Slivers of hope encouraged Flame in her attempt to scramble further up along the tree, nearly able to drape an entire leg over the selected branch which would evidently prove an ideal foothold for her continuous advance, but in the blink of an eye Marcus had taken hold of her ankle before sending the woman at his hands tumbling to the ground alongside the wooden ledge amidst her delicate clutch which didn't stand a chance against him.

He had driven the air from her lungs upon hitting the bottom with a thud in the subsequent descent, the back of her head slamming into the ground a split second afterward in much the same way as the rest of her body which left the young woman temporarily disoriented, even in the face of imminent danger. A dull throb pulsed in her stronger, right hand where the branch chafed her palm without actually breaking the skin, slowly drawing her back to reality although not quick enough to get up before he pressed on.

His dagger had been discarded with a clank whereupon his weight came crashing down on the stunned vixen, mocking the nubile sorceress in his near effortless victory and for having fallen to the feigned gestures of kindness of a seemingly good natured man.

Flame breathed carefully beneath the dagger which had been poised against her throat, her chest heaving timidly with every sparse lungful of precious oxygen she dared to take, the soles of her feet scraping along the ground behind him as though she sought to escape him somehow despite the futility of her actions whereas her unrestrained hands held onto the arm with blade in his grasp, instinct telling her to try and pull it away, but he simply outmatched the sorceress in terms of physical prowess and rendered the struggle for power fruitless.

Crimson eyes widened in terror remained fixated on his until further creatures of the same origin had risen from the impenetrable darkness, her focus drawn to the great many new arrivals which matched the one pinning her to the spot, some of which appeared to be actual rats themselves, but rather than concern herself with appearances the well endowed damsel in distress noted that they were coming closer, perhaps gauging the bodily treasures of their newfound victim and how well the buxom beauty would be able to feed them.

They lured her into a trap, that much was certain, leaving Flame at the mercy of these less than human monstrosities. She was beyond making the connections, appalled at the sight of all these unfamiliar faces and could only hope that they wouldn't take her life, pleading eyes dashing back into his from her position below.

"Please .." Killing them had been out of the question, she wasn't a murderer and even though that act would pass for self defense it didn't seem likely that with him in close proximity she would successfully summon the Flame Serpent before any of them intervened, let alone reach the dagger he'd dropped not too far from the two. "I beg you, please don't kill me."

“Kill you, why be so quick about it.”

“Yeah, let's eat her legs first so she can't run away.”

Marcus hurled a dagger from up his sleeve at the rat-like creature, this one a silver blade. The creature dropped with a thud, killed straight away and Marcus never once gazed away from her honing in on the sound. It was extraordinary, it was frightening …

“She's mine for now. You may have my scraps.” The dagger pressed closer to her, so close that it broke the flesh generating a bead of blood.

Her struggles thus far were fruitless and he knew it. He also showed that he was willing to kill someone he knew, what would he do to a stranger? His free hand began to caress her massive breast slowly. Tiny claws scrapping against the fabric there and it was clear that this position of dominance had less to do about sex then it had about power, despite his sexual orientation.

“I didn't like him. Tell me, am I going to like you?”

He leaned in closer, a long lick against her neck as if he were gathering a taste ow what was to come. Whether he was going to kill her or not had yet to be determined and yet things were not looking good either way.

Terror graced her feminine features with the notion that they didn't plan on extinguishing the life of their nubile prey quite as quickly as she imagined, inviting her to look forward to an agonizingly slow demise or even another delay of the inevitable such as the fruitless chase not too long ago, perhaps for other purposes entirely the likes of which the frightened sorceress didn't wish upon her most hated adversary.

Someone in the group spoke up, another whose voice chimed in with the suggestion of devouring her legs initially in order to keep her entrapped on the scene and incapable of running, crimson eyes beaming up at the predatory creature in an extreme onrush of fear considering that up until that point they would certainly ensure not to let her die, but evidently his words appeared to have been dismissed.

Marcus eliminated him with a mere flick of his wrist, the fellow rat-like bandit slumped to the ground in an instant without even giving a cursory glance to his target, the silver blade he'd hurled at the man buried within the now lifeless shell.

Below him Flame winced in a pitiful whimper, tears flowing along her cheeks underneath the growing pressure of his dagger against her throat, searing pain indicating that he punctured the skin there while she attempted her utmost not to squirm incessantly in fear of driving the blade even deeper inside. She didn't plead nor beg any longer, suppressing the urge to ask for mercy in regards to the fate of the fallen creature in the distance.

