A Road Paid in Blood   

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With dark clouds crying their slow rain, the winds blew sweet autumn leaves around Lanthios as he stood on ashy sands… though some of the sands glowed demonic green, Lanthios ignored the pit holes.

While trampling down the bones of the dead. With silence, the pair walked through the ghouls and wraths that haunted the tainted scar that will forever bleed their lands of its beauty. 

As they arrived on the neatly kept road, they had to make a choice… head back to Fairbreeze or continue to Ghostlands! But with a bitter smile, Layla chose to head to Ghostlands as Fairbreeze held little precious memories for her now… As for Lanthios, he was just glad to be done with Fairbreeze and swore he would never return if he could help it. 

As the pair continued to walk down the long, lonely road, they came across the remnants of a battle that seemed to have happened many years ago… old troll skeletons roamed freely by the road, with scattered elf armor and weapons that lay forgotten and abandoned… left to rust like the old rune stone that no longer works. 

As they examined the broken crates, she found a symbol of her mother! A crystal that shined green with a bloody center, that held the eyes of a demon locked away by mist. 

[this... This crystal! It belongs to my mom! But what is it doing here? Did she really…] said Layla with a slowly breaking heart. 

{wait! How do you know that crystal belongs to your mom? Aren't there a dozen crystals that look just like it?} replied Lanthios before continuing 

{And also, don't just go writing your mom off just like that! Didn't you say she was a powerful mage? I'm sure it just came off during her battle! Besides, if she died wouldn't we find a corpse or an undead that looked like her?} replied Lanthios in an attempt to smooth Layla's heart. 

Shaking her head Layla replied: 

[It's impossible to mistake… this crystal was forged from the heart of the first demon she ever killed! Its soul is trapped forever within it! A burning demon that loved fire more than my mom… I will never forget the feeling of power I get by holding it!] 

[she loved it so much she even embedded it to the tip of her staff… she would never leave it just anywhere…] 

With nothing else to say, Lanthios could only continue to turn over old boxes and shift through the ashes of the sands for anything. But as the silence grew and the winds turned over to muddy rain and misty leaves, came flying in a bloody axe! Sensing it through the grey weather, Lanthios grabbed it as it was aimed at his head! 

Turing in its direction, Lanthios saw through the light of the lighting a greenish-blue troll! With war paint on his face that symbolized his tribe, coupled with elf's skulls impaled on his sharp shoulder pads.

And as the rain dripped down his bare muscular body, the seventh-foot troll didn't laugh, nor did he taunt! He only smiled as he breathed out his mist form within his body. 

{who are you?} said Lanthios with a snarl, as Layla's eyes glowed a silent orange 

[tsk… me… Do you want to know who I is Mon?] replied the troll as he flexed his big two side axe, that jingled his bone tooth necklace. 

{Gerr! Don't make me repeat myself!} snapped back Lanthios as he readied himself for combat. 

[I'll tell you what my name be!] yelled back the troll as he grabbed the orange butterfly that was sneaking to his right. 

But while it was in his hands, it exploded in wonders of colors, which caused the troll to smile as he wiped the burned skin from his hand onto the shaft of his weapon! With a charge and a heavy blow, Lanthios met to block it as the troll said: 

[my name be Tregla!] 

 [And I'll be the one who will lead the slaughter of you elves! Though you be weak whelps, not even worth its weight in skulls or blood... I will not forgive…nor forget… for all Ya kind did to mine… the Loa Gods demand you extinction!] 

[Ha… feting words for monster! I'll burn you! As the ancestors did to your villages!] screamed Layla as she hyperventilated flames through her breaths! 

As the steam rose around Layla in her furry, her eye glowed in deep venomous orange. As Lanthios kept the troll in check as they traded blow for blow. 

[What? Y'all have nothing to say now pup? Wasn't you who asked for meh name?] replied the troll who shrugged off Layla's barking. 

{umm… not really… not after you told me your name…} replied Lanthios 

[Oh! Did y'all get scared of meh name? Mon! Haha] replied Tregla 

{no! That's not it… it's just that after you told me your name. I realized that you were no one of importance… just another pawn of Zul 'Jin who thinks he's more important than his is.} replied Lanthios with a smile of pointy teeth. 

[Ha! What do you know of meh master!] replied Tregla 

{I know that he doesn't trust you enough to actually do anything of importance… otherwise, why would he leave you all the way out here with nothing better to do, other than to keep your wayward brothers in check…Tregla...} replied Lanthios with a grin 

{if you are so important to your tribe, why is it that you're here? Shifting through black sands and forgotten corpses? To head hunt elves… please! Face it! You're just a nobody!} continued Lanthios as they separated. 

Enraged by Lanthios's remark, for past events flash through Tregla's mind with his disappointing meetings with his master, along with his growing frustration for being assigned a ridiculous post as Lanthios had mentioned! After all, he was right! And Tregla hated that fact! 

[ha-ha! You've be right! Mon! And I'll be so sick of it!] screamed Tregla as his veins bulged through his body! While his muscles tore themselves apart as they grew! With burning red eyes. Tregla gave up all sense of composure as he went full berserk! 

As flaming butterflies below up in reverence to the waters of the rain, the troll charges through it with hanging skin and blackened flesh!

As his quickened axe aimed for Lanthios's head! But Lanthios powered his weapon through the elements present and sent a shock through the angry troll as their weapons collided! 

But Tregla didn't feel the shock, nor the burns, and even if he did, he cared little of the small amount of pain that wasn't even worthy enough to break his berserk.

Lanthios on the other hand, felt the weight of Tregla's strike! Even with the power of the earth and the mercy of the elements, Lanthios was the first to bend the knee! 

