triss stood up, pushing her chair away and standing in front of him instead. She had messed up, and maybe that would become more clear to her in the future, but for now she knew that a part of him still belonged to her. That was encouraging, but she made no move to touch him. Instead, she raised her hand and crossed it over her heart. ”I promise to never manipulate your mind again...unless I want to have sex and you aren't in the mood.” She laughed, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. She didn't bring up the fact that since the war efforts were over, Medusa had not spoken to her. She also didn't tell him that no one wanted to teach her, mainly because they were afraid and they had every right to be.

Alphonse snorted a laugh at her promise. He crooked a finger at her, beckoning her closer. "Speaking of being in the mood..." He said, spreading his legs to reveal the outline of his mood against his leg.
"Oh," Triss breathed, before coming to him. They embraced in a kiss before Triss whispered in his ear. "Now how can I make you happy again?"

Spells in the Dark (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

_{in collaboration with @SunsetRoses}

"Confirming their love"

or

"Onset of Madness"

Triss escorted them into the hall, her grip on Alphonse's hand tightening at every turn as though she was afraid of losing him if she didn't. She turned to him, looking into his blue eyes with a loving softness behind her own. ”Where are we going? Our perch is ruined...because of me.” She diverted her gaze to the floor when she brought up their secret place and how Lorelai had burned it. They would have to find a new one, and talk there instead.

"Well, that was my favorite place....inside the castle." Alphonse pulled Triss close and wrapped his shadow arm around her shoulders, dragging them both into the darkness itself with the same motion. Triss knew darkness and silence for a few moments, before she was blinded by light for a moment. The light filtered through the canopy of the forest. She heard the roar of water, and turned to see a waterfall behind them. She turned back to Alphonse and he said "This, is my favorite spot." He lead her over to some flat rocks by the rivers they could lay on and relax.

Triss blinked for a moment or two after they escaped the darkness, a feeling she still wasn't used to. When the spots in her eyes were gone, she let herself be taken to the smoother rocks. Once the arrived, she sat down, straining her legs so her feet dipped into the cool water. It was refreshing, she hadn't been outside of the castle grounds since she had arrived there. ”I've missed you dearly, Alphonse.” She said, her voice directed towards the riverbed.

Alphonse sat down on a rock that made a decent chair a fair distance from Triss. "Sorry, I didn't mean to avoid you. I've been busy lately, and....that's all a load of crap. I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me after..... Lorelai." Alphonse rested his head on one hand and drank in the beautiful woman, sitting in a beautiful field. If only she'd look at him.

Triss was surprised to hear Alphonse's voice so far away, she turned to find it, and saw him sitting in a rock that shaped itself into a suitable chair. She turned pink, and her attention moved back to the river. ”It's my fault, I should have seeked you out. Instead, I was stubborn. My apologies.” She took a deep breath, forcing the color to fade from her face before she looked at him again. ”So, your trip.”

"Oh, yeah, the trip to the abyss." Alphonse said, as if he had forgotten why they were out here. "Well, Lorelai is looking to bring the Lord of Plagues back from the abyss for use in the war. I'm feeling ambitious for once, so I'm going with her to help out. Maybe pick up a thing or two about necromancy while I'm down there, progress my career, you know how it goes." He shrugged at the end.

Triss felt her heart ache, she didn't want him to leave, but there was nothing she could do about his resolve. ”Yes, I know about the Plague Lord. Lorelai was talking about it during her meeting with Andri.” She shrugged, pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her head there. ”I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you have a great learning experience.” She fiddled with the hem of her dress, picking at the stitches until they frayed.

Alphonse stood and walked closer to her. He sat down by the river bed, still just out of arm's reach. "How about you? Medusa or Lorelai dragging you into anything ridiculous?"

Triss glanced at him, crawling over until they were sitting side-by-side. The contact made her shiver, and she felt at ease. ”Not lately, but I have a new patient. His name is Andri, he has a demon in his head named Khan.” She paused, staring out past the river and into the thick of the trees. ”You know how you said I should have just talked to you, what are we supposed to talk about?”

"You had kept hiding what had happened with Matrim from me. You never explained how it had come to that position, and then when you tried to confess to Lorelai, so that she would...." Alphonse stopped for a moment, struggling to say what he meant. "I've been in the same position as you. The guilt, feeling like you don't deserve life. Or love. I just want you to tell me when you're having trouble is all. We could talk it out, or come up with solutions..." Alphonse finally stopped. What was it he was trying to say? Maybe he should just tell her how he felt when he was close to her, that had to have been a better subject than this.

”I didn't know you had ever felt that way, you're always such a carefree person. I'd like to talk to you more, if it means you'll be around.” Triss knew he was struggling to say what was on his mind, and it made him even sweeter. She wanted to lean on his shoulder, or reach out and grab his hand, but during their time in the woods he hadn't made any attempts to do the same, so it was too risky. Taking a leap of faith, she decided to approach the elephant in the room. ”I want to talk about us. We've never really...approached it.”

Alphonse's heart skipped a beat at her words. Maybe...."I know, I...I'm not sure how to go about that." He chuckled at the ridiculousness. "The witches of this Coven don't have much in the way of courtship, with men, I don't really know what to do...with someone that I really care about. I just know that I want to be with you." He put his hand next to hers, a silent invitation.

When Alphonse's hand took its place next to hers, Triss let out a breath she hadn't known she’d been holding, as relief flooded through her body. She clutched it, accepting his invitation with ease. Her heart threatened to pound its way out of her chest, and she knew with absolute certainty she wanted the same thing as Alphonse.

”That's great, actually. I don't like silly gestures, I just want to know that you share my feelings.” She looked at him, wanting to savor him. ”Can you handle me? I'm insane, an absolute nutcase.” She laughed, but her eyes were pained with the truth.

"I'm just glad to know that you're not too good to be true." Alphonse winked and smiled at her, enjoying the grip she had on his hand. "I think we'll do well together, you can reach into people's heads, and I can reach their hearts." He leaned his shoulder into hers. "I don't know what it is, but being like this here, with you makes me feel in a way that I haven't since I was a boy, just happy."

”You make me feel amazing, like a brand new person every time I see you.” Triss smiled, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. ”When we touch, I feel fulfilled, like I could never be happier. It's a joyful thing.” Triss got on her knees in front of him, holding both of his hands and enjoying the space they shared. ”I think we'll do just fine, if you don't get yourself killed in the abyss.” She laughed, bringing his hands up so she could nuzzle against them. ”I hear it's a cesspool of Succubi down there, should I be worried?”

Alphonse followed suit, kneeling before her, looking into her eyes. "I promise I'll make it back." He said solemnly. "Come hell or heaven or sexy, adulturesses, I'll make it back here. I'll make sure you're safe." Triss laughed and smiled. They looked into each other's eyes and shared a kiss. When they pulled apart, the water looked very inviting. The two spent the rest of the daylight hours swimming and laughing. Sharing stories. It was a peaceful bright day before the darkness approached.

Spells in the Dark (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

@Aerandir Central Time Zone here. I think it would be fun for Alric to team up with Fenros, or Yuri. I think that their interactions could be fun.

