Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:16:14 GMT -5
(Fett) NRP: Shut up and get behind me.....Sir.
RP:"It's time," Onizuka said, pushing out of his crouch and to his feet.
The group looked up at him with trepidation, their meal finished and already forgotten. Zeroth and Mithos felt tinges of anxiety, the wings of butterflies brushing against the backs of their throats. The girl's face was blank again, Finch seeming not to care either way what happened, both with their lives and the outcome of the upcoming battle. Something had happened to her, something in her past stripped her bare of her emotions, preventing her from feeling fear just as it did happiness. BioDiesel was good and pissed, and he wanted to take his hammer and pound the hell out of something. And soon he would.
"You really think they'll be on the other side of this gate?"
Green eyes flickering from pale tiger green to normal and back again, Onizuka said, "By now they must be. There's a chance they'll still be in the Fourth level, but it's pretty remote. Honestly, I expected them to come through this gate by now."
"And that's why we camped out here?"
The man nodded. "Now we're fully rested and as prepared as we're going to get.."
"Before we go," BioDiesel said quietly, "We should pray." Onizuka nodded, and Zeroth's hand wandered to the cross at his neck again. They bowed their heads respectfully and allowed the enormous man to continue.
"Dear Lord.. Give us strength in the face of the evil we will face today, help us to put our own weakness and sins behind us. Should we die, watch over our souls, and guide them free of this place and into your care. In your name we pray, Amen."
They echoed his "Amen" in unison, staring at the ground for a moment as what was said sunk in. BioDiesel didn't look back up, slowly taking the rosary from his neck and affixing the beaded necklace to his metal palm, Cross facing outwards, as he'd had it on his last trip through Hell. The crucifix glowed comfortingly, and he imagined he could feel it's warmth through his metal hand. "Let's go."
He rolled the long handle of his hammer in his opposite hand, letting the weapon spin, before he snapped it to a ready position with a light metallic clank. He stepped up to the gate first, his hair blown across his eyes by the steady push of the level's winds. The man took a deep breath, slowly inhaling and exhaling before jumping through the gate and into level beyond.
The enormous man hadn't been sure what to expect, but as he entered the Maledictory Wastelands, he saw the same roiling storm blotted out the sky, although in this level the winds had lessened and the theme seemed to be the endless precipitation. The rain instantly soaked Biodiesel, numbing his skin and matting his shaggy hair down. He blinked into the pouring brackish water, realizing with a certain amount of anxiousness that there was movement everywhere. "Well let's get this started." Hearing his companions splash into the level just behind him, he took charge and sprinted after the first moving form his rangefinder sorted out, and the first strike of his hammer was rewarded with a doglike yelp.
Onizuka squinted into darkness, perturbed by the mass of hell hounds he'd fought through before seeming to ignore the group's arrival. What the-? Those aren't all Hell hounds.. It took him a minute to realize what was going on. The army of Hell hounds was intermingled with Plutus' army of wolves, and both groups were scattered and routed, in places pushing together as a group and others tearing at each other as if they were opposing forces. Plutus hated to fight..the greedy bastard always said warfare was too costly. What would make him bring out his reserve of wolves? The puddles and shallow pools that made up the Maledictory wastelands were no longer empty, they were littered liberally with corpses, sunken into the watery mud, all of which seemed to be either Hell hounds or wolves. I don't like where this is going..
"Mithos, can you fly?"
The Cruxis worked his arm and stretched out his wings. "I'm ready. Won't be pretty flying in weather like this, but I can do it."
"I need you to do some reconnaisance, look for any creatures in this level that aren't canine. Believe it or not, those hounds are the lesser threat right now."
A sour look cross Mithos' face, and he took to the sky, dissappearing quickly into the streaming bands of falling water. Onizuka turned to Zeroth, in slight confusion. "Where'd that girl go to?"
"She followed Bio out in that direction," Zeroth replied, pointing out into the rain.
"Dammit, we shouldn't have split up. You stick with me, we'll try to skirt around these dogs to the other side of the level."
Ankle-deep in pools of blood and freezing water, BioDiesel splashed on to the next animal on his heads-up display. It was another one of those ones with the glowing eyes and ashen fur; they made a bad smell when you split them open. As he heaved the hammer down at the rabid beast, a familiar throwing star lanced out of the darkness and preforated the Hell hound, passing out the other side and looping back to it's owner. Finch was running towards him, her footsteps sending up sprays of black water, a wolf baying at her heels, nearly within distance of biting into her calves.
"Jump!" BioDiesel bellowed, swinging his warhammer around in a low arc towards her. With acrobatic grace Finch leaped over the hammer as if it were a hurdle, the blunt end of the weapon taking the wolf directly in the face. The force of the blow obliterated the creature's muzzle, sending the crushed remains of it's skull past its shoulders and into it's own ribcage. Undead or not, it wouldn't be fighting ever again.
All around them, more wolves and hounds began to encircle their position, claws tearing through the puddles of muddy water towards the huge man and the girl.
"nuts-" BioDiesel spat, bringing his hammer up again.
He felt the girl tug at his arms, and he saw that Finch was tapping her ears and then covering him, not taking her gaze off him until he did the same, pressing, his cold metal hands tightly against his ears. The girl began a soft lullaby, her seldom heard voice echoing in more pitches and tints then seemed possible from even a group of people.
"Hush, child, the night is mild, and slumber smiles upon you..
Sleep child, darkness runs wild, the living world is slipping from you.."
The eerie tone of her voice rose and fell rhythmically, and within seconds all the beasts within earshot of her voice had collapsed into a deep and troubled sleep. In her song the lullaby was neither comforting nor reassuring; in her words Slumber became to the imagination an anthropomorphic night monster that was stealing silently up to the crib, and the hell hounds and wolves twitched violently, trapped in nightmares they wouldn't be waking from of their own volition.
Finch coughed hoarsely and nudged BioDiesel, who seemed a bit unnerved by what he had witnessed. The girl gave him a determined look, and they stepped past the tormented beasts and continued on across the third level.
Before long they worked out an effective combination of attacks, Finch sat atop BioDiesel's shoulders, safe from approaching wolves but still able to fight from her position, sending the metal snowflake to tear the flesh of hounds as they approached. The girl's weight was insignificant to the nine-foot tall and heavily muscled BioDiesel, who dispatched their close range opponents with a blur of his grey warhammer.
After mauling a dozen or so creatures in this manner, Finch slapped at Bio's cheek gently and pointed off into the distance. An enormous flying shape, molten swirling eyes beaming out of the sillouhoutte of a flying creature. It was wounded, and picked its way carefully through the sky and landed in a small nest of bones and a mesh of reeds. The demon visually oozed evil energy, and the cross on Bio's palm ignited like a lantern to shine across his path, directly towards the nest.
"Oh, Hell no."
BioDiesel tightened both hands on the grip of his warhammer, small fiery sparks flying off his rosary. The enormous man plowed through a small pack of hounds, thundering towards Tenia the Vulture Lord of the Maledictory Wastelands with a dark look in his eyes. Finch put her throwing star in her mouth for a moment, drying off her wet hands on her jacket before taking it back out and holding it ready, at the same time clinging to BioDiesel's back, his jarring footsteps sending numbing rainwater all the way up to her.
Across the patch of mud, empty save for a few downed wolves, something flickered in the eyes of the Vulture, and he turned his beak to see an enormous cyborg and the slight girl breaking through the hazy sheet of rain and advancing on him.
