Fãen is the only child of Elöthian that has died. While he is still one of the gods of the Elvenhan, he is not one that is often talked of. He is lord of death, keeper of the graves but also the god of life and reincarnation. He governs the elven entrance to the afterlife, judging those by his father’s rules and sorting them into either their just rewards or offering those he thinks deserve it a second chance at life. His death was originally caused by his eldest sister Jailia in her failed attempt to usurp Elöthian as god-king of the elves.

Shadow Bryan

I can only watch in annoyance as the fox verbally torments her den sister. They are Primary’s friend’s mates and I do not wish for them to turn him against me. At least it is only for a moment that have their own fun after denying me mine before Kythia begins to lead us to down towards another room. Soon we are before a large important looking door labeled in a language that I cannot read.

Not that I am worried about the writings of men, I can feel how the door is not warded and open it without a care in how much noise the hinges make. Within is a large room with multiple cages around the circular wall separated by tables covered in papers and strange instruments beyond my knowledge. In the middle of the room is a single old man who is currently dissecting a body of a male humanoid whose race I can no longer determine. Not human because there is what looks like a tail attached but I can’t tell more than that though he is wearing an odd uniform I can’t place.

The old man looks up and says something that sound vaguely familiar but not a language I know. Maybe Primary could place it but is certainly isn’t something that we’ve heard since the start of my existence.

[Its German.]

And that is?

[A language spoken by a European nation on Earth.]

So not something important at the moment.

I turn and look at the fox and Kythia before looking back to the elderly man. He seems different than the others, the Althaen soldiers and knights upset me by their very presence but this one I don’t care about. Still, killing him will be fun so. . .

“You are not of this people. Who are you?” the old man asks in a commanding tone.

“We are your death servant of the Holy One” the fox shouts out in a theatrical flourish.

“I do not serve their god. Be gone so I can continue my research and preparations to return.”

“Let’s just kill the geezer and move on” I say while looking around the room for any other threats.

Nothing seems overly dangerous. . .

[Cages of dire animals and anthropomorphic experiments aren’t dangerous?]

They can’t kill us no matter how many times you die to them. Time consuming and annoying is all they’d be.

[That is dangerous.]

Nope, annoying but not dangerous.

As I am distracted by my Primary’s foolishness however, the old man makes he first move though not one that I would have expected. After a moment of grabbing a pile of the scribblings on the table in front of him he vanishes in some feat that would have to be magic.

The only consolation that I get is that all the cages in the room open and the mistreated animals are not the happy cuddly kind. Some of them charge at us while others fight amongst themselves, tearing into each other in their desire to get more food.

Some sort of feral tiger-man pounces through me as I shift to and back from being made of shadowstuff and I plunge my own shadow claws into the man's spine. The warmth of blood flowing over my hands is greeted with a smile.

[You’re messed up.]

A good portion of that is your fault, now shut up, I want to see if I can get a blood fountain by decapitating someone.

[I think that doesn’t actually happen.]

One way to find out. . .

I charge the nearest creature, an odd dog of some sort. It bites into my right arm, a dull stinging and the limb slowly begins to feel colder, but I don’t pay it any mind. It’ll close up in seconds once I slip into the shadows. My left-hand claws into the throat and I am reminded of something I forgot, necks tend to be thicker than the length of my claws.

The animal soon let’s go of my arm, dropping to the floor adding to the growing pools of blood around the room.

I stare at my shadow claws for a moment, unsure as to how to get them to mimic a hand-fang rather than just my claws. It is in this moment I see some sort of female cat person swipe at her own opponent. A dark force or substance trailing off into the air bridging the gap and cutting into the ribs of her near human foe.

I’ll try that. That seems easier than thinking about how to make shadow mimic human tools. Primary can deal with that and I’ll just have fun.

The first two attempts were only partially successful, sure the things I didn’t pay attention to died but they just didn’t cut deep enough to dismember.

When the fox however is about to throw a burst of her fire at the female cat person I jump, diving through the shadows, and in an instant, I am next to the feline girl and shove her out of the way.

“Not-Bryan, why?” the kitsune shouts out as if I had betrayed her personally.

“Uh, she’s friendly?” I answer, not wanting to say I only did it because I hadn’t been able to fully copy what she did with what I think k are shadows.

[Like you could ever consider someone your friend.]

How rude, I’ll have you know I can be really friendly if I want to.

[Who would you want to be friendly to?]

Your midget girlfriend's inner beast when she takes over.

[Why? You dislike Abagail, what makes her future lycanthropic self-different?]

A decent part of my personality is parts of yours you don’t want to admit to. So, what does Abagail want but won’t admit? She’ll be fun.