Sinking into the black mud, Lanthios felt the torment of the earth, for the earth screamed from the demonic influence among those of twisted black magic that seeped into its being! At this moment Lanthios recognized the pain of the element, for he was deeply intimate with it before! 

As the memories of Azrael making him torment the earth's spirits, Layla didn't know what do to! Her fire could easily kill the troll, but for some reason, it annoyingly stuck close to Lanthios! 

But as she was racking her brain on what to do, Lanthios sank deeper into the earth! With his stance broken, Tregla gripped his axe with both hands and prepared a blood-thirsty strike! As the strike neared Lanthios's head, Layla's eyes changed from orange to blue, and with it came a change to her arcane-ic nature of fire to ice! 

And with the swiftness of a hand motion, she turned the black mud into a frozen wonderland! As frozen droplets hung in the air, while the temperatures changed to match her. Rooted and cold, Tregla couldn't execute his newly acquired speed, given to him by his berserk!

With frozen nerves and muscles, Tregla tried to turn his body into the shape of a whirlwind, but his body could not exert the force needed! Lanthios then seized this opportunity to parry Tergla's strike into the mud! 

As Tregla's axe sank deep into the muddy trap, Lanthios cut off Tregla's right arm! While simultaneously doing a spin and separating the tendons in Tregla's legs! 

As Tregla fell face first in the black mud, Lanthios didn't approach him recklessly, for he knew how resilient trolls were, for they could regrow limbs and survive the impossible with their regenerative abilities. 

{Layla! Freeze him again!} demand Lanthios as he readied his Glave for another strike 

[with pleasure!] replied Layla without question as she froze Tregla face first in the mud! 

As Tregla choked on the mud, he regained his composure just in time for Lanthios to cut off his other arm! Screaming and unable to move, Tregla yelled curses as Lanthios smiled and said: 

{you can never be too careful when dealing with trolls! Remember that Layla} 

[umm... Is that why you removed his other arm after having me freeze him again?] questioned Layla through the backdrops of screams. 

{that's right! Remember Layla Trolls are a very sturdy species that can handle a lot of abuse! I mean just look at him, even when turned into nothing but a nub the troll is still filled with energy!} replied Lanthios before continuing 

{now mister Tregla would you be so kind as to answer a few questions of mine?} 

[Hehe… cough… is that why you be keeping me alive…cough…. Just kill me Mon… you won't be getting anything atta me!] replied Tregla 

{is that right…Layla, did you perhaps think this troll had something to do with your missing mother?} said Lanthios out loud catching the attention of the troll, while simultaneously enraging Layla's heart as she stared at the nub of a troll 

[Tregla…no! I mean troll! Do you know what happened to my mom?] screamed Layla as her hands burned a red-orange flame! 

[And who would that be? Does this mom be having a name? Ha...cough] replied Tregla as he tried to reattach the tendon on his legs while thinking of a way to keep the conversation going. 

[Julia! Julia Sunstrike!] screamed back Layla 

[haha… aw her…yes… I be remembering an elf with that name!] replied Tregla 

{well continue then} said Lanthios as he brandished his blade across Tregla's legs! 

[and why I be telling you anything?] replied Tregal 

{is that how you want to play it…ok… Layla as a mage don't you want to test out the regeneration ability of trolls?} said Lanthios as smiled at the ball of fire in Layla's hands 

Getting the hint, Layla smiled a creepy smile that was all too familiar to Tregla, for he smiled just the same as he tortured his prey! 

{start with his feet, then work up slowly from there! I'm sure he'll be willing to speak about your mom in due time!} said Lanthios 

While his back burned from the cold frozen mud, his feet burned from fire's wrath! Even the coldness of the rain couldn't give Tregal a reprieve from the pain, for Layla wouldn't allow even a single drop to touch her flames!

With skin burning and regenerating at the same speed, Tregla was in a hell that even the beautiful butterflies that sputtered around couldn't lift the tortuous atmosphere. 

[ugh! Fine! You've won!] screamed Tregla as Layla turned off the flames 

[Yes, I've remembered her! She be that pretty fire mage who gave all the men a fun time! Haha… cough!] screamed Tregla 

Hearing those words, infuriated Layla to the point of almost incinerating Tregla at that very moment but didn't because Lanthios had stopped her! 

[tsk… I guess that wasn't enough] thought Tregla to himself as Lanthios stabbed his legs 

[aw!] screamed Tregla 

{enough of your games! Just tell us what happened that day!} demanded Lanthios 

[puh! Haha! You've be a stupid elven slave! But fine… she… be…] replied Tregal as a horde of zombie groans could be heard all over, for the fight had brought over all the dead that were still in the area. 

{continue! Damn you! Or I'll let the zombie eat you alive!} yelled Lanthios 

[ puhaha! Cough… FOOL! We never forget…. We never die! Your prize be In…] said Tregla before he suddenly stopped, as a shadow sword pierced his heart from below the ashy frozen mud! 

{Oh! No, you don't! You're not dying yet!} yelled Lanthios as he cast healing spells that did little. 

[Lanthios we need to hurry! Their too many undead even for us!] said Layla as she burned a few zombies. 

As the light faded from his eyes, Tregla said in dying whispers to the sight of a blurry shadow figure that floated above him: 

[ghostlands… go to our…home…] 

Hearing Tregla's last words, Lanthios and Layla bolted to the border leaving the dying troll to the undead as they didn't have time to give him a mercy killing. But as they left Tregla said: 

[is that you…lord…Malacrass…] 

With those words came Tregla's end in a muddy pool of frozen rain, as a horde of the undead tore him apart!