Delanna knew that Lady Death was coming, but she didn’t think she had much longer to live. The last four Blood Elf women that were caged had been tortured to death, their blood was still warm and sliding down her naked body. Soon, all the soldier’s attention would be focused on her and their terrible desires.

My Lady Death, I fear that you may not arrive on time. I thank you for the hope you’ve given and knowledge that these men will die. I will gladly continue to serve you in death, as I have accepted in my vows as Prime. Thank you.

Del felt what equated to a door knock on her mind. A familiar, yet odd presence was awaiting her response. She could feel Lady Death’s energy accompany the presence and opened her mind.

“Oh, this is freaky as shit.” A red Imp formed as an opaque image facing away from her, hands on his waist surveying the scene.

“H..Hello?” the Imp turned to face her.

“Hey there! What’s your name? Sariah didn't tell me anything other than "Srit do this and Srit do that. Needy as always.” he jovially spoke.

“I’m Delanna, who are you master Imp?”

“I’m Srit, Sariah is my Bonded. I came here to tell you "you don’t need us to make it there on time. Just focus on all energies around you, find the one that feels best and tug on it" he said in a mocking tone. Well, that’s what Sariah says for you to do. I think you should break out and rape these a-holes with all of this broken wood, but she says her way will be much better. My way involves ninja chops, think about it.” he said with a wink.

“Who is Sariah? Was she sent by the Goddess?”

“Oh snap, you call her Lady something-or-other. She might be the Goddess you're thinking of, in the world of bad ass women she's at the top. Anyhow, there’s also this crazy looking Essence floating around you, it looks attached. Lady Death says it looks like it’s fused with you at a deep level, so don’t try to get rid of it" the mocking tone return as he held up his hands to make air quotes "Bring it with you". Gotta go!” the image began to dissipate.

“Wait?! What do I do?!” She screamed.

“Ninja chop some mother fuckers, or, Just be nice to it when it shows up, you DO NOT want to piss that one off!” *POP* the image completely vanished while she was asking what "it" was.

I’m so confused now. What did any of that mean?

“Alrighty boss, she’s good now. Hey! That little Essence around her, it reacted to your energy like you said. It went to wake it up.” Srit could look evil at times, but when he knew that mass destruction was on the horizon he hit an entirely new level.

“Good, I’m just glad that we were able to get close enough to let her know. How did you convince the Essence to do what you wanted?” curiosity played across her face like she was five years old asking about where babies come from.

“I just played it illusions of shit blowing up, dudes getting their wangs chopped off, people dying and *cough* arrows *cough* pointing to it.” Srit kept speaking before Sariah, hopefully, caught the decpticoughs. That little sucker homed in on it quickly, it was headed that way before I even left the dreamscape. Besides, I’m a bad ass Imp King and I can do anything. Look at these guns!” Srit flexed one arm and proceeded to smack Sariah in the side of the head with his bicep. “Are you looking? You’re not looking! Look! Look at my KINGLY KINGNESS!! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKKKKK!”

“You’re insufferable, I see those tiny things you call muscles, now stop before I put you back in the bag.” She tried to be aggravated, but the anticipation of seeing her plan play out was growing as the got closer to their stop. “Place a marker, not a cough arrow cough, for the group here, we’re roughly an hour out at our current pace, but I need to stop for a few minutes. They are a day behind us so just put current time on there instead of time from target and let Kavon figure it out.”

“Alrighty. Should we leave one of those little "Revenge" stones that you keep putting everywhere? You could attune it to them so that they can recharge.” The imp bounced over to a great big stone facing parallel to the road and began sheering of a flat surface to write on.

"Nope, they need to exert themselves, it'll teach them where their limits are." She said. "We're close to the focus spell that they were using to seal my realm, if i'm right, this will be Legen.."

Srit quickly interrupted, "WAIT FOR IT!" and held his hands open looking at her in anticipation. After a few moments he deflated, sighed and realized "You're "waiting for something aren't you?"

