Throughout the day Mortimer had been chasing Nhieling... Over the course of the day his comrades had dissperssed to deal with the riots and explosions. Mortimer was glad to have kept them off Nhielings trail for so long but there were still three people (counting himself) who were catching up to Nhieling. Since he had the compass now, he could lead them in any direction he needed but he still had to find Nhieling himself. He had a sneaking suspician of where to find sloth but needed to confirm it with the puppeteer. Ducking into an alley with the two other mercenary-police in toe, the dark mage made quick work of the other two and dashed onward.

Soon he came to the warehouse where Nhieling was supposedly holed up, letting the door loudly clack open as he did so.... "NHIELING!" the silhouette of Mortimer called out framed in the doorway by the late-afternoon sun. "ARE YOU HERE?"

Elsewhere in the city the man whom Micah had managed to grab grinned evilly. Not only did he have a hostage now but it was a girl. She may have pinned him down with that sneak attack but she was wide open now as he flicked open a switchblade from seemingly nowhere and pressed it against the nape of her neck. If Ken did anything now, he would sacrifice Micah, and Micah couldn't move without the wicked looking knife being buried in her neck. In short, the gang-leader had caught them.

William was farring non-to well either given his flame-absorbing opponent. Breathing in deeply through his nose the man let out a roar of flame at William. It was strange but it seemed that the man was capable of absorbing and redirecting elemental magic... which meant most of Williams attack repetoire was now useless against him.

[The NPC is godmodding William : Fire resistance :p]

Ah ~ Mortimer, just when I finished here, perfect.

Nhieling looked at Mortimer, and then behind him.

I'm sorry, the chitchat will have to wait I'm waiting a special guest, you understand?

Nhieling paused, waiting he few second for the two policemen to catch up. One of them was one of Sloth disciple, Nhieling didn't have any doubt about this part. When then finally enter, he get in the daylight, and bow in an ironic greeting.

Hi gentlemen, you're assembled here tonight because, and sorry for stating the obvious, we're in a fucking mass.
Our own enemy have infiltrated us to the core. Sad to see the police was infected by this parasite too no?

Sloth's disciple don't even react, to avoid blowing his cover, instead he started talking :

You're under arrest, for running away, for being suspected of th mu...
Nhieling cut hit : I stop you right here, I don't have the time to play, instead I'll let you look at something :
Don't you think it's kinda strange for a warehouse to be so well arranged? Look at everything around you, don't it recall you something? Or your master haven't teach you it?

As the policemen and Mortimer looked around, they saw what Nhieling took so long to prepare. Sloth disciple turn white : All the box have be arranged to form the angle of a gigantic figure, and even if it was hard to see it into the dark, Nhieling had used the blood of the first two disciple that attacked him to draw a very complex alchemy circle.

I use blood to be sure you couldn't resist it, it's too late now...

The circle turn blue, emitting light, suddenly, all of the thing outside seemed to disappear.
After a few second, the background stabilized :

Welcome to the intra world everyone, the infinite place that connect mind together. Here, all of us appear under our spiritual form, our true form may I said...
Actually it wasn't true, since Nhieling had already prepared himself to appear under his normal form, with just a blue aura, instead of his new spiritual one, that wasn't really attractive.
The policeman was still in his normal state, since his magical powers weren't great to the point of influencing.
Sloth disciple, he, could revert back fast enough to a discrete form, and was cloaked with a big purple halo. His eyes were a shining blue, and his skin white like the one of a corps.

(Check my magic... I can-- in fact control Fire around me, unless it's out of my rank...)

Ken nods, flying at accelerating speeds at the gangster boss. He closes his eyes, ki formed around his body as he leapt into the air and with one final arrow, "Arrow Burst!!" He shouts, the arrow soars through the atmosphere, the blue ki radiating abnormal bursts as it slams into the mans stomach and explodes sending both Micah and him flying backwards.

"We done it! Alright!" He offers Micah a high five as he helps her up. He also taped the mans mouth so if he gained consciousness he couldn't do anything. Ken wasn't sure it they should kill them or not, since this man had seemed to kill a lot of people, but it was inhumane if they couldn't defend themselves...

[You can progress in your fight, I'm waiting for Alberio]

The form of Mortimer did not change at all when they entered Nhielings inner world. However he did seem to have a bit of a crisis upon entering the area. Cringing in upon himself he gasped lightly in pain at his stomach. Nhielings mind seemd to be having an adverse effect on him.

Sloths disciple began furiously drawing symbols in the air. Some flying at Nhieling while others remained floating around him acting as wards or boosts to his abilities. The disciple didn't seem like a novice in magic and had written out ten characters, five of them attacks and seemed ready for an extended fight against the puppeteer.

Nhieling didn't want them to fight in his mind this time, he'll need Mortimer help to get out of this situation, and it would be stupid to just weaken him.Since they were already at the limit of Nhieling's mind, in an instant he expelled everyone, they were now in the intra world, the world immaterial one that connect the mind together.


Nhieling pull back the cops out of the fight, and then said :

Mortimer ~ I already know you aren't a novice at fighting with your mind only, but I can't take you with me against Sloth if you aren't even able to defeat this novice... So he's yours, consider it as a test of usefulness.

