The Black Tower

"What do you know?! You're as useful as Ak-Mun said you could be! You know he says that you have the potential to be as Evil as the rest of us!" Hizenn chimed to Inaba as she grabbed him.

With Inaba changing his course by taking him outwards and up and all the other directions that fairy's fly. Hizenn didn't care, he was glad he didn't creamed by the giant iron cross. He was also glad that he reached the magic zone. It felt great to be alive, at least as alive as he could be.

He'd quickly look down and shout, "You missed!!!" before he let off a mischievous giggle. 

He'd turn his head towards the dragons. As he did, a small black tongue popped out from between his beak on his mask. He'd then take his hands and lift up the back of his robe to reveal two shiny metal buns.

Hizenn would smack his metal tush while shouting at the dragons, "Kiss my shiny metal buns!"

He'd follow those words with a low, evil, Bender like laugh that only Inaba could hear. He'd then let his cloak back down and cover his metal ass. Hizenn then noticed something. He had let go of the resume somewhere in their decent.

"Hey... Lovely, beautiful, ice bitch... we've got a problem." Hizenn would stick his hands out showing no resume in them, and Inaba's hands were tied up carrying Hizenn.

In the mean time, in their decent, Hizenn was going preparing for a defense or attack if necessary. He would begin to produce an excess of energies at a particular point. It's magic wasn't necessarily a magic, more of an anomaly energy created by the reaction of the Anti-magic exoskeleton and the energy inside.

The energy inside seemed to be changing from magic to Black Matter. The armor and the Anti-Magic began to disagree in a sense as the armor took it's position as the proper exoskeleton that it is. The armors magic out of the Anti-Magic field on the tower would begin finalizing his formation into the physical plane version of himself. Even though his power was growing, it would be hard to read due to it not being magic, but a matter of some kind.

And then they landed. Hizenn turned his head to Inaba for a moment. The fairy was crazy, but he wasn't going to tell her that, and Grandma was probably thinking the same thing. Hizenn then turned to Grandma and looked at her for a moment. He had lost the resume on the fall down.

"Well... I'm supposed to have something for you, but Inaba lost it in the fall..." He spoke to Grandma in a lone voice hoping Inaba didn't hear.

"Anyways, boy do I have a tale for you!" Hizenn spoke.

Hizenn opened his cloak near his gut. He'd reveal a shiny armor gut. He'd take his left hand and lift up on it, opening it up almost in a cartoon like manner. He'd then stick his right hand out and pull out two cigars and two mugs of beer. He'd quickly close the hatch and take his cigar with his left hand to put in his mouth; it seemed to be lit already. The cigar was wedged into the beak on the back right side. 

"I sold all the dancers, so I hope this will do." Hizenn spoke as he offered Grandma an expensive Atlantian Cigar and beer that had foam running over the frosty cold mug.

"HEY! I FOUND IT!" Hizenn shouted as the resume floated down and landed on Grandma's head.

"That's why i'm here. I hope my talents are up to par to serve the Black Tower." Hizenn spoke, hoping Grandma would read it.

Grandma would turn to Xel’rath, responding in a neutral tone.

“There is a high chance he will run or call in other reinforcements I think. Although we don’t need this many to take him down, insuring he doesn’t escape is another matter. I’m sure one such as yourself will be able to stop any escape attempts he makes though,” She would give a slight smile to Xel’rath as she said this.

Viewing the ensuing chaos, Grandma didn’t look very happy about his hijinks with the fairy that kept yelling rather loudly. When Hizenn landed in front of her, Grandma would motion for the others to hold their fire. However, she would continue charging whatever spell she had in play, and seemed to expect others to do the same.

When the resume would float down, Grandma would snatch it, barely glancing at it before placing it in her pocket. She would regard Hizenn with a very flat stare, declining his cigar and beer. She would respond after a moment, speaking in a most decidedly cold voice.

“I don’t know what little stunt you were trying to pull, but I can tell you this… I’m not impressed by such acts of stupidity! You have inconvenienced me and the Black Tower, trespassed, casted dark magic without permission, and caused general chaos. If you wished to join the tower, you should have used the front door like an intelligent person.”

“I have no time for fools in this business and powerful fools are more of a detriment to me than a boon. Although I shall not have you killed as you came down from there ‘peacefully’, there will be consequences. You shall be sent to Isra’s prison while myself and Lord Ildesias decide to do with you… I suggest you go along with this now, if you resist, I shall show no mercy.”

Grandma would then snap her attention to the fairy that had shown up.

“And you! I suggest you get the hell out of here before I decide to convict you as his accomplice. Now leave swiftly before I change my mind.”

Guards would approach with chains, enchanted to prevent magic use from the wearer of them. Assuming Hizenn wouldn’t resist and allow them to be put on him, Grandma would simply wait for guards from the Free City to arrive and Seraph to land. If he resisted, she would signal for all units to attack. At this point, the army unit of artillery mechs was in range and would open fire if they saw him resisting.