"Of course, you said to wait for it. What are we waiting for?" she replied flatly.

The little Imp was horribly defeated, all of the good Erff jokes were wasted on her. As he got out of earshot she whipered "dary" and smiled.

Captain Jasper stepped out of his office and eyed Delanna.

“Well bitch, I told you that you’d never defy me again. In a week we’ll have another 50 women to replace you all and it will be as though you never even existed. How does it feel to know your life has been for nothing but warming my bed? I think I’ll leave the blood on the cage floor to scare the new girls from the first day though. I hear they're sending us all of the younger ones.” He took a step back and spat in her face.

Delanna could only muster a whisper in response. “I do not feel for you and your ilk. In the coming days you will be banished from this world forever. Pray that it is by my hand, Lady Death is coming for one of us, I don't really care which one either.”

Jasper bellowed a hearty laugh, “Where is this Godess of yours right now? Nobody has seen a God in generations, we killed them or locked them all away. Tonight, you will be taken by every man here as a farewell. Tomorrow we’ll kill you and desecrate your body so bad that you’ll never know your precious “Peace”.

Delanna lost interest in the man, focusing on the energies around her. Magic Sight was never taught to her, but she felt someone guiding her along the way. Slowly, she began to make out the hues that were hidden behind the physical realm.

*Sariah and Srit*

“Keep it up Srit, show her the Essence and the tendril of energy I left behind. We will make it there by dawn. The others are making incredible speed and will follow shortly behind us.” Sariah was panting, but never wavered in her speed or focus.

*Delanna*

Beautiful, the world is so beautiful. If only my sisters could have seen this.

The soldiers were keeping to Jasper’s promised torture, wrecking her body, but Del was so focused that she didn’t even notice them.

An orb the size of her fist floated in front of her face. It was a black satin looking thing with lightning crackling occasionally. The form looked hostile, but Del didn’t feel as though she were in any danger. The longer she focused, the clearer the image became, it almost appeared as a crying face were embedded in that satin blackness.

I wonder If I can communicate with this thing. Would it hear my words? Why is it so familiar to me? Several minutes passed as the two continued to seemingly stare into the other's eyes. Every new man that takes my body increases the frequency of its lightning flashes. “Hello, I am Delanna the Prime. Who are you?”

A sound that she'd never heard (static) popped into her head.“Gooooooodddd, let the eneregy flow through you young Elf. Focus your thoughts into a sphere and roll it on over.” She heard the voice of the Imp, he sounded evil this time.

“Thank you, sir.” And she rolled that thought orb to the Imp.

“Not to me you big dum dum, roll your thoughts to the flashy black ball in front of you.” While he was admonishing her, she could tell he was smiling somehow.

She narrowed her focus on the question and encased it, then rolled it to the wisp. At first the wisp seemed MORE agitated and began to flit around, entering the Captain’s room and returning moments later.

After several more attempts she decided on a new thought. “If you come over here, I’ll let you touch me. I don’t want to hurt you. You don’t have to be alone. We can be together. These men will all pay for their crimes soon enough, okay? You don’t have to be so frustrated.” And she pushed the ball of though over with one last attempt.

For the first time since she had been able to see the wisp, it stopped all movement and began to pulse very faintly but quickly. A tiny orb floated to Del and she opened her mind to it.

“I am Lily. Well, what’s left of the Lily you knew. Do not forget that I belong to you, I swore it in the old way. Do you see it? Lily’s soft voice spoke into Del’s mind as a very tiny arm seemed to sprout from the orb and point at Del's hand.

Oh! My Lady! Lily! She survived! Wait, do I see what? The orb began the same route, traveling back and forth from Jasper’s office to Del’s hand. She changed her thoughts and began to search for colors that were not her own while looking at her fingers.

Sure enough, there was a blue green line tied around her finger. The line led into Jasper’s office. “I see it, what is it? Is that a penis drawn on the floor?”

