Grim Views

The Immortalis

Danlily / Clys - December 3, 2005

In every society that lives in the history of a world and its
people, there can be found secret societies hiding nestled in the
shadows of “civilized” people. One such society found its birth
the day the elves met the death of their immortality. The loss of
that immortality was mourned so profoundly by those weeping, that
one small group swore an allegiance with each other that holds
strong past the first generation. It is founded on tears,
cemented with blood, and sealed with a brand that each member
wears, the brand of the Immortalis. Should anyone find their way
deep into that inner circle, accept the branding of their flesh,
uniting and signaling each to another with that symbol, it is
impossible to leave. Once they are so marked and are an active
member to that inner core, there is no going back, no changing of
one’s mind. They are either members, or they are marked for swift
death.

Danlily’s brand had long since healed, though the scar of course,
still showed plainly the symbol of the Immortalis if one knew
where to look for it. She cannot remember never having the scar
of burned flesh. They had branded her at her birth. She was one
of the secret-born for the specific purpose of serving the
Immortalis. The sudden upswing in embarrassing half breed births
among the nobles, the sacrificing of their reputations and honor
among their peers, all were for a worthy cause and the long term
goal of the Immortalis.

The House of Nex'Cruor, directly descended from Queen Azshara,
had to suffer no such sacrifices. At least one great noble house
had to remain unquestionably loyal to the Sin`Dorei cause as a
whole, had to remain a leader among the circle of the highest
born if the Immortalis was going to maintain the greatest
support, albeit secret support of the most powerful of their
race.

Each House who made up the membership of the Immortalis had to
send an agent into the world at large. Those important houses
that did not suffer the half-breed births such as House Nex'Cruor
made use of half-breeds born of the other houses. With House
DeStrasza bearing the half-troll twins of Danji and Danlily, the
extra agent was sent to House Nex'Cruor for their use. Danlily
was a young girl barely ripening into womanhood when she was sent
to House Nex'Cruor, but ripe enough to catch the eye of one Clys
Nex'Cruor, high noble daughter to Baron Nex'Cruor and descendant
of the royal line of Nex'Cruor. Danlily’s mother was beside
herself with greedful glee and made the girl swear that she would
continue to report to her as well as to the House Nex’Cruor, and
Danlily dutifully did so, as long as such information did not
compromise her new Mistress whom she had quickly fallen under the
spell of.

Danlily sat thinking of her people’s history, how they had taken
back their beloved Quel’Thalas. She thought of the Sin`Dorei’s
rebuilding of Silvermoon. She remembered the fury of her mother
at one point or another as the politicians fought at the terms of
the treaty being prepared to take to the Forsaken’s Sylvanas. She
remembered watching from dark corners as her new Mistress, Clys
Nex'Cruor stood among those politicians representing her grand
House. Clys commanded the room with a cold, quiet power,
hypnotizing opponents with the rhythm of her words, soothingly
convincing any who could hear her voice that whatever words she
spoke surely had to be truth and wisdom. Danlily shivered in
remembrance of the power Cly held over the others as she spoke in
those political chambers. It was with the same cool, quiet power
that Clys had led the Immortalis.

When Clys had disappeared, the Immortalis had feared the worst.
When she had reappeared but with no memory of what or who she
fully was, the Immortalis erupted into chaos. An undead could no
longer lead the Sin`Dorei’s secret society. Fighting had begun
over who take command of the Immortalis in the wake of Clys’
demise. When Danlily found Clys again, she was first ordered to
leave Clys be, to not tamper with what was. Clys was undead now
and could not lead the Immortalis, they said. It was better that
Clys not remember. Besides, Danlily was merely an agent. She had
no power to make decisions and it was their decision that Danlily
just let it be. The Immortalis would find new leadership and they
would survive as they had ever since the Sundering.

Danlily played with a piece of paper in her hand; idly playing
with a fortune she’d received at the Darkmoon Faire. “Sayge’s
Fortune #16, The time will soon come for you to make a choice in
a pressing matter,” it read. Clys remembered her now. She was
starting to remember Kitsu. More memories returned to her every
day. One day Clys would remember it all. Would Clys forgive
Danlily for not telling her? Could Danlily go on keeping
something so important from her Mistress? Clys was and would
always be her Mistress for as long as Clys would have her and
though Danlily had been born to serve the Immortalis, she found
her loyalty came to Clys first.

Danlily read the fortune again. She pressed her lips firm as she
reached her decision. Her Mistress had to know the full extent of
who she was and could still be. Clys had to retain her seat as
the leader of the Immortalis. Until now Danlily had always been
loyal in her orders to the secret society she had been born to
serve. Her soul told her she now served a more important purpose,
to protect Clys and the House Nex'Cruor and return their power to
the head of the Immortalis.

A page from Clys' journal:

I sat up awake tonight for a long time after Danlily had fallen
asleep. I sat near her, letting my fingers move gently across the
smooth skin of her shoulder and arm. I breathed in the warm
fragrance that always surrounds her, and I cast my mind back,
willfully seeking the old memories, the ones I lost when I died.

Danlily has done me a great service. She has held my memories for
me. And now, with her words, and her devotion, she has given them
back to me. The important things have all returned. I know who I
was. I remember my name, my family, and my position. I am the
leader of The Immortalis. I see no reason why death should change
this.

It's ironic, in a way. For years I have led a group that seeks to
find immortality, and now I have indeed found it! I wonder how
many of my followers would be willing to follow me into it,
seeing what I've become? But that doesn't matter, for although I
am now immortal myself, I still have not the slightest clue about
how it was accomplished. I still cannot pass the secret on. My
people are still mortal. And, worst of all, the one thing I don't
let myself dwell upon -- Danlily is still mortal.

She lies beside me now, happy and content and so completely mine,
just as she has been since I first touched her. She was mine
before that, I know, but it was the touch that confirmed it. She
was so young and innocent, and so willing! And I took her to
myself and showed her the depths of herself, and in the process I
found the depths of my own soul as well.

I cannot lose her. I will not! The Immortalis cannot defy me. I
am still Clys Nex'Cruor, and they will follow me or die. They
will follow me, and they will worship me, and they will help me
find what I must find.

Life. Eternal.

A page from Clys' journal:

I met with my subordinates in The Immortalis today. I found it
amusing. I could sense their petty revulsion when they first saw
me. They tried to hide it behind polite words and expressions,
but they failed. They sat there in their comfortable beauty, and
they were horrified to look upon me. I could hear their soft
murmurs to each other, my newly keen hearing going beyond even
their elven abilities. They thought me a monster. They were
dismayed by my outward appearance. They were sure that they could
never follow me again.

Until I spoke. As always, their minds and emotions were mine to
control, and I wove my spell of words upon them, telling them of
all the possibilities. I bade them to look closely at me, to look
beyond the seeming corruption of my body. In the end, they
recognized that my power has not been diminished by my undeath,
it has been multiplied a hundred fold. They all knelt before me,
begging me to show them the way, pledging their unending support
to the cause.

After all, is it not wisdom for me to ally myself with the only
race that is already immortal? Beauty is in the eye of the
beholder, they say, and there is eternity before me to change and
manipulate things until I am what I wish to be. They agreed with
me that The Forsaken are bound to be our best teachers and
allies, and that The Lady Sylvanus is the key.

The rest of The Horde will no doubt also prove useful, perhaps
more than their petty minds see at this time. There is much to be
learned from the shamans and druids of the Tauren, for example,
and the mages, warlocks, and priests of the various races hold
much knowledge of the forces of life and death. Even the
magicless hunters and warriors and rogues have power and
knowledge that can serve us. I myself, while not wielding magic
in as direct a way as a mage, make use of the arcane and the
natural. Even the shadows speak to me, and the mana in the blood
of my enemies strengthens my spirit.

The Grim have a special place in all this. They are perfectly
situated to serve as a power base, and a learning resource. And,
considering what the goals of The Immortalis are, I suspect that
many of the members of The Grim will be interested. Everyone
wants immortality. I will find those who are willing to seek for
it, and join them to our cause.

Before I left the meeting, I had each and every one of them step
forward, kneel before me, and kiss my bony toes in obeisance. Not
one of them recoiled. This is as it should be.

[Danlily]

“You did what?!?” the bloodelf woman shouted. Danlily cringed at
her mother’s displeasure but inwardly she feared more the
reaction she was going to get from her mistress, Clys.

“I couldn’t help it, mother. Karkarov is a friend. He’s a guild
brother, it slipped out and I told him and the guild that I am
half blood-elf….” started Danlily.

“He’s a member of a guild you were sent to infiltrate, to spy on,
to find out if they could be trusted,” finished the youthful
looking matron of the DeStrasza house. “You aren’t there to...”

“A moment, love,” a man quietly spoke. Slowly he edged himself
from the shadows. Danlily’s eyes grew wide at the sight of him.
She knew her mother had a secret lover, she thought she knew who,
but him?

The tall Sin`Dorei put a finger to his lip in thought. “Our race
is to be allied with the Horde, that much is certain. What we,
the Immortalis are looking for is a special group within that
Horde that we can align ourselves with, people who can accept
our…special needs. Furthermore, the Grim’s leader, a Forsaken, is
known to be very loyal to the Royal Apothecary Society. Our
secret ties with the RAS, their lobbying for us to be accepted by
Sylvanus has been crucial. Their research skills are stellar and
their methods and ethics, well, the RAS and Maledictus can both
be quoted with “any means necessary,” he grinned evilly. "Is that
not our own motto? Immortality by any means necessary? Only a
fool would assume that Maledictus has not been privy to the
secret meetings on the Sin`Dorei treaty with his Dark Lady.
Furthermore, I would not put it past him to know already of the
Immortalis because of his ties with the RAS."

The highborn blood elf circled the room slowly as he spoke. The
DeStrasza’s were nobles, but had fallen on hard times here and
there, struggled to keep what they had. Having to bear the
half-breeds, Danji and Danlily, did not leave the reputation of
House DeStrasza any better and the wine sales had dropped despite
the quality of the vintages. The highborn continued to circle the
room, drumming his finger to his lips as he thought.

It was a tricky web he had been weaving, secretly pulling the
House DeStrasza down without their knowledge, down enough that
their young matron would seek his help. He had to keep just the
right balance so that their disgraces did not hurt the reputation
of the House Nex`Cruor when he sprung his “rescue” on their House
by taking it away from them.

“Danlily," the man said with a fatherly smile, "tell my daughter
that I approve of you revealing yourself to The Grim. If the Grim
can accept that you, one who is half-blood elf lives among them,
if they can accept that blood elves are coming to the Horde, it
may be time to take the next step and reveal ourselves to them.
That will be my daughter’s final decision of course, as is
anything in regard to the Immortalis, but as her father, tell her
that she has the full support of her family’s House."

