A Forgotten Part of Town . . .

[Addis Hellfire]

[OOC: Continued from "Trapped in a Strange Realm"]

The two Draconians had not gone far before Addis got irritated at the noise and slow pace they were traveling at. He stopped, poked Flaccus' arm, and whispered. "This is taking too long. I am going to cast Tensor's Floating Disk, and I need you to get on it. I shall then cast Fly on myself, and we will be above the town in no time. Just remain silent. If you do not get on the disk, I will force you to." Addis hissed the words to the spell and made the appropriate gesters, and a shimmering, yellow disk of energy appeared. The disk, which had been hovering about a foot above the ground, sunk a bit when Flaccus got on board. Giving an annoyed hiss, Addis scratched the back of his neck and looked at the disk. "Well, that is quite a problem . . . Fine, I shall cast Fly on you. Yes, yes, I know you are capable of flight. But, one can hear you coming a mile away. Stick close to me." Addis said a single word, and the disk vanished. He then touched Flaccus, and said a few arcane words, then did the same to himself. Both began to hover above the ground, then flew into the city itself, just high enough to see over some buildings.

After a few minutes of searching, Addis whispered a word, which Flaccus heard as if Addis were speaking right next to his head. "There, far eastern section of town. Seems like there was some damage. A school is not too far from it. There is a building, the one that has the least damage . . . no, the one that only has a wall caved in. Let us fly through that hole and enter the building." The two did just that, entering a house about two blocks from the school.

Addis tapped Flaccus left arm twice, paused, then once more. He received a single tap on the back of his neck - telling him that his order was understood. Nodding, Addis whispered a single word, and his form changed to that of Barom Grimms, the mostly average human male who just happened to be wearing the same robe as Addis Hellfire. Grimms dropped the invisibility, and began to walk about the building. "Hello, hello? Is anybody here? Hello?"

[Flaccus Hellfire]

Flaccus crossed his arms and waited. A few years went by, with Addis . . . sorry . . . Barom Grimms shouting into an abandoned building for somebody or something to answer. Flaccus yawned, and leaned on a section of wall. Unfortunately, this particular section of wall had been rotting and overall decaying for years, and the weight of the armored Sivak Draconian was more then enough to topple the section of wall.

With a surprised yelp and obviously loud crash, Flaccus fell through the wall. He managed to sit up, and look around. "Er . . . sorry. Um . . . it wasn't my fault, I swear. Who ever built this wall was seriously drunk or something . . . "

[Addis Hellfire]

Addis stopped in his tracks when he heard the commotion. For a while, he just stood there, dumbstruck, not really knowing how to react. His wits returning to him, he turned around and slowly began to walk towards where Flaccus sat. "I-I leave you alone for a few seconds, and you nearly tear down a whole wall. I am amazed, you are almost as bad as a damn kender! I . . . " Addis stopped himself, caught his breath, mentally counted to ten, and gave a cough. As he spoke, his form shifted back to an Aurak Draconian."Luckely, this place seems to indeed be abandoned, at least for the time being. Please, I beg you, do not tear the place down. This could really be useful in the long run." Addis turned around and walked into another room, shacking his head and giving a sigh as he did so. By the looks of this place, it had been well kept until a fire broke out, and it was never fixed.

[Flaccus Hellfire]

Flaccus looked at Addis with a look of mock insult. "Me, tear the place down? Me?! How dare you accuse me of such a thing!? I . . . uh-oh." Flaccus managed to roll out of the way as the ground where his head was suffered from a minor explosion, as if somebody hit it with a hammer. Flaccus looked at Addis, who had been pointing at the impact zone only a second ago, but was now calmly looking around. "Alright, alright, you've proven your point. No need to shoot me with an Energy Ray." Flaccus stood up and brushed himself off. "Hey, I remember you talking about possibly going back to some inn that was in this realm . . . what, did you forget something there? Is there atleast some good ale?"

[Addis Hellfire]

Addis shrugs. "My memory of this place seems to have left me. I wonder, can I trust you with the simple task of asking some people here where certain things are? I will do the same, to speed things up. This wrecked place shall be our base of operations. As for what to ask for . . . some supplies that we could stash here, a layout of the town, recent events, rumors, and perhaps any tasks that we may do to earn some extra coin and help us explore this realm."

[Flaccus Hellfire]

"Look, enough of this scheming, plotting, or whatever you want to call it. I am bored, hungry, and thirsty. So, I am going to the closest tavern or inn I see. Don't worry, I won't kill anybody . . . ok, so I'll *try* not to kill anybody." With that, Flaccus walked through the battered front door, leaving Addis with his mouth partially open.

[OOC: Continued for Flaccus Hellfire in "Draconian at the Door", Crazed Heifer Section.]