Spells in the Dark (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

"You're NOT keeping me"

_{in collaboration with @SunsetRoses and @TheDoctor}

Triss had been floating in euphoria all day, a new kick in her step that made her glow as she walked the halls. She was trapped in her thoughts, and hardly made attempts at conversation. Her experience last night had made her this way, and she wondered if everyone already knew. It doesn't matter, I loved it either way. They can know and ask if they want to, she thought giddily.

In a moment of clarity, she remembered why she was walking the halls in the first place. Ang had approached her earlier, to tell her about a hunter named Mat. Triss' experience with hunters was enough to make her agree to a session with the boy, though she didn't want to hurt him too badly. Ang had told her that was her job, so Triss was basically in the clear. Now, dressed in her peasant garb to look simple and innocent, she went to his room and opened the door.

"Hello there! I heard that you're named Mat, and I am here to talk to you!" Her voice was bubbly as she closed the door behind her, locking it justly. She went to take a seat at his desk's chair, smiling warmly. All she needed was to lock eyes with him, then she could get in and get out. "How are you?" Look at me, look at me.

Mat glanced up slightly as he heard someone entering his room. Is that another witch? New one… he thought as she stepped in. As she locked the door behind her and began speaking several warning signs went off in his head. She sounded nice, creepy nice. She did not appear to have any weapons on her, but then again witches hardly ever needed them. She wants something, what is it? “Still living and sane, two positives so far. Why do you want to speak with me?” he replied, looking over at the witch and stared at her eyes, which felt...off.

Triss looked at Matrim with a sad smile, she didn't want to use her powers on him. It wasn't fun when the victim wasn't willing. Usually it ended in bursts of horrible sadness, or some other emotion she would never be forgiven for. ”I see, well I'm truly happy you feel that way. I'm just here to question. That's all.”

When Mat made the mistake of locking eyes with her, she attacked. Staying seated and still, her eyes shifted to their unnatural green, a color Mat wouldn't be able to see. In an instant she was inside of his mind, giving him no time to throw up walls. After bypassing his frail everyday walls, she was inside. Here, she was meant to torture him, so she went straight for sadness and shame.

Triss had never yet accomplished it before, but she was trying to pull them both out at once. This was sure to be enough to torture him, and it would only last half as long If she managed to do it. She took a look at the two clumps of emotion, slowly pulling wisps of both of them forwards. Shame took over, and the proportions were leaning heavily with it. With a sigh, she gave up and took only the shame.

Once it was pulled to the forefront of his mind, she released her hold and sat before him, the sad smile still playing on her face. ”What makes you so ashamed, Matrim? Answer truthfully and we'll move on to the next emotion. I'll even make it pleasurable for you at the end of this, just submit.”

Memories had begun flooding Mat as Triss made him feel shame, ones he did not want to remember. Quivering slightly, Mat couldn't tell if it were him or the witch that was making himself feel shame. “I...I…” he itched to tell her, but stopped himself before he spoke. Moving on to the next emotion? he thought. It had to be her doing this to him, that was it. Mat tried to jump to possibilities to get out, but with shame being so prevalent he couldn't help but remember what his actions had brought upon others. “No...no,” Mat cried out. “Not this, please not this. Where's Ang with her violence and jests? FUCK! Get out of my head!”

Triss watched him panic, screaming in frustration as he tried to fight away the shame. She frowned and got up, moving over to him and placing her hand on his shoulder. She tried desperately to get another glimpse at his eyes. ”Tell me why you are ashamed, Matrim, and I'll make it stop. If you refuse I swear to God himself you shall never stop feeling this way, it will eat at you until you are insane.”

She grasped his other shoulder in a death vice, her face set in a miserable grimace. ”It would kill me to do that. Be nice, and by the end of this you shall be at your happiest state. Don't you want to be happy for a while? Now tell me Matrim.”

Mat stilled himself at Triss’ words, looking down at the floor and made a slow nod. He just wanted it all gone. “I understand.” Then he explained.

“Everything after my father's death was a lie and a waste. I spoke with his spirit, and I had to lie to let him think I didn't waste my life on trying to avenge him. Of course I had moments where I tried to fix myself, but I would slip back after a while. I'm responsible for so many deaths. My father, Kate, the little girl Ashley, multiple hunters throughout the years…” Mat finally steadied and stopped speaking, still looking at the ground. “Is that enough? What the hell do you even want from me?”

Triss nodded grimly, unsatisfied. She had come into this not wanting to make him say or do anything, but now that she had gotten a taste… ”Look at me when speak, Matrim. I'm not done with you, and you will comply with my demands until the bitter end.”

Triss was shocked with herself, but she held her same expression easily. ”Remember what I said, I don't have to answer to you.” She reminded him, grabbing his chin and pulling his face upwards so she could move on to the next emotion, force him to speak his next memory. It was a strange ecstasy to interrogate him, and make him tell her everything.

The hunter stared at Triss with sullen eyes, but he offered no resistance against her. “I understand,” he quietly replied, staring into her eyes. Don't lose it, don't lose it, don't lose it. Stay sane, stay alive, escape. Remember.

Triss stared into his eyes, her powers coming easily as though they had been right at the gate. She went into his mind, and started to search around. One more, then I'll make him feel better. One more. She hoped she would be able to keep the promise, but it was hard to do when she was jumping at the bit to use her powers. Maybe after this she would find Alphonse, he could probably calm her.

On the inside of his mind, she dug around a bit, looking over sadness and fury. It took her a while, because it was planted so far down in his emotions and memories, but she found what she was looking for. A giant, sickly ball of insanity. She gathered it all, pulling it out violently, and placing it at the forefront of his thoughts with a wicked smile.

When she was done, she pulled out and gave him some space, tilting her head with curiosity. ”What makes you insane, Matrim?”

Mat stayed very still for a moment as Triss asked her question. His pupils appeared to shrink ever so slightly, and mirrored her movement of tilting her head. Things in his mind became a sudden haze and the walls inside were shattered. All that was his focus was witches and his desire to find her, and right now there was one right in front of him.

Triss’s only warning was Mat's single word response. “You.”

The hunter suddenly grabbed the witch's throat and drove her to the ground forcefully, having a bitter cold expression in his face. He would kill her, but granting instant death for a witch was too kind, and she could possibly lead him to her. What if Triss was even her? No, death was too easy, too fast; he would learn nothing.

Triss felt the air escape her lungs as she was grabbed by the throat and slammed down to the floor. By God he was fast. She gasped for air, her face turning a horribly vibrant shade of red, slowly ok the verge of purple. She kicked the floor and pounded his chest, trying desperately to work up a scream. The only thing that would come out was a gurgle.

Then, quite suddenly, she relaxed. She was on the brink of consciousness, but she looked up at Mat with a face of acceptance, and even a small smile. She had brought her death upon herself, but if she managed to stay alive until her power wore off, she would be fine. She mouthed ‘I‘m sorry’, and her body collapsed as she became unconscious.

As soon as Triss slipped unconscious, Mat had her quickly tied up to a chair using the various materials in the room. He had no weapons in the room, but he knew how to improvise. The hunter grabbed his own chair and sat across from the witch and waited for her to wake up.