Flame determined that her chances of survival were plummetting into the gloomy abyss of a bottomless pit where friend or foe hadn't seemed to matter, his disregard for life or rather those questioning his authority evident in his actions and she wasn't going to make the same mistake since learning the lesson meant death at his hands.

Her lush lips parted in a minor gasp at his touch, the pillowy abundance of her breast molding into his palm as the cherry nub on top rubbed against the surrounding cloth and yet somehow that didn't seem to be his intention in the least, merely driving the point home that he was in charge and she was nothing without him other than nourishment to the group since he'd claimed her for the time being.

"Y-yes, of course .. I'm .. ahhn .. I'm an amiable woman .. quite unassuming and likeable in fact." His tongue gathered the smaller pearls of blood accumulating near the wound, a faintly visible layer of sweat slowly forming on her skin given the chase and nervosity which pulsed through her every fibre. "I-I would never displease you, I swear. I'm not like him, not at all."

It had taken a great measure of will power and yet Flame lowered her arms hesitantly in submission, no longer struggling against him though the fear and tender stimulus induced shudder kept her body in motion, occasional uncontrollable surges of these sensations stirring her beneath him. She didn't seek death, not even in the memory where she wouldn't truly perish, but the path leading up to that point haunted her with profound dread and nothing, literally nothing would compell her to fight this as long as there was a glimpse of hope on the horizon.

“Oh, I know that you won't be displeasing,” the dagger pulled back some as her arms fell away though it was still their in the grasp of his wounded hand. Those claws that were more akin to really sharp and pointed fingernails moved from her breast down a flank as he shredded the material there.

“You have very little use to me but perhaps I can sell you as a slave, though slavery is illegal here it is quite legal in Sirocco but that nation is far away and I would have to be certain that I could get a reasonable price for you. Or I could ransom you or just eat you. You are somewhat skilled with Fire magic so you should fetch more than a mundane slave would and you are attractive enough, let's see if you are good enough in the sexual department … I could even keep you around as mere entertainment for my men, I am disinterested in you in that way but might as well sample you first to better estimate your value.

“Live or die, it all depends on how useful you are.” He grinned, slashing through the fabric of her clothes slowly as he let that sink in.

“Now open your thighs or I'll open them for you.”

Relief washed over the captured red head the moment he eased up on her exposed throat, allowing her to breathe with a little more ease given that her eventual passing appeared to have been delayed indefinitely though the intimidating tingle invoked by the proximity of his blade lingered before the shallow wound, leaving her to ponder on the nightmare to come whilst he went on to tear the garments along her shapely frame, revealing minor portions of the beautifully sculpted female and the silky smooth texture of her creamy skin.

He spoke and the terrified woman below listened, her future outlined by the transformed man who was pinning her to the ground. Marcus may not have known of the full extent of her abilities, but her purpose in his plans was clearly defined, either to be sold off to the highest bidder wherever he could legally rid himself of the exotic beauty, ransom her although surely he wouldn't appreciate the one she would refer him to, or simply feed her to the passive observers all around which didn't differ much from the initial scene she suspected.

Flame regarded the unsparing assembly of bestial bandits with large, lustrous eyes and could barely fathom his notion of leaving her to his men, the vast majority rat-like in appearance whereas several seemingly were actual rats of greater proportions than their natural counterparts themselves. Without question her life would revolve around nothing but serving the brutish ranks in her status as their most recent acquisition, bound to be ravished throughout her enslavement for as long as they could hope to keep her powers in check and judging by their sheer number alone the buxom sorceress found it hard to believe that they'd ever let her rest.

Becoming their property was preferable over death in any case even though an eternal lifetime combined with her prowess in the bedroom turned their captive into the ideal slave, but with any luck they would sell her off where their numbers wouldn't hinder her freedom any longer and while the scenario may not last nearly long enough for that to happen, it made observing the group of outlaws far more bearable in the comforting thought that they probably wouldn't have her longer than tonight.

"No, please! I will do whatever you want, but please don't eat me." Ultimatey they'd left the alluring temptress in tatters, clinging to the frightened female in shredded bits and while obediance came at the price of utter humiliation, the performance certainly beat any potential punishment and decease by a fair margin.

Within mere moments her thighs spread as far as her athletic form would allow, wide open for the dreadful male while her features were graced by a tender crimson coloration, heat rushing to her cheeks at the thought of displaying herself to such a degree.

