Francis continued to back up, until he hit a tree, crying out in pain again.

"Ah... ah... ah..." he stammered.

"You... you're... you are..." he stammered further.

"...the... you're the Devil!" he yelled.

"You're a damned demonic Devil!" he yelled further as he tried to scramble away again.

"...pathetic." one of the other drows hissed.

Francis gasped and choked in pain as she grabbed him, and looked into her eyes.

"Elizabeth..." he said.

"Take... take it... take it easy." he said further.

"I'm your father, remember." he told her.

"We're family." he went on.

"Family is important to us, yeah?" he said further.

Francis gulped audibly in response.

"Mmmm..." he mumbled.

"Because.... you're better than that?" he suggested.

"You don't want to sink to MY level?" he went on.

It was clear that he was desperate right now. Backed against a corner, facing off against someone he had no hopes of winning again, and who would torture him to the extreme.

And he was absolutely terrified, she could see it in his eyes.

Francis was silent as Liz said what she did.

"....damn it." was all he said.

-Some time later-

Chris just sighed as he and Ashley walked through the woods.

"....why?" he asked her.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked further.

"Surely it would have been easier to let the Triad take me." he said. "Or let the draydin that works there come across me, as you know she would have."

Chris just sighed in response.

"That's nice of you." he said.

"You were always so genuine." he told her.

"I always thought Vana was as well... until she revealed her true colours to me." he went on.

"......I thought she actually cared. But I was just another lackey to dispose of." he said further.

"As was everyone else there."

"Believe whatever you want." Chris replied.

"She said she had no more use for me, and that I deserved to die alone and in misery, like the abomination I was." he told her.

"I would have died if not for you." he said.

"...and now look at me." he muttered, looking at his hands.

"I changed what I was for her. So she wouldn't feel alone. So she would feel better about liking me." he said further. "But it was all just a lie." he mumbled.

"I now no longer fit in... anywhere."

"Figured." Chris muttered.

"You have no reason to trust me." he said.

"....so, nobody knows we're here?" he then asked.

"...which is to say, this place is unknown, completely?" he then clarified.

"Because I have a very bad feeling that something bad's gonna happen." he told her. "Especially if some of the revived drows find me." he said further.

"I see." Chris responded.

"Well, I hope it can protect me." he told her

"...us." he then corrected himself.

"The drows won't like you." he went on.

"Being half-human and all." he muttered.

"Odds are you'll be treated the same as me." he sighed heavily.

"....indeed." Chris responded.

"Well... hopefully, we'll be safe for a while." he said further.

"....I just wonder what Vanessa plans to do now." he then said.

"She resurrected the drows... what now?" he wondered.

"What will she do now?"

"Which means nothing now, essentially." Chris sighed.

"I thought I knew her. Guess I didn't." he said.

He was silent, and then looked around.

"...hm." he mumbled.

"Ever get the feeling you're being watched?" he asked her.

"Like someone is staring at you?" he asked further.