He turned to face the window, gazing on the land what would soon
be his if all continued to move well. He kept his back to the two
women as he smiled with devious pleasure at the success of his
manipulations. Things were moving along nicely, nicely indeed.

[Clys]

Clys descended the dark stone stairway, which was unlighted by
any torches. She could see quite well in the shadows, and she
knew the way. As she approached the locked door, she could hear a
few low moans coming from within. She grinned to herself, her
small fangs poking over her lower lip.

She unlocked the heavy steel door and pushed it open. Despite its
aged appearance, it opened easily and quietly, pivoting inward.
She turned and closed the door behind her, locking it again. She
stood in a small antechamber, which lead to a darkened hallway.
The hallway contained several pairs of doors on each side. The
doors were all closed, and the low moans were coming from behind
the nearest door. From another door farther down the hall could
be heard the sounds of scuffling, and chains rattling. At the
very end of the hallway was a single door, from which a rather
bright light was shining, illuminating the iron bars of a small
window in the door, from behind. The sound of laughter came from
behind this door.

Clys walked to the first door, and listened to the moans for a
moment. She nodded to herself, and opened the door, slipping
through it quickly and closing it behind her. Inside were two
gnomes, sitting on small cots placed on opposite sides of the
room, their legs shackled to the floor, their wrists handcuffed
behind them. Clys withdrew a small flask from her pouch and
swirled it. The milky white liquid inside seemed to glow
slightly.

"Ready for your medicine?" she asked the gnome on her right, a
female with short pinkish hair.

The gnome said nothing, and did not look up, but simply stared at
the floor. Clys took hold of the gnomes hair and yanked it back,
lifting the gnome's face. The gnome did not meet Clys' eyes, but
she opened her mouth in resignation. Clys poured the contents of
the vial into the gnome's mouth, watching as it was swallowed.
Clys nodded in satisfaction.

"And now yours," she said, turning to the male gnome on the other
bed, and bringing forth another vial, this one containing some
kind of black fluid.

He grimaced at her defiantly, and pressed his lips together.

"You're not going to be difficult, now, are you?" Clys said in a
tone of voice that made it clear that she would very displeased
if the answer was yes.

The gnome just glared at her. Clys stepped close to him and ran
her fingers over his bald head. He turned his face from her,
cowering from her touch. Clys withdrew her dagger and placed the
point under his chin, pressing upward, increasing the pressure
until he lifted his head.

"Open wide," she said. The gnome pressed his lips together
tighter.

Clys paused for a moment, then stepped back and turned toward the
female again.

"Very well, if you're not going to cooperate then there's no
point in keeping you both alive. You may watch now as I slowly
peel the skin off her." Clys pointed to the female gnome, who
cringed back, a look of fear and horror on her face.

"No!" the male gnome cried out. "I'll...I'll drink it."

He turned his face up and opened his mouth, and Clys poured the
black liquid in. He gagged at the taste, but managed to swallow
the stuff. After a few moments, his eyes rolled up into his head
and he passed out, falling back onto the bed. The female gnome
managed to stand up, although she couldn't take a step because of
the chains on her ankles.

"Oh, sit down," Clys snapped. "He's not dead. Now...let's see if
this works as I hope it does."

Clys approached the unconscious male and placed the tip of her
dagger on his chest. She looked over at the female gnome and
frowned.

"Bare your chest, I need to be able to see your skin," Clys
commanded.

The gnome hesitantly unbuttoned her thin shirt and opened the
front wide. Clys nodded and then turned back to the male. She
carefully cut a line into his skin, not deeply, just enough to
make it bleed. She then turned to regard the female gnome. After
a few seconds, the same wound appeared on the female's chest. A
few seconds more, and the wound disappeared from the male's
chest.

"Oh yes! Health transferrence! It works!" Clys smiled widely,
nodding her head. "Now, let's give it a better test."

She suddenly plunged the dagger into the gnome's shoulder,
cutting it to the bone. He jerked, becoming almost conscious for
a moment. Clys watched the female carefully. After a few seconds,
the female cried out in pain, the wound appearing on her
shoulder, the blood suddenly gushing down her arm. Clys stepped
over and grabbed the arm, bending her head and fastening her
mouth to the wound. She drank the blood as it gushed and oozed
and finally stopped. The gnome turned very pale, and then
collapsed onto the bed. Clys placed her bony hand on the gnome's
throat, feeling for a pulse.

"Very good, still alive. I have a few more experiments for you
two. It wouldn't do to have you expire before I'm finished."

Clys went out of the cell and returned in a minute with two bowls
which contained some sort of congealed stew, and set the bowls on
the floor. She stood over the female gnome for a moment, and then
reached down to allow her hands to explore the gnome's bare
chest.

"You don't have much to play with, do you, poor thing?" Clys
giggled evilly. "Well, even so, we don't want lover boy over
there getting all hot and bothered now, do we?" Clys buttoned up
the girl's shirt and left the room, locking it carefully behind
her.

A page from Clys' journal:

I've made a decision. The time has come to let Danlily assume a
greater role in The Immortalis. Up until now, she's been my
innocent little darling, but I know that she can be so much more.
I've kept things from her, such as my experiments, so as not to
trouble her. But I can no longer do that. If she's to become the
person I need her to be, the person that I know she is destined
to be, she must learn and accept the full truth of what we must
do to achieve our goal.

She has the will and the intelligence, and I know her loyalty
lies fully with me. It's not enough, though, for her to be loyal
to me. She must be fully committed to the cause, as well, and
able to act on her own when it's necessary. When we finally know
the answer to immortality -- and we will, I am sure of it -- we
will hold the key to great power. Power over the Sin'Dorei, of
course, but power over others as well. We will be the ones who
choose who gets the Gift, and who does not. The Great Secret will
be ours, and we will be in a position to direct the course of the
world.

Part of me wants to hold this power alone, but I realize that I
cannot afford such arrogance. I must share it, lest it be in too
great a danger of being lost. Knowledge such as this will make
the holder a target, and so by holding it alone I risk the loss
of everything. Danlily is the only person I can truly trust never
to forsake or betray me.

So my decision is this: Danlily will become my second in command,
subservient only to myself within The Immortalis. It is time for
her to grow up and take on her true calling. Yes, I will still be
her Mistress. Yes, she will still obey me in all things, even as
she does now. But she will bow to no one else, other than in
respect for thier place in grand scheme of things. Her total
allegiance will be to me first, and to The Immortalis second.
Nothing can keep us from our goal. The future of our people, and
of all the world, is at stake.

Tonight, I will take her to the secret laboratory, and show her
everything. I will explain to her the depth and breadth of my
plans. I will strip her and shackle her and beat the truth into
her soul, and she will rise up to the heights of submission and
mastery that lie within her. I alone will be her master, and she
will be above everyone else but me.

It will be interesting, and fulfulling to me, to see her take the
reigns of power. She will change, I'm sure, and grow, and become
more focused and dangerous. Together, we will ascend the
mountain, until we stand together at the peak, holding the very
secret of life itself in our hands.

And the rest of the world will bow before us.

[Danlily]

The longer one is a huntress, the greater her skill becomes at
understanding the empathetic messages sent by the pet they hunt
most with. This was no exception with Danlily and Kitsu. They had
been close even before this, as Kitsu was never tamed. Kitsu was
truly a Kal`dorei under all that fur. She was a druid that had
somehow gotten stuck in cheetah form. How that had happened,
Danlily could not be sure of, but the mental images that Kitsu
persistently sent to Danlily made her sure that it was by no
accident. Kitsu had been cursed somehow.

What was a Kal`dorei druid doing running with the Danlily and her
mistress, Clys, you might ask. Clys had seen her one day and
rather than kill her on the spot like any other alliance, for
whatever reason, Clys decided to toy with her. At first it had
been amusing to watch as Clys hypnotized her with words the way
she controlled the Immortalis, but it wasn’t long before Kitsu
had developed the same kind of loyalty to Clys that Danlily felt.
Kitsu had become a great agent for Clys, betraying her own night
elven people and returning with information for Clys time and
time again. Kitsu and Danlily had become soul sisters who shared
the same intense love for the same Mistress.

It was no surprise to Danlily that Kitsu had somehow been able to
show Clys the mental image of the silhouettes that argued and
locked Kitsu into her current state. Danlily understood Kitsu’s
frustration but in all honesty, she hadn’t tried very hard to
resolve the how or why because now that the three of them were
not living in Silvermoon and were firmly entrenched in Horde
territory. It simply would not be safe for Kitsu to resume her
natural state and remain with Clys and Danlily.

It was morning and Danlily was just starting to ease out of her
usual grumpy mood with her second cup of rum laced tea. Kitsu
padded over to Danlily giving her those big sad cat eyes and
dropped her whiskered muzzle in Danlily’s lap. Again, Kitsu sent
her the image of the silhouetted couple arguing, of Kitsu
transforming, or the flash of light that seemed to seal her
within that form. Danlily looked down at Kitsu and caressed that
furry face. “I’m so, so sorry love. I don’t know what to do to
help you. If we fix this, you will be in greater danger. It was
sketchy enough to come out with my own elven secret to The Grim,
but if you were able to change yourself back you wouldn’t last
five seconds in the guildhall. Only after your death would they
ask questions. If the Immortalis finds the secret to our lost
immortality, then perhaps….”

Kitsu interrupted Danlily when she lifted up her chin and
wrinkled her muzzle. At that moment a direct thought reached
Danlily’s mind. It wasn’t a picture, not an image, but through a
foggy idea, a ghost of an image formed into first garbled and
then clear words. “I do not wish to change back. I only wish for
justice. Give me justice!”

Danlily blinked at Kitsu. She blinked again, and then she beamed
a smile and hugged Kitsu tight. It was the first time Kitsu was
able to show Danlily that she was truly in there, that she hadn’t
forgotten her true self after being in animal form for so long.
Her lover and soul sister was still with them.

She pulled herself away from Kitsu. She pursed her lips in
thought. What she needed here was enough mana to open both their
minds. Danlily drank a bit of mana enriched blood daily to quench
the dependency that coursed through her Sin`dorei blood. She
brought out her little vial she carried with her everywhere to
lace her wine when she visited taverns. “No,” she shook her head.
That wasn’t nearly enough. She heaved a large heavy bottle down
from a shelf in the kitchen area. The dark fluid within sparkled
as it sloshed around the bottle. She refilled her little vial
with some of the fluid from the large bottle, and then she poured
a generous amount into a bowl. Then she poured herself a large
portion into a goblet. Placing the bowl on the ground before
Kitsu, she raised her goblet to Kitsu in a salute and gulped the
mana soaked blood down quickly, blood escaping out of the corners
of her mouth and running in rivulets down her neck. Kitsu lapped
greedily into the bowl, blood soaking the fur of her muzzle.

