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< The Fair Lady | Red Ice Logs | The Winged Horror >

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The orange-fleshed servants of Deimos hustle Kinqueduran into a mirror-finished wall before he can protest. They appeared from the same dust-caked mirror with startling swiftness. He barely had time to notice the burnt-orange tattoos of Deimos's sign on their chests and foreheads before they'd scooped him up and taken him from the others.

• Kinqueduran tries to pull himself from their grasp, turning rather clumsily, and trying awkwardly to demand an explanation.

Being inside a mirror is an especially strange experience for the grizzled Orange. The mirror-world is full of broken glass and shimmering half-reflections, shattered images. It makes his eyes hurt. The brawny spirits, gods?, release him and step back into the glass, vanishing. With a loud CRASH and a tingle of broken glass, the Lord of Madness enters the mirror.

• Kinqueduran grits his teeth, the countless reflections giving him a headache.

Deimos: "You see why it is better to be this way. Eyes are only a distraction. They show nothing of importance." The eyeless Lord smiles, showing his even white teeth. His smile illuminates the room literally as his halo of mirror-shards catch the ambient glow of his body that shines off his teeth and reflect it, bouncing white light around the room.

Deimos: "Do not mind my servants. They are little gods of no great intelligence. Your future summonings will be easier, now. You know what to expect."

• Kinqueduran squints at the dazzling dental display. "I rather like my eyes. Please excuse me if I don't follow your example in that."

Kinqueduran "Now...did you want something?"

• Deimos shrugs, looking unconcerned. "You should consider it. It would please me. But if you wish to retain such affectations, it doesn't bother me either. I am an easy master to please. All you have to do is serve me well and loyally."

Kinqueduran "Well, I'm keeping my eyes."

Deimos: "If you must. But, in exchange, you must do something else for me! Well. You'd have to do it even if you did remove your eyes."

• Kinqueduran sighs. "What is it?"

Deimos: "A task in which your senseless violence and hatred will serve you well. After killing the demons guarding him, you must free a Solar from the cage in which he has been prisoned. But that is not all. After freeing him, summon to you my mirror-servants. I will teach you how. Follow them and bring him here."

Kinqueduran "...why, exactly?"

Deimos: "Because the Daughter wishes him to be flayed alive and his glowing soul prisoned in darkness and drowned in his blood so that it can become part of the ritual to free her mother."

Kinqueduran "Good enough reason for me, then. How soon is this event to transpire?"

Deimos: "The last day of Calibration. Be warned. There will be other sacrifices in the place you will go. Only three are to be freed. If you free the rest, the ritual will collapse and the consequences will be most terrible."

Kinqueduran "...three? Who do I free besides the Solar?"

• Deimos shrugs. "You'll know when you arrive, I'm sure. Or someone else will. I care only for the Solar."
• Kinqueduran sighs, looking down at his boots. "How many guards shall I expect? What sort of guards?"

Deimos: "Several demons. None of the Final Circle. They are busy elsewhere. But the other circles will be there. Some Deathknights might be present. The Daughter will not be. I am sure you will be able to accomplish the goal."

Kinqueduran "I'll have to enlist the assistance of my Circle, you know."

Deimos: "Do what you will. But free the Solar and bring him here."

Kinqueduran "What do you need him for?"

Deimos: "To prevent the Daughter's goals from being attained. I have explained this. Maybe you do need your eyes removed, if you are so distracted.."

Kinqueduran "That's not what I asked. What do YOU need him for? From what you've said, preventing the Daughter's goal could be accomplished by removing the Solar and making him inaccessible to her. Why return the Solar to you?"

Deimos: "He possesses something of value to my Father and I. It must be reclaimed in person."

Kinqueduran "I'll bear that in mind."

Deimos: "The Solar is being held in a temple-palace far from here, in the East. You call it the Hundred Kingdoms, but it is truly the site of a great defeat. The Battle of Ten Thousand Eyes was fought there."

• Kinqueduran nods slowly. "Well, hopefully we'll be able to get out of the Underworld in a sufficiently timely fashion."

Deimos: "In the morning I will send a dead Behemoth to carry you. It is no matter. It's ghost has been troubling the Nephwracks in this area and I meant to send it against the Easterners long ago. This timing will suit."

