From: "Benjamin Tate" <boy_devil@hotmail.com>

*Sabian*

Sabian walked through the forest silently, with Amak and Paplin trailing 
behind him.  He wasn't happy with the two that Ka'Laren had given him.  
There were plenty of other more qualified people that could have been sent.  
They had better not screw things up.  He heard them whispering to each 
other, as if he couldn't hear them.  He mentally sighed.  Amateurs.

"I heard that he used to be one of the best."

"What happened to him?"

"Something in Ralengarde ... nearly killed him I heard.  Word is that he 
hasn't been the same since.  Lost his edge."

Lost his edge!!  Is that what people thought of him now?  He clenched a fist 
around the crossbow hanging from his belt and resisted the urge to kill 
those two ingrates back there.  They would never amount to a quarter of the 
man he was.  A cynical part of his brain whispered Used to be.  He had been 
a little off since Ralengarde and as much as he pushed it away, there was a 
part of him that kept whispering that maybe it was time to leave the 
business.  That maybe he wasn't as good as he once had been.

"What was the name they used to give him?"

"Angel of Death I think ... I doubt he's much of that now."

Sabian whirled on the two, crossbow drawn and snarled out "If either one of 
you speaks another word before we get to Norwall, I'll show you what an 
Angel of Death looks like."  And then he continued on.  Amak and Paplin, 
after quick hurried whispers, quickly caught up with him and wisely kept 
silent.

Timing was on their side.  A large caravan was arriving just as they were, 
so it was little trouble to mingle in with the visitors and escape the 
notice of the watchful guards.  Sabian smiled to himself.  This was going to 
be a cakewalk.

He scanned the crowd after dropping off to a shady corner.  Riders, guards, 
people sporting the livery of Lord Harrkkon · his gaze hit one such man and 
for a second their eyes met.  Sabian felt cold all over and shuddered 
violently.  The man was gone when he looked again.  There was something ... 
something ... wrong with that man.  He couldn't put his finger on it, but he 
had learned not to doubt his gut instincts.  Well, it was no concern of his. 
  Another enemy of Norwall's was a friend of his.

He quickly gestured to his companions, indicating where they should position 
themselves.  They would stay near the gate and once the signal sounded, kill 
the guards and jam the front gate.  Easy enough.
Then the dragons began scurrying and things got difficult.

*Galen*

Galen scanned the hatching cavern, anxious for this whole thing to be over.  
He had thought that his feelings of uneasiness would dissipate once the 
action started.  But they hadn't.  If anything, he felt more on edge.

Naomi indicated that she was ready to go and they headed out. They'd just 
reached the entrance to the hatching chamber again when 3 figures stepped 
from the shadows into their path.

"What do you want?"  Galen demanded.  "Stand aside and let us pass."

Galen laid his hand on his sword as he confronted three of the guards that 
had accompanied Harkon's party that evening.  He had no time to draw the 
blade however as, working as a team, two of the guards grabbed him.

Galen was held tightly as the leader advanced on Naomi, a mocking grin 
twisting his lips.

"Alone at last."  he told her in a cold voice as he pinned her against the 
wall of the tunnel and lowered his head towards her.

"Let me go."  she told him coldly  "You can be sure that I won't let this 
behaviour go unreported and unpunished.  Lord Harkon shall hear of it."

"He already knows."  the laughter that issued from his lips was cold and 
full of spite.  "He knowsssssss!"

Galen twisted and turned, fighting to break free of the grip, but he was 
held fast.  He was a strong man, but the two who held him had grips of iron 
and all his struggles made no impact on their hold.  He watched the leader 
bend down and kiss Naomi, then froze in horror as he watched what happened 
next.  The color faded out of the man holding Naomi and went into her.  
After a few seconds, he dropped to the floor and Naomi stood frozen in the 
same position.

Behind him he heard Amethyst scream in fury, but Naomi made no movement.  
Then she slowly stretched out her arms and sighed contentedly.  She 
sauntered towards Galen and his two captors.