Danlily weaved a bit and reached for the table to stay her
balance. Reaching for the flint, she had to strike it several
times before she could get the candle lit. With the candle she
lit a censer. Soon the room filled with the scent of wisteria and
lilies. Taking a few deep breaths, Danlily reached for Kitsu.
Placing a hand on each side of the cheetah’s head, she gazed deep
into her lover’s cat eyes and let the mana soak through her, let
herself drift deeper into Kitsu’s mind. Kitsu stared back into
Danlily’s eyes and let her mind release the memory, let it lift
from her mind and travel to Danlily.

The shadowed silhouettes began to sparkle with color, swirling
and becoming more vivid. Muted sound became clearer, almost
painfully sharp. A couple argued. The man wanted something to be
left undone; to let…someone else deal with it. The woman was near
hysterics in her anger. She’d had enough, she’d been laughed at
enough, and she would endure no more. She reached a hand toward
Kitsu’s cowering form and shouted a curse that sent a painful
jolt at Kitsu. Kitsu’s change to cheetah form was not like the
easy way she morphed with her druidic abilities. This change was
painful, claws ripping from the ends of her fingers, her body
twisted against her will and bringing her onto all fours, her
face pushed and distorted into a muzzle, her legs and arms
twisted into animal form but without the graceful transformation
that was her druidic will. The violence of the change left her
panting on the ground unable to move.

The woman stood over Kitsu now, laughing loudly, an ugly laugh
that echoed through Danlily’s mind as she heard it. She knew this
laugh. She knew this woman.

Danlily and Kitsu pulled their connection apart, breathing heavy
and exhausted. Together they crawled up onto the bed they shared
with Clys and fell asleep; Danlily’s last thoughts were of
revenge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was some days later, but Danlily had succeeded in enticing the
woman down into the secret lair. This woman was greedy for power.
She craved the power of the Immortalis, and the name of Nex`Cruor
was as much a drug to her as pure mana. They had shared a toast,
Danlily and this woman. They drank one of the finest bottles of
bloodwine from the Nex`Cruor wine cellars, and one of the goblets
was generously laced with belladonna.

Now she had her victim secured safely on the slab deep into the
secret chambers in the large laboratory. The drug was wearing off
and Danlily toyed with one of Clys’ scalpels along the naked skin
of the woman as she finally became alert.

The woman shook her shackles, confused. She looked frightened as
she glanced about, trying to figure out where she was. She
spotted Danlily and turned a questioning gaze to her. Danlily
moved closer and answered her with a wicked hiss, “Good evening,
Mother.”

Danlily carefully took her time as she worked slowly on her
project. She wanted to be sure she had done everything just so,
and now Danlily had nearly finished with the strips. For every
sin Mother had committed against her, Danlily had carefully
carved and peeled a strip of skin in exacting measures of three
inches wide by six inches long. As she worked slowly and
carefully, she recited to her Mother what each strip was payment
for. “This one is for pretending to love me,” Danlily said
solemnly as she slowly peeled the strip of skin she’d scored with
the scalpel from her mother’s muscle and fatty tissue. Carefully
as her mother screamed she sliced and scored another perfectly
measured strip into exactly three inches by six inches. She used
the tip of the scalpel to lift and separate one end of the strip
of skin enough to be able to grap the end with her fingers and
then slowly she began peeling the skin away from the dermis
beneath. “This strip is for using me too get yourself closer to
the Nex`Cruor wealth.” Again and again she scored strips from her
mothers flesh, carefully peeling another strip away, “This strip
is for your martyred sighs at having to birth an abomination such
as me,” she continued, “This strip is for trying to break my
loyalty to my Mistress in order to gain information.,” yet again,
“This one is for squandering my inheritance. Oh yes, I know that
our House is all a façade of wealth, that you’ve emptied the
assets and borrowed far too deeply to dig yourself out.” Blood
oozed from her mother’s body, welling from the patches of
uncovered dermis. The blood soaked Danlily’s arms and colored her
long golden hair deep red where the long tresses brushed the
laboratory slab. The blood began collecting in the trough that
ran along the sides of the slab. Her mother’s screams faded away
as finally lost consciousness. Danlily checked to make sure her
mother still breathed, and then whispered as she pulled the last
strip of skin form her mother’s body, “And this one, the one with
that beauty mark you are so proud of, this strip of skin is for
the spotted fur you forced my lover to wear."

Danlily took inventory of the strips she’d carefully laid out.
Kitsu watched perched up on a bench with glimmering eyes. “These
strips will make great leather wraps for my bow, oh I’m so
pleased,” Danlily exclaimed, clapping her hands together and
splashing the blood on her hands across her own face unnoticing.
Danlily began to giggle. The joy began to bubble deep within her
and her giggles became laughter. “Are you ready, Kitsu? Shall we
finish her life and release you from this witch’s curse?” Danlily
reached for the ritual knife she’d prepared. It was much larger
than the fine scalpel she’d been using to lift the strips of
flesh with. The jewels on the hilt sparkled with fire in the
light of the candles. The joy bubbled within Danlily again and
she giggled with glee as she raised the knife high over her
mother’s body.

Suddenly she stopped frozen as the door to the laboratory swung
wide.

[Clys]

Clys moved back into the hallway, turning to face the doorway at
the end. Odd. Why hadn't she noticed that as she came in, all
that light? And that laughter, it sounded like...but Danlily
didn't know about this place, did she? Clys was planning to tell
her but hadn't done so yet. Still, Danlily was a clever girl, and
Clys hadn't really tried to hide it from her, either.

Clys walked quietly down the hallway. Grasping the handle, she
swung open the heavy door and stepped inside. Danlily froze, her
face and her scent telling Clys everything. The smell of blood
was everywhere, and Clys could make out the form of Kitsu in the
back, and a woman on the table, unmoving.

"Mistress, I..." Danlily started.

Clys waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it, my sweet. It seems that you have exceeded
my expectations once again."

Clys grinned, her small fangs glinting, and wrinkled her nose.
She pointed to the unconscious woman on the table.

"Who's that? No, wait...don't tell me."

Clys approached the table, inhaling deeply, recognizing the scent
of the woman lying there. Her grin became wider still, and she
did an uncustomary little dance of joy.

"You figured it out, huh? You're so smart! You will make a very
excellent second in command."

Danlily's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Second in..."

"Command, yes," finished Clys. "So, whatcha gonna do to her?
After all, it's up to you. I delegate the decision." Clys' face
creased into a merry smile.

"I...I..." Danlily stammered, trying to gather her thoughts. She
opened and shut her mouth a couple of times, and then began to
giggle almost uncontrollably. At last she managed to blurt out,
"I'm going to free Kitsu from the curse! You want to help? Um,
Mistress," she added hastily.

"I'll let you do the honors, dear. This is your moment," Clys
responded, nodding her clear approval.

Clys leaned back against the wall almost lazily, and watched as
Danlily raised the ritual knife once again. Danlily spoke a few
words in an odd tongue, and then plunged the dagger straight into
her mother's heart. There was a sudden flash of light, which spun
and whirled around Danlily for a moment, coalescing into a ball
which then floated slowly toward Kitsu. Kitsu let out a soft
growling whine, and rose up on her back legs, putting her
forepaws onto the table as the light engulfed her body. As
Danlily and Clys both watched, Kitsu's cheetah form began to
slowly lengthen and stretch, the fur fading away to smooth skin,
her back legs straightening behind her. Her forelegs unkinked and
she pushed herself erect, shaking her head as her long hair
flowed down and across her naked back. Her face flattened and her
ears grew longer, until at last she stood there before them in
her true form. It had been so long. She didn't know what to say.
She stood there blinking back tears as she looked back and forth
between Clys and Danlily, unashamed of her nakedness.

"Kitsu!" Clys said in a mock stern tone. "You got all naked and
didn't invite us? You'll pay dearly for that!"

Kitsu's eyes widened as Clys shoved the dead woman off the table
carelessly, patting the blood soaked slab with her hand. Kitsu
licked her lips, soft elven lips at last, and smiled, the tears
of joy running unnoticed down her cheeks.

"This calls for a celebration, my dears!" Clys cried.

Danlily's clothing hit the floor in seconds, followed by Clys',
and the three of them snuggled together in the warm, wet, blood
of the woman who lay dead and forgotten on the cold floor. The
gnomes in the cell down the hall were frightened by the cries and
laughter that resounded in the hallway, thinking that surely the
demons themselves must be having a party.

Clys stood close to Kitsu, and reached out to take both of her
hands.

"My lovely Kitsu," she said. "Now that you are free from the
curse, and are once again able to take on your true form, I have
some new plans for you."

Kitsu smiled, squeezing Clys' hands gently.

"First of all, dear one, you must never, ever, take your true
form in front of others of the Horde. You will remain always in
your cheetah form except when we are alone, or you are on a
mission into Alliance territory."

"Yes, Mistress, I understand," replied Kitsu, shaking her long
hair back from her face.

"Also, you must never speak aloud to anyone other than Danlily or
myself, when there is any possibility you could be overheard. You
would be in grave danger otherwise."

Kitsu just nodded, smiling, happy to once more be a full part of
the trio.

"And now, for your first little task. There is a human paladin
I've been watching. I am certain that she will be perfect for
what I have in mind. I wish to learn more of the powers of the
paladin, you see. They are very resistant to damage. They can
even become invulnerable for a time, and they have great healing
powers. This interests me, for it may lead to knowledge that
would be helpful to our cause.

You will travel to Alliance territory, and move through their
midst in your elven form. You will be accepted as one of their
own, of course. Find this paladin, and convince her to meet with
me in our secret area. You know the place.

Her name is Lovely, and she is associated with the group known as
the Tears of Elune. Tell her whatever you must, just get her to
come."

Kitsu smirked mischievously, shivering just a bit with
anticipation and excitement.

"I will do as you ask, Mistress. I am pleased that you trust me
with this."

Clys nodded and pulled Kitsu close for a moment, Kitsu bending
down to accept the embrace. Clys bit down hard on one of Kitsu's
ears, the sharp pain causing Kitsu to gasp. Kitsu tightened her
arms around Clys, as Clys kissed her on the mouth.

"Go on then. Find Lovely, and bring her to me."

