The dominant Alpha female captain led the hymns that called the colored conduits into being. Each rising verse brought the 3' long curved dagger higher over her head as the other males gathered closer for the usual font of blood that would be suctioned into the votrex to be carried to thier queen. All the crewman awaited the wash of power that would backfeed thru the portal and exhilerate them all in its addictive wave. Each of them would be healed and brought to a higher state of alertness for a temporary time, much like a drug would affect a primier.

 

As they grinned like junkies at the diseased body that lie bound before them they didn't hear the words that the sacrifice was spouting. it was always the same, either cursing or begging there was nothing new there.

 

Sykes was desperate. She knew they meant to plunge the wicked looking knife into her. At first she called out to them. She tried to trade sexual favors, or jink, or even coveted information but it was like she wasn't making a sound. Not a one of the gray clad aliens heeded a syllable she uttered.

 

Then she closed her eyes and she prayed. not the the old gods of her homeworld. She prayed to the young god that dweled inside of her and used her body as its vassal of power to do its deeds and to further its own will. Again she gave herself oveer to the black thing inside of her and promised all of herself in her entirity to it for all eternity.

 

As the female hovering over her opened her silver eyes again a thin cold smile drew up one corner of her lip. looking down to Sykes the Gith reached back even farther to make the plunge into her innards.

 

Sykes felt the black flower in her chest blossom again relieving her of all feeling and all attachment to her own nerves.

 

The Gith pirate queens smile melted and her eyes squinted at the eyebrow as if she had seen something that truly perplexed her...

 

 

Raven had found the portal near his beloved city. And Raven was not one to assume, he had gone instantly to investigate the odd happenings there to see if they posed a threat. He completely cut himself off from any form of communication so that the transfer of energy to him would not compromised his position.

 

Using many forms of cloaking on himself and another handful of secret scrying techniques he hadn't learned much. He feared that they were part of the advancing Horde that worshipped the strange Weremacht that had been creating turmoil with thier overbearing presence and seemingly strange behavior.

 

He did know these here were even more ugly than the previous encounters with the outworlders and these here were many. How had they escaped detectin? Judging by thier building they had to have been there for some time. Maybe the Weremacht had been a screen for them? Luring thier attention away from this endeavor.

 

One of his rare advanced high level wizard scrye scrolls allowed him to penetrate the citadel's defense against such prying. It's position just before the huge planar gate wasn't heling his reception any either. Inside the phat building he watched the malformed inhabitants sacrifice living drow to a well of magic. It was barbaric. But he wasn't surprised  much after he heard it. He understood one word clearly. WEREMACHT. The tentacle of living magical energy they creted was was thick, long and appeared very powerful. The bent back mages there pointed to the outside and the snake of magic obeyed as if it was alive and thinking on its own to some degree.

 

Then the unbreechable gates wards fell as the living serpent of magic passed thru its boundaries. The White Mage, without thinkning, flittered thru it just behind it undetected as the nexus was sealed again with the impassable wards.

 

Finding himself in the Astral plane surprised him somewhat but he had been here before. But this time it would be even more dangerous. This time it was no spell and he had no silver thread leading back to his safe body. This time if he fell to anything here he would be dead forever. The wise mage put that to the back of his mind and sought the project at hand

 

The glowing tentacle sped off across the open gray expanse of the realm. Using his powerful intellect to push him along Raven followed it as best he could. It was fast but it flew straight and true, like a sidewinder in the desert. Invisible to the unaided eye Raven stood upright racing along close behind.

 

Before long he saw the ship in the distance. A large sleek warcraft, much like a ocean galleon except this one was completely made of gleaming silver and hung in the air like a solid cloud. The tentacle turned a deep shade of red and sped towards the long boat. Whatever it wanted it was apparently on that craft.