"...No, actually, I think I'll be fine right here!" With that, the form of Mortimer seemed to shimmer and change. He was no longer a young man with purple hair and red eyes... He was tall, well over six feet and covered in shaggy green fur. His face was animalistic, somewhere between a rats and a monkeys. He grinned evilly showing rows of sharp teeth. And two wicked claws extended from his long gangly arms. In fact he looked exactly like... a SLOTH!

Indeed, what had once appeared as Mortimer was now a gigantic green sloth! The truth was that this was not Mortimer at all! This was Sloth! And he had just made his way into the innermost sanctum of Nhielings mind! Now that he was here, he reached his hook like hands into the very essence of Nhielings mind, making it near impossible for Nhieling to jetison him as his own mind leached out of the claws and into the puppeteers.

"Now Nhieling... were you really that SILLY, to let me in here? You can't run away now puppet boy... now if you don't mind, could you take off that RIDICULOUS facade you're wearing and show me what you REALLY look like now?"

Sloth spoke fairly articulately for a giant... sloth. And he seemed determined to stay in Nhielings mind!


Meanwhile in a back corner alley, Mortimer... the REAL Mortimer, was beginning to stir and trying to deal with the tremendous pain in his side. Apparently trying to jump those two wasn't a good idea as he now dealt with a deep gash in his side which he would normally have bled to death from. At least he could use his shadow to patch himself up... but now he didn't have a way to locate Nhieling. The other two had taken the compass and so he was left with no way of locating the dark mage... unless.... yes! A piece of Nhielings essence still rested in his Kundalini! He could use that to trace him! It would be slow going to get to Nhieling from the there. Especially when he was already badly hurt. But given enough time, he would make it! he would get to Nhielings position if the dark mage could just hold out!

[You will note in my prior posts that I never actually SAID he was Mortimer. Just that he had Mortimers form xD]

Nhieling winced as he felt Sloth claw on his mind. As dramatic as ever it seem, my little Sloth, but you won't get away with this, you want to see what I've become? I let you the surprise.

Seeing the light of curiosity in Sloth eyes, Nhieling found that SLoth was really curious about him, his aura wasn't the same anymore, and he had taken both of Sloth disciple at the same time, meaning his enemy was now cautious.

You want to get in my mind? Fine by me... Nhieling grinned, evilly, his master hatred, and his own was now taking him over.
Nhieling didn't even try to holding it back, to the point he was nearly painful. Hatred was a part of his power, and such a pure one, especially on the spiritual realm meant everything.

I'll show you real hell then, but first.... I'll take care of the annoyance if you don't mind.

As Nhieling mind started to close around them, the usual background appear, the endless staircase, without any up, or any down. The doors everywhere... and blood? Black blood was dripping, little by little, on the ground, falling from nowhere that could be seen.

Nhieling grasped the cops face, he was petrified in fear, but suddenly the charm broke, as Nhieling started pulling his soul out. He started yelling, his vein was near to burst, after two second, he fell to the ground.
Then, the blood started gathering around Sloth disciple, so fast he couldn't even react. After a few second, the blood retire, all was left of sloth disciple was a little puppet, all cloaked in shadow, wearing two sword.
Nhieling instantly connected his thread to it, and pulled it at him.

So... Shall we start?

As you wish... Answered Sloth, he suddenly jump at him, and hit him with a powerful strike, sending Nhieling form a little farther in his mind. As Nhieling fell to the ground, his body dislocated, falling into piece like... A puppet ?!

A voice appear out of nowhere, it was neither Nhieling one, nor Zieref one, but something... different and at the same time close :

Do you think you could defeat us? Do you think we would have been this weak? Welcome to the puppet realm, welcome to the first circle of hell, welcome to our home...

At the instant Sloth looked back at the scene in front of him, nor Nhieling nor any of his two puppet could be seen.

All the door around their opened... Then, Sloth understood what the voice wanted to said with "hell"

All of the negative emotion that Nhieling stored under close control started pouring into his mind.It was like an unbearable flow. Sloth could hold with it, but it was still a bother, like an heavy weight on his shoulder.
An energy that neither him, or any being could use, the darkness that had become of Nhieling mind, the effect of the transcendence spell.


[I let you a little place to catch up before going further Mortimer ~]

William's back slams into the wall. Pain surged through his arm as if shattered a bone. The sheer impact of the explosion though it fortunately didn't burn him thanks to his quick maneuver, he was injured from the force. The two locked eye contact as William shot up, shundoing into the air, "Son Ta Rik, Son Ta Rik, Ex Somno Exsistat Exurens Salamandra Inimicum Involvat Igne! Captus Flammeus!" William spins around flames encircling him as he launches it at the man who skillfully dodges the binding flames.

He chants something himself as a light beam shoots from his hand sniping William done with swift speed. Falling onto the ground again, although barely making a safe landing he leaped backwards rushing behind some barrels and walls to protect him for the time being. The man wasn't letting up and realizing going easy wasn't an option, he may need to unleash his strongest attacks to win this.

Bro', let's just get this graded. Nhieling ain't here. If he comes back, we can just continue it and grade the part we add on from.

Fine...

Rewards:

Nhieling: 4 SP, 3 SP and 400,000 Drachma
Micah: 2 SP, 2 MP and 280,000 Drachma
Ken: 3 SP, 3 MP and 340,000 Drachma
Alberio: 3 SP, 2 Mp and 300,000 Drachma
William: 3 SP, 2 MP and 320,000 Drachma