|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:27:24 GMT
TD:
Twilight was sneaking through the shadows. The hunt for Sethus had begun. The battle raged to the left, while the big stone cliff was to the right. There could be no mistake here.
Twilight kept on moving, barely seeing the ground. There was barely any light. All of a sudden, a surge of pain came, crippling Twilight to the ground.
And a moment later, it was gone. Twilight didn't rise: There were more important matters to attend to.
------------------------------
Meanwhile, Darkness and Light were fighting with the rest of the army. They were doing their best - making their foes split into as many parts as possible, making their allies staying alive. But they couldn't take it any more. All the recent fighting had left them exauhsted, emptied of energy both mental and physical.
"Run?" Light asked,
"Run!" Darkness answered, creating a pitch black darkness behind them as they ran away.
If only they were running in the right direction....
---------------------------------
Twilight was now near a uge wall, made purely out of energy, nearly transperant. There was nothing else, not even a floor in that place, though Twilight seemed to be standing still.
This was the wall seperating the mortal plane from Hell.
And it started to crumble, one inch at a time.
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:28:05 GMT
HebrewB:
HB tucked the baby into his shirt then jumped up and grabbed his sword. He grasped for the chain and caught it in one hand...
"What to do... No time to get to the top..."
Use the chain...
"Ah! Thanks..."
HB lifted himself a few feet higher, thankful for the demon's suggestion, and wrapped the end of the chain around his leg. He let go of the chain and dangled from it upside down and glared down at the angels.
It can't be... Jason, you're on your own. I'm going to check something out. I may be a while.
"Can't it wait?"
NO! It could close at any second... I must go now!
"Okay then... Good luck."
You too... You have the future in your hands...
"What?"
Nothing... Good luck, and goodbye.
"Bye..."
The demon was gone, hurtling out of HB's head, and heading down, straight down to where the barrier between hell and earth was being breached.
Time to get my body back and really help here...
Meanwhile, HB hung from the chain, and waited for the angels to come close. He lifted the baby out of his shirt and held her in his left hand, and gripped the sword with his right.
"YOU'LL NEVER GET ME! NEVER!"
As soon as the angels were close enough, HB swung his sword violently, severing the head of one of the angels, causing it to fall to the ground below. The angel landed with a sickening thud. The second angel seemed more wary, and after seeing his comrade killed so easily, decided to wait to make his move. HB pointed his sword at the angel and grinned sadistically.
"He who breathes flames onto the Earth, he who can always prove his worth, strike down my opponents with glee, and use your fiery gaze to aid me!"
A jet of flame shot from the tip of the blade and engulfed the angel. The screaming creature made its agony known for miles with a piercing shriek of pain before it succumbed to the flames and died.
"Phew... Better hope they never heard..."
HB stuffed his baby back into his shirt, and tightened the belt around the bottom to make sure she didn't fall out. He then curled up and grabbed the chain just past his foot, and unfastened himself. He clutched the rope once more with his hands and felt the pressure on his head ease as he righted himself. He pulled himself up to the top of the chain, and shuffled out of the gap on his back. He pulled the baby out of his shirt and looked into her face for the first time. She giggled and a warmth lit up his soul... She was his.
The demon raced through the sky, hurtling downwards even faster, and using his demonic magic, created a small, weak portal, just enough to let himself through into hell.
Thankfully it's a weak barrier... I'm almost there now...
He spied the demonic palace of the demon prince Samael, lights shimmering in the distance.
Nearly home...
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:28:47 GMT
OWA:
Chris turned to look and saw a huge three headed dog, struggling to get out of the chains that binded it. A dozen large soldiers were struggling to keep it under control. A warlock went up to it and cast a spell, shattering the chains. The beast snarled as it leapt at their army and began tearing soldiers apart.
"Great....Just when we were starting to win too," Chris said out loud. "This can't be the real Cerberus... Cerberus is in the Underworld... this has gotta be some sort of cheap copy...it has to..." he said, thinking out loud. "Run you idiot!" one of their soldiers cried out right before Chris was trampled by the huge canine.
Shit, Chris thought as he put distance between himself and the beast. When he thought he was getting away, he looked back and saw it chasing him. Chris sent the order and hoped that he did so in time as the dog leaped at him.
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:29:11 GMT
HebrewB:
The demon raced through the palace and found his body. Triumphantly, he dived into himself and stood up, having returned to himself once more.
"Time to do this properly..."
The demon sat, crossed his legs, closed his eyes and raised both of his clawed hands in front of him. He began chanting in an ancient language, a dead language, older than Latin, unknown to human ears... A portal slowly began to open.
HB lifted the baby off the floor, stood up, and jumped down the roofs of the building. Luckily, the building was built so that the rooms were progressively higher as you went in, so he had no trouble in jumping down from rooftop to rooftop.
"What a stroke of luck, eh?"
As soon as he said that, Barry burst from the roof metres away from HB, throwing fireballs at unseen enemies below. HB was startled, but ran over to the giant bat.
"Barry... Here, you take her, I want you to take her to the Dark SiDe castle, where she may be safe. Protect her at all costs."
Barry nodded, and held out his hands for the baby. HB passed her over, and Barry flew off into the sky. The giant bat suddenly dived, and disappeared through the floor of clouds.
