Eligos paced, his mind locked in chasing itself in circles, chewing over and over everything that had happened since the first changes had taken place. Glowing blue liquid flecked his neck and shoulders where it had spattered from his eyes and ears whenever he shook his head, but he didn't bother to stop to clean it off, and it made an odd contrast to the warm golden glow that shimmered over his pelt with his movements. He wasn't fully aware that he was speaking out loud when he muttered to himself as he paced, mostly disjointed bits and pieces of his thought processes. More and more he had become convinced that this was the doing of one of the numerous other gods in a continuation of the war that had cast the Fallen God from his rule. It was the only thing that made sense to him. Logically, it had to be the explanation. The thing he kept arguing over in his head was whst, if anything, that coukd be done aboit it.

The ghostly god floated through the lands. Everything seemed different. There were mushrooms and crystals and things were glowing when they once were not. He had not seen the aftermath of the volcanic explosion, nor had he seen anything since. His idea of the world was as he left it years ago. When he came upon another wolf, something drew him closer, and he appeared the best he could near that wolf. "Excuse me," he called, his voice airy and booming from his body, but not exactly his maw. "Can you tell me what is going on? I have not seen these lands since before the volcano erupted and much has changed." He floated around to the being who had glowing ooze from his body. "I am Archon Abraxas, and I have come back from the dead, though I am not sure how or why."

Eligos' frenzied pacing was arrested suddenly by an eerie and entirely unexpected sight - a ghostly wolf began to manifest before his eyes. Remembering the attack in the forest when he had been with Aryn, he stood in bristling wariness, his hackles raised and lips lifted hust enough to show a little fang. But unlike the other apparition, this ome began to speak. At first Eligos listened with an intense curiosity, and the unsettling feeling he knew the ghostly figure somehow, but the creature's name and the sudden knowledge of who it was had him dropping immediately into a fighting stance. So that was why he felt he recognized the ghost - it was his traitorous uncle back from his fiery grave! Did this have to do with the fireflies that had held him back from following his father's voice? Was his father, too, brought back to this world only to fade away when Eligos couldn't reach him? Had this creature have had something to do with that? "Murderer," he snarled at the apparation, hot rage coursing through him. The blue liquid dripped from one ear in a thicker stream than it had, sending ichor oozing down the side of his neck unnoticed as he stared at the ghost. The fury in him was swift and unreasoning, and he ached to bury his fangs in the ghostly throat as he had never wanted anythjng so much in his life. "Treacherous heretic snake! Dead or alive you have no more right to bear my grandfather's name than does the lowest worm."

The wolf called him a murderer, but Archon was unfazed. He knew from Faith that the wolves of this land could do nothing to him, nor vice versa. The wolf continued that he had no right to bear his grandfather's name. Archon laughed a little. "So, who was your grandfather? Because I have seen nary Abraxas kin walking among the spirits to visit my family, though my own fields have been full of my children and grands children who traverse the mortal and spiritual planes as The Fallen God blessed them to do so." Would this be one of his great nephews, or just a nephew? Archon didn't really remember Mal's kids any longer, and he wasn't sure if this was one of those or another family member by the wayside. "Before you point your anger at a spirit who has ascended, perhaps you should be looking to connect with the Abraxas in the mortal plane out to the south. Those who claim the name, but have no connection to the family have less right than I, surely, who died by my brothers side as we fought over which way to best make Him proud."

The spirit's words roused Eligos' wrath to a fever pitch and he threw himself at the ghost unthinkingly, aching jaws snapping for the traitor's throat. But, as one would have expected of a ghost, there was nothing there. Just a faintly cold spot, nist, and nothing. Eligos hit the ground hard and bounded back to his paws with another snarl. "My father died fighting to put you down for the shame you and your spawn would bring his family. I am Eligos Abraxas, son of Malleus, son of Amon, and I swear by the Fallen One I will strip every heretic creature you sired of His name or I will put them in hell with you." Blood from where he had split his lip slamming into the dirt mixed with blue ichor to drip from his fangs as he panted with the strength of his urge to put his father's killer back in the hell he deserved.

The wolf continued to snarl and snap at him. Archon hummed, "The conviction is there, but do you follow through with it? Malleus and I had our differences, but we were not, in fact, all that different. In fact, with your vigor and anger, you are more where I was when your father and I fought atop the volcano. He wanted to pause and grow the family. I wanted to go out to preach and crusade." Archon offered the raging man a smile. Maybe he really could do some good after all. "Please, by all means, finish what your father and I could not. My daughter tells me she had culled her own sister, and one of her pups who was malformed. Now, do you too possess that conviction, or do you cling to empty rage?"

Archon felt his ties wafting from the world as his form shimmered and shifted. "If you do, then perhaps converse with the Abraxas of Ashen. Then, if you posses such blessings from Abraxas himself, come visit me again on my plane and tell me how it goes." He couldn't be sure the man had anything but anger to give back to the world. As he faded, Archon offered him another smile, "I'll be waiting for you, Nephew."

"You and I are nothing alike!" A snarl of rage flecked his lips with blood and ichor, and he made as if to spring at the apparation again before he checked his rush. He had already proven he could not touch the spirit, and it seemed to be fading anyway. But the self-righteous, smug voice of the ghost speaking his lies drove the ooze-sickened Eligos to the brink of full madness. "I will end your misbegotten branch, Heretic!" he raged, leaning forward with every muscle tight and quivering with longing. "Every root and leaf, every child and grandchild you spawned. May they give you comfort for your failure as you burn in hell." He felt nearly feverish as the madness snapped at his mind, like it burned through every vein. "The world will never remember your name, Heretic. I will erase your existence! You... will... be... nothing."

Eligos

The sickness deepens... Your face feels numb, but not tingly, your tongue dry and thick. It feels as if you're drunk for several minutes, but not in a fun way. Eventually it subsides.


You lose:

• 30x Gems- Being poor pays off sometimes.