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`You must take its head!' screams Worriil. `That's the only way you can destroy the avatar!'

  `Don't rush me!' replies Khargun. `Just use your goddamn magic!'

  `I already expended much of my power just to conjure this protective spell, now do as I say!'

  `He's right, Sewareld.' says Jenathar. `We must wear down Th'Mesh with our magic. Before time runs out! Try to cast a disintegration ray! That could possibly even destroy the avatar.'

  `I don't have enough magical energy for that any more!' replies Worriil.

  `Well neither do I. The warding spell took a lot of effort.'

  `Did it? You don't seem to have spent as much magical energy on it as I have!'

  `There is no time for this now! We must destroy Th'Mesh! Use whatever spells you are still able to cast! We don't have much time.'

  Worriil looks at the human for a few seconds with a silent, angry stare. Then he just nods.

  `We'll speak of this after the battle is over.' he says, and then he turns towards Th'Mesh and begins casting some spell.

  Khargun and Achmor in the mean time are laying the smack down on Th'Mesh. They cut the demon wherever they can, and the demon still can't injure them. Their attacks have drawn so much blood by now that I can barely fathom how the demon is still standing, let alone fighting. Truly, Th'Mesh is immensely powerful.

  In the back, Worriil and Jenathar both cast offensive spells at Th'Mesh. Worriil shoots a thin green beam of light at the demon, while Jenathar fires a small glowing orb at it. Whatever these spells are, they seem to harm the beast, but the pain they inflict does not seem to even faze it. The two mages cast another round of spells. Jenathar fires a multitude of small flaming needles towards the demon, while Worriil creates half a dozen shards of metal and hurls them at the beast. All these magical projectiles speed unerringly towards the demon, and strike into it. The flaming needles don't seem to have any effect, but Worriil's metal shards certainly do. They cut deep into Th'Mesh, and the demon becomes visibly frustrated.

  Encouraged by this recent success, Worriil casts a dozen more metal shards and sends them flying towards Th'Mesh. Jenathar tries a different kind of spell, creating some kind of yellow magical missile and hurling it at the beast. This new spell seems to effect the demon, but not as much as Worriil's metal shards.

  As the newly conjured shards shred into Th'Mesh, the demon lets out a scream of rage. Achmor and Khargun are still vigorously attacking the beast, but clearly it's Worriil's spell that frustrates the demon. The night elf wizard conjures not one, but two dozen shards this time, and hurls them simultaneously at Th'Mesh.

  The demon screams in tremendous anger as the shards pierce its flesh. With a forceful strike of its arms, Th'Mesh pushes Achmor and Khargun aside, runs towards Worriil, and attacks him. The shield still protects the archmage, but the demon's attack knocks him to the ground. Th'Mesh begins pounding on Worriil's magical shield.

  `Kill it! Kill it!' screams Worriil to Achmor and Khargun. The dwarf and the orc rush to his aid and viciously attack the demon. They cut and thrust their weapons into the beast where they can, but still the demon doesn't appear to weaken. Soon they will run out of time...

  Jenathar fires another magical projectile at the beast, and Worriil also casts some kind of spell from the ground. The spells hit the beast, but they don't seem to slow it down. Worriil then whispers some magic words, and his hands take on a greenish glow. He grabs the demon's arm as Th'Mesh strikes towards him.

  The demon screams aloud, and pulls its arm away from the archmage. Looks like a greenishly glowing tattoo of sorts appeared on its arm where Worriil touched it. The demon moves away from Worriil. It seems like either this spell had a strong effect on Th'Mesh, or all the injuries finally accumulated to a point where the demon is starting to fall weak.

  `Sewareld, what did you do?' asks Jenathar.

  `Symbol of Power.' says Worriil. Now what the Hell does that mean?

  `Which one?' asks Jenathar.

  `Torment!' shouts Worriil, and he stands up and moves towards Th'Mesh. Jenathar does the same. The demon turns towards them and prepares to strike towards the two wizards. Both mages whisper some words, and their hands begin to glow green. They each grasp an arm of Th'Mesh as the beast strikes towards them, and once again the demon screams in pain. It even begins to convulse. The two wizards step back, and they both fire a multitude of different magical missiles at it. Worriil shoots bluishly glowing ones, while Jenathar fires reddish ones.

