[spoiler]This is part 2 of this new...thing. It may be a bit choppy as I've been forced to work on it off and on during little bursts of freetime, but whatevs! I ain't tryna publish this shit! Also, new tag![/spoiler] Within a swampy glade lies the crumbling ruins of a fortress. Jeff the imp flutters through the mists until he sees a faint, warm glow and nearly bumps into a Wight standing guard. A half dozen more prepare a forge and set various tools upon nearby tables. "You arrive empty handed?" A vampiric woman in long black robes glares at him from beneath her hood. The imp smiles, "Of course not, my lady!" He flutters to a clear table and produces a small gem from a pouch in his tunic, then points it outward and it begins to glow. A brown sack nearly as large as himself appears above the table and falls with an audible clink. "Enchanted shards of ice from the Witch Queen's scythe." Jeff proudly proclaims before activating the gem again to materialize a second sack. "Samples of the coagulated black ichor. Both recovered from the site of Nil's final battle, and finally..." The imp points the gem toward his open palm and a small, curved piece of dark glass appears within. "A sliver from the Witch Queen's Orb. This one wasn't as easy to dig up." The vampire examines the contents of the bags and nods approvingly, "This will suffice." She drops another small bag before him, "Your payment. Count it if you wish, then begone." Jeff checks the contents with a sly grin, "Oh this'll do nicely," then looks up at the vampire, smiling wider, "but my part in this ain't over yet, sister." She scoffs, then takes the piece of the Orb as two Wights take the other materials, and the work begins. They melt the ichor within a cauldron upon the embers and arrange the shards of ice along the edge of a mold. The vampire uses magic and alchemy to create a red gem to contain the piece of the Orb and then it is secured into the center of crossguard. The ichor is slowly poured into the mold and it immediately bonds with the enchanted ice sending thin tendrils across and within to secure itself. The vampire cools the blade with magic and with a few finishing touches, it is complete. Another figure emerges from the mist, a pale woman with a mess of cropped black hair. She wears a tattered gray cloak over worn legionary armor. "Melinoe, daughter of Death!" The vampire bows, arms outstretched, "Princess of No-" "Don't call me that," Melinoe speaks softly, gray eyes locked on the blade, her expression shifting between fear and desire. No longer a child, she stands nearly twice the height of the nearest Wight. Her arms large and scared from battle. Jeff perches upon the remains of a wall near her and bows, "Yes, that is no way to address our new Queen!" Melinoe turns to him, "It's true then? My mother is dead?" "And those responsible still live, my Queen." The vampire motions to the blade, "Nemesis, a gift. Claim it and you will be imbued with her power. You will become Death." Melinoe looks to the blade again and hesitates. "Aw, why the long face?" Jeff asks, trying his very best to appear sympathetic. "I don't know if I want this or...I've been hearing whispers," Melinoe turns to the imp, "They told me things I could not know, taught me things to become stronger, and they led me here. They want me to take it, but I don't know if I want it." She turns back to Nemesis. An ugly thing, the curved greatsword is large even for her, the edge a sharp blue ice supported by an obsidian like material. The red gem in the hilt glows dimly, the shard within giving it the appearance of a serpentine eye staring back at her. Jeff flys to her broad shoulder and speaks softly, "We rarely get what we want, kiddo, but sometimes we get what we need. Now, I don't know about you, but I think the folks who murdered your mother need to be punished." Thunder rumbles in the distance as the fear in her eyes is replaced with rage. Melinoe takes two heavy steps forward and lifts Nemesis with one hand. The sky turns blood red and lightning cracks around them. A strong wind blows her hair back, and as she stares into the red eye, her own becoming solid black. Suddenly, she swings at the nearest Wight and cleaves it in two. Then does the same to another, and another, moving around the table with no resistance as Jeff laughs hysterically. The vampire moves toward the door, pleading, "My lady, please! We are are your servants!" She attempts to flee, but Melinoe cuts down the last Wight then throws the table at her. The vampire recovers and turns to Melinoe with rage in her eyes. "So be it." She reaches out to cast a spell, but is confused when nothing happens. Then she notices the Eye of Nemesis glowing, seemingly fixed upon her, and Melinoe reaches out with her own hand. The vampire collapses, coughing up the same ichor used to forge the blade, then turns to ash. "Well shit, girl!" Jeff laughs from a nearby wall. Melinoe swings and Nemesis digs deep into the stone mere inches from the imp. "Sorry kiddo," Jeff smiles and leans upon the blade, "I can't be killed. Part of the deal I made with your mother." "[i]...Nil...[/i]" Melinoe growls. "Nah, she was just the vessel. Your real mother has been with you for awhile now, watching over you, guiding you..." Melinoe pulls Nemesis from the wall and the stone appears undamaged save a dark, wet stain. "But since you brought her up..." Jeff continues, "Nil also had a hand in your mother's death. Her, and her three sisters. They should be punished first, don't ya think?" Melinoe lifts Nemesis and gazes into its eye. She is still for a moment, listening to a voice none but her can hear. Then, she lifts the blade, thrusts into the ground, and drags it back. A pool of black ichor bubbles up around her. Melinoe walks into the pool, sinking deeper with each step until she is gone and the pool dissipates, leaving another dark stain. "Well that is dee-sgusting," Jeff looks upon the carnage around him and rubs his hands together, "Now for my favorite part: Looting the bodies!"