Re: Viemera: The Essence of Deceit [Complete]

by **quakernuts** Mon Oct 31, 2011 10:43 pm

It seemed surreal for a moment; Jake falling through the nothingness as he lost sight of his darker self. There was nothing to land on, so there was no fear of heights or death for the moment. Instead, when he wasn't expecting it, something grabbed him and started yanking him back upwards. He recognized the screech as Eri's summon, Arashi. He wanted to thank the creature, or at least give a smart ass comment about being able to fly if someone had given him wings, but the scenery changed for what seemed like the tenth time in an hour. One moment there was nothing, the next the swirling sounds of a desert surrounded him as he was thrown from Arashi's grasp in order to avoid being crushed by the bird. He tumbled through the desert, desperately clinging on to his axe knowing that if he lost it now, it would be his death.

Only moments after landing, he heard Eri's voice, followed by the clash of metal. He looked up to see Eri holding off, but barely, his darker self. She pushed him back, and gave Jake a quick look. "What do you say we end this fight for good?" She gave a half smile. "I've got your back." She stated with a resolution that told Jake it was nothing but the truth. He gave a wicked smile, and stood to his full height.

"Best thing I've heard all day Babe." He said, his cocky swagger returning to him as the tables tipped in his favour. Suddenly his darker self spit on the ground, and leapt an impossible feat into the air, spinning as he did so. He landed more than two hundred yards away, yet Jake could still see him clearly either through the interpretation of the dream world or through Ekaj's doing.

"So...bringing a girl to a man's fight?" Ekaj started, his voice as calm and low as ever, somehow reaching their ears with ease. "Pity, although I was simply going to kill her once I took over anyways, break that fragile little hold you would have left on me."

"I don't know, from what I can see, she held you off with damn near one hand!" Jake yelled back, trying to egg his darker self into attacking. Ekaj gave a deep and sickening laugh as he nearly doubled over from the humour that was unseen from both Eri and Jake.

"My boy, that is hilarious! Her! One hand!" His demeanour instantly changed as he got serious. "I was aiming for you! You are weak minded to think such a pathetic excuse for a summoner could do anything other than annoy me!"

"How about this...you now have to face three of us to your one. How do you like the odds now?!" Jake yelled back at him, to which he only smiled. A quick flash of the hands, and suddenly there were hundreds of Ekaj's facing them. Jake gave a grimace as he tightened his hand on his axe.

"Oh...I like them quite well. Besides, it's not just me you have to worry about." The man that Jake had pushed over the edge of the tower re-appeared with about a town's full of people behind him armed from pitchforks to chain mail to full plate armour. All together, Jake estimated at least two hundred combatants on the other side of the space between them. "Feel like laying down yet Jake?" Ekaj spoke across the distance. Jake gave a shrug.

"You're right, I could take you guys on in my sleep." Jake leaned in closer to Eri. "I'll take the ones on the left." He whispered.

"I got the ones on the right." Eri whispered back to him. Jake just gave a smile as he looked at the army as it started a slow march forward. Ekaj remained on the hill, along with the other man. A slow procession and the swirling sands made the scene seem straight out of a story of heroes. Jake twirled his axe in his hands, and started his slow walk forward, Eri and Arashi beside him. Soon, it was a jog, and it quickly turned into a full sprint as the two sides rushed at each other. Jake gave a quick look to Eri, who looked back and nodded, almost as she read his mind. Before they could get within striking distance, Jake grabbed Eri's arm by the elbow, and launched her spinning towards the army massing towards them.

She hit the group like a whirlwind, taking a few out instantly as he blade tore them to shreds. She landed in a crouch, but before any of them could move to take advantage, Arashi dropped low and delivered a payload of 100% armoured Jake. He hit the ground like a cannonball, dispersing a large circle around them and giving them some breathing room. Jake stood tall, his armour dispersing as he did so, and quickly went back to back with Eri while Arashi flew directly above them. The army rushed them, and as one they fended them off.

Jake bent down and Eri rolled over top of him, slashing one of the villager men that got too close. Without any hesitation, she grabbed Jake's arm and whipped him around while he held out his axe, catching another three in the throat. Arashi dived down, grabbed one of them, and dropped him in front of Jake. As if on cue, he kicked out, sending the man flying in a straight line and taking down numerous men in his path.

Jake and Eri fought back to back for what seemed like an eternity, while Ekaj and Eri's father both stayed on the hill, overlooking the fight. "It appears they make quite the team." Eri's father stated. Ekaj just gave a snort.

"Does it matter? I don't care about the girl, I just want Jake dead."

"Then maybe it's time for us to intervene, while we still have the advantage." Eri's father spoke once again. Ekaj considered for a moment, and shrugged.

"You speak wisdom." Ekaj suddenly held the axe at the father's throat. "This doesn't make us friends, only temporary allies. You're useful to me for as long as Jake lives, nothing more."

"I didn't expect anything less from a parasite." The father replied, drawing his sword as the two of them walked down the hill to enter the battle.

It was only going to get tougher from here on out.

by **Silvan Arrow** Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:41 pm

Everything had happened so quickly. One minute Eri had been chained to the ground as if facing her execution amidst the fires of Hell. The next minute she was standing side by side with Jake, staring down an army of his darker dopplegangers and her father’s ragtag villagers. She had never felt the threat of death so acutely as she did now.

And yet…for the first time in days, she also felt whole. All the emotional pain, the nightmares, and the tears she had experienced because of the man beside her no longer mattered. They had a common purpose now, an understanding forged from the simple fact that, at this moment, they needed each other more than they had needed anyone else in their lives. It gave Eri hope that she hadn’t felt in so long. If they could triumph here in a world created from their darkest desires and fears, surely everything else in the real world could fall into place.

“Best thing I’ve heard all day Babe.” Now that was the old, cocky Jake that Eri had missed. And who knew…maybe the term of endearment had just a hint of emotion?

Eri stood quietly beside Jake, Arashi flanking his other side, while he traded banter back and forth with Ekaj. Then they marched forward, three warriors against hundreds, switching in unison from jogging to sprinting – or flying in Arashi’s case. Eri met Jake’s eyes and gave him a determined nod, already knowing what he had in mind.

The two sides clashed in a flurry of blades and dust. Eri didn’t think but simply reacted, allowing Jake to use her as a projectile while Arashi fought in tandem with the man, dropping his armored form like a bomb while scooping up victims for his axe and boot. Then she felt Jake’s back brush against hers, and the two fought in tandem as if they had done so all their lives. No words passed between them as she used his back as a springboard before launching him at another cluster of foes. Perhaps Raewyn was influencing them from a distance. Maybe Arashi had somehow opened a link between their minds. Whatever it was, Eri didn’t care. Essence flowed and surged between them, his strength and hers, reinforcing and amplifying each other in a tangible harmonic.