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:16:33 GMT -5
(Onizuka) The baying of hounds echoed throughout the Third level of Hell, on occasion ending off in a high pitched yelp or shriek, as the battle carried on across the marshlands in the distance. Onizuka and Zeroth dashed along the outskirts of the war grounds, keeping silent, jumping along the small bars of mud and stands of reeds to avoid splashing through the numbing water. The tiger within Onizuka was bubbling forth, pressing against the front of his mind, a primal need to hunt and kill, if only to silence the nerve-racking calls of beasts in the distance. He kept the feeling in check, however, as he would need his human form to speak, to communicate with Mithos when the Cruxis returned from his scouting. And maybe.. Onizuka thought hopefully, Cynric will still be alive. We could sure use a Gourein's help to subdue whatever the hell's going on down here..
Zeroth kept his attention on the battle in the distance, blinking through the curtains of rain to attempt to discern if any shapes were approaching them. They had yet to meet any foes, although amidst the lightning Zeroth was sure he saw other, different flashes of light. The constant roar of falling rain muted all sounds but the cries of wolves and hounds, and an occasional explosion. The boy followed Onizuka around the various pools and puddles, keeping low and wondering why the man hadn't transformed to his tiger form.
When Onizuka suddenly stopped, the muscles in his back and neck tensing, Zeroth alarmedly ducked, slowly pulling his sword free of it's sheath. The former lord of the Styx, however, turned and looked past Zeroth at Cynric, who was calmly standing on the small patch of mud they'd passed over only moments ago. For a split second Cynric's eyes were dark and analyzing, reminiscent of a glance someone had given Onizuka long, long ago. Then the moment had passed and Cynric was again the friendly teen he'd met, looking genuinely happy to see him.
"Oni! What are you doing back down this far?"
Looking back and forth between the two, Zeroth relaxed slightly, remembering what Oni had told him about Cynric.
The glacial look in Onizuka's eyes didn't seem to perturb Cynric, who continued on in a cordial manner, "Hey man, that box you carried out of Plutus' palace.. Do you still have it? I got to thinking and it could be pretty useful for this thing I have planned, a sorta quest-type thing..."
He trailed off, the darkness in his eyes flickering back, cold and evaluating. "Well then, it's obvious you can see I'm not quite Cynric. I'm curious as to how you saw through me but I suppose it doesn't really matter. You know you can't stand against me, you'd do well to just give me that box."
"Lucipher," Onizuka spat.
A hollow feeling resounded suddenly in Zeroth's gut, and his knees felt weak. Lucipher? The Lucipher, as in Satan himself?! He was suddenly aware of how close the other teen was standing to him, and wished he were somewhere - anywhere else, be it in the heart of the battle across the level or freezing under the snows beside that blasted portal. nuts, talk about your worst case scenarios..
Onizuka had seen Lucipher's eyes upon him once before, at the conclusion of his fight with Kurai, just as he was sure he would die. That same sinister look had crossed Kurai's face, a look capable of anything, not bound by emotion or consequences. It was pure sin, honed and refined after several eternities. Somehow the dark lord had gotten to Cynric, taking advantage of the boy's dormant anger and hatred, as he had once tried to do with Kurai, so long ago. Onizuka remembered he had suprised Kurai by giving her a hug directly after their match, likely startling the fallen angel free of his grip on her being. Nothing so simple will work that way again, Onizuka thought.
"What a sour way to introduce me to your friend here. What's your name, boy?"
Feeling less then inclined to answer, Zeroth slowly backed away, sword ready.
Cynric tossed his head back and laughed jovially, drawing his own katana. "You want to fight, is that what you're trying to say? Maybe you've heard tales of me, and have an inkling of what I'm capable of. I'm at nearly my full power now," He lied easily, seeing that they both believed him fully, "And neither of you will stand to gain from fighting me."
The long-haired teen turned his head towards Onizuka. "We both know I can pry the location of that box from your cold, dead mind. Tell me where it is now, and I'll let your souls free. I'll still kill you of course, because I wouldn't want you to be an annoyance."
Searching out with his new powers, Cynric found Jonash's battered form, fighting amidst the rain in the distance. To me, Cynric mentally commanded.
As he finished, a figure appeared with a blur directly behind Cynric, a kneeled man in blood-soaked samurai armor. Horns stretched above the broken helm, and a single eye peered blankly from beyond it's mask. Without looking, Cynric handed back his katana to the man, who held it respectfully in his gauntlets as if were made of glass.
You'll give them an advantage such as this, dread lord? Is it wise to toy with them?
I never told you to stay out of the fight. That's just an assumption they'll make. You're to stay as close to them as their own shadows, unseen and unheard. When I grow bored, behead them both.
Ashen wings unfurled from Cynric's back as Jonash dissappeared from sight in a burst of speed. Onizuka mentally grimaced, as the situation was spiralling madly from 'bad' to something that summed up by senseless hysterical screaming. I'd had idle thoughts before of what it'd be like to fight Lucipher, but this.. I'm sorry Cynric, wherever you are in there. Had I killed you as I should have when I first met you, your soul still had a fleeting chance of meeting heaven. What a mess.. I guess there's nothing to do but fight and die. I'm sorry to you as well, Zeroth, for bringing you into this..
Black lines of fur were sprouting up across Onizuka's body, and his bone structure rapidly deformed, reshifting as it stretched the muscles oddly across a wider frame. The pants and boots he'd borrowed tore and ripped, falling away from his flesh even as fur swam over it in a wave. Somewhere deep inside of Cynric's mind, something cried out David Banner, I just slashed your tires! But the thought was stifled even as Lucipher mentally groaned at the reference. Under his bemused gaze he saw Onizuka's transformation, becoming an enormous tiger, seven feet tall when standing on all fours. So this is what Evelyn meant when she said he turned into a kitty. Still, he's smaller than Plutus, and even Cerberous. On another day perhaps I would have been impressed, Lucipher thought.
Zeroth's attack was blindingly fast, the teen's swordplay honed after years of practice, but all in all no match for Lucipher. Perhaps two feet from where he'd leapt, the boy was frozen, fully encased in an enormous slab of ice. Cynric's counterattack had been so fast he'd almost caught Jonash in it, the Nephilm general pulling back to invisibly shadow the tiger instead of the boy. Not good, Onizuka thought. His wings blurred for an instant, and Zeroth was frozen solid.. Onizuka spun his shaggy tiger head away from Cynric off to his direct left, his ears flattening and his lips pulling back from his long teeth - just as Cynric appeared, quietly amused that Onizuka's reflexes had been up to his movement. Leaning back in a defensive position, Onizuka struck, batting his razor sharp claws across Cynric's belly. A normal man's guts would have been spilling across the ground, but Cynric sported only three small red lines, as if a household cat had scratched him. Before he had time to register anything else, Onizuka was sent sprawling by a blow from Cynric that had been to fast to see.
Jonash was startled, moving out of the way just as Cynric appeared at the spot where Onizuka would have landed, a vicious grin worn on the boy's face.