  The magic missiles tear into the flesh of the demon. Khargun and Achmor advance on the beast and attack it once more. Khargun drives his sword into the demon's gut, and Th'Mesh bends over. Achmor swings his axe into the demon's back, and it falls down to the ground. It rolls onto its back. It breathes and moves, but it seems to be in great pain, and seems unable to attack.

  `Finally, and not a moment too soon!' exclaims Worriil as Th'Mesh falls. A second later, the glowing magical shields around him and the other Councilors simply vanish.

  `How come the Torment Symbol affected the cursed beast so badly?' asks Jenathar.

  `I don't know.' says Worriil. `It shouldn't have. Demons possess tremendous pain tolerance. I guess we simply inflicted so many injuries on the avatar that once the Symbol magnified all the pain that came with them, the demon just couldn't handle it any more. Strange... No matter! Achmor! Khargun! Kill it! Now!'

  `With pleasure!' says Khargun, and strikes his sword deep into the chest of the fallen demon. Achmor raises his battleaxe high, and strikes towards the neck of Th'Mesh. A second later, the mighty demon's head is severed from its neck.

  `There! We'll have a real nice feast tonight, just as I said we would!' says Achmor with a wide smile.

  The demon has fallen, but now one of the Councilors lies dead, and the rest have been severely weakened. I notice how Jason, hidden in his shadow, creeps up on them...

  `Where is the assassin?' asks Khargun.

  `No idea.' replies Achmor. Then, he opens his mouth as if to say something more, but he doesn't manage to say it. Jason appears right behind him, sword in hand, and he stabs the dwarf in the back. His sword cuts through Achmor's plate armor like paper. The dwarf groans in pain as the tip of Jason's sword comes out of his chest. Jason twists the sword, and pulls it out. Achmor falls and twitches on the ground for a few seconds, then becomes motionless. He is dead.

  `Puny human! I will slay you!' screams Khargun, and he attacks Jason.

  He slashes his sword towards Jason's head, but Jase quickly parries and counterattacks. His sword cuts deep into the orc's left shoulder, and Khargun groans in pain. He tries to strike Jason again, but once again Jase parries his blow with ease. A quick slash, and Jason cuts deep into Khargun's right forearm.

  The orc drops his sword and grabs the wound with his left hand. He backs away from Jason, not taking his eyes off him for even a second.

  `No! I will not be killed by a human! I will not allow it!'

  I creep behind him in mist shape, and quickly assume my normal shape. I grab him from behind, and forcefully turn him to face me.

  `Fine, be killed by an elf-turned-vampire then!' I tell him, and I sink my teeth in his neck.

  He does not scream, yet it must hurt. A proud orc warrior he is, indeed. But now he will die.

  I withdraw my teeth from his neck, and turn aside, spitting.

  `Disgusting!'

  Then I turn back to him, grab his head, and forcefully twist it. His neck snaps, and he falls, dead.

  Three down, and two to go...

  I glance around and seek the two archmages. Jenathar stands in the far corner of the chamber, but Worriil is just ten feet away. He will be next.

  *

  I move towards Worriil, ready to attack. He stands steadfast, but looks to have suffered the effects of previous fight against Th'Mesh significantly. He looks weak, and unsure of himself. But arrogant as ever.

  `You don't really think you can defeat me, do you?' he sneers. `I destroyed the avatar of Th'Mesh, you a
re no match for me!'

  `You didn't seem to have dealt the killing blow, Sewareld...' I tell him. `Without the orc and the dwarf, you'd have died by now. And guess what, they're not gonna save you any more!'

  `I will still destroy you.' he says, and then he points at me. He summons what magical power he has left, and shoots a bolt of lightning at me. I don't even try to jump away, I let it strike me.

  The lightning crackles throughout my body, causing great pain. It makes me cringe, but it can't kill me. A few seconds pass, and my body stops shaking. The pain is gone. I arise and advance on Worriil.

  `Die, you abomination! Die!' he screams, and he fires another lightning bolt at me. The previous scene repeats itself, but this time I do not even cringe. I stand tall and let the lightning briefly shake my body, and as it fades away, I advance further on the night elf wizard. He desperately fires another spell at me, this time some reddishly glowing magic missile. It strikes me in the chest, and sends a wave of enormous pain through my entire body. It's so immense that it makes me stop in my tracks. It fades after a few seconds, and I march forward once more.

