There was a distinct click made in the cold night air. The ravaged land of Dori'ba showed no signs of life or motion, as though time held its breath here while it looked for the being responsible for the noise. But at last, the source of the click stirred with a heavy scrape of stone against stone. Slowly, a door swung open with an eerie creek, and a lithe shadow emerged from within the giant obelisk headstone. It was more like a mausoleum structure than a grave stone, grand to behold, but those buried here had long ago escaped the confines of its tombs. Preceding the shadow, a carpet of moldy moss stretched across the ground like a spill of water, carpeting the path on which the shadow walked. The figure of the shadow became clearer, it was a hooded figure carrying a long, wickedly dangerous javelin. If one had been able to see the face shrouded with the cover of its hood, they would find fear cast into their hearts at the sight of the grinning demon looking back at them.

The entrance to the mausoleum slid shut and clicked back into place, but the Rauko payed it no heed, he was destined for an important rendezvous and would not be tardy. He stopped his forward progression and put two fingers to his mouth, letting out a quick, sharp whistle. For a moment there was silence, but soon there was a noise just at the edge of hearing, a galloping of hooves. Fast approaching was an ash-colored horse, so dark that the black of night almost hid it from the eye. What gave the beast away to vision was its smoldering red eyes, glowing with the fires of chaos. The mount came to a halt in front of its master without being commanded to do so, for it was so highly trained and attuned to its master, such commands were not necessary. The horse bent slightly, and with a swift leap, the demon was saddled and ready to ride. He gave a jerk in the right direction, and that was all the encouragement needed. They bolted off on a straight course to the point of rendezvous, a grin still hiding under the figure's hood.

---

The rider and his ashen mount slowed at the outskirts of Dori'ba. On the night horizon, an enormous, blackened and leafless oak tree was visible in the pale outline of the moon. It was close enough to the rest of Salquedor to have grown and lived, but not far enough away from Dori'ba to escape its corruption. After coming to a stop, the demon's keen eyes scanned this area now for a recognizable figure. A large, red-furred being, clad in heavy armor and armed to the teeth. He even expected his contact's armor to be faintly crackling with scarlet lightning. Had his former student come as arranged? "Ita the Reckless, show yourself to me!"

The adult-sized black dragon looked like a shadow in the starless sky. Its presence was only made clear by the low whooshing of air beneath its tattered wing membranes. Only the faint moonlight could illuminate the signs of gray stripes that differentiated it from a normal black drake. The ash dragon turned its gaze downward to behold for the first time the large patch of land, Dori'ba, a dead scar upon the grasslands. The faint transparent glows of lost souls could be seen even from the air. Loose dirt and weakened bones were blown aside with ease, carried away by gusts made with the reptile's wingbeats as it slowly alighted on the ground. Every exhale pumped a steady stream of smog from its nostrils, unable to control its lethal breath. A red and black blur slid off the ash dragon's side. Once the rider's feet hit the ground, it spread its wings once again and pushed off. The new guest to the Land of the Dead was a brutish thing, standing at seven feet tall and clad in a full suit of shining black armor. Part man, part wolf, and covered in a pelt of red.

Ita the Reckless narrowed her eyes as she turned her head to her right. Funny that some things never change. Just a few feet away was an intricate circle of bones. There was a skull in the middle, tipped on its side. The lupine slowly strode to the other end of the circle, where a large black sphere still was. There was a trail in the dirt behind it, most likely from it sliding or rolling to its current position. With an angry grunt, Ita brought one of her black boots down upon it, focusing hundreds of pounds into the hollow glass ball. After it was shattered, the goddess continued by kicking around and destroying the ritual circle in a frenzy of blinding anger. Dust flew into the air from her anger-filled kicks and stomps. When she was done, the once well-preserved area, the site that her first death took place, was a chaotic mess of bone, dirt and glass. Ita took the moment to catch her breath and calm down before she tried to find Pestilence.

In a brilliant flash of blue light, the goddess disappeared from her position by the destroyed circle and reappeared at the entrance to the mass-graveyard. Coincidentally, she materialized right in front of Pestilence, a minute or so after he called for her. Ita folded her arms and smirked at her former mentor. "Greetings, Pestilence. This is truly an example of a student surpassing its teacher."

"Indeed, it is. Not often does a teacher get to hear his student has excelled beyond even mortality. I hear that now your influence has become even greater than that of Raku... and I am greatly pleased," he said with a cruel grin. "It is good to see that you have not come while in a mood for spilling blood. I think it is time that we had a nice chat about politics." Another mock smile appeared on the demon's ever-grinning face, his own choice of words amused him. "I will waste no time. The Alliance took you in when you were still a weak mortal, and under my watch you were taught much. After time, you betrayed everything the Alliance stands for, and became almost a puppet of our worst enemy. However, the Alliance has done their own misdeeds against you as well. A certain fight between you and Famine, I'm sure you recall. But that is in the past now, and you have since severed your ties with Raku. I suspect that you may even be against him in some ways, because I understand chaos and greed." His cold smile grew again, for he always pleasured in the things that flickered across his mind.

"And now the Alliance has an offer for you, if you so choose to accept it. We extend this offer, because you are no longer working with Raku, and it would be foolish for any opportunist to ignore a chance such as this. Mind you, this is not an offer to become your pawn, we are not mindless like the Templar that follows at your heels like a pathetic animal. This is more of an agreement of cease fire, with the bonus of increasing each others' influence. We have resources to offer you when it is advantageous for both sides, and being out of your warpath is something that any wise entity should desire." Pestilence had spoken fast and as concisely as possible, because he knew that Ita's attention could at any moment leave him, and move on to blood lust. "What say you to this offer?"

The Rauko grumbled in the back of his mind, with a slight displeasure in his offer. He had carefully avoided saying anything that sounded like groveling or subservience, but if he showed arrogance it could set off this volatile goddess. And if he asked too much of her, she would likely laugh at him, then pit her forces against the Alliance just for the pleasure of obliterating anyone so foolish. But despite his effort, the one-sidedness of this offer was clear to him. It was all win for Ita, and the Alliance seemed to be merely settling. If this meeting didn't go well, it could turn out to be a loss of face for the proud Alliance.