The red and black clothed figure within the block of ice twitched violently, coming back to his senses. Cold, a numbing freeze, worse then anything he'd experienced in his life. How can I still be..? What he felt running down his chest wasn't the abrasive ice that firmly locked his body, but water. Burning brightly from the chain of his necklace, his cross had just barely kept him from dying instantly in the sudden freeze. Even now his skin was taking on a twilight blue shade, and he had to fight to keep his eyes from rolling back into his head, the twitching already beyond voluntary control. Gotta..concentrate.. He thought weakly, his eyes flickering with light. Cold..I hate this cold..why won't..it..just..GO AWAY!! his thoughts explosed with the rage of his frustration, and his prison splintered under the force of his telekinetic strain. Falling down amid the sharp blocks of ice, he continued twitching violently and sputtering. Zeroth let his emotions cascade throughout his body, releasing the buried side of him he'd need to survive - his demon side. Fur sprouted across Zeroth's blue-tinged skin, and his anger began manifesting itself in his features, pulling his face into a twisted snarl.
His own forest garb now shredded and forgotten, Zeroth's 1/4 demon origins had allowed him to become a large beast, though considerably smaller then Onizuka, still more effective for battle then his humanity. Zeroth rushed in to assist Onizuka, whose fur was already matted with blood from the successive blows he'd received from an unarmed Cynric. Behind him, amid the splinters of ice that were already sinking into a black puddle, his forgotten cross flickered one last time, before being lost to the bottom of the pool..
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:17:05 GMT -5
(Mithos) Mithos had not had excellent vision in the rainstorm. In fact, within seconds of flying into the air, he lost Onizuka and Zeroth. He flew in circles, searching for anyone he might know. He had heard some fighting of sorts near him, but it was moving now. He looked off to his north, where the latest sound had come from. He was glad to see Bio and Finch, but they were running. Whether it was away from the hell hounds, or they saw someone, he did not know. He was descending when he saw where Bio was running to. A woman, with red hair, stood alone fighting hell hounds. It looked like Bio was about to give her even more trouble than she had now. He turned to look behind him in time to see two hell hounds, or what seemed to be, approaching him now. Luckily, he was far enough up to be out of their reach. He withdrew a dagger from his waist, and threw it, watching it embed itself into the unsuspecting creature’s heart, if it had one. Whether it did, or it didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. It dropped dead seconds later. Mithos began to descend, and looked around him.
Mithos had seen nothing unusual besides the red haired woman that would be the match of Bio and Finch. He scouted once more, still seeing no other signs of life. He no longer could see any living creatures, not even the hell hounds. The rain pounded against his wounded shoulder, and he decided it may be best to conserve energy and walk on the ground, seeing as how nothing organic seemed to be nearby. He walked, frowning. He stumbled across what seemed to be a creature, most likely a hell hound, but it no longer had a skull intact. Something of great force had crushed it to nothing more than the pitiful remains it now was.
“Must’ve been BioDiesel…” Mithos muttered to himself, trying not to be heard. However, he failed at that. Out of the rain appeared a wolf-like creature. Mithos reached for Aenior, which was securely strapped in the sheathe on his back, and drew it quickly. He held it in his right hand, and then charged forward. Before he reached the wolf, it tried to lash out at him and bite and claw him, but Mithos spun to it’s right, and brought the sword’s wrath right through the creature’s upper skull and through it’s ribs, cutting it nearly in two, if it wasn’t for a small portion missed. Quite confident that the creature wouldn’t be fighting even if it were still alive, he began to stumble away.
He began walking towards the way that the hell hounds crushed skull had been hit towards, hoping that that was where Finch and Bio had gone. He needed to find someone at least, already everyone was divided, and he was the only one alone. He wandered in the direction he figured, and sure enough, he began to hear fighting. Mithos did not exactly want to be involved in any battles before his own; especially those that need not require his aid. He once again extended his black wings, and then hovered upward. Soon, he had a slight view of the battle that he had heard.
“So it begins…” Mithos thought to himself. “This will be the battle that may very well shake hell itself. Now, where are my opponents…?” He stood there, watching the battle for many long minutes, until finally he turned and began to float off, in search of any other living beings in this forsaken wasteland. Suddenly, as if in response to his question, a man appeared. Mithos watched the man walk through the rainstorm, and knew no friend of his that looked that way. Perhaps that was his opponent? There was only one way to find out. Mithos tucked his wings in and placing his sword in both hands and in front of him, shot forward toward the man, spinning like a great harthingy.
The spinning elf was descending quicker and quicker on the unsuspecting man. The man looked up, and saw the being spiraling towards him. Kirisma hastily plotted out what to do…
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:17:29 GMT -5
(Kyi\\Finch) Delicately, Finch stood up on Bio’s shoulders, with him still walking, then carefully flipped off, landing silently in front of him. She darted out in front of him, zipping from puddle to puddle, yet making no sounds whatsoever. Just as the tip of her toe was about to touch the black, murky water, she would leap off, leaving a tiny, soundless ripple. Bio pounded behind her, though making no attempt to dart around, but instead continue in a straight line towards the Vulture. Water spat out by Bio's ankles, and quickly caught Tenia's attention. Spreading his wings, the Vulture let out a small cry and zoomed out of it's nest and lunged itself towards Bio, snapping at him with his talons instantly as he came above him.
Finch had now gotten so far ahead, she was basically behind Tenia, although diagonally to the right. As she ran, still silently, she grabbed her star from her mouth and flicked it towards the large bird's feet. As they swung back and forth in the air, scraping the air to try and swipe at Bio, Finch had to control the star herself. Thankfully, her mind could focus on it despite her concentration on running. Unfortunately, she couldn't concentrate on keeping quiet. Her small footsteps were soon heard splattering the water around them. Tenia whipped his head around, his eyes searching to find the creator of the new sounds. Finch rolled and ducked down, forcing herself to ignore the fact she was half-burying herself into bloody, black water. She held her mouth closed tightly, and peeped her eyes above the water, watching her weapon closely. The devilish thing was now circling around Tenia's legs, ankles, feet and all. It had gotten a few nice slits by the talons, drawing the Vulture's attention off of Bio and onto finding Finch, as well as dodging her weapon.
Before Bio could understand what was going on, he had fallen from a harsh strike to his back. Although he was bleeding, it was doubtful that it was fatal. Hopefully, he'd only come close to death, if anything. After stumbling back up to a kneeling position, Bio watched Tenia kick his feet at the weapon, now giving up on finding whoever had made the puddle splashes. Tenia soon hit the metal snowflake sharply with one of his talons, sending it off in a completely different direction.
Finch cursed.
Tenia heard the mutter, and estimated it only being fifty yards away.
Finch pressed herself lower to the ground as she saw Tenia look in her direction. It was a rather pathetic concept, since Tenia was up in the air, and able to see her getting covered in the water. Even though she was half-drowning herself in the water, and though it was terribly unclear, Tenia saw her form buried under the murky liquid. The Vulture was ignoring his small leg-cuts, and lunged toward Finch.
Bio watched, stumbling once again to get up. His black bled slowly, but the pain wasn't enough to stop him. The metal fiber wrapped around his spine had saved him death, and a lot of pain. As he ran, he grunted at a few sparks of pain, but continued on, wishing the damn bird would get lower so he was able to hit him with his warhammer.
Tenia seemed to fly tiredly, but still efficiently so. Finch had bolted up, and began running in the direction her star had went. She was too busy on getting away to call it back yet, but if she was lucky it would return nevertheless her beckoning.
The nine-foot tall metal man was quickly catching up, only because of his determination. He was only a little behind Tenia, and tried calling out to Finch. Reluctantly, Finch ignored him, pressing herself to think of some way to distract the bird. She cursed again, causing Tenia to swoop down at her. She cursed again and again as she was picked up in his talons. She shook as she rose higher into the air, taking notice that the rain had now ceased falling on her as she was sheltered slightly by Tenia's body.