Eri and Jake moved in a revolving circle back to back, keeping the pressure on their enemies on all sides. But there were still only two of them, and the throng kept pressing closer. Arashi harried them from above, picking off foes at the edges and dropping them to their deaths, but he couldn’t get close to the middle and risk either the sheer numbers of weapons at close range or accidentally crushing Eri and Jake.

“It’s getting too crowded in here!” Eri shouted, taking one hand off her father’s sword to summon Gale Cleaver.

“You read my mind!” Jake called back, summoning his armor and morphing his hands into giant battle-axes.

Still back to back, they both swung their weapons over their heads and at the ground in unison. Eri’s swords whipped up twin shockwaves of slicing wind that mowed a path through their foes while Jake’s axes carved deep, jagged furrows into the earth that swallowed dozens more. Her boot made contact with his, and, both smirking, they pushed off of each other to launch themselves at the confused mass of enemies.

Eri ducked, parried, blocked, and slashed mindlessly at her foes, her swords twirling about her body in a dizzying, shifting array while Jake charged through the masses with a battle cry, mowing them down with axe and fist. Then Eri’s blade clashed with another, and she looked into her father’s stern gaze, while Jake locked axes with Ekaj.

“How does it feel to cut down the villagers who raised you, child?” Anton deadpanned.

“You’re only postponing the inevitable, Jake,” Ekaj spoke in a low, dark voice. “Both you and your girl.”

“SHUT UP!”
“SHUT UP!”

Eri and Jake both shoved against their opponents and forced them back, but they came back for more. The remaining dopplegangers and villagers formed circles around the two warring parties, turning their bodies into living walls with their weapons at the ready to skewer Jake or Eri if they came too close.

“These feelings are a weakness!” Anton pressed while he dealt stroke after devastating stroke with his sword. Even in her battle-heightened state, Eri could barely keep up with his sheer strength. “Here you are, throwing your life away on a fool’s battle! Do you want to die with him? Is that your idea of a heroic ending?”

“You can’t keep hiding from me forever, Jake! I’ll take control of this body sooner or later,” Ekaj continued while he and Jake traded blows evenly. “I’ll make you watch as you destroy everyone and everything you’ve ever loved!”

“Sorry to report, but I don’t plan on dying here!” Eri growled back. She forced Anton back and swung Gale Cleaver to unleash another shockwave of air. Anton held his sword in front of him defensively to slice through the worst of the impact, but it still bought her some distance and precious seconds. ‘Arashiiiii!’

“Who says I’m running?!” Jake exclaimed. He summoned his armor around the arm holding his axe and drove the blade into the ground again, creating a fissure that threw Ekaj off balance.

Heads up, Jake! Before the Manipulator could look up, Arashi plucked him from the ground yet again and climbed skyward. He deftly tossed Jake up into the air and barrel-rolled to have him land on his back beside Eri.

“Sorry, had to get out of that mess. If they separate us like that again, we’re finished,” Eri stated, though Jake already knew. Plus, it bought them precious seconds to catch their breath.

Ekaj’s voice carried to them easily despite the distance. “You can’t hide from me like that, Jake.” As he spoke, the dome of the sky seemingly pressed down on them from above, defying physics and forcing Arashi downward with a surprised screech.

‘Then let’s take the fight straight to them, Arashi,’ Eri said, widening her mental link so both Jake and Arashi could hear. “Feel like being the cannonball again?” she asked with a smirk.

Jake barked a laugh and summoned his full armor as Arashi went into a dive, the extra weight speeding his descent. Eri dismissed Gale Cleaver and clung to a spike on his back for dear life as he leaped from Arashi’s back and smashed into the middle of the army like a wrecking ball, taking out a dozen from the impact alone and sending many more flying. Eri re-summoned Gale Cleaver and sent out twin shockwaves of air from Jake’s back, slicing through even more of the foes. She took advantage of the confusion to jump down to the ground, and the two charged into the fray yet again.

by **Loki** Tue Nov 01, 2011 10:50 pm

The spear is one of the most basic and ancient of weapons created long before man master metal or stone craft. Comparatively cheap and simple to make, whole armies had been outfitted with them and sent into battle creating an ominous wall of spikes that could stop any charge dead in its tracks. Literally. Yet, those soldiers who claimed to be skilled with a spear by wielding it in such a way hadn't even begun to unlock the weapon's true potential. Compared to the elegantly flowing maneuvers of the trained monk, they were little more than cavemen wielding sharpened sticks.

Tsume didn't allow the effort behind each strike to go to waste as each attack seamlessly flowed into the next. Nor was the haft of the weapon static in his hands as his grip constantly shifted and balanced as if wielding a bo staff, utilizing the cutting edge as effectively as the piercing point. Only those who had insight to such a combat style could be able to adjust to the weapon's reach while not being granted a clear opportunity to get inside his offensive range. T'yang had been one such individual who could find the weaknesses in his flurry of attacks, which kept him on high guard for such an attempt. However, it never came. In fact, Tsume had not seen her react with such hesitation since they first begun sparring all those years ago. Even when they clashed in the leyline she put up more of a fight than she was now.

Even when she did attempt to use her bladed fans, T'yang's parries were sloppy and awkward for somebody who had used them most of her life. She was competent, sure, but he had noticed a subtle difference from her normal style. It lacked the refinement he had always admired in her abilities. Had she gone so mad that it is affecting her ability to fight or is she wanting me to kill her? Tsume had been about to ease up as a suppressed part of his mind clawed its way to the surface in an attempt to show concern for his former lover. That was until the images of his slaughtered friends flashed into the forefront of his mind, steeling his resolve to end the wickedness that had corrupted her to the core.

In a surge of focused determination, Tsume ended it with three precise strikes that were blindingly fast. The first was a upward sweeping hit that knocked aside her blade creating the instant opening he needed. The second utilized the impact of the weapons to instantly reverse the direction of his blade, shifting it forward to bite into her flesh diagonally across her torso eviscerating her. Finally the third ended with a sharp horizontal jerk of his spear that opened the bottom of her stomach completing the shape of an inverted "7" across her body. T'yang dropped her weapons as she clutched desperately at her abdomen, but he had struck most of her vital organs making death a certainty.

