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The Tarot Chronicles: A story of Behemel and Zerrex

By Behemel Fatereaver and Zerrex Narrius.

First Reading: Ten of Pentacles---Joined forces in the interest of successful financial endevours. Riches will follow.

The sound of the wind rustling in the trees whispered the early spring. Woodland critters and birds wandered and grazed, oblivious to the robed figure in white as he walked silently down the road to the nearby village. Word had spread of a fabled treasure held in the surrounding wilderness left to the town but lost in the course of time. Like a phantom, calm and emotionless due to the cowl that

covered his face, he made his way down the path towards the small village at the foot of the mountains beyond.

Near by, another figure stood at the edge of the village. The reptile yawned a bit, rubbing his hands together idly as he let his eyes draw slowly over the wooden buildings in varying states of disrepair. He glanced back and forth, then grimaced a bit as he grasped his hips and cracked his back, his muscular frame flexing against his simple black clothing. Jeans, a t-shirt, and bruised military boots, nothing special. However his tall, powerfully-built frame spoke of something more than a simple mortal on a simple journey, as did both the heavy sword partially hidden beneath his backpack and the scars that cover his body and features, emerald eyes shining out of his skull.

After a while, he glanced over his shoulder as he heard someone approaching, a slight smile coming across his unhandsome, rough features. "I don't suppose you're from around here, are you? I haven't seen anyone exactly willing to talk to me."

The robed figured stop, his arms to his side as he turned to the reptilian warrior. He looked at him for a moment, seeing he was formidably built warrior and has seen action that he would almost consider impossibly ridicules. He hesitated, unsure of the lizard's intention . "And why is that?" he asked cautiously.

The reptile shrugs a bit, crossing his arms as he half-turns towards the figure, letting his eyes draw carefully over him and sizing him up: covered in the robe as he was, it was difficult to tell, but he seemed like he was well-built himself...

"Normally this is where I'd make some joke about being scary, but they just don't seem... very fond of people around here." He paused, then shrugged a bit, turning away and frowning thoughtfully towards the village. "Weird, though. I only got here an hour ago... and this place isn't exactly a tourist trap. You get an invitation out here too or are you looking for something?"

"Humans I assume in the village?" he surmised, then shrugged. "Well it might help if you aimed not to look too... " glanced over him again, " sociopathic"

The reptile frowned a bit, then he paused and glanced over himself, spreading his arms a bit before he reaches back and touches the hilt of the giant sword on his back, clearing his throat. "Oh, who doesn't have a giant sword these days, though? Besides, it's not fear, or even hate. It's just... hostility." The lizard rubbed absently at the large burn scar surrounding one side of his face, and then he smoothed back his hair before he turned and glanced back at the village."Not just humans. A few other species, too." The lizard halted again, then returned his eyes thoughtfully to the male for a few moments before he nodded a bit. "Well, good luck with whatever business concerns you here. I'm going to take a look around the forest."

"Thank you, I'd take care if I were you." He says as he begins walking across the bridge into town, a grin hidden behind his cowl, that the lizard didn't know he also concealed a powerful weapon of his own.

The reptile gave a slight smile and nod to the male, absently stretching as he stepped out of the path as he let the male walk by. His emerald eyes darkened for a moment as he felt the presence of the male, his instincts whispering to him before he turned and headed towards the forest, walking down the path and glancing back and forth before his eyes settle on a broken branch and a half-hidden path

of tromped-down grasses. The reptile carefully made his way down this, grimacing as he murmured to himself: " I might have to take a... quieter look around town after all, if I still can't find my way to those ruins..."

That night, the cloaked stranger came to the inn. Like Zerrex said , the glares of passerby's and townsfolk seemed protective, and many not looking like villagers but other warriors or mercenaries, coming to gain something as well. Having come to the inn, he made his reservations and sat himself down at a nearby tavern, looking over a worn parchment he received from a trader.

While others ran foolishly into the forest, he took the time to find information of the location to the ruins . In addition he found the notice of the rumored treasure, an artifact from the same region having been discovered and in truth proved the existence of the forgotten ruins. with the promise of untold riches within.

From his robes, a pawed hand tapped at the paper as he sat there in deep thought . " Somehow I consider the other travelers more dangerous than the perils of the woods"

Elsewhere, the reptile wandered the outskirts of the village in a widening spiral, careful to investigate the surrounding forest and getting his bearings bit-by-bit, learning more of the territory and the wilds. He stopped only when night began to fall, guiding himself to the edge of the village, circling it slowly, taking in the way the people acted: the strangeness about them, the wariness present in their

eyes and body language.

Then the reptile made his way quietly and easily out towards a clearing he had come across in the direction of the looming mountains in the distance, where the ruins were rumored to be: he would need directions or luck to navigate the passes and paths and to find the entrance of whatever fallen temple lay ahead still, however. As the darkness fell, the lizard sat in the clearing with his backpack to one side, eyes closed and mind thoughtful, sword resting across his lap as he murmured:

"A second traveler already... well, third, counting myself. Maybe I'll take a little walk tonight, and if someone staying in town manages to get the directions out of people, well... I can always follow quietly along up to the ruins."

Before dawn, the robed stranger left the inn early and proceeded out of town to the woods. He was sure to move quietly and unobserved from the rest of the villagers. Greed was evident in their actions. They sought something to the point everyone who was unfamiliar was an enemy. Remembering the parchment, he entered the woods, the smell of the morning due and gentle aroma of the plants greeting him.

He made his way up the mountain away from the beaten trail, seeking the first land marker the scroll indicated. Feeling more at ease in the forest, he allowed himself to roll up his robes, revealing his black furred muscular arms, as well as lowering the cowl a bit, revealing his lion-like features. His muscles tensed at every sound, feeling more on guard with the morning hour growing more, making him feel exposed

The Drakkaren hummed absently to himself where he sat on a rock in a clearing before the first mountain pass, slowly polishing the blade of his sword as he waited for the first adventurer to reach him. The method might be a bit roundabout, but the long night had left him feeling revitalized and he was beginning to think it would be better to find a companion, however temporary, to make his way up

the mountain with anyway. With cracks and crevices, labyrinthine in design with its stacked passes and forked trails, the reptile was wary of the many dangers it would pose just trying to climb to the top... and he still needed someone with knowledge of the ruins location to help guide him along the mountain, since it would take weeks otherwise.