"Good man, see you later, Barry."
HB dropped into the building, sword at the ready, and quickly slaughtered the remaining angels. He ran through the complex hallways, where he met up with Sarah, who was bleeding slightly from her left temple.
"Sarah, what the hell happened to you?"
"Some of them have guns... I dodged every one perfectly, except this one. Still, i'm fine, it's just a flesh wound. Where's Barry?"
"He's taking my daughter back to the Dark SiDe castle. I found her, rescued her, and he's taking her back."
"Okay, sounds like a good plan... All we have to do is get out of here."
"I have a plan how."
"Okay... I'll follow you."
HB grinned as they broke through the doors and found themselves outside once more. He picked a spot very carefully, and then held out his arm.
"Sarah, this is the quickest way back to the Island... It's a long drop, but it'll have to do."
"Well, I can fly... So I'll stay behind a little bit. I'll cover you, should you need it."
"Thanks."
HB gripped his sword tightly in his right arm, and swung at his left. His blood, tainted with the blood of a demon fell with his hand, and melted through the clouds. He grimaced with the pain, but smiled as his hand grew back.
"I think I may as well go first, scout the place out."
At that, HB dropped through the hole, closely followed by Sarah, who had sprouted flaming wings from her back. They did not speak as they fell. Both knew it would be pointless, the rush of wind would drown out any sound.
The demon smiled with sharpened teeth, his dog head was slightly ill-suited to this gesture, though, so his smile seemed like more of a snarl.
"Bachameth, hundartha chother, namandar hachi bachameth, techido bansa tracha... Yokero nacha trekka, nobumis trak sunter AVARISA!"
The portal was open. The demon grinned and grabbed a large sword, then stepped through into the battle ground that was engrossing the Dark SiDe.
HB dropped even more, and before long saw he had judged it correctly. He was falling right into the middle of the battle ground, and directly beneath him was Chris, about to be attacked by a giant three-headed dog. HB adjusted himself slightly, and saw he was now headed for the giant creature.
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:30:10 GMT
OWA:
Chris rolled and dodged another enormous clawed paw that tried to crush him. He ran around the beasts huge body and tried to fly away, but was tackled back to the ground. He rolled away just in time again.
Chris got up and heard a screeching roar behind him. He dove to the side and turned to see the undead dragon slam into the Cerberus clone. The dragon's bony claws gripped the two heads on the side as they wrestled with each other, their free heads pushed up against each other.
The undead dragon threw Cerberus down and began hacking at its belly with its sharp claws, before being kicked nearly 50 feet away. It got up and the slashed at the charging dog. Though, getting half blind in the left head, it kept charging and pinned the dragon to the floor. Cerberus gripped the dragon with its three heads, one biting on the neck, the other at the middle of the back, and the last at the hips. In one powerful move, it ripped the dragon apart, and left it in its original state, a pile of bones, before turning to Chris.
Chris cursed as he saw his minion, and last chance of defeating Cerberus without magic, destroyed.
Cerberus began walking towards Chris slowly, fangs bared, drool dripping from each head. Chris knew he had to save some of his magic energy, but this was life or death. He aimed his left hand at the beast and began filling it with energy. Bolts of black lightning flew sparked out. Chris was about to unleash it, when he saw something streaking across the sky.
When Chris realized it was going to hit Cerberus, he stopped charging his attack and dove away. He heard an enormous explosion as he was thrown a fair way back. When he turned around and looked to where Cerberus once was, he saw a huge crater, and smoke billowing out from it. He saw the outline of a man through the smoke, and when he came out Chris realized who it was.
HB walked out of the smoke, looking a bit burned, and slightly haggard, but other than that was fine. He walked up to Chris and helped him back up before saying, "You started the party without me!" and jumping straight into the battle.
Chris shook his head, and said,
"Typical HB... Made one hell of an entrance though,"
Then, he too, jumped back into battle.
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:31:07 GMT
HebrewB:
HB jumped into battle after helping Chris up, grinning madly.
"Time to see what I can do with this thing..."
HB gripped his sword tightly and focused as much energy as he could into the blade.
"COME ON!"
He swung the blade at a large red dragon, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes as an explosion of light engulfed them both. When HB opened his eyes, the dragon had been reduced to a smoking skeleton, and the surrounding enemies had been vaporised completely.
"Woah... This is awesome!"
HB focused his energy for another attack.
The demon saw the flash of light in the distance and smiled as the portal closed behind him.
"Great, he's here too. Now, it's time to do what I do best."
The demon cracked his knuckles and his neck, resulting in a crack that could be heard from the other side of the battlefield.
"Woah... Guess i'd been sat there for way too long. Well, it's good to be back."
The demon gripped his sword and laughed as he decapitated three soldiers with one swing of his blade. He spun around and split a mudokai in two.
"Hey, when did these become our enemies?"
The demon held up a hand gesturing the swarm of small girls, all mutilated in some way, despite the fact nobody was there.
"Dam n, i'm used to being in his head... STOP TALKING TO MYSELF! DAMMIT! Oh, whatever... Only I can hear me. SHUT UP!"
The demon grimaced at the argument he was having with himself. It seemed he was accustomed to being inside someone's head and talking to them. With an agitated roar, he cleaved through another mudokai, and gazed out at the ocean of them surrounding him.