Only when she fell flat did the cold mentality of combat melt away leaving him with nothing but guilt and sorrow. Tsume had to use the shaft of his spear as a crutch to keep from falling as his legs felt weak. "Who is the real monster here?" The monk's gaze jerked back towards the woman who begun pulling herself to her knees. Only a sheet of crimson soaking her cut attire provided evidence to the wound that should have disemboweled her. Yet her flesh remained unscathed. "I slay illusions and yet you so callously slay who you genuinely believe to be the long lost love of your life. I ask again, who is the real monster here?"

"You!" Tsume growled, "So this is the dream and what happened in the clearing was reality." The faux T'yang let out a malevolently cheerful laugh as she finally stood on her feet. "It's about time you figured that out."

"So, you're the dreamwalker Raewyn told us about."

"The one and only. But you can call me Maeve."

"Well, Maeve, you made a vital oversight."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

Squaring himself, Tsume put his entire weight behind a direct lunge of his spear that embedded itself square into the illusion's sternum. It wasn't so much his weight as it had been the effort of will he infused it with. This was his mind, his world, and now that he was conscious to the intruder Tsume knew how to deal with such a Saturate. The link went both ways; all it took was somebody well versed in the manipulation of Essence to send something back.

"You underestimated what I am capable of!"

Maeve let out a shrill scream as she felt the steel of the monk's blade impale her. Although the pain was only in her mind, her body entirely unharmed, it was enough to reflexively withdraw a significant portion of her will. She still held the crafting, but her influence over their dreams would be significantly reduced. Of course if she did not restrict the link as she did, the monk's attacks would make short work of her concentration by inflicting even more pain.

"What's wrong?"

The female magi hissed through agonized breaths. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. Are things prepared yet?"

The guard overlooking Maeve in the middle of the leyline muttered something into his radio. A reply came a moment later in a haze of static interference caused by the radiating energy around them. "Just a few minutes longer."

Cursing under her breath, exhaustion clearly showing in her entire frame, Maeve returned her focus to the task at hand.

The dream world all around him warped and writhed as he struck that heavy blow into the dreamwalker's consciousness. T'yang's form shattering into crystalline fragments before ceasing to exist all together. He could feel the magi's presence in his mind waver momentarily before renewing the assault. Rather than attempting something subtle, which would have been pointless now that Tsume was aware, Maeve attempted to overwhelm him through sheer willpower. The shadows in the forest all around him began to congeal into hundreds of individual figures. Each vaguely resembling a human form, though lacking any detail apart from the black contours of their shape. At once they charged from all angles as the monk prepared to defend himself.

by **Digital Muse** Sat Nov 19, 2011 1:26 am

The faces of all the people she'd killed through the years reflected the hatred of T'yang's own heart. She struggled and screamed and kicked, but their hands held her fast. Ropes were brought and bound her to the hastily erected post in the square. The raw fiber cut her flesh cruelly. Fists pummeled her whenever she tried to fight back. T'yang's cheek was crushed, her right eye swelled shut. Someone buried a fist so deeply into her stomach, she couldn't breathe, couldn't fight back at all. She went limp in her bonds coughing with tears streaming from her eyes.

Once again, the soft voice of the old monk could be heard in her ears, drowning out the roar and screams for blood of the crowd around her. "T'yang. You haven't much time. You must let it go. Forgive them. You parents loved you. Tsume loves you still. It is your heart that does this to you. Not theirs." The monk's voice was interrupted by the ominous sounds of wood and kindling being stacked at T'yang's feet.

T'yang's fear and anger shut off the sounds of the monk's plea. She thrashed against the rough grip of the ropes, her dark hair flying across her face. Someone drove a lit torch into the pile of wood at T'yang's feet and the dry kindling caught almost instantly. T'yang's dress flashed up in sparks and the skin of her feet began to blister under the flames. She screamed in pain while those around her step back to watch her die with a grim satisfaction.

Even as the fire grew and began to consume her flesh, the calm, loving voice of the monk came to T'yang. "You are dying, T'yang. You know this world is not real and yet you are dying. Why? You have to live. You know how."

T'yang's voice is too hoarse to scream. Pain from the fire burning her body and charring her flesh off her bones making it impossible to think. The sickening stench of sickly-sweet burnt flesh filtered into the air. "I...don't know...how..." T'yang slumps against the ropes, her world going black.
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"What is happening? She isn't supposed to die!" Brycen growled at Maeve.

Maeve ignored the Mage. Her skin was pale with the effort of controlling the monk and others while Raewyn was becoming more and more of a problem. Maeve's hand fluttered over her stomach where Tsume's metaphysical spear had gutted her. The Essence he poured into her took her breath away. "Hurry!" She gasped out.

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Raewyn's head was splitting in her effort to help her friends escape Maeve's influence. A small part of her worried what would happen even if they were able to do that. What, or who, waited for them on the other side? Where was Loki and her Father? Raewyn turned her head just in time to see Tsume plunge his spear into the chest of Maeve's dream-self's chest. Raewyn's eyes went wide with fear. "Tsume no! You can't kill her!" But, she knew nothing about either Maeve or Tsume's true abilities. She watched in awe as Tsume poured Essence into Maeve's body, shattering her illusion of T'yang.

Raewyn could feel Maeve's fatigue, she knew they were nearing a climax of some sort. Raewyn looked back toward Tsume and then toward Jake, Eri and Tal...."Fight!" She shouted at them all. Raewyn wasn't sure anyone could really hear her. But they had to break the spell Maeve had over them before the rest of the Magi were prepared for whatever it was they were doing. Raewyn's heart hammered in her chest, she was terrified. She still couldn't tell up from down in the odd limbo she found herself in.

It was then that Raewyn realized that she couldn't see or sense T'yang. She sent out her senses and simply couldn't find her. Had...had the Shadow Mage betrayed them after all? Unfortunately, in the limbo Raewyn found herself trapped in, she couldn't see....wait. Darkness, Shadows! Squinting, Raewyn looked for an area that seemed to eat the light more than others. It seemed to take forever, but finally, Raewyn thought she could make out a deeper blackness compared to the darkness around it. She almost tip-toed toward the area she spied. Raewyn kept losing sight of it, however. In the end, she was able to keep finding it by looking for it out of the corner of her eyes. Finally, she arrived at the odd, darker area she'd spotted earlier. She still couldn't feel anything unusual, least of all T'yang. No pain, no anger, no deception, nothin....wait. She could feel something. Raewyn squinted and concentrated. She could feel worry, love, even concern. It was so different from what she felt in the dreams of the others. It piqued her interest.