[Addis Hellfire]

"Wait, where are . . . " Addis stopped in mid speech as he watched his brother leave. His eye twitched, and a second later, his mouth closed. Why . . . why am I stuck with him!? Anybody else, even a soft-skin, would be better then that oaf . . . Addis thought to himself as he just stood there. Shaking his head, Addis recast the Polymorph spell, and dawned the appearance of Barom Grimms. "I know next to nothing of this realm," Grimms spoke aloud to himself as he too walked towards the exit, "I believe it is time to amend that situation."

[OOC: Continued in "The Roaming Bozak", Marketplace section.]

[Addis Hellfire]

[OOC: Continued from "A Stranger to the Realm", Wolfenden Village section.]

Upon arriving to the nearly felled building, Addis immediatly went to the room that had the least light, and stopped at the doorway. "Flaccus, I need you to wait here for a while. I need to meditate, clear my thoughts. Go ahead and practice your swordplay, or do something as long as you are not getting yourself killed . . . or compromising our position. If you really need me, I will be in this room." Addis saw that Flaccus was about to argue, and added "No discussions. Go, now." Flaccus shut his half open mouth, turned around, and left. Alone, Addis went into the room. Looking around, he saw that he was in a somewhat small bedroom, with a dusty bed. He took the pillow off the bed and placed it on the floor. Then he sat on the pillow and closed his eyes, thinking. No, no way. There is no way that she could find me. She left! Hell, I heard that she was slain!! A incredible feat, I do admit, but not impossible - gods and goddesses can truly be slain on their own plane of existence . . . perhaps she was slain . . . but two recent events - finding Bodakis and this Jacob character - scares me. Upon discovering Bodakis, I was too dumbfounded and over joyed to really care how I got my brother back . . . but this ex-Solamnic Knight . . . he confirms my suspicions. Tahkesis is indeed alive, at least in another alternate reality. Can alternate realities truly intertwine? I fear so . . . for I feel something odd about the vary air . . . something familiar . . . Addis' eyes shot open and he stood up, looking around. Something is familiar . . . like a presence . . . like my Queen is back . . . Addis stopped, and his jaw dropped. That last thought he had, 'my Queen is back', was not his own thought. "No." He barely managed to whisper, as he found it growing difficult to breathe. Yes, my pet, my oh so highly prized and valued pet. My unloyal and untrustworthy pet. I have found you. The voice, Addis instantly knew who it was - Tahkesis, his goddess, had found him. And was talking to him.

[Flaccus Hellfire]

In the living room, about six feet from the closed door his brother had gone through, Flaccus was pacing and talking to himself, trying to get his thoughts clear.

"Thrice damned arrogant son of a bi*^# brother of mine! How dare he leave me out of whatever it is he is doing in there! Knowing him, and the way he spoke to me, he is doing something dangerous and probably fatal if he screws up. At the very least he could have told me what he was doing so I can expect a sudden blast of magical energy when he dies." Flaccus let out a frustrated snarl and slapped a wall, causing a slight crack. "Now what am I going to do, eh? Just pace around, losing my sanity while I wait for that golden scaled jackass to finish whatever the hell he is doing? I-" Flaccus' rant was cut short by the sound of a door opening - the door Addis went through. Flaccus turned, and saw Addis, standing upright and breathing normally. "Heh, you look well. Surprising, you must have done something without magic for a change!" Addis walked into the room, and stopped right in front of Flaccus. "I went in the room to thing, nothing more, brother. I thought about this . . . I have been thinking about this for a few years now, and just came to a conclusion . . . " Flaccus raised an eyescale. "Thought about what, exactly?" Addis gave a slight chuckle, then said " . . . I thought about us, as a duo, as a clan. I have come to the conclusion that I do not need you, brother." Flaccus froze in place, staring at his brother. Addis' words kept repeating themselves in his mind. Addis continued. "You are a waste of flesh. Your sword skills are impressive, I admit, but any sellsword will do for the role of 'meat shield' that you play. You are irritable, brash, clumsy, and do not know the meaning of the words 'do not blow my cover'. And to make matters worse, you have not even developed an enhanced version of your shapeshift ability! Normally, a Sivak who has grown as strong as you would be able to assume another shape at will, without having to first kill a person. You, however, are a weakling.!" Flaccus' eyes narrowed as he stared at Addis, a hurt and angry look on his face. His breathing became heavy, and he wanted to claw his brother's face off. But, it was his brother afterall, so he held back. "You do not mean the words you sa-" "Yes, yes I do mean the words I say, Flaccus. I am sick of you botching any plan I make up. From now on, I do not have a clan. I am no longer Addis Hellfire. I am merely . . . Addis. And you, Sivak, are nothing."