"That's one hell of a lot of mudokai..."
Dark SiDe Field Guide, Mudokai:
Name: Mudokai Species: Shapeshifter Age: Most live to about 200 years old. Some have been known to live longer.
Appearance: When not using the form of another creature, they look like the corpse of a young girl. Usually the girl is mutilated, as this is the form of the first thing they kill... Their own mother. When a Mudokai reaches maturity, it will seek out a young girl, innocent of heart, and rape her. When it has planted it's seed, the young Mudokai shall grow inside the girl, and when the time comes for the Mudokai to be born, it will exit through the mouth of the girl, then kill and eat her. The form of this girl after they have been killed and partially eaten, is the form they will take for the rest of their lives, until they find something else to become. Before this happens, they appear as a very large, long-legged black spider with claws on each leg.
Abilities: The Mudokai bite is very poisonous, so avoid being bitten at all costs. It can also take the form of anything it kills, but only its apopearance after death. Finally, it can also gain the abilities of this creature. However, these abilities will be limited by any handicaps of its form after death.
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:31:24 GMT
Queen SD:
The man made his way silently through the forest. He had taken the shape of a minor demon, in order to attract the least attention possible. So far, so good. He was getting close now and he let a twisted but pleased laugh escape his lips. These humans were so easily deceived. He could sense their whole force being fixed on the battlefield and the diversion he had created. All he had to do is mess around with the energy fields surrounding the scene; channel the energy so that it seemed as if his whole being was still there. "Alliance with Baal"; it was quite sad that they had fallen for that. That demon was nothing but a beast, an animal to his eyes; he would never drop to his level and call him his ally. The Queen should have known better; then again, she never did. She had been causing nothing but trouble from the moment she was born. He regretted not finishing her off when she was young and weak, when he had the chance, but soon it would all be over, once and for all.
____________
The hippogriff soared above the clouds, using the sun as his guide. Queen SD had let him lead the way, while she attempted to track the main army; they couldn't be too far away. The clouds beneath them were getting thicker and darker, signifying that a storm would soon break out. It wasn't long before SD was able to sense a large mass of people and creatures move in a slow pace across the fields below. This must be it, the Queen thought, then shouted out, "Dive!" The hippogriff immediately switched the angle of its wings and begun to descend, diving right through the unwelcoming clouds. Samantha held on tight, they were gaining great speed as they went. At first, the grey surrounding them prevented her from seeing much but as they went, it became clear that they were flying over the sea. They're already through the tunnel, the Queen realized.
The great Tunnel of the Dark SiDe. It extended for miles deep beneath the surface of the big blue and led safe to the mainland. It was carefully constructed and even more carefully concealed, so that only the elite Dark SiDers knew how to find it. It was used when someone could not afford to fly out of the island, for his own reasons. The Queen had used it several times as well. Nolana was leading the army through the Tunnel, as it was impossible to teleport them all to the battlefield. Soon enough they would arrive at their destination.
"Think you can get closer to the water?" Samantha asked the creature she was riding. As a response, it flew at once further down, until its claws brushed against the salty waters. "I will have to teleport to them, there's no time to get to the entrance of the Tunnel. When I'm gone, I want you to go back to the battlefield and fight by Chris' side. I don’t want any harm to come to him, you understand? That will be all." Having said that, SD pushed off the hippogriff's back and dove in the sea below. She started swimming downwards, aiming to get as close as possible to her target, so that she would use the least energy possible. When her lungs could no longer take the lack of air, she let the teleportation spell echo in her mind.
____________
Nolana and Liam led the way, the others followed. Their path was illuminated by magic as they went, so there was no need to worry about being engulfed by darkness. They had been walking for a while now and Liam wondered if they would make it on time. "Don't worry", Nolana reassured him, as if she had read his mind, "I have cast a little spell of my own. Time goes by slightly faster for us than on the battlefield. Very subtle but it provides us a few extra hours." The man nodded, but already his thoughts were elsewhere. What about Samantha? I have to give her Evenice, she needs her sword to fight this battle. Where could she be? Again, his question was answered almost immediately. A loud crack, followed by a bright flash of light startled the army, who were quick to draw their weapons and awaited Nolana's word to fire. The elf, however, didn't move and neither did Liam. "Lower your weapons", they both shouted, as they saw a familiar figure approach.
"What did I miss?" it was the Queen's voice that reached their ears. "Samantha!" Liam let out and ran towards her; he couldn't help but hold her in his arms for a bit. "Liam, I'm glad to see you're alright", she smiled. "I believe this belongs to you", he answered and held up Evenice, "Thank you."
Queen SD didn't speak, she didn't need to. She simply reached out, took the sword and put it back to its sheath, where it belonged. Then she turned to Liam again. "Thank me later. This battle is far from over", she looked him in the eyes, trying to hide her worry. "Nolana", then she shouted, "Good luck." There was no reason to say anything else, the Queen waved to her army and disappeared into the shadows.
___________
Time had gone by since they had begun to inspect the ancient carvings, precious time. It was no use, they seemed like random words to Cho. This is impossible. I know every possible version of the elven language and yet I cannot translate this? "Push", "pull", "jump", "destroy", "trapdoor", "slide", "dodge". Those words seemed to appear multiple times in the ancient texts, always in the same order, but the meaning of them was unclear.