Reaching out tentatively, Raewyn touched the darkened area and it felt cold and dead. She gasped and snatched her hand back. What was happening? She felt such love and yet the darkness was lifeless and without hope. Gulping just a little, Raewyn took her courage in hand and drove her hands into the 'walls' of the darkness. Tearing a hole into the dream Maeve had trapped T'yang in was a terror. Raewyn saw the burned body of T'yang surrounded by slack-faced, silent people. Shocked, Raewyn raced forward not caring of her own safety. "Get away! Get away from her!"

The crowd parted to allow her through, eerily silent. One by one, they drifted away leaving Raewyn before the pyre which was still burning. T'yang appeared to be alive, but only barely. Raewyn screamed at her, "Wake up! You have to wake up and help! Tsume needs you!"

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T'yang knew she was dying. She knew she'd brought it on herself and it had all started on a light spring day in the beautiful gardens outside the Temple. She could hear the forgiveness emanating from the voice of the old monk. She hated him for it. How dare he?

Slowly, she understood. He found paradise because he did not hate. He did not hate her for what she'd done. She was tortured by her own hand. All the pain and the isolation had been her own fault. All of it. She'd put conditions on her love, not her parents and not Tsume. Tears flowed down T'yang's cheeks. Her knees buckled and her skin sloughed off in flakes of ash. "I understand now. But...it's too late for me." T'yang murmured.

"No child. It is not." She felt a wash of a cool evening breeze at her cheek, as if someone had caressed her. She looked up to see the old monk. She was in the garden with him, her body restored, "Your parents brought you to the Temple for your protection and because they loved you. Tsume took his vow seriously because he is a man of honor. Would you have respected him had he simply thrown it all away for you?"

T'yang hung her head, "No. I would not have..."

"Tsume needs you!"

T'yang's dream shattered at the sound of Raewyn's voice. She looked down at the young goddess and had to admit, she was grateful to see the child. Reaching out a hand, she took Raewyn's, "Show me. It's long past time we took back some of our own."

by **Guilty Carrion** Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:06 pm

“C’mon! Is that all you’ve got?!” The hammer split the earth violently, shattering the liquid shadow like glass. “I can do this all bloody night!” Thick streams of inky black clung to the weapon like blood, but the vagabond ignored it as he strode down the steps into the horde, eyes glinting with something feral. “Bring it!” One of the beasts lunged from his right, its fellows pressing from the left. The hammer swept left, striking indiscriminately into the pressing mass. The right drew close, only to catch a forceful elbow across the head, pushing it to the ground. A stomp crushed its chest, and Tal pivoted roughly to bring his size to bear on the encroaching shadows. For every shadow that fell, two more seemed to take its place, pressing ever harder against his defences.

Despite the foes that swarmed in, his focused remained on the small form sheltered behind his frame, clutching slightly at the fabric of his pants. They weren’t after him. They wanted her. Growling low in his throat, Tal slammed his head down, sending another shadow to the abyss. “Time to move!” Reaching back, he hoisted the girl up by the hem of her shirt, dropping her upon his shoulders. “Up for a piggy back, little miss?” The smile grew wide, ivory eyes scanning for anywhere that she might be safe. In the distance, a hill loomed up from the endless dark, seemingly untouched by the relentless storm around them. Tossing the hammer aside, he broke into a sprint, shouldering the creatures aside as they tried to stop his charge. With every hit, he felt his steam falter, his steps slow as the shadows desperately threw their numbers against him.

“No, no, no, No, NO!” He jumped, stepping up the tide’s bodies as he climbed from the swarm. “Not gonna stop me! Not today!” He skidded to a stop as the black vanished from beneath his feet, the forms falling into liquid black. For the briefest moment, Tal thought it was over. “Is…that it?”

The ink swirled together, stretching high above him into some abomination from a nightmare. Thousands of jaws snapped tirelessly, infinite eyes regarding him with gluttonous fury. “Me and my big mouth…Do you EVER give up?!” Its massive clawed limbs lashed out, and the vagabond sidestepped the first before a flash of inspiration blinked behind his eyes. “Thanks for the ladder, friend!” He darted up the limb with a speed he didn’t know he possessed, ducking and weaving between the snapping jaws and desperate swipes of bladed hands. His hands remained locked around Raewyn’s legs, keeping the young goddess locked in place as he continued his mad climb.

The end came into view, the run growing into a frantic climb up the sheer cliff wall of the shadow’s arm. He didn’t look down, or to the side. There was only up at this point, and with the same manic pace he hadn’t known since his youth, the vagabond climbed. His fingers were raw, his arms bleeding from wounds he wasn’t even aware he had. His legs kicked and fought for purchase, burning with exhaustion. And still he climbed.

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Maeve hissed under her breath, eyes narrowing darkly on the Vagabond’s form. He wasn’t fighting as hard as the others, but he wasn’t breaking. No matter what she threw, no matter the foe, he would just keep coming like a stubborn animal.

Despite the sweat and frustration, she smiled. The man was determined to fight, was he? Very well. They knew him. They knew his weaknesses. And she had just the one.

The Dream Walker had one final ace up her sleeve.
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The top came faster than he thought it would, and he scrambled to the top with reckless abandon, grinning wide at his triumph. As his feet found the ground, the world seemed to shake, shuddering as if something inside had just gone horribly wrong. The air froze in his lungs, the shadow’s beneath his feet vanishing into snow covered dirt, a frigid wind sending shivers down his spine. A thick cloud accompanied every laboured breath, as the vagabond took a cautious step further into the snow. Steep mountains surrounded him, walling off the snow field from the rest of the world, their peaks hidden in the swirling clouds. Any other time, and this would have been one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. Right now, he was more concerned with where the hell he was and how the hell he had gotten there. He glanced back, blinking in confusion when he found Raewyn absent from his shoulders. What in bloody hell was going on here?

“You look like fun. I hope you’ll play with me for a while.”

His heart froze in his chest, as the familiar words echoed off the walls around him. He turned slightly, eyes finding the small form of the Ice Magi smiling up at him. A shard of ice impaled itself in his shoulder a second later, and he crashed to the ground from the force, swearing violently under his breath.

“Uh-oh, the big man fall down!”

He rolled instinctively, dodging another shard by inches. He sat up, the young magi giggling with delight just like she had at the leyline. Tal reached up, tearing the shard from his shoulder without so much as a flinch. “Hey, do you wanna play catch?”