"Did you ever figure it might not have been an act of stupidity? Maybe I simply revealed how easy it would be for someone to strike you that is stronger than me. Made you worry, even if only for a second." Hizenn spoke before taking a sip of his beer and letting off a large puff of smoke into the air.

"If you'll look, my credentials are very...Interesting. So I hope you decide to come have a chat. I can be rather useful to you." Hizenn chimed in as he waited for the chains.

With a quick dump of both beers into the beak of armor, the mugs were emptied and ready to be put away. Hizenn would open his armor back up and put the mugs back into himself. This time though, he'd casually close his cloak and leave the armor open just a few inches. It would look as though he closed the hole up, but it wasn't. The cloak would hide thing. Thankfully his staff was on his back and he didn't have to carry it.

"Inaba, go tell my brother that i'm in Isra's Prison. We don't want him or father worrying about where i'm at." Hizenn spoke as the chains wrapped around his form.

Again, the Anti-Magic has prevented Hizenn from fully evolving, being an unstable mixture of magic, Black Matter, and Anti-Magic. The Anti-Magic did add some balance, allowing the Black Matter and Anti-Magic to hold the strongest presence. Hizenn would act as if the Anti-Magic was working, but in truth, he didn't need the magic. The magic presence was gone due to Anti-Magic, Black Matter wouldn't give off any magical aura, and the Anti-Magic was so minimal, it was no more than a leather pad beneath the armor.

"Whenever you're ready, i'll go. I'm not going to fight, I trust your judgement. You don't get those wrinkles without learning some lessons in life." Hizenn spoke, letting off a slight evil giggle.

Seeing as Hizenn complied, Grandma sounded a bit less cold when she spoke this time.

“Perhaps if Lord Ildesias thinks your intentions were as you say, I might be willing to make some kind of deal with you. He is a much better judge of character than I am.”

Grandma would shuffle a slight ways away, whispering something into a scribe's ear. After just a couple of minutes, the scribe would hand Grandma a sealed scroll. Heading back over to Xel’rath, she would address him, giving him the scroll as she did so.

“I’ll ask that you escort Hizenn here to the Isra prison when Seraph is ready.”

Assuming he agreed, Grandma would then turn back to Lum.

“My apologies for this interruption Holy One. If you are still willing, I will ask that we continue where we left off.”

If Lum agreed Grandma would lead her back down to the office they were previously meeting in.

Once back in the office, Grandma would sit down behind the desk once more, motioning for Lum to use one of the chairs in front of it. Maids would enter, offering various foods and drinks to Lum once more before they continued.

“My apologies for that interruption, we occasionally have such things happen. I’m really not sure what to make of that creature, hopefully Lord Ildesias can offer some insight on him… Regardless, I should get to the reason I requested you here in the first place.”

“You see, I have a certain soul, one that is corrupted by a dark and powerful entity. They desperately need to be cleansed or else they will be too dangerous to ever walk in this world again. Although I have methods I could possibly use to cleanse their soul, I thought one such as yourself would be far more qualified. As a holy dragon I was hoping you would be capable of this task.”

Pulling a small rune from her bag, Grandma would channel for a moment, causing a small portal to open beside her. Reaching inside, she would pull out a jar like container. There appeared to be something inside it, floating in suspension.

“This is the soul in question. Also, I don’t think I ever caught your name, what should I call you?”

Lum'Valia would find Ukufa's soul in a peaceful, suspended state of mind. The immutable structure would view Lum'Valia's consciousness with curiosity. On a fundamental level it did not seem either good or evil. Instead it seemed amused, like a child.

The soul willing revealed its secrets. It was a mature soul, many lifetimes old, but not extremely well seasoned. Like most souls its age it sought the mysteries of good and evil, of society and the world and how best to improve it, and also sought to explore the human lust for power. This soul in particular was obsessed with power and social change. It was very brave, able to face Lum'Valia straight on despite her incredible power.


The more Lum'Valia peered into it, the more she would see what this soul had experienced in this lifetime. Its human vessel was gifted, tenacious, charming, strong, many good qualities. And like most humans it had been gifted with sympathy and kindness. But the direction of that kindness was towards those that humanity rejected, criminals, aberrations, those too different to participate in normal society. Over time this had caused the vessel to develop a crusade-like mentality, to break the social order and cause chaos, to shape the world into a place where such aberrations could thrive.

Later this had led to the acquisition of disciples, the Budas being the most prominent. These creatures were feared for being superior. They were often born with special talents, and it was believed that they acquired these talents by making pacts with demonic entities. Their ability to transform back and forth from hyenas hardly proved them wrong. His other followers, the Olitiau and Mokelembebe, were nearly hunted to extinction for just being different. Ukufa felt it was his duty to save them.


However honorable the soul might seem in some ways, there was definitely a natural evil to be found in its vessel. Ukufa was an undeniable sadist who had learned to kill from an early age. He was truly arrogant, and felt himself above the law. This was true even before Demigrem's soul surgery.