[Addis Hellfire]

Addis stood there, for a few seconds more, speechless. Then, he snapped out of it and sighed. "Well, Tahkesis, you have found me yet again. However, I am done serving you. Serving under your banner has only brought chaos to my clan." In Addis' mind, the voice of five dragons speaking in unison, replied to him. Your clan? Hah, you are a funny one, my pet. Think about what else you have gained while 'serving under my banner'. You have gained power - power to rival that even of the great archmage Raistlin Majere! You can travel the realms now, learn things your pathetic mind could not even fathom. But, if you remember, even Raistlin fell before me, and is now tied to an alter in the Abyss itself, awaiting for my eternal torture. If you decide not to serve me, you shall suffer a far worse fate, Aurak. If it weren't for me, your whole race would not have been created. You owe me. Addis could easily tell that her goddess had been gloating. The problem with this was that Addis knew that he had no advantage over her. "I owe you!? If it were not for you and your dark clerics, I would be a gold dragon right now! I would have even more power, and would not be a frail, sickly monstrosity! And, I would have wings with which I could fly! And this power . . . damn the power, if I must live a life of servitude to an incompetent dragon goddess!" Addis fell to his knees, as a sudden sharp pain went through his whole body. It felt like he was feeling electrocuted. He gasped, and fell to the side, twitching.

[Flaccus Hellfire]

Flaccus stood stark still, staring at his brother in disbelief. His jaw dropped, and he kept staring for another minutes. Addis gave an annoyed grunt, shook his head, and walked past the stunned Sivak, towards the door. Addis almost reached the door, when he heard a hurt, but extremely pissed off snarl. He turned in time to see Flaccus' silver scaled hand grab his throat and lift him a good four feet off the ground. "You ungrateful bastard!" Flaccus yelled as he held his brother. "I have sacrificed everything but my life, which I was more than willing to do so, because you are my brother!' Addis was having a hell of a hard time breathing, but managed to let out a weak chuckle as he dangled. He did not kick, or even try to wrestle with Flaccus, he was purposefully limp. His voice strained, and little more than a whisper, Addis spoke. "We were never brothers, you dumb silver piece of sh@#. Maybe if you were an Aurak, there would be a chance for you to be my equal. No, this was never about you. If you recall, I was the one who was prophesied to win the War of the Lance. You and our 'brothers' were just tools for me to use - you died so I would live. And what do you mean by 'you sacrificed'!? I was the one who sacrificed! I nearly gave my soul to a demon to save you. I have had to do horrendous things in order to rescue you from various situations. Perhaps if it were not for you and the others, I would have fulfilled my mission and won the war. But no, I-" Flaccus then gave a growl and squeezed. He did not crush Addis' throat, not yet, just enough to shut his brother up for the moment. "Enough!! Time to die, traitor!!" He began to squeeze, and Addis' eyes bulged. However, Addis had a feral smile, and was still limp. Losing consciousness, he struggled to speak. "You . . . would really . . . slay . . . your own . . . brother?" Flaccus, surprised by Addis' audacity, unconsciously loosened his grip. Addis' smile grew, and as fast as a striking cobra, his right arm shot up and grasped Flaccus' hand. "valignat" Addis hissed, and his arm caught flame. Flaccus gasped as the flesh and scales on his hand began to bubble. Before to much damage was caused, he threw Addis onto the wall and leaped back, shaking his hands. Addis slammed onto the wall and fell sprawled to the floor. At first, both Draconians were still, then Addis got up, coughing but laughing at the same time. "You are indeed weak, Sivak. I-" Flaccus cut him off with a roar, then whispered the words his brother - not this Aurak who stood before him, but the brother he had apparently lost long ago - had taught him. His Swordbreaker appeared in his hand, he grasped it in both hands, and lunged forward. Addis began to move out of the way, but Flaccus grabbed him by the shoulder and plunged the blade through his stomach. The end of the wicked sword could clearly be seen, bathed in Addis' green blood. Flaccus spoke through gritted teeth. "May we at least die together, brother." Addis weakly grasped Flaccus' shoulders and began to mumble the words to a spell. Flaccus grunted as he drove the sword upward. Addis' eyes widened, then he went limp. Flaccus closed his eyes. "Forgive me, brother." Addis' body glowed green, twitched, and then exploded in a massive blast of pure magical energy.