"This is a waste of time" the dragon mumbled. Just as he finished his sentence, there was a loud bark from Grey's direction. Estella and Tundra ran to his side at once, while Cho threw a final look to the carvings before him and followed.
"Look at this word", Estella spoke, "it's somehow different from the others." The dragon approached to get a closer look. "Zethur", it read. Estella continued, "not only is it bold, but it is the only time it appears in any of these carvings, it's not mentioned anywhere else." "What does it mean?" Tundra asked, hoping to get some answers. "The word 'zethur' means 'explode'. Or 'delicate', at times, it depends on the context." Estella replied. "So what are we supposed to do? Make this place explode or something? Explode delicately, perhaps?" Tundra sighed, "This isn't much help." "Maybe we have to make a part of the wall explode... Or maybe we have to walk in a delicate way, for it to allow us to leave..." the elf suggested. They pondered for a while but none of the ideas they came up with seemed quite right.
"Hey Tundra, what if what you said before is true? What if we have to combine both meanings of the word? Delicate explosion... Is that even possible?" Estella leaned against the wall. "I don’t know. I think it's a bit far fetched. This word may only be a detail. Shouldn't we look at this text as a whole? Cho, what do you think?" "Detail... detail... detail..." the dragon whispered, then he suddenly shot up, "I'll tell you what I think. I think we're looking at this the wrong way. That we're missing something. A detail..." He shifted his weight and continued, "Estella, what is it you elves always say? The first thing you teach your children?" "What do you mean?" the elf asked confused. "Always pay attention to detail. A little detail is what may make the winner differ from the loser." The dragon moved closer to the word in bold. "It says 'Zethur', not 'zethur'. The first letter is capitalized. What were the origins of the word?" "The stone..." Tundra mumbled, taking both of them by surprise, "I remember my father mentioning something about a stone called Zethur. But he said that there were hardly any left in the world." "The word 'zethur' came from that stone. It is said that if a lifeless object comes in contact with it, it causes a massive explosion. Also, the energy building within it is so great, that is has the power to attract any live beings to its core. If a person is to come in contact with a Zethur, it affects him in such a way, that he ages in just a few seconds. That is why the stone must be handled very delicately." Estella now understood. "Precisely" Cho nodded. "So how exactly does that help us?" "If a Zethur is indeed here, there must be a room where it's held. That is where we're going. Push, pull, jump, destroy, trapdoor, slide, dodge. Those were the instructions given to us, remember them well. For now, we have to find a way to actually get there. Be careful not to get lost, stay close at all costs."
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:32:03 GMT
Tundra:
Tundra walked around in frustration. What was all this about a Zethur? And why did the name seem so familiar to her... Though the corridor was straight, the magic that hung around certain walls made lines seem curvey and things didn't seem...well, there.. Then when you ran your hand along the wall with your eyes shut, you could feel that it was perfectly straight, and almost perfectly smooth.
This place was well protected. Perhaps for good reason. This stone was obviously incredibly powerful..what if it fell into the wrong hands? "Ah!" She cried out, thumping her fist against the dusty wall in frustration. Years of neglect and mircrobes flew into the air; miniature projectiles that glisten in the glittering light. "Wait..sunlight? It's almost completely dark in here!" Tundra squinted around a 'corner', it was a light. "Guys!" She called, but wasn't sure whether Cho and Grey could hear them. "What is it?" Estella whispered. "I...I don't know.." Tundra began walking toward the mysterious yellow light, it was bright and pure, and sent shivers down her spine. What they saw next surprised them.
It was a candle, standing on an old table, burning bright and strong. "Who lit this? Or 'what' lit this?" Tundra laughed. "I think the correct question would be; 'when' was this lit'?" Estella spoke fast and hushed. "What do you mean?"
But before either of them could speak, Cho suddenly appeared from behind "What is it?! Are you alright?!" Grey followed behind him, panting heavily. Cho suddenly stopped and looked at the candle. "Woah, what...??"
The group stood in wonder at the candle, it was almost...enchanting.. It felt warming and..happy. After what had felt like an eternity gazing into the light, a few sharp barks from Grey brought them back to earth.
"What was that?" Estella shivered slightly. "I don't know..but let's get away from it.." Cho grimaced. Grey began to bark up ahead. "Oh god, what now!??!?!" Tundra cried, feeling drained; whether it was Estella's presence or the power of the candle she didn't know..but she felt increasingly tired by the minute.
"What is it Grey?" Cho frowned. Grey was barking at what seemed to be a small plaque on the wall next to it. It was obvioulsy ancient and dirt encrusted the ancient Elven lettering.
Estella frowned and tried to translate.
"F-follow...the..the.." She stuttered..the dirt making it difficult to even see the words.. "follow the blind...all seeing.." "What?!" Cho interrupted. "How can something be blind AND all seeing?" Estella frowned. Annoyed. "Just..Just leave the translation to me.." It was clear that everybody was now tired, drained from the ancient power that dwelt here. "Follow the blind..something all seeing..eye...to find...something way.."
The group raised their eyebrows simultaneously. "A blind all seeing eye? Riiiiight." Tundra sighed heavily. Even Grey seemed disheartened.
