The world was never an easy place. Even at his relatively young age, Suris had
been sufficiently scarred to learn this lesson. Still, though he knew the
ferocity of the enemy, he could never bring himself to enjoy events such as he
now witnessed.

"Trap him in." Even as he moved in obedience to encircle their prey, Suris
couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor man. As a teacher and philosopher,
he never grew used to such violent encounters. Regardless of his preferences,
he had learned from birth that peace was only a fleeting dream. Until the
scurge of the Taint was completely eradicated, such dreams could never be
realized. So it was that he agreed to leave his comfortable classrooms to
serve under New Celest's Holy Guard. The sooner they could destroy their
enemies, the sooner he could retire to his life of peace.

Early in the morning, Suris' commander had announced that the time had come to
venture into the dark and twisted plane of Earth, to strike the infidels where
they felt comfortable. When they first arrived, the plane seemed largely
empty. Far from dissuaded, Suris' commander, a large man named, Enish had led
them deep into the Mountains of Madness, where they finally stumbled across
their prey.

The boy appeared to be young, most likely still disoriented from his trip
through the Portal of Fate. His large, rounded nose and whispy hair betrayed
his mugwumpi heritage, though in most other respects he appeared
little-different than a human. Terror flooded the boy's face as he caught
sight of the advancing party. He did not even bother to attack, but instead
set himself wholly upon finding an escape route.

In response to Enish's orders, one of Suris' companions raised his hands toward
the nearest exit, calling into existence a huge icewall to impede their enemy's
progress. "Tie him up," came the next command. Drawing a tarot card from the
deck he carried, Suris traced his fingers over the image. Immediately, before
the card even had time to warm, he flung it forcefully at the young mugwump.
In midair, the card disappeared, replaced instead by a knot of ropes, which
tied themselves around the boy.

"Stay your arms," the commander instructed Suris' companions, who had begun
their approach on the young boy, weapons drawn. "There is no reason to make
this so quick. This one is young; it is our Righteous Duty to teach him the
errors of his decisions. If we are able to discourage him now, we will not
have to face him when he is stronger." Instructing the strongest members of
their party to block all escape routes, the Enish turned his attention again
toward Suris. "You can see that the poor boy is entangled in that mass of
ropes. The compassionate decision would be to help him." Confused and
slightly relieved, Suris immediately began to approach the boy. "Wait. There's
no reason to burden yourself untying all of those knots. Burn them off."

A sudden large mass in his throat prevented any vocal objection Suris might
have hoped to offer. He held hope that perhaps his general had forgotten the
sensitivity of mugwumpi skin to fire. whatever hopes he held quickly
dissipated when he again locked eyes with his commander. Seeing no other
choice, Suris nodded sadly at his trusted angel. Within seconds, flames burst
suddenly into existence all around the boy, drawing a scream of agony. With a
nod from the commander, one of Suris' companions (the one who had summoned the
icewall) closed his eyes in a moment of concentration. Suddenly the flames
burst even higher, threatening to burn all of those standing around and drawing
another piercing scream from the boy. Finally, at the whim of one of Suris'
companions, a burst of rain showered the boy, extinguishing the fire. "Erati,
fix him up." After the old healer indicated that the boy was again in good
condition, the Enish smiled. "Good. Start at the beginning again!"

For several hours the process continued. Burn the boy, fan the flames,
extinguish the flames, heal him, and start again. Finally, when Suris felt he
could no longer bear the screams, it ended. The rain never came, and the blaze
flared unabated. Without another word, the team finished their work and turned
back toward home, leaving behind only a white gravestone and the faint image of
a praying spirit.

* * * * *

"Prepare yourselves!" After several days of relative peace, the commander had
again led his troops deep into the heart of their enemy's territory: this time,
to the tainted plane of Nil. This expedition was expected to be met with much
more resistance than the previous. Even as they arrived, Suris sensed powerful
enemies all around them. Now, only a short distance from their enemy, they had
decided to make their stand. The churning water around them was encouraging,
but Suris knew it would not remain for long.