Just as Triss was beginning to wake up Mat was getting a splitting headache that had slowly appeared. Grabbing on one of his armrests, he did his best to still himself and get rid of the headache. As the ache started to dissipate, the effect had started to go away, and Mat looked around the room a bit frightened. “Holy shit,” he whispered.

Triss woke, tied up in a chair by a mixture of cloth materials. She squinted, groggy and a bit confused until she remembered what had happened. Matrim stood in front of her, seemingly surprised by his actions. Triss shrugged and assumed the effects had worn off.

”I apologize sincerely, Matrim. I got in over my head, my powers do that to me sometimes. Untie me and I will fulfill my end of the deal, for a while you shall feel content. I...I don't think I'm going to report my findings to Ang, mustn’t give her a reason to be harder on you.” She diverted her gaze from him, to show she meant no harm. She had done something horrible, something that had almost resulted in her death. ”If you don't wish to be contented, I will do something else for you. Just tell me, do I have a scar?”

Mat sat calmly, listening to Triss’s words and taking them each one by one. He was still shaken by the fact that she had so easily broken something he was delicately trying to fix. That kind of power scared him, scared him far too much. Mat felt so vulnerable to these mental attacks, and what if the next one instead of bringing forth an emotion was a command he obeyed? He had heard of such things happening, and he was scared if it were to happen to him.

So when Triss said she could make him content, Mat stood slowly and walked over to the torch on the wall. “As much fun as it was letting you into my head the first time, I'll have to pass. Besides, feeling content would be less than ideal right now. Really, you should ask yourself…” he said as he picked up the torch and gazed closely at the fire. “What's stopping me from killing you?”

Triss watched Mat pick up the torch, fear breaking down her head but leaving her face as smooth as stone. ”Hmm, Matrim. A curious question indeed.” She tilted her head and stared at him with eyes glinting. ”I've seen everything inside of your mind, Matrim. You can hide nothing from me. Even if you go through with this, and kill me, I know you'll feel the shame of your actions.”

Triss clucked, watching Mat as he acted like the bigger man. ”I regret what I did, not because it will be the cause of my death, but because I am sorry for using you in that way. As I said, I got a little carried away.” She relaxed in her chair, closing her eyes and grinning with satisfaction. ”I believe I'm comfortable, carry on.”

Mat sat down in front of Triss but made sure not to catch her eyes. He carried a very weary expression, as a tired soldier would. “First of all things it's Mat, not Matrim. That name's reserved for my father to use. Second, you're quite right that I can hide nothing from you, so you would know that you scare me a great deal. You've just exploited the one weakness I had in an instant, but you played foolishly with it.” Mat drew a long sigh, casting his eyes to the torch. “Fire’s a terrible way to go, makes me wish for my tools.”

The hunter gave a final look around the room and drew a short breath. His escape chances would be zero after this, he would need to move quickly and quietly as soon as he left the room. He considered just leaving with Triss tied up, but he instantly recalled what she could do to him. No, he would not be controlled, he couldn't let that possibility happen.

Mat tossed the torch behind Triss’s chair, where it caught on the rug fairly fast. “Good luck in the next life...uh…” Mat realized he never caught the witch's name, and it made him cast one last look at her face in a mix of shame and curiosity. He walked over to the door and silently left.

The fire spread slowly but steadily throughout the room, Triss sat in her chair, staring at the flames as they approached. She had accepted her mistake, and there would be no one to save her in the dungeons. As the fires approached, she twitched, the scalding heat forced her to try to defend herself, to struggle in her chair. She had to escape. Maybe it would have been better for her lethal mistake to involve something faster?

Suddenly, the door to Matrim's chamber burst open, and a caul of darkness swept into the room. Suddenly, there was no heat, or light, or pain. Triss could not even feel her own body. There was nothing for a long while, then suddenly, there was light. Strong arms held her up.

"Are you alright?" Alphonse's voice was full of worry.

Triss bit down hard on her tongue to prevent herself from yelping, the flames licking her feet and leaving blisters. She was sure the skin would have burned off leaving only bone, had it not been for Alphonse. He took her into the shadows, where all was quiet and she couldn't even feel herself.

When she was out, she collapsed on pained feet, falling into Alphonse's embrace. He asked her if she was alright, and she nodded, waiting for a while to phrase her next sentence. ”It's my fault, I manipulated him, and he reacted as any strong person would. I'm just surprised he didn't break.” She looked up at Alphonse, and sighed in relief. Her tone was surprisingly calm for someone who had almost been burned to death, and that was because she had accepted her fate.

Alphonse held her close. He wanted to tear her away from Clarissa. Tell her that Medusa could only lead her to ruin, that this event was proof of their recklessness and incompetence. But this was not the time for that. Still, he had to know. "You're alright now. Don't worry." He pulled himself away from her. "Triss....why were you trying to break Matrim?"

Triss looked up to him, before diverting her gaze and pulling herself closer. She just wanted a few more seconds of normalcy, so she held onto his body as an anchor. ”Alphonse, it was my fault. I just wanted a new toy, so when I heard that there was a Hunter in the castle I came to his room almost immediately.”

It was such a dirty lie, it felt like a thick layer of tar rolling off her tongue. She couldn't tell him the truth though, he would just fret over it. She looked up at him and grasped his head gently between her two hands, pulling him down for a kiss because her feet were far too blistered to stand upon. After the peck, she smiled wryly. ”I was going to go look for you, I missed your company. What have you been up to, fair maiden?”

Alphonse smiled at the pet name. Her brief kiss left him hungry for more. Still, her words worried him. He was not used to being with a woman in the way he had been with her....he had thought... "You thought a captive hunter would make a good toy? Is that what you thought I was?" Alphonse's face was suddenly uncharacteristically dour.

Triss watched his face fall, and she took a step back, ignoring the way her feet screamed. Why was he so upset with her? Did he know she was lying? Alphonse...a toy? She never used her power on him. ”Whatever do you mean? Of course he, I have to use my power on someone.”

Triss thought of a way to settle the situation, without him becoming more suspicious. ”Why would you be a toy, Alphonse? The minds of witches are way too hard to get into.”

Alphonse raised one eyebrow. Then smirked and shook his head, finally he chuckled. "Is that what you meant?" He broke into a full body laugh as he fell into a chair. "I thought that you were...I am so sorry, no of course you were working for Medusa. Is that why you're working with her? For opportunities to use your talent?"

Triss joined him in the chair, sitting on his lap and tucking her head into the crook of his neck. She still didn't know what he had meant when he said toy, but that was meant for a later time. Now, she just wanted to enjoy his warmth and the way his chest rose and fell.

Triss felt her cheeks flush when he asked why he had joined Medusa’s side. She kiss his neck to soften the blow of her answer. ”I joined Medusa’s side because she welcomed me into the coven, fully and completely. She's a nice woman, too. I have only once seen Lorelai, and I was hiding a secret from her. Why did you take Lorelai's side?” She cooed her last sentence, nuzzling against him.

