Nix considered the brief statement. "How do we get our friend back?"

"You can't. No one else may use the Bone Throne until the person who transported leaves or dies." Atilla's dark eyes stared longingly at his throne. "Since it is currently inactive, the traveler must still be alive."

Two flame strands shot out from Nix's hand, each wrapping around a black antler before Atilla was yanked into the air. "If there is no way to get her back, then I will vent on you for a while."

"The Coven!" Atilla's voice raised to a high pitched scream until the strands released him to fall heavily onto the floor. "He has the key and may send reinforcements!"

Wind grinned when the Warlock pointed at him. "I do?" The Gemini Thief knelt on the floor and took out a black chest. "Didn't have time to look at the loot yet."

Key of Solomon: Unique [Inactive]

Description: Enables the holder to send reinforcements to battle the undead at the Bone Fortress.

Caution: [Undiscovered Result]

Black Cat Scroll: Familiar [Unbound]

Description: This black cat can be difficult under the best of circumstances. The extent of her abilities is unknown.

Black Dagger: [Unknown Rating].

Description: Plunge this dagger directly into the heart of your enemy, and they will never return. You may only use this once.

Cloak of Shadows: [Witch Slayer Only]

Description: Instantly move between shadows; line of sight only.

Witch Token: Hidden Class [Unidentified]

Description: Set this token on any temple's altar to add a random Witch Class to the Temple's job list.

Semmi whistled softly while she linked everything to guild chat.

/Inferno: Jun Li: What kind of classes do Witches have?

/Inferno: Semmi: Never even heard of them.

Wind grinned while examining his loot. "It's good! What does this mean? Undiscovered Result?"

Atilla shook his head slightly. "I do not know; it never said that before. We use to send reinforcements regularly, but it has been nearly a year since the fire was lit."

"What fire shithead?" Nix scowled at Atilla; his patience for vague answers was running thin.

"There is an eternal flame in the center pentacle of the Coven. It turns black when they want reinforcements, we can send up to thirteen at a time."

/Inferno: Nix: Suggestions?

/Inferno: Pon: Let's light this idiot's feet on fire. He knows more than he's saying.

/Inferno: Semmi: We need to relocate to the Coven.

/Inferno: Jun Li: Sasi was sent recently, we should hurry.

/Inferno: Nix: Agreed. She is resourceful, but I'm worried. We'll head to Mocai.

After talking it over with Deidra and Uta, it was decided that Inferno would head into the Coven along with a few of the elites from the House of Tempest. Sinfaya would study the Bone Throne while it remained under guard. By the time they arrived at the Coven entrance a short while later, Ronnie had found a brief description of the Bone Fortress and linked it into Guild Chat.

[Ronnie's Library]

The Bone Fortress is the last vestige of Undead within Colonial. They have been tirelessly battling the Ice Witch for many decades. Although their origins are unknown, unlike the denizens of ice, the undead numbers are limited. Slowly but surely, the army of the Undead is being defeated by the forces of Ice. When the last undead soldier of the Bone Fortress is slain, the Seed World will become part of the Ice Witch's domain.

Wind shook his head in wonder as he took in all the changes that had occurred within the Sanctum. The hallways' maze had disappeared into a single square hallway that housed an enormous round chamber at the center. There were dorm-type bedrooms, a large kitchen, and common area big enough for a small force to live quite comfortably. Two spacious bath chambers finished it off.

/Inferno: Pon: The hell is this? You setting up some kind of Harem nest?

/Inferno: Wind: It looked nothing like this when I was here yesterday.

Nix approached the flame at the center of the circular room. There were small pentacles drawn on floor near the outside wall, thirteen of them in all. "You said the fire turns black when they need reinforcements? How do we transport?"

Atilla pointed at the thirteen circles. "We've never done it without the black flame, our people would each stand inside of a circle, and then the key of Solomon would be activated.

/Inferno: Nix: Everyone step into a circle, unsummon that clown before we try this. We'll take Mimi and Rabi with us.

Nix stepped onto the first pentacle, the flame in the center of the room immediately turned green; when Pon stepped into the next one, it flared even brighter. However, when the third person stepped up, the flame died out completely. There were no further changes as the raid members took their place on the rest of the pentacles.