"Right!" Cho announced. "We're all shattered, and I know we want to get this sorted as soon as possible, but..perhaps we need a two minute break. We can find this thing when we can barely stay awake." "I agree" Estella piped up. "It might give us time to think about something we might have missed."
_______________________________________
Grey was asleep in Tundra's lap and Cho was dozing slightly, he didn't need as much sleep as a dragon, so he would be almost completely refreshed when he woke up. Tundra could feel Estella resting inside of her..but Tundra couldn't sleep. Something was tugging at her soul. She sighed.
Tundra let her gaze wander, admiring the beauty of the room they were in. Tug tug tug Tundra got up. Tug tug tug Tundra walked back down the corridor... Tug tug tug tug tug
There it was. Just sitting there. That candle.
Tug tug tug tug tug... Estella still slept, unaware where they were.
Tundra held her hand out to touch the flame... "Ouch!" She yelped. It burnt her hand, covering her small bones in patches of blue. "Tundra what are you doing?" Estella yelled from inside her head. The words echoed in her mind, they hurt.. She clutched her head in pain. The room span around her. She couldn't see properly..
Suddenly she was aware of shaking..murmering..voices. Voices? Cho?? Cho!! "CHO!" Tundra spluttered, breathing in the air like a gasping fish. Cho was standing over her, shaking her shoulders. "Oh Cho I'm so sorry.." Tundra hugged Cho with all her might, his soft dragon scales cooling her burnt hands. Cho held her head in his hand and hugged her tightly. "It's okay..it's okay now." "Cho....Cho..look behind you." Estella gasped from Tundra's mouth. Cho spun around.
A statue sat high up in the rafters... "It's an eye." She gasped.
"What? What is it? Where?!? I can't see it?!" He frowned. As did Tundra. "Estella, why can't I see it?" "Because Tundra touched the flame. Most of these labryinth tricks were obviously a simple shield magic..by touching that candle, it must have broken the spell. She can see.."
Cho breathed quietly, "Follow the blind all seeing eye..it's looking over the room..overseeing it all.."
"It shall guide your way.." Estella smiled. Cho grinned too as he went to put his hand over the flame. "To the Zethur.."
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:32:38 GMT
HebrewB:
The demon held his sword in front of himself, smiling grimly.
"This is going to be... Well, a challenge. If any of them transform, anyway. If they stay as girls it's just going to be so much fun! Just like the old days... Except they're already dead. Ah well, can't win them all..."
The demon charged forward, ripping through the mudokai with ease, until he saw one of them change.
"Hmm... What'll it be?"
In mere seconds, the small girl had become a large serpentine creature, with chunks missing all along its length. Its eyes had been ripped out too... A basilisk. The demo whistled appreciatively.
"Nice, but too bad you took the eyes out. I could've been done for! Where's the challenge in avoiding fangs?"
He ran forward, dragging the blade of the sword behind him, then sliced at the giant snake, which moved almost gracefully out of his way, before turning into another demon. This demon stood 8 feet high, with the head of a snake, and the body of a half-man half-wolf creature.
"Ah, demon against demon, eh? Well... You seem to have a thing for snakes, don't you?"
As the demons squared off against each other, the demon sent a mental message to HB.
Hey... Just figured i'd let you know, there's a swarm of Mudokai on their way. You might want to be careful. By the way, I just might tell you my name... I think you deserve it. My name is...
HB listened to the demon as he fought, more and more soldiers lay piled at his feet.
"Bachameth?"
Yes, but tell nobody you know it. I do not wish to be summoned by anyone...
"Fair enough."
As this exchange was happening, Barry found HB's room in the castle. He opened the door with the baby safely nestled in his arms, and laid her down on his bed. He arranged the bedding so she would not fall out, and moved some of the furniture nearby just in case. Before he left, he used some of his limited magic to create a magical bottle of milk, in case the baby should get hungry while the battle raged on.
"Stay safe, little one..."
Barry closed the door, and gazed in wonder as the door sealed itself in front of him. It had a spell cast on it that only allowed people with good intentions inside, and if anybody wished harm to the inhabitant, they would never be able to enter.
"That is quite a nifty trick... I'll have to ask how that's done, later."
Barry slowly made his way back to the battlefield, not eager to battle, but still excited for the war that awaited him.
Sarah was still flying down, throwing occasional fireballs at aerial soldiers. Dragon riders, winged horses, and Released Ordnance Flying Levitators (ROFLs) all fell to her fiery wrath.
(Released Ordnance Flying Levitators AKA ROFLs are flying machines capable of dropping bombs on a battlefield.)
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:33:09 GMT
OWA:
Chris looked around at the pile of limbs, and dozens of headless corpses around him. Humans were getting boring for him to kill.
By some strange stroke of luck, Chris glanced over his shoulder and saw a swarm of strange creatures he had rarely seen in his life, moving towards HB. He also noticed a winged horse, speeding towards HB as well. Chris extended his wings and flapped them to bring him up high enough to grab it by the neck. Chris hauled himself onto it and slit its throat. Chris leapt off it as the horse crashed and slid to a halt by HB.
"Hey, don't take all the fun for yourself," Chris said casually just as a mudokai turned into a tiger and leapt at him.