The rain... it was heavy. Bio couldn't hear then, right? Finch took the risk, and began to sing a lullaby of hers, much stronger than the one she had used on the hounds. It echoed, but not far, and the three pitches, and three tones of her voice seemed to resonate with the rain. Tenia's eyes fluttered closed, but fought forcefully to stay open. His wings flapped harshly, until he slowly collapsed onto the ground. Bio, luckily, was far enough behind to not be hit. As the bird fell, Finch flipped out of his now weak grasp, and rose up faster than he fell. She quickly grabbed onto his beak, raising her other hand out instinctively to suddenly catch her star. It didn't come. She cursed, her eyes widening as she looked around. Her plan, perhaps, wouldn't work the way she wished.
With a hard crash, Tenia hit the ground, causing the water around him to splash up. Bio nor Finch minded, considering they were already drenched. Because of the harsh fall, Finch jumped in the air, then came down crashing on Tenia's back, only to roll off into the mud and water.
"Where are you!" Bio cried out, cupping his hands around his mouth. He ran around Tenia, and helped Finch stand. She coughed, sputtering some water out of her mouth. Looking down, she made a disgusted look, then slowly rose her head at Bio. Her face gradually faded back into her blank-expression, but her eyes pierced with what looked like a burning, dark rage. "He's...not going to wake up, is he?" Bio gripped his warhammer tightly, readying himself to give the Vulture a nice pounding to the head. Finch stared blankly--not to be rude, but only because she lacked the answer.
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:18:00 GMT -5
(Thanatos) In the Maledictory Wastelands, the body that was once Cynric paused for a moment in his fight with the newcomers. His eyes closed for a moment, and sent out a telepathic command. "COME TO ME, MY BROTHERS"
* * * *
Thanatos had gone out to collect as many souls as he could after he had woken up. He had been at it for about half an hour, and parts of him regretted taking the time when he knew his allies would very likely need him to stay alive, but honestly, he had to think about what was most important. That was, of course, keeping himself alive. He worked on focusing the Hell Lord senses that had come from Plutus soul and he knew that most of them were still alive, at least for now. Telemichious seemed to have vanished from his senses entirely, and there were new arrivals in the third level. He cursed as he scooped up two more souls and stuffed them quickly into his chain mail. He did not have much time at all.
His head suddenly snapped up. He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly felt the need to be back in the Maledictory Wastelands. Every bit of his senses were suddenly focused on the one soul that stood out in his mind like a burning ember. It seemed to cry "to me", and Thanatos found his will bound to obey. As he took off towards the castle to collect Evelyn, he wondered if it was some kind of spell. The thought was repressed as if by the will of another creature.
Evelyn woke to see the face of Thanatos standing over her, holding her shoulder and shaking her somewhat harshly. He had a distant, far off look in his blue eyes.
"What is it?" she asked a little groggily.
"We must go. The others need us. Every minute counts." Thanatos looked down at her. "I can travel faster. I will meet you there." With that, he suddenly became ethereal, unfurled his wings, and shot through the walls of the palace, making a beeline for Cynric.
Evelyn had no idea what had caused the man's sudden urgency. He had never struck her as much of a team player, and yet suddenly he was concerned more than anything with the well being of the others. She shook her head and stood, moving out of the castle and moving to follow the soul collector. Thanatos had already vanished from the horizon by the time she walked down the castle's stairs.
- Continued in Level 3 -
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:18:19 GMT -5
(Evelyn) Eve was outside the palace yet again. She felt completely refreshed, even more so than the first time she woke up. She thirsted for more will, and without command, the strands of will flowed to her from what souls were left. She didn't want to waste time, but she needed all the power she could get, therefore she started walking through the middle of the souls, towards the Wastelands she had previously retreated from. The many strands came together and flowed to her hair from all directions, causing her blood red hair to whip violently.
She was nearly at capacity when the Wastelands were merely yards from her. She decided to wait, allowing herself become saturated by the power. It didn't take long.
She now didn't bother with walking, as the puncture in her ankle had fully healed sometime during her sleep. Even the burn scar from Thanatos was as healed as a scar could be. Her demonic speed and hell power was enough to attain speeds only somewhat slower than Thanatos' or Jonash's, which was still faster than any mortal or demon could grasp. She was in the wastelands in only few seconds.
~Continued in Wastelands~
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:18:42 GMT -5
(Evelyn) ~Continuation From 4th~
Eve stopped before she ventured too far into the wastelands. There was nothing short of war here. Jonash and Cynric were still alive. Cynric though was different. Eve wasn't sure if she could trust the current incarnation Satan, but Jonash was not fighting him, so he isn't betraying his original alliance. At least, he isn't betraying his allies yet. Thanatos however, was fighting Cynric, along with Onizuka and Zeroth. She knew Oni, but not the other one. This Zeroth will be considered hostile too. Speaking of hostile, two names flared in her mind; Bio Diesel and Finch. They were the first people who met her in this hell, and just like her creator, misjudged her. They would pay by Eve's hand. They were the first, but she decided not to sacrifice her current advantage...She crept through the shadows on the outskirts of this hell, stalking her prey.
They had just downed Tenia somehow, and were standing close. Eve was no where close enough to see, but the hell power granted her all the sight she needed. She climbed a tree and stood perched over the wasteland, much like Tenia had. By now, Cynric knew she was here, and perhaps Thanatos was clear enough of mind to know, but she was hidden from sight and mind of all the rest, including Bio and Finch. She took two throwing pins out, as they were the most silent for flight, but before she could use them, the air was disrupted by a violent thunder, different from the thunder of the storm.
Some distance away, Mithos crashed into the ground. He fully expected to hit Kirimisa, but he only hit an image. Kirimisa had rolled out of the path, but wasn't far enough away to escape battle. Villeria and Haveti were close, but Mithos saw Kirimisa first.
Evelyn and Xandii were now torn. Xandii felt she must help Kirimisa and Haveti, while Evelyn wanted to get Bio Diesel and Finch and help Cynric, Jonash, and Thanatos. However, EveX wasn't the only one to hear the crash: Bio Diesel and Finch were now traveling in that direction too. Eve and Xandii could now both have their way. She lept from the tree and landed with little sound, allowing the storm to cover the rest.
She landed beside Tenia. It was tempting to kill him, to be rid of him, and to have his power, but Eve wasn't corrupt or power-starved. She graspped the bloody ankle and drained him of most of his will. He would be harmless for quite some time.
She stayed away from them, but she was close enough to see what was going on. Her long, black mantle covered her crouched form very well in the darkness. She appeared to be nothing more than a rise in the topography, and in the storm and darkness, couldn't be noticed unless she wanted to be. Vandriel also made her that much more transparent to the minds of others. She didn't want to use stars or pins to do her fighting. Just will. She certainly had enough, but to keep going she would need some supply. This vantage point wasn't good enough...
Eve sat down in a depression of earth that hadn't filled with water yet. She was flush with the ground, and covered almost completely. She was just barely close enough to gather will, and still close enough to see the battles with the aid of her hell power. She was also too far away to hear anything from the two groups.
She consentrated very hard, and used some of her own will to start the flow of will from the weakened opposition. She flowed the will she gathered from the opposition to her allies, which would keep them strong in battle while the others became weaker. She used her own reserve to manipulate the battle in her favor, causing things that were left to fate, to be left to her.