Kittsu felt weak, but happy. She was able to resume her natural
form again, freed from the curse that had held her in cheetah
form for so long. But the time had left its mark, and drained her
powers. She was still able to summon enough of nature's power to
hunt small prey, and she could put up a weak shield around
herself, or heal some minor wounds, but it was as if she had been
returned to her youth, when her powers were new and untested.

Her Mistress had sent her on a mission, though, and she was
determined to see it through. Where to start? Where would a
Paladin like Lovely be found? Ironforge, maybe? Or Stormwind? She
would travel to these places, and search, until she found this
person, and then she would talk to her. But first, she needed to
go to Shadowglen. There would be druids there, trainers, not too
skilled and not too wise. She had no desire to face anyone too
powerful. An archdruid might well be able to discern the shadows
within Kittsu's mind, and that would never do. Yes, Shadowglen,
then Dolanaar, and Darnassus -- she would visit these places
first, practice her arts, and regain some of her lost powers.

She had already written a note, and sealed it in a small
envelope. She would drop it into the first Alliance mailbox she
came to as she traveled. The note was written in flowing script,
on scented paper.

"Dear Lovely,

My Mistress has asked me to contact you. She would like to meet
with you, to discuss some matters of mutual interest. As her
ambassador, I am here to give you the details, and to answer any
questions you might have. Will you agree to meet with me, at your
convenience?

~Kittsu"

Perhaps Lovely would respond. Perhaps she would not. Either way,
Kittsu would find her.

[Lovely]

Lovely sat on her mount in Tinkertown, watching with a smile as
the gnomes there hurried about. It was a festive time of the
year, and the gnomes seemed to be working extra hard to build
fantastic toys and gizmos.

A tiny voice rang out, almost Startling Lovely. "Milady...Milady!
You've got mail. A letter just arrived for you."

Lovely dismounted her horse and held it by the reins. "Hold on,
Splendor. Let me get this."

Opening the letter, Lovely breathed in a wonderful scent and
smiled. She took a moments pause to bask in the fragrance before
reading.

Upon finishing the letter, Lovely scribbled a reply and gave it
to the gnome at the mailbox. She then whispered to Splendor, "It
looks as though I may be making another contact, my friend. I
love meeting new people."

Lovely then turned and pressed her thighs together, using her
feet to guide the horse down the tunnel toward the tram. She sang
songs of love and joy as she passed underneath the twisting
gears, her echoes spreading through the halls.

[Clys]

Kittsu met with Lovely in the town of Goldshire. Lovely was
shorter than Kittsu expected, but the silver hair and sensual
attire were just as Clys had described them. She curtseyed, and
greeted Lovely. Kittsu put her very friendliest face on, trying
to look a little bit innocent and vulnerable.

Lovely says: So what can I do for you?

Kittsu says: Well, as I said in my message, my Mistress wishes to
meet you. She feels that she and you might have some
common...interests.

Lovely says: Really? Can you elaborate? I'd love to meet her.

Kittsu says: Well, you see, she's very interested in all of the
magical arts, natural, arcane, or otherwise.

Kittsu says: She's trying to study each one, to learn the
capabilities, and to find out what benefits they each have.

Lovely says: And she wishes to study divine magic?

Kittsu says: So she's been working with mages, warlocks,
druids... but, due to her condition... she hasn't found anyone to
help her with the...what you said...divine arts.

Lovely says: Is she okay? I'm not sure I understand...Is she ill?

Kittsu says: Um, not exactly. She's hoping that you will be more
open minded than most paladins.

Kittsu smiles weakly

Lovely says: hmmmm

Lovely says: Okay....So whats her story?

Kittsu says: You're not um, bigoted, are you?

Lovely says: I'm pretty open minded. Kittsu peers at you closely.

Kittsu says: I get a good feeling about you.

Kittsu smiles

Lovely says: Thank you. I hope I can make everyone feel good.

Kittsu looks around nervously

To Lovely: she's...become undead.

Lovely whispers: Undead? Her name isn't Felicia is it?

To Lovely: No. Her name is Clys Nex'Cruor. I knew her...before.

To Lovely: She wants to...well she wants to reverse the
process...and, she needs help.

Lovely whispers: I know of one who it has worked with before. I
will gladly aid her.li

Kittsu blinks

Lovely whispers: It can be done.

To Lovely: You do? You have?

Lovely whispers: Antigone. A friend of mine...She was Forsaken,
and now is back to her old self.

To Lovely: Is she...immortal?

Lovely whispers: I will gladly aid Clys if she is in need.

Lovely whispers: Immortal? I'm not sure....

Kittsu nods To Lovely: Well, if you're agreeable, we'd like to
arrange a meeting between you and Mistress Clys. Somewhere safe,
and private, and... she can explain things better?

Lovely whispers: Of course. I'm free tonight.

Lovely whispers: If she doesn't have plans, that is.

Kittsu smiles brightly

To Lovely: You are too kind! But it will take time for me to get
back to her, and arrange things.

Lovely whispers: I always do what I can to aid others.

Lovely whispers: Give her the stone I gave you, or use it
yourself. Contact me when she is ready.

To Lovely: I will have to translate. I can speak Common of
course, and Clys has a way of communicating with me when I'm near
her...a potion.... but there is one other thing.

Lovely whispers: Yes?

To Lovely: Um...you'll have to meet her in Horde territory.
She'll make it a safe place but... well, there's always danger.

Lovely whispers: I have no fear of the Horde. Whatever she
desires to make her whole, I shall fulfil it.

Lovely whispers: I will come when you call me.

Kittsu tears up slightly

To Lovely: Thank you!

Lovely whispers: Are you okay?

To Lovely: Yes I just... well I thought it would be harder to
convince you You are so kind! Lovely whispers: I don't care if
she is Horde or Alliance. My mission is to make others happy.

Kittsu smiled inwardly. This paladin was so incredibly gullible!
She'd believed everything Kittsu had said. She hadn't even
questioned it. It was almost too easy.

Kittsu was pleased, for she knew that Clys would be pleased, and
after all, that was all that really mattered.

[Clys]

Clys lifted the vial of blood and swirled it, noticing the way
the dense liquid fizzed and bubbled. She poured a small amount
into a spoon, and then licked the spoon clean. A slight shiver
ran through her body. The taste was light and airy, and the
magical properties of the blood were potent. She put a stopper on
the vial and carefully labeled it.

"Blood of the Paladin, Lovely"

She grinned to herself. She would have to reward Kittsu for a job
well done. Clys herself couldn't have done a better job of
talking that paladin into submitting to the experiments. And what
a "lovely" subject she was, too, so full of idealistic talk about
love and honor and the desire to help others. Clys thought back
about a few of the things Lovely had said earlier that evening,
when Clys, along with Danlily, Lupen, and of course Kittsu, had
met with Lovely in the Ravenholdt Manor.

"I want to show love to all, Horde and Alliance, for everyone is
beautiful." "I am your possession at this moment, do with me as
you wish. I am here to serve." "All of my powers come from divine
magic, not arcane. Divine magic comes from the light, arcane
comes from the Nether."

Clys shook her head in quiet amusement. How funny it was, really,
that this paladin, who should by rights consider Clys a monster,
a horror, and something to be destroyed on sight, had instead
been persuaded to "help" the poor creature. Lovely didn't seem
the least bit afraid of pain, or even death, if it meant she
could "do good" by helping Clys.

Of course, Kittsu hadn't told Lovely the whole truth. She had
simply said that Clys was a bloodelf, who had become undead
through a horrible accident, and was now trying to find a way to
reverse the process and regain her former beauty. It was true as
far as it went, and Lovely had eaten it up.

Clys thought back to the moment when Lovely had arrived in
Ravenholdt. She was unarmed, and wearing nothing but a belt,
boots, and a tabard. She had smiled at Kittsu, and then kneeled
before Clys, honored to be in the presence of Kittsu's mistress.
Clys grinned a bit. Lovely had acted for all the world like she
belonged to Clys. It was almost too easy.

Kittsu had acted as a translator, listening to the words Lovely
spoke, and then translating them for Clys via their mind link.
Clys was very pleased with the way the mind link had worked,
actually. The potion she had concocted was nasty tasting, but
once she and Kittsu drank it, they were able to converse mind to
mind, at least while they were in close proximity. It was useful.

Clys had asked permission to touch Lovely's face, playing the
part of the gentle, tragic creature, blind and wretched. Lovely
had agreed immediately, and Clys had spent a few moments sliding
her leathery fingers across Lovely's smooth skin, feeling the
shape of Lovely's features.

"She's not very lovely," Clys said. "She's fat!"

Kittsu translated for Lovely, "Clys says you live up to your
name."

"Tell Clys she is a very gracious mistress, and I am honored to
be here," Lovely replied. "I will do everything I can to help
her."

Lupen seemed faintly disgusted at the sight of so much warm human
female flesh, but he was there to help Clys with her experiments,
and he deferred to her judgement. It was clear, however, that
left to his own devices he would have slain the Paladin on the
spot.

Danlily wanted to bite Lovely, and taste her blood. When
presented with the request, Lovely just nodded and smiled, saying
only, "Just not too deep." Danlily laughed softly, and sunk her
teeth into Lovely's throat just enough to taste a trickle of
blood. It wasn't enough, but she knew that Clys had other plans
for Lovely.

The four of them went down into the Ravenholdt basement, where
Danlily had set up her equipment. As an engineer, Danlily had
many devices for measuring and comparing. It would be her task to
keep a record of everything.

"We need a sample of your blood," Clys said to Lovely.

"Of course," Lovely replied immediately.

Shrugging, Danlily grasped Lovely's wrist and sliced it, filling
a rather large bottle with the blood.

"Take two pints, Lily. We may not get another chance like this."

Danlily nodded and filled another bottle. Lovely simply watched
passively as her blood drained out of her wound.

Clys then began peppering Lovely with all sorts of questions
about her abilities. How did her shields work? How many kinds of
shields did she have? What was the difference between arcane and
divine magic? How did the shamanistic magics compare to the
divine? Lovely answered all these questions in a quiet voice,
doing her best to explain things as she understood them.

Then the test began. Clys stabbed Lovely savagely in the ribs,
and then watched as Lovely healed herself. Lupen cast a series of
shadowbolts at Lovely, while she attempted to shield herself from
their power. Danlily took readings and measurements, and a
careful log of each event.

"I'd like to try something, if you will permit me, Clys?" Lupen
asked. "I'd like to try to summon a demon from her."

Clys grinned, interested. "Go ahead, my dear warlock."

Lupen's fists glowed with energy as he spoke the dark commands,
and Lovely was engulfed with brilliant purple light. From the
center of her body a demon appeared, a female form, sultry and
sensual.