Alphonse lay back, luxuriating in the woman's attention. "There's....a lot that goes into that." He held her close. He didn't care to recount experiences with Medusa, but it would be better with Triss with him. "Medusa was one of my first teachers. She taught me how to use the potential for my talent. To go where others could not, with no one knowing the wiser. The blasphemies of necromancy that would allow me to pierce the wards that would stand in my way. She made me into a weapon for the coven. I... well, it wasn't until I started working for Lorelai that I actually felt like a member of the coven. We've worked together to eliminate threats, she's stood by me in the field, and shared in all that I've experienced." He smiled sadly. "I don't think I'd still be here, if not for her."

Triss pulled away from Alphonse, positioning herself so she was looking into his eyes. She didn't know what she felt as he described his relationship with Lorelai, definitely not jealousy…but regret? Regret that she had never been able to see the softer side of Lorelai, before her side was basically chosen for her. Regret that if Lorelai and Medusa fought, she would be on one side and Alphonse the other.

She pursed her lips, and pulled herself in closer to him, so their foreheads were touching. ”I have a deep....appreciation for you, Alphonse.” She looked flustered, afraid to say the word ‘love' if the feelings weren't reciprocated. ”That is why I wish things were easier, but since they are not, why don't we enjoy each other? No more talk of silly conflicts, not for now.”

Alphonse sighed, it seemed simple enough to him, Triss should defect, and join Lorelai so that he could keep her safe. But he was tired, and she was hurt. And the bed near by looked very warm after her invitation. He lifted Triss as he stood and lay her in her bed. "I think I would like that very much." He said, kissing her sweetly on the lips. "No lessons for tonight though, you're hurt, let me take care of you." He whispered in her ear,then he kissed her again, as his hands explored the interiors of her simple dress.

---

Matrim stayed silent as he moved throughout the castle, doing his best to not even be any close proximity. Fortunately, the witches would not be actively looking for him as the only one who knew was in a room that was on fire, and if she did get out he still had several minutes before anyone knew.

While he was near the bottom of the castle, Matrim didn't head for any of the gates as they were most likely being watched. Instead, the hunter moved up several levels, taking note of all around him. He was alive, he was still sane, and he was going to escape. His slight burst of luck had lead to this, and he was not going to waste the opportunity.

Matrim’s spear was in one of these rooms, the armory most likely. He desperatly wanted to find it, but couldn't justify potentially losing his life over it. He would have to come back for it later, but this time with more hunters.

Matrim’s own emotions played with him as he moved throughout the castle, but he did his best to focus. Triss had shown him how easily he could crack, but he would not let it happen again. He couldn't change his twisted past, but he could try to improve his own future.

At a couple floors above, Mat moved carefully until he past along to the door to the outside. After giving a quick glance around he entered into the outside on the top of the castle walls.

Making a short breath, Matrim looked over the edge over the wall and gave a quiet whistle. It would not be fun climbing down this. After giving one last breath, Matrim went over the edge and began scaling down.

The climb down turned out to be a little easier than he expected, until near the bottom where he lost his grip and almost fell the rest of it. As soon as his feet touched the soil, Matrim broke into a sprint to the woods. He would find that damn horse that ran with his supplies, then he would find the hunters.

Spells in the Dark (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

_{in collaboration with @TheDoctor, @Shagranoz and @Ellion}

[h1][i][u][Center] "Keeping You" [/center ][/u][/i][/h1]

Mat had regretted his decision almost instantly when he wasn't just simply killed then and there. Instead, he was dragged and shoved into a dingy cage in the prison arts of the castle. To his first fortune he had an actual bed and bucket but not too much else. The lack of light felt to be an immediate problem as well and forced him to feel around for everything.

Mat sat on the mattress during his first night, thinking over the recent events. His head bursted with regret and questioning of his own actions that transpired as soon as the name was given to Mat. “Demon...the damn demon lord,” he muttered aloud to himself. “He knew how to make me lose my senses fast. I could've been with the other hunters, planning and working with a group. Instead I worked alone and acted like a deranged killer. Great job Matrim…” The hunter drooped his eyes, giving a small sigh as he held his hands to his head. “Don't lose it, don't lose it. Survive somehow and stay sane. Don't lose it…” Mat gave one last deep breath and slumped into his bed, falling asleep rather quickly.

Having a ...specimen so close by was almost enough to pull Any from Medusa's warm bed before the sun came up. Almost, not quite. It was closer to noon by the time she wandered down to the dungeon. Bringing along a torch. Not that she needed it, her own modifications made with bats and owls had seen to that weakness. No, the torch was for Little Matty. Both so that he'd be able to see everything and so that he wouldn't forget the joy of light too quickly.

"Good Morning Matty," said Ang, setting the torch near by, making enough noise.that she'd wake the boy. "I trust you had found your accommodations to be to your liking and that you slept well," it just wouldn't do to be an improper hostess.

The hunter woke with a shuddered start as he heard Ang next to him. At her question his instant desired response was to give something snarky back at her, but he stopped himself before speaking. While coming up with a response his eyes wandered towards the torch and entranced him for a small moment before he snapped back toward Ang. “Better than most I've had,” he replied, sitting up and leaning against the opposite side of the cage.

Word had reached Phagora that yet another hunter had made his way to Castle Bloodrose, this one as a prisoner. Intrigued, the tiefling made her way down to the dungeons, intent on getting the measure of him. She found him in his cell, with Angharad close by. "Didn't expect to see you here, Ang."

Mat watched as the other witch entered into the room. He couldn't tell who it was at first but when the torch light lit up her face Mat's eyes widened. “No…” he whispered, his eyes not leaving Phagora. It was truly her, as Charon had given him the vision for. All the years of hunting, torturing, murdering, and now he was sitting in a cage with no way to get to her. “No…” was all he could say again.

"Yes... Yes... " Ang parroted in a mockery of Mat's tone. Grinning maddly she turned to Phagora. "I'm just playing with my soon to be pet, isn't he a lovely specimen? I'm thinking about adding some horns, maybe some frog eyes on his rump so he can watch himself void his bowels. Ah... the possibilities."

"Frog eyes in his ass? Not enough room. After all, most hunters already have their brains there." She paused, waiting for Ang to laugh. "Or are you serious? Transmutation of that sort, very delicate magic. I'd find it quite impressive if you could put such an actual working part on him." She then glanced at Mat. "I'm sorry, do I know you from somewhere? Maybe mutilated your pet dog or something like that?"

The conversation between the witches was just tuned out by Mat as the hunter continued to stare at Phagora with wide eyes. He was that close, so very close to grabbing her and throttling her but instead he was in a cage like a rat. When she finally turned and looked at him to begin speaking Mat just waited patiently. “You decapitated my dad and put his head next to my mom's grave and left me a message in front of his head. I tortured and mutilated eighty-four witches, threw away years of my life, and made a deal with a demon lord in order to find you, and it was a damn bear mixed with a mountain lion that stopped me at the very end.” Mat banged his head against the cage wall then stepped over to where he was right in front of the witch that murdered his dad. “Please...just let me know why. Why did you kill him?”

"Probably for fun." Ang mused, bored. She busied herself examining the man through the cage, her hands came up as she used them to make measurements. "I mean... when I decapitate someone and give the head to someone else it's usually for fun, or I like you."

She turned to Phagora, head tilted quizzically. "Did you have a crush on the poor boy!? How sweet!"

