From the crest of the mountain range the valley which held the distant lake of lost souls was too dark to see any details. Raziel did not spare the place so much as another glance and kept the form lair of the dollmaker firmly behind him. Instead he stared out at the deep mountainous terrain that formed the northern spine of Nosgoth.
Many places of worth were hidden in these mountains, the nearest one being Janos Audron’s old sanctuary. He could not see the aerie from here but down below perhaps a league or two away was a point of reference.
-
“In the valley below me I beheld the town of Uschtenheim. I had been here before on my quest to find Janos for the first time. The landmark gave me my bearings. The Oracles cave lay across the valley directly to the west.”
-
It would be a long trek of perhaps several days, perhaps a little less if he ran the entire way. Raziel decided against that though. He was too mentally worn out from the events of the last few days to even contemplate raising the concentration necessary to maintain that level of exertion. Besides, there was no need for it. He had time to afford a leisurely stroll and if Kain was waiting for him there, the blue wraith felt perfectly happy in making him wait.
Pausing only long enough to adjust his makeshift harness for the Reaver blade, Raziel began down the steep slope into the valley.
He wanted to avoid the settlement and any possible patrols of the pseudo Sarafan of this era so he swung wide to the north, making his way up onto a ridge at the edge of a cliff. It was a near level path over the basin valley to the far side and it suited Raziel to take this route, albeit with some struggling up over large jutting boulders. From this vantage point, Uschtenheim was a collection of decrepit and tumbled old buildings which only a few lights from the barley habitable structures left standing. Another generation and the township would be completely abandoned.
The scene seemed to fill Raziel was a subtle and profound longing. Perhaps, somehow and someway he and Kain might see life restored to the dead Nosgoth of their own time. Perhaps it was not too late to restore the destroyed Pillars. The optimism seemed to stick in his throat and he quietly pushed the hope aside. Perhaps a way to such a grand outcome was possible, but until he knew for sure he would not torture himself with foolish whimsy.
Mounting a rocky precipice, Raziel paused to check his bearings. He had left the valley with the run down settlement behind now and he was looking down across the plains to the south. The air was clear and he could see for leagues. Willendorf was a pale smudge on the horizon, the lake of serenity a mere few sparkles of light on the waters. The remnants of the black termagant forest were turning to swamp in the distance directly to the south.
A large bank of thick cloud were gathering high to the south west and amongst the boiling expanse of that gathering bulk were flashes of lightning. A storm was brewing and already he could feel the air around him grow cold and oppressive. Perhaps he ought to quicken his pace. If he hurried he might make it to the cave system before the weather turned intolerable.
Then the blue wraith frowned at the oncoming storm front.  He was no scholar on the nature of meteorology but something was not right about it. The storm cloud was building higher and higher rather more than spreading out. Nor was he hearing any thunder which he should have by now.
Turning slightly Raziel looked up at a straggly brown bush clinging to the rough side of the cliff face above him. Its leaves were all turned in the wrong direction. The wind was blowing from east to west and yet the storm cloud was moving towards him.
Then suddenly the cloud began to crackle with angry bolts of lightning that emitted an intense red glow. The sparks surged around a single deep point within the cloud and that single point was a star of blood red in the darkness. From this star a beam of light descended down towards the earth, highlighting a distant mountain peak.
This particular mountain was larger at the base then the others and ended with a level top, a flat plateau.
-
“Based on my knowledge of the geography, that spire was the flat topped plateau upon which stood Malek’s Bastion; the abandoned stronghold of the guardian of conflict.”
-
The beam of light grew more intense and the cloud above seemed almost to grow angry, its darker colouring highlighting the brightly of the blood lightning. Even from this distance Raziel began to hear a deep thrumming snarl like a cornered beast ready to bite.
-
“The longer I stared, the more I felt growing within me a strange compulsion that only made its intentions known after I began to move.”
-
Backing up several feet to give himself room for the act Raziel leapt from the top of the precipice and into open air. Grasping the edges of his wings only by instinct he dived directly into a powerful updraft and was carried up soaring into the sky. The gift of Marduk’s soul had restored some of the bone structure to his wings and as he met the air, the enhanced structures snapped out and carried up aloft like a kite.