The reptile yawned a bit as he finished polishing his sword before he almost reverently placed the blade aside, standing up and stretching, cracking his back loudly as he paced absently back and forth. Then the reptile's eyes returned to his backpack and sword for the moment before he finally turned towards the mountain pass, looking curiously over it before walking slowly up the wide, natural stone ramp, reaching out and letting his fingers trail over the brittle, almost-hot stone cliffside, wandering out of sight of his small campsite below as he reached the first fork in the trail, eyes flicking back and forth thoughtfully as he noted old trails leading in both directions: ancient footprints worn into the stone, stacked stones, broken glass.

The reptile headed slowly back down the pass after a short inspection of the trails, figuring that it was probably the right path that led towards the ruins; more debris in that direction, more signs that life had passed through that way. He rubbed absently at his right arm and a tattoo half-covered by his shirt on his bicep, before his eyes settled on a robed figure emerging from the woods andinto his campsite, somehow finding himself unsurprised that this was the first person to make it to the pass, and likely the hardiest of other adventurers to arrive so far.

The forest led to the mountains, as the black werelion, found the broken pass leading up to the line of mountains beyond. He reaches the break in the mountain pass, leading to the fork as he turn the corner.

Both good and bad for the Drakkaren, as he smiled slightly and tilted his head towards him. "Well, what a surprise. Looks like we might both be after the same thing... I don't suppose you managed to get some information in town about the catacombs ahead, did you?"

The voice startled him, and Behemel turned quickly to the reptile. The cocky grin on his snout made Behemel irritable, wondering if the stranger would try to attack . "I don't know what you speak of?" he fainted a lie.

The lizard shrugged a bit, glancing up over his shoulder as he made his way down into the clearing, walking over to his backpack to pile away the few belongings left sitting out as he said easily: "Really? Well, there happens to be some ruins up there in the mountain, some... lost temple or something. I don't know what else could lead you this far away from the village except for that..."

The Drakkaren paused meditatively, standing up as he slid his foot beneath the flat of his sword, then easily kicked it into the air and caught it in one hand, holding the huge, heavy blade easily parallel to the ground with a wink before he spun it once and rested it on a magnetic holster on his back, the sword automatically clicking into place as the Drakkaren added: "Zerrex, by the way.

My name is Zerrex. You could say I'm... here on business."

"Your a treasure raider aren't you?"The lion couldn't help but keep his guard up, his features still masked .

The lizard snorted in amusement at this, shrugging a bit. "I wouldn't go that far, but... I am looking for a certain something, and I suppose I wouldn't mind finding some uh... shiny trinkets." The reptile paused meditatively, looking over the male in front of him curiously. "What exactly are you? Perhaps we can help each other out here. I need to get up to the top of the mountain and I'd rather

walk beside you then follow you from a distance, so maybe we can work something out here."

The lion let out a thoughtful growl, his tension easing. "Well it says something... that you'd come right to my face and ask me straight than manipulate me from the shadows. I respect that, but why not simply attack me? " He entertained Zerrex by asking him. "Why not dispose of any and all competition with so many others seeking the same ruins back in town?"

"Well, for one thing, I'm sure plenty of people have already passed this way... and if plenty of people have heard the rumors but no one's come back in one piece, it might be nice to have a little backup, just in case something goes ugly." The lizard paused, glancing over the male thoughtfully. "And I'm only after... one thing in particular, and anything else I find is a bonus. So as long as we

aren't going to clash about one little crystal bauble, we should get along just fine." Zerrex smiled slightly, tilting his head towards him. "Do we have a deal?"

He shrugged. "Simple riches are of little interest to me, but what exactly are you searching for?"

"Just... something of interest. I'll let you know when we find it." The lizard glanced to the side as he cleared his throat, and then he turned back towards the pass, adding easily: "We should probably get going through, shouldn't we? It's a big mountain... and I'd like to reach the ruins before the sun sets. We can talk on the way, after all, maybe learn more than each other's names." He paused. "Actually, I don't think I even know that about you."

He hesitates for a moment. " Behemel. My name is Behemel,. And if you are willing to form a partnership as you say, let me offer the first cornel of my knowledge" he said and pointed his paw to the mountain pass. " The reason no one returns from that pass is cause it's the wrong way. "

The reptile frowned a bit, glancing over his shoulder before he returned his eyes to the male, tilting his head towards him curiously as he rolled his shoulders and walked slowly down the pass, narrowing the space between them as he crossed his arms. "Oh really now? What do you mean?"

Behemel crossed his arms, his expression one of analysis. "I took the liberty of studying the region's past. The ruins in question are in fact the same but those were the ruins of the commons, regions where the culture's commoners once dwelled. The ruins everyone seeks are the royal manner in which the royal family housed their kingdom's secrets"

"I have no idea what you just said." Zerrex rubbed at his head, looking lamely over the male even as his mind processed the information, his emerald eyes narrowing a bit. "But I do get that it means we're in the wrong place. If that's the case, which way do we go?"

The lion sighed, running a paw over his forehead. "The mountain pass is the same ruins, but its meant for the commoners. workers, middle class. It's a place of mild significance. The temple to which everyone seeks is on the other side of the mountain, deep in the forest across the range"

"Oh wonderful. In that case, I suppose we have to travel around, don't we?" The Drakkaren glanced over his shoulder with a bit of a grimace before he rubbed absently at his right arm again, shaking his head slowly. "Why don't you lead the way, then, and I'll follow. It sounds like you managed to get a lot more information out of the village than I did, after all."

