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Now the question was? What stones did he step on? Did he show his respect, or disrespect, where it was due? For example, on the first step, did he trod under the raven, the chimera, the phoenix, the harpie or the griffen?

(You'll have to tell me what steps he took for the riddle to work. I hope this riddle isn't too hard. If it is I'll give you more clues. But I wouldn't be too unhapy if all hell broke loose. It would make for a good story.)

No sooner than the spittle landed on Ymir's symbol a black aura stretched from the cracks of the temple steps and wraped the intruder. Like all those who tread the ground unwelcome, it would convert Roger's body to chared bones and ash within seconds. If he was unprepared. But that wasn't the only fun in store for everyone.

The earth around the temple shook violently, cracking the cement walls around the compound and toppling two of the towers overlooking the site while the temple itself remained unaffected. The cursed land that had receeded spread back to it's original border. Cracks in the ground released hundreds of wisps of visible darkness. They attacked the men in the remaining towers first, showing them their greatest fears. The soldeirs responded with frantic machine gun fire, useless. Their screams echoed as their bodies disintegrated into ash.

Colonel Sallea pulled out his Bereta and fired into the dark splotches, hitting his mark to no effect. One swooped down for him, but a women from his brigade, one Lieutenant Faulkner, dove at him, avoiding the wisp by taking them both to the ground.

One by one the heavy cement partitions were smashed by shockwaves of darkness that continued at least fifty meters beyond the perimeter, sending chunks of soil into the air as they exploded on the hill. The towers were gone, and the men inside them were dead.

Colonel Sallea looked back to see a portion of forces, the charred corpses of soldeirs mingled among those crushed by the massive chunks that had rained down on them after the explosions. The remaineder had spread out around the temple grounds, most were firing at the wisps, but some had gone mad and were attacking their own comrades in arms.

He picked up his Berreta and walked quickly towards the Captain of R.I.O.T., followed by the lieutenant that saved his life.

"This mission is over Captain!" he screamed above the howls of the wisps, the screams of men, gun-fire, and the explosions of darkness. "We are pulling out!"

Little did the Colonel know, there would be no pulling out. The aura around the temple was interfering with all types of electronic communication and every wire had been cut. Escape by foot would be immpossible, as the power of Utgard-Loki surrounded the area. Those who tried to leave would be led in circles around the temple by illusions. As for the General, he would see an illusion of peaceful operations being conducted, and would learn nothing of the ensuing carnage until the work was finished, and all those involved in desecrating the temple were dust, ash, or rotting flesh.

"Whatever you're planning, you damn well better make the fast." Sallea yelled, grabbing his leiutenant by the arm and huffing to the remains of the gate. His men where making a mockery of themsleves, firing at random, and he ordered them to stop. But when he saw what was happening outside he picked up a machine gun and started firing himself.

The corpses of the dead where empowered by the black aura, and they were fighting, actually firing upon their living comrades.

"Move back! Form a line damnit!" he shouted. It was all in vain, tings became more unorganized by the minute. The black wisps where still killing men. He spoke to the Lieutenant, "Damn them, why aren't they helping? Stay alive while run back to the R.I.O.T. Captain and ask for assistance."

For R.I.O.T.s pleasure, three black leech like creatures each 44 meters long and twenty meters thick at the center rose from the ground like worms coming up from the rain. These creatures were composed of the dead burried around the compound and those who had died from the curse. They had much material to draw from, and they were drawn to the defensive runes. The thick slime was an acid covering their entire body, which could dissolve the hand of the person foolish enough to touch. If provoked, well... the seals had already provoked them, they could vomit a stream of this acid with all the force of a firehose at amazing distances, and they didn't fire this off randomly, they aimed. Their squishy bodies felt not the sting of bullets or other small arms, swords would not harm them, and rune magic would not deter them. One rose above the Captain of R.I.O.T. three, its upper portion cocked so as to aim its juices. Another was headed for the steps, after the juicy tenderness of roger, and a third was slithering toward the R.I.O.T. vehicles, sliding across the ground at a good thirty kilometers per hour while melting everything in its path. It howled a low moan as it approached.

Colonel Sallea himself was almost run over, jumping back just in time to allow the beast to pass.

It was solved without time to spare. The vehicles, The Captain of R.I.O.T. three, Roger, were all spared by a matter of inches. In fact, the one slug had actually attacked the light barrier, pushing his way through, and was about to release a wave of acid sludge when the puzzle was solve. It withdrew back into the ground immediatly, along with its two brethren. The one had actually come within inches of Roger, but it imediatly withdrew into the ground. The wisps followed suit, and the holes closed after them. Funny thing was, the curse remained over the soil, but the steps where cleared, giving access to the door of the temple.

Blood ran down the Colonel's left arm, he had taken a stray bullet from one of the zombies before they had all collapsed, bursing into black sludge and crispy bones. The Colonel had taken a shot in the arm from one of the dead before the curse was dispeled. He ordered his men to regroup at the gate, (Or its remains), over three-hundred had been slain and another hundred were unacounted for. The R.I.O.T. forces had suffered not a single casualty, not even a scratch.