Suris did not even have time to be terrified before the enemy was upon them.
Blades flashed and fires raged on every side. Stones and hail rained from
above, and demons charged the enemies of their masters. Suddenly, strands of
sticky spider webs sprang into life all around Suris, wrapping around him and
holding him in place. "Follow me!" came the commander's order, but Suris could
not comply. With all of his strength, he struggled and writhed against his
bindings to follow his allies, but he could not free himself quickly enough.
Caressing his prized cubix, the commander, along with all of the companions who
ran to him, disappeared.

Still struggling with the webs, Suris could not react as the enemies circled
around him. "Take him," came the raspy command. One of the smaller enemies
(another mugwump, Suris thought) began to trace a strange shape in the air with
his finger, which remained hovering in front of him. He grabbed the shape in
his hand, and threw it forcefully at Suris. As the glyphs struck him, suddenly
everything around him seemed to fade away, as Suris fell into a deep sleep.

* * * *

"Get up." The voice was not angry or hateful, as Suris had expected, but
rather was void of any sort of emotion.

"Where am I?" Suris asked, remaining seated on the floor.

"You are in the great Engine of Transformation, in the Bonehoard Crypt. There
are many things you might see, if you were to raise yourself and walk."

Suris decided against accepting the invitation, opting to continue his own line
of questioning instead. "Who are you?"

"I am known as Father Bagdur. I have been asked to teach you a few things, as
yourI can see that you are not likely to walk with me now, so I suppose we will
have to talk here. You are known as a teacher of the Deluded Followers, are you
not?"

"I am a teacher in New Celest, if that's what you mean. We are far from
deluded, however. We serve the Light clearly."

"Very well, then," the cold voice continued as the old man seated himself
opposite Suris. "Tell me: what are these goals of the Light, which you hope to
accomplish?"

Having taught about the Light for many years, Suris answered instinctively.
"The Light wishes to see the eradication of the taint. We, as the servants of
the Light, spread peace and joy by freeing people from the destructive grasp of
the taint."

"Just as you freed that boy you met in the Mountains?" The statement struck
Suris like a blow, preempting his next retort. "Ah, yes. We know about this
freedom you bring. The followers of the Light wield torture and war in a
supposed quest for peace. Is the Light really so afraid of this poison?"

"The taint holds no power over the Light. However, it has demonstrated sway
over the weaker creatures, twisting them and driving them mad. The followers
of the Light..."

"Allow me to correct your misconception," interrupted the empty voice. "Look
around yourself. You are currently surrounded by what you call the taint. And
yet, you seem to be functioning rather well. This taint is not attacking you,
nor driving you insane. You are not being twisted into some unrecognizable
beast. In truth, this poison, in itself, is inerently harmless. The Light has
no reason to oppose the poison. However, when correctly manipulated, it can
show great power. Kethuru no longer indwells this poison. Still, in the hands
of a follower of the Truth, it can lend nearly limitless power.

"Before you even ask, allow me to elaborate on the Truth, which is the real
enemy of the Light. The Truth is the drive of all living creatures, to improve
and strengthen ourselves, demonstrating our dominion over others. We all seek
strength, regardless what means we might choose to use. The only true
difference between all of the organizations is whether or not they choose to
admit their ambitions."

Suris was beginning to feel less sure of himself, but he would never let his
enemies know it. "The Light is pure in all things, and does not allow such
ambition."

"In that, you are correct. The Light does not hold such ambition. You and
your companions, however, have demonstrated the very ambition I am talking
about on many occasions. You endure brutal political contests, you hunt all
sorts of beasts in order to further strengthen yourself, and you torture even
the weakest of those who stand in your way. You are right to say that the
Light does not stand for such ambition. Clearly, whatever you call it, this
thing you serve looks much more like the Truth than the Light."

Internally, Suris was nearly frantic, faced Bagdur's cold logic, but he still
could not allow his captors to tell. "If we truly were so corrupt as you
imply, why would the angels serve us?"

"You mean the angels sent by the Supernals? The same angels which can be
formed through the destruction of the fae? They may be powerful and beautiful,
but the angels and Supernals still fall victim to the Truth. Why is it that you
to continue to protest? Do you truly care what I believe about you? Or do you
simply feel the need to dominate me in a battle of wits?"

Suris had finally run out of arguments. "You still have much to learn, but I
do not doubt that you will see the Truth in the end. The Truth is strength,
regardless whether you hide it behind stone or water. Each day, another ally
recognizes this and joins the side of strength, increasing our power by a bit
more. One day soon, you will see the Truth." With those words, Bagdur rose
and was gone.