"No, I did not have a crush on him." Phagora rolled her eyes. "In point of fact, I killed him because he attacked me. Tried to hit me with a silver crossbow bolt from ambush, but he missed. I know most hunters train their children to follow in their footsteps, so I hoped to scare you out of seeking revenge. It seems it didn't work." Phagora cradled her head in her hand. "If it's any consolation, I know for a fact his spirit is nearby."

It took all Mat had to pretend that Ang wasn't there and instead focus on Phagora and listen to what she said, but her last sentence but him off slightly. His soul was nearby? How did she know that? Did she have one of those third eyes? It didn't seem like it. So how did she..? “You took his soul?” He asked, steadying himself and dong his best to not just futily lash out.

"You took his soul!?" Ang puppeted again, rolling her eyes. "Silly Matty! Of course she did, she's half demon after all! Where you hoping to meet him in heaven?" She burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, that's good! Silly litte hunter."

She turned to Phagora frowning slightly. "Seeing as you two are distracting me from my thoughts about what to graft on my little pet I'm going to fondle Medusa for awhile." She turned to leave. "Don't kill him, and let me know when you're finished chatting."

"Indeed I did. He's spending his afterlife in here," Phagora said, pointing to her stomach. "Feeling the agony of being digested for all eternity. I could let him out for a few minutes, but he was my first human meal, so he's rather special to me in that regard. A man of great taste, too. A little sweet, with a touch of rose honey... would that all men were as delicious as him."

Mat wanted to scream, yell out, do something to show his fury, but he knew it was useless. He had made the wrong choice, and now he knew that his father’s soul was a meal for a witch. Mat's eyes closed for a moment, then opened back up and looked at Phagora with a sullen expression.

“One day, you will die. For the longest time I thought it would be me standing over your corpse, but I made a fatal error and am in this cage to be the pet of some witch that should really just go ahead and choke on her own blood. Instead, you'll probably die by another's hand, be it a hunter, a witch who stabbed you in the back, or some random moose you pissed off. In the end, you'll die, and I would hope that I can meet up with my father either up above or down below so we can have a good talk about everything. We'll have a lot of catching up to do.”

"Well, since we're going to be together for a while, I'll give you a chance to chat with him. Consider it a truce offering." Phagora turned away from Mat, and the clear, disturbing sounds of retching could be heard as her jaw dislocated. When she came back around, jaw hanging around her knees, what was clearly the ethereal form of Mat's father could be seen from the waist up. "I'll give you five minutes," Phagora said, though her voice was somewhat muffled. "You have no idea how excruciating this is for me."

couldn't believe what he was seeing as Phagora turned around. While he had seen several creepy sights as a hunter this one would certainly come close to the top. But inside her, Mat could see a familiar person inside. “Dad? Is that really you?” Mat asked slowly, standing up straight.

His dad had not aged at all from the last time Mat saw him, still with a hard knowing face and eyes that could bore into him. “It's me Matrim, I'm sorry that this is how it happened. I'm sorry for a lot of things,” Mat's father replied. “But, I want to know how my son's fared in this world.”

Mat spoke of his life over the next few minutes, giving a couple lies here and there to make his life seem slightly better than the hell it was. His father listened for a while and near the end of it he said, “I'm glad you gave progressed. Try not to lose hope Mat. Remember, amin’ny anao aho.”

Mat's head bobbed in agreement, his eyes going glassy. “I'll try, I'll hold.”

Phagora's jaws snapped shut with a deafening crack, and Mat's father disappeared back into her once gaping maw. "There, that's better." She rubbed her aching mouth. "Here, let me get the cell keys for you. I can't let you out of the castle, but I can let you out of this cell. That's the best I can offer you."

Mat made a distant nod as Phagora spoke, still drawing back on the conversation with his dad. Finally he snapped out of it and looked at the witch to get a better understanding. His mind felt like it was a trap for something, but Mat felt she was being honest. “Why offer me something in the first place?” He inquired, authentically curious.

"Because I don't feel any personal animosity towards you, and because you'd have to be the world's greatest idiot to assault me in the home of myself and all my sisters." The heavy lock clicked open as Phagora threw the gate wide. "Come on, I can get you to a room. If Medusa has a problem, she can take it up with me. I promise, you will suffer no consequences on account of my actions."

Mat slowly stepped out of the cage, standing tall and looking around as he emerged. “It's not Medusa I'm concerned about…” he mumbled, but nodded to Phagora in respect. He was out of the cage, but she was correct that he would be a fool to attack her. Mat would do his best to not die, at least not today. “Very well, lead on.”

Phagora took Mat out of the dungeons and upstairs to the dormitories. She noted a new door had appeared that hadn't been there that morning. Apparently, the castle was enchanted to provide space for everyone, not matter how many people there were. "We have several available rooms, so just pick out whichever one you wish. We can provide you with clothes and other necessities by the end of the day."

Mat walked silently next to Phagora as she explained the castle, taking note of everything around them. His weapons were around somewhere, but he figured he shouldn't risk something like that yet. Main priority is to avoid Ang until I'm able to kill her, he thought as they continued walking. Stopping at one of the doors Mat looked over at Phagora. “This one taken?” He asked, already moving to open the door.

"No, it should be open for you. I'll be leaving for now, but I'll be back in a little while." Phagora walked off. There was still so much to do, between preparing for the feast and getting ready for the battle that would ensue soon after.

When Phagora had left, Mat stepped into the room and gave a look around it. The room appeared quite comfortable, especially for a castle's standards. “They really do get the high quality with magic,” the hunter commented as he gazed around the room. The room even had a slit window that allowed him to look outside but was far too thin for him to fit through. Drawing a long breath of relief, Mat sat down on the floor and leaned against the side of the bed. Things had certainly taken an odd turn, but he would need to remain wary in a castle full of witches. “Survive, stay sane, escape. Easy…” he muttered to himself.

---

Spells in the Dark (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

_{in collaboration with @Meiyuki}

"Long Shadows"

Lorelai strode through the dark hallways of the castle briskly. She'd endured long enough, accepted too much, and now it was time to spit in the eye of god and fate. There was a relic, sitting unused in some dusty vault, that could restore Elina's leg, give Alphonse back his arm, and possibly return Vespa to her. Alyssa could warn against the danger as much as she wanted to. It would be hers, and soon.

She came to a halt outside Alphonse's room, and with neither a knock nor thought to the hour, threw it open. Lorelai's eyes were maddened. "Alphonse! I want that fucking saint!"

Alphonse's floated unnaturally from beneath the covers. "But mooom! I spent all day being with people! I have to sleep now." His head floated back under the blanket, apparently into the shadows beneath.

"Alphonse... Elina attempted suicide, the least I can do is give her a fucking leg." Lorelai strode into the room, and with a command word activated the magical lighting. [color=00aeef]"I'm getting tired of losing people, now are you going to help me plan this or not? We've only got three days of peace to pull this off before the war starts in earnest."[/color'

Alphonse rose out from his comfortable shadow, and threw off his blanket. "Alright, alright. Here's what we do. I go sneaky sneaky, grab the corpse...." Alphonse clapped his hands together, and held them to either side. "then I run away." Alphonse grinned. "Brilliant, right?"