Behemel smirked. "I didn't . Before I came here I purchased information from an informant who was able to find me the official documents from that era. " He said, drawing the paper from under his sleeve.

"Well-connected, are we?" The lizard tilted his head towards him, looking amused now as well as curious before he glanced up towards the sky, mentally judging the time, and then he returned his eyes to the male, fidgeting a bit on the spot. "At least that means we should be able to find the place all the faster. It'd be nice to get in and out as quickly as possible."

"If only it was so simple" he said cryptically, as he nodded at Zerrex and with his leave, he continued on. "Let's go then, 'partner' " he said , using the word carefully as he made his way back to the mountains.

The thick forest enchased a mist that hung through the trail, Behemel in his white robes led through the trail while Zerrex came behind, "If you were trying to find the ruins yourself, why didn't you do research?" Behemel couldn't help but ask Zerrex

"I did enough research to get here. And like I said, no one would talk to me." Zerrex paused meditatively as he crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head from side to side thoughtfully. "But I also didn't think other capable adventurers would be cropping up so quickly... I thought I'd have a week or so to scout around the town, find out more about what was going on. Can't risk anyone else getting their hands on what I'm looking for, though, so I figured I'd better go with you, since it looks like you actually stand a chance of getting to the temple or whatever it is."

"It was the city's royal manner. where their lord lived and held their most valuable possessions"

Zerrex nodded musingly, rubbing absently at one of his arms. "Alright. " He paused, looking back and forth at the trees before yawning a bit, his eyes slowly trailing skywards. "I just hope we get there soon."

Just then, Behemel came to a sudden halt. his expression was still solid but he proceed no further, his ears in attention, "We have company" he said simply

The reptile glanced over at the male curiously, and then he put his hands behind his head, smiling slightly even as his eyes flick back and forth and his senses sharpen, saying easily: "I like company. Keeps things interesting."

Just then a whistle shrieked through the woods and a gush of something shot out, aimed to strike at Zerrex's head. At that moment, Behemel's muscles tensed and extended his arm. With a loud metal chime, Behemel arched his arm and succeeded in deflecting an arrow right in mid air. In his hand now he held a large white, gleaming scythe in his paw from out of no where

"You were saying?" he asked Zerrex in mild amusement

The reptile cleared his throat a bit, reaching up and rubbing absently at his own skull slowly before he paused and tilted his head towards the weapon in the male's hand, pointedly ignoring the hostile presence in the forest around them and instead looking curiously at the scythe. "Hey, where'd that come from? Your robes might be big but I didn't think you could hide that up your sleeve."

Behemel growled softly, "Can we discuss this after our guests have gone?"

At that moment, several werewolves stuck their heads from the thicket. Some with daggers, the others with bows to aim at them. "Thanks for leading us out here," one of the wolves said, licking his dagger in a bloodthirsty way, as if to intimidate them, "Now if you're smart you will hand over whatever map you have, and turn back so we can claim what is ours"?

The reptile paused, looking over at the closest werewolf, and then he rubbed absently at his muzzle, saying mildly: "Oh look, he's cute. I know you're not supposed to keep strays, but can we keep him?" The lizard grins a bit as he crosses his arms, cocking his head towards the front werewolf as his muscles flex slowly and his body tenses a bit, his emerald eyes sliding slowly back and forth over

the thieves.

Behemel couldn't help but grin at the joke "Naw I don't think you have the means to care for a bitch like him" .

The werewolf growled at em, "Hey ! Careful what you say or we will slice you up!"

"Not good on come backs are they?" Behemel asked Zerrex

"I doubt they're good at much." The reptile cocked his head towards them, and then he reaches up and grasps the handle of his sword, body flexing a bit before he glances over at the lion, gesturing easily with his other hand: "Would you like to go ahead and deal with this?"

"Plenty to go around"

"GET THEM!!" the wolf howled and all the bandits charged into the fray like foolish beasts

The Drakkaren snorts in amusement and nods before he steps forwards and slams a palm out in a liquid, quick motion as one of the werewolves lunge at him, sending up a burst of blood as his hand collides solidly with his muzzle and sends it crashing down on its back, and then his other hand yanks Blackheart over his shoulder, deftly half-spinning the blade to deflect an arrow launched at him from

a werewolf archer with the flat of his blade before he grins a bit over the sword, eyes burning as his features become more savage than playful. "Let's not waste time, then."

With his scythe held expertly, Behemel held his ground as the armature thieves attempted to ambush him, in quick agile movements, he was able to sweep several of them from below, sending several flying while the unlucky ones had their knees slashed by the blade. Behemel contained himself, using his combat power skillfully. Each arrow that came his way he simply deflected with a slash of his scythe along with the use of the mythril rod attached to it, some deflecting into their owners.

The reptile lunges forwards, sweeping his blade low and ripping through the shin of another werewolf, tearing half of its leg off; even as it falls screaming, he launches a kick into it that sends it crashing into an archer, knocking his weapon from his hands before the lizard's eyes flick to another taking aim at him, and he goes into a sudden, sharp sprint, sidestepping at the last moment as the archer releases the arrow, the barbed head slicing by his face and drawing a narrow scratch before the lizard smashes the pommel of his blade into the werewolf's gut, knocking the wind from him before he finishes him off by swinging the flat powerfully upwards into the underside of his muzzle and knocking him flat. He snorts in amusement as another leaps at him with a knife, and easily reaches up to snag him by the shoulder in midair, expertly slamming the thief face-first down into the ground hard enough to crack his skull and knock him unconscious.

The lion was surrounded by five more of the, each one charging. With a sigh or grief, his grip tightened on the scythe. "I hate unnecessary bloodshed" he said with regret. Then as they were in range, he let out a mighty roar and slashed his scythe in a circular motion. Blood splattered around in a clear circle around Behemel, as a gust blew the bodies back into the woods as if a tornado had struck them. The scythe hummed with unnatural power,

The reptile looked over at the male with entertainment, holding an arm out and clothes lining a werewolf that attempted to flee in terror, smacking him senseless before punting the side of its head, knocking several teeth flying from its muzzle and the light from its eyes as he says mildly: "Well, they had their chance to back off. A stupid thing, ambushing strangers. No one ever knows what a stranger is capable of until far too late, after all."