"Naomi?  Are you okay?  What happened?  Naomi ·"

"Poor human.  You shouldn't have hung around with these dragon riders. It 
would have been safer."

It was Naomi's voice but ... not her.  She was finally close enough for him 
to look in her eyes and what he saw there terrified him.  Something ... 
something else was inside Naomi.  What looked out at Galen now was not the 
warrenlady he had grown to know and respect.  Something vile and evil was 
inside those eyes ... something full of hatred.

As Galen slumped, giving way to feelings of failure and fear, one of his 
captors spoke.  "Should we kill him?"

The Naomi possessor thought for a moment, glanced over Galen, then nodded to 
herself.  "No.  No, he can be useful.  We need to get outside ... and he may 
be our key.  Take him."

Galen tensed.  There was a little shifting behind him and then one of the 
men was in front of him smiling.  He took Galen's head in hands, forced his 
mouth open ...

Galen screamed and fought, but in one terrifying moment, he felt something 
come into his body and sweep all that was him away.  His scream cascaded in 
his mind and he drowned in the darkness that now reigned.

*Sabian*

"You there?  Who are you?  I don't remember seeing you around here before?"

Sabian froze in dread as one of the Norwall guards approached Paplin, who 
was waiting across from where Sabian stood.  The dragons and riders had 
scrambled and disappeared and now in the sudden emptiness, Paplin's 
loitering figure was spotted.  Sabian cursed Paplin and cursed Ka'Laren for 
sending with him a man who couldn't even stand outside of the torchlight.

"Me?  I'm ... um ... well, I'm with ... with Lord Harrkkon's men."

Paplin was visibly nervous.  Obvious.  Too Obvious.  Shit.  Where was ...

Amak suddenly appeared behind the guard and with one swift stroke sliced his 
neck.  Sabian ran over to him, crossbow in hand, eyes taking in everything.

"What in the hell are you doing?"

"He was going to find Paplin out!  We couldn't just stand by!"

"Yes we could have!  Paplin means nothing!"

The guards were coming now.  Two were at the gates, now shouting and 
gesturing.  Three were coming across the green and more were sure to follow.

"Amak!  Take care of those coming across the green.  Give me some time."

He spun and loosed his crossbow bolt into one of the oncoming gate guards.  
The others was on him in a second.  He sidestepped the first thrust and 
elbowed the man in the face.  Kick to the side, kick to the chest, spin kick 
to the head and the guard was down.  He took the fallen sword and drove it 
through his heart.

He spared a glance at his two companions.  Paplin was down.  Two of the 
Norwall guards were also down and Amak was on his way to downing the last, 
but another group was coming and Amak wouldn't be able to hold them on his 
own.  No time.  There was no time.

He ran to the gate mechanism and checked it out.  Wouldn't be too hard to 
jam · but he didn't have to time to do it proper.  Moving quickly, he 
grabbed the torch out of the bracket slammed it against the wall with all of 
his strength, taking off the top half.  Using the miniature stake he had 
left, he rammed it down into the gate mechanism.  Another glance.  Amak was 
almost down.  He pulled out his dagger and slammed the handle against the 
machine rapidly.  There.  He heard the oncoming shouts.  Spinning, he flung 
the dagger into the throat of the first guard and fled into the trees.

Ka'Laren would be angry, but he had the gates open now and they would stay 
that way.  He would have to figure out how to get in, but that wasn't 
Sabian's problem.  He was only a few steps into the forest when he heard 
Ka'Laren's signal.  Well, by the time he was here, he probably wouldn't know 
the difference anyway.  Sabian made way deeper into the forest.  Now all he 
had to do was lose the following guards, double back and join the fun.

Once his heart started beating slower.

*Galen*

Galen became aware of something other than the darkness.  His thoughts, at 
first jumbled and confused, started to sort out and he noticed something.  
He could see.  Sort of.  He was basically just watching what was going on.  
He couldn't really control anything · just watch.  But he could think ... 
and that was something.  Right?