"As I suspected," Lupen said. "A demon of lust. Each being that
has a soul carries with it one particular dominant sin. Hers is
lust. Lust, which degenerates into love, and causes men to betray
their friends and brothers."

Clys regarded the half-naked Lovely. Kittsu had told Clys about
Lovely's recent escapades. Lovely was always running about naked,
getting drunk, dancing for men, getting run out of bedrooms by
angry wives. She claimed to be a virgin, but Clys had to agree
with Lupen's assessment. Lovely's demon was lust. She might be
able to quench it with silly actions for a while, but eventually
she would weaken. And even if she continued to repress the lust,
it still gave Clys a handle with which to control her. Clys
understood temptation. She understood it very well.

Danlily was very suspicious. "I don't trust this woman who gives
herself to my mistress so easily," she said.

"Neither do I," said Lupen. "Perhaps she has another plan?"

"It doesn't matter," Clys replied. "We will use her. If she is
foolish enough to place herself in our hands, then we will take
advantage of the opportunity. We have enough to study for now,
though."

Clys approached Lovely again. Lovely knelt, bowing her head.

"You are free to go, for now. You will come to me when I call for
you again?" It wasn't really a question, the way Clys said it.

Lovely smiled happily. "Of course I will. I will help you in any
way I can!"

"We will study your blood, and the results of our other tests.
Kittsu will be in contact with you when we are ready."

"I am your servant. Call on me anytime. I will do whatever I can
to help you," Lovely said.

Turning to Danlily and Lupen, Clys beckoned them with a motion.

"Let's be off then. Let me know what your investigations turn up,
both of you. Lupen, be sure to take a sample of the blood with
you to study."

Clys, Danlily, and Lupen each opened portals and disappeared from
the Manor.

Lovely turned to Kittsu, and gave her a gentle hug.

"See you soon," Kittsu said, and then disappeared to join Danlily
again.

[Lovely]

Lust. A demon of lust.

This is what Lupen had said was inside Lovely, and in her heart
she knew the Forsaken Warlock had told the truth.

Thinking back to the night she had met Clys, Lovely began to
analyze herself. She had worn only boots, a belt, and a taberd.
Why? Surely she could still have come unarmored but could have
worn pants and a shirt....Why didn't she?

Questioning herself was hard for Lovely. She was usually stubborn
and prone to be an idealist, yet she could feel that she was
slipping. Her lust was growing out of control. When they had met,
Danlily had bitten her on the throat, tasting her flesh and her
blood. Lovely had told no one, but this had enticed and excited
her. As the half-troll had sucked on her neck, Lovely fought the
desire to embrace Danlily...She had wished for Danlily to go
further, touching her not only on her neck but on the rest of her
body as well.

Lovely had never known the touch of a man or a woman in a
romantic sense, and as evil as Danlily was, Lovely could not help
but desire her. She desired everyone that was in the room. As
they performed their experiments and cut at her flesh, Lovely
could not help but wish that they had just ripped her taberd from
her, exposing her bare flesh...

This scared Lovely a bit, which seemed strange since Lovely
generally was a fearless creature.

She thought about Kittsu, the elven druid who served Clys. She
had encountered Kittsu several times since the meeting, and every
time they met the tension was there. Kittsu seemed to have some
type of power that drove Lovely wild...Lovely, as honorable as
she was, would do anything Kittsu asked of her. Anything. She
could not help it. When she saw Kittsu, she wanted to kneel
before her. When Kittsu ran her fingers through Lovely's silver
hair, Lovely felt a shiver of excitement run down her spine,
making her quiver as she stood.

Lust. It had consumed Lovely. Lupen was right.

Now, as Lovely thought back on these events, she stared in the
mirror at herself. She hadn't seen her new friends for several
days, and grew impatient. Looking in the reflection at her
nakedness, she put her hands toward the mirror and pressed her
face against it. Thoughts raced through her mind of Clys and
Kittsu, and of Danlily. Yearning for their touch, she pressed her
body against the mirror and kissed it.

"I will see you soon enough," she whispered. "We will make Clys
whole again, and love will spread throughout her family."

[Clys]

Clys was dreaming, drifting in that just-before-waking slumber
when dreams are vivid, and you can control them freely, changing
or rewinding the events to suit your desires. Although she no
longer could see colors while awake, her eyes having been
destroyed, in her dreams she still saw them. She would often
dream of Danlily, seeing the sunlight dappling her golden hair.
Clys might spend the days seeing only shadows, and loving them,
but when she slept the colors returned.

Tonight she dreamed of a dungeon, damp and dark, filled with the
moldy smell of death. It was funny how undeath had made such
places more dear to her. She actually enjoyed travelling to
different parts of the world, just to explore some crypt she had
heard about. But this dream wasn't about exploration. It was
about the milk-white paladin, the human named Lovely, the one
that Clys had not killed.

Danlily had made her report to Clys earlier in the day. Based on
the measurements Danlily had taken during the experiments on
Lovely, Danlily had discovered that Lovely's blood was rich in
mana, as they had expected, and undeniably potent. It had healing
properties, and an effervescence that was unique. Yet Danlily had
detected some kind of taint to the blood, as well. She was unable
to pin it down, but she was sure it was there.

Then Clys had received her report from the RAS, the Royal
Apothecary Society. There were those in the society who she
worked with frequently.They had similar goals, and The Immortalis
had a rather close relationship with the RAS. The RAS report had
been most interesting. The scientists there were baffled and
intrigued, wanting to know where the blood had come from. They
had never seen blood like it, they said. It was a combination of
the divine and the demonic, which they insisted should be
impossible. Whose blood was it? We must study this individual!

Clys had thanked them for their information, and promised that
she would do what she could. Later, she made a small entry in her
diary.

"Well, it seems that my choice of Lovely for these experiments is
very fortunate indeed. I knew I felt something different about
her, something dark and powerful and out of place. "A combination
of the demonic and the divine," the RAS told me. Now that is
truly fascinating. What kind of power can there be in such a
combination? Can the two opposing schools actually be made to
work together, and if so, what kind of amazing power will they
become? This might be exactly what I'm looking for! Of course, to
get the power out of her will probably kill her beyond
redemption, but that's a very small price to pay. For me."

And so as she slept, Clys dreamt of what might be in the future.
She would have to capture Lovely, this time for good, and lock
her away. She would drain the blood from the Paladin, for weeks
or months if need be, whatever it took, unil the RAS was
satisfied they had learned all they could from it. She would
carve the milky white flesh and watch it heal until it could no
longer heal and the scars stood out, red and inflamed. She would
beat and bruise and whip Lovely's body until she discovered the
limits of the paladin's power. And when all the experiments that
could be done while Lovely was alive were complete, then Clys
would sacrifice her. Clys would dissect the body, and examine
every organ. The RAS was especially interested in the heart, and
the brain.

Clys giggled in her sleep. She knew the silly paladin was excited
by the closeness of evil. Her physical arousal when Danlily had
touched her had been obvious, the thin tabard she wore disguising
nothing, the musky scent of desire clear and pungent. Clys would
enjoy teaching this one the real meaning of evil. When Clys was
done, Lovely would no longer be excited. No, indeed, Lovely would
be destroyed.

[Lupen]

Lupen slowly walked to the lab table in the Apothecarium... He
was cold... So very cold. A shiver rolled up and down his spine.
Sleep was heavy in his eyes, but he shook it off, devoted to
finding the true taint of Lovely. He pulled the vial out from his
pack, swirling it like newly poured wine. The blood was maroon
red... With a slight touch of purple in it. Lupen was no
alchemist, but he did understand the basic compounds of demon's
blood. The blood, for the most part, was human... Something was a
bit different about it.

He sighed and asked himself, "The divine magics...?" but seconds
later discarded the theory. "No no... This taint is different...
It is not pure... It is chaotic." He beckoned the idle Felhunter
over... "Come, hound spawn of Xoroth... Come to your master." he
said, slowly as the sedated demon lumbered over. Lupen stroked
the razor sharp hairs coming from the demon's body, and casually
sliced a bit of the demon's throat. The Felhunter did not flinch,
almost as if it was numb to all pains. Lupen shrugged, took the
tainted blood in a separate vial, and began to heat it. Lupen's
hands were filled with a dull flame, in his left hand; he held
the vial of tainted demon's blood... It was a deep red, but when
applied to fire, it turned a dull violet.

"Possession, perhaps?" Lupen thought as he compared the two
samples, but quickly discarded that theory too. "No no... The
Paladins can purge such magics... They are gifted in exorcism..."
He nearly dropped the two vials as he blacked out for a split
second. Lupen quickly awoke and placed the two samples gently on
the lab table. He buried his head in his hands, searching the
confines of his brain for answers... Nothing... Nothing...

He let out an angry roar as he struck the two vials with a single
swipe of his arm. The two glass containers were hurled into a
stone wall, and instantly shattered. The two liquids slid slowly
down the wall mixing into one unholy concoction. The liquid
stayed the same in colour, but a sweet, soothing aroma filled the
air. Lupen grinned as the ideas hit him. The single word slid
from his lips, "Lust"... The smell was truly enticing, an
inviting perfume that the Succubae emanate. Short of breath,
Lupen quickly grabbed a parchment and began to write to Clys.

"Dear sister Clys,

I have discovered something tonight... I was tampering with the
sample from Lovely the Paladin and some blood from my
Felhunter... When the two mixed, they gave off the smell of lust.
As ludicrous as this sounds... Lovely, the "protector of the
light and all that is holy" is corrupt... She is slowly turning
into a mindless servant to her emotions... And what she wants...
Is love. I don't quite understand where this Lust came from...
But it is a very interesting discovery.

I look forward to hear back from you.

-Lupen"

He grinned as the letter was sealed and sent to Clys... Lupen
gave out a sigh of relief and called his Succubus to him.
"Dear... It is time to sleep." He lay in his coffin, with his
demon of lust directly on top of him.

[Lovely]

Lovely could not wait to see Kittsu. The past few days had been
strange and exciting, and she wanted to share her joy with Clys'
servant.

Unaware of what was transpiring with Clys and Lupen, Lovely lay
on her bed in Stormwind and scribed a letter to Kittsu. She
smiled as she wrote, a terrifying smile of pure innocense mixed
with violent lust. As she dipped her pen in the ink, she giggled
sharply, writhing on top of her bed sheets.