In a matter of minutes, all were gone but the werewolf leader. The wolf was skiddish and in an act of cowardice, he attempte to run, throwing a dagger in their general direction. Behemel simply moved his head out of the way as if it were a fly. "You wont escape..." he said simply, and drew his scythe back. At that moment as he slashed forward, the end of the scythe shot out, becoming a extended chain from the base to the blade . It swiftly wrapped around the thief's legs then yanked it back forcefully, as the wolf was dragged back, he was now pulled by the momentum as Behemel 's scythe became one again, and as the wolf was about to collide, he gave one last slash vertically before the wolf.

The sickening sound of torn flesh echoed through he forest as a mighty force ripped the wolf to pieces, remains scattered by a mighty gust and spread the scent of blood upon the mist around them. all the while Behemel's expression was calm and uncaring.

"And here I thought you didn't like unnecessary bloodshed." Zerrex crosses his arms easily, smiling a bit despite himself before he walks forwards and pats the lion absently on the shoulder as he passes, curiously glancing around at both the unconscious and dead bodies before he leans down and starts to root through the pockets and possessions of the nearest werewolf as he uses his other arm to slip Blackheart back into a comfortable position on his back.

Behemel looks at Zerrex with a small bit of shame. "YOu loot them?"

Zerrex glances over at him with mild entertainment as he pulls out a handful of coins, absently flicking through them before he dumps them away with a grumble and half-crawls, half-walks over to the next fallen body. "The dead have no need of their possessions. Besides, it's not like they'd show me any reverence, either." He pauses, then grins a bit as he pulls out some half-mangled jerky, tossing a strip of this into his mouth and chewing absently before he moves to the next body, adding mildly: "Besides, never know what they might have that I could use myself. Did any of them have a canteen? I lost my last damn canteen."

Behemel chuckled a bit. "You make a valid point. Most likely their possessions are stolen themselves" he points to a body with a canteen at his belt, before he conjures his Scythe away, the mighty white scythe vanishing in a glimmer of light from his paws.

The reptile nods, then he glances over at the lion as he walks over to the corpse and picks up the canteen, sniffing at it before making a face and turning it upside down to empty out the amber substance inside. "Ugh, if they were drinking stuff like this, no wonder they were so desperate." He pauses, then adds curiously, as he walks over to another body and boots it, making the werewolf groan in agony as it flops onto its stomach from its side: "So are you going to tell me about that weapon of yours, now?"

"oh... well..." Behemel hesitated, unsure how the lizard would respond.

The reptile roots for a few moments through the werewolf's belongings, and then he finally stands up and boots him lightly again, glancing over at the male curiously. "Well, not like I usually see weapons that vanish into thin air. Nor people who can wield the kind of powers you showed off there."

Behemel growled for a moment in thought, before he conjured the white scythe before him again. "It's called a Spirit Arm, a weapon forged with immense supernatural powers by infusing magic of a spirit into it. This scythe is a rare one called Chronos. "

Zerrex glances at it for a few moments, and then he reaches forwards and pokes at it lightly with one finger, looking curious. "Neat. Looks like quite a useful weapon, then. I've heard rumors about these things, but never really seen one in action before. You seem like you've had a lot of experience with it."

He looks down at his scythe in reflection. "I have the ability to create them, Chronos is my most familiar weapon. It's a long story"

The reptile nods as he motions towards the direction they were travelling in, saying easily: "Well, it sounds like we still have a little time as we head towards our destination."

Realizing nothing left to worry about with the thieves, Behemel took his share of his loot despite his ethics , and the two proceeded into the woods. "Sigh... Have you heard of the Beast of Pandemonium?"

"Is it a comic book? I love comic books." The reptile glanced over at him curiously, smiling slightly even as he looked measuring along the lion's frame, listening intently as he matched easy pace with him.

Behemel gave a annoyed growl? " So you never heard of it?"

Zerrex shrugs amiably, not really giving much of an answer either way as he replies: "Well, I've heard of a lot of things, but it's not like I know the facts... I'd rather not pretend to know something about something that it sounds like you know a lot more about yourself, one way or another."

He sighed in mild relaxation " My tribe was well known for the art of Spiritualism, a means of communing with several gods and channeling their power, but was wiped out by demons. I only survivor, kidnapped by them and held there for years as a slave to the coliseum of Pandemonium. Before my last of compassion was wiped out, Chronos came to me and allowed my escape. Thus I slain upon thousands of demons in my escape. That title, is what I'm now called. Not a brand I'm proud of"

The lizard glances over at the male curiously again, letting his eyes once more draw over him measuring before he nods slowly, saying mildly: "Then it's a good thing I chose to accompany you. Gods know that if I didn't, I'd probably end up coming to an emptied-out temple-thing afterwards." He glanced forwards, rubbing at his face absently. "Or mansion. Or... house. Sounds like you have a long history, then... you must be at least a little older than you look."

The lion raised a brow . "Why do you say that? I'm no older than you"

The reptile snorted in amusement at this, grinning slightly over at the male. "If that's the case, then you're probably younger than me, then. This old lizard isn't as young as he looks. I just heard rumor there were time differences between dimensions. Or at least that things seemed to feel like they passed much faster or slower."

"I was only imprisoned till my adolescent years came to an end. The torture however made it feel longer"

The lizard nodded at this, then he yawns as he stretches a bit, rolling his shoulders as he glances up towards the sky, mulling things over in his mind as he puts his hands in his pockets and allows the silence to roll out between them, listening the crackle of their feet through the brush as they continue onwards towards their destination.

