AN: And here is the second post for all you lovely people. :D

As always, thank you all for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to voice them.

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"Hmm," hummed the Dwarf.

"Indeed," came my reply, as we stared at a crystalline screen whose images came from the eyes of the Homunculi. For before us was an expanse of whiteness which stretched from all sides. What is more, there were... bodies. Each within a cage of some sort, and all held a gaze of hollowness within them. It was rather strange, to be honest, as these ones looked as though they were simply awaiting their turn in the queue to be reaped by Death Herself. Whilst at the same time, still clung to the hope of life.

As to their appearance? Each one was the same, and yet different.

Think of a painter's canvas, if you would. Where he would sketch a drawing of a figure with a piece of charcoal, then have it erased whilst leaving a faint etching of the previous sketch. Of which would continue on and on until there is only dark and faint lines of what the artist desired before throwing it away. This is what we saw from the point of view of the scouts we sent through.

"Have you ever come across such beings, Lord Karastak?" asked the Dwarf, who was truly perplexed as to what he was seeing before his person.

"No," I shook my head slowly, "This is entirely new to one such as I." Turning to my right, I waved the Titan, Beelzebub, and the twins over to my side. Once they appeared, I pointed towards the screen and asked if they had ever come across such a thing in their long cycles of life.

To which only the Titan contemplated, as the others shook their heads and returned to whatever it was they were doing. "Titan Kronos?" called out the Adamantine Dwarf, "You have the look of one who has experienced what we are witnessing." This was spoken aloud just as the scouts came upon the first "cage". Of which was a small cell of transparent glass with multiple runes shining brightly upon the surface. Yes. We knew of what such runes were used for, as they were transportation and illusion spells, but we didn't know why the body continued to change.

For you see, the first body would began as a burly, but naked, Bear Beastman. This form stayed active for a few heartbeats before it shifted quickly to a small, Fox-kin girl-child, and yes, it was nude. Afterwards, it would continue to shift into a variety of forms which included flora, fauna, and inanimate objects such as gold.

"We should try to remove them," I muttered softly, but was halted by the Titan.

Of whom shook his head slowly as he pointed one of his clawed fingers towards the structure itself, "I recognise those markings, as my own cage held a few of its remnants. The ones atop and on the bottom of the cage are merely for teleportation. Whereas the rest is to make the body become whatever the one holding the controls wishes them to be."

"How do you know-" my eyes grew wide as it dawned upon my mind, as I recalled what Kronos had to endure before my and mine own intervention. For you see, my dear audience, after his children slew his body, they kept the essences which made up his will. Afterwards, for their own enjoyment, they forced his person to become anything and everything. Such as a slave which would be whipped, or a virgin female to be raped repeatedly.

Everything; anything; all of it and more. He had to endure it for many a millennia until I and mine appeared with a great army to attack his captors' stronghold. Though, at that time, we did not know the Titan was there, nor even of his existence. So imagine his and our surprise when we found one another.

In any case, this visual of another cage of the same mark and design as his own caused his person to seethe in anger. Of which was then quashed as such a thing did not imprison any of his charges, or my own. However, it only calmed him somewhat down to a rage which caused his body to erupt high into the nothingness above us.

"Hmm, how much force would it take to remove the cage, Kronos?" This query was directed from my person to his own as he quieted down.

"I do not know," was his reply, and held up a burning hand to forestall anymore interjections, "When you and yours came upon the stronghold which held my essence at that time, I was not even aware of my surroundings. For I would have needed a body for such a thing, but once it was destroyed, I was free to do as I wished. This gave me the desire to burn everything to the ground, thus allowing me to become a Primordial."

To clear up any confusion, if any of you have read up on the histories and stories of Al'nuul, you will have come across many a passage and chapter containing the rise of Titan Kronos, and the fall of what was known as "Second Rome". This is what I am speaking of in the telling of this part of the tale.

"Is it possible to move the cage out of the space?" This was directed towards the Dwarf, of whom directed the Homunculi towards the transparent structure. Once they came upon it, one of the pair quickly moved to the opposite side. Of which they then lifted their leathered arms around it, as energy flowed from the machine, through the portal, and into their person.

This then caused their arms to stretch and wrap around its sides whilst a white spell circle erupted from the bottom of the cage, which expanded around the bodies of the scouts. It then caused everything within to vanish, and appearing next to the machine. Of which caused the entity within to shriek in great agony just as the portal into what was supposed to be Terra closed.

*****

"What the hell is going on?!" howled the False God, as multiple alarms blared in his space. Each called up several screens with image of unknown entities dressed in leathered equipment which hid everything except the eyes and strange hair. Of which then moved about a white space filled with crystalline cages full of the strange beings within. They then targeted the closest structure, stared at it for a time, then teleported themselves, and it, out of the space. Where they went is still a mystery to his system, but it was enough to cause the multiple alarms to blare.

"What the hell did you do, Draxis?" shouted a female voice above, as a small figure appeared in the distance, and was growing closer upon each step. Of whom was soon revealed to be a female Dwarf of Azzarath, wearing something akin to scalemail, but it glowed with an unearthly red.

This one then approached the other, who backed away quickly just as she reached up and dragged his person to her level. Whereupon she did swing her right fist directly into his head and torso thrice, before tossing him against the throne, knocking it over. "You stupid fool," she screamed, "I have had it up to here with your lack of attention to your world."

"But, I haven't done anything," cried out the False God, of whom protected his head as several spears of gold were thrown at his person.

"That's the problem, Draxis. You. Did. Nothing, and now look at your system. Everything has gone to shit, and there is nothing we can do about it."

"What about God King Azazel? Surely she would do something about it," he peered out from under his arms, then ducked back under as another pair of golden spears struck at his body.

"This is none of her concern, you stupid Dulahan," her screaming rose in pitch, as she called upon her energies and strength to summon a great hammer above her head. This then swung towards his side, catapulting his body away, and leaving only the head to the mercy of the Dwarf. Of whom left lifted it up and shoved it into one of the screens showing the unknown perpetrators within.

"See that?" Her voice was barely a whisper above the noise, as his head was pointed to the pair just as the images switched to showing the scene in which they summoned up a white spell circle, and vanished from sight.

"What am I supposed to see?" he whined softly, none too sure as to what he's supposed to say from witnessing such a thing.

"We have an inkling of what they are, Draxis," grinned the other, "We just have to..." The Dwarf frowned greatly as her left hand tapped at a floating screen in front of them. This continued to grow, even after tossing the head of the False God away towards his body. Whereupon it did catch the thrown appendage, and was held up to view the tappings of the other.

"What-?" he began, but was silenced as she screamed and called upon her golden hammer to smash the object before her.

"Stupid machines!"

"What happened?" His own body slowly backed away so as to not incur her ire once more.

"They can't find a mana signature on their bodies, nor can they detect where that portal transported them," she spoke this in a huff, as her arms folded over one another, "There's nothing there, and the system keeps saying the signature is similar to Azazel's, but she's been found to be sleeping."

"Has she ever slept before?"

"Yeah, but you're too young to remember that."

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AN2: If you're confused as to what a Dulahan is, or just too lazy, think of the Headless Horseman. That's what Warden Draxis, aka the "False God", is.