"Stunning." Lorelai rolled her eyes and took a seat on Alphonse's desk-chair. "That only leaves the wards, spirit sentries, and the battalion of knights that would get alerted left over. Minor details right?"

"Exactly! Glad to hear you have it covered. Good night!" Alphonse was about to jump back into bed but was stopped dead by the murderous glare Lorelai had affixed him with. Al became certain that her eyes were literal portals to hell in that moment. "But I can understand if you want to consult with my expert opinion." Alphonse pulled out a chair from the table on the side of his room, and propped his feet up on said table. "So, what have we got for resources?"

"I've got you, Phagora, and I might send Liz along too." Lorelai rubbed her eyes. "But we'll need a hell of a distraction, and that might mean you need to do something I'm sure you won't like, because I don't like it either."

"Are you saying we need to find some blood before our trip?" Al's face rested into a concerned smirk. "Taking a hunter so soon might be a bit risky given our time frame. You know I'm concerned about hunter's disappearing near my cover."

"Right, but blood we'll need anyway." Lorelai thought for a moment. "I've heard a whisper of a new hunting lodge setting up in Rovenfeld, about two weeks west of here by horse... that might do it though. Plenty of newly blooded hunters to snatch up."

[color=ed145b]"Alright, so I should be back by morning. What are we doing with the whelp once I get back?" Al began pouring the two of them a drink, Setting glasses on the table while he held a bottle with his other hand.

"Al... you... only have one hand." Lorelai's eyes fixated on a shadowy appendage that had manifested from the stump of his ruined arm. Alphonse followed her gaze to the stump. Whereupon the still half full bottle of whiskey shattered to the floor as the mentioned appendage faded away. She reached for her drink slowly, draining it quickly. "That's... neat."

"Huh. I forgot for a second." Al punched his shoulder a few times. "Hey, get back here ass hole!" He shrugged. "Oh well, phantom limb or whatever."

"Phantom is certainly right..." Lorelai gave Alphonse an appraising stare, then shook her head. "Confirms some theories I'd had about your biology, perhaps all that training hasn't gone to waste. Alas... where were we?"

"You were going to tell me to what ends kidnapping a nascent hunter is going to contribute to."

"Right, well. One isn't going to be enough Al." Lorelai's eyes glittered darkly. "Lord Dagon is a hungry beast."

---

_{Somewhere near Rovenfeld: Alphonse}

Fires burned at the top of the fort's wooden walls. Guards shivered in a warm night. Feeling as though a ghost had gripped their bones. They scanned the wide open field all around them nervously. They felt like something should be approaching, A fight should be breaking out. There should be blood and sweat and fire. Instead there was only silence.

Within the fort, near the barracks main, slept men and women, ready to get up bright and early to train. Their lodge was barred, and warded from terrible magics. Iron crosses adorned the doors, and garlic and other strong herbs adorned the windows. Sacred object to repel the unclean. A shadow crept across the outer wall of the fort, only to become flesh as it approached the barracks proper. The shadow was quick, and did not tarry. A silver sword struck out at the sacred wards where no light could touch it. No one saw, they only whispered, and dreamed. The shadow gathered the amulets, corrupted by a blasphemed blade. He powdered the herbs together, and inscribed blasphemous symbols on the walls of the barracks. The crosses he bent and twisted, and struck into the window panes like nails in eyelids. The dreamers stirred, their peaceful rest disturbed.

A dark chill suddenly crawled up Garfield's spine. He had spent all night laying in bed, struggling to sleep. He stood up, he thought he saw a shape through the window. He rushed to it and opened it. There was no one.

"probably nothing." He said as he turned about. He was suddenly struck by how dark the room was. There were no lights besides the stars before, but now...he could not say. For no reason he could fathom he approached the cot of one of his companions. "Felix, I can't sleep, You up?" Felix wasn't there. He rushed all about, the barracks were gone. Empty. He rushed out the door to scream for the guard. His voice never left his throat as a pressure held his mouth shut, and he felt something across his throat. He tried to throw back a shoulder, but had no leverage, his body weak, he fell. Darkness engulfed him.

"Well done, Master." Said one shadow to another. "It almost reminds me of when I had blood and flesh."

"Shut up Steve." Said the other shadow. The two of them glided home in darkness and silence.

Spells in the Dark (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

_{in collaboration with @Meiyuki}

"A Forgotten Struggle"

Sousiel made her way over to the treeline that Al was squatted in, preparing his approach. "Heya lazy fuck!" She called out. "Mistress has some stuff for ya." Sousiel laid a long birch wood box on the ground in front of the witch.

"And thus my Mistress entrusts you with her two most prized possessions." Sousiel said proudly, opening the box to reveal Hector Digard's Holy Blade. "This should cut through undead and witches like butter."

Alphonse raised one eyebrow as he considered the sword presented to him. It was exquisite, but there was something about that beautiful silver blade that made him uneasy. He grasped the pommel, and was immediately struck with a sense of blood lust, hatred, and self loathing. He shook himself.

Alphonse whistled. "That's one hell of a profaned relic you've got there." He sheathed the blade again, donning it on his hip, his head swam a bit from the rush of emotion and strength he had suddenly been exposed to.

"And the second of course is me!" Sousiel patted her chest with pride. "I'll be along for the ride this time 'round. Incase you get in over your head."

Al smiled at her. "I'll be glad to have you, you do know how to fight as a cat, as well as a fire demon god wolf, right?"

"Sure thing!" Sousiel's face grew wistful. "Although I will miss being a giant-wolf-monster-murder thingy. The power..."

She shook her head and replaced her grin. "Oh well. What's the plan Al?"

"I'm going to spread out my senses around the walls, if there's any hidden tunnels going through or under them, I'll know. You're gonna sit tight inside of Steve while I check things out. There's a good chance I'll need you down there. You ready?"

Sousiel arched an eyebrow. "You think? Here I was hoping for an empty castle with relics still ripe for the picking. No such luck huh?"

"Not likely." With that, he gestured at Sousiel, enveloping her in the black void of Steve. Alphonse merged with the shadows himself, spanning out his awareness. He swept over miles with incredible speed, he understood the topography of the region, the rivers flowing near the castle wall, the outer construction of the castle itself. What he was truly interested in was, the void below. Specifically the intricate void of earth created by the vast and labyrinthine tunnel system the Ruvinas had evidently constructed beneath the castle. Just as he suspected, one of the tunnels lead out beyond the castle walls, ending in the riverbed of a small creek some miles beyond the castle's perimeter. What he did not expect was the squad of unbreathing forms waiting just inside the entrance under eternal vigil. If this was an escape route, what were they doing at the end? With their attention focussed back towards the castle?

The undead stood at attention, facing into the tunnel, their taut mummified skin held taut over their bones, they bore round shields, and short blades, perfect for holding a position against massive numbers. "Get ready Sousiel, we're gonna break the guys up." Suddenly, within the middle of the squad of undead soldiers, were the rending claws and flashing blades of two trained fighters. Normally, the undead's dauntless programmed discipline and sturdy shields would have been a daunting foe for the two fighters, but with the element of surprise, and forming within their formation, they were able to make quick work of them, bothering them easily to the last soulless man.

