The time had been upon them at last and he had been in the cove. It was a rocky over hang and a hole in the wall lead into this den. White eyes stared at the water as it lapped against the shore. He was by the partially buried treasure chest here that contained all manners of material that he gathered or he thought was useful.

Komiko's beach blanket was in their, uniforms of various sizes, a book on astrology, smacks and photos that he had Juniper take all of which had been of his favorites stored away in a plastic bag to protect them from the dampness.

Aegir had considered how he had broken down the student to this point though it could hardly been deemed as braking Ryu.

Through the node that he had implanted within her some time back he would ensure that the other monsters stayed away from her this evening, projecting his powers through it if it were necessary. All that was left really was her arrival, and while he was patient most times today he had felt a thrill course through him.

Komiko had visited here before with Vikky and he had brought Juniper here once, the later spending the night though not in the sense of a sexual escapade, she was unconscious when he had brought her here.

There was another student that he had lured here once but all in all his favorites had been unofficially invited to stop by though he had not made any official announcement of that.

This would only be the second time that a student spent the night though and the first where anything would amount from it. But his mind went briefly back to the continuation of that scenario. How he had wished to develop things for the time being though of course it was all subject to change, it always was though he rarely had to change a thing.

When you are ready to depart I will imprint the way into your mind. From the cove he made contact with her mind curtsey of that tool that resided inside her for the moment. He would have to replace it in time but that was still a long way off.

Absentmindedly Ryu glanced at the contents of the duffel bag resting on the covers of the single occupied bed in the room, the same which carried her belongings on the sea plane prior to arriving on Shokushu in the first place, collecting dust ever since, but today she'd finally have the chance to utilise the spacious contraption once more. Considering the uniqueness of such an event she didn't wish to leave anything essential behind, checking an unwritten list in the back of her head in search of any items that'd come in handy.

Stopping by the mall earlier the red head stocked up on sufficient quantities of bottled water and a wide variety of fresh and dried goods in case Aegir hadn't arranged for the necessary amount as three days weren't exactly short and because they were different species to begin with.

She hadn't disclosed her plans to anyone except Ishtar who thought that her lover would be buried in books all weekend and didn't have the time to hang out which should suffice as an excuse. Looking at the other, empty bed in her dorm there wouldn't be anyone here to tell of her departure given the fact that roommates never stayed here for long before being transferred, a fortunate and recurring state which allowed the telepath to slip in at night without interruption.

Toothbrush, toothpaste and the like were already collected before Ryu rummaged through her closet in search of something special to wear for him, settling on a black, nearly transparent babydoll nightgown with lace undergarments befitting of the delicate piece for ordinary nights with a timid blush upon her features although while placing the attire in the bag she'd thought of something a little bit more extraordinary that'd hopefully aid in making his otherwise calm and collected head spin.

Slowly, but without shame she retrieved pairs of dark thigh highs and elbow gloves from a lower drawer the loving couple barely used, followed by a lace-trimmed bra which hadn't concealed more than her nipples and the surrounding areolae and an enticingly snug lace thong which could be attached to the thigh highs via the use of suspenders, rounding off the outfit intended for seduction with an exquisite leather choker though the moment the final piece had been added to her package did his voice appear in her mind.

The node, of course, allowed for him to speak to her from afar and project his powers through the implanted lifeform, even the curvaceous young woman recalled these memorable moments from the past when he couldn't be seen anywhere in the dorm room.

But before long she draped the zipper closed and strapped the bag onto her shoulder, his bracelet donning her right arm while the rest of her body had been graced by a white blouse and navy blue shorts, cut wider than most other articles of clothing in her posession although it should make the journey to his cove more comfortable considering that it might take a while to reach him. Her heart pounded against her chest in growing excitement, the girl drawing in a deep breath while swiftly slipping into her shoes before stepping out into the corridor and relaying another thought to him. "Alright, I'm ready now."

And with that he had relaid the information to her mind. It was possible to swim into that cove from the sea though it was closed on the other three sides and only opened to the sea and of course the hole in one of the walls that he had done himself via telekinesis.

The place would have probably made for a nice getaway for someone looking to party in secret, a tryst or the like and once before when he had not been her two students unknown to him had used it though he was out at the time, lounging in the forest again as he so often did.