Chris sidestepped and blocked an axe from a mudokai that had turned into a heavily built warrior, with bite marks all over, and a missing left arm. He pushed it slightly, and it fell over, being quite unbalanced.
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:33:33 GMT
Queen SD:
Evenice had once again come to the Queen’s aide. The black unicorn had always been there when she needed him; something connected them deep down their souls. She owed him her life and he owed her his. She was the only human he would ever allow to touch, let alone ride him. They were heading full speed towards the castle. SD had merged herself with the lunar cloak, her only hope of not being spotted by Sethus as she approached him. She hoped to surprise him and play a few tricks with his mind, before engaging in a full scale combat with him. Deep down she knew that she would never be able to defeat him alone, and the fact that Cho was out of her reach didn’t help either. She was already slightly worn out from the fight at the battlefield, but she was not about to give up. If Sethus were to reach that Crystal of Power before Cho and Tundra did, that would be the end of them all. “Faster boy… faster…” she whispered into the unicorn’s ear, even though she knew he was already giving all the strength he had into running.
_________
The man in the minor demon form was now a bit more relaxed than before. He was still running, but his pace had gotten notably slower. “This is too easy”, he laughed to himself, “soon the Crystal will be mine and I shall be a god and they shall all perish into darkness.” He could not sense any forces nearby, after all, why would he? They were all occupied with the battle, they would never pay attention to the little demon shell he had adopted.
_________
As Cho’s hand touched the flame he flinched. It had only tingled slightly, then when he pulled back, light exploded all over the room. Strange markings appeared on the walls and ceiling, ones that he had not been able to see before. He followed the look of the all Seeing Eye and noticed that it was fixed on a specific stone on the floor. A closer look was enough for them to realize there was a faint pentagram carved on it.
“Hey Estella, check this out. There are elven carvings around it.” Cho whispered, as if he was trying not to disturb a higher force that was resting. “Push, pull, jump, destroy, trapdoor, slide, dodge”, she read out loud, “Same words you mentioned earlier. I think we better memorize them, for our own sake. It also says ‘Be quick’.” “I wonder what that means… Well the first instruction is pretty clear. We have to push to get through to the room where the Zethur is being held. Probably push this very stone down. Shouldn’t be too hard.” With that, Cho brought his leg up and pressed it against the floor. Nothing happened. “Maybe you have to push harder”, Estella suggested. Again Cho pushed his leg against the rock, even kicked it a few times but the results were the same. Dust flew up in the air and made them cough, but the floor and the rest of the room remained intact. “Let me try”, the elf came closer and fell to her knees. With her right hand she gently touched the outline of the stone, then placed her palm on the centre of it and pushed down. They waited for a bit. Disappointed, she tried the same thing with both her hands. They all held their breath as the stone finally moved slightly. Estella pushed again… but it was useless. “We are wasting our time…” Cho let out, getting frustrated. Sethus may be getting closer than you think, he wanted to add, but he decided against it. “Guys…” Tundra’s voice then sounded. Her expression was as if she had just been hit by a sudden realization. “There is a pentagram on the stone, no?” “Yeah, so? It is probably there to mark the way…” Cho answered. “What if it isn’t? What if it yet another detail we must pay attention to?” Tundra spoke fast, she was on to something. “A pentagram symbolizes magic. A spell should be cast…” Estella realized what the woman was suggesting. “Exactly! What is the ancient elven word for ‘push’?” Cho stepped forth and extended his arm, still in his human form. A faint light appeared on this tips of his fingers as he touched the stone. “Cradda” he uttered. The floor remain the same. The man cursed. “What’s wrong this time? Are you going to tell me I got the word wrong?!” he started to lose his patience. “Actually… yes.” Estella held his arm, seeking to calm him down. “The pentagram symbolizes dark magic. ‘Cradda’ is the royal elven word for ‘push’. The witches and warlocks used a different one. Try ‘Krawla’, it should work.” Cho clenched his teeth in annoyance but did as instructed.
“Krawla!” the word echoed in every corner in the room. It seemed to linger in the air for a while, not wanting to disappear. Its power was unquestionable. Cho’s hand, which was rested on the stone begun to glow again, only this time a lot brighter. It was followed by a creaking sound, as the floor around them begun to descend. Both man and woman jumped back, so they would not fall into the darkness below. A few minutes later, before them lay a narrow, spiral staircase.
“Ladies first”, Estella moved towards it. “I don’t think so”, Cho pulled her back and started going down the stairs. The woman followed. Push, pull, jump, destroy, trapdoor, slide, dodge. It had begun.
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:33:57 GMT
Tundra:
The words ran around Tundra's head like little demons. They hurt. Push. The first one was out of the way..good. As the group descended, they could feel the air get colder, and colder, and colder. It was dark, a thick, dense darkness the hugged Tundra's skin tightly as they continued. But it was not comforting. Every now and then, Tundra would reach out her hand to touch Cho's shoulder, it reassured her. Pull What could be down here? More tests? Tundra's heart beat rapidly. The staircase seemed to get narrower and narrower. How long would it go on for? They had been walking for almost half an hour, and there were no signs of it stopping. Push, pull, jump, destroy, trapdoor, slide, dodge.
Tundra shuddered at the last one. Dodge...
She could feel Estella smiling, "It's going to be okay." She said out loud.