  `This cannot be! Why won't you die? Why... won't... you... die?!' he screams, and he pulls some wand out of his belt.

  He is too late. I'm far too close to him now. I lunge forward and grab his wand. I pull it out of his hand.

  `What do you want to do with it?' he sneers. `You don't know how to activate it.'

  `I don't need to.' I tell him in reply, and I grab both ends of the wand, and raise it to face height. `Let's see how strong your body is, Sewareld.'

  `Nooooo!' he screams, as he realizes what I'm about to do. But he can't stop me. With a vicious smirk on my face, I break Worriil's wand.

  The stick snaps easily, and a powerful force blows us both away as the wand explodes. I change to mist form as fast as I can, and so I escape relatively unscathed. Worriil however is blown forcefully against a wall of the chamber. He falls to the ground, but he still lives. He slowly stands up and stumbles forward. His entire face is covered in blood, countless wounds litter his body. He's as good as dead, but somehow his magic keeps him alive still, and he is still able to walk.

  I assume my normal shape and slowly move towards him. He sees me, and after a few more steps he stops. I swiftly run to him and grab him, attempting to sink my teeth in his neck. Somehow he pushes me away, probably with the aid of his magic.

  `No! I will not die like the orc!' he screams. `You will not have my blood, you abomination!'

  `I have already beaten you, Sewareld.' I tell him. `It's only a matter of time before I deal the killing blow. But do keep struggling, please! It will not be such a glorious hunt if you just lay down and die. Then again, why would you? You've the pride of a night elf, you sick bastard! You won't lay down, not even now.

  Good! It's good, because I want you to struggle!'

  He stares at me with eyes full of anger. He slowly raises his hands, like he is about to cast some spell. Then he groans in pain, and I see Jason's figure emerge from behind him. The tip of his sword is now protruding out of Worriil's chest.

  `Well... You got your wish. You didn't end up like the orc. You ended up like the dwarf...' I tell him, as he stares forward in disbelief. Jason pulls out his sword, and with a quick motion of his hand, he swings the blade towards Worriil's neck. A moment later, the head of the night elf falls to the ground.

  `You know, Jase, normally I'd be angry with you for stealing my trophy, but with him... I'm not. He deserved to die by your hand. You have done a great service to the elven nation today, Jase! Do you know that?'

  He stares at me, and then glances around.

  `Where is Jenathar?'

  I look around, but cannot spot him.

  `He was here a second ago...'

  Now that I think about it, he was surprisingly inactive while I fought Worriil. Why didn't he even raise a finger to defend the night elf?

  Suddenly a powerful unseen force grabs me and tosses me against the wall, and Jenathar appears just in front of Jason. He swiftly strikes with the tip of his staff towards Jase. There is a small, purplishly glowing blade at the end of the staff. It is no more than an inch long, but it seems very sharp. He cuts into Jason with this blade, and Jason screams in pain. He falls to the ground.

  `Jase! No! You bastard, I'll kill you for this!'

  I try to move but Jenathar's spell keeps me pinned against the wall. Jason slowly arises from the ground. Kneeling, he stares up at the old mage full of anger. I can see that he is in great pain.

  Curse you, Jenathar! I will kill you for this...

  `You... You let them all die...' says Jason. `Just so you could... take me by surprise... I should have known...'

  `Surprised? Don't be.' says Jenathar. `I tried my best to conserve my energy for this outcome. Fortunately, Worriil and the others managed to deal with your father. Now, we're done.'

  `No we are not... Not until you die!'

  `Jason, I've just drained a part of your demonic essence. The procedure left you so weak, you can't even stand up. What do you want to do?'

  Jase stares at him angrily and tries to stand up. But the cursed wizard was right, he is still too weak. I must help him.

  The spell won't let me get away from the wall, but perhaps if I change shape...

  I quickly change into mist form, and Jenathar's spell presses me completely against the wall. In this gaseous form, I try to escape by, so to speak, sliding along the side of the wall. It seems to be working... I crawl further and further, and a few meters away I find that Jenathar's spell does not extend that far. Here, I quickly assume my normal shape, and I run towards the archmage.