But the cave was too remote for most to use and with his mental powers Aegir could repulse people from it when he was in at least or left a node to done so remotely as he had in the first few years that he had been here.

Nodes were in Natalya, his first hunt, Komiko and Ryu. He had One with Nell though that one had not been implanted. He had taken the one back from Saira and used that to ward off those coming to the cove and was thinking on another for Alynia though nodes resulted in problems too. He had experimented with one, Fafner, and that had not gone so well.

But Aegir had done little as far as spying on her prep. He seldom had after all and simply waited for her arrival here. That much had not differed, waiting. If he had been in the forest chances were good he would be lounging until he found something interesting which these days had been interesting experiences he could draw upon and manipulate to his own ends.

Thankfully the surprise hadn't been ruined although her mind was determined on seducing him properly at least once throughout their prolonged residence in the company of each other even though his cove may not be an ideal location, but ultimately being his home it'd be more than sufficient for what the feisty red head planned on doing.

Common hiking tracks were her chosen path until his directions forced her to break off into the untouched wilderness, eyes of radiant crimson scanning along the visible route for other students before vanishing in the closest treeline, an almost serene beauty to the island in the eyes of any observer should they be unaware of the dangers lurking within. Dead silence, on the other hand, given the lack of animals nearby and only the faintest breeze sweeping through the tree crowns did leave the woman to her thoughts, anticipation rushing through her veins at the mere thought of where she was headed.

Despite the time of day and nightfall not being too far off, somehow none of the other inhabitans had intervened in her travels. It was mildly surprising, pleasantly so as her destination inched closer without interruption from outside. Soon Ryu reached the coast in an unfamiliar portion of the island, his guidance alone giving her an insight on the surroundings as she laid eyes on his domain from afar.

"I'll be there shortly." Without hesitation the shapely athlete accelerated into a slow jog while giving in to the wish to finally stand before him after waiting almost all day, the sand here kicked in the air with each and every lively step, all the while having her ears filled with the tender sound of waves cascading along the coast and the undying beat of her heart.

Perhaps she might've been too eager and yet Ryu didn't think of that as harmful to anyone, neither him nor her in their nearly assured future relationship as master and slave and if anything his invitation merely strenghtened the bond between them.

Seeking out the side entrance of his den which laid embedded within her mind the buxom beauty had slipped through with the duffel bag in tow, her heart skipping a beat as she pushed further into the unknown with her sweet voice ringing through the air upon entry. "Hello?"

Great. Though he fought the urge of watching from the entrance to prevent from being too eager. Aegir could sense her brainwaves for himself. Through the node he could always feel them but now she had drawn close enough that he felt her himself and through the node as well.

In other species one may have thought that dual sensations would be an annoyance but his mind was fragmented into sections which could be set towards just one task or another at his whim.

Though as she called he glanced towards the entrance, mouth tendrils dancing in a refreshing grin as he observed her. It was not often that people had come by here after all and the place was used to relax or to take the time to dote over his treasured photos though with an eidetic memory he had no need for them he had them nevertheless to enhance the memory perhaps he had deemed.

Back here. He was further back in that cove in the shadows. He detested the bright lights though on numerous occasions he had braved such a state. He preferred over cast days for the most part though or the forest where the canopy of trees had been thickest at points to diminish the sunlight.

Do you need a drink? I have several bottle waters and some juices. He gestured a tentacle towards the chest though he was scanning her mind for trace elements of the tale. Where to pick up though he was going to have to inject a little knowledge into her mind.

Then there was a question that lingered in his mind to, those darker elements, just how much should he touch upon them, if at all? For that he supposed he would wait until they came up or if they did pending her choices of course, he had not been about to fret about it now.

There is a beach towel in there too, set it out for us.

In a sense following the direction of his voice turned out to be an amusing sentiment, their means of communication limited to his mental conveying of thought due to his lack of vocal cords and her preference to speak even though he could read her mind which granted their dialogue a semblance of normality, no matter how detached from reality their company likely appeared to anyone in and outside of the student body.

