text: [Themes: fantasy]
  
  Year 21
  
  It's amazing what changes can happen in just a year and that's not even counting the fact that Holgard is in complete anarchy right now, though it probably helps quite a bit.
  
  With your ongoing information, Tanya has carried out one woman attacks on various ECS locations and been more or less successful in the endeavor. Though perhaps not entirely "one woman" she's been using the chaos and the various factions of the city to her advantage, mostly the remaining disorganized followers of Neroth that have still been skulking around, though she's been luring even the Holgard Watch to do her bidding sometimes.
  
  While you haven't brought it up to her, you think Tanya's lost sight of her "original goal" of simply taking down the Ebony Claw Syndicate. She may have even believed that's what she was doing at first, but now? She's just been enjoying the chaos. She's enjoying making people kill and fight. Granted they probably were going to do that anyway, but she's not exactly curtailing what's currently going on right now.
  
  Still, she always returns to you excitedly going on about what she's done and what she's planning and everything else. When you meet in person, it's always a special event (If literally draining).
  
  You remember how hostile she was towards you for years, but now she only ever looks at you with affection. You must have told your mundane stories about your life in Teckleville more than a few times to her, but for whatever reason she seems to enjoy them. Maybe it's due to her own childhood being less fun since despite everything you didn't really have it all that bad. In fact if you'd just obeyed the rules, you would have had a pretty easy life. (You certainly wouldn't be in this situation)
  
  You aren't sure how succubi are supposed to act and granted she's not a full blood one, but it's very strange that despite her obvious descent into morally questionable actions, she's still very attached to you. (Or maybe you're just not used to a very loving girlfriend, your only one before Tanya was Annah) She's also starting to change physically. Her horns for one are a little bigger and her eyes now have a permanent other worldly look.
  
  Most obvious though is her wings. They started off as two little lumps on her back that you noticed during one of your intimacy sessions. The next time you saw her, she had two small wings and are probably going to get even larger.
  
  As for you, you've basically been just trying to keep a low profile as you go about your ECS duties, which are currently as an enforcer at a profitable Blue Dream house in the poor district. It's a rather lowly position for someone of your talents, but on the plus side, it's so unimportant that Rook doesn't even suspect you of any wrong doing and it helps that at least a few of the top Blue Dream distributors at the place have diarrhea of the mouth due to ongoing sampling of some of the drug and never shut the fuck up about sensitive ECS information.
  
  Rook has been trying to keep things together, but he's been obviously losing control. The ECS leadership in the Delantium Kingdom has refused to help with reinforcements any more. They've told him that he needs to work with what he has and if he fails, it's not going to be good for him.
  
  You know he's been trying to gain more help from the Temple of Fel, but that's been having mixed results mainly due to the fact that while they may all worship the same God of Shadows, the pure dedicated followers don't necessarily share the same goals as the Ebony Claw.
  
  Still, they've been contributing enough help to "lend" Shadow Blades to act as extra protection. Them, along with Bolt and Rook's own shadow magic abilities are going to make him quite formidable.
  
  Which is sort of a problem now that Tanya has decided that it's time to actually take out the Ebony Claw leadership for good. Arguably, she probably could have wiped out the Ebony Claw Syndicate with your help (Or at least this increasingly smaller chapter of it) months ago. But she got so distracted with enjoying the bedlam, that it allowed Rook to fortify like he has.
  
  Of course Tanya's not at all worried about any of this, but that's easy for her to say when she's got all her new infernal powers now. Even with her help, it isn't like you've got much defense against a bunch of highly trained shadow magic using killers.
  
  To her credit, she's told you to stay behind on this one, claiming that she can take care of it herself. You have your doubts though. It would be a tough fight even for her. You'd hate to just stand by while she got herself killed, not to mention if she failed, it would be really obvious that you were involved considering you told Rook you killed her. So you'd have to help anyway, and you still don't fancy your chances.
  
  You do have one idea, but it's a long shot and possibly one that could get you killed immediately. You could go try to talk to the head of the Temple of Fel. You don't know exactly what you'd say, but your hope would be to try to convince him that supporting the Ebony Claw, isn't in the best interest of the temple.
  