He ran at the Captain R.I.O.T., Lieutenant Falulkner tripping after him quite comicaly, as she had medical supplies from who knows where and was attempting to get at his wound. He took the R.I.O.T. Captain by the collar, ignoring the pain of his wounds, screaming and spitting at the same time.

"You F****** B****, that blunder just cost the lives of five hundred people! What the hell do you think you're doing coming here and stirring this Fn evil up. Do you enjoy bloodshed?! You Fn sadistic bstrds just like to see people die?!"



(My apologies for the Colonel's language)

Colonel Sallea let go of the R.I.O.T. Captain. The upper portion of his left arm was tightly wrapped in a neat white bandage and Lieutenant Faulkner was quietly retreating from the scene, off to help the other wounded.

"Sorry," Sallea said, "But I have strict orders. My forces are to enter the building first and secure the inner compound. Once we are sure there are no further threats to deal with R.I.O.T. may choose one representative for us to escort inside."

He motioned to Faulkner, yelling, as she was already some distance away, "Get the remaining healthy soldeirs ready for entry. Standard procedure! I want Captain Fallujah's company over here, five minutes ago!"

"The Captain has orders to shoot anyone who enters the building without authorization. Now, if you'll please kindly wait along the perimeter with me until his company arrives."

It would only take a minute for the good Captain to get his in gear and get his Company assembled at the entrance. Then the Colonel would have to put in a communacation to the General informing him of the situation if he could find a working radio.

Meanwhile, one small obstacle still obstructed their entrance into the temple, the door holding Forsooths depiction.

They had to send up a radio from the tower behind the compound, for all the other radio's had 'fraged' by whatever force had attacked them. Sending the communication by wire was impossible, due to the fact that everything had been severed.

Back at the base, General Bakkar was blissfully unaware of the breif period of chaos that had seen the deaths of so many men, but that would soon change now that the veil of illusion was dispelled along with the curse. His aide entered the small office where he was sorting papers and placed a portable radio on the desk. Colonel Sallea was on the other end. It was a breif conversation, in which the General was promptly informed of everything that had happened. Bakkar asked if the curse had been dispelled, and once the Colonel answered in the affirmative he told him to wait for his imminent arrival. When he was given visual confirmation of the destruction, Bakkar pounded his desk, shocked at how fast the situation had changed. The men set to watch from a distance and the arial surveliance had failed completely. He would make sure to chew a few heads off when this was all over.

Fifteen minutes later the General's Hummer pulled up to the site. Following behind him was an entire platoon of M1A1 Abrams, a well as a convoy of GMC diesal troop transports loaded with an entire brigade from the first division. Not to mention a squadron of Apachee attack helicopters that were now circling the convoy.

The General slammed the door of the Hummer and stode over to the R.I.O.T. Captain with a cocky gate, followed by his Aide and a small platoon of body gaurds. An odd looking man with a tattered brown breif case was mingled with the General's group. He was a balding, middle aged man with worn wire frame glasses that constantly slid over his greasy nose and forced him to push them back up lest they fall away completely. He wasn't in a military uniform, but wore a tattered brown sports coat and pants hemmed to low around faded saddle shoes with worn edges.

Bakkar grunted cockily at the R.I.O.T. Captain, then spoke bluntly, quite cold, "I see you're forces bungled your designated job, costing the lives of quite a few good military personel. Funny, I didn't here of any R.I.O.T. casualties. Not that I wanted that, God forbid. I just find it funny. Thank you for your help, you're dismissed. The profesionals will take it from here."

Bakkar looked at his watch, "I here R.I.O.T. is pretty good at retreating quickly, kinda like the way you left my men die out here while protecting yourselves. Your access will be terminated in fifteen minutes, my men have orders to terminate you if you're still here past the deadline, for trespasing on property of the Gaian government. Good day. Give Sergaent White my regards."

"A word, sir," the Colonel said, snapping to attention.

"Yes Colonel Sallea?" They talked in private, whispering.

If the Captain had not already made her retreat and could hear them, she would learn that Sallea had his doubts about dismissing R.I.O.T. so completely, explaining about the door. The General told him not to worry, they had someone who could handle that.

The General raised an eyebrow at the R.I.O.T. Captain, in amusement, not anger.

"You're a mighty proud soldeir for being nothing more than a corporate lackey," he laughed, "I like you, you've got spunk. Tell you what. If agree to disarm and send your men packing, I'll let you stick around as an observer to see how a real military gets the job done. It takes a keen strategic mind to handle a situation like this, something you people obviously lack. Well, what do you say, are you going to stick around a bit, or you going to run home and tell your boss you couldn't even handle observing the big dogs do their thing?"

He leveled a cocky, self-assured smile, thinking she'd run along with her tail between her legs now that Raven Industries would have no way to loot government owned treasures.

It was quite a common and dirty game that the higher ups of the world liked to play. Have a sucker do the dirty work and then the steal the credit. Bakker played that game better than anyone. In that sense, he was a true master.