Cynric, or Lucifer as it were, was still battling the three opponents with the help of Jonash. Cynric was having no problems facing the three on his own. Especially due to Jonash and Eve, but something came to his realization shortly after Eve connected his will to her. She rendered Tenia helpless. Instantly, Jonash got the message and fled the battle to retrieve Tenia's power. He unsheathed his sword in transit to Tenia, and sunk the blade into the vulture's back.
(NRP: Eve is giving telekinetic "help" to her teammates by doing things like throwing off the aim of opponents, correcting aim of her allies, increasing the power of a swing, or the strength of a block. However, this power is used sparringly during the battles and it is not execptionally powerful, due to focusing more on keeping the will-channeling up. Also, let me be clear that Eve cannot be seen by anyone without hell power, nor can the strands of will be seen by anyone other than another will-drinker. Only the weakening or strengthing effects can be felt. Lastly, Eve woudn't do something stupid to sacrifice her position or advantage, even if it ment someone getting hurt. Short of dire emergency, she will stay hidden.)
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:19:00 GMT -5
(Typhon) Another moment passed, a moment where Cyn’s form faded from view with the velocity of an angel. A moment when Satan could revel in his freedom. His wings were spread, stretching out cramps oh-so-deeply rooted within. Everything was seen with frightening clarity. The movements of everyone were being played out in his mind as if he were practically watching it.
Then everything returned to usual perception. The rain fell, and his opponents heaved in desperation. Jonash had finally taken the initiative Lucipher had ordered. Kill Tenia. Take ownership of this circle. Their superiority, at least in Hell, would be supreme. And Jonash had finished the defenseless corpse off.
A forced roar interrupted Cyn’s thoughts. A tiger. Also, Zeroth had gotten over the icy hell that was his momentary prison in more ways than just the physical. And Thanatos was showing signs of curious deviance that actually made the Prince of Lies somewhat proud. “Such violent antics we have here. Why, you all look so heroic and are fighting so valiantly that… why, I’m going into a monologue like a super-villain!” The determined hatred in Zeroth and Onizuka’s eyes was astounding, as was the practiced resentment in Thanatos’.
Then the prior two rushed him. The impressive grace of the wildcat continued to demand amazement despite Satan’s refusal to give it. The front claws pounded into the mud where the Beast had been moments ago. Zeroth, in a feral rage, brought his blade into Satan’s path at an alarming rate, and it slammed and cut into his forearms, both up for the block. A shallow cut. The Devil bit into the blade, holding it with his jaws, and got a solid grip on the hand his enemy was using to hold the weapon. Bending slightly, he snapped the sword and spat out the greater part of the blade from his mouth. “I am unarmed, and so you should be.” Then he pondered the words.
As the approaching Thanatos was batted away by a deft blow from one of Satan’s wings, Zeroth’s arm, still clutched by the ever-strengthening king of the demons, exploded into blue flame. As moments ago, his soul had been frozen in the darkest of betrayal, so it now felt the truest pain as fire coursed along his very soul. When the hellfire subsided, his mind was awash with agony. Oni would have interrupted what ensued, but he was clamoring in a mess of hound and wolf corpses as well as Thanatos, who was thrown into the tiger moments earlier. “It’s a shame such pain overwhelms you. I’m causing it, as you are my enemy, and even I weep for you. Such is the fate of the living.” The demon within’ Zeroth was now at the forefront of any coherent thought. A demon. A weakened demon. In Lucipher’s home.
He slowly took the remainder of his weapon and jammed it into the roof of his mouth until it reached his brain. He fell. Zeroth did not move again.
“A pity, he was a strong-willed demon. Luckily, I have an ally who shall benefit from that willpower.” The mental laugh pervaded Eve’s mind, and she only gave stolid agreement back. She still had not decided how to cope with this new presence yet, and caution is the wiser bit of valor.
Onizuka returned his vision to his target and saw what had befallen. And for just a moment, he could see the supernatural visage of Lucipher. For just a moment, he could see that dark shape, the hand of the Beast, guiding Zeroth’s own hand in his mindless suicide. Murder.
And then the thumping. The thumping of large feet, called by Lucipher’s dark influence. The tattered, bloodied remains of the still living Cerberus trampled ever closer at the hinted call of the Lord of Lies. Along for the ride… Kirimisa and Haveti, their reigns being their weapons, jammed into the frantic beast. It was only then that everyone else realized what had happened. Kirimisa’s scythe was through the skull of one of the heads. Haveti’s was through two. They had killed it. It was dead. And thanks to Satan, it was undead.
In the deep recesses of the brain of Cynric’s body, the faint presence of Cyn left a strange mark in Lucipher’s thoughts. Geez, all we need now is long, silver hair, a psycho-pregnant dog mother and a moon crashing into the earth and we’re set.
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:19:23 GMT -5
(Thanatos) Haveti… Kirimisa… They might recognize him, and then all the deception might be for naught. He felt a moment of panic when he felt the two approaching on the back of Cerberus. Then he saw the soul of the beast slip free. Inside, it was as if a little child was jumping for joy.
He grasped the soul before the tiger demon even saw the massive beast and his human riders. Working as quickly as he could and still keeping his efforts hidden from whatever senses the tiger demon might have, he grasped the soul of the beast and forced it into his pockethingych. In another moment as a limp demon fell into the mud, he wrapped Cerberus' evil in what good Zeroth had possessed. He pulled himself up from the soggy earth slowly, shaking his head to clear the water and muddy hair from his vision. In the back of his mind, he was most regretful that his new clothes had been so quickly dirtied. He hoped they would come clean without too much effort.
He screamed as one would expect him to scream when leaping at his most hated enemy, while attacking the one who he knew to be his greatest ally at that moment. In time, perhaps, Lucifer would fall to him, but he wouldn't be so foolish as to attack the Master of Hell in his very lair. Part of him wanted to laugh at that - it seemed to describe exactly what these souls whose trust he was hoping to gain were doing.
Lucifer blocked the sword easily, but the dagger that followed was slightly more successful. It glanced off the great demon's shoulder and sunk a few inches into his wing, sending the two men spiraling downwards. Inches above the ground, like mating eagles, they broke their deadly grip on each other and spun apart to land facing each other. Thanatos was growing tired of landing in the mud so often - it was horrible for his boots.
The tiger leapt over the soul collector, latching on to the arm that had come up to strike him. Lucifer shook him fiercely, but for a second he was preoccupied. Thanatos saw his chance. He lunged forward nearly as fast as he could, slamming into Cynric's midsection and dislodging the tiger's grip on his flesh as the two of them tumbled back and were quickly lost to the tiger's sight in the darkness. A scream from overhead told Oni that he had more immediate problems, and he looked up to see a one-armed alien descending on him, intending to plant his sword in the tiger's flesh. The other boy that had been riding Cerberus was still seated on the creatures' middle head, using his scythe to carve something on the bloody, matted fur right between the blind eyes.
Oni snarled at the creature that had attacked him, showing the glowing white teeth that sat in his massive head. The alien seemed to know no fear as he sized up his opponent. The one armed creature seemed excited more than anything else. He wasn't sure what his odds were against the two of them and the corpse of Cerberus, but they were made a bit better when the friendly voice of Mithos suddenly came from the sky above, "Oni! Looks like you could use a hand."
Cynric threw back the halfhearted attacks of Thanatos again and again. None of their efforts were at full strength, but had anyone outside been watching, they would not have known the difference. Even if he had been fighting at full strength, Thanatos found himself wondering if it would have mattered much.