He was scared ... he had heard rumors of the Hellspawn at Geode ... and how 
they left their hosts.  What if this was it?  What if he didn't survive this 
thing?  He would have cried if he could have.  He started muttering over and 
over again the prayer his mother taught him as a child.  Angel stay by my 
side.  Protect me day and night, peace and war, rest and trial.  Stay by my 
side.

*Hellspawn Galen*

He listened as his brethren gave the command.  "When they come, keep them at 
bay as long as you can.  Buy us time with this man's blood."

So now he watched from the hatching cavern, waiting for one to appear. He 
knew the rider named S'ron would come ... he knew they would fight. This 
human's memories were filled with interesting things ... he hoped he made it 
out to share them with his brethren.  Speaking of the human, he seemed cowed 
with terror in the little corner he was boxed. He could feel the thoughts 
leaking out, the emotions running high.  What pitiful creatures these things 
were.

Then S'ron landed.  The Hellspawn strode straight for the rider, ignoring 
the others around him, sword gripped tightly.  A face appeared before him, 
which the human's memories identified as Roz.  He flung the boy to the 
ground without glancing at him and moved on.

S'ron saw him coming and sensed something was wrong ... his sword came out.  
The Hellspawn waited two more steps then, "GGGGGGRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" he 
flew into a run, sword raised high. S'ron countered and the battle began.

Those watching would later say that it was the fastest fights they ever saw. 
  S'ron was propelled by his fear and love for Naomi, Galen by the demon who 
had taken him.  Their movements were in perfect precision with the other, 
their dance perfectly timed.  S'ron fought better than he had ever fought 
before, but he wasn't fighting Galen.  He was fighting the Hellspawn using 
Galen.  They moved back and forth, swords flicking, drawing small licks of 
blood, but nothing big.  It was almost beautiful how the two danced.  
Masters at their trade.

The Hellspawn spun inside S'ron defense, but the rider quickly parried the 
thrust to his chest and punched Galen in the face.  Momentarily thrown back, 
S'ron jammed his sword into the other's thigh.  His thrust was aimed 
perfectly ... no major artery cut, only a flesh wound.  S'ron pulled out his 
sword and turned for Naomi.  A hand gripped his shoulder and spun him 
around.  His eyes found the smiling face of Galen.

"I feel no pain, mortal."

Galen slammed his fist into S'ron's mouth, then another punch to the 
stomach.  Another was aimed to knock him over completely, but S'ron blocked 
it and returned a punch.  Then a kick.  Then another and another in quick 
succession.  Suddenly Galen had a knife and as S'ron went for the third 
kick, the knife dug into his shoulder.  Not pausing a second, S'ron kicked 
again and again and finished with a solid punch to the jaw.  Galen fell to 
the ground, momentarily knocked out.

"You might not feel it, but you still fall demon."

He pulled the knife from his shoulder and bound the wound as he raced to 
find Naomi.  It hadn't gone in deep ... only a small cut and not worth that 
much attention.  Not compare to Naomi.

Behind him, the Hellspawn rose, shook his head, smiled again and headed for 
the gates.  He wrapped his wounded leg with the shirt off of a guard who had 
fallen near the gates.  He laughed as he headed towards the gate and towards 
the outside world.

He didn't notice the small healer, who had known what had happened to her 
mate through her dragon, watching him head out.  Her eyes burned with pain, 
tears nearly brimming over.  But there was something else in her eyes too.  
Determination.

"You won't take him so easily."

[tag Jill :) ]

NRPG:  Les, I left things pretty open for you.  Let me know where you want 
to take it.  Michael, hope you didn't mind the shoulder wound... it wasn't 
much.  Galen had taken a good beating by that point, so there wasn't much of 
a thrust behind it.  Have fun looking for Naomi! Jill, haven't heard from 
you in a while and I thought this would be a good way to get you back into 
it.  Hope you don't mind.  :):)  Wil, now it's up to Ka'Laren.  Sabian will 
be back to help him out, so if you want to use him, please do.

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore!"
Ben Tate
Galen
Sabian
and a Hellspawn

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