"Wake up, child."

Mahtan's eyes shot open at the sound of these words, and he quickly scrambled to his feet. Black eyes darting to and fro, observing every inch of the clearing. On the road he saw signs of the long-over battle and instantly began to shake due to his memory of what happened. The Nobleman and Warrior had killed her. Slain her in cold blood when she was simply a pawn for the Demon. It was their fault....all their fault. Lips set in a firm line of anger, Mahtan quickly scooped up all his fallen gear and sniffed the air, smelling a scent of roses and death. Susanna. It was the only thing that popped into his head. As he sheathed his weapons he ran a hand over the openings in his armor, feeling scars where his wounds once were. "The human girl, she did this. She has mended my body so I may fight. Or was it....Lilith?" How he knew this name, he didn't know, but it was plastered in his mind. Looking down at his hands, Mahtan saw the black veins pumping from underneath his pale skin and couldn't help but smile. Once again, a voice filled his head. Sharp as steel, filled with some warmth that comforted him. "Mahtan, Susanna needs you. Go to her now, wait for the one that is Seth of Valeria to release her from her prison, then save her from the clutches of evil. Good luck my Prince, and take care." 

Immediately Mahtan sprang into action, using blood from the ground and simple magic to carve the coat of arms belonging to house Jernlod into the tree, along with 'VENGEANCE' in the Elf language. He knew this would attract the attention of anyone that came for him, and he had a prickling feeling at the back of his neck that it was Susanna. Once more her scent filled his nose as he sucked in the cool air. Roses, Blood, Flesh. The thought it all somewhat calmed Mahtan as he finished up his crude carving, smiling as he wiped his hands dry and cleared his throat to ward off the pain from singing the tree into shape. With the stealth of a cat stalking it's prey, he pulled the fur hood over his head and dashed into the underbrush, bone bow at the ready and pulled back to his pointed ear, arrow aimed at neck level of anyone that would venture unknowingly into the clearing. It was here that Mahtan would wait for Susanna, as the voice had told him to. He would not fail the girl this time, no, it wasn't in his agenda. He would rescue his soulmate from the clutches of evil and continue down his war path. 

Time past that felt like hours when suddenly Seth reappeared from the road, carrying Susanna across his shoulders. It seemed the girl was still out cold, her limp form resting against the man's armor as if it were his latest kill. Mahtan backed deeper into the woods as he watched Seth approach, taking a knee to read what was carved on the tree. Just as planned, Seth's brow furrowed at the sight of the coat of arms, and Mahtan grinned. The House of Jernlod was well known for their blood thirsty ways, and they had died many hundreds of years before Mahtan's time even. It was said that their Viking ways had brought peace to the land, and that they had influenced the build of Veiron, which one could easily see in the way it's building were crafted. Jernlod himself had apparently been a giant of a man, standing at a full head taller than anyone else. He wore a great horned helm and wielded a giant battle axe, said to have cleaved any animal or man in half without so much as a nick in the blade. The House quickly made a name for itself as it conquered most of the known world, and it was said that his House had great relations with the Ancestors of Mahtan's family. Mahtan was pleased at this, and was always proud to see their coat of arms carved into bodies, trees, and anything else that was around. It signified the death of a significant other, and that the person grieving would get revenge, no matter what he had to cut down in his path. This tradition was formed when Jernlod himself lost his wife to a small rebel clan they were warring with, and he rampaged through their camp, cleaving everyone in half. Despite the many wounds Jernlod took, he managed to destroy most of the residents in the camp, including all of his enemies personal guard and family. Before finally falling dead beneath the moonlit sky, Jernlod watched the killer of his true love kill himself due to the grief of losing his family to the giant Viking. This was how the legend of Jernlod was formed, and this is what Mahtan planned to do. He would destroy every Demon and horrible thing that came before him, no matter the cost. All for Arya. All for Susanna. They needed him the most, and he would not stop until Arya's memory was honored, and Susanna's safety was ensured.

Mahtan's ever-blackening eyes followed Seth until the point he stopped reading Mahtan's writing, then went back for Susanna's unconscious form. Once again Lilith's voice popped into his head, and he listened intensely for his new set of orders. "Mahtan, my Prince, I will wake Susanna. Make sure you are waiting to rescue her. She needs you, Mahtan, do not fail her." Mahtan agreed to these terms and removed the arrow from his bow, returning it to his quiver before slinging his bow onto his back and scrambling through the underbrush. His goal was to follow Seth until Susanna woke up, it was then that Mahtan would make his move to rescue his damsel in distress. As the Elf crept closer, his nose caught Susanna's scent again, and his eyes darkened to a black that could only resemble a moonless night in the darkest of caves, along with the veins all across his body. His breathing became shallow panting and black liquid dripped from the corners of his mouth. His jaws opened slightly to guzzle down more air, and his pearl white teeth were revealed, each tooth having now formed into razor sharp points. In the darkness of his eyes, pupils appeared, but they were not his normal emerald green. Instead, they were red. Red as the pits of hell themselves, and nearly as deep. 

"Susanna..."