The men's faces spoke volumes. Thanatos had been honing his skills of deception for hundreds of years, and Lucifer was still the superior actor. Thanatos was aware that he had been under a spell earlier, as Lucifer was aware of his release from it. Neither of the men seemed to care too much at the present. The seeds had been sown - it would be too late to do anything until the harvest.
Lucifer's fist contacted his face, sending him flying head over heels to land facedown in the muck. He stood quickly, sputtering and angry. With every fall, he was loosing a little more hope in his ability to get his coat clean. Lucifer wasn't pulling his punches much, either. With every contact Thanatos felt like a little bit of power was being sucked out of him.
Thanatos stood as quickly as one would expect him to in a real fight and leapt at Cynic again. "Could we please get this over with?" he muttered under his breath, too quietly for any except the sensitive ears of the demon to pick up.
Lucifer threw him back again and nodded slightly. He was ready at last, all but the last of his brothers removed from the unsuspecting soul collector, and their power was like a breath of fresh air amid the dank stagnation of Hell. Lucifer wasn't one to put all his eggs in one basket - the first soul that Captain of the Guard had collected so many years ago was still with him, guiding and controlling as he always had. Thanatos didn't seem to be any more aware of his presence then he had been the day the spirit entered his mind, and too full of the power from Cerberus' soul to notice the loss of the others - yet.
Thanatos inclined his head ever so slightly in response to the question in Lucifer's eyes, and Lucifer responded by lunging at him in a burst of demonic speed. Thanatos put up a semblance of blocking at first, a slight shield that stopped a few of the strikes, but in moments he was being battered mercilessly by the great Lord of the Dark.
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:20:24 GMT -5
(Onizuka) He had to focus. The middle-aged looking man from nowhere was locked in combat with Satan, and he had no time to question the man's intentions or origins.
Cerberous was circling him slowly, heads drooping and bloody fur reeking. He was dead, that was to be sure - but the beast moved on somehow, sloshing through the brackish puddles sluggishly. A man was on the center head, hacking into the flesh to try to end the creature. Or was he? Moments later Mithos swept by in a flash of rainwater and dark feathers, knocking Kirimisa off the creature's head and into the mud.
The three-headed dog seemed not to notice, it was still watching Onizuka with dead, half-lidded eyes. It seemed to pause, as if waiting for something, a command, a gesture, a response, but the tiger was exhausted, and could only face the larger beast with flickering pale green eyes.
A tug, sharp and vicious, and Onizuka felt bloody bile coming up his throat and he stooped to the ground with his front paws and coughed up blood. The tiger-demon he'd possessed for so long was shaken, marionette strings pulled gently by Cynric. Onizuka heaved and rolled his shaggy head towards where the boy was fighting, and Satan grinned at him for a brief moment, before Thanatos again eclipsed the boy's view and the pair were lost behind a sheet of dirty water. Cerberous was closing in, stalking silently up to the tiger while he was distracted.
Onizuka stifled the demon within himself as he'd done before, and although control returned, much of his power fled. He pushed himself off the bank of the murky black pool and half-stood as his spine shifted again, and the bloody fur that had covered his body receded. Not too far.. Onizuka thought. There..that should do it. He flexed his fingers into a fist, his palms still black and his nails long. His face was mostly that of a tiger's, although leaner and with soft, downy fur across his cheeks instead of a full, thick coat. He was hunched over, taller and broader then his fully human form but much smaller then his tiger form. Fur still ran down his neck and across his shoulders, his thick forearms, and some other areas for modesty. Half man, half tiger, Onizuka met Cerberous's dull eyes and began stalking towards him as well.
I need a weapon..
Haveti leapt out from the darkness, pivoting his body around his sword, swinging his one arm in a quick arc, rolling his wrist to flip the blade towards his opponent with more control. In tiger form he would have easily ducked under the strike, but Onizuka was less sure of his hybrid body's abilities, and so he fell back, landing with a splash in a bloody puddle and kicking out with an elongated leg, something almost like a tiger paw on the end. Overbalanced and caught off-guard, Haveti was thrown back, clutching his sword with determination, whereas Onizuka had hoped he would drop it. The half tiger leapt to his feet and advanced on Haveti, realizing all to suddenly that he felt breath on his back. Ugh..
Onizuka spun, flailing his demi-claws again, and all at once the world was full of enormous, ugly faces, splattered blood and grey flesh and dead fur. A symbol of some sort had halfway been hacked into one of the foreheads. With a lingering growl and bile again in the back of his throat, Onizuka hunched over and backpedaled, putting distance between himself and the hideous zombie giant. The beast kept pace, heads sagging and dead muscles tearing step by step into the mud of the Maledictory Wastelands. Nearby he could see Kirimisa and Mithos clashing, throwing their blades against one another in bursts of speed and flashes of sparks. He envied their apparent vitality.
NRP: Not great writing, but it's the best I can manage under the circumstances. Now I have to go redo the scripts for those of you that have new avatars and check all my other boards.
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:20:45 GMT -5
(Jonash) NRP: well it looks like I finally got a chance to read this freaking thread. And all I can say is that I have never seen better writing from most of you. Biodiesel’s picking me out to fight does make sense if he had noticed how strong Jonash became after absorbing that soul. He is the classic protector type. I would like to point out however, that Jonash doesn’t like absorbing souls (probably even more so then Thanatos, because he's not out to become a god, he's just out to take over where God lives.) I only had him do that maneuver so he could lose ALOT of souls and survive up to at least this point. It worked and I thank you all for your patience. So please, in further posting, refrain from using that power with Jonash (it really is too much like God modding after reading the discussion). He is definitely going to have to pay for what he did to himself with Tenia and I will try to express that below.
RP: "So what is your name Cyborg?” The Nephilim asked catching his breath. He hadn't realized why he needed to breath but repressing every urge he had that said "kill!" was occupying most of his brain matter so he paid little mind to other trivial questions. It didn't help either that Jonash truly despised the cybernetic.
"Why do you ask?" the behemoth of a man responded trying not to collapse under the strain of his own weight. The injuries he had sustained from that past 10 minutes of fighting this creature had been more then he had gotten on his entire journey downward since meeting up with Oni.
"I'm tired of saying kill 'him' in my brain. I had much rather say something like 'kill so and so...." he said sarcastically. "Actually, you are a decent warrior and it would be a shame for you to die and me not to know your name. After all, what would I tell my men when I regale them with my stories of war?" Tenia lurched from Jonash's inner workings and stretched out Jonash's sword to strike at Biodiesel. The motion was ridged and wild not at all, what Bio had experienced prior to this point. It missed of course and opened Jonash up for a considerable attack. "Forgive me," the General explained, "I just finished something that didn't agree with me."
But just as Jonash finished his sentence, a firm hard fist planted itself directly to Jonash's jaw. Instantly, Jonash disappeared in a blur. The next moment, a blade was pressed firmly against the cyborg's right temple and an arm was wrapped around Bio’s throat. "You know for a Christian, you’re pretty rude. After all, here I am trying to engage in polite conversation. Waiting until I'm done speaking before you try and kill yourself is the least you could do." This he explained as he fought back the urge to rip into his neck and draw out the beings blood.
"It's Biodiesel and I'm not in the habit of talking with psychopaths so you'll have to forgive me.” He said raising his elbow and plunging it deeply into Jonash's gut, effectively breaking his hold on the man.