Behemel let out a sigh from the change of mood. He was perplex by the lizard's attitude towards his horrendous tale. "Regardless the castle should be near here soon." he said as they approached a gap in the forest trail leading to a mountainous cliff side

The reptile nodded again, looking over at him with a slight smile before he glances back towards the cliffs looming ahead, saying mildly: "Since you seem to have most of the answers so far, you have any idea what we might be running into up here?"

"See for yourself" Behemel said, a grin appearing on his muscle as the mist parted a bit. Before them was a large castle, similar to a Mayan ruin , the structure completely carved into the mountainside.

Zerrex whistled a bit as he glanced over the tall castle ahead, rolling his shoulders a bit as his eyes draw along the stony, grim facade, and then he rubs his hands together slowly, muttering: "Oh great. With a place this big, maybe the adventurers just got lost and starved to death. But somehow I have the feeling we'll be dealing with other troubles in this catacombs apart from big empty halls, and decrepified walls and floors and... ugh. Why can't things ever be small?"

The mist into the woods acted as a natural boundaries, Behemel stated as matter of fact, " From this point is we can only assume there will be such hazards ahead" with no hesitation, Behemel slung the side of his scythe across his shoulders and marched on.

The reptile rubs at his face a bit, and then he nods and follows with a bit of a grumble, following the lion as he rubs absently at his right bicep, body flexing a bit. "Well, at least we both know what we're looking for, right? Hopefully that'll be some help."

Looks at Zerrex with his constant muscle movement. "Is something wrong? You pull something?" he asked.

"Oh, no, no." The lizard clears his throat a bit as he brings his hand quickly away from his right arm, smiling immediately even as his eyes darken a bit, and he walks a bit faster onwards towards the front of the carved front of the massive castle, glancing at the massive, ajar doors and the gaping, socket-like windows here and there in the face of the building. "Now how should we go in?"

Behemel grinned, "I vote for the front door. Any objection?"

"Nice and simple. I like simple." The Drakkaren nods after a moment in agreement, smiling slightly as his eyes settle on the huge, half-rotted doors that already gape open for them like the jaws of a corpse. "Even if it does seem a little like we're being invited in."

With a nod, Behemel led him inside. the Insides were dark with stone walls and dusty floors. Natural light from the outside and mild openings in the walls poured in light from the upper summets of the mountain somewhere. The path inside stretched inside, many of the refined carving of the palace collapsed. The main passage in tack was one that led into the mountain, which happened to be the most

likely place anything of value was kept, for safety.

He looks back and forth, surveying the area before his eyes flick over the Behemel, and then they quickly close, the lizard taking a slow breath for a moment as he focuses his mind and senses, and then he smiles a bit as his eyes open, murmuring: "Yeah, this feels like the right place. Let's just hope that there aren't too many... grouchy occupants waiting for us."

"My research came up rather vague on the defenses. Only that ' the glimmer of greed beckons a shadow' "

"Well, thankfully I'm not too greedy. Unless we come across more food, but I guess that could be gluttony." The reptile pauses, reaching down to fumble in his pocket before he pulls out another piece of jerky, wiping some fluff off it before he tosses it in his mouth as he begins to walk down the passage, looking carefully back and forth with a grimace. "As long as nothing stabs me I'm happy."

"You're a bit vain, aren't you?" Behemel jabbed at Zerrex's pride, a glint of amusement in his orange catlike eyes

"What's so prideful about liking food and not wanting to be stabbed? Would you like to be stabbed? I could stab you right now if you wanted." Zerrex cocked his head towards the lion, smiling a bit despite himself nonetheless as he reaches one hand out to gently trail them over the walls, feeling the plaster crumbling a bit under his fingers.

Behemel frowned a little as a thought occurred to him at Zerrex's answer, humor failing. "If Pandemonium taught me anything is what doesn't kill you , makes you stronger" ... he said grimly as they approached a break in the passage, leading into a humongous chamber. They stood on a platform several floors below the bottom of the chamber, on the far side of the room sunlight poured into the room, and revealing a side of the room filled with riches of gold and treasure.

"Yeah, but strength can be a curse." Zerrex murmurs softly, more to himself than anything else as he follows the lion out, and then he glances curiously out over the room filled with treasure, clearing his throat a bit as he glances down at the huge mound of coins and baubles. "Now that is a pile of goodies."

"That it is" Behemel commented, despite the treasure, unable to feel pleased at the sight

"You know, I might not be the sharpest nail in the box, and maybe I'm just pointing out the obvious... but this feels a little like a trap." Zerrex pauses meditatively as he leans forwards a bit further, rubbing his hands together lightly before he mutters: "Also because I'm definitely not lucky enough to come across a room full of this much treasure without it being guarded by some godforsaken

monster, much as I could use a set of solid gold cups to show off at fancy dinner parties."

"You think so too?" Behemel said, mostly in agreement. "Why don't you go down there and see for yourself? I'll be right behind you" This time the lion grinned in jest, hoping to get a reaction from the lizard.

The lizard looks over at him musingly, and then he simply shrugs agreeably before leaping off the platform. He soared across the large room to land in a kneel on top of the pile of gold with a grunt, coins splashing up around him as he shoves a hand down into the treasure to steady himself as the other grasps the handle of his blade, and then he grins widely as he glances over his shoulder up at the male above. "Well, I'm not dead. At least not yet."

Behemel looked at the lizard in surprise that he jumped head first into it . "Are you crazy going just into it like that?!" he couldn't help but blurt out. With Chronos in hand, he used it to latch it to the ledge of the wall and softly stride down the large wall that divided the perch from the massive room's floor.

"Yes." Zerrex shrugs amiably, looking up at him with amusement as he straightens, then kicks a bit at the treasure, looking down over it thoughtfully even as he feels a strange sizzle in his instincts, a hint of danger as he allows his attention to wander from the gold beneath him to the male making his way down the wall. "What's the worst that could have happened?"