Sousiel shook herself and looked to either side once the last of the undead had fallen, realizing where they were. "Why did we bother killing these guys? There's nothing good here."

"Because their presence is strange." Alphonse responded, as he knelt next to one of the shattered corpses. He lifted it examining the runes etched into the bone. After a few brief moments turning the bones over in his hands, and examining the ribcage of one of the soldiers, he suddenly stood and turned to Sousiel. "These haven't been here long. Can't have been more than a month." He shook his head morbidly, then his face split into a smile. "Well, at least Reyna's dead."

Sousiel raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

"These were etched by ectoplasm, a wraithly necromancer. There aren't a whole lot of people who have the skill set and the will and disposition to end up as a free willed, necromancy practicing wraith upon their death. Basically just her."

Sousiel gulped slightly. "Let's hope she runs across Lorelai and not us right?" Grinning again she continued. "At least she's dead, too bad for any hope the twins may have had about resolving their...issues."

"Yeah... I'm gonna let them worry about that. Besides, it looks like the Ruvina left this place already, I think these are primarily meant as a rear guard. Now we have to go deeper and find out what they're guarding against."

Sousiel pouted "But Al! There could be a bloodless blood witch in there!"

[color=ed145b]"Back in the darkness."[/olor] Al said flippantly, as Steve ate her back up. With that he began strolling down the tunnel.

---

[/sub]Further down the tunnels[sub]

Alphonse spread his awareness again throughout the vast network of tunnels. Now that he was one with the darkness of these tunnels, he could sense the presence of more undead within. He destroyed several groups, most of them being smaller creatures relying on ambush and surprise to fell their foes. They were no match for the profane blade that emerged from the very darkness that hid them. Alphonse thought he was doing a great job destroying the profane creatures when he realized that something wasn't right. He swept back across one of the tunnels on his way to another branch, when he felt a familiar presence. The undead creatures were right back where they had been. Waiting for the hapless living to wander by.
"Fuck. Okay, Alphonse, where do we go to find the anchor for a continual animation spell?" Alphonse muttered to himself before he struck one of the hidden undead creatures, this time watching the broken twisted green animus flow through the air, moving down one tunnel like smoke in a coal mine.

"That way." Alphonse followed the trail of ashe, occasionally destroying other undead to get a sense of the direction to the center of the spell. Soon he found himself within a huge chamber, stairs leading up in terraced steps, revealing row upon row of cages. The main dungeons. Against one wall was nothing. Nothing to anyone who was not one with darkness. There, melded into the walls was a massive mummified figure bedecked in heavy armor. Between it's legs lay a massive blade, its pommel held in a relaxed stance in the giants hands.

Alphonse gestured silently in a tunnel off of the main chamber. Sousiel emerged from the shadows, lying down on her side, a bored expression on her face.

"Are we done here yet?" she asked

"Almost, this place is built to bite us all in the ass while we're trying to plumb their fortress.
We need to take out that giant over there to bring it all crashing down."

Sousiel looked into the massive dungeon, following his finger. She squinted, then looked from left to right. "um...what giant? If you're teasing me, I'm taking it out of your blood."

"It's hidden, doofus. I'll rouse it out of it's hiding spot, get ready to hulk out and help me kill it."

"oh, ok." Sousiel smiled in anticipation, it had been far too long since she had had a good fight. Almost more than a few hours.

Alphonse cracked his neck in preparation, the sound of popping joints silenced by his sorcery. He climbed to the ceiling, if he was lucky, he could pierce the giant's skull with the profaned blade and banish this spell without a struggle. He leaped from the air, falling down on the slumbering giant, his blade poised to pierce its skull .

Luck was not with Alphonse that day, as his insides were suddenly filled with a cold silver blade. Alphonse tumbled out of the air, barely catching himself on the skull of the massive giant. He looked up to see a dark shape falling back into the darkness, a silver sword clutched in his hand. Alphonse didn't even have the time to curse though, as the behemoth beneath him stirred, Alphonse leaped from its crown, trailing blood behind him. He landed roughly on the ground in a roll. Not far enough to avoid the massive blade crashing down on him.

The wall of steel never quite reached him though, as the giant stumbled back, after receiving a monstrous beast directly to the vertebrae beneath its ribcage. Sousiel's scaled monstrous form clawed at the giant's bones, cracking bone, trying to focus enough damage on a single segment to sever the beast in two. As she did, the giant reached down and wrapped its hands around the beast, and its own spine, trying to pin her in pace. With the sinuous grace of a cat, or maybe a serpent, she evaded his grasp, but had to give ground. As the two faced off, their battle began in earnest.

Alphonse did not have the luxury to behold the massive spectacle of the two monsters trading blows, as he was busy preventing himself from bleeding to death, and keeping an eye out for that motherfucking cock nobbling wraith with a thrice cursed silver sword...... Never mind that. The presence of the other blade didn't deaden his powers too much, though the cut in his side was preventing him from melding fully into the shadows. He kept his eyes peeled, his awareness of darkness spread out, the only light in the darkness were the flickering flames surrounding Sousiel's body, guttering and flaring with the tide of her battle. If Alphonse couldn't see the shade's next attack coming, he was done for.

There. A glint of light within the shadow, the shadow's silver weapon glinting in the light of demonic flame. It was rushing at Sousiel, who was digging into the giant's neck. Alphonse couldn't get there in time.

That's what Steve was for. Suddenly, the shade's earnest glide stopped, as if clotheslined by the blade it held. There, it's blade was grasped by the muscled hand of Steve: now standing manifested, his body clad in bloody armor. He threw the sword to the ground, closer to Alphonse, taking the shade with it. Alphonse didn't lose a moment, rushing the downed opponent, thrusting with his blade. The Wraith was nimble, and flowed like smoke, receiving only a glancing wound, its ephemeral flesh flaring with deep red light as the profaned blade tasted its form. It tried to skitter away, but Steve was on its other side, flanking the flighty adversary.

The shade reared up, the flowing darkness that made up its body swelling outward, whirling like independent blades of its own, its skeletal limbs stretched out, giving it huge reach. Steve and Alphonse approached the creature warily, each of them eying the silver blade it held in the center of its mass, prepared to strike at any opening. Steve approached first, swinging a sword of darkness into the creature. It blocked his strike, its long limbs keeping him at bay even as Alphonse approached with the profane blade. He struck the creature, rending it deeply, but not a mortal wound, he could not pierce its defenses, always wary of the silver blade. As Alphonse tried to strike true, the shade contorted, parrying his strike with its own blade, and driving both into Steve. The shade grasped the hilt of the sword, and tore outward, splitting Steve the shade in two. The shade had to drop the profaned blade, as it hissed and stung its hand. Alphonse was forced to give ground, as the shade turn on him, the sword it still held darting out again and again. Alphonse blocked its strikes ably with his buckler, but he was giving ground all the time. Finally, Alphonse fell back as far as he could go, his back to the wall. The shade struck out with its sword, Alphonse tried to block with his buckler, but could not raise it in time, it slid past his guard and took the arm at the shoulder. Before the shade could pull its blade free for a killing blow, a dark red light, followed by a silver blade erupted from its core an inch from Alphonse's own heart. As the rest of the shade's body erupted in dark red fire the blade fell to the ground, and Alphonse could see Steve lying on the ground, a blazing stump for an arm that had been used to hurl the blade.