Crimson eyes had returned to him in fear that he might harm her physically otherwise, her nether lips thankfully hidden at the time unless he sliced into the fabric and revealed the delightful sight of her flower, lack of arousal and his implied roughness causing her heart to hammer in her chest as Flame braced for the following moments as best as she possibly could, determined to prove her worth lest these creatures would tear her apart.

There were snickers all about her as the rats chittered and watched her humiliation at the hands of Marcus who wasted little time in shredding those garments, a finger sweeping to her hidden clit, searching around for the hood that hide it then began to rub as he drew the knife down her chest slicing fabric and revealing more of that flesh to her.

“Good,” he was stiffening above her his mouth descending to her neck and making a tiny nip with those sharp teeth of his as if sampling her taste a little, his tongue sweeping against the fresh flow of blood as his excitement grew and grew with each passing second.

Marcus seemed to be enjoying this drawing out his touches upon her as he went, ears hearing the shred of fabric as he cut or tared it away, his keen nose working to pick up any changes in the scent that reached his nostrils. He could smell her fear, that evident change in her initial scent as he went to work.

“We will see where your greatest value lies. Though if your fate resides with the men they will not eat you, not while you are pregnant anyway and I suspect that would be more or less a perpetual state given how quickly we reproduce.”

He had noted her terror in that option and was playing a little on that now, his finger drawing down from her clit along that slit then back up in slow rubs against her there as he took his time or at least wished to make her exactly aware of what was going to happen in short order.

Flame found herself burning up in shame given the almost mocking laughter which went through the surrounding audience, her privates exposed to the naked eye whereupon the subtle friction of his digit traced along the concealed patch of nerves above, slowly coaxing the sensitive love pearl into prominence seeing how susceptible she proved to the stimulus, her body quivering in betrayal of her will as blood poured into the tender bead and a barely suppressed moan left the enticing frames of her lush lips.

He gave rise to her the ample bounty of her chest, freed from the prison of cloth whilst cooler air touched upon these luscious heaps of mellow flesh, near instantaneously causing her nipples to harden despite her reluctance to let these events happen in the first place, but there simply was no other option here.

Dipping to her neck the red haired vixen tilted her head to the side for better access, the tingle of his animalistic features being that close accompanied by further tears as her eyes fell shut momentarily, widening in the rougher love bite which happened to be breaking the skin. Much to her distress he seemed to be growing firmer under his robe, the sweet coppery taste of blood bestowed unto his taste buds and yet fear wasn't the only sensation pulsing through her veins.

Pain and pleasure interwined in the blissful infusion of her masochistic tendencies and merely added to the gradual climb rate of arousal, her hands clenched into fists at her inability to counter the man. Her former attire was reduced to rags in the pace at which he'd torn them apart, long since history which had the fair maiden wonder if they would ever bother dressing her again.

But his remark hit home, crimson eyes observing Marcus in silent prayer for salvation at the thought that Flame would be forced to serve as breeding stock for the gang of bestial criminals, her spirit close to crumbling under the vivid image of unending pregnancy considering their rat-like nature, perhaps even bearing litter upon litter of children as they would reproduce in the same timeframe as their distant cousins.

"I-I .. I would .. I'd be delighted to bear your children." She despised herself for even remotely feigning her desire to go through with his notion, pushing these words past her lips in beneath his tormenting touch which assailed her rather compliant flower, the petals slowly nearing their puffed up state whereas the woman at his hands squirmed mildly under his attention.

Marcus forced her to enjoy these bodily pleasures, will power alone unable to withstand the sensations flowing through the physical frame of the voluptuous sorceress whose sweet sounds of approval rang through the air in appreciative whimpers, the insides of her thighs twitching in growing anticipation of the moments to come as the slightest hint of dampness had already sullied the crest of his finger.

His features came closer to her own, his eyes narrowing with her words though a grin traced against his features. “Liar. You are a poor liar my dear though it is safe to assume you'd prefer such a state then death.”

Her arousal was clear, it was growing at least even though he was aware that she may not have wanted this though he was not going to stop. His finger growing a little damper as it stroked against her though with her lie he had no longer delayed any further as that digit plunged straight into her sex working against her back and forth as the blade danced against bare and exposed flesh. Had she not lied he might have sought to increase her arousal a little more though he was still in no hurry here.

A tongue licked over an orb paying particular attention to her nipple as it traced around it, the blade barely cutting into the underside of the other before he drew away from that mound for a moment.

“Lie again and I will kill you. I hate liars.”

