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A cold chill clutched at Viper "Life? Life for who?"

"Enough, Viper" At last Styx turned back, his expression grim "I have said all that I intend to"

There was nothe finality in his tone and Viper bit back his frustration At the moment he was in no position to make demands or enforce his will

He had every confidence that would change And when it did well, he would have his pound of flesh Quite literally

Forced to change his tactics he turned his attention to the brief flare of weakness he had noticed earlier

"I never did understand why you would pledge yourself to the Anasso," he said in offhand tones, as if he werethe tiave a shrug "I discovered as the years and then centuries passed that I needed more than a mere existence to satisfy me"

"It was hardly a mere existence," Viper pointed out "Not only were you a feared warrior but you were once the chief of the largest clan of vaathered A feat envied by er

Ridiculously, Viper discovered himself pleased by the rare display of e of the Styx he had known and loved still existed

"Oh, yes, envied so lory arrived upon e of bitterness "There was rarely a year that passed that I was not forced into battle"

"The cost of leadership," Viper retorted "It was never meant to be easy"

"I do not er desire a bloody one I greeary of killing brethren"

Viper felt a grudging flare of sy blood on his hands A helluva lot of blood Still, Styx had once been an outsider like hirown strong enough to defend himself How could he put himself back at the mercy of another?

"As do I But that still does not explain why you have chosen to bind yourself to another"

"We all serve the Anasso, He is the ave a shake of his head "Not as his personal guard You have sold your soul"

"No" The as barely a whisper "I a to reclaim it"

"Your soul?" Viper deave an i to life A sense of purpose"

Viper regarded his friend for a longhe had expected was a debate on philosophy while he was being held prisoner Of course, it shouldn’t have been This was Styx, after all

"You sound remarkably human" he at last drawled "Aren’t they the ones always scra to discover a fate beyond the?" Styx countered "Should we not all strive to create a legacy that will enrich our brethren?"

Viper gave a pointed glance toward the silver shackles that were burning ever deeper into his flesh

"And you believe that is what you are doing? Enriching our brethren?"

The older vah his voice reet that it was the Anasso who led the battle to civilize our clans It was his strength that allowed us to defeat those ished to maintain the ancient ways And his presence that keeps anarchy fro I would think you, Viper, of all people, would hold that a worthy goal"

Viper hadn’t forgotten the past Or the brutal, bloody battled, that had been waged Or even the fact that it had been the Anasso who had led the charge No doubt without his effort they would still be living as savages He had also not forgotten that those wars had killed those ancients who had stood above the Anasso, leaving him the eldest and the most powerful of all

"And so the end justifies any means, eh Styx?"

"Do you mock me, Viper?"