Ryu picked up on the familiar outlines of the telepath and slowly approached, pure excitement flowing through her veins and belly with every daring step further into the shadows, an urgent beat pulsing in the left side of her chest the closer they had gotten to each other. He would've noted the subtle crimson shade upon her features, how the remarkable glint in her eyes averted his momentarily in an almost bashful manner, the buxom lady not quite in awe of the candy store when merely a single treat compelled her to come in the first place and hadn't allowed for any distraction at the time. She smiled warmly, standing before him in his home which in itself thrilled the woman before him beyond reason.

"No, thank you, I'm .. I'm fine and happy to be here. Unfortunately I've had some leftovers from lunch before I started packing although I wouldn't mind sharing some of the things I brought for dinner before we-" Heat flowed into her cheeks as she glanced up at him, slipping in her joyous state though she finished that thought regardless. ".. before we head to bed."

She gathered herself in renewed composure, gingerly removing the bag from her shoulder which the student proceeded to place down next to the chest he called his own. "I've been to the mall today and bought some supplies as well because I feared I might have to leave here and retrieve more in case we were running low, but I see you've prepared for our weekend as well as I."

With his request spoken Ryu fetched the item and rolled it out for them in the least uneven portion of the cove close to where he stood, carefully flattening the piece in the process. "I've taken a small pillow and some thin blankets with me that'd fit inside the bag along with the rest of my stuff, but I'm sure we can take care of that later when the time comes." Before long his alluring guest knelt beside the prepared towel, on the far side which would allow him to reside near his preferred position without an issue, her palm patting the surface in the assumption that he meant to sit down.

But the memory of her pleasant morning with Roc burned brightly in her mind in anticipation of what they set out to continue during her stay, being the most recent and delightfully memorable detail in the foursome that ensued then and there with the Gargoyles although not many aspects of the story had become blurry over time.

He did not eat the snacks that he had acquired. It was purely meat that he consumed though snacks wouldn't kill him either and he would eat whatever she had brought in that bag of hers that she set down.

Aegir recounted their first meeting, even their second in the beginning at least. He had been grooming her from practically the start, many of the scenarios had lessons that he was teaching her beneath matters though this one had been a bit of a treat. There were a few elements here though they were minor.

He traced her with his gaze as she motioned about, the waves lapping against the shore, the scent of salt hung in the air as he watched those gracious curves of hers as she laid out the blanket. Of course he could have had already done so before she got her but he rather enjoyed the show that had occurred before his eyes that she probably was unaware of.

He could have had commanded Komiko or Natalya through their nodes, Nell even seeing that she was usually within range of her own. If they needed anything he could have had it delivered though seeing that he could control her remotely too through similar means it was probably best that that was never an issue. Naturally, he did not need the node it just increased his effective range like an ant4ena.

It's not calamari is it? He chuckle and waved his hand dismissively. But no, not yet. We will save them for intermission as it grows later … hm … that is one matter I had not considered ... He reflected on a small matter never before having to have planned out something so long term. Their was once he kept Lily over night in the jungles but that had been her choice despite the offer to bring her back throughout the night but who was he to complain about it.

He had drawn closer, a tentacle tracing up and down her leg slowly as he brushed it.

Now lay back. Standing or sitting made no difference though sine he was in complete control of the experiences he had. Now, I will give you a moment before we plunge into matters, just a few details I am still calculating.

His laughter had been infectious, coaxing the sweet and bubbly giggle from her lips which even he had heard rarely in the past. "Yeah, I didn't think that would be appropriate."

Skimming over her thoughts he might pick up on the fresh food which probably would be best to consume later in the evening rather than the next day, grilled meat for the sake of longevity and obviously health hazards in case it was left raw, mostly pork and turkey amongst a variety of vegetables. "I purchased some trout, however, since I figured you might like fish in general because .. well .. you sort of .. look the type." She blushed even further, struggling for words though in retrospect it might've been wiser to acquire prawns or any crustacean, really.

"But you're not allowed to peek inside my bag and have a bite, Aegir, you'd only ruin yourself the surprise I've stored for later." Not thinking of his treat in any specific detail proved challenging and while he was meant to be the master she didn't want him to choke his own excitement at the root by revealing the unknown right away.

Given their lack of a proper sleeping place Ryu hoped that her preparations would suffice in the long run, shielded from the elements as they were she was concerned with the comfort of their makeshift bed once finished to an extent. Perhaps falling asleep on top of him, in his arms would be the solution should she find herself unable to otherwise in the worst case scenario, or the best case depending on how she looked at the purpose of their time together. Anything damp they could simply dry in the sun the next day and before the day was over prepare their improvised bedchamber once again.

