The one that the creature had been slamming into the ground, was actually a chunk of rock, an illusion, created by a simple manipulation of shadow.  Grey was standing at a distance away from it, "I won't let you hurt her, she's been through enough, and she's knocked out.  You wanna fight someone, fight yourself, that seems like an opponent fit for you to kill."  Looking to the rest, he shook his head, before conjuring a shadow portal below the two of them.  "I'll leave the portal open, but if you follow, you will be at the mercy of me, just be aware."  With that, he left, keeping the portal open, and landing in the grass of the silver plains. Sitting there, he silently spoke to Zigera, whom was paralyzed, yet now awake. "I know its tough, but you can't let that thing take control, not if you want to be happy, not if you want to live life like everyone else."

Zigera struggled to speak, "I can't stop him, he's too strong, too dug in......I can't......the pain........" She said.G

Grey interupted her, "Pain is pain, that's all it is, once you learn to shut it out, that's all it is.  This entity of yours, he's a brute, a mindless brute, you have to exploit that.  Trap him with intelligence, show him that his power means nothing."

Zigera spoke faintly, "But I can't......."

Grey shouted at her this time, "You can, and you will, you have no choice in this matter.  Not if you want this planet to survive, I've had to fight tooth and nail to get Genesis under control, and I won't stop until I've helped you achieve the same control that I have, and then much more."

Zigera remained silent, looking at the portal near them.

Spectre began visible in Velcana, "I'd appreciate if you people kept from making a mess of this kingdom of mine."

Inside... well...
Girls clad in practically scraps of cloth expertly twirled and inched down poles, spotlights making sure every feature of their beauty stood out. Even early in the morning, the place was full of French men, ogling and whooping.
Some of them were simply showing off what they had, others were dressed in suggestive and overly skimpy uniforms and were acting the part, and a few were licking and humping the pole suggestively with a few winks.
Other women were serving the patrons drinks and snack food, and upon seeing Mawthrough enter almost every girl let out an excited cry and before he knew it he was smothered in scantily clad women, each seemingly demanding a kiss and a hug.
Mawthrough politely kissed a few, hugged most of them and managed to even pat a few on the head before the scrum abated, and the women now smiling as happy as could be went back to work. Even a few women on the catwalks simply ran off them, through the crowd, and gave Mawthrough hugs and kisses before returning to their dancing.

Mawthrough looked at Chastity.
"...Yeah, my string of businesses are strip clubs, what did you expect? I'm an incubus, were you expecting a clothes shop?"


A sudden force pulled back on the monster's arm, knocking it off balance.
Darkion whistled, and eighty zombies simply piled on top of it, gnawing and biting.
"Have fun with those," Darkion said. "Should quell your bloodlust at least for a few moments."


The amulet stopped buzzing and Jim rolled his eyes.
"Everyone's bleedin' drama queens round here! And now here I am stuck in the middle of bloody Lava Land!"

Darkion sighed. "Just be patient."
He turned to Spectre. He paused.
"I don't know you, nor right now do I care to."

Jim narrowed his eyes at Spectre.
"Oh, buzz off you wee nasty ghoulie."

Spectre sighed, "I'm far from what you people are, despite appearances, I'm alive, my heart is beating, and I'm my own being. And this land of volcanic fire, and molten rock, belongs to me. It is you who should buzz off, you and your smelly undead creatures. They can do Lucifer's bidding elsewhere."

Grey looked down at Zigera, "I know who you are, I've known for a while, and I also know how you've suffered. If you truly want to make those who took you from our mother pay, control that entity of yours, show it you are stronger than it will ever be, and then, then you will show Xenon, that we are not to be sealed away, and that we are not to be played with, or held back." With that, he set Zigera down on the grass, and sat across from her. "I saw you in my nightmares, the horrors you endured every day, and I'm sorry I couldn't help."

Zigera couldn't speak, she merely focused on Oblivion, trying to keep him at bay within her.

Spectre shrugged, "Never said it was my job to be their shepherd, I'm on equal footing with the other three entities, I just choose to take the upper hand is all." Walking around, the volcanic land became flooded with shadow, "There are several hundred miles of volcanoes, I guess a few miles of them erupting shouldn't matter."

Zigera went silent, as she stood her ground within her mind, in order to take back control from Oblivion.

Mawthrough turned and looked at Chastity, and his eyes were shockingly serious.

He led her to the corner of the room.
"Let me tell you something."

He pointed, at random, to a girl on the catwalk.
"Got her off the street where she was begging for change."
Another one, a waitress.
"She had an abusive pimp. I dealt with him."
A third.
"She was orphaned and about to be a victim of the only kind of crime I deem unacceptable... the R word."
A fourth.
"Sexually abused, quit, had nowhere to go."
A fifth, a sixth, and a seventh.
"Brought into the country illegally to be sold on the black market as sex slaves. I intercepted them."
He looked at her.
"Every girl in this club hugs and kisses me because I gave them a place to live, a way to make a living, friends in each other, and a new life for themselves. They get up every morning knowing they are beautiful. They earn a generous amount of cash here. They treat me like a father. It's weird. But every time I come in this club, or any of my clubs - it makes their day."
He looked downcast.
"Don't blame them for hugging me, blame me. I'm sorry, Chastity, I should have told you sooner..."

"Ach, I ken that. But you still can't brag to me about manipulating entities, then complain when you fail about it. It's just rude."
Darkion looked around.
"What is everyone's obsession with shadow lately? Is it fashionable at the moment or something?"

Spectre shrugged, "Nah, just needed to flood the area with it to trigger-" As those words slipped from his tongue, several nearby volcanoes erupted at once, the force from all of them spanning out, as the sky became black with smog, and the land covered in lava. "Felt like a good opportunity to build, and with so much material for the foundation too."