More snickering erupted from the crowd as they watched on, a few came closer, the larger ones, cocks in hand, pointed at her as they jerked themselves off as they watched close up as to what their boss was doing as Marcus went back to licking that tit, the advance of that finger spiraling against those pink walls that he traced against.

Flame feared the imminent consequences of her actions when he called her out on the blatant lie, his inhuman grimace leaned in further and assumed characteristics of annoyance which were found in his narrowed eyes, a barely suppressed shriek ringing through the air since the finger poised before her quivering entrance suddenly drilled into her sheath without warning, the stimulus far from any abysmal torture on her mind although given her lack of sufficient arousal his intrusion had been mildly uncomfortable.

Anyone else in his place would've taken kindly to her desires and let lust build until she was ready to receive him, her mind busy trying to recall her love life with Nicodemus or Roc which would assist the fair maiden in that regard and hopefully accelerate the process.

His tongue skimmed over an exposed mound, the added moisture merely emphasized in the colder climate of the night which had the alluring sorceress caught up in a minor series of recurring shivers, all along feeling the blade dance along the curve of her unoccupied breast. It sunk into the lower side of that engorged heap of tit flesh, barely dipping beyond the layer of broken skin and yet enough to incite the fiery young woman, an enticed gasp spilling from her lips at his contact which fuelled her arousal further.

"It will never happen again, I promise!" She wanted, needed to be liked and while expressing her reluctance in the potentially gained status as the mother of their children might displease him, lying would come at an equally abhorrent cost. No matter how miserable her life would turn out to be, death simply wasn't a preferable alternative unless time would teach her otherwise.

Crimson eyes observed with horror in their midst the approach of several other bestial henchmen, by now certain that they followed Marcus though that didn't distract from the great many men who seemingly wished to sample the frightened temptress before them. They kept their distance for the time being, their lewdly displayed members aiming at Flame and while being covered in cum had been the least of her worries, perhaps she would be fortunate enough that some would get off and lose interest with her.

But in the meantime she was leaking the liquid evidence of her arousal almost as though their dominance was spurning her on, the crowd inflaming the very core of the busty beauty in their repugnant attitude towards the captured woman.

Quite suddenly her inner muscles encompassed the intruding finger with an unmatched tightness, the raw strength derived from such trained velvety depths hopefully pleasing enough to reconsider his opinion of their latest plaything. She displayed her undying dedication to the task at hand, collapsing the already narrow corridor around the man throughout his descent only to ease up whenever he extracted himself, repeating the process time and time again in hopes of bringing her value to his attention rather than any verbal attempt to persuade him into treating her better.

He played with her seeing the hope in her eyes as well as the fear contained within that gaze as she looked up at the commanding creature. He had not shooed away the others, none daring enough to advance upon her though all to eager to possess her in some fashion it seemed.

These would be the first that got the scraps of Marcus it seemed depending on what he had decided to do with her.

Though as her body responded with that crushing warmth she found that his pace had softened a little though never faltering below a steady pace. “I see that you're enjoying this.” He personally had little use for women but his men did. Still he possessed that dominant role and none could have his scraps without his say so.

Before long he drew his finger out of her, suckling it clean.

“Not bad, I suppose. More responsive than any other but pussies really aren't my thing. Roll over.”

He waited for her to comply given her only a few seconds to comply before he would flip her over if she refused to comply, it wouldn't be the first time and it wouldn't be the last.

"Yes .. I am." Despite any initial resistance Flame had been betrayed by the unequivocal response of these puffed up nether lips which were leaking the liquid evidence of her arousal and tightened around him in admiration of the stimulus, his steady pace far more enjoyable than before though she didn't waver in the highly competent display of her inner muscles, lulling his finger in the heavenly shroud of silken comfort without relent.

Delaying the inevitable in regards to the other men who seemed all the more willing to participate did little to soothe her mind and yet she concluded that keeping his interest alive for the time being would be the most prudent choice. Serving them collectively would leave her pregnant without a doubt, but judging by their lack of female company they either rid themselves of all the others they chanced upon by seeking profit in trade or simply proceeded to feed on them rather than put up with the trouble.

She gasped softly in the removal of his finger, watching in the electric sparks of pleasure which jolted through her loins even then, fear barely keeping the sensation at bay whilst he cleansed that digit of her nectar.

"O-of course .. as you wish." Neither eagerness nor reluctance guided her actions when Marcus expressed his desire to explore another portion of the smoking hot sorceress, shifting with barely any hesitation while her horrified mind processed the seemingly illogical wish to pass up on the supreme wares of his entrapped prey. Likely his sexuality hadn't truly allowed for him to enjoy the young woman to the fullest and hence sought to indulge in the plains he knew best, not that it eased her thought on the matter in the least.