The girl seemed to falter, not expecting of his calm tone, or his sudden willingness to play. A hail of shards formed from the frigid wind, and raced in for the kill, only to stop in mid air. Tal raised slowly, hands raised and eyes pulsing with violet light, watching the girl’s stunned face as he flicked his wrists and sent the shards crashing into the mountains. “How about tag then?” The calm was unsettling, and the girl’s eyes flicked quickly to his wound. “I’ve got to make sure I don’t bleed, right?”

She snarled, a sound too wicked for a child to have ever made. The magi raced forward, small hands extended to call upon his blood and complete what she started at the ley line. Tal moved quicker, his powerful hand grabbing the child by the throat and slamming her into earth beneath him, pinning her with the limb and placing a calming palm on her chest. “Stop.” She kicked and screamed, hail and ice pelting his back relentlessly as he stared her down, unwavering from the barrage. His eyes softened for a moment. “Stop. Please.”

“Never!”

“Then I’m sorry.” He glowed with violet light, and his hand on her chest slowly constricted into a fist. The world shattered, the girl’s eyes going wide with what he knew could only be pain. “It’s over, little one. No more saturates. No more goddess. No more pain. That’s the last of it, I promise.” Accusation burned in her tear filled eyes, and he offered a gentle smile. “I know. I know, but you wouldn’t stop, and I’ve still things to do.”

He straightened slightly, eyes examining the world around him. “And you’re one of them, Dream Walker.” It vanished, leaving him alone in a swirling black, the Ice magi no where to be seen.

“So, you’ve figured it out. You only had to butcher a little girl to do it, congratulations.” Maeve seemed to walk out of the nothingness, a cold smile splayed across her lips. “Never thought you of all people would have the heart to murder, Tal.”

“It’s rude to use someone’s name when they don’t know yours.” He watched her darkly, eyes glinting with barely contained rage.

“Oh, how rude of me. Call me Maeve, vagabond.”

He grinned, extending a hand towards the Dream Walker. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Maeve.” She raised a curious brow, not taking the hand. “Tch. Your mother never taught you any manners, did she?” His hand constricted into a fist, and the room pulsed with the violet light of his gravity. Maeve struggled for a moment, before being forced to her knees.

“You think this will stop me, Tal? You’re a fool if you think I’d actually come to yo-” His fist slammed into her jaw, the shattering of the illusion’s jaw sending ripples through the link.

“I’m not an idiot. But I know you’re watching this, watching me. So let me tell you something, Maeve.” He knelt down, fisting the Illusion’s hair and hoisting it up to look at him. “You made a mistake. A grave mistake. You pushed me.” He leaned in close, ivory eyes locked on the dream walker’s. “You killed my brother. And when I find you…I’ll make this look tame.”

The Illusion’s head buckled in before exploding in a shower of gore. It vanished moments later, and he felt a weight lift from his mind. Light started to filter through the black, and in a moment he knew he was waking. He grinned, cracking his knuckles as the light grew to blinding.

by **quakernuts** Tue Nov 29, 2011 12:03 am

The army had dwindled before them, a veritable machine of destruction and death as Eri, Jake and Arashi proved that they would not die at the hands of something made for the sole reason of deceiving or destroying their very minds. They had been working in unison with such clarity and accuracy, Jake was wondering if Raewyn was indeed influencing their thoughts more than he thought was possible. Every time one swung, the other instinctively ducked, compensated, or added to the attack. It was at that level of impossibility that warriors who trained together for their entire lives would be jealous of.

As Jake crashed into the ground with Eri on his back, he knew that this entire army was a stalling tactic. The dream world was still being manipulated, and more soldiers and doppelgangers could always be made from the infinity of energy Ekaj and Eri's father were drawing from. As Eri finished her attack from his back, and they both started rushing forward, Jake started looking hard for Ekaj. It wasn't long before he finally caught sight of him. Despite the number of copies, he was easily distinguishable as the only one currently not fighting. Ekaj cocked his head to the side as Jake crushed the skull of a villager. "It's funny how it doesn't occur to you." Jake didn't have time to reply as he was constantly fighting just to stay upright. "Do you realize that you're killing again? Do you realize that these people had lives as you snuff it out of existence?" Jake formed a giant fist, grabbed Eri onto his back, and smashed the ground hard enough to force a massive shockwave out and giving them a circle with a diameter of ten feet around them.

"They're not real." Jake replied, his voice calm as the earth fell from his hand and Eri hopped down. The army that had been fighting them stopped, staying at the edge eagerly waiting to get back into the fray despite the numerous losses. "They're just dreams, figments, shadows..."

"Messages." Ekaj replied as Eri's father appeared to stand next to him. "They are messages. You can't see it because the instinct to survive is deeply ingrained into you it makes you blind to it." Ekaj walked forward, the army splitting before him as he did so. Eri's father walked with him. "You think you are starting to understand me." Ekaj walked the edge of the circle around them. Ekaj gave a shrug. "I would say you are, in the very slightest. Do not mistake this as clarity. You have done nothing to comprehend what you think you understand. It is like a poster, written up in a different language. You may look at the picture, and guess as to what the purpose may be, but it may be something entirely different to what the message actually is."

Ekaj stopped facing Jake, while Eri's father stood on the other side facing Eri. Arashi was flying above, no doubt waiting for an opportunity.

"This is the man you have feelings for?" Eri's father asked with condensation in his voice. "Look at him! Look at what he carries! That...parasite is nothing but an excuse to do what he deeply desires! To kill! To destroy! To utterly annihilate anything in his path! You want to love something like that?!" Something inside Jake clicked, and instead of rushing up to kill the man for his insults and utter disregard for his being, he holstered his axe and wandered up to him.

"You going to kill me now Jake?! Isn't that what you're good at?!" Jake gave a smile, and laughed loudly.

"You know, for an apparition...you're an asshole. You're also something that can be controlled by our minds." Jake replied as he flexed his hand.

"All you're doing, is proving me right Mr. Tyier." Anton sneered at Jake, who simply replied with his cocky smirk.

"You're not dead yet." Jake said as green pulses of essence flowed through his arms. Ekaj noticed it, and for once his eyes actually widened in surprise. He thought he had hidden the sudden drop in power that had inflicted him, but it hadn't gone unnoticed.

"You will not-" Ekaj started as he and the entire army rushed forward to stop him, but it was too late. Jake went into a crouch, and punched his hand into the sand, burying it up to his wrist, and closed his eyes as the entire setting changed.