The blue wraith had performed the entire action in a moment of intense compulsion and after it had past, he floundered awkwardly for a moment finding himself flying on the air current high above the floor of the canyon below.
“Raziel, what are you doing?” Ariel’s voice asked him in a startled tone from inside his head as he struggled to confront himself in the winds. 
“I don’t know.” He confessed trying to recall all that he had learned about flight during the brief time after he had grown wings during his dark gifts evolution and before Kain had ripped them off. He had tried to glide before of course, using his enhanced wings to fly from Vorador’s island back to the mainland on his way to confront Ishtar in his Ziggurat tower.
That time he had been flying with nothing but his own safety to worry about. Now he was carrying the Reaver on his back and the makeshift strap he had made to carry it flapped about and stretched alarmingly.
“Hardly reassuring.” Ariel replied dryly.
Raziel ignored the comment as he slipped out of the air current, his flight turning into a glide. Gracefully he began to descend towards the ground. Perhaps in time more bone would grow into his wings allowing him to properly fly but for now a powered glide was the best he was going to get out of them.
“I can only tell you we need to be there, quickly.” He said, gesturing with a nod of his head towards the distant mountain and the unnatural storm over it.
Then the blue wraith intersected another air current and was carried forward at an alarming pace, the ground whipping past underneath him. Angling his arms up to let his wings get the pull forced of the flowing air, the blue wraith regained some elevation. The rushing wind was so loud he could barely hear himself think and it stung his eyes making it difficult to concentrate.
Slowly the storm grew larger as he approached and the mountain became more defined. From the vantage point of the air Raziel could see that he had not been mistake in indentifying the location, for he could see the dark remains of a castle atop the plateau. The red beam of light was illuminating the entire structure. Bolts of lightning were travelling down that shaft of light to smash into the castle with vicious force, blowing stone blocks away from the fort with each impact.
Knowing that he didn’t have enough elevation to glide all the way to the top of the mountain, Raziel angled himself down in mid air to make for the foothills of the rough terrain.
He came down with a loud heavy thump into the dirt and he rolled twice before he could sink his talons in to stop himself. His crash blew up a large cloud of thick dust that hung in the air.
The landing had dazed him but he shook that off quickly enough and turned sharply to look up towards the mountain. It was still perhaps a mile away but the looming storm cloud above dwarfed it immensely and now that he was cloud up Raziel could determine for sure it was not of natural origin. Some alien force was driving the phenomenon and the anger in that force was expressed in the shattering lightning that carved large scars in the side of the peak. Climbing back to his feet, the blue wraith paused only long enough to readjust the clothe strap across his shoulders before making towards the mountain.
The hatred and bitterness in the air was palpable and also quite familiar. Actually it was more than familiar, it was omnipresent in his mind and Raziel began to have a sinking feeling that he knew what was happening.
Suddenly the dust from the ground he had blown up in his landing began to stir. The thick particles of dirt moved fast in an invisible wind that had dozens of small tornados of particles swirling before Raziel could even turn around.  These spinning dust particles began to condense together, substance forming out of the wind and each twister creating a human shape.
-
“Confirmation of my darkest suspicions came rising from the dust and the dirt all around me. Homunculi, servants of the Divus.”
-
They grasped sword, axes, spears and other antiquated archaic weapons of all kinds and with a uniformity that showed their complete lack of any individuality they formed into tight ranks.
Those baring large shields came forward first to form an impenetrable wall with spears jutting out between the gaps.
An officer uniquely was identifiable with a plumed helmet and check guards and it gestured at Raziel with its short blade.
“Mors mortuibus!” It declared in a flat emotionless voice. Acting upon that command the other homunculi lunged forward all at once. Raziel rolled under the stabbing points of the spears, ducking between their feet. He slashed out at he rolled, raking his talons across the ankles of the two on either side.