The touch cascading along her bare leg from above the knee downward had been mesmerizing, the young red head bursting into a pleasant shudder beneath his loving caresses, all the while offering up an enchanting view of her ample cleavage given his stance at full height above the kneeling beauty, not that she would have minded an observant eye such as his.

"Yes, as you wish." Within mere moments she faced the ceiling from the bottom of his cove, mostly glancing in his pupilless eyes as her chest became more prominent with every lungful of air she inhaled, content in waiting though her excitement was evident to anyone.

"I'm ready when you are." She hadn't meant to rush him, merely notifying him after several long moments that she calmed down some upon arriving here with liquid enthusiasm pumping through her veins.

Well, actually I have had calamari before. Of course he had closer ties with the octopus then the squid but that was beside the point right now. It had told him a lot though. In the past he was humorless and it had taken him a great deal of effort to learn the humor of humans.

Though his white eyes dashed to the duffel bag. Secrets were impossible to keep from him though but he painted her a solid in that he deliberately sealed off access to recent thoughts that might give something away though it would have been far too easy to rip such secrets from her mind had he of wanted.

Oh? Is that so?

He studied the bag for a moment. I can't wait … this is rather unusual, stopping myself from accessing a particular thought.

When she did lay down though he took a moment before he induced her in a sleep that found her back in a forest.

Familiar faces had surrounded her … Spencer laid on the branch of a tree casting his gaze downward while fellow prisoners had been with her; Roc, Gale and Typhoon had been present as well as her one time jailor Nicodemus, this was the assembly, the meeting that she realized and recent events with the Gargoyles quickly came to mind as well as the knowledge that they had found a Priest afterward to heal her of her wounds before they met her today.

“Tori has lost power but I am afraid she is on the cusp of attaining great power if she accesses the Blue Shrine and the magical secrets that are contained therein.

“She also needed the four of you, the Elemental Masters to access the temple. But I have miscalculated. In the past I had been under the belief that she could replace any of you with a great deal of effort requiring a few weeks but it is worse than that I fear.

“She had a contingent plan already in place though fortunately she's still in negotiations with the Forgotten Four ...”

In the forest of Brindel where they agreed to meet Nicodemus later that day did Flame recall the events leading up to their gathering, the conclusion of her intimate moments with Roc back at the inn followed by the highly needed healing procedures which covered up the rougher aspects of their secret lovemaking in the morning. Ironically enough she bedded with the dour type amongst an entire village of sexually active Fae, the Dwarf whose bravery and strength had lured the charming sorceress into committing herself to such lewd activities.

Typhoon and Gale joined them, presumably taken alongside the Angel to their rendezvous point although by now they must've known that she lied to them about everything. Retrieving the third ring capable of opening portals between Shadows hadn't been more than a mere ploy to convince them to stay put while she set out with her chosen companion to acquire the last fragment of divine power which her beloved required in order to restore his angelic essence fully. In a sense she expected retaliation from Gale, at least minor verbal abuse, but in the end they were free which they would've been with the ring as well except that Nicodemus might hunt them down only to imprison them.

None of the three were aware of her true nature, the living Construct in their midst which didn't really cast a good light upon her although their heroic deeds spoke for themselves, that she wasn't merely a mindless drone commanded by a creator.

Fully assembled her crimson eyes glanced toward Spencer, spying him in one of the surrounding trees though she paid their diminutive companion little mind as far more urgent matters demanded their attention.

Flame despised the gaping holes in her memory, never truly involved in the happenings around them without lacking any particular piece of information and while she gathered that circumstances appeared to be rather dire, the significance of their troubles eluded the nubile temptress thus far. She chimed in when it appeared that he'd finished for the moment, briefly mulling over the issue at hand even though the turn of events did come in a rather critical stage of their undertaking. "I take it she hasn't gotten far enough in her negotiations to make any intervention on our part a matter of impossibility?"

She paused, wondering why he couldn't simply seek her out and strike the witch down although he must've had his reasons. Perhaps he still didn't recover and she needed him to stay in one piece for the sake of their future. "Well, I'm assuming we're closer to running out of time with every passing minute, so .. Do we have our own contingency plan?"