"Dearest Kittsu,

I have great pleasure in informing you of what happened to me the
other night. I happened upon the boat in Menethil Harbor to
Auberdine, and it had been taken over by The Crimson Watch.
Needless to say, I was excited by this and dove into the battle
with my axe held high. I was quickly brought down by their
overwhelming numbers, however, and fell quickly. What happened
next was incredible. I was taken to the back of the boat as it
departed for Auberdine. Yomi, the undead rogue protected me,
keeping the others from killing me. From there, we engaged in
revelry the likes of which I have never seen. We danced, and
removed our clothing, and kissed. I could still hear the screams
of my fellow allies but for some reason I didn't care. Several
members of the watch surrounded me, touching me and putting their
mouths on my bare flesh...Bony fingers ran chillingly across my
body, my nakedness seeming to draw them in. I caressed them as
well, and found enjoyment I cannot describe. It was as if I was
the only flower in a field full of bees....they tasted my nector
and we all derived pleasure from it. Only when Morghoul showed up
did this stop. His followers scattered and stopped what they were
doing, and I was released on the docks at Auberdine after nearly
30 minutes of unbridled ecstacy. I am still confused by this, and
shamed that I ignored my friends in their moment of need....I
wanted to share this with you, because it seems like Lupen's
theory from last week has been proven correct.

I can't wait to see you again....To see all of you again. I wait
with baited breath...

Lovely"

Finishing the letter, Lovely cut a small lock of hair and placed
it with the parchment inside the envelope. She then sauntered to
the mailbox, clad in only a sheet, and let the letter go. She
giggled wickedly as she returned to her room...

[Danlily]

~Meditation~

It seemed as though Danlily never had enough time to just sit and
think anymore. Between gathering the data for Mistress Clys,
fighting the escalating battles with the Alliance, celebrating
both Winter’s Veil and her birthday, there was just too much to
be done to sit and think. Now it was the eve of the New Year and
Danlily had stolen away for some precious time to relax into a
bit of quiet hobby work so she could refresh herself.

She looked about her “parlor,” the workshop Clys had given her in
the highest of the Nex`Cruor towers. She had another workshop
deep within the Mistress’ secret-crypts, one that opened up to
Clys’ main laboratory, but this one in the tower was all her own,
her own special space away from everyone to be alone with her
thoughts while she worked at her more artistic endeavors.

She leaned out of one of the windows, her hair catching at the
high winds in the storm that raged outside, and she looked up the
side of the outer wall. She nodded with satisfaction that the
cable leading up to the spike atop the tower was secured well
enough. Before popping her head back into her parlor she took a
moment to gaze out upon the city. This was a city that called her
an abomination. If her Mistress had not been a Sin`dorei, Danlily
would likely hate them all. “No,” she thought to herself, “the
bulk of them are simply misguided, like children taught the wrong
way to think. I cannot hate them all. Only the worst of them
shall be punished,” she spoke softly with a small smile. She
closed and secured the shutter and turned her back on that world
and returned her thoughts to her own world.

She looked around the large round room. There were windows nearly
all around it, now firmly shuttered. A portion of the room was
sectioned away from the rest, draped in gauzy silks in gold and
reds. Low furniture to lounge on matched with large, plump
pillows rested comfortably within those silken drapes. A low,
gilded table sat with a golden bowl full of fresh fruit. Beside
the bowl sat a decanter of sparkling mana-rich blood-wine with a
fine crystal goblet drained beside it. To the other side of the
large room sat a large marble slab with an unconscious subject
strapped firmly down between the slab’s drain troughs. Danlily
moved to where her workbenches lined the wall. Lovingly she
pulled what equipment she’d need from the their pegs. She always
kept her equipment meticulously organized. She stroked the
cylinder of the micro-saw, a piece of equipment she was
particularly proud off. She lined up all she’d need on the bench
and then took down a jar in which the donor bone rested. She
pursed her lips, looking at the jawbone that rested in the
viscous fluid. Streyth had lost it weeks ago when he was still
with The Grim. It had been quite funny really, she chuckled to
herself, his attempts to talk without it. Luckily for this
particular project, he had replaced his original jawbone with
someone or something else’s, so she had this discarded one to
make use of. It was lucky for her that Clys had snatched it up.
Next to the saw she laid out a periosteal, a box of tiny screws
and a driver, some retractors, chisels, assorted scalpels and
elevators, and her favorite hammer beside a tray of standard
surgical essentials like suture material and such.

Now all she needed was the proper music to relax to while she
worked. She slapped the subject hard. It jolted awake and opened
its mouth to complain. She deftly slipped the mouth clamp into
place, clicking it wider and wider to give her room to work. The
subject fought against the restraints but soon got itself into
the rhythm of the work with a melody of sweet screams that
Danlily hummed in harmony to, her shoulders relaxing visibly with
the music that delighted her most. The subject changed the pitch
in time with each tug as she separated its tissue from its
palate. She could feel the tension of the last couple of weeks
drift away from her with the almost meditative rhythm of the
song.

Ah, the last couple of weeks. It was as though the several years,
the last score or two of years had all melted away as a bad dream
and now she was finally, truly awake. She was raised to be proud
of her blood elf half, to be loyal to them and the cause, and
true enough there were many to be loyal to. But then the one she
was most loyal to had disappeared without a trace beyond the
walls of their secluded Quel`Thalas. “Oh Clys, where had you
gone?” Danlily sang sadly. Danlily knew she was her mother’s
favorite, at least she could find comfort there. Her mother
reinforced that love every time she comforted Danlily for what
she had to endure. It was more than the scorn of the beautiful
elves that laughed at her huge wedged feet, much more. She had
been proud to be an agent of the House Nex`Cruor but with Clys
gone she had to answer to and obey Clys’ father, the Baron
Nex`Cruor. He was a cruel man who seemed obsessed with the House
DeStrasza for some reason, and for whatever that reason was,
Danlily could never discover. He’d taken his frustration out for
what he could not own by owning Danlily, raping her near death
whenever he felt the need, and he’d felt that need quite often.
Her mother cried with her at how they could do nothing. The
Nex`Cruor was too powerful a house and Danlily was not full blood
elf. She had no rights and her mother, sadly could do nothing to
help her. A child had been born of those rapes, a daughter she’d
named Danlyra. The Baron Nex`Cruor could not have the elite know
he’d created such flawed spawn and so he took the child and kept
her deep in the bowels of the estates. Danlily could see her, be
with her, but she could not protect her from a man she could not
protect herself from.

Danlily focused again on her subject and back to the present. The
music had stopped. She prodded the subject and it heaved a deep
breath. She examined her work. The bone of the palate was neatly
exposed and had stopped oozing. She wiped the pretty bone clean
with damp gauze and chose a site. She turned and retrieved her
micro saw from behind her and brought it to the slab and began
sectioning the bone with a deep sigh of happiness when the music
returned and she returned her thoughts to the past.

Danlily thought of how the past years moved quickly as her had
daughter grown. As the child began to grow out of childhood, the
Baron’s assaults on Danlily lessened and she knew of course why.
He had a new toy; a new piece of House DeStrasza to possess in
whatever new and torturous way his whims led him to. And then
Clys had been found again. At first there was the joy of Clys
being alive, and then the crash of realizing the Clys didn’t know
who she was, could remember nothing of her own past. Danlily was
ordered not to contact Clys. Clys was undead now and not one of
them. Clys could not help her and even if she ever did remember
her past, the Baron promised to kill Danlyra if Danlily revealed
all that had happened.

Danlily’s eyes focused again on her subject. She’d finished with
the saw and the palate was now scored properly so she set the saw
aside. The music had drifted into quiet moaning. It was time to
pick up the beat. She brought her array of chisels from the bench
along with her favorite hammer and the music began again, a beat
of screams matching the beat of the hammer against a chisel’s
head as she loosened the scored bone from the subject’s palate.
She paused in her humming to chuckle to herself. The beat of this
part of today’s composition sounded much like the stammering of
Danlily’s mother when she had confronted her about her affair
with the Baron. How could she have cried with Danlily over the
years of cruelty inflicted by the Baron when this same man was
her lover? She pounded the chisel into the final scoring of the
palate a bit too hard; hitting the sinus floor and the subject
screamed a crescendo. Danlily admonished herself. She had to be
more careful when combining music with her meditations. Well, it
was all over now. When she’d slapped her mother it was as though
her mind had been snapped awake. She removed the section of the
palate and brought a mirror up to the subject’s mouth. “Oh good,”
she sighed. “No bubbles,” she said, looking into the eyes of the
subject. “You’ll be happy to know your sinus membrane is intact
and not leaking air into your oral cavity. There’s a crack in
bone of the sinus floor, but yes, the membrane is intact,” she
giggled. “No bubbles.”

She brought over the jar with Streyth’s jawbone. She let the
subject rest and sang a stanza on her own as she carved from the
jawbone’s ramus a section that would match the piece she took
from the subject. “Mother is more dead than this jawbone,” she
sung to her captive audience. “An undead jawbone, dead but not
quite dead. Immortal bone in a way,” she sang. There was still
some kind of essence within it that wasn’t quite done living. She
brought the piece carefully sectioned and fit it into the space
in the palate she’d taken from the subject. She secured it with
the tiny screws, remembering how she’d secured her own mother’s
flesh to her bow weeks past. Life was so much better now, and her
mind was so much clearer. Clys had returned, her memories intact.
Danlily had enacted revenge on her mother. Danlyra had escaped
and was now free. Clys had found Danlyra and brought her home
safely to them. “Now all that is left is to deal with the Baron,”
Danlily sang as she stitched the palate’s tissue back in place,
securing it to the gingival between each tooth in the maxillary.

Danlily sat back and let the patient’s song drift away into
unconsciousness. She was satisfied with her work. She was
satisfied that the past was nearly set to rest. She took all her
instruments off the slab leaving only the patient on the wet,
bloodied slab. She attached the electrodes that connected to
wires that lead the thicker wires that led to the cable that ran
outside the room, up the wall and connected to the towers metal
spike. All she had to do was wait, wait for the storm that raged
outside to strike the metal spike and force the life from her
subject into the undead bone. All she had to do was wait and Clys
would finish tying up the lose ends with the Baron. If all worked
well, the slate would be clean and the future would be bright,
and… she mused as she examined the subject in anticipation,
perhaps if this experiment works, life will spark from the living
bone into the undead bone and perhaps, if we get lucky, a piece
to the puzzle of immortality will be revealed.

[Clys]

Clys smiled as Kittsu entered with Danlily.

"You look pleased with yourself, Kittsu. Things are going well,
then?"

Kittsu nodded and laughed rather wickedly.

"You won't believe, it Mistress Clys. The paladin Lovely actually
pleaded with me to take her as my own. She begged me to become
her mistress!"

Clys shook her head in amusement. It was almost too easy.

"And, what did you tell her, my dear?" Clys asked, running a
finger along Kittsu's jawline.

