"To answer your second question, this thing called Xa'Gun is attuned to this world." The Imp-like creature took out a yellow splinter and started to pick his rotten fangs.

"...What does attuned to the world mean?" Ugora had an idea but asked.

"Think I have all the answers, do you? Well, in this case, I do. For whatever purpose, know that this world you live in plays favorites. It's like the Hallowed one prefers his bloody tongue daughter over our lord and majesty the King in Yellow." The creature smiled wildly and wickedly as it spoke infernal mind-piercing words.

"Please Esteemed messenger, please refrain from speaking those names..." Ugora's mind showed a bit of fracture at the edges, and if she knew she was taking it hard, she knew that Midka and Gorzoc took a hit of the madness that swelled from the words spewed forth by this yellow thing.

"Spoilsports, really. Fine, but know that world's favorites and this Xa'Gun is just a favorite."

Xa'Gun grunted in question, causing the imp to look over its shoulder again, "It means you're lucky, kid. Don't get used to it, though. Everything is finite except the Hallowed one."

Xa'Gun's nerves stretched but did not break from a few words of this Carcosian bat. Something that impressed Midka behind him.

[Just what makes this giggle snort think he can communicate with the beyond!?] Midka felt frustrated that she did not understand why there was no backlash or at least any that she could see from Xa'Gun by being looked at no less than two times by this Imp creature.

Gorzoc fixed his gaze on his mother's shamanistic mask. Ugora knew what her son wanted to know, and thus asked, "Could you clarify Esteemed messenger? Can this be used to his advantage to become more powerful?"

"Do the trees fall during the play of Carcosa? SURE THEY DO!" The Imp rose to his feet excitedly, as he made a cupped hand and pounded his fist into it, "The world favors this lug, so that means it is willing to share its life force with him."

"Li-Lifeforce?" Ugora studdered the words but was unsure of this revelation.

"You didn't know? How... Quaint." The bat smiled with one too many teeth.

Ugora swallowed hard, and continued, "If the world is willing to give, then he simply can take?"

The yellow bat put a finger next to his nose, "Well, there are certain drawbacks, but as long as you cover those up, he could become a god tomorrow."

"I'm sure you jest."

"..."

Upon silence, Ugora nodded understanding this was empty bravado. The imp-like creature shook his head understanding that this fell on deaf ears, and thus he shrugged afterward.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Thank you for your answer, Esteemed messenger, and for the last question, please enlighten us." Ugora continued the ritual having decided that the answer was sufficient.

"Ah, yes... The promise of Calamity, is it? Real simple, if you ask me. The being you know as the Orc Calamity spoke his last words as a promise gifted into a weapon, these words are 'Never will the invaders call this world home,' in fact, these are the words needed to unseal the weapon." The yellow bat, abruptly stopped, stood there, and put his hand on his chin in thought.

"You know what, as an added bonus... Think of this as more of whoever gets to the weapon first and says the passphrase gets the weapon. I think it was a survival of the fittest."

"Others know of this phrase, already?" Ugora asked quickly.

"These are the last words of your most venerated ancestor... WHAT DO YOU THINK!? Ahem." The imp-like creature cleared his throat and continued, "It has been passed down... so yes... A clear answer here is yes... There are in fact other beings on the way to find the seal RIGHT now, WITH the passphrase, no less!" The yellow imp-like creature spoke too quickly to be really understood by anyone but the shaman present.

"Then-"

"Alrighty then... I've answered everything that I could, but now is the bonus round!" The imp creature cupped his hand to his mouth as a pseudo bull horn.

"What is it that you wish to say, Esteemed messenger?" Ugora asked not understanding the mannerisms of this summoned daemon.

"A few things as a bonus, as I can't answer one of your questions. My time is running out quickly, and you know it, so let's cut to the chase..."

Ugora remained silent and waved her rotten staff for the bat to continue.

"First for the big lug here," the bat turned around this time fully showing itself to Xa'Gun.

Xa'Gun squinted his eyes to gaze upon this creature, as looking at this yellow thing hurt his eyes, and gave him a headache.

"Next time, if you're gonna use your head, remember to put a helmet on!" The bat tapped his temple as if he had given some life-changing advice. This only solicited a grunt of what from Xa'Gun.

"Hey, you in the back, shaman orcess... Yeah, I'm talking about you... Look at me, when I talk to you." The bat chided.

Midka raised her gaze to meet the thing's eyes. Her eyes rolled up, as she slumped backward in her sitting position behind Xa'Gun.

"Works every time." The bat nodded to himself.

Ugora knew what happened, and allowed it to happen... While this was a type of prank from this trickster, but more importantly this would strengthen Midka's soul and mind by resisting such an otherworldly attack.

Xa'Gun looked behind him, and his eye twitched. It was hard seeing someone that looked like Hellie passed out, and not want to help. He held himself in check so as not to disturb the ritual.

Jukzuk, Gorzoc, and Ugora nodded silently to themselves at Xa'Gun's restraint, contracted to the advice given by the spirits to Xa'Gun... The bat shook his head in regret.

"Alright, that's about it, I feel the ritual coming to a close. Next time, call another bat. I'm done with this shit... It's already a tough life for a bat down in good ole Carcosa, tsk."

The binding magicks that continuously held the xanthous-colored being slowly started to unravel.

"One last thing, U-Gor-Rah... The gaze of the Black-Eyed Wolf has fallen upon this land, and more to the point, He's stated that within the Court of Chaos, you will always have a place... At his... Table-ah." With the last of the magicks released, the creature began to bubble and steam away, as it deformed into a sulfurous mixture that fell to the ground and ate away at the burrow's floor until it too dissolved into oblivion.

Ugora paled behind her ritual mask and smiled bitterly after a moment of understanding.

And like that Xa'Gun's eyes, too, rolled up in his head, and his friend darkness came to him again.