“Ah, sort of ...” Typhoon relaid. “Matters are still a bit foggy for me, and I have no idea who the Forgotten Four are.”

Gale rolled her eyes and sighed. “Humans and their short memories.”

“The Paraelementals?”

Nicodemus nodded. “Powerful beings. You are versed with the elements; air, earth, fire and water obvious and I had only been thinking along those lines but the Paraelementals have mastered two forms of elemental magic instead of just one.

“Between earth and fire there is Magma while earth and water exists Ooze. Fire and air creates Smoke and water and air Ice. The Forgotten Four is lead by Bryne who wields Magma. Tori is in negotiations with him to pen up the gateway into the Blue Shrine.”

“The Forgotten Four are called that because their deeds were so despicable that they were stricken from the records of their respective schools. But each is needed to open the gate. By eliminating even one we fore Tori to gather up other Elementalists though a delay f weeks will get me closer to my full strength and can deal with Tori better.” He paused. There was something else though he had not bothered mentioning it as of yet.

“There are other factors to consider here. But since each of the Paraelementalists can use two elements it may be best if a two on one scenario is invoked. Though capturing even one helps, the more we take out the better of course as matters are made harder for the Witch. Scampering to replace one of the Paraelementalists would be far more difficult then getting anther skilled Elementalist seeing that they have Mastered two elements.”

“Normally I would be opposed to killing a target,” Gale added, “especially ones so powerful. Shall we look at alternatives?”

Nicodemus considered. “There is something though it involves finding Abdul. What do you think, do you believe you can find him, Flame?”

Unfortunately fate pitted the four of them against far more powerful entities than themselves, nothing akin to an impossible hurdle they couldn't overcome and yet the obstacles remained a threat to their intentions of dealing with the witch. Fighting the demons for the golden feather earth and fire had combined forces and Flame experienced first hand how powerful the para elements could be and every one of the four they would be facing possessed similarly great powers.

They committed despicable deeds and possibly weren't going to shy away from seriously harming those seeking their imprisonment while the intention to secure them alive hindered their own ability to dish out suitable punishment, even in an equal skirmish of two versus one in favor of Nicodemus and company it put their lives at risk. Sending those who could exploit the weaknesses of their elements was a given, but it was to be seen how successful they'd be in that endeavor.

But suddenly the Angel adressed the shapely sorceress, befallen by a breathtaking surge of uncertainty when he spoke of her father. Did he know? Did anyone relay the secrets of her past to him? She couldn't remember speaking of the Efreeti herself when they'd met in the woods the other morning, their priorities more on the sexual side of things because she didn't find the right moment to tell him of her true nature yet.

Flame glanced at the two who spent the recent days by her side, wondering whether either one of them would've had the heart to disclose one of the most precious memories that resided in her mind without consent, especially in the knowledge that they shared a certain measure of mutual fondness and her thoughts were troubled with the inevitable conclusion upon revealing something of such great importance.

Perhaps Spencer hadn't taken kindly to their treatment and set out to let him in on her being a Construct, maybe even the night she spent with the Dwarf without care, after all they didn't see him again until now.

She dismissed that thought and instead mulled over the matter briefly, wondering how much Nicodemus knew though her heart pounded against her chest in growing concern. "Well, um .. Abdul told me I'd have to be suffering great duress in order to establish another telepathic link. I imagine in that case he'd pick up on my mental state soon enough which should allow me to ask him where he is unless he's already headed for me on his own by then."

Did his revelation put her in the state they needed? Possibly, considering that Flame didn't wish to be a harlot nor deceiver in his eyes and the mere thought of him knowing everything that they knew had a profound impact on the red haired beauty thus far. "Now I don't know really know of anything that could help me achieve such a state, but I'd be willing to try if you need him."

Her companions seemed to react differently. Spencer seemed to keep lounging in the trees, no chance in expression as if he either knew such had been coming or had no been surprised by it. Maybe it had not sunk in that few knew of this connection though the Faerie Dragon wasn't grinning or showing any other signs of being the culprit.

As for Roc he seemed a little more uncomfortable but met her gaze as if saying that it wasn't him. Then who? But Nicodemus had not seemed to be flustered or surprised and she soon realized that he had never mentioned Abdul as being her father, just asking if she could find him.