He wouldn't force her to bear his child personally which had been the greatest blessing of all, regrettably only one of the many amongst her assailants though Flame wasn't going to complain in consideration of the odds in terms of surviving the night unless she let them proceed as they pleased.

Muscles both weak and trembling in the renewed delay of her imminent fate had allowed for the girl to roll over, uncertain as to whether or not he wanted her to be on all fours or pinned to the ground she'd settled on the latter, retaining their initial pose while her timid fingers clung to the bottom of the forest, unable to dig into the dirt below given her nearly petrified limbs though the shallow cut upon her breast stung slightly in the sudden contact.

His presence alone, while unseen, made her blood run cold as Flame spread her thighs wide, the lavish expanse of her ample hindquarters bestowed unto him in undeniable shame and surges of fear which had the buxom maiden in shudders, the puckered entrance of her backdoor aching in the foresight of his intrusion, crimson eyes sealing themselves shut in mental preparation for the moments to come.

Marcus was languid, he was in no rush as long as she had been complying, his cold, once blue but now red eyes peeled over her as she sought to comply though his hand moved to her rump tracing against it as those nails worked over the cloth that had remained there.

Children, from this union at least, had seemed unlikely though she was unsure as to what he was going to do with her, if he intended to display his masculinity or turn her over to the others to be used as he deemed fit.

She had not attempted to deny the obvious and so he had not sought her further punishment as he freed himself spitting into a hand for some well needed lubricant before jerking himself off in strong motions until he was all lubed up.

Marcus had leaned over her with a str4ong lick to her shoulder, then it happened, some of those larger rats near her burst into flames, incinerated by a plethora of rays of flame from the forest that struck with unerring accuracy as a humanoid shape drew close.

Other creatures scrambled as if taken totally off guard, the rats either all her or the sentries bypassed some how as they now reacted with surprise and tried to scramble, rays striking them and incinerating their corpses before they had a chance to get more than a few feet.

Nearest was Marcus. He being struck, the heat radiating off of his body before it was destroyed completely had been enough to blister her skin, though it was clear that this figure effortlessly dealt with the rats, her father, Abdul, who had not stopped yet but rather incinerated the scrambling rats as easily as one shot fish in a barrel.

Flame perked up in the downright frustrating delay of his preparations, scanning for any discernible hints as to when the nightmare would take his chosen course while tuning in to the motions which were occuring behind her back, her eyesight deliberately cut off from the remainder of her senses in hopes of at least mentally putting someone else in his place she'd rather sleep with than the rat-like leader of the accursed lot.

The teasing touch of his tongue that traced over her shoulder had incited a mere shudder within the female at his hands, wishing for her misery to end quickly and yet he was taking his sweet time here.

Suddenly her crimson eyes were ripped open by the surrounding bursts of intense heat which flared up amidst the attending masses, the ruby red orbs drawn to the source whereas several of them had been scorched immediately in the previously unseen barrage of flames that swarmed the menacing assembly with a far greater threat than themselves as the scalding rays honed in on their chosen targets from the treeline, leaving only death and devastation in their wake with unsurpassable accuracy. Panic broke out throughout the ranks as the great many outlaws sought to escape the all consuming fire with their lives intact though by the looks of the situation at hand not more than a select few would survive the fiery onslaught.

Struck by another searing beam Marcus had been incinerated, his life extinguished in the blink of an eye while the emanating heat lashed out at the buxom damsel in distress, blistering the skin which was met with a sharp squeal of shock and pain, but in the grand scheme of things Flame scrambled to her feet despite how shaky her limbs had become.

Initially she planned on fleeing the scene until the familiar figure of her father emerged from the gloomy forest, relief washing over her as he was dishing out severe punishment to those who had threatened his beloved creation, her empathy well within bounds seeing the profoundly revolting thoughts going through their minds and the fact that, after all, they were inside a memory.

Pulling herself up and off the ground the young sorceress recoiled from the scenery riddled with never before seen carnage, her back pinned against the nearest tree as she stood in tatters, the garments a mere shadow of the ones she was wearing in reality while her failed attempt of an escape wasn't found more than a feet beside her, the severed branch from earlier a mere token of her struggle here given her reluctance to kill them herself.

She fumbled with the cloth in an arched, unsteady posture, trying to tie several loose ends together for at least a minor degree of decency in front of Abdul while he proceeded in his actions, the girl quivering in fear and intimidation though she needed something to distract herself from the ongoing events all around her.