Alphonse looked from Steve to his own arm. "At least yours will come back."

Alphonses could not continue with any more quips, as a savage roar shook the wall near them. The giant's spine had finally been broken, it rested on its rib cage, Sousiel was in its grasp, roaring in pain as the giant swung her by her hind legs into the ground, then smashing her with its other hand. Trying to snuff the life from her as if she were a cockroach.

Alphonse lifted up the profaned sword, and rushed the giant. He leaped once more. This time, his aim was true. His blade pierced the giant's skull, shattering it as it pierced, annihilating the sorceries holding the behemoth together.

With the spell reinforcing the castle's undead finally destroyed, Alphonse took a knee, clutching what was left of his ruined arm.

[color=ed145b]"Hey, Sousiel, are you okay?"[/color

"I-I...Lorelai..?" Sousiel coughed, a trickle of blood forming at the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were glazed. "W-where are we?... I-it's dark.."

"No, Sousiel, it's Al. Come on buddy, you're gonna be okay." Alphonse realized that Sousiel was almost certainly not okay. "Here, have some blood, I can spare a few ounces." He tried to shake some blood from the end of his stump into her mouth.

Sousiel lazily chased the droplets with her tongue. "I'm dying... aren't I Al?" Her face paled as she shivered. "I...Don't wanna die..."

Alphonse wrapped his one good arm around Sousiel's scaly neck. "Yeah, you're dying. Sorry buddy. I hope whatever you've got waiting for you isn't horrible." Alphonse spoke clearly, his voice not cracking once, even as tears streamed down his face onto the dragon cat thing's neck. "I'll miss you buddy."

"That old black dark huh?" Sousiel managed a small smile as one of her hands made a fist that never quite reached Al's shoulder. "M-make sure Lady Lorelai makes it out Al...It's..been good." Her eyes fluttered closed for the last time.

Alphonse kneeled beside her for a time. Unmoving as her body dissolved into black smoke which flowed around him. Eventually, he stood, grasping his bad arm, he folded Steve into his own shadow, and limped down the tunnels. There was no light here to shine the tears on his face.

Spells in the Dark (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

_{A collab feat. @Meiyuki}

"Gross"

Lorelai stepped into her tent, after the march. She had been covering a great number issues. She was met in her tent by a bubbling pile of meat. She stared at it for a moment. The pile squirted a small geyser of blood into the air, bathing the mound in a dark copper red reminiscent of an especially ugly volcanic island.

"I got a present for ya." Alphonse said, suddenly visible to Lorelai's left.

Lorelai frowned slightly at the pile of...person? That Alphonse had evidently deigned to leave in her tent. "More for Sousiel to clean I guess." She turned to Alphonse. "Next time flowers will suffice, but in all seriousness what is that?"

Alphonse held up a common daisy from behind his back. "That, is the Hunter party's glorious leader. He's durable. I had to bathe him in oil and fire before we set out this morning, just in case. Steve says he's a vampire. Any of that tell you anything?"

Lorelai took the daisy and feigned swooning, rolling her eyes heavily. Turning back towards the pile of vampire she nodded. "That explains a few things." Stepping forward she removed her ritual dagger and began cutting listlessly at the mound of flesh. "That, my dear Alphonse, is a Ruvin. Their damnable regeneration is why we're here."

"Did you notice none of the hunters routed last night?" Lorelai punctuated her point with a vicious stab before she returned the dagger to its sheath. "The captive we had at the castle hinted at their talent for magic, I guess we can confirm that."

"I did, in fact, I didn't know vampires could put someone under their thrall like that. What's so special about these guys? I've never seen anything come back from charcoal before. Unless you count the fire elemental." Alphonse shrugged after his anecdote.

Lorelai favored Alphonse with a wry smile before continuing. "They claim to be the predecessors to the Ruvina witch dynasty, and to have a compliment of magical talents." She explained as she dug through the notes in her scroll case. "Their regeneration not only foils mundane destruction, but also defeats all of the hexes available to me in the library as well as a few that demons treasure."

Lorelai removed a sketch of their seal - a black raven silhouetted against a full moon - and handed it to Alphonse. "Vampire's are well known for their thralls, but they didn't even seem aware of their forced allegiance. I guess we know this one's talent don't we."

"Sure glad it wasn't ice breath." Alphonse said wryly. "We should ask his friends what their special tricks are then, I suppose. You mentioned that their regeneration was the reason we were here? So there's a way to stop it. How'd you come by that intel if I may be so bold?"

"You'd be surprised to find how difficult it can be to interrogate someone who doesn't fear death." Lorelai sighed. "I'm putting some stock in the claim that these Ruvins are the same ones Vespa told me about. Evidently the Ruvina scriptorium houses information on the old family, but to be honest Al?"

Lorelai turned a frustrated gaze towards her companion. "We're here because Medusa hasn't offered me the time to follow any other lead. I'd sent off to a scholar of some note, someone I'd worked with in the past. I'm going to be unfortunately mirthful if the information we find here is mirrored - or even improved on - by his reply.

"Ok, so we're out here on a potentially pointless mission, fighting unexpected mega vampires. Important question: how close are these Ruvin vamps with the Ruvina? Was this guy on his way up to meet with the great, great, great grandkids and offer them a sacrifice of hunters? Or maybe they've experienced a schism?

"I've no idea, although the idea of them working together had crossed my mind." Lorelai rested her face in her hands. "Although I would think a force this size may have served as a very nice offering. I've got a couple of salt-the-earth style pacts up my sleeve if that fear materializes."

"I'll need you on your toes though." Lorelai turned to Alphonse. "If it is as I fear and these Ruvins are working with their successors then you'll have to be the one to slip in and steal what we need, otherwise we'll have to siege one of the best defended keeps in this region."

Alphonse let out a long sigh. "I was really hoping for a happy family reunion between Vespa and her folks. I'm going to guess that her family doesn't have any softer constitution than she does though, so yeah, I'll be on my toes." Alphonse turned to the disgusting display he had left in her tent. The flesh had dug its way into the ground, as if planting roots. "So, no waking up mister disgusting meat pile then? Maybe we can find out if he's allied with the Ruvina at least?"

"We might, you have a way with people that I just don't." Lorelai rested a pre-emptively consoling hand on Alphonse's shoulder. "I'll leave that to you? As you might imagine managing this little expedition has been a nightmare."

"As you say, my lady murder buddy." Alphonse smiled at her with the familiar term. His face turned somber almost immediately after. "I suppose I'll introduce him to darkness, my old friend."

Spells in the Dark (18+ For dark and suggestive themes)

@wildeyes Um I don't think you were cleared, I know your new and all, but word of advice, don't post in the Character sheet section until cleared. Unless you talked to @meiyuki and she cleared you with out me knowning.

@Aerandir

Yeah, Meiyuki approved me. Sorry if I should have applied elsewhere, to keep people informed better

Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

Cool, I'll make some changes later tonight and rethink the demon companion concept. Thanks for having me!