Demigrem, now here is where things got interesting. As Lum'Valia explored the alignment aspect of the soul and its vessel, she'd find something very interesting, and disturbing. Parts of the external structure of the soul had been... externally modified. Her reaction might be that of a surgeon who had just discovered that several of his patient's organs had been replaced with black tar. The "good" parts of the soul's external structure, and even more so the good parts of the vessel, had been replaced by something almost artificial and alien. Lum'Valia would find the craftsmanship of this soul substance both terrifying and mesmerizing. At the soul's very core, what Lum'Valia would sense was a mixture of wonder, amusement, and respect.


"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Lum'Valia would be hit with a horrific shock. The artificial soul, Demigrem's soul, would lash out at Lum'Valia, attacking her very consciousness. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" She would feel it like a horrific thunder and lightning, shocking her senses. The substance would almost feel like it wanted to kill her.

But if she persevered, she would still hear the core of Ukufa's soul.


Lum'Valia would see visions of his twisted society, the village of Purnata, which had been constructed largely thanks to Demigrem. Although it was a horrific place, it was a safe haven for those that Ukufa cared about, the ones no one else would.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Demigrem's "additions" would only grow angrier and more powerful, striking Lum'Valia's mind like a migraine. The core of Ukufa's soul would only grow more delighted.


"SOFOBGSDNDFKNFDKNDSJKSSDKJKSNDKSJND..." A cacophony of mutterings and whispers, mostly threats and evil thoughts, would begin to flood Lum'Valia's mind. The entity was even more powerful and ancient than she was, and the sensations would be a demand to surrender. However, the core did not necessarily agree.


Lum'Valia would see visions of Ukufa in the Black Tower, in a new body, more powerful than before. She would see him hunting down people, allying with the most twisted abominations, betraying the Black Tower, leading an army, following his noble but twisted ideology to the bitter end.


Lum'Valia would also see alternative visions of Ukufa recruiting more of these twisted beings into the Black Tower, becoming a leader among them, protecting those who had no one on this earth even willing to try to understand them, becoming aligned with good, but chaotic to the very extreme.

"GrahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" The evil, alien substance would begin to take an aggressive posture in her mind, like a warrior, but much more twisted. She'd feel the presence taunting her, baiting her to do battle.


The darkness' presence would increase many times over and feel like it was actually charging Lum'Valia.


The presence would howl in her mind, shaking the very corners of her consciousness in lightning.

Ukufa was impressed by Lum'Valia.


The foreign soul, growing frustrated, began to act strangely, as though it were surrendering.


Outside of the landscape of Lum'Valia's mind, in the real world, a terrible smell would permeate the area. The soul jar would release a brown, sickly mist...


If left uninterrupted, the "rot fog" would begin to strike any biological and magical entities with an all-consuming plague, causing rapid aging and death of living tissue and slowly even disintegrate non-organic materials. It would even voraciously consume magic particles that make up spells, though it wasn't immune to anti-magic or other certain kinds of magic.

It appeared there were more tricks up the sleeve of Ukufa's previous master. Whoever it was, truly a piece of work. To put a defensive mechanism into his minions very souls, reckless, but honestly not that surprising. Still, she needed to make sure Lum wouldn’t get harmed by the fog.

Symbols would appear in the air before Grandma, shining with an ethereal light that had a purplish tint to it. The air would warp near the soul jar that the fog was coming from, an orb of nothingness appearing near it, doing nothing at first unless the fog wandered into it.

Making a sudden slash with her other hand, a reddish line would appear in the air and suddenly a gust of air would blow through the room, knocking papers and light objects around slightly. The orb of nothingness now seemed to have a pull and would starting pull the rot fog into it. As it had happened last time, the two reacted in a rather violent manner, although the amounts of each were small enough that there wasn’t really any collateral damage to speak of.

Continuing to channel into the orb so it would be sustained, Grandma glanced around her desk. Her gaze would fall upon an outdated dictionary. It really was taking up too much space on her desk… Deciding she didn't’ care if this was rather out of line, Grandma would chuck the dictionary into the place the rot fog would be drawn into the void, watching to see what would happen to it.

"Hahahahah..." Demigrem's darkness would admit defeat. Lum'Valia would hear a faint, hissing voice. "The darkness refines the light, but the light refines the darkness. You have not seen the last of me, oh worthy foe..." The constructs would fade away.

Ukufa's soul was now, at the very least, back to its old self before meeting Demigrem. However, Ukufa would feel something different, a greater knowledge of the light and what it entails. As Demigrem had given him a gift, so too had Lum'Valia.

Ukufa would not choose immediately. His soul needed to continue to explore, but he considered himself more than blessed to have now met THREE powerful beings, and all three were willing to show him something.


On the outside, Grandma's dictionary would pass right through the fog and strike the ground. As it hit the ground with a thud, its pages would turn brown and then green and black with rot until finally they became nothing but a gooey mass, and even this would continue to rot into dust.

The fog would continue to grow weaker and weaker until finally it succumbed to Grandma's void power. The danger had passed and now all was well again.

Ukufa's soul was once again dormant. In a dream-like state, he might imagine two sets of eyes watching him, one belong to a holy being and one to a dark being.