I don’t know, there was a beautiful woman that entered here through the energy flows. She connected the lines to something I didn’t see. Before she left she sent me two words. “Show her.”. After that, the little Imp came in and told me that there's something in there that blows up, rapes men and chops people in half. Then he drew that. She pointed at the "cough arrow cough". So, that’s what I’m doing, showing you.” The wisp replied.

Hmm, that beautiful woman must be that Sariah lady. She’s only given me aid so far, if she wanted me harmed she’d have just not acted. Maybe the Goddess sent her. How do I get to the office though?

“Well, are you going to pull it or not? All of the men have gone to eat breakfast and will be back soon.” Lily sent her.

“Thank you, Lily.”

Delanna set her intentions to pulling on the thread of energy, it didn’t take long before it pulled back.

Woah! Of all things, I was not expecting that! The little wisp laughed. I guess that the more we speak the easier it is for us to hear each other.

Lily, can you here my thoughts? Lily floated in front of her. After a few brief pulses another orb flowed to her head, the wisp flared for a second and a tendril snaked towards Del’s temple. The moment it was attached she could feel Lily’s presence as though it were an extension of her own being.

“Can you hear me Prime?” came the mousey voice.

“Yes! Yes, I can! Did you see the energy get pulled back from the other end?

“Oh, that's so much easier than that Imps little balls!" Lily thought. "I heard that!" Srit's voice rang out to them both. "Of course I seen it pull the string, why do you think I laughed. I think it’s playing with you like a cat...or a child...OH, like a kitten! You should try again, maybe send it words.”

Delanna sent the message across the blue green tendril. “Hi, will you come out where I can see you?”

The feeling of elation sprang back through the line so strong that Delanna's physical body smiled. No words came through the line though. After a few minutes Del heard a clanking noise from Jasper’s office, followed by a few pops and…claps?

A small figure, only about two inches tall came clumsily walked out of the office. Is that my locket? WAIT! The Artifact! Oh God, it’s a living thing? I thought it was a part of Lady Death! Now she began to panic. If this was not a part of the Lady, what was it?

“Calm yourself girl! If you get that thing riled up there’s no telling what will happen. It IS a part of Sar…*SIIIIGGGHHH* Lady Death. Sariah has to be the Goddess Lady Death that you've been talking about. All her armor pieces have their own minds, they’re different pieces of the whole. Stay calm unless you want it to attack you.” Srit’s voice was much louder than before, it almost felt like he was standing next to her.

Pieces of the whole. Sentient. I suppose it makes sense, objects with far less power were known to act of their own accord, going so far as to choose their own wielder. If this thing has not attacked me already, it must still be making up its mind.

“Sounds like smart thinking to me. Did you see where it went? It’s fast!” Lily’s voice chimed into Del’s mind.

“No, maybe it ran away?” a brief sadness was shared between Lily and Delanna.

Suddenly the locking device on the stocks clicked. Del raised her head slowly. Standing on the table next to the stocks was a tiny locket with arms, legs and a chain that waved above it as though floating in water above its body. The locket promptly took a bow. After a second it glanced up at Delanna, pointed at her, clapped and then pointed at itself. It bowed one more time and Delanna got the message. She lightly clapped and smiled.

She asked Lily to keep an eye on the soldiers and inform her if they began to return. Lily accepted "Do you one better." and flitted off.

“Thank you for freeing me, I will do everything I can to return you to Lady Death.” She said as she held out her hand in front of the locket. “Would you like the locket removed? I think it looks rather good on you though sir.”

The locket studied her hand for a second and nodded “No” two times. It pointed at its body and made a "Sexy" pose.

“I guess you are not yet capable of speech, I will ask you single answer questions if that’s okay.” She grinned at the locket, crouching down to its level and pulling her hand back a bit.

Somehow the locket managed to appear happy as it nodded “yes”.

“May I carry you, I would like to escape, and it would be much faster if I were to carry you either in my hand or around my neck.”

“No.”

“Do you wish to escape?”

“No”

Strange, why would it free me if not to escape and be returned to Lady Death.

“Am I to consider you a friend?”