Easily he sliced through the terracotta skin of the creatures and out of the gaping wounds poured the foul smelling liquid interior. Losing their balance the two homunculi toppled backwards onto the ground with a thump. Before they could rise Raziel was on them, gripping each of them under the chin with his talons and tearing their faces off.
Three more charged at him from either side and behind, two armed with swords and the third with an axe. Turning the blue wraith rushed at the nearest of them and flourished the wraith blade as he ran. Calling upon the sword with he carried the physical incarnation upon his back caused the faint distorting effect to blossom into a full temporal flux. The world around him rippled and flowed like water making it difficult to judge distances.
The homunculi brought its sword around in an arch attempting to stab him in the chest. Raziel griped the creature by the shoulder and pulled it closer; driving his ethereal weapon directly up into its head. The head promptly exploded into fragments of liquid and terracotta pieces.
Kicking the body backwards, Raziel turned in time to duck to avoid a swing from a axe that would have taken his head off had it connected. The homunculi with the weapon raised it high and then brought it down savagely with speed no human could manage. Raziel dodged to the left and brought the wraith blade up sharply. Its ghostly edge cut through the hands holding the weapon and the axe spun away into mid air.
Raziel caught it in his free hand and then slammed it repeatedly into the literally disarmed homunculus. Once the creature toppled backwards the blue wraith spun and hurled the weapon into the face of the third attacker. It impact spilt the head of the homunculus in half with a loud splatter.
“Behind you!” Ariel’s voice cracked at him like a whip and he instantly spun to face five more homunculi advancing on him with lances. Together they ran towards him with their shields out protectively.
Raziel rushed at them, leaping directly at them. Catching hold of the top of the shield before him with one hand he vaulted over the top of it and came down on top of the homunculus holding it. The creature staggered back at the unexpected weight on its shoulders, knocking the others out of formation.
Quickly the blue wraith slid down its back, raking his talons as he fell so he slide the homunculus open down its spine. He acted quickly so the others did not have time turn to turn their heavy shields around to protect themselves.
Flourishing the wraith blade he sliced one of them in half across the middle before half turning to face another. Raising his free hand he sent the strongest bolt of condensed telekinetic directly into his exposed chest. At point blank range it punched a hole directly through and the upper half of the homunculus collapsed in itself with a wet crunch.
The officer raised its hands together; cupping them in front of its chest and between its arched fingers a spark of energy began to pulse. He smacked its hands together and then drew them apart again sharply, that spark of energy expanding rapidly into a sphere of force.
Raziel turned sharply catching sight of the attack the moment before it was thrown at him. He had only a split second to act. He twisted his entire body to leap out of the way and even as he did he reached out with his mind and grasped the last homunculus before him in a telekinetic grip. With a blast of force he threw the sprawling creature directly into the oncoming energy bolt.
The bolt exploded on impact and the homunculus flew to pieces that scattered everywhere followed by a thick cloud of dust and debris. That worked to Raziel’s advantage, a perfect smoke screen that allowed him effortlessly rush in close.
The officer was raising its hands to try another black, turning its head this way and that to try and find a target. He saw Raziel only at the last second when the blue wraith slashed at the homunculus over and over with the wraith blade.
The officer stayed on its feet for only an instant before its body broke apart into large chunks and collapsed in on itself.
As the dust began to settle Raziel looked around for another of the creatures to fight but they were all dead, a mess of stinking liquid and terracotta pieces. Somehow Raziel doubted that this small force was all he would encounter of their kind.
Suddenly there was a loud flash from high above near the pinnacle of the mountain. Raziel turned sharply to look up. The storm cloud above had opened up, a vortex like hole opening up in its underside. That vortex emitted a glow of red that seeped almost like blood. Bursting out of that hole came a figure that Raziel could see even at this distance; a figure with huge black feathered wings. It stayed aloft, flapping its wings to keep in one place. The distant body gleamed in its armour and grasped in one hand it held a blade and on his other arm sparked a glowing blue shield.
-
“And there he was, my ultimate shame, the reason I strove to better myself... so that I could truly say I was not him, that I was better than him. Raziel-Divus, king of Fanum-Divus and scribe of heaven.”