[Addis Hellfire]

Addis struggled to his feet, gasping for breath. His eyes narrowed as he suddenly remembered his research on deities. In this realm, Tahkesis is unknown except for my brother and I . . . this is not real . . . little more than an illusion. Addis thought to himself, and casually regained his composure. Immediately the pain ended. He did not even check himself to see if any physical damage had been done. "Enough, Chromatic Dragon, you shall not win my soul this day." Addis' words were met with hollow hissing laughter. You are correct, as usual, slave. You are free from my grasp for the moment. But . . . what about your brother? He is not nearly as strong as you, when it comes to matters of will and knowledge. What will you do, He of Clan Hellfire, when your brother wears armor adorned with my symbol, and leads an army under my banner to take this pathetic realm? Addis did not even respond to that. He kept his mind blank - or at least tried to - and stood erect. "I will just convince him otherwise. He is my brother after all, and has no reason to question me when it comes to matters of such importance." Again, the same hallow hissing laughter, produced by what Addis knew to be five dragon heads. You rely to heavily on your 'family bonds'. You are not brothers, just draconians raised together. Your companionship has faltered before, and you know it. You both know it. The funny thing is, those times where the two of you almost came to actual blows and tried to kill each other were overall of natural causes. Imagine what I, a goddess, can do to the two of you. Sure, I can not actually act in this realm, not yet at least. But, as you already know by what we are currently doing, I can communicate to those who know me . . . and send feelings . . . emotions . . . visions. The most rudimentary and basic of a god's powers is what will crumble the platform that the two of you stand. And . . . if I somehow fail in bringing the two of you back as my champions . . . I can always manipulate young Bodakis Hellfire . . . he has forsaken me only in word, just for you. But, he will be an easy nut to crack, as the soft skins say. Consider it, Addis Hellfire . . . Archmagi and champion of Tahkesis, the future ruler of the whole multiverse . . . the mate of a goddess . . . Addis Hellfire, the red dragon. Consider what I am offering, and what you have to lose . . . Then, all of a sudden, the feeling that he was being watched, that another person was in the room, was gone. Addis gave a sigh of relief, and sank to the floor. Tahkesis' words repeated over and over in his mind. She had offered him a multitude of things . . . to be her mate, and to be a RED DRAGON . . . a DRAGON . . . and have wings . . . plus her threats and plan were likely to succeed. He felt less confident in Flaccus' ability to resist her temptations, because he himself had almost yielded. And, he had little confidence in Bodakis' abilities. She was right in that he was still, in heart, one of hers. After all, he was the reason why she had found the two rogue Draconians. Addis lowered his head, closed his eyes, and sat there, trying to silence his own mind.

[Flaccus Hellfire]

I'm dead . . . heh . . . didn't expect to go out like that, especially while killing my brother! Flaccus thought to himself. I wonder what the Abyss is like, or whatever afterlife is like. His vision began to clear. He saw that he was in the same room, except there were no traces of the recent event, his sword had not even materialized. His eyes narrowed as he looked around. Hey, what the hell. I got ripped off! All that work, that frusteration and suffering, and even a death from my own brother, and this is all I get!! Flaccus gave a snarl and kicked the wall, hard. He immediatly winced in pain, cursing. Then his eyes widened. "That hurt. That shouldn't have hurt, I'm dead." Flaccus looked up, and scratched an itch on his neck. "Either I am dead, and the afterlife is really crappy, or I am not dead, and I have no idea what caused all that." Flaccus mused. Something caught his eye, and he noticed that the door to the room that Addis had gone through was closed. He raised an eyescail, remembering what his brother had said, and slowly crept towards the door. He put one hand on the door knob and the other behind a wall. Hissing the words of command, his Swordbreaker materialized in the hand behind the wall. He opened the door, trying to appear casual. "Hey, Addis, you in there?" Flaccus did not expect to see Addis on the floor, breathing heavily, and zoned out. "Brother, are you alright?"

[Addis Hellfire]

Still, Tahkesis' words were repeating in Addis' mind. His best efforts at meditation failed him, and the words just kept coming back to him. He felt numb all over. Is being a dragon, and everything else worth being enslaved once again to her? And what if I decide not to align with her? Will she be able to convert my clan? And what if she does? I can not kill them . . . would not be able to kill them . . . He thought to himself, staring at a wall. Many possible scenarios went through the Aurak's mind, all of which seemed bad to him. He was so lost in thought, that he did not even notice the door open, nor hear his brother calling out to him at first. Then, Flaccus' voice broke through the mental fog that had befallen him, and he shook his head, clearing his mind. He looked at his brother, and a look of concern appeared on the Aurak's face. "What is wrong, brother? You look like you did when our brothers died. And, why is your hand hidden . . . by the tension on your muscles, you are tightly grasping your sword. Why? What happened?" Addis stood, nearly fell, and waited a response from his brother.

[Flaccus Hellfire]

As if it were even possible, Flaccus' face showed even more confusion. Immediately the thought Does he know? went through his mind, and he stood there, not answering. His shock only lasted a second, as Addis asked again. "I . . . I uh . . . I just took a quick nap, and had a really bad dream . . . Say, we are still a clan, right? I mean, you never wanted to disband and go our separate ways, did you?"