They all hoped she was right.
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:34:34 GMT
Queen SD:
The staircase had now gotten so narrow; Cho had to sidestep in order to move without brushing against the dusty old walls. Somewhere along the way he had grabbed hold of Tundra’s hand, to make sure she was safe, and he was now squeezing it hard. He didn’t mean to, he couldn’t help but worry about her. Much to their relief, as they went on, the stairway eventually begun to widen. They could now walk, though with difficulty, next to each other, instead of one by one.
“How long is this going to go on for…” the girl whispered, feeling like the walls around her were going to crush her any minute. “Just a bit-” Cho started to say, but cut his sentence short as he let out a grunt of pain, swore under his breath in some language unknown to Tundra and warned her to stop. “What’s wrong Cho?” Estella spoke from Tundra’s mouth. “I hit my head on the wall.” He replied, rubbing the back of his head with his hand, letting it heal. “Well that was smart of you.” Commented the elf, obviously with a lot of sarcasm. “No, not this wall!” Cho started to explain as the girl looked to her right and left, trying to figure out how he had managed to hit his head there. “The wall right in front of us. The one making this a dead end.”
Tundra stared at him for a second, then on the clearly open path that lay in front of them. “Cho, there is no wall.” “Yes there is, I felt it. Put your hand here.” He gently led the woman’s hand on the surface he had felt and it was, indeed, a stone wall. “But I can clearly see there is no wall!” Tundra shook hear head, trying to figure out how she could feel something that wasn’t really there. “It’s an illusion isn’t it?” she concluded. “Yes it is. It seems as if it goes on forever, but it looks like this is the end of the road.” “So now… we go back?” there was a huge disappointment in her voice. “There must be something else. We didn’t come all the way here for nothing.” This time it was Estella who spoke. They begun to scan the walls and floor, hoping they would fine something to help them, something to give them a clue and lead them to their next move.
Tundra was the one to break the silence. “Hey Cho I think I found something,” she called out to the man. “Where is it? On the floor or on the wall?” he looked around one more time, trying to see what the woman had discovered, but there was nothing. “It’s right here”, she said, holding up her hand. She was holding something and as Cho risked a bit more light, he could finally see what it was. “A rope? You found a rope? What is a rope doing down here anyway?” “Exactly my question. And look, it wasn’t on the floor, it’s still hanging from the ceiling!” At that, both of them tilted their heads upwards. The rope went up and disappeared to the distance, in the dark. “I think we should climb up and see where it leads.” “I’m not sure it’s safe…” Cho mumbled, but then Tundra shot him a ‘and-everything-we-have-done-so-far-is?’ look, so he didn’t say anything more.
Estella let Tundra have full control over the body, so she could climb easier. When her weight, however, pulled against the rope, it simply couldn’t support her and resulted in Tundra tumbling down on her back and the rope falling over her. Immediately it was followed by an earthquake or something like that. The ground shook and the floor beneath their feet seemed to crumble. “You just needed to pull the rope.” Cho shouted, trying to steady himself on the invisible wall. Then the earthquake ceased, just like that. There followed a moment of silence. Cho shut his eyes.
“Tundra…”, he whispered, “I want you to jump… NOW!”
He grabbed her hand and they simultaneously threw themselves in the air, as high as they could. About a thousand deadly darts were fired then aiming at where their feet had just been. It had only lasted for a second, but if they had not jumped, they would have been hit.
The ground was not solid anymore; it was falling apart, so it was not a surprise when it gave in under their feet as they landed on it. Cho created a protection field around them, so the rocks flying everywhere would not hit them, and held Tundra as close to him as possible. It was not a long fall; there was no need for him to take on his dragon form and fly, they managed just as well as humans. His legs felt a bit sore from the fall, but other than that, he was unharmed; and so was Tundra.
Before them lay a poorly illuminated - but illuminated nonetheless – path, which hopefully led to their destination, the Zethur.
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:34:49 GMT
He could see the castle now; the towers were visible behind the wild trees of the forest. It didn’t take long for him to reach the great doors of the main entrance. A few guards, which had been left behind just in case, approached to inspect him; he looked nothing more than a minion to them, but they had to make sure. Neither of them could have expected what happened next. The little demon’s form begun to change, it grew bigger and more complicated, until it had morphed into an entire human being. The guards reached for their weapons but he was too quick for them. In a second he had them all pinned against the castle’s stone wall, with about a dozen knives impaling, yet not killing, them. The last think those unfortunate souls saw, was their attacker pull his hood down, eyeing them with his piercing black eyes, then walking towards them while mumbling something in a demonic language.
When Sethus was done with the guards, he thrust the doors open and walked steadily to the direction of the library. Voices sounded in the background; he quickened his pace – wouldn’t want to waste his time on more of those guards. He didn’t need to halt, his moves were carefully chosen and he knew precisely where he was going; it was all there, just like he had seen in his sister’s mind. The paintings on the walls, the countless chambers, the old-looking, wooden doors, the stone staircase. In the end of it, there lay a door more ancient than any other he had laid his eyes on. Sethus looked around and pulled his hood up, hiding his face from the rest of the world. His hand, wrapped in a thick, black glove, gently touched the handle, investigating if there was a trap set or not; nothing. The cloaked man smiled to himself and prepared to pull the door open.