As Jonash was about to uppercut Bio into the stratosphere of Hell (is there one?) Tenia’s' battle for control of Jonash took its toll once more, causing a momentary lapse in concentration, where Jonash was force to grab at his head in confusion... this was all that Bio needed. Another punch later, the great Nephilim General was face down in the mud. It was now painfully obvious that he could not continue fighting like this until he dealt with this current debilitating problem. He needed time to get his head straight.
Still facing his head towards the ground he exclaimed, "Biodiesel, this isn't over." With that, Jonash disappeared and headed for the fourth level. According to what he hoped was his master's instructions and not Tenia’s it would be safer there. As Jonash fought for control, getting closer and closer to the gate, Tenia forced Jonash into the ground repeatedly. With the injuries Tenia caused, it was a wonder that Jonash didn’t think his name was Tyler Durden. Crawling on his hands and knees Jonash reached the gateway to the fourth level and kicked off one of the lingering Hellhounds that was attached to his foot in a most unusual manner. To Jonash, this day just kept getting worse, but as soon as he was able to expel Tenia and form the soul into brand new armor, his day would start getting much better.
NRP: Simply put, I cannot post right now. I'm sorry, but at least this will allow others to post.
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:21:10 GMT -5
(Fett) [NRP]: w00t, back to posting. Sorry 'bout killin' you Jonash.
A giant man hunched over tiredly, beads of water sliding down his brow to be blinked away by his dark eyes. He worked his shoulders and grimaced a bit, feeling the knotted chords of the torn muscles in his back tightening. He stupidly tried to reach back and feel the wounds Tenia had given him with his left hand, before numbly pulling his hand back and staring at the greasy metal stump of his wrist. He snorted softly and grunted, stooping down to retrieve his hand from the mud, where he snapped it back into place on his arm. The hand had been slightly deformed by the strength of Jonash's grip, the pinky and ring-fingers nonfunctionaly and the index finger not responding at full capacity. He'd always been interested in using that particular gimmick, but never had an opportunity that wasn't more easily solved by some other means.
Immediately the man began walking, the direction momentarily unimportant. Always keep moving. His instructors had always said. He wondered idly what advice his instructors would have given him in this situation. Hold true to the faith, son. the minister had always said. Though at the time BioDiesel had respected him the least, now the words struck him more deeply then any of the combat drills or field examinations.
In old times when a boy could not discern which of two paths to traverse, he would drop a stick and follow the path it pointed to.
The younger BioDiesel had found that idiotic. That doesn't make any sense. He's fifty-fifty on choosing the wrong path.
You're missing the point, His thick-set tactical instructor had said dryly. In combat you must make a choice and accept the consequences of it. In the battlefield you cannot hesitate, you can't idly sit back and work out which of your many options to act on. Take all the time you can on your decisions for marriage, gambling, and religion, son. But never in combat. Choosing the wrong path will get you killed, I won't lie. But so will not choosing a path, and that way you will die and have not attempted anything.
You told me just last week to always act as if I was in a combat situation, BioDiesel had said flatly.
Well, marriage, gambling, and religion are far more difficult fights then what I'm paid to train you for, His instructor had said with a laugh.
Wise man, BioDiesel remembered grimly. If he'd still had his warhammer he'd have dropped it and followed the path it pointed to, but with a start he realized he had a far better guide. I've always been pushing my faith from my mind when I concentrate on my military training, when I can be using them together. He raised his right hand and held it out, palm facing him so he could see potential reactions. He pivoted on the ball of his foot and turned slowly to his left, where the cross flared up briefly with a small tongue of flame. Looking past his hand, only the same monotonous rainfall and dark puddles stretched across the limits of his rangefinder. He turned past the point and the flame died away, and as he reached a point almost 280 degrees from his original heading, the crucifix flared up brilliantly. He turned his hand another inch in that direction, and the cross glowed a brilliant blue and a burst of electrical energy shot out and into a puddle in that direction with a nerve-curdling crack and hiss of steam. BioDiesel arched an eyebrow and sent a brief glance skyward. The cross trembled in his hand, sparking and glowing with an insistent energy.
"Yes, sir."
A tenth of a mile in that direction, Cynric frowned inwardly. Jonash hadn't finished the large man, instead withdrawing to harness the power of Tenia's soul. While he was annoyed that his command hadn't been carried out, Jonash's poor decision could be...Satan's mind glossed over the word 'forgiven' and chose 'forgotten', instead. He turned his mind back to the facade of a fight with Thanatos, which was beginning to lose his interest. He had to stop himself several times from killing the man, keeping in mind that the being was a useful instrument for carrying out his will, as Jonash was. Still, Cynric kept his strikes close to Thanatos', and then put an extra edge of power into them. There's something familiar about this Thanatos..almost reflective of me..could it be some ability of mimicry I haven't yet knowledge of?
Through the rain a finely honed engine of steel and flesh marched, enormous boots clomping through the black water and thick arms swinging. BioDiesel's face was set in a blank mask of determination, trying to ignore the ghosts of bloodlust that danced in the back of his mind. There was no doubt in his mind that he had been created for a purpose, that God had guided the process of man which had in turn created him, and finding that purpose wasn't difficult. He was cloned, cybernetically enhanced, and trained for destruction. He couldn't help but disagree with the church's ideal of BioDiesel the nurturer, the builder, the peace-bringer. He was a killer.
After escaping his confinement in the Gulf of Mexico, Biodiesel, as most orphans do, saught his roots. The file he'd been given while undergoing training had been heavily censored for his own protection. It had simply referred to the werewolf he'd been cloned from as 'suspect' and used vague terminations such as 'resisting arrest', 'tampering with police evidence'. The reports he found from his research afterwords showed him that 'tampering with police evidence' was the werewolf continuing to maul his dead wife's body after the police arrived and ordered him to lay down with his hands on his head. The words 'Set into a feeding frenzy' had been omitted from the file his instructors had given him. 'Resisting arrest' was the beast charging at the officers and being filled with a spray of bullets from the SWAT team. The werewolf, (his name had been Airk), had woken up in a jail cell, naked and hung over. He was executed later that day by a state-certified specialist, without trial, as lycanthropes commonly were in those days.
I'm not a vicious animal, BioDiesel had told himself. That had led him to think about what had differentiated him from his accountant, loving husband and father host template. The only difference being I've been trained and designed for killing my whole life. His frowned a bit and sped up his march. I'm a killing machine designed by man but led by God, and I will serve my purpose. He thought back to the girl who he'd traveled with recently. He'd wanted her away because he hadn't trusted he could keep her safe in the fight against the winged man in armor. But his other reason was that he didn't want someone he'd come to trust seeing his ugly side. It wasn't something he was proud of, but he'd been having more and more trouble controlling his violence since his first fight with Xandii. He'd given her a chance at first, asking her to turn to God before it was too late. That had been the Christian thing to do. But the Elemeleon girl and then the fallen Angel..
He shook his flaws from his mind and advanced on the figures which came into view in the distance. Both figures had wings, and BioDiesel wondered why there were so many beings who insisted on flying in such bad weather. They were jumping at each other and clashing blades against each other, seemingly locked in epic combat. Which one is the enemy, then? BioDiesel raised his right hand and the the rosary flashed like a beacon, blatantly announcing both his presence and affiliation. Too fast for his rangefinder to register, one of the figures dissappeared and BioDiesel felt a biting pain in the back of his neck. He turned and much to his suprise a long haired young man was behind him in a wide stance, firmly grasping the katana which was now lodged in the back of BioDiesel's neck.