"I told her that I accepted her, and that I would talk to you and
find a safe place for her to go so we can be together. Then she
told me that I own her, and she would do whatever I said."

Clys drew Kittsu's face down to her own, and kissed her, biting
Kittsu's lip hard enough to draw blood.

"I am very pleased with you. You have done far better than I even
expected. And such a nice little twist, this last part. You have
completely charmed Lovely, even made her beg to be yours. Yes,
you have performed your tasks admirably, Kittsu. You shall be
richly rewarded."

Kittsu shivered, smiling in anticipation.

"Thank you, Mistress. I exist only to serve you and Danlily and
whatever you hold to."

Clys tapped her lip with a forefinger thoughtfully.

"She'll come when you call, right?"

"Oh yes. She says she can't wait."

"Good... now here's where I want you to bring her...."

Clys wiped the blood from her daggers and looked down at the two
Dalaran wizards at her feet.

"Nice house you have here. Just right for my plans. So kind of
you to offer the use of it to me," she said, grinning.

She lifted the two bodies, moving them into position on each side
of the door to the house. She leaned them against the outer wall,
as if they were guarding the place. Their dead faces stared
blankly out at the small path that lead to the house.

"Yes, my devoted servants, you just wait right there. Lovely will
be here shortly," Clys said, chuckling gently to herself.

[Lovely]

Lovely stood in the basin of warm water, washing the blood from
her skin. She had been helping Kittsu kill Dark Iron Dwarves
earlier, and the battles had been quite fierce. The dwarves had
attacked in waves, but Lovely was somehow able to throw them off
each and every time. She was strong in the fight, her lust for
blood growing stronger with each enemy that presented himself.

Now the fight was over, and while her armor was being repaired
she bathed away the oily blood that was smeared over her flesh.
After all, she had to be clean for her trip. She wanted to be
presentable to Clys, Kittsu, and Danlily. They were going to help
her as she helped them, and soon the circle would be complete.

Lovely licked her lips as she thought about the future and what
it entailed....

[Clys]

Kittsu met Lovely at Southshore, grinning as Lovely entered the
inn and kneeled before her. She brushed Lovely's cheek with the
back of her knuckles.

"The time has come, my Lovely. Are you ready? Do you have
everything you'll need?"

"Yes, Mistress Kittsu, I have brought extra clothing and I am
ready," Lovely replied, smiling gently.

"Good, very good. Follow me, then. Mistress Clys and Danlily are
waiting for us."

Lovely followed Kittsu out of Southshore, up into the Silverpine
forest, to a small, cozy looking house. As they entered, Clys
stood and beckoned Lovely over to her. Lovely knelt before Clys,
bowing her head.

"Welcome to your new home," said Clys, grinning, her two small
fangs glinting a bit in the glow of the fireplace. "This is where
you will stay, for now. You will be safe here. The doorway is
magically sealed. None can enter or leave without my permission;
the spell is locked to my spirit and unbreakable by anyone else."

"I understand," Lovely replied. "I will be patient and wait here.
I only wish to help you."

Clys nodded and smiled, and Danlily grinned at the paladin.

"May I change into some non-combat clothing?" Lovely asked.

"Yes, make yourself comfortable. There are others who wish to
meet with you. I will bring them here to see you."

Lovely smiled, and removed her armor, changing as they watched
into a soft silken shirt, and pants.

"Is there anything you need, before we go?" asked Clys.

"No. I will wait here until you return."

"Very well then." Clys nodded to Danlily, and the two of them
portaled away, leaving Kittsu and Lovely in the house.

"I must go also," said Kittsu, smiling at Lovely in an odd way.
"See you soon. Enjoy your new home."

Kittsu portaled away to take her place at Danlily's side once
more. The last thing she saw was Lovely, kneeling on the floor of
the little house, unaware of what lay in store for her.

[Daala]

The night was hot and sticky and Reijek had closed the Rest Inn
Peace until that scrawny little gristle-bag of a rooster has
another slice of his fifteen minutes of fame. Daala was reclining
in that extra-large bed of her niche, alone, for once. Her
slender digits, wrapped about a quill wrought from a Razormane's
hide, rapidly scribbles upon a blank parchment, bound in a
slender tome. Those crimson robes of hers hang from a gilded
wire; a thin strip of ragged cloth and a short-legged pair of
trousers are all the garment that cling to her flesh.

Reijek enters; not a fuss nor a warning. Daala does not glance
up, though her jaw clenches, then relaxes, so quickly that it
seems to be a spasm. She reasons that, though this was her
private room, he likely knew she wasn't asleep. Besides, he
technically owned the place.

The Innkeeper is a portly, well-worn man, a bit reminiscent of
Greatfather Winter. Good thing; Daala could never bring herself
to trust a thin Innkeeper. That quiet rumble of his; "Heard you
were having quite a time, last night."

"Mmm? What of it? No new news."

"Also heard that the door swung open in the middle of it, and the
whole Common room saw you in the throes of your diversion."

At this, she glances up, irritably clicking her tongue. "I've
told you that the bloody door needs fixing..."

His expression remains entirely grave, but a certain laughing
twinkle enters his eyes. A pair of sausage-like fingers scissor
about an ivory pipe, lazily sliding the thing from his lips and
tapping the instrument against a wall, emptying the ash. Though
lacking fresh tobacco, he replaces the pipe betwixt clenched
jaws.

"Aye, lass. Well, the reason I came up was that you got some
mail. It was flagged, so I figured that you'd want a look.
Goodnight; rest well."

Basking in solitude once more, Daala curiously inspects the note.
No signature, no marks of any sort. Not that any were really
necessary. It was a message detailing Lovely's imprisonment, and
an invitation to come by for a personal analysis.

Wasting no time, Daala stands up, folding her hands along the
back of her head as she mentally selects vials from her shelves.
No instruments; too early to warrant them. Besides, Clys would
likely have some on her person.

A soft, pink tongue wriggles from pouting lips, delicately
moistening the tip of her quill, as she resumes her writings.

[Lovely]

Lovely woke up, curled into a ball in the middle of the wooden
floor. There was no bed in this room, and no pillow...She had
used her backpack as a pillow the previous night.

Anticipation grew within Lovely's fragile mind. She knew she
would have a visitor soon...She just knew it. Was she wearing the
right thing? Would she be acceptible to the mistress?

Looking down at her crimson outfit, she tugged at a few of the
wrinkles. Perhaps they wouldn't like it....Perhaps she should
wear the white wedding dress she had brought along, or one of the
mageweave outfits....

Looking out the window, Lovely could see the Dalaran mages going
about their tasks. They didn't even seem to notice that Lovely
was being kept in the house, or even notice the corpse of the one
that Danlily had killed outside.

Lovely sat in the chair, humming a song to herself and thinking
about the future. She hoped to help the Mistress with her
problem, and had hoped that The Grim were true to their word and
would treat her as they said they would. She trusted Clys and
Kittsu...Surely they were among the most noble of The Horde....

Dark thoughts began to creep into Lovely's mind....and she
smiled....

[Danlily]

Danlily poured herself and Clys each a goblet of wine from the
decanter that sparkled with mana infused bloodwine. She sat in a
large overstuffed chair, and swung one of her legs over the
chair’s arm, scrunching down in the deep cushions comfortably.
She drank deeply and then sighed, closing her eyes to enjoy the
rush of the mana as the warmth spread into her belly, into her
loins, and warming her extremities. She breathed deeply, relaxing
as she let the cares of the day slip from her mind. Oh, her
thoughts were still there, but when she was alone and relaxed
with Clys, though the thoughts were there, there were no worries.
She could sit back and analyze the chaos that came when
interacting with the living, and the undead. Such chaos. Not
peaceful and meditative like her work with her instruments and
gadgets as she tinkered with new ways too analyze the workings of
a living being or beast. “People can be so unpredictable,” she
said softly to herself.

She leaned her head back on the chair’s arm, opposite of the one
she had her long leg draped over. “This Kari business. If he has
the power to randomly possess people…if he’s following Daala
around and possessing her guild-mates,” Danlily swirled her
bloodwine in her goblet, seeing in her mind the members of the
inner circle swirling. “It would be a bad move to allow her into
the inner circle. I can see the circle collapsing like dominos
with such an entity loose and in connection with her.” Danlily
opened her eyes and looked over at her mistress who nodded in
agreement.

“On another note, we will be needing to move Lovely in a few
days. I know we’ve promised the RAS the paladin’s heart and
brain, and that they need her alive to extract them, but, “
Danily looked to Clys with big glowing eyes and a look much like
a cat gives when they want to beg a treat, “would it be too much
for me to ask a token?”

Clys grinned over at Danlily, “And what kind of token from the
Lovely paladin do you wish to keep for yourself, my dear?”

“Her hair…I want to hang her hair from the top of my bow. I’m
sure mother would approve,” Danlily answered, turning a gaze full
of wicked satisfaction to the bow that stood propped against a
wall, Danlily’s mother’s flesh stretched and wrapped neatly
around the wood.

[Karkarov]

Karkarov seated in his private room on the second floor of the
Rest In Peace idly flips a letter in his hands, studying the
script that addresses it to him from different angles. "Clearly
it was sent by Clys as it is her handwriting and the blood red
wax bears her seal.... But why should she have any buisness with
me?"

Placing his right thumbs claw underneath the wax Karkarov breaks
the seal and unfolds the letter, reading it twice... "Heh, so she
has done it eh? Far be it from me to deny this invitation. In
fact I am quite looking foward to this." Karkarov quickly writes
a reply consisting of only a few sentances and hands it to the
messenger who gave him the letter.

"See that this is given to your Mistress with haste, I am not in
a patient mood." The messenger taking the letter folds it into
the sleeve of his robe and turns to leave without word. Taking a
wine glass from the table beside his chair he fills it with blood
recently gathered from a gnome rogue and downs it in one gulp.
"It shouldnt be long now..." He smiles as a thin trail of blood
tacks it's way down his chin.

[Clys]

Lovely stood naked, her wrists held fast above her head by metal
shackles attached to the wall. She had come willingly into her
imprisonment, filled with the desire to help Clys, wanting to
spread love and forgivness to even the undead, but now she had to
wonder if she'd made the right choice. She watched as Clys
approached her with a razor sharp dagger, the scent of some vile
poison wafting from the blade.

"I'll be taking samples of your tissues and hair, your nails, and
whatnot," said Clys in a voice so incongruously gentle it sent
shivers through Lovely's entire body.