Behemel drops the rest of the way onto the floor . As his scythe's chain retracted, Behemel noticed the largest of the gems coming from the other side of the room. it gleamed in the sunlight brightest of the rest, it was almost mesmerizing as Behemel approached the treasure pile while Zerrex virtually was romping among it.

The lizard glanced back and forth, then whistled a bit as he leaned down to pick up some of the coins, letting them run through his hands before he glances over at the lion, then frowns a bit at the way his attention seems to have been drawn in by some object behind a mound of baubles blocking the lizard's view, calling curiously: "Hey, something over there?"

Behemel didnt answer as he reached the pile of treasure. With the sunlight upon the large emerald shaped gem, it radiated a prismatic luminence that was almost mesmerizing, and it made Behemel uneasy. "This gem seems different from the rest" he stated, drawing Zerrex attention to it. It virtually lit half the room in its reflection.

"Should I poke it?" The Drakkaren climbs to his feet, walking over to join Behemel near the gemstone, looking down at it and then kneeling down with a slight tilt of his head, grunting in surprise. "Damn big for a cut stone, though. Maybe we should break it."

As the stone radiated with the both of them before it, their shadows began to cast long behind them, stretching further and further into the room. Unknowingly to them, the shadows became one mass and began to rise up slowly from the floor, defying the radiance and slowly began gaining mass. "Hard to say, Behemel said aloud " arcane defenses might be harder to destroy as it sounds."

The lizard grunts, then he kicks the gemstone lightly as he grimaces a bit and half-covers his eyes from the strange illumination it gives off, muttering: "I find smashing things tends to work best myself. Punch enough holes in something and it usually works." He pauses, then frowns a bit, rubbing at his face slowly as his instincts whisper to him. "You know, I got a bad feeling."

The shadow behind them grew higher, reaching near the ceiling of the room, its form growing heavy arms and legs, and in a massive move, its foot left an huge step as it became solid. Shadow became like dark earth and stone, shadow formed a bearded complexion as two dots of light made up its eyes. Behemel turned around as he witnessed the huge Colossus appear. "Yeah... I vote to break the gem."

The reptile clears his throat a bit as he glances over his shoulder, making a bit of a face before he reaches up and grasps the handle of his sword, saying mildly: "Well, if that's the case..." The Drakkaren snaps the sword over his shoulder, slamming it down towards the gemstone and gritting his teeth even as he winces over his shoulder at the behemoth behind them.

The gem shattered into several pieces, scattering among the gold and riches before them. The giant halted , unmoving at the move Zerrex did. "Did it work?" Behemel thought aloud. It seemed too... till suddenly the shadow warped and a large club now formed in the Colossus's hand. It sluggishly raised it up and began to bring it down, gravity making it fall faster.

"Oh great, now it's angry!" Zerrex winces as he leaps away from the giant, shifting Blackheart easily to one hand and resting the blade against his shoulder before he jumps forwards as the club crashes down into the pile of treasure, sending up a spray of gold and trinkets. The lizard lands on the huge battering weapon, and then he charges up it as he grits his teeth, shoving himself upwards and spinning Blackheart around to stab the blade savagely down into its forearm. "What do we do now?"

"Hey don't give me-- Gah!" Behemel shouted as the large club came his way. He swiftly jumped away, and raised his scythe at the ready . "I didn't' know this thing could appear!! Grim Zephyr!!" he roared, and slashed his scythe. At his command a large crescent shockwave of air shot out from him and collided with the Colossus, causing the mighty beast to stagger briefly.

The reptile grunts as the monster shakes with the impact of the wind blade, dislodging him from the beast as the lizard skids down its forearm before he digs his feet against it and launches himself upwards, catching its shoulder and then throwing himself towards its face to slash Blackheart savagely across its features in a hard sideways cut, letting himself sail pass to awkwardly land with a grunt and stagger on the treasure pile below, gold clinking beneath his feet and slipping out from beneath him to make him wobble before he manages to regain his footing, muttering: "First thing I've seen that's bigger and uglier than I am in a long time."

Behemel desired to jest against Zerrex but there was no time. his mind was too busy trying to understand the nature of the creature. The gem clearly casted the shadow from them, and thus was its source. How it was still here if the gem was shattered eluded him.

The lizard shook his head, and then he glanced over the giant, grimacing before running towards it again and resting Blackheart on his shoulder as he drops low and slashes savagely into the creature's ankle, the heavy blade ripping against its shadowy hide as he grits his teeth. "Please tell me there's an easier way to kill this thing!"

The giant made a huge groan as its wounds were inflicted, though hurt its movement did not stop. Slowly, the dark puffs of shadow that made it, slowly wove its way back to its body and mending the wounds Zerrex had inflicted. This time Behemel charged, Chronos at the ready, With such a huge, foe, this time he sent several crescent blades upon the Colossus, causing blast after blast before the creature. With it distracted, Behemel ran for one of the columns that held up the room.

The lizard gritted his teeth, then he grinned a bit as the creature was battered by a series of air blades before running towards the beast and slamming his sword into the back of its ankle, before he twists savagely and rips to the side, sending out a burst of strangely-shifting shadow before he half-spins and swings Blackheart in a deadly haymaker slice into the front of its ankle, almost hacking its foot away even as the beast regenerates before the Drakkaren ducks back with a grimace as it swings its club at him, half-staggering through the treasure pile as the lizard grimaces and his eyes darken as he looks for any vulnerable point on the beast.

Its regenerative powers were unmatched while Behemel stopped before the pillar supporting the ruins of the room. Looking carefully, he observed the ceiling to which the creature was below. "Timber!" Behemel called out to Zerrex in warning, with a flick of his wrist, he readied Chronos expertly, preparing for precision strike. With a roar, he delivered a clash that cleaved completely through the stone pillar like air. For a moment it did nothing, but then the stone pillar began to creak, then slide backwards into the direction for the Colossus.