  "What?! No! That's a stupid idea! I told you, I'll take care of it by myself, I don't need your help, let alone the help of my enemies." Tanya shouts.
  "Tanya, I'm serious. This is a really BAD idea, assaulting Rook's home by yourself. I mean don't you even at least have those cultists you can send, or maybe someone else?"
  "The last of the Neroth cultists died weeks ago and are probably enduring unimaginable torture right now as their reward and as for sending anyone else, I'm a little tired of acting from behind the scenes, I want to enjoy a bit of hands on mayhem for a change."
  "Tanya, are you listening to yourself? You're starting to lose control and getting drunk on the chaos. Maybe I should have said something earlier, but you've been this way for quite sometime now. I love you and all, but you REALLY need to get a grip. You're not even thinking strategically anymore."
  
  Your defiant words aren't something she hears very often, at first she looks surprised, even slightly hurt, but then that turns to anger very quickly.
  
  She grabs you and throws you against the wall very hard.
  
  "...shit..." is all you can utter as you hit the stone and slump to the floor.
  "HOW FUCKING DARE YOU QUESTION MY IDEAS! I'm the one in control here! YOU follow MY lead! YOU are only allowed the magnificence of my presence because I allow it and you should be grateful!" Tanya bellows and her voice seems to invade your very mind a bit.
  
  You look up from your position and focus on Tanya. She's changed physically again. Her wings are bigger for one thing (you called that one) and now her skin has a reddish hue. If you didn't know better, you'd think her eyes were going to burn a hole in you with how she's staring at you. Reminds of the old days when she used to get pissed at you, though she never slammed you this hard into a wall before.
  
  The dominating voice you just heard is also a bit new. As a half succubus she always had a bit of a seductive tone, but this is different. Her voice just now sent a chill of fear within you. Maybe she's not completely embracing her "succubus side" but she's certainly embracing the demonic heritage.
  
  Still, this is the girl you chose, so if this is how you're going out then so be it.
  
  You struggle to get back up and lean against the wall as you address her.
  
  "Well, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you can take them alone. You're obviously in full control of yourself, what with putting a mere mortal like me in my place and all. No need for my help anymore. I see that now."
  
  Tanya's stance towards you softens a bit, but not by much. She doesn't even apologize; she just leaves the ruined house you were meeting her in and takes to the air. She apparently has decided to give absolutely zero fucks about being seen anymore.
  
  You don't know how much time you have or even if it's going to matter, but you still feel compelled to help in some way. Maybe she isn't the Tanya that you fell in love with anymore, but for better or worse, you're going to help her whether that means directly or indirectly.
  
  > go directly to the Temple of Fel
  This might even be more dangerous than trying to take out Rook directly, but you still think it's your best shot. You probably still got time since for all her changes you know that Tanya's probably still considering your last statement to her. Which means she probably isn't going to attack Rook immediately giving you a bit of time to form a plan.
  
  You head to the Temple of Fel which isn't exactly easy considering there are several riots going on, but eventually you get there. The area of the temple is fairly quiet compared to other parts of the city. Perhaps even the average rebel knows better than to fuck around it. Which makes you question your own sanity of why you've insisted on coming here.
  
  But you didn't make this trip for nothing, so you take a deep breath and head up the steps to the door and then suddenly your arms are grabbed by two Felians who suddenly appear.
  
  Your first instinct is to fight, but you resist the urge to struggle. Wouldn't do you any good anyway.
  
  "It's okay, it's okay, I'm with the Ebony Claw Syndicate!" You say.
  "And? You think that makes it okay for you to just enter? If you haven't noticed there's a lot of strife currently going on in the city and we aren't just letting anyone come inside." One of the Felians says.
  "I get it, but I really need to talk to your high priest or whoever is in charge."
  "You want to speak with the high priest? Why in Fel's name would we let you do that? You might be ECS, but you aren't even one of the faithful! I can tell! You better get out of here before you're unable to do so!"
  "But...I really need..."
  
  Before you can say another word, the two Fel priests roughly toss you down the stairs. Normally such a spill wouldn't be that bad. Maybe a few scrapes and bruises, but the luck of Yag isn't with you at this moment.
  
  You end up tumbling down the stone steps and twisting your neck in a manner that it's not supposed to twist. Another bounce down the steps and you break it. By the time your reach the bottom, you're already dead.
  
  Even the two priests are a bit alarmed by their unintended actions, but they just dispose of your body away from the temple and in a nearby alleyway where it will most likely be assumed that you were killed by the various acts of violence currently going on in the city, assuming stray dogs or rats don't eat it first.