A sudden clicking sound. Sethus immediately shot around, to find himself face to face with Samantha, pointing a gun at his head.
“Don’t try any sudden moves because my hand may just slip and pull the trigger.” She spoke in the coldest voice she could ever master. The man for a moment looked lost, but then begun to laugh in a mocking tone. “You fool! Bullets won’t harm me!” Sethus spat. “Which is precisely why this gun is filled with poisonous elven darts.” The Queen was satisfied when no answer came from the man. “Now then, we wouldn’t want to stay here on this narrow staircase… Why not go get some fresh air outside?” Sethus didn’t move; SD pushed the gun harder against the back of his head and shouted in his ear.
“Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. MOVE!” and so they headed upstairs.
|
|
|
Post by Queen SD on Apr 14, 2009 19:35:13 GMT
Queen SD:
As a dragon, Cho carried the woman on his back, though Estella was the one to lead the way. Although she had gotten a bit lost previously, the pieces of information in her mind were finally settling, making it a lot easier for her to recall the details of her research on the hidden object, so long ago. "Turn left here, Cho" she called out as they passed by a dark corridor. "Are you sure?" the caution in his voice was clear. "Positive", the elf nodded. Cho shook his head, as if he disagreed with her, but said nothing. It was a good thing too, because if they had decided to go forward, it wouldn’t be long before they fell into a trap and were left to a slow and painful death. The considered producing some light by magic, as they could barely see where they were stepping, but it turned out that there would be no need for it. Not too far away, at the end of the path, was a faint, green glow, which seemed to get brighter as they approached. "What is that?" the mumble had come from Tundra. "I don't know..." Estella replied, "Stay on your guard but keep moving." The light, they discovered as they got closer, was coming from a large, green mass. It was levitating and lazily spinning around its axis, while emitting the glow they were seeing. The size of the stone itself was one of a small elephant, but a layer of jell-like green substance that surrounded it made it look a few feet greater. The Zethur.
The room it was placed in looked like a really old cave, with cracks on the wall and gravel on the ground. There was no form of life present, not even a fly. When they got close enough, they realized that a glass door separated the room from the corridor they were in, looking as good as new. After Cho transformed into a human, he reached for the golden handle, which seemed like it was floating in mid air. "Wait!" Estella cried out. The man turned to face her. "You can't just simply walk in there! We may be missing something." "We have delayed enough, SD needs us and we're stuck in here. I suggest we hurry." "But this is a Zethur we're talking about." "It is a room. With stone. And gravel. What could possibly go wrong?" Before the woman could stop him, he had pushed the handle and opened the door. And they were sucked in.
Something was pulling them with force towards the stone's centre; they barely had time to react. It had tugged them off their feet the moment the door opened and if Tundra had not been fast enough to grab hold of a wooden rail they had not noticed before, she would have been sucked into the Zethur's core. Cho had not been so quick to react, but his ability to change his form into a dragon had saved him. He was able to push himself closer to the wall, using his powerful, silver wings, and away from the green stone. As he reached Tundra, his human form was restored and his fingers locked around the wooden rail. "That was close", he mumbled, with a sheepish look on his face. Estella glared at him through Tundra's eyes, causing the man to look away. "The Zethur has a gravity field. It's the reason we came to find it in the first place. Think before you act Cho." "Well sorry, but I didn’t think a little glass door would make such a big difference." "It wasn't glass. It was a form of a rare crystal, negating the Zethur's effects." "Yes I figured that much out now. Let's just find a way out of here." "There is a trapdoor just there." Estella pointed to the floor a few feet away from them. Buried under the dust and some gravel, they could make out a dark brown square on the ground, with an old, bronze handle on its edge. They hurried over, careful to never let go of the rail. Trapdoor? Cho thought to himself, we are missing something... what happened to "destroy"?
Tundra had reached the trapdoor and was attempting to open it. "Hold my hand!" she suddenly turned to him. "What?" Cho was taken by surprise. "So the Zethur doesn’t suck me in when I reach for the trap door." She explained. "Oh... Yes, sure..." there was a slight disappointment in his voice but he did as asked. Tundra was barely able to stay on her feet, but she made it nonetheless. Soon enough, they were gazing down a pitch black hole. Without a warning, Tundra jumped through. Aaaaand... was left soaring in mid air. She had not fallen; she was simply floating between the room of the Zethur and the darkness of wherever the trap door led. It was as if her body could not decide whether it wanted to stay up or go down. "What is happening?" she cried to Cho, more surprised than scared. "It's the gravity field. You are stuck between the gravity of earth and the Zethur. Quite interesting really. And annoying. Why can't these things ever be easy?" he mumbled to himself the last part, quiet enough for Tundra not to notice. "You must destroy it." Estella spoke to Cho; he nodded. "Destroy what?" Tundra questioned, even if she already knew. "The Zethur" man and woman replied in unison. "The stone won't be destroyed even if you hurl yourself at it – though you'd be burned alive – but let a lifeless object come in contact with it and the Zethur will explode into a million pieces." Cho looked at the stone, then back at Tundra. He grabbed a nearby pebble. "I want you to stay in here. The moment this object hits the Zethur, you will fall down, be prepared. I will follow, right after you."
|
|