Sand turned to dirt and grass, the open sky turning into a forest canopy, the heat turning into a relaxing shade. Everything changed on Jake's whim as the army caught itself suddenly being shot up into the sky by trees suddenly sprouting from the ground. Eri was left untouched as the transformation took hold and completed it's cycle. Anton still stood in front of Jake, still struggling to retain his balance as the earthquake shook him to the core. He took out his sword, and looked down at Jake with the eyes of a madman. He swung his sword only for it to meet the steel of Eri's own blade as she delivered a kick to his abdomen and sent him sprawling to the dirt.

The army had been either dispersed or destroyed. Thick trees filled the area with no discernable clearing for them to fight in. It was an even playing field as Jake opened his eyes and revealed them to be glowing completely white. His form started to take a bluish glow as he stood slowly, blue strands of air whipped around him much like the shadows of Ekaj, but in a more tranquil way. Eri looked back for a second, her face full of confusion as she struggled to understand what just happened.

"Oooooh, look who's all glowy." Ekaj stated as Anton climbed back to his feet. Jake simply looked down at himself.

"It feels weird." Jake stated, noticing his voice was resonating slightly. "Woah...do I have an echo?! This is awesome!" Jake stated as he smiled with joy. "I was trying to aim for some more power from my own mind...but I never thought I would glow blue!"

"It's not more power you idiot." Ekaj stated, showing his exasperation through his posture. "It's the same amount of power shown through in a physical representation of your mental image. Why do you think I'm surrounded by shadows?"

"Cause you're a sadistic asshole." Jake stated as he prepared his axe again. Ekaj just gave a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"You know, sometimes it feels like all I have to do is give you a knife and you'll kill yourself for me. But enough, Anton! Kill your daughter!"

Jake turned around just as Anton lunged out with his sword towards Eri, who deflected the blow and was immediately assisted by Arashi as he pestered the swordsman. Eri must have got her training from him, for he deftly parried and blocked blows with practiced precision that indicated years of experience. When Jake looked back, his face met Ekaj's fist which sent him flying quite literally, through a tree.

The giant construct of nature fell, creating a thunder-like boom as it contacted with the ground. "I may have been weakened Jake, but I am far from fragile!" Ekaj yelled as he jumped over the tree, and was tackled back over it by a flying blue ball of fury. They flew right past Eri and Arashi fighting, who were pushing Anton back bit by bit. Jake and Ekaj landed roughly, tumbling over the ground for a good twenty feet before the two of them skidded to a halt on their feet a small distance apart. They both rushed towards each other, and as they swung each move was predicted by both sides as counter attacks to counter attacks became the norm.

Jake would swing only for Ekaj to dodge and launch an uppercut, only for Jake to step back and launch his shoulder, only for Ekaj to side step and swipe at his back as he charged past, and so on. Jake glanced back every so often just to double check that Eri was doing alright. For the most part, she was winning, so he refocused his attention to Ekaj. His darker self sneered, the shadows seeming to grow with more intensity as he continued to hack and slash at Jake. Jake's swirls of bluish air did the same thing, until there was almost a tornado like event happening around the two of them. The blue and black tendrils fought each other in a way that could only be classified as chaotic.

Sparks flew as their axes connected, deflected blows would cut down entire trees as the forest sounded like it was in its own personal thunderstorm. Unarmed hits that connected would send one or the other flying only for the attacker to rush after the other and get tackled or punched right back as if the previous hit had done nothing. Suddenly Jake found himself back to back with Eri once more, and without exchanging words switched targets. Eri started fighting Ekaj, while Jake started fighting Anton. Despite the man's lack of strength when compared to Jake, he handled himself quite well as he parried the blows rather than block them directly.

"You are different." Anton stated as he dodged and parried every blow, forcing him back step after step with each effort. Jake kicked the man back, gaining them some free room from each other.

"Well what was your first clue." Jake said as he walked forward. Anton held his sword at the ready, but continued talking.

"Words can't describe a feeling. However, you and your parasite are same in one way." Anton pointed back at Eri, and Jake finally glanced over at her. She was struggling as Ekaj grabbed Arashi and threw him to the ground, and smashed right through Eri's block. "You both get people killed." He stated. Without hesitation, Jake launched himself backwards, threw Eri out of the way, and felt something hit his chest. He looked down, a black axe imbedded where his rib cage should have been. Blood started pouring out of it at a steady rate, but Ekaj didn't bother with anything other than to kick the axe free. Jake was still standing, but it was almost like he was paralyzed. His limbs refused to cooperate save for keeping him upright. Ekaj gave a mighty yell as he swung his axe at Jake's neck. He could hear Eri scream, and suddenly everything went black.

by **Silvan Arrow** Wed Dec 21, 2011 2:54 pm

From their point of view above the battlefield, Eri could see that she and Jake had put a major dent in the army of dopplegangers and villagers. Even so, they were still outnumbered and had to deal with Ekaj and Anton. As they rushed forward again, Eri stuck close to Jake’s side so their enemies couldn’t separate them to pick them off individually. She sensed instinctively that Jake was looking for Ekaj to try and finish this fight for good. She didn’t see her father in the chaos, so she covered Jake’s advance by fending off the other lesser foes that charged them while Arashi harried them from above.

Ekaj’s voice pierced the sounds of battle, eerily calm and unusually loud despite the chaos around them. “Do you realize that you’re killing again? Do you realize that these people had lives as you snuff it out of existence?” Eri barely suppressed a surprised yelp as Jake formed a giant earthen fist and snatched her onto his back before slamming the ground to give them some breathing room. When the dust cleared, the remnants of the army stood in a circle around them while Eri leaped back to the ground and stood beside Jake while Arashi covered them from above.

Jake and Ekaj exchanged more words, but Eri paid them little attention. Now her father stood before her, and she regarded him with a furious glare as he spoke with nothing but disdain. "This is the man you have feelings for? Look at him! Look at what he carries! That...parasite is nothing but an excuse to do what he deeply desires! To kill! To destroy! To utterly annihilate anything in his path! You want to love something like that?!"

Eri growled under her breath as her grip tightened on her swords. “You know nothing about him…or me!” she snarled. Before she could rush Anton in a suicidal madness, Jake stalked forward, but not to attack him. Essence pulsed around his arms and felt…different than anything Eri had sensed.

‘Arashi…what’s going on?’

Before the Summon could answer, Jake plunged his fist into the ground, and the world tilted upside down. Arashi screeched in alarm and landed behind Eri to cover her protectively with his wings as the arid desert transformed into a lush forest. She stood dumbfounded with shock, watching trees sprout from the ground and skewer or scatter the remnants of the army. ‘How is this possible? Jake’s somehow taken control of the dream world!’

