For The Whored: Beyond Ch. 40

As a group, they stood in the Keep. "As much as I hate the fact that Lulu is in the hands of those maniacs, she has given us the opening we need." Elunara gestured down at the felhunter curled up at her feet. "A felhunter's devotion to its master is absolute. All I have to do is secure a way to track it and let it loose in Ny'alotha. If Lulu should summon him, all the better." Taking off her belt, Elunara wrapped it around the demon's neck. "Thanks to Lucy, my attachment to that belt will make him an invaluable tracking hound."

"It's brilliant." Wrathion nodded in approval. "How do we get him there?"

"I will dismiss him. I've done it before with a succubus. When it tries to find Lulu again, hopefully she can summon him, I don't know why she hasn't already, we can track my belt."

"I hope your plan works, baby." Jordan raked his fingers through his hair.

Varian laughed. "When do her plans not work?" He rubbed a hand on her back. "Bring my daughter home."

"And mine." Jordan eyed Varian.

"All of them." Elunara nodded. Waving her hand at Karthuum, she cast her energy. "Find your master."

Karthuum growled and disappeared.

"Now, we prepare the raid."

------

Lulu groaned and grabbed her head.

"Sister Lulu! Sister Lulu!" A small whisper intruded on Lulu's consciousness. "Sister Lulu!"

Lulu tried to put her hand to her head but found her arms were heavy and unwieldy. Looking around, she noticed the rows and rows of cage like cribs.

"Sister LULU!" The small voice insisted.

"Emaline?"

Emaline shook the bars of her crib. "You're finally awake! Did Mommy send you to get us out?"

Lulu finally managed to get her hand to her head. Her arms and legs were bound to the floor with heavy chains and manacles. "No... I..." She bit her lip to keep from crying out. Her head was killing her and the manacles bit into her arms. She couldn't stand up, so she sat on her knees. "Where are we?"

"The nursery." Emaline looked around. "Sister Sinea is in here with me. I don't know where brother Grogash or sisters Tilly and Mimsy are. Is mommy coming to get us?"

"Yes, yes she is."

"She has a plan?" Emaline's eyes sparkled with interest. "Do you know what it is?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you. Our jailors might hear."

Emaline nodded. "Mommy is the best. She'll get us out. I've seen mommy angry, and I bet she is VERY angry now."

"The angriest she's ever been."

Emaline nodded decisively. "They'll pay for what they've done. They all will."

Lulu choked on a sob.

"Don't worry, Sister Lulu." Emaline reached out of the cage. Lulu took her hand. "It's alright, I'm scared too, but Mommy will save us."

"I... I know, Ema. I know."

A pale glow came out from under Lulu's knees, and her felhunter appeared before her. "Oh, you dumb thing, you come even when I don't summon you."

"Mommy's belt!" Emaline hissed.

"Wha...?" Lulu lifted a painful arm and wrapped her hand around the belt. "You crazy thing!" She let go of Emaline's hand and wrapped both arms around Karthuum's neck. Hearing a noise, she grabbed the belt and tucked it into Emaline's crib cage. Shooing the demon away, she tried yet again to stand.

William walked in with Lisa by his side. He glared down at Lulu. "You will know the way. You will see the truth."

"William! This isn't you! You must listen to me. These children must go back to their parents. You must let me take Emaline and Sinea back home!"

"They are the tainted. I know the truth now. Born like us, they have the succubus taint on them."

Lulu blinked. "What?"

Lisa smirked, but William continued. "The truth is that Elunara lies and lies. She marked us, and she marked them. We have only taken the children marked by the taint. They will all grow up with the truth now."

"That's crazy! You're crazy! I was marked because of what my birth mother did to my dad. You were marked because of the twilight cultists. But these children are pure. They were born in love. They were created with love by loving parents. Tulani gave her body to my father, so that she may have the same joys as my mother. My mother and Varian gave themselves in love so that Emaline may be born. You know this!"

"LIES!" William struck her down, his energy poured into the back of his hand. "ELUNARA IS THE SUCCUBUS TAINT!"

Lulu choked back a sob. Her face burned from the fire in his strike, but she dare not put a hand to her cheek. "What are you talking about? Momma is not a succubus."

Lisa dropped a book in front of Lulu. "She is the ultimate succubus." She smirked again and leaned against William. "Look at the book, learn the truth, little girl." She stroked the back of her hand down William's cheek.

