As Duade sat in front of the fire his expression did not change until nearly an hour had passed and all had been asleep for a while; at which point a single tear streamed down his cheek and fell into the fire only to be consumed by it and return to the stars in a small cloud of pain; gaseous strife. The Medicine Duade had used in the stew had taken its affect on everyone; they would sleep quite peaceably for another few hours now. Hungry from having eaten nothing all day, Duade tore a piece of bread from his stash and consumed it.

Duade looked over to Antirne and his fists clenched, his breathing became irregular and another tear fell to the dust, "It must be done." He drew out in a low and quiet voice as he stood up, and slowly made his way to Angelic's side. There he knelt before her and raised from about his head the satchel that contained his fairy companion and his burden of ten gold coins. "Please do not think less of me for what I must now do." He said kissing Angelic's brow as he placed the pouch gently upon her breast.

Now with resolve he stood and made his way to Antirne who lay in the quiet beauty of Elvin sleep. As Duade knelt beside her and began to pull out the bindings he kept in his stash the tears began to fall from his eyes, and his eyes closed as he clenched his fist upon the rope and took a short breath in and out opening his eyes again calm and ready, he began quickly, and gently to bind the elves limbs and when he had finished he swiftly lofted the weight of her body into his arms as he swung the bag with his supplies upon his back, and set off carrying them both in the direction of the dark prison from whence they had come.

Duades footsteps were swift and as light as those of an elf in the night as the wind carried his feet to finish his dark errand. As he ran, Antirne still lost in slumber, made no stirring in Duade's arms. Tears ran down his cheek as he felt himself growing closer to his destination. The burning in his limbs that he had been able to admonish from his mind for the last several hours of running began to grow too intense, but there was no slowing in his pace. Duade adjusted Antirne's body to his left shoulder, and pulled from the satchel at his side a vile full of a yellow golden liquid and knocking the cork out with his thumb quickly brought it to his lips and drank it. A few moments after he had consumed the yellow liquid his breath slowed, his pace quickened and his feet seemed lighter in the night; all the while the clouds growing heavy above him.

The sun rose and fell twice, but the rain that had begun before the dawn of the first day had waned not. All the while Duade ran, occasionally pulling out another yellow vile, consuming it for strength. Several times he removed from his satchel a dark purple vile, which he slowly drained upon Antirne's quiet lips. The dark clouds that bore over him growing more and more ominous upon the splash of every footstep Duade drew closer to the cursed place from which he would never be free.

Soon Duade found himself at the roots of the forest that originally bore him to the path he now followed. Finding him self so close, Duade's pace slowed for the first time in nearly three days. Duade came to a stop before the forests uninviting bowels. Closing his eyes, he made his way slowly into the forest. Now listening carefully to the world around him, his gentle steps guided them safely through the underbrush of the thick forest of Tokuchel. Eventually Duade pulled out from the darkness of the forest and stepped into the dead lands that surrounded the dark and ominous structure; was home to many who would never again see the light of day.

The rain still poured as the mote that surrounded the fortress overflowed, and sprouted small streams, releasing serpents that had lived out there entire lives in its depths. And so, amongst all of the other dreadful sounds of the pounding rain, and the faint echoes of cracking whips and their accompanying wailing screams, there was a terrible hissing all about.

Duade hesitated only a little before he again began slowly to trudge through the mud; being careful to avoid the certain death that shortly follows the bite of a serpent dwelling in the midst of the prison, whose guards now grew close enough to see amidst the torrent of rain, and the mist that was now settling thickly in the darkness which consumed the mind and the body.

The two guards who guarded the pass into and out of the prison wore thick leather armor that seemed dyed completely by the blood of visitors and residents of the prison. They were both of impressive stature, and seemed built like walls, but the fact that now, at only a few yards away, they had yet to notice Duade, indicated that they weren't exactly the best guards. Actually the two seemed much more involved in the slaughtering of serpents. The shorter of the two who carried a double bladed axe was frantically thrashing his blade about himself in an attempt to hinder the death that spawned continuously from the waters about them. The other hopped about frantically avoiding the snakes and his companion's blade until he finally angrily bellowed, "Watch where you swing that thing you fool!", and with a growl he continued "They have sent us to our deaths, they have! I'll have the hide of who ever put us on duty on a day like this!"

"Quit you're wining and use that er' blade o' yours you fool, or there'll be no hides had but you're own!" the axebearer growled between blows, the fact that he was tired quite apparent in his mannerism.

"But if I bend down ta' use me blade they'll be 'aven me ars'!" The taller of the too shouted as he continued to prance about dodging his companions swings and the snakes about his feet.

"Hail guardsmen." Duade shouted amidst the turmoil, to which the taller of the two gave a startled scream as he jumped back, and the shorter of the two whose axe had just smote off the head of a snake and was lodged in the ground gave a loud and angry growl as he pulled with all of his might and quickly dislodged the axes blade to bring it to his side.

"Who hails at so late an hour!?" bellowed the shorter of the two guards, looking about, and apparently noticing the shadow of Duade and Antirne in the darkness, as his eyes stopped and opened wider as they lay upon them. "Speak you're business before I take you down as the serpent you probably are!" were the words that came from the shorter of the two as he hacked at another snake that drew too close for comfort.

"I hav' brought back Antirne the escaped elf as I promised. I am to be brought before Qarnokh to be released." Duade shouted over the tumultuous rain.

The two guards growled simultaneously, but as the axe-men's growl halted the taller of the two's became a wail and he began to jump up and down more frantically then ever now. And with a wailing scream the taller of the two began to shout "It got me!", and with another wail "I'm a goner!", he fell to the ground with one hand upon his rear and began to twist about frantically. Now the guard who was clearly in tears as he wined from the ground began "They got me in the arse' the did! I told you this would be the end o' me!".

All the snakes avoided the taller guards writhing body, and his wails were drowned to more of a whimper the axe-men gruffly shouted after and angry snort "Have ye your token?", to which Duade responded, Antirne now secured on his left shoulder, by tossing with his free hand a circular brass pendant, with a skull engraved upon it, to the Axe- who for the moment stood with his left hand ready.

"Very well Eric 'ere w'll escort ye ta' Qarnokh." The axe-men bellowed kicking at the fallen guard who wailed in response. And as he seemed to make no move to bring himself to a stand, after a few moments and one or two more snakes the axe-men grabbed Eric by the hair and lifted him to his feet, "Take em' to Qarnokh, and be quick about it!" He shouted as he pushed him on his way slapping into his pale palm the pendant Duade had earlier given him.

Duade escorted by Eric, who weezed and coughed and complained the whole way, pushed his way across the bridge to the dark and forboding gates of the prison he should never have returned to were it not for his oath. As they entered the dark barracks the second set of guards were given the pendant that Eric carried, and in response two more guards rushed from a nearby dark corridor and before Duade could respond they had vanished with Antirnes motionless body.

"I-I Guess w're off to see Qarnokh the-then, eh?" stuttered Eric as he groped his bottom.

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