Veran gazed into the darkness, his immortal heart pounding. This house on the mountains was not holy to any god, it pulsed with evil unlike anything the Fallen One had felt before.
"Torvis?"
Who called that name? Veran couldn't shake the feeling of dread. Enternity as the great slayer of men had given Veran a certain invulnerability to the emotions of mortal beings, but this was such a strong, overwhelming feeling of pure, undiluted fear.
"Torvis, are you listening?"
Veran's mind flashed into recognition. "Yes, what do you need Drythi?" Torvis's lips moved but they were Veran's words. Torvis, young human warrior of the lower hills, had died a
fortnight ago when Veran slipped into his mind and severed his soul from its husk.
"Torvis, I need you to go through the door there into the antechamber."
"Yes m'lady." Veran answered the elven duchess in his practiced, fluid tone. The door he was to bash through was sturdy hardwood. Whatever could be said about this place, it was well kept for a place of supernatural evil. Kicking in this door did not seem fitting to Veran, even in his masquerade as Torvis. He drew his dagger and retrieved a nail from a nearby chest. It took a moment with the clumsy device but the lock in the doorway clicked into the open position. Veran reached for the handle and slowly drew the door open. His heart knew what lay on the other side but it would be best for his travelling companions to learn for themselves. A black fluid rose from floor to ceiling just inside the antechamber. Veran knew what it was but wasn't willing to share with the mortals.
"What is it Torvis?" the chirpy voice of Selene rang out. The little halfling paladin to Drake was going to have the shock of a lifetime. "In Drake's name!" she saw what Veran had obscured a second before. Blood, it was a wall of blood. The sanguine divider pulsed and flowed. Up and down, down and up, the red darkness moved as if alive.
"Powerful magicks shaped this wall." Drythi had already started trying to explain the wall like any wizard would.
That's where you'd be wrong. Veran smirked.
"This is an unholy creation!" Selene shouted in a tone that nearly hurt Veran's ears.
Please, the child didn't detect me as evil when I entered Torvis, and I wasn't obfuscated like this house was. What makes her think its evil as she knows it?
"Me smash!" Tog the orcish barbarian of the eastern steps charged the wall before bouncing off the body of Torvis.
"Smashing a fluid object might not be the brightest of attempts on your part Tog." Veran loved insulting the orc and loved watching him get hurt even more but he could not allow a death in this house. Not this house, not ever.
"Torvis?"
Who called that name? Veran couldn't shake the feeling of dread. Enternity as the great slayer of men had given Veran a certain invulnerability to the emotions of mortal beings, but this was such a strong, overwhelming feeling of pure, undiluted fear.
"Torvis, are you listening?"
Veran's mind flashed into recognition. "Yes, what do you need Drythi?" Torvis's lips moved but they were Veran's words. Torvis, young human warrior of the lower hills, had died a
fortnight ago when Veran slipped into his mind and severed his soul from its husk.
"Torvis, I need you to go through the door there into the antechamber."
"Yes m'lady." Veran answered the elven duchess in his practiced, fluid tone. The door he was to bash through was sturdy hardwood. Whatever could be said about this place, it was well kept for a place of supernatural evil. Kicking in this door did not seem fitting to Veran, even in his masquerade as Torvis. He drew his dagger and retrieved a nail from a nearby chest. It took a moment with the clumsy device but the lock in the doorway clicked into the open position. Veran reached for the handle and slowly drew the door open. His heart knew what lay on the other side but it would be best for his travelling companions to learn for themselves. A black fluid rose from floor to ceiling just inside the antechamber. Veran knew what it was but wasn't willing to share with the mortals.
"What is it Torvis?" the chirpy voice of Selene rang out. The little halfling paladin to Drake was going to have the shock of a lifetime. "In Drake's name!" she saw what Veran had obscured a second before. Blood, it was a wall of blood. The sanguine divider pulsed and flowed. Up and down, down and up, the red darkness moved as if alive.
"Powerful magicks shaped this wall." Drythi had already started trying to explain the wall like any wizard would.
That's where you'd be wrong. Veran smirked.
"This is an unholy creation!" Selene shouted in a tone that nearly hurt Veran's ears.
Please, the child didn't detect me as evil when I entered Torvis, and I wasn't obfuscated like this house was. What makes her think its evil as she knows it?
"Me smash!" Tog the orcish barbarian of the eastern steps charged the wall before bouncing off the body of Torvis.
"Smashing a fluid object might not be the brightest of attempts on your part Tog." Veran loved insulting the orc and loved watching him get hurt even more but he could not allow a death in this house. Not this house, not ever.