Mawthrough looked up into the ceiling, suddenly finding it very interesting.
"We... may have all had an orgy on Christmas, but that was to celebrate their freedom. This was before I knew you, they begged and... well, like I said, I'm an incubus. Sorry."

Darkion and Jim both looked at each other.
"How on earth..."
"...can shadows cause volcanoes to erupt? That's just silly."
Jim paused.
"Unless there's some trumped up bull-crap about him channeling his power through them or something. Seriously, too many shadows, it's freaking me out..."

Spectre chuckled, "Of course shadows can't do that, however, lowering the temperature of the trigger mechanism within many pieces of tech that I have buried beneath the ground, well, they force a seismic eruption, they kick start these volcanoes, I prefer using the shadows to do so, because its flashy. A guy's gotta have style, doesn't he?" As he spread his arms wide, molten rock rained down upon the area. "I've had over two hundred years to make this land mine, there's a reason the knight never enter it, its one giant death trap, no, not a death trap, its my chess board, and people are the pieces."

"Yes... a style that copies that of both Lilith and the boy..."
"ZING!"
"Thank you."
"No prob."

Darkion sighed.
"Well then, I guess we'd better leave then. Lilith's gone god knows where, Drake's back at the Coliseum, and I don't even know you."
"Jim Slim Badabim."
"Darkion."
"A pleasure I'm sure."
"Like-wise."

Darkion and Jim turned and started walking through the land.
"Where are we going?"
"My zombies can just carry us out, but it's too hot at the moment, and this ground hasn't been breached by my team of digging zombies."
"So we're just gonna run through lava?"
"Guess so."
"Oy..."

Mawthrough looked thoroughly ashamed of himself.
"I'm sorry. If you want, we can just leave the whole thing. You can go home if you feel that badly about it."
He looked away, and although Chastity couldn't see his face a tear fell.
"If I could change my past, I would. If I could do anything for you, I would. If... if I..."
He couldn't speak any more and just sat down on a nearby stool, burying his head in his hands, his body shaking with the force of his repentant sobs...

Spectre simply walked away from the mess, heading off to go meet up with many of his comrades, whom he had brought into his service through sometimes, raw deals, very raw.

Fights continued within the Coliseum, however, one rule had been changed, upon Grey's request, one that many didn't like, but the champion had the right to change one rule upon being enstated, he changed the rule of death, and that no one was allowed to kill within the Coliseum.

Grey continued to guide Zigera through the path of mental control, helping her to banish away Oblivion's control.

It stood up, many of the zombies that had attacked it hanging from bloody tendrils and organic blades. It was coated in ash and blood, but wore a smile on its face.
It had fulfilled its purpose, and was now free to do what wanted. And what it wanted was carnage. Heading in no direction in particular, it wandered through the volcanic plains.

Kaiden looked at Lilith.
'When I next call you. Now leave.'

Mawthrough didn't say anything for a moment, trying to control himself.
Then. "Only you. I promise."

He hugged her back, keeping her close.
"No-one else. Nothing else. No-one else matters to me now but you. Nothing else matters. But you. Only you. I love only you and will only love you."

Some of the girls were looking across curiously, but seeing the anguished look on Mawthrough's face decided to stay out of it.
"I'm sorry."
Mawthrough got up.
"You still want to do this? Just say no if you want..."

Darkion and Jim both shrugged.
"I think we left the child back at the Coliseum. He's probably rubbing one out thinking of Him..." Darkion sneered in derision.
Jim tried to avoid gagging.
"Sir, that ain't a nice image."
"Sorry."

Mawthrough turned.
"We talk to them."

Near the back of the bar a smooth-looking handsome man was happily stroking four girls at once, who were almost purring under his touch as they rubbed their near-naked bodies against him. Two silent men, one thin, one bulky, stood next to them.
"A Grell and a Shadi. Terrific."
Mawthrough groaned.
"One of the strongest types of demon, alongside one of the fastest. Please say they are in a good mood..."

The man looked up and saw Mawthrough coming towards him.
He raised an eyebrow and the two men moved in between Mawthrough and him.
"If you're talking business, money first."

Mawthrough sighed.
"The money is behind you both. It's installed in the table itself."
The men looked at each other.
"...That doesn't sound too believable."

The handsome man spoke.
"Believe me, if I had to look to someone to do the unbelievable, I'd look to Gryph's son."
Mawthrough cracked a smile.
"Archon, you smarmy bastard. Get out from under those women so I can give you a hug."

"And give up on all this attention? I think I'll pass."
Archon sighed contentedly.
"Human women. The juiciest of conquests, right, Mawthrough?"

"Actually I discovered I prefer my lover with some angelic spice."

The men upon some invisible signal retreated, and Mawthrough nodded to the girls to leave Archon which they did, albeit reluctantly and slipping him their numbers.

"So, I take it you want to talk business. What are we talking here? We're doing a special offer on orgies at the moment, bring eight, get twelve free... there's a discount on themed parties, and if you want to stay in our luxury hotels, we'll take off half price as long as you send us a sex tape."

"I need to get me and this woman into a masking hotel. For maybe four days. Can you do that?"

"That's expensive for just one lady. She must be reaally good in the bedroom."

"It's kinda a bit more complicated than that," Mawthrough said, and turned to Chastity.
"Explain our situation a little bit, baby..."

Darkion and Jim shrugged.
"Zombie transport in a few kilometres, but that was our best plan. If you have something better Lilith, I would be very much indebted if you shared it..."
"Me too lass, if you don't mind."

Grey had left Zigera back at home, not telling his mother whom she was, in order to let her figure out for herself. He himself returned to the Coliseum, and now observed the other fighters from his seat, focusing on what he would do next.