The lizard's eyes rove upwards at the shout, and then he winces and leaps backwards before turning around, sprinting out of the way of the creaking pillar as it slowly begins to topple over towards the enormous creature, the reptile cursing as he throws himself into a wide dive to get out of the crash zone, barely evading one last heavy swing of the creature's huge club at the same time.

The stone pillar collapsed upon the monsters, to which the stones weighted down on it and hindering its movements slightly. Though hindered, it wouldn't stop it. Behemel made a loud growl, frustrated by the nature of the enemy.

The lizard shook his head, grimacing as a few coins and baubles bounced off him, thrown high by the force of the pillar's collapse. The huge chunk of stone rumbles a bit as the creature struggles beneath it, before the Drakkaren makes a face as he glances over at Behemel with a wince. "Is it still being powered by something?"

"I have no idea! You destroyed the gem was my first guess too but it's still moving" he growled, his mind racing for a solution to understand the Colossus's strength.

The Drakkaren made a face, nodding and looking back and forth as he withdrew quickly from the giant, and then he quickly shoves Blackheart back into place on his back as he grits his teeth. "Can we knock a big enough hole in it to stop it from healing? Can't you just slice it in half? You cut that big chunk of stone in half!"

"Stone is different from magic! This thing is a guardian, so the residents of the palace must of had some means of...." Behemel fell quiet as the answer came to him like inspiration. The creature born from their very own shadow...

"Zerrex, fall back and withdraw your weapon"

The reptile glances over at the lion with a wince, but then he grunts and nods, back stepping quickly away from the monster as he grasps the handle of Blackheart, the sword secured tight against his back as he calls: "I hope you have a good plan, then!"

"Yes." Behemel said, and with a single last slash, and shockwave to grab the colossus's attention, Behemel slowly approached the behemoth. "I'm not going to do a thing"

The reptile frowns a bit, tilting his head as he looks over at the lion with a grimace, hesitating but then nodding and standing back, the coins shifting beneath his boots as he makes a face. "And hope it doesn't squish you with that very large, very scary club?"

"No, I'm goanna let it hit me head on" he replied simply, each step the colossus made reaching closer, its shadow eclipsing Behemel.

Zerrex stares for a moment, then he clears his throat, asking dryly as he crosses his arms and watches incredulously: "I'm sorry, I had something crazy in my ear. Also, I'm not going to tape you back together if that thing squishes you."

Behemel stood still and calm, unafraid as if in meditation. "That won't be necessary" The Behemoth swung its club down hard, leaving a impact right before Behemel and still he did not move.

The reptile leans back a bit, wincing but then grunting and nodding, his eyes darkening a bit as he crosses his arms and clears his throat, holding up a hand. "Can I have your shiny scythe if it does happen to squish you to death?"

Behemel was of clear mind, ignoring Zerrex's comment as the Colossus took its final step, Slowly but with every strengthening force, it raised up a massive hand high and began reaching for Behemel. "I have no reason to fear" he whispered to himself, his eyes closed as the hand was about to smash him. At that moment, the black hand and arm of the colossus became transparent as it made contact with Behemel, him passing right through the creature. The colossus structure's whole body began to become transparent and in a matter of seconds, its body and its eyes vanished altogether. Behemel stood, his robes flapping from nothing but a breeze , as he stood unharmed and the colossus gone.

The reptile whistles a bit, looking entertained as he walks towards the lion, tilting his head curiously as he asks: "So how'd you know that was going to happen? It seemed plenty real when we were slashing the thing up, not like any standard illusion."

Behemel cocked an eye at the lizard, clearly clueless. "Consider this. How do you think the residence here were able to enter this room without getting killed themselves? They who owned everything here in the first place?"

"I figured they probably turned the traps on or off somehow. Or you know. Just chucked stuff into this money pit." The lizard kicks at the treasure underfoot, muttering: "The way it's piled up and all the junk that's here, it looks more like they were collecting it for kicks than to actually use it."

The lion grinned . "The shadow that gem cast? When you smashed it the guardian was still there. So it only meant one thing. The guardian was a literal shadow of ourselves. The moment we attacked it, it attacked us. Our own advances triggered it to attack us. The moment we stopped attacking , it no longer viewed us as a threat, and thus let us pass. Get it?" he explained with his arms across his chest. "That is how the owners entered this room. They owned what was in here, and thus had no reason to fight their own guardian."

The lizard pauses, then rubs at his head before he clears his throat, looking dumbly down at the treasure beneath their feet. "I. Think I understand, but either way, I'm just glad you were able to figure out how to get rid of the damn thing. So does that mean we can start digging through this stuff now?"

"No need" he said pointing to where the Colossus once stood. From the vanishing shadow of the beast, a single large chest hovered in the air, and fell to the ground in an un- ceremonial clunk!

The reptile coughs and looks at this with surprise, then entertainment as he walks forwards, booting the chest lightly. "Well, that's useful. And here I spend most of my time rooting around on the ground for stuff. This is a nice change of pace."

"The rarest of items they wouldn't just leave on the ground, don't you think?" Behemel mocked his ally playfully as he too approached the chest. "I just hope this isn't a wild goose chase for me."

"Well then, after you." Zerrex bows a bit towards the lion, smiling slightly to him. Then his eyes shift towards the treasure, the reptile turning and walking over to a large dune of coins and golden baubles, kneeling and digging into it curiously before he laughs quietly and grasps an old, stained sphere of green crystal with a speckled gold base attached to the bottom. "I guess it depends on how you determine the value of something, too..." The lizard pauses and clears his throat as he stands up, quickly un-shouldering his backpack to shove this into it without further ado.

Behemel chuckled as he saw the lizard take his horde, and decided he would do the same soon enough. But first he sought his prize, and un-ceremonially kicked the top of the stone chest off and it fell to the ground with a loud crack. He looked inside to see several items. Most of them scrolls , most likely scrolls, smaller gems that radiated their own glow and contained magic. What he saw that he eyed with the most joy was a large crystal ball. A Spirit Arm, the fabled summoner's tool known as the Soul Prism.