* * * *

For some time, Suris remained in Magnagora. Each morning, Bagdur would come to
him, and begin telling him about the Truth. Regardless how hard he held to his
beliefs, Bagdur's logic somehow always left him dumbfounded. After a couple of
days, Suris agreed to go walking with Bagdur as he was taught about the history
of the Taint (or, as Bagdur called it, the poison) and the Truth. While he was
not treated cruelly, he was also given very little hospitality. "I have very
little interest for your happiness," Bagdur explained coldly. "I simply know
that in greater numbers lies greater strength. We could have easily killed you
when you were captured, but we opted instead to attempt to teach you. One more
ally will make us all stronger."

As time went on, Suris actually came to enjoy his daily walks with Bagdur. He
was hardly a friend, but Suris had to acknowledge him as a competent
intellectual conversationalist. He no longer attempted to argue over the
Light, but simply listened. Every morning was the same for months until
finally, everything changed.

The day began like normal, with the two of them walking near the north gate of
Magnagora. They turned south, following Wraith Lane to the south. Just before
they reached the Megalith, Suris felt a very strange sensation in his stomach.
The pair had just decided to stop walking and rest, when a bright light flashed
around them. When finally the light dissapated, they found themselves amidst a
large contingent of the Holy Celestian Guard.

Quickly, Bagdur grabbed Suris and led him to the south, where the two of them
were joined by a group of their own, including several Grand Marshals. Without
hesitation, the Celestian Guard attacked.

At first, Suris found it difficult to measure the tide of the battle. The
Marshals, while outnumbered, were well trained for such an event. Blades
flying with deadly precision, they brought down many of the Celestians, even as
the Marshals themselves fell. Within moments, Bagdur and Suris were left with a
burly man he had never expected to see again.

"You are free, Suris," Enish yelled. "Quickly, call your angel and bind this
infidel. We will teach him what happens to the enemies of the Light!"

Muttering a few words, Suris called to his side his loyal archangel. "What
further threat does he pose?" Suris heard his voice as if it was someone else
speaking. "He cannot do any real damage to us now."

"His very existence is dangerous to us. He is a servant of the Taint, and he
cannot be allowed to survive!" After hesitating for another moment, Enish
continued. "You have spent too long here. I only hope we can heal you from
the Taint that must have infected you." The huge man turned his attention
again to Bagdur. "You, Taintling...I do not know what part you have played in
this, but you will learn that the Taint cannot stand to the power of the
Light." With surprising speed, Enish lashed out with his sword, jabbing
straight into Bagdur's gut. Bagdur slumped against the Megalith, looking like
a rag doll pinned to the wall. "Do you feel that, taintling? That is the
reward that awaits those who would stand against me." With a loud grunt, Enish
wrenched his sword, jerking it out of Bagdur's gut. "That, and so much more."
Raising his sword high above his head, Enish began to twirl it, gathering speed
a little at a time.

At that moment, something inside of Suris snapped. All he had learned from
Bagdur came to the forefront of his mind as he watched Enish begin to move
toward the smaller man. "Enough." The word came out completely without
thought. Suris knew that Enish was a strong man, but also that his
intelligence was sub-par. Calling on the aid of his angel, he began to sap the
mental strength of his former commander. Seeming not to notice, Enish bore down
on his target, focused completely on his goal. Suris willed himself to focus on
his task, even through the dull thud and the spray of blood. In triumph, Enish
raised the head of his victim. "Another trophy, fit to be viewed by all of
Celest!" He never seemed to see Suris' angel, who appeared next to him.

"You are no servant of light." Without allowing his commander a chance to
object, Enish nodded to his angel. Suris watched as his angel turned toward
Enish. He felt almost elated as he drew more and more of Enish's mental
energy. In a moment, it was all over.

* * * *

For a short time, Suris stayed near the Megalith, looking over the scene.
Surprisingly, he felt no guilt for his actions. Doubts no longer nagged his
mind. He had bested his commander, and the experience had contributed that
much more to his strength. Finally turning his back, Suris strode alone out of
the city, leaving behind him nothing but white gravestones and the faint image
of a praying spirit.