Which must mean… Arashi began.

‘…Maeve’s power is weakening,’ Eri finished his thought. ‘That means we have a chance!’

A flicker of movement caught Eri’s eye as Anton regained his footing and leaped for Jake, who was still prone and kneeling on the ground. Eri channeled her wind Essence to her feet to give her a boost of speed to come between them. She parried Anton’s blow and used the momentum to spin and dig her heel into his gut, sending him sprawling to the ground. “I’m the one you’re fighting, Dad,” she sneered the last word like a curse.

She sensed shock emanating from Arashi. Eri…look… Her eyes widened as she turned and saw Jake standing before her, his eyes glowing completely white and an aura of blue Essence tendrils wafting tranquilly around his imposing form, a stark contrast to black shadows whipping around Ekaj. But she didn’t have time to stop and stare. Anton lunged for her again, and immediately she was lost in the deadly dance of block, parry, and strike.

Memories came back to her as she fought this illusion of her father. Only now in the heat of battle, when his fighting style was exactly as she remembered, did Eri’s body start to believe that he really was her father, despite what her mind and heart knew. Their blades flew and danced through patterns that were as familiar to her as breathing, and it was this familiarity that allowed Eri to gain an advantage. Maeve could only draw from Eri’s memories to fuel the illusion. She couldn’t replicate Anton’s ability to improvise. And so Eri slowly but surely started to gain the upper hand, pushing him back inch by inch.

Despite her advantage, Eri fought tooth and nail for every inch. She had never been able to best her father during her training, so the fact that they were evenly matched now was a miracle in itself. Eri would block a blow to the head and use the momentum to spin around and aim for Anton’s torso, only for the man to deftly sidestep and strike back with his own counterattack. Anton carefully retreated while blocking and looking for weak points in Eri’s defenses, while Eri kept up the offense and Arashi pestered him from above to try and keep him off-balance.

“How long do you intend to keep up with this stalemate, my daughter?” Anton taunted. “Even if you defeat me, the outcome will not change. Your friends will come to ruin, and Jake will die to his parasite.”

Eri snarled in frustration, allowing her anger to add power to her blows. She had been fighting with one sword, but she quickly freed her left hand and summoned Gale Cleaver to knock him off-balance by duel-wielding. “You’re wrong. We will not die here!” Just like Jake, Eri and Arashi started to glow, except with a purple aura instead of blue. Arashi’s aura was a softer, more tranquil glow as he hovered protectively above his mistress, while the Essence whipped in angry tendrils around Eri’s form, mirroring the intensity of her emotions.

“I see…so you want to play that game now,” Anton stated calmly, as if Eri’s fresh surge of power were as normal as reading the paper. Shadows as grey as twilight materialized around Anton, and both warriors leaped back into the fray while Arashi shrieked and dive-bombed him from above. Anton dodged Arashi’s deadly talons and swiped at the eagle with his sword, forcing him to frantically backwing. Eri was a second behind him and put the pressure on Anton to keep him occupied. Each blow of their swords created a harmonic, increasing in strength and brutality while their auras battled and interwove in an elegant, refined dance that belied its deadly intent.

Eri had almost forgotten about Jake’s equally intense battle until she found herself back to back with him again. Their auras, purple and blue, intertwined briefly, borrowing from each other’s strength. By wordless consent, they switched targets. Eri could hear Jake’s axe raining down blow after powerful blow on Anton’s sword, but now her eyes were only for the parasite before her that leered at her with a cocky sneer. Ekaj rolled to the side as Arashi dive-bombed him from behind, and Eri took the opportunity to charge in with a swipe intended for his head. Ekaj had Jake’s same lightning-fast reflexes, so he easily dodged and retaliated with a blow from his axe.

“How does it feel, girl?” Ekaj taunted as Eri grunted from the sheer power of his axe striking her sword. “Being trapped in this world? Taking up your sword against your own father? Fighting against a person you claim to love?” Each question was punctuated with a devastating blow from his axe that forced Eri to continue retreating. Even after fighting Jake and his heightened Essence aura, each of Ekaj’s blows was twice as powerful as Anton’s. Eri had to dismiss Gale Cleaver so she could use her sword with both hands to fend off each blow and not go flying backwards into the nearest tree. His black, shadowy aura felt like poison. It permeated and darkened the purple tendrils surrounding Eri and slowly started to sap her strength like a leech.

‘Arashi…we don’t have much time. We need to act now!’ She sensed Arashi’s consent and renewed determination as he circled above and locked onto his target, drawing from their combined Essence reserves.

“This world…isn’t real!” Eri ground out between her clenched teeth. Drawing on strength she didn’t have, she shoved against Ekaj’s axe and delivered a swift kick to his abdomen, forcing him back a few feet. She re-summoned Gale Cleaver to her left hand.

“That’s NOT my father!” She swung both swords, sending out twin shockwaves of slicing wind. Ekaj hunkered down and crossed his arms over his head to shield from the blows.

“AND YOU’RE NOT THE MAN I LOVE!!!!” Arashi screeched and dived straight down head first for Ekaj, blades of slicing wind dancing around his body. The impact created an intense tornado of wind, dust, and shadows. Eri took advantage of the confusion to charge forward with both swords raised and a battle cry to finish off whatever was left of Ekaj…if he had even survived.

A figure exploded from the settling dust and locked his axe against Eri’s blades. She gasped in horror as she looked into Ekaj’s furious eyes. His body was cut, battered, and bloody but still fighting. “Foolish girl. No one can kill me. Not even Jake.” Arashi burst from the dust cloud, his talons outstretched, but Ekaj merely shoved Eri aside and grabbed Arashi by the talons, throwing him to the ground and splintering a tree in half. He turned back to Eri and smashed through her two-sword block as if it were nothing, leaving her chest exposed. “Now die.” He raised his axe.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Instead of feeling the cold bite of sharpened steel, Eri found herself shoved to the side so roughly that she nearly landed on her backside. Jake stood in her place, and a slightly bewildered look crossed his face as he took notice of the black axe embedded in his chest.

‘Oh Goddess no…’ Eri couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. She could only stare in mute horror as blood, very real and red blood, poured from the wound.

‘No no no…’ Jake’s limbs went slack, unable to move as Ekaj raised his axe again.

He swung for Jake’s neck.

“JAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!!!!!!!”

Suddenly the world went black, and Eri’s eyes flew open to the real world as she continued to scream Jake’s name.