Lulu shoved the book back at their feet. "I will not read your lies. I know the truth." She glared at them both. "I know my mother. I know her books, I've read everything, including her time in the twilight highlands with the twilight cultists. YOU LIE! NOT HER!" Lulu spit. "William! Listen to me! You're being tricked! You're being—"

William kicked Lulu in the face. He started kicking her all over, in the side and in the side of her head. Karthuum bolted out from his hiding spot and bit William on the leg. William turned his attention on the felhunter and began firing a combination of fireballs and chaos bolts, which the demon dodged effortlessly. He dove at William again and bit into his leg. William let out a howl of pain and grabbed Karthuum by a tentacle and fire blasted him in the face. The demon yelped, and William kicked it in the side, hitting it several more times with spells.

"No!" Lulu coughed. "You bastard!"

William turned his attention back to Lulu and grabbed a handful of her hair.

"Enough." Lisa said. "She will be ours soon enough."

William looked back at Lisa. "Mine?"

"If that is what you want."

He let go of Lulu and walked to Lisa. "Mine."

"I will NEVER belong to you!" Lulu spit out.

Lisa laughed. "All will succumb." She wrapped her arm around one of Williams and led him out of the room.

Lulu tried to wiggle towards Karthuum, but he was out of her reach. Collapsing in pain, she lay on the floor. Karthuum bellied over to her and licked her burned face. "Oh, you poor thing. I'll never get mad at you again." Lulu was claimed by the dark.

"Sister Lulu? Are you alright?" Emaline reached through her bars and tried to touch Lulu's head. "Sister Lulu?" Emaline sniffled and began to cry.

-----

Elunara flew on the back of Wrathion's neck, desperately clinging to his horns. They circled the area above one of the many entrances to the raid.

"There, that group goes in, we will follow them." Wrathion called.

"Do it!"

They dove straight in on top of the group. In the entry way, Elunara landed with an "Oof." She stood up and stared down the massive corrupted dragon. "Wrathion?" She whispered. "Was this all just a trick?!" She summoned her dagger with a growl. A hand dropped on her shoulder. She looked back and Wrathion, in human form, shook his head.

"That is the trick. Come, we must hide until they are done." He transformed just his wings and wrapped them around her body. Pulling her off the edge, he hung upside down like a bat from the bottom of the platform.

Clinging to him, "You better not drop me." She warned.

He grinned at her. "I rather like you right here."

"Ugh." Rolling her eyes, she dug her fingers into his chest.

When the sounds of battle died down, he flapped his wings and made it back on to the platform. Spread out in front of them was a massive maze-like structure of platforms and rooms.

"I hope that belt is enough in this mess." He looked around.

"It will be." Elunara concentrated on the floor and a little light came from the ground and hovered in front of them. It shot off to the side.

"How did you do that?"

"Years and years of stolen magic."

Wrathion smiled at her. "I like you more with each passing moment."

"Shut up and turn into a dragon already."

"Right." He transformed and helped her up on to his neck. With a might flap of his wings, he popped up into the air, they followed the streak of light through the halls and over the heads of cultists and monsters fighting the raiders that came out from different pathways.

"It looks like they're being held beneath the hivemind." Elunara yanked on his horns.

"I'm going, I'm going." He dove.

Underneath the platform where the raiders were fighting, Elunara popped the lock on the door using her energy. Once inside, she ran to the collapsed felhunter. "Where is Lulu?"

"They took her, Mommy." Emaline sniffled. "They took her, and I couldn't do anything."

"Emaline!" Elunara collapsed to her knees by the crib cage. "You're alright, my little sweet."

"Mhm." Emaline wiped at her nose. "I tried to fight, mommy. I tried, but there were so many." Holding out the belt, she held up her chin. "I stayed brave like you taught me."

Taking the belt, she secured it around her waist. "Good girl." Elunara began picking the lock on the cage. "I'll get you out."

"We don't have time to do this the slow way." Wrathion commented. "Summon your portal and let us get the troops in here. Even if we must transfer the children still in the cages, we need to do this fast."

Elunara popped the lock and ripped open the top. Pulling Emaline out, she hugged her daughter tightly. "Again, you're right." She sat Emaline on the floor and carefully pulled out the sleeping Sinea. Hugging her tightly, she transferred the sleeping girl to her six-year-old's arms. "Don't let go."

"I won't, Mommy."

Elunara stood and began drawing on the ground. Casting her energy into the circle, she opened up the portal in the designated area. Grogek and Jordan stepped through at the same time.

"This wasn't the plan!" She hissed.

"Fuck the plan." This from Varian who stepped in behind them. "They want revenge and I want my daughter."