The last of the bandits crumbled to the ground, charred hair, flesh and cloth emitting from his corpse though the Genie gazed towards his daughter and made a wave of his hand. Her clothes vanished and had been replace in orange and red fabrics complete with a red cloak, the hood drawn away from her features.

“I came as soon as I could. What is this place? What has happened to you, have you been attacked with a spell?” He collect the information as best as he could. At first he had determined that this was a foreign memory. He had no knowledge of it though it could have been from her conscious mind too. Again he would have been aware of it once he had been in her presence again though he could only lend an assist when she was unconscious, while conscious though and able he would have been there.

Though this was a rather extreme way to get his attention.

“It is all in your mind, these thoughts do not belong but you are safe now.” He gestured towards a log and sat beside here listening to what was going on as far as recent events and the Paraelementalists if she brought it up.

“The Forgotten Four … they are powerful but can be stopped ...” he paused and looked at her though for a long moment. “While that is the objective of your companions and even you to a lesser extent you desire to keep him safe and this is the quickest means of doing so.”

His sudden arrival had been a blessing of indescribable proportions, his intimidating presence soothing to the buxom maiden even amidst the obnoxious fragrance of burned flesh among several others, feeling the torn tatters vanish from her physical form in exchange for the comforts of actual clothing, restoring at least her dignity to a minor degree.

"Thank you." Flame managed to push out even though the horrendous scene had left the young sorceress quivering in gradually waning terror, radiant crimson eyes beaming up at the formidable stature of her father in unending appreciation. He was incredibly powerful, however, and perhaps added to the discomforting sensations which reigned upon her mind himself by eradicating the threat to his daughter in the grand display of his elemental prowess, but ultimately she had nothing to fear from the considerably taller figure which towered over the red haired vixen protectively.

He brushed aside the hood which graced her gorgeous features, causing her to smile faintly in the process of wiping away any remaining tears with the help of her sleeve. She shook her head, nodding in the direction of the nearest heap of charred remains. "No, I haven't been attacked by anyone except these lowly figments of my mind. I was never in any real danger other than the vivid occurances of the fabricated nightmare you can see all around you."

Surely Abdul expected explanation on the matter and she was more than willing to give it. "Nicodemus, the Fallen Angel has asked me to find you and given the fact that time is of the essence, we chose to introduce a foreign memory into my mind which was supposed to place me in a state of duress. Considering what you've said in regards to what would be necessary in order to establish another telepathic link that seemed to be the safest and least time consuming course of action." She paused, glancing at the ground in a moment of thought before returning to him with greater determination. "I'm sorry for troubling you, but it was necessary."

Somehow tagging along and getting seated beside him without the knowledge of their past had been rather unusual, an Efreeti and the living Construct a rather unique family no doubt, but in the end he displayed love and care in the same way any good parent would.

Flame mulled over the matter prior to adressing the issue at hand, her hands fidgeting under the pressure of time when telling how much had passed since having fallen asleep proved rather difficult in the events that transpired here.

"Circumstances have changed." She would leave any initial interpretation up to him before pressing on. "Nick freed the other two wielders of the Air and Water Serpent respectively and currently resides in a forest on Brindel with the others, Roc and Spencer. I'm there myself, unconscious as you might imagine though the truth of the matter is that our plan to prevent the witch from accessing the Blue Shrine hangs in the balance."

"Tori has set out for the aid of the Forgotten Four instead of relying solely on her captives to pave her way, negotiating with them at the time hence no agreement has been reached between the parties as of yet."

Thankfully they weren't facing impossible odds, the four of them apparantly not in the same place which made crushing down on them one by one a feasible option. "We plan on capturing one of them, more if possible in an attempt to hinder any further endeavors on her part to advance in her quest for power."

She considered the current situation briefly, halting in her stream of thought as she recalled the reason for subjecting herself to these horrors in the first place. "Well, until Nicodemus suggested that I seek you out, of course. I do not know what his plan is, but I figured that you might know of the proper response to our predicament unless you would somehow manage to show up in person."

Truly her love for him could not be denied, Tori had to be stopped and yet she wasn't willing to let him go unless he possessed full strength and approached their adversary with favorable odds of coming out of the encounter alive despite the risks of any delay on their part. "Naturally I would rather not allow her to have whatever lies within the Blue Shrine, but even less I wish to put his life at risk and he's simply not ready for a direct confrontation yet."