Starting at the ankles, Clys began shaving Lovely with the
poisoned blade, catching the fine hairs in a cone of paper. As
the blade touched her skin, Lovely could feel the sting of the
poison. She concentrated her holy will, resisting the taint, but
she could not prevent the pain that lanced through her, making
her shudder and twitch involuntarily. Clys worked her way up each
leg, grinning wickedly as she approached Lovely's down covered
mound.

"No," whispered Lovely, as if she could prevent anything now.

Clys ignored the paladin's word, and scraped the soft hairs from
her nether regions. Clys laughed gently as Lovely arched her body
in agony, the poison causing her tender skin to turn red, burning
and inflaming a part of her that had never been touched by
anyone. That it should be touched now, in this way, was agony.

Clys continued up Lovely's body, stripping it completely of all
body hair save that which was on her head. When she was done, she
emptied the contents of the paper cone into a vial, and fixed a
stopper onto the top.

"I'm leaving the hair of your head for Danlily," Clys said matter
of factly. "It will make her a fine trophy to decorate her bow
with, and she's earned it, I think."

Lovely's chest heaved as the agony of the poison slowly receded,
pushed back by her divine magic. A bead of sweat ran down her
side, and Clys wiped it with a finger, sticking the wet finger
into her mouth and tasting the sweat.

"Ah yes, bodily fluids, that's right. So kind of you to remind
me."

Clys began by gathering the sweat that had beaded on Lovely's
brow and torso, dripping it into another clean vial. Clys then
probed and prodded each and every orifice, collecting her
samples, chuckling happily at Lovely's obvious humiliation as her
body was invaded. Another moan of despair escaped Lovely's lips
as Clys touched her most private areas, stopping afterwards to
collect even the tears that had welled up in Lovely's eyes.

"And last, but not least, the blood," Clys muttered, almost to
herself.

Clys inserted a hollow needle directly into Lovely's neck,
piercing the artery, and Lovely's red blood pulsed through it
into a large glass container. Clys watched impassively as
Lovely's milk-white skin became even paler, slowly approaching
the pallor of death. Lovely could feel her heart racing as it
tried to keep the blood flowing through her body. She began to
feel dizzy, and spots gathered before her eyes. At last Clys
removed the needle and allowed the wound to seal. Lovely's head
dropped forward and she nearly lost consciousness.

"Perfect position, my dear, yes, keep your head just like that,"
Clys said, reaching for a metal object with a small wooden
handle. She held the metal part in front of Lovely's eyes, so
Lovely could see what it was -- a branding iron, with some kind
of odd symbol to it. Clys heated the iron in the flame of a
candle, and then lifted the hair at the nape of Lovely's neck.
Lovely gasped as the red-hot iron was pressed against the tender
skin at the back of her neck, leaving there a small, but
indelible, mark.

"You won't be alive that much longer, but it doesn't matter. You
are mine, and must be marked as such."

Clys lifted Lovely's chin with her bony fingers, and stared
directly into Lovely's eyes.

"Anything to say, before I let Danlily have her turn with you?"

Lovely nodded slightly, licking her dry lips before attempting to
speak.

"I love you," she gasped. "And I forgive you."

[Lovely]

Lovely hung limply on the wall, with her head held low and tears
streaming from her eyes. Had this really happened? Was this some
sort of nightmare?

She thought of how she had come to be here...She had wanted to
help Clys, and had been seduced by the lust within her as well as
the thought of being claimed by Clys.

Well, now she had been claimed. The white hot fire of the poison
still arced through her body, and the burning sensation from the
brand on the back of her neck reminded her that she was not a
free woman anymore. Clys owned her, like she was merely property,
and treated her as such. There was no equal ground here....

Never once through her entire ordeal did she question why Clys
had done this. Clys had even told her that her time was short,
yet Lovely still wanted to show her love...to forgive her.
Perhaps through this Clys could learn what true love was all
about....Perhaps not.

Lovely waited for Danlily....For the pain and humiliation she
knew the half-troll would bring. While waiting she uttered silent
prayers for them all, praying that the light would show them the
way...

[Danlily]

Danlily’s eyes glittered with wicked glee, an occasional mad
giggle escaping lips parted slightly by those too smallish tusks.
“Concentrate!” Danlily’s mind disciplined herself, “do not forget
to take samples.” The half troll took a deep breath and gathered
her engineering bag and medical kit. She tilted her head in
thought, then decided on a spot in Lovely’s inner thigh for
gathering her specimens. “You’re sure she’s secured tightly,” she
asked, looking over her shoulder at Kittsu. Kittsu nodded a
reassurance and Danlily turned back to Lovely, kneeling to
examine the anterior portion of Lovely’s inner thigh. She reached
for a scalpel and scored a neat section three inches wide by four
inches long. She looked up at Lovely to gauge her reaction. With
a half smile, Danlily returned to her work. She lifted the skin
of Lovely’s thigh with the tip of her scalpel and started peeling
the skin from the dermis from one corner down to the far corner
diagonally. She took the skin and placed it in a sample jar for
later use and pulled another, rounder and fatter jar out of her
pack. She was normally very exacting and meticulous when working
with samples but she could not help this one bit of
unprofessional behavior and gleefully pulled out a fork, thinking
of Sehkar and his “squire” Winslow. She dug the fork into the top
of the exposed dermis and began peeling away fatty tissue and
collecting it into the larger jar. She wasn’t quite sure, but at
this point, Danlily was sure she heard music, singing perhaps,
and so she started singing along to the music box that tinkled
away in her mind.

Once Danlily cleared a path through the fatty tissue, she made
her way to the largest bone in the paladin’s body, her femur.
There was a major artery here and Danlily was careful not to nick
it. She licked her lips, the scent of the paladin’s blood along
with the scent of Lovely’s nether fluids made her ache with need
but she diligently returned to her goal, obtaining bone samples
for further study. Oh, how she wanted to sink her tusks into
Lovely’s thigh, to drink deep of the rich blood, but the Royal
Apothecary Society had been promised their living subject, and
Danlily would not deny the organization their lab-rat. The RAS
was an organization that had done so much to help the Immortalis.
Danlily took up her favorite hammer, and kissing it lightly, she
set it to a chisel and carved a bit of bone from Lovely’s femur,
just enough to give Danlily the chunk of bone she wanted to
study, but not enough to leave the thigh bone too weak to make
the march to Undercity in a few days.

Danlily continued to sing to the tinkling music in her head.
There may have been screaming. There may have been crying. There
may have been no other voices other than Danlily’s, but it was a
melody she loved all the same and her eyes danced in mad
happiness as she lovingly put away her jars and equipment once
she’d finished pulling Lovely’s extraction site tight and she'd
stitched it closed. She stood and looked Lovely in the eyes. She
reached for Lovely’s hair and pulled it tight into a top-knot on
top of the paladin’s head and secured it in one bunch with two
leather thongs, the first near the scalp and the other an inch
apart from it. She licked Lovely’s cheek, looked into her eyes
again, and kissed her hard on the mouth. With one hand holding up
the hank of silver hair, Danlily took blade with the other and
cut the hair from Lovely’s head between the leather thongs.
Danlily stepped back. There Lovely remained, shackled, shaved,
carved. Now what little of her beautiful silver hair that
remained was sticking straight out in a short silver spray above
the single thong left atop Lovely’s head.

Danlily stepped back and threw her head back and crowed a
victory, holding the silver swatch of hair high. She turned to
Kittsu and Clys with mad laughter and bounced as her blood elven
brethren would do, right over to her bow and attached the swatch
of silver hair to the top of her bow. She stroked the leather
hand wraps on the bow and purred, “Do you like it Mommy? You were
always so pretty. Look at you now.”

She turned and peeled her tunic off, looking at Clys. Danlily’s
hands and arms were covered in Lovely’s blood, blood that she
smeared across her bare breasts, feeling her nipples harden. Clys
approached Danlily and grabing her hair, she yanked Danlily's
head down to her, sinking her small fangs into Danlily’s soft
throat. After a small taste, Clys tore off Danlily’s remaining
armor and motioned for Kittsu to join them as they satiated
themselves on the floor before Lovely.

Hidden deep in a corner, a half frightened Sin`dorei watched on,
sickened in horror and yet unable to stop the lustful throbbing
within.

[Lupen]

Many hours later, under the cloak of the dead night, Lupen
lurched into the lone cabin... His personal demon of Lust, his
succubus Jhorantia followed him inside, if for nothing more than
dramatic effect. Lovely, the stripped naked and abused Paladin
was hanging limp and asleep on the wall... Chained up and
obviously in terrible shape. Lupen slowly inspected the body,
Danlily's incision in the thigh, Clys' puncture in her neck, and
whatnot. He closely observed the torture she had been put through
and smiled. "Rise... And shine... Paladin." Lupen said slowly in
his mucusy, dark voice. His hot, horrid breath coursed down the
human's body. Lovely awoke abruptly, startled at Lupen's arrival.

He sighed and raised what was left of his right eyebrow. "You
need not speak, human..." he slowly muttered. "I came here to
convey a few things to you..." Lupen smirked has he moved his
hand up and down the tender spots of his succubus' body. "First,
and perhaps most importantly; you are to die, and you know it."
Lovely nodded a bit as blood dripped from her cracked lips.
"Secondly," he continued. "I hope you are enjoying your... Heh...
Love lust... For it is the last feeling of joy you will ever
feel." Lovely closed her eyes and tried to turn her head from
Lupen... But he only continued. "I wish only one trophy from your
little experiment... Your lifeless body. Once the RAS is finished
with it... I'll have my own fun with it." He grinned wider than
before as the once beautiful human said nothing, but nearly lay
between life and death.

"Lovely... Your blood has told me much... It has told me that
even the most pure... Nay, the most brainwashed can be swayed to
true dark power and emotions. You have been lied to beautiful
human, true power does not stem from devotion to a meaningless
avatar, it comes from emotions! Lust being one of them... Lust
being a sin. I was human once, and I feel lust..." He swirled a
bit of Jhorantia's hair has he moved his hand down her backside.
"But most of all... I feel anger! This anger comes from something
too dark for you humans to truly understand!" Lupen let out a dry
sigh and slapped the backside of his demon, she moaned with her
love of dark sadism. "Human Lovely..." Lupen began once again.
"... My lust for you grows above that I have felt for my demon...
But not that of my true love from Dalaran..."

He grabbed the handle of his sword, and slowly placed the dull
edge toward the Paladin's right cheek. He moved his face into
plant a kiss upon her, but she jerked away. "Fair enough." he
smirked. Lupen then grabbed her right breast and placed a kiss on
her left cheek. "Lovely... No longer does that name mean a
thing."

He left the room; content with himself and the evil he has caused
in one of the most devoted and "pure" humans.