-----------

Maeve fell backwards and collapsed to the ground, her body covered in a cold sweat and trembling from exertion. She had ever expected this group of misfits to tax her power to this level. Spots danced before her eyes as she fought for consciousness. "I've done...all I can. The rest...is up to you..."

by **Loki** Tue Dec 27, 2011 10:40 pm

As the horde of shadows rushed in, Tsume searched within his mind for the presence he hadn’t realized was absent until after discovering Maeve’s trickery. There he found the obstruction the dreamwalker placed upon the link between him and his summon and indignantly tore it away with an effort of will. It was a relief to feel Alco’s presence once more and he immediately bestowed tangibility to that consciousness as the griffin came into pseudo-existence in his dream. “Are you okay, Alco?” The monk asked, unsure of the effects from having their vital link choked off may have had upon him. I’m fine now, just a little beyond irritated from that woman’s incessant gloating.

A smug grin spread across Tsume’s lips as he took a battle stance at Alco’s flank facing in the opposite direction. “Clearly she underestimated you. Then again, I doubt she is aware of how you get once you get to cut loose.” A basso rumble reverberated from the griffin’s maw as he looked intently at the rapidly approaching foes. Does this mean I have permission to remove all restrictions?

“Do what needs to be done. We need to get our friends out of this and the only way to do that is by going through Maeve.”

Tsume had braced himself for the momentary feeling of disorientation as Alco utilized the forbidden technique that only the upper echelon of Temple summoners can accomplish with relative safety. While it is true that it is Essence that gives summons tangibility, it is memories and experiences that gives them power. That is why the meditative technique to regenerate a fallen summon involves the manipulation of lost memories to restore them to their full potential. This new technique bypasses the natural mental barriers that were in place to separate the two personalities that resided within the same mind. By doing so, the summon has access to a vastly deeper well of life experiences to draw upon for power. Of course there is a reason summoners have those restrictors in place and nothing in this world comes without a price. By allowing both minds to merge into a single consciousness, the two begin to lose a sense of self the longer the technique is used as they become drawn to the insanity of their primeval fervor. Best case scenario, the summoner is left with only the rare moment of spontaneous confusion that will afflict them throughout their life. The worst and eventual scenario that will afflict all regular users of this technique renders the Saturate with crippling dementia that saps them of all mental cognizance. It is for this reason the Temple classifies this as a forbidden technique only to be used in dire situations where the Goddess is in significant danger of death or corruption.

Such as the one they were likely in.

Alco's change wasn't limited to size alone. Every minute feature upon the griffin shown the vast power it was now able to draw upon. Sinews of thick muscle became more pronounced, rending talons grew in all dimensions while their edge became more keen, his maw grew more stout and powerful, and his eyes adopted a crimson hue that became the very definition of predatory intelligence. To any who looked upon Alco's new form would have trouble recognizing him from his former self. Though nowhere near as prominent, Tsume underwent a few subtle changes of his own as his eyes and posture became more feral and savage while still maintaining a sense of disciplined competence. Even his spear assumed a more savage version of itself that more closely resembled a naginata than a traditional spear. The charging horde had the advantage of numbers, momentum, reckless abandon for their own survival, and bolstered by the power of a Saturate within a leyline. They never stood a chance.

Acting as one, Tsume and Alco drew into the depths of their earth manipulation and conjured a monstrous wave of rock and soil that moved with all the same fluidity of water that radiated in all directions around the pair. The first several dozen ranks of the shadowy figures were swept up by the earthen construct, trapped within the rolling earth as it crested with an overwhelming roar of a massive landslide. Reaching its peak, the radiant wave curled then crashed down with a thunderous boom that shook the dreamscape. Those figures that were at the fringes found various portions of their bodies trapped within compacted earth while those who had been caught in the micro tsunami were nowhere to be seen, presumably swallowed whole by the land itself.

Whether to take tactical advantage of the turmoil or simply impatient bloodlust, the two charged in opposite directions waiting just long enough for the earthen wave to crash before attacking. Alco's razor sharp talons, powered by slabs of lean muscle rend through the shadow warriors as though they were made of tissue. Each swipe followed through a whole swath of opponents like a scythe through wheat with similar results. Meanwhile Tsume's assault was beautiful in its primal elegance as he practically danced through his enemies the way his movements flowed seamlessly allowing the long slashing blade of his spear to pass through his enemies as though he had simply been cutting through open air. Each wound that was inflicted upon the dark figures was backed by a minor effort of will that would be felt by the dreamwalker. Distanced as she was from Tsume's consciousness, each individual attack upon her consciousness amounted to little more than a mosquito bite. Despite their attempts to overwhelm them by sheer numbers, the shadow warriors could never achieve a solid foothold in their own assault against the pair who howled out in savage glee as they dispatched their foes scores at a time. No individual's fortitude was hearty enough to sustain that sort of mental anguish for long periods of time.

Maeve's body wrenched as she let out a shrill scream in agony as her mind was assaulted by what felt like a whole hive of angry hornets stinging every pain receptor in her skull at once.

Some part of Tsume and Alco's combined consciousness registered that the dreamscape around them was beginning to falter. Still, they did not yield. They didn't want to stop, they couldn't stop. Even as Maeve's presence retreated to an insignificant thread they continued their fervor despite the fact the that shadow figures stood immobile as their mistress severed the link to them. The monk and summon paid no mind to the dissolving fantasy world, too focused upon destroying the motionless figures that still littered the area in loose groups. That was until he felt something tugging at his mind; nothing violent or painful, but invasive nonetheless. The pair instantly began sweeping their gazes around for the dreamwalker or anything else that would be trying to attack their combined psyche.

It had been Tsume who had focused upon the figure that was different from the rest of the featureless forms. With a feral snarl, he took the first step that would carry him into a charge but faltered as a voice in their mind told him 'no'. Again he tried to attack the lean figure, but once more he fell short just a few steps in as that same voice kept uttering that word. It made no sense to them, just a noise that lacked meaning. And yet they could not simply ignore it as he felt the pressure upon their mind grow more firm while still remaining gentle. Gradually they were able to register the sounds his target was making, words that begun to remind them of something.

"Tsume ----- ------"

Tsume...
Tsume...

That word held meaning to them, but he couldn't remember why. That thing was confusing, the noises she was making were odd. Why did it not attack? Why could he not attack? And what was that odd feeling in their mind?!

"Tsume, can't you --------- me? It's me, T'yang."

"T'yang..."
"T'yang..."

They spoke this word cautiously, slowly, as if pronouncing it for the first time. Yet another word that held meaning, but