The fox looks over to Kythia who says, “no, we’re not bringing back a cat to the pack.”

“Who are you?” a voice from my right says.

Oh, right that’s were the female feline is.

[What language is that?]

With a grin knowing no one else will understand I answer her question, “Shadowed Fa. . .”

She then sniffs me and says with a crinkling of her nose, “you stink of dog.”

“And you stink of cat.”

“Get away from the cat” Kythia commands and I almost do so.

“No” I say.

“We’re not risking Adrian deciding that he likes her” the kitsune says.

I actually nod at that, seems reasonable to me. Hell, he might even consider it to get the two of them to stop their infighting.

“Adrian has a pet fox, she can be my pet.”

“Ria is Adrian’s best girl, not his pet. Danny is a pet” the kitsune says puffing herself up with pride.

“You’re not his favorite, fox” Kythia begins before I tune out their argument and turn to the cat as she stands up.

“So you have two choices, the first is to. . .” I start before she cuts me off saying “I demand to be treated with respect and spoiled as much as possible.”

“You understand the canine language, don’t you?”

“I would never sully myself speaking it but yes. Tell me why you have the scent of shadows when you stink of dogs?”

“You know I could just let the kitsune and werewolf females do what they want to you.”

“You won’t, you want something from me.”

“I’m a living shade and werewolf, now . . .

I am cut off as the feline hugs me and whispers into my ear, “if you treat me as a spoiled princess I’ll be really nice to you. . .”

[Do not fall for her trying to . . .]

Oh, now I want to do it a bit more.

[Going along with what she is clearly trying to do just because I . . .]

. . . disagree is idiotic, stupid and vindictive. I know, but it will infuriate the midget.

[Upsetting Abagail is also not a reason to do this.]

But shaping her forming inner beast is. The more jealous she is of any other female remotely near us the more I’ll like her beast after her creation.

[You’re terrible.]

“Well, when you put it that way. . . I suppose I could make sure your safe from the rest of our group and are never locked in a cage again.”

“Are you sure? I can be very friendly. . .”

I lean in close, glancing down the tattered tunic to appraise her figure. Not the best, but she does have nice wide hips and slightly larger than normal breasts for her otherwise athletic build. Whispering into her ear I say, “so can I.”

She pushes me away from her and I smile, good she isn’t some broken thing. Still she does follow me as I walk over to where the fox and Kythia have drifted to during their argument.

“No, we are not doing that” Kythia says to the fox.

“But, it’ll be fun, and I just know he’ll like it” the fox pleads while tugging on her arm.

I cough rather loud, not wanting to know what sort of perverted things might be happening to some other male. No, the only secret of Adrian's harem I want to know is how to get multiple females.

[I don’t want . . .]

Don’t lie to me. You might not be willing to risk your relationship with the midget to get the chance for a second female, but I know you wouldn’t be opposed if . . .

[Shut up!]

I smile at the echo of Primary’s embarrassment as the two females cease whatever bickering they wandered off to.

Making a straight face and turning away from the fox, Kythia says “we need to move on.”

I look over the papers, even with Primary’s mediocre understanding of magic I can tell they are far more advanced than anything other than the book Adrian showed him, but it is something else that catches my eye through his knowledge. The language is German, and I am fairly sure at least one of the drawing is on cell division or maybe so other biological . . .

[You’re jumping to conclusions I have no idea what the language is.]

Please what language other than his native tongue would a man old enough to have been around during the world wars and was speaking German earlier, given that he was wearing some military uniform rather than the clothing that would have been given to him?

“Adrian will want to see these papers” I say and for the first time since the end of the fight does she actually look through them before saying “they’re nonsense scribblings.”

“They’re in a Terran tongue.”

“I’ve seen Terran before, and they most certainly are. . .”

“Not the elemental language, he meant as in a language on Terra” the fox whispers just loud enough that everyone can hear to embarrass her den sister.

“Then you pick them up and carry them” Kythia tells the fox who does just that without complaint, smiling and clearly has some plan that involves them already forming.

Within a minute she is holding them all though just barely and in a pile that might collapse or explosion at any given moment. Still, she does turn to the door we came from without problem before asking, “Kythia could you get the doors between me and our mate?”

I roll my eyes as the two of them walk off all but forgetting me and the feline for a legitimate excuse to go bother Adrian and likely stay by him.

Now what to do? Hmmm. . .

“Want to find some poor fool of a paladin to torment?” I ask the cat.

She smiles and so do I, another reason to acquire more than just the midget.

[You’re not . . .]

Not yet no, but it will be amusing having her around for more than just to mess with the midget.