The locket appeared to be thinking, how strange. It reached a conclusion to its thoughts and stepped closer to Del. The chain that had been floating above his head came down and slowly inched towards Del’s fingers. She moved to touch it but was whipped gently by the chain.

“You just want to touch me?”

“Yes.”

“Will it hurt?”

“Yes No” I guess that’s a maybe.

"Do you mean me harm?

"No"

“I trust you, proceed please”

*Srit and Sariah*

“Boss, you’re biting your fingernails off! Stop it!” Srit kept slapping her hands away from her face.

“I can’t help it, I’m just so excited Srit! This is the deciding moment!” She hadn’t even turned to look at him when she spoke. They were now sitting hidden at the top of a hill. Their view of the scene was quite astounding. Sariah had reminded Srit that he “acquired” spy glasses a long time ago for just this occasion.

“Can’t you already tell what the armor is thinking?”

“No,” she laughed with the gleefulness of a teenager. “it’s deciding if it wants to come back to me or join with her! Silence! There about to test their compatibility!”

“But boss, wont that make you weaker? Giving up a piece of your armor will....." *SMACK* Sariah backhanded the annoying Imp hard enough to send him hundreds of yards away. “Bitch” he sullenly said. He picked himself up and limped back to the top of the hill, one lens broken on his precious goggles.

Oh I hope that I'll be able to control the influx of magic if the barrier tears. She quickly came up with a plan to deal with bleedover.

*Delanna*

The chain crept towards her very slowly until the smallest piece was touching her skin. Nothing happened for a second, and then Delanna’s mind EXPLODED!

There was no pain, just such a presence that she couldn’t conceive the magnitude. Thousands of broken shards were scattered everywhere. Scenes played out on each shard, different ones. These scenes were not from her memories…They are from its memories!

She floated around and checked thousands of memories, they were incredible. Something didn’t seem right though, she felt like she was missing something.

If this is the culmination of its memories, then it must be broken. I wonder if I can put it back together. She began to fly from memory to memory, each one that she fit together would stop the current scene and create a unified picture. She was nowhere close to making out what the picture was, but she’d get there.

After about 25 pieces were put together, they shattered. How do I keep them bound? There is nothing here for me to lay them on, nothing to glue them together…glue. I’ve got it.

Del closed her eyes and focused on grabbing several pieces. Her interaction with Lily had shown her that she can stretch tendrils of herself out and touch things. In this dreamscape, she should be able to not only touch them but pull them, and glue them together. Several pieces fit into place, as they did she sealed the tendrils and cut them off so that they would say.

A small Blood Elf child popped into existence feet from her. “Hi! Whatcha doing miss?”

“Are you the locket? Is this your mind?” She smiled at the little boy.

“Ummmmmm,” the boy said looking over his body, “I wouldn’t say that I’m a locket seeing as how I’m obviously a boy. I’m just another spirit that’s roamed this place for a very long time. You know, there’s only so much of you that you can use here. Every time you cut a piece off, you’re sacrificing that piece of you forever.”

“It’s okay, if my last action in this life is to fix the Essence that’s broken here, it’ll be worth it. Lady Death can reclaim the piece while it’s fully intact and get my vengeance for me. Either way, I win.” She smiled and held her hand out to the boy.

The child regarded her skeptically, and then grabbed her hand. “Those are big words lady, but in the end, you will never be able to complete this thing alone. I’d say you can get 1 of every 100 pieces put back together. You’re really fighting a worthless battle, save yourself or you’ll be dead and this this still won’t be fixed.”

Delanna stopped moving the pieces around. “Testing me, are you?” she prodded.

“Nope, it’s just honesty. No matter how much you put into this, you will lose. What good are you to anyone as a dead woman? At least alive you could go out into the world and finish your days in peace.” The boy was now at arm’s length, arms crossed and glaring at the Del. “Don’t be stupid.”

“Freedom means nothing when not used for good. I may not escape. It’s more likely that I’d die in the attempt. I will do this one last thing before I go. I will help this Essence and my Lady. I am proud to die making a difference for the better. Will you sit with me and keep me company?”