Wind shook his head slightly. "No luck, boss. The key switched to Active when you and Pon were the only ones, but after that, it was deactivated."

/Inferno: Semmi: Let's check something. Everyone off the circles except for Junie and me.

Wind waited a few seconds before nodding. "Active again. Looks like we can only send two people through."

The old fire mage clapped his hands together. Since it was undead and Ice creatures, the two fire users were the obvious choice.

/Inferno: Nix: Quit looking so happy old bastard. It's you and me; we'll head in and then figure things out from there.

/Inferno: Semmi: You will probably lose contact, so work fast and look for a way to bring more of us.

/Inferno: Nix: Understood.

Nix and Pon stepped onto the two nearest pentacles; both mages were obviously pleased with the choices.

/Inferno: Nix: Time to burn shit, do it.

Wind activated the Key, and flames flared up on the two pentacles. When the flames burned out a moment later, both mages were gone.

/Inferno: Wind: Shit. Not good.

/Inferno: Semmi: What?

/Inferno: Wind: The key changed.

/Inferno: Jun Li: Link it.

Key of Solomon: Unique [Inactive]

Description: Enables the holder to send reinforcements to battle the undead at the Bone Fortress.

Caution: If the black flames aren't present, and the soldiers aren't of the blood; the reinforcements will be sent to the Undead side.

****************

[Guild and personal messaging have been disabled. You may not activate any portal skills or abilities. No companions may be summoned at this time.]

All Class and Crafting skills are temporarily hidden.

You have a new class.

You have a new rank. Pon landed face down on the rocks; a moment later, someone crashed onto his back. "Damn... get off me, punk bastard!"

"Heh... Thanks for breaking my fa..." Nix stared at the person beneath him. "Pon?"

"The fuck else would I be, jackass?" Pon crawled from under him, scowling until they came face to face. "Nix?"

The skeleton nodded. "Fraid so."

"Holy crap." Pon looked down at himself; he carried a single staff with no other gear. His fire seed was clearly visible within the stark-white bones of his ribcage. "Bet I know what that caution said."

Nix frowned and examined his own gear; unlike Pon, he carried only a sword hilt.

Nix has joined Skelly.

/Skelly: Nix: Funny... Link your stats.

/Skelly: Pon: Sure. magic

Nix

Race: Undead Skeleton [Elite]

Class: Spellsword

Rank 1

Kills: 0

Pon

Undead Skeleton [Elite]

Class: Fire Mage

Rank 1

Kills: 0

Nix could see his own emerald fire seed glowing brightly in his chest, so he knew he could still use some sort of fire magic. "Let's see if we can..."

Welcome to the Bone Fortress, new recruits. Your fellow undead welcome you! If you bring up your hud map, you can find the territory that your faction currently holds. The ground you are standing on will remain neutral for the next hour.

Nix read the message that scrolled across his hud and quickly brought up the map. "Crap... Tell me we are the red guys."

Skelly Pon shook his skull. "Doesn't look like it."

The map showed a large island that was colored entirely in red, the Ice Invaders' faction.

/Skelly: Nix: Looks like we stepped into a butt-kicking.

/Skelly: Pon: Wouldn't be the first time. There's a single spot of black on the southern tip of this island. Fuck... look at the count.

Ice Faction:13,340

Undead Faction: 5

Nix closed his hud and started checking out the surrounding terrain. It looked like a deep forest that had been suddenly snap-frozen; ice covered the trees, brush, and trails. As far as they could see, everything was white. "Let's head toward that spot on the map."

/Skelly: Pon: Think that five undead include us?

/Skelly: Nix: Probably, let's hope Sasi is one of them.

Nix pushed emerald flame into the sword hilt, before clicking his teeth together. "Let's get moving before the neutral ground timer expires."

Pon nodded and trotted after the first skeleton as it ran southward.

/Skelly: Pon: Hey, what did the skeleton say before serving dinner?

/Skelly: Nix: Bone Appetit.

/Skelly: Pon: Bastard.