That hurts like a pregnant dog,Biodiesel raged. He spun and slapped the boy with his good hand, arcs of lightning writhing across the teen's face for a second as he came in contact with the rosary. Cynric stepped back, annoyed by the cross but relatively unaffected by the larger man's swing. The katana quivered but it's blade was lodged in the metal cables which wrapped BioDiesel's spinal column. It stuck out from an angle at the back of his neck unnervingly. The enormous man pulled it out with a tug (and a somewhat colorful swear), turning it in his large hand to hold like a dagger.
Cynric crossed his arms unconcernedly. "What are you, the Green Knight? Achilles? It doesn't matter. I'm freakin' Satan. And you're going to die." He glimpsed past the man at Thanatos, who was rapidly advancing on BioDiesel's turned back.
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:21:40 GMT -5
(Mithos) Blood. Much of it. Blood of an allie.
Mithos saw Oni fighting on valiently. While parrying the blows from Kirimisa, he knew that he had to save him. He saw Haveti leap out of the darkness and strike out at him. Mithos knew that it would not take long before a finishing blow was landed.
"I had promised to help them....Even if death shall take me, I shall fight on and save who I can..." Mithos then lashed out at Kirimisa, who was suprised by the sudden strike. Though he defended against it, he stumbled slightly, and flinched. When he looked again, the winged Cruxis had vanished from the ground. He looked up and saw him flying over to where Haveti and Oni were engaged in battle.
Mithos gripped his sword and threw himself downward at Haveti, going to strike him from the back. Before he could strike him, Kirimisa ruined the suprise.
"Look out!" Haveti swung around, and crossed blades with Mithos. Haveti then slightly fell back and charged him. Mithos rolled around him narrowly, only recieving a very slight cut on his arm. With his back to Oni, he spoke.
"Sir, you must leave. It is my duty to help you fend off these enemies, and it would be useless for our leader to be killed. I shall hold them at bay for as long as I can whilst you retreat. I would be honored to lay my life down for you." With that said, he settled into a defensive stance, while Kirimisa moved in from his right, and Hevati from his left.
"If this is to be my death, so be it..."
He turned to face Haveti, the closer of the two. Blocking his first attack, he counterattacked, and luckily slightly caught him on his upper right thigh. Haveti slowly backed off slightly, and Kirimisa drew closer. He knew his time was limited. He knew that as long as Oni was still here, he would have to fend off these two. He knew that he would most likely not survive.
He looked at Kirimisa and Haveti, and thought about going a different route to buy a little more time....
"Why do you fight me...Fight us....Why do you oppose Destiny? What is your reason for taking part in this bloodfest?"
"Hopefully, questioning their motives will give me a little more time.... Please, Lord, if I am to die, let it be in honor and glory....Amen."
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:22:02 GMT -5
(Haveti) Haveti and Kirimisa exchanged a brief glance before lunging in at Mithos. The rune and scar-covered man slid into a low stance, sweeping his scythe towards the Cruxis' legs while the tattoo and scar covered man leapt above to cut off Mithos' aerial retreat, twisting his body along his one arm to swing his brilliantly crafted blade. The evolved elf took to the air as expected above Kirimisa's scythe, and was forced to struggle in midair with a flurry of wing movement as he was caught with the weight of Haveti's blade pressing down upon his own. No novice in martial arts, Kirimisa let go of the scythe momentarily as it was too overextended in it's swing for a quick backstroke, and rushed in on Mithos as the winged man fought for altitude.
As his comrade rushed in and managed to bore Mithos to the ground, Haveti was rolling to a stop from his leap. Losing an arm had unbalanced him severely, and though he was already able to strike with his sword effectively, it would take some time before his jumps and leaps were balanced. He regained his sword and stood even as Kirimisa took a bloody finger and drew a line across a set of complex scars on his chest, completing the rune there. Mithos had drawn his Aenior and was slashing furiously at the man, who seemed to dodge sword-strikes with suprising skill.
"You asked why we would oppose Destiny," Kirimisa called breathlessly, "And who but the damned would oppose their Destiny?"
He rolled under Haveti's blade as it swung towards Mithos, grabbing his scythe and spinning to his feet. Far into the darkness of the falling rain he could see Cerberous' form shrinking into the night as it persued Onizuka. Haveti hoped the three-headed beast wouldn't devour all of the tiger-man, for the stripes which wound about his body were most intriguing. Mithos managed to slam his blade down and knock the sword out of the alien's hands, slicing another furrow across Haveti's flesh. The one-armed man fell back just as Mithos swooped up, but his downward swordstrike was thwarted by Kirimisa's scythe, which flashed between the two with dizzying speed.
Haveti kicks upwards and to his feet, thrusting his sword up and catching Mithos across the leg with a deep diagonal cut. Mithos flew higher and out of reach of the two warriors, wondering if his diving strikes would be particularly effective.
|
|
Jack
Full Member
"I'll live forever, or die trying.."
Posts: 449
|
Post by Jack on Aug 16, 2005 22:22:50 GMT -5
(Mithos) Mithos stared down upon the two enemies for a second, then turned his gaze to the dimishing form of Cerberus (The three headed dog, I'm not sure how it is properly spelled.)
He knew that luring Haveti and Kirimisa away from Onizuka while he fled would help, but now Cerberus was still following.
Perhaps, if I can lure Cerberus over here, I could give Onizuka the time he needs to escape. Also, I may be able to enrage it enough so it would begin to aimlessly attack anything that seems to move...
Mithos looked back down at Haveti and Kirimisa, then sheathed his sword. He turned and stared at the slowly fading Cerberus, and moved his arm up in front of him. Knowing that it would never see it coming, Mithos powered up a small sphere of light merged with fire. The strange sphere hovered in his hand, and Mithos took aim and threw. It barely struck Cerberus, and seemed to have no effect. He watched as it continued walking, the magic not even slowing it. He frowned, knowing that Onizuka would have to deal with that beast, because it seemed to care only about devouring him.
Mithos looked back down at his two opponants, and began pondering his next question to ask them. Mithos, seeing that the two were beginning to get impatient and would soon take off after the tiger-man again, drew his sword once more and slowly began spiraling. He spiraled straight down, aimed right for Haveti's head. Haveti stood there, calmly, but was suprised when he raised his sword and found that the blade Aenior had not crossed with is own blade. He looked to Kirimisa to see that Mithos had somehow managed to sharply turn and strike him instead. Although not what he wanted, Mithos succeeded in catching Kirimisa near the ribs with his sword. It was not a greatly deep cut, but it was across most of his body, and was deep enough for significant blood loss. Mithos turned to face the two again.
"What do you two gain from this? What will you recieve if you defeat Destiny?" Mithos then realized that his leg had been cut more deeply that he had thought. While flying, he didn't notice, but now he was walking, he did. He hovered slightly off the ground, hoping he could avoid use of his leg. Haveti charged at him, seeking to reward Mithos in kind for what he did to Kirimisa. Jumping into the air and swinging his blade, he found it to be caught by Mithos's own. He looked back down to them.
"If you answer my questions with a reasonable reply, perhaps I shall not stall you any longer, and you will be free to hunt down whoever you wish."
If I can buy enough time with this tactic, perhaps I can escape along with Oni...
Mithos was just out of reach of Haveti and Kirimisa. Mithos stared down at both of them, waiting for them to speak. He began pondering what question to ask them next, and hopefully could buy enough time and perhaps slightly injure them without being injured too badly himself.
|
|