“I will, but, it seems to me like you could just put this thing together how you please and control it. That way you get live AND take this power.” They both sat down, the boy put his head in her lap and she wrapped around him. Looking at the boy’s face she noticed that he had tears forming in his eyes.

“You’re sad? Why are you sad?” she said.

“I miss my mommy, it was hard to remember her, but you’re making it easier. She died like you are about to. She tried to clean souls and put them back together.” He held tighter around her waist.

“You will see her again, I promise. The Afterlife is a place where all spirits can go. You will see her there one day. Your mother sounds wonderful. You see, this is a livling thing. Were I to take it's power, I'd be enslaving it. Power at that cost is not power I want.” She said as she began to lose focus. Her body was phasing out rapidly, she appeared as an ever more translucent ghost as she wove the pieces of the image together.

"So, you will die here?"

"It appears so." She had no regret in her voice, only determination and strain.

Her form was nearly completely gone, one last strand would be all that she could manage. “Boy, you can go now, I do not want to you to be sad or alone when I am totally gone. Nor do i know that this being will welcome you if I am not here. Find peace, find your mommy.” She looked down to see the boy, but in his place was now a strong looking teenager, smiling up at her with more love than she knew was possible.

“No, I’ll stay with you. You are selfless, loving and fearless. I have no desire for peace, but I do wish to see my family grow, thank you...sister” He said and smiled at her.

*Sariah and Srit*

“SQUUUUUUEEEEEEEEE!!! THEY DID IT! SHE DID IT! IT ACCEPTED HER SRIT!” she screamed while pinching the Imp’s cheeks so hard it felt as if his mouth was going to ripped from his face.

“Hey! Quit!” Srit rubbed his sore cheeks. “So, what now? Wasn’t that the piece that allowed you to Realm Walk?”

“Sure was! Well, sort of. It just made it much easier. Now she just has to survive the melding and form a bond!!! It will be like having my own daughter! I can’t wait to see what she becomes!” Srit had never seen Sariah so happy.

“So, what’s involved in her melding with your armor?” a bit of caution to his voice. “Mortals were not built to have that kind of power.”

“Huh, I don’t really know what happens or if she’ll be able to do it.” she paused for a moment, grinned and looked at Srit again. “Oh…” she flipped him off, “I forgot to tell you, her bloodline is of the Touched.” She grinned menacingly and started dancing around like an idiot cheerleader again. “Yeeeahhhh baaaaaaby, gonna be a new bad chic in town today! Uh huh, uh huh uh huh!” Srit just giggled and sat down, enjoying the show.

*Kavon, Tom, Sub and Erection*

Kavon, Tom, Sub and Erection were still miles away from Srit and Sariah. At some point during their travel, Tom found that he could see wild magic roiling like a wake behind a fast-moving fish. “Feral Magic” he called it. He guided the golem into the tiny spot between the rolling pillars and invested all his energy into the golem. Their speed became ridiculously fast.

At some point, Kavon had re-shaped the golem into something resembling an arrow at all angles in the front. This seemed to split the wind and make it require less effort for Erection to take his strides. Kavon was indeed a brilliant inventor. His concentration was so strong that he’d not spoken a word to the group since their departure.

Tom’s reserves of energy were depleting quickly, so he knew Kavon was risking his own life to arrive on time.

“Human! You save power for fight. Tom make rock run fast, you sleep and give control.” Kavon opened his heavy eyelids for the first time, exposing his golden eyes. This worse than thought, burning his own life force. “Th..than..” Sub had dropped a light hammer fist on the back of Kavon’s head and put him under for the count. “Sorry Master, a man that powerful being that tired is at the end of his rope. I will care for him.” Sub stated with his head bowed.

Good boy. Tom looked forward, arresting control of the golem by grabbing the flailing tendril of Kavon’s magical reigns and opened his Essence to its maximum flow. Darkness shot down the tendril and it flared to life.