  I jump up, and attempt to kick him in the back of the head. A magical shield lights up around him and protects him from my attack, but he is knocked off his feet by the impact.

  `You? How?' he asks, but I do not bother to reply. I attack him, striking his magical shield with my vicious vampire claws.

  `I'm gonna kill you, you son of a bitch! I'm gonna suck you dry!'

  Jenathar waves his hand towards me and a powerful gust of wind throws me off him. I land several feet away on the ground. I quickly jump up, and find Jenathar standing and aiming his staff at me. A moment later, a yellow colored magic ray shoots out of the staff and strikes into my chest. For a moment I feel very weak, but as the ray disappears, I regain my strength. I rush towards Jenathar.

  The archmage looks at me surprised, then he aims the staff at me again and fires it again. Once again, for a brief moment I feel weak, but it passes fast. A second later I stand before Jenathar, and I begin pounding on his magical shield. It doesn't seem to be weakening.

  What can I say, I sure could use those weapons that Jason got from Aaron...

  Wait a minute. That's not a bad idea! I forcefully kick towards Jenathar and the impact knocks him to the ground. I jump to Jason, and kneel beside him.

  `Jase, hand me the weapons Aaron gave you!'

  He slowly reaches behind his cloak and pulls out the weapons from his belt. He gives them to me.

  `How do I use them?'

  `Just aim, and pull the trigger. Like a crossbow. But hold it steady.'

  `Got it.'

  I arise, and aim the weapons at Jenathar. The archmage is standing once more, and he is pointing his staff towards me. But I pull the trigger of these strange weapons before he could fire another spell at me. A moment later, a barrage of lead bullets overwhelms the archmage, and his shield shows signs of weakening. Jenathar realizes this, and he makes some gestures with his hands, probably to restrengthen his shield.

  I keep firing at him, and the shield slowly keeps getting weaker and weaker. I think I like these weapons...

  Long seconds pass, and suddenly the weapons go silent. They probably need to be reloaded. I turn towards Jason.

  `Jase, I need to reload them!'

  Before he could reply, Jenathar casts another spell at me. He fires a ball of ice at me, and it tosses me away, against the wall. T
he ice freezes me in place, and pins me to the wall. Fortunately, my left arm is still free. I begin pounding on the ice, to break free. The ice starts to crack, but just slightly. It will take a while to break free.

  Jenathar sighs, sounding like he is relieved. He turns towards one of the Gateways.

  `I won't let you get away!' screams Jason, and somehow he stands up and stumbles towards Jenathar. The archmage fires the yellow ray from his staff at him, and Jason falls on his knees. Then Jenathar turns back to the Gateway. He touches both halves of the frame once, and waves his hand in a complex way. A moment later, a Portal opens.

  `You are both much stronger than I anticipated. Much stronger!' he says. `But I have what I need, and time works for me from here on. Until we meet again...'

  He turns towards the Gateway and steps through it.

  `You son of a bitch! You cowardly son of a bitch!' I exclaim, as the Portal closes behind Jenathar.

  I keep pounding on the ice, and finally it shatters. I am free. But I was too late to stop Jenathar from escaping.

  `Help me up, quick! Help me to the Gateway! Maybe I can still open a Portal after him.' says Jason. I help him to his feet, and help him walk to the Gateway. He presses his right palm against the frame of the Gateway for a minute or so, then he shakes his head.

  `No use. I can't open it. He's gone... He got away again! Again!'

  `Don't worry, Jase! We'll get him. The Multiverse is too small for him to hide.'

  `He won't hide... He'll be waiting for me. He needs all the demonic essence I have. All of it.'

  `Where did he go?'

  `I do not know. Let me catch my breath, and then we'll return to Aurach's castle. If anyone can find out where Jenathar went, it's him. Once he finds that bastard for me...'

  `We will finish what we started. Right, Jase?'

  `Yes.' he says, nodding. `We'll finish what we started...'

  Deception

  Somewhere in the Demonic Planes, present day (1 year, 1 month, and 7 days before Twilightfall)

  It is done... At last, it is done!

  Sewareld is dead. The danger has passed, for now. But what is even more important...