He was the wielder of the Flame Serpent before her and it seemed likely that she would have known of him, perhaps he was assuming or hoping that some of her memories had returned.

This had occurred to her as she got a few questioning looks from most of her companions though it had been an unlikely source that came to her rescue.

Spencer's voice called out from that tree. “ Duress? There's the Enchantress, Willow, who can alter memories and such and can cause false emotions too or there is something that I recently acquired too that should work too though it might take a little to activate, I got it while investigating Willow ...”

Eyes flickered up to him. “Perhaps then we should look into this matter then and make preparations to hit some of the Forgotten Four as a back up, just encase.”

“I don't kill the Fae.”

“I don't think there are any Fae in the Forgotten Four.”

“Winter is or was.”

“Ah ... She's the Paraelementalist of Ice, obviously. Why not the Fae?”

Roc glanced to Typhoon as if this was obvious for everyone but spoke his mind. “Because only Fae are people, do I have that right?”

Gale nodded. “You got that right.”

Abdul was immortal and desired to pass on his knowledge of the Flame Serpent which he likely possessed himself for several decades, perhaps centuries without anyone else by his side to give birth to an heir given his distrust of the females of his own kind. Somehow that made sense when Nicodemus spoke of him after his prolonged imprisonment in the service of the witch and neither of her two travelling companions appeared to be guilty as charged by the sorceress, rendering her concerns fruitless because she couldn't quite draw the line between genuine truth and the information someone might've conveyed to him.

Flame inherited the precious and powerful conjuration from her father and given the single wielder of the Serpent who existed before her, she decided to calm herself in the comforts of the idea that he had a similar stream of thought and ultimately reached the same conclusion.

Suggesting the Enchantress earned Spencer a somewhat puzzled glance from the buxom elementalist, crimson eyes skimming over him while the thought occured that they had to sort out the issue regarding her and the necromancer, the sap which was supposed to be used in order to unlock her suppressed memories, all these factored into their next encounter with Willow although not visiting her at all with something the Fae Dragon acquired from her workshop sounded far more promising. "I'd be up for it if you manage to get it working in a timely manner."

But before long they argued in favor of the pompous species in their midst, but rather than not seeking out Winter because Gale didn't wish to put her down, Flame would rather not spend time in the company of several powerful Fae at once. "It depends on where they are, I suppose. The weakest and closest obviously come first unless distance isn't much of a problem."

She paused, briefly eyeing Gale in consideration of her stated objection to killing someone of her own kind. "If time allows it and Winter isn't among the farthest of the four, I'm sure we can avoid putting the Fae at risk."

Something else occured to her, the subtle pressure of an object beneath layers of cloth which lingered near her chest area. "We don't even have to kill them if we manage to get close to the ones we're going for. Roc and I still have our collars which should render them incapable of using magic of any kind, shouldn't they?"

“The Reflecting Glass will be easy to set up. The toughest matter is getting the component, which isn't too hard I suppose. We need to grab a subject or part of one; hair, fingernails and so forth.

“I was thinking that those taken from Tori can be used as components to generate a distressful situation.”

Nicodemus nodded. “Yes, though anyone or think could be used. It has to be something distressful? What of a torture season?”

“Bigger. I'll supply the components,” Typhoon sighed as eyes shifted to him. “We're pressed for time and I have something … I only ask that it is kept secret, Flame.”

“Well, with that settled let's see the weakest would be Sludge.”

A series of nods from everyone save for Typhoon who had been as clueless as Flame.

“He's a Paraelementalist of Ooze, Water and Earth magic. Winter is Ice and so is versed in Air and Water magic. Bryne is Magma both Fire and Earth and the last would Smoke, both Air and Fire mastered by Zephyr.”

“Those collars are pretty easy to get out of if you're not wearing them,” Spencer pointed out. “I can remove them and Tori is far greater than I but if we manage to catch one it does offer a good means of restraining their magical powers or even getting close and getting it on one of them takes the sting out of their power. You probably won't be able to get one around Sludge's neck though.”

Again, a series of nods save for from Typhoon.

“Well then, while you two work on distressing Flame the rest of us will plan on how to best address the situation, agreed?”

“As long as my secret is kept safe.”