The reptile swings his backpack back into place, crossing his arms as he walks forwards and looks curiously down into the chest before grunting a bit in entertainment. "That's a good amount of stuff, but it looks better in your hands than mine. I'd just sell it or... break it." The reptile rubs awkwardly at his face, looking lame for a moment before he tilts his head curiously. "So did you find what you were looking for here?"

"I have... and why break it?" he asked curiously

"Because magical implements and I don't get along very well. Nor do I and fragile objects." The lizard absently flexes his right hand, clearing his throat before he looks curiously at the large crystal ball, reaching down as if to poke it.

"You're not very bright, are you?" Behemel jabbed at his lizard friend. Showing him the crystal ball. "You're looking at another Spirit Arm..."

"I. Hey." The lizard looks lame, then he pauses before poking the ball lightly, tapping it a few times curiously. "What does it do?"

With it, Behemel took the gem surrounded by a mechanism that held it in place. Like a glove, Behemel attached the crystal ball-like gauntlet onto the back of his right paw. " This was a fabled gem said to have been passed down by summoners, people with the art to summon great beasts for combat . As a Spiritualist i can channel the powers of different spirits and gods. With this.." he said as he tied it off, " I can not only channel them, but summon them as well. Only a test will tell"

The reptile crossed his arms, looking entertained at this thought as he stepped backwards a few times, tilting his head. "Oh really now? Now I can see how that would be useful..." The lizard pauses, glancing back and forth through the treasure trove as he clears his throat and asks mildly: "And uh. What are the chances of something going wrong? Because I really don't want something giant trying to

eat my face twice in one day."

"Depends on my relationship with the spirit I summon, but i plan to test it at a later time. Nothing for you to worry about"

The reptile grunts and nods, then he glances up towards the ceiling, brushing his hair back. "Glad to hear it, then. Well, it's nice when things are successful now and then."

"I got faith in how this will turn out" he said, satisfied with his new Spirit Arm. "Find what you were looking for?"

The reptile nods with a grunt, smiling a bit. "That I did. And glad that for once I'm not all mashed up."

Behemel laughed , " To that I'm grateful as well. Let's fill our pockets and get out of here. I think we had done what we sought to do"

"Sounds like a plan." The reptile nods with a grunt, then he looks down over the treasure, leaning down to absently brush his fingers through the coins before he smiles a bit as he picks up an old golden goblet, saying mildly: "Now even I would look classy drinking out of something like this."

Their laughs filled the chamber as they collected the spoils of their labors, collecting both their sought treasures as well as extra to satisfy them board and meal for months if at the most expense . Behemel conjuring many of his valuables into magical pouches, that held more than any would.

The reptile tosses the occasional trinket into his backpack but doesn't take much else, taking the time more to watch Behemel curiously more than anything else as he wanders up and down the pile of treasure, still tossing his golden goblet back and forth from hand to hand, but feeling settled nonetheless as he feels the comforting weight of the treasure in his backpack.

"You still deciding on what to take?" Behemel asked.

"Oh no, I'm good. Like I said, I just wanted a gold cup." Zerrex smiles slightly as he shakes the goblet back and forth, kicking absently at the coins underfoot.

Behemel rolled his eyes "Please don't tell me you were searching for the holy grail?" he groaned, finding the idea of eternal life a twisted quest that plagued any weak minded mortal.

"I wouldn't get along very well with a holy grail." Zerrex snorts in amusement at this, and then he grins slightly, tapping the cup against his nose. "No, this'll just make a nice addition to my collection of weird and wonderful stuff back home. And it looks good enough to drink out of, which is the entire point of the thing anyway, right?"

Behemel hummed in interest. "Perhaps I can visit your lovely villa sometime then? Sounds like you got an artistic eye" he said, now ready to go.

"Sometime, if you like." Zerrex shrugs a bit, climbing to his feet and looking entertained. "It's not the nicest place in the world, but I find it comfy enough most of the time. What about you, though, you must have a nice little sanctuary somewhere yourself?"

That put Behemel silent for a moment, "I haven't known a place to call home for a long time... " he said, slightly depressed.

"Well, home is where the heart is, as they say." The reptile nudges him lightly, smiling slightly. "I'm sure you'll find a place to settle down and call your own sooner or later."

Behemel didn't respond as the two exited the chamber and proceeded out of the gloomy ruins. Sunlight greeted them as they exited . " Where do you plan to go now?" Behemel asked.

The reptile shrugs a bit, patting his own chest absently. "I gotta deliver this little bauble, and after that... who knows? Maybe someone will have another job for me, maybe I'll end up getting dragged into something lamer. What about yourself?"

"Beside my dedication to slaying demons,... not much... " Behemel stopped to look at Zerrex. "Listen, I know we just met, and I'm not one to just throw my trust so easily.. but would you like to team up? We make a good team, despite how slow you are, " he joked lightly.

The reptile looks over at him with amusement, his green eyes flickering before he nods with a wink. "If you think you can put up with me, certainly. We seem to get along well enough, that is true. And I suppose I could use the company... at least it gives whatever nasty things I run into another target to beat on apart from me, too."

Behemel laughed , " Bah, please id end up with you behind me, that will be an interesting wager. To see who is the better warrior. And I'm sure you will teach me something as well" He slaps Zerrex on the shoulder in friendship.

The lizard snorts in amusement and nods, smiling slightly as he nudges him lightly back with his elbow. "Then it sounds like we have a deal, Behemel."

"I just hope you won't get me into too much trouble though ... You got a smirk worthy of a crocodile"

"Trouble, unfortunately, seems to follow me like a magnet." He winks, crossing his arms and looking entertained. "But I'm sure it won't be anything you can't handle."

"Agreed" holding out a paw to shake on it.

The reptile laughs softly, then he reaches out with his own hand and shakes firmly, nodding to him with a slight smile. "Excellent."