Kinqueduran "How generous of you."

Deimos: "Since you have served me well so far. You may go now."

Kinqueduran "Which way do I go, exactly?"

• Deimos waves his hand. "It doesn't matter. They all lead back to the Underworld."
• Kinqueduran nods just a bit, and turns, searching for an exit

Deimos: There are only mirrors. Though the one you came through is right behind you.

• Kinqueduran places his hand against the mirror, testing its solidity, not really sure how this works.
• Deimos sighs. "You see so little, man-who-would-keep-his-eyes. Like *this*." Picking Kin up by the back of his neck, the muscular Celestine hurls him face-first through the mirror and back into the Underworld ruins where he had been kidnapped.
• Kinqueduran drops to one knee, barely catching himself, and grumbles. "Fucking hell, I would have figured it out."
• Kinqueduran winces at the landing, too, and sinks gingerly to the ground to pick out a few bits of broken mirror from his armor and flesh.

Given the amount of dust and sludge on the streets of the ruined Labyrinth-city, Kinqueduran can easily pick out the trail of his Circlemates, leading deeper into the Northwestern parts of the ruins.

• Kinqueduran stands slowly, bleeding, and follows the tracks, muttering various obscenities.

Iron Horse on the other hand, would appear to be following the tracks to where they came from in the first place. He seems a bit annoyed, mostly because he's beginning to think he's lost.

• Kinqueduran spots Iron Horse and pauses, leaning heavily on his spear, watching the Yellow get closer.
• Iron Horse blinks as he takes notice of Kinqueduran, and grins a bit, jogging his way. "Hey K. Welcome back!"
• Kinqueduran waves halfheartedly. "Right. Back to ... man, this place sucks."

Iron Horse: "... yeah, I kinda agree... we met the spirit we were supposed to meet though. I think you would have liked it, got to kill some stuff in the process."

Kinqueduran "At this point, I'm becoming ambivalent about violence. Oh, but I have great news. We get to run to the Hundred Kingdoms before the last day of Calibration, to free a Solar and two other prisoners from a ritual location guarded by First- and Second-Circle demons and maybe some Deathknights."

Kinqueduran "Sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

Iron Horse: "... we have to free a -Solar-? ... huh..."

Kinqueduran "Well, we can free a Solar, or free a Yozi."

Iron Horse: "Yeah, point... ah..."

• Iron Horse pauses, and stares at Kinqueduran for a moment. "... Did you say the Hundred Kingdoms?"

Kinqueduran "Yep. Something about a temple-palace."

Iron Horse: "... I come from the Hundred Kingdoms."

Kinqueduran "Didn't know that."

• Iron Horse frowns. "... yeah, we should try to get there fast... come on, let's go get the others... what was it the ghost lady said again..."

Kinqueduran "Ghost Lady? ...does Anstice have more kids?"

Iron Horse: "... uh... I dunno."

Kinqueduran "What did the 'ghost lady' say?"

Iron Horse: "Hmm... she mentioned that the Daughter only has five Deathknights... and that all the other Deathlords hate her... and that we could probably kill her by throwing her into the Abyss..."

Kinqueduran "Oh. Good to know."

• Iron Horse frowns... and then his eyes light up. "... Hey! Wait! I think I know a temple-palace like place!"

Kinqueduran "Do tell."

Iron Horse: "It was this place that was supposed to be haunted... I heard bandits used it, but they all died because of curses. It... It's not far from where I lived."

• Kinqueduran nods a little, slowly sitting down again. "Alright. Where are the others?"

Iron Horse: "They should be coming... wanna go get em or wait?"

Kinqueduran "I suspect they need to be left alone for a while. Make-up sex or something."

Iron Horse: "Pfft."

• Kinqueduran shrugs. "I was joking. I can't figure them out, and I don't think I should try to."
• Iron Horse shrugs, and sits cross-legged on the floor. "... hmm... how to get there fast..."
• Kinqueduran grinds the butt spike of the Lance of Mars Descending into the ground a bit, staring up at the glittering point. "I wouldn't know. Oh, wait. I think Our Patron of Irritation is sending a ride for us."

Iron Horse: "Huh?"

Kinqueduran "You'll see."

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