"Daddy!" Emaline readjusted Sinea in her arms. "Daddy!"

Varian stooped down and pulled Emaline in his arms. He kissed the top of her head. "I have these two, the plan can go through from here." He scooped up the pair of children and went through the portal.

Elunara snarled at Grogek. "You were supposed to stay and coordinate your men."

"I'm not walking out of here until my children are safe and I've seen bloodshed."

"Me either." Jordan pulled his sword. "Let's go do this thing."

"Fine. Grogek, start busting cages. Jordan, you're with me. Emaline said they took Lulu away from here and we have to find her." Elunara bent down and began channeling her healing energy into the unconscious demon. When it woke, it shook its head back and forth before sniffing the ground. "Find her, find your master."

Jordan followed Elunara as she navigated the twisting pathways. Looking down, he grimaced. "If the fall doesn't kill you, the gnashing teeth and bugs will."

"We can't think about that at the moment. I hear her screaming."

"You what?"

"This way." Elunara turned down another hallway. Stopping at the edge, she held out her arm.

"What, why are we stopping?" He tried to push past her. "They're torturing my little girl!"

"By the end boss of a raid." She shook her head. "We cannot save her like this, we need more than—" Elunara turned at the group behind her.

Grogek snarled. "We have our children, now we want revenge."

"Please let me help." Calysta had tears in her eyes. "This is all my fault."

"I swear, if you take on blame not offered, I WILL punch you." Elunara snarled. A shriek had them all freezing. "Where the hell is the rest of the—"

Everyone ducked as Wrathion flew over them, darting through the doorway. Elunara and the rest of the raid bolted in after him. Spiked tentacles surrounded a flat area where Lulu was being held down on a slab of some sort, cultists surrounding her. Wrathion dodged the tentacles, drawing their attention away from the raid of people. As Wrathion fought, Grogek, Elunara and Jordan went for the cultists. The rest of the raid followed suit, pulling in waves of people to their area of effect damages. As cultists fell, the trio went for the biggest monsters, dodging tentacles and spells.

Grogek and Jordan hacked and slashed, as Elunara summoned her dagger. She bounced around, cutting and jabbing. Grogek picked her up and threw her towards Lulu. As Grogek and Jordan fought those around her, Elunara confronted William and Lisa. Lulu lay on the table, gasping for air and unseeing. Not caring about the woman, Elunara effortlessly dodged her spells and lodged a dagger in her neck. William growled and began throwing his own rotation of fire mage and destruction warlock spells.

As she dodged around the worst of them, Jordan took down the cultists aiming for her back. Grogek threw his axe and cleaved the head of an insectoid creature. Jordan lunged for Lulu, taking a fire blast to the shoulder for his efforts. Grogek aimed for William.

"No!" Elunara held up a hand. "I must bring him back alive."

"Love, he's too far gone. Look what he's done to your daughter."

Elunara back flipped out of the way of another onslaught of spells. "I promised Lulu I'd try." She ran up Grogek's arm and vaulted off of him, landing behind William. Channeling her energy, she tried to put a hand to the back of his head, but he spun out of the way too fast for her to manage the feat.

"Can you move this along?" Wrathion yelled, still dodging, and maneuvering around tentacles in the air.

Calysta ran past everyone and wrapped her body around Lulu. Screaming in pain, she tugged at Lulu. Jordan ran behind Calysta and began shoving his sword into the chains holding his daughter. Lulu screamed in pain, still staring at the sky above them. Together, they managed to free her from the table. Calysta cast her healthstone. "Here, sweet girl. Eat this. Please. Please, just take a bite." Her voice reached a level of pleading panic. Biting into one, she broke it into a smaller chunk. She transferred the piece with her mouth.

Jordan scooped Lulu up. "Come on." He grabbed Calysta by the arm and started running for the portal.

Elunara was still fighting William. Grogek used his axe to block a fireball. Elunara tried several times to get behind William. "Where the fuck did he learn to fight?"

"Watching us, most likely." Grogek grunted.

"I have no time for this!" Wrathion ducked another tentacle. Diving for the center eye structure, he was slammed by a pair of tentacles.

Elunara looked up at just the wrong moment and took a hit to the side. Stumbling back, she growled. "I'm sorry Lulu." She went on the offensive and tangled straight up with William, jamming her dagger into his side. "You want him home, but you didn't say in what condition." She began slicing into his skin, jamming the dagger into his ribs, before yanking it out and jamming it into his thigh, and then slicing up. Barely missing any vital organs or arteries.

William collapsed in pain, but still tried to fire on her. Elunara kicked him in the face. Laying her hand on the back of his head, she knocked him out.

Wrathion landed beside her in his human form, with a grin he pulled a fancy dagger of his own. Elunara eyed it with shock. "Where...?"

"No time to explain!" He leapt at the eye structure and jammed the dagger in. He was blown back by the force of impact. He watched as the structure opened up and released a large tentacled beast. "Time to go, my dear." He shoved at her.

"Not on your life." She shoved William's unconscious body to the side. "I want my revenge."

Grogek strengthened his grip on his axe. "I say we play."

Wrathion rotated his neck. "Have it your way."

------

Jordan made it through the portal with Lulu in his arms, Calysta at his side. He laid Lulu down on the cot that Ina had prepared.

Nara collapsed to his knees on the other side. "How is my wife?"

Ina ran her hands over Lulu. "She's alive, but barely."

"Did the healthstone work?" Calysta wrung her hands.

Ina nodded. "You may have saved her life."

"Oh, thank all of the Gods."

Nara wrapped his arms around Calysta. "Praise the light for you."

"Not the light." Jordan nodded. "Being a warlock saved my daughter's life. Thank you for your actions."

"I..." Calysta blushed and ran her hand over Lulu's hair. "I care for her. Deeply. It troubles me that I may have overstepped myself."

Nara shook his head. "I spoke to her after it happened. She was confused, not angry."

Ina said nothing as she channeled her energy into Lulu. Her work done, she grabbed Jordan's arm and tugged him away. "This is between them, daddy."

Jordan crossed his arms, but leaned against the door frame. "She did save my daughter's life. I give her that."

"I have to get the burn ointment, keep an eye on her." Ina disappeared.

Nara brushed his hand over Lulu's hair. "Oh, my poor wife. How come I can never protect you?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, it's hard to explain, but I'll try..." As Lulu lay between them, Nara spoke of the other times Lulu was kidnapped, as a baby and at her eighteenth birthday party. He explained about the magic that barred between them and sparked out, and the time he hurt her with his own stupidity. With a deep sigh, he shook his head. "Maybe William was right, maybe we don't belong together."

"No." Calysta shook her head. "No, do not think that. It is my regret that I tried to step in between that. That I am so selfish..."

Nara smiled. "Our Lulu is just so special, that anyone would want a part of that."

----

Lulu groaned and shook her head. Her whole body felt like she had been beaten with bricks. Lifting her arm was a painful process by itself.

Nara almost fell out of his chair. He was at her side in an instant, holding her hand and looking into her eyes. "Lulu, my love, you wake."

"Nara?" Lulu choked on her sob. "Oh, Nara, I missed you." She tried to lift her arms, but barely had the strength.

He helped her wrap her arms around his neck, pulling her into his embrace. "I'm so, so sorry Sweetheart. I wish it had been me who saved you."

"Who...?"

"Elunara found you, Jordan and Calysta released you while everyone else fought." Nara raked his fingers through his hair. "You know, she's probably in love with you."

Lulu winced. "I don't know what to do about that."

The door opened and Calysta was backing in with a tray of tea and sandwiches. "I brought lunch." Turning around, she nearly dropped the tray. "Lulu!" She looked back and forth between Nara and Lulu. "I am interrupting. I will go." She sat the tray down on the small table by the door.

"No, please don't." Lulu held out a shaky hand. "I would like for you to stay."

"Stay?" Calysta bit her lip and clasped her hands together as if in prayer.

"Please. You're my friend, if anything, and I want you to stay my friend, no matter what I decide."

Calysta went to the bed and sat on the edge. Lifting a hand, she stroked Lulu's cheek with the back of her fingers. "Yes, I am your friend. I want... I want to be your friend."

Lulu took her hand. "I want you to teach me everything there is to know about being a warlock."

"Yes, I will teach you." With a smile, Calysta took Lulu's hand.

"I don't know that I can give you my love, but I won't be opposed to trying. That is... if Nara is okay with this."

Nara laughed and brushed his lips against Lulu's. "It has always been up to you."

Calysta straightened her spine as she gasped. Throwing her arms around Lulu's neck, she let out a shuddering breath. "I will not disappoint you."

"Ow, ow, my neck. Seriously."

Calysta pulled back. "Oh, I am ever so sorry. I did not mean to cause you any discomfort."

Lulu laughed. "I hurt like hell."

"Well, you were tortured by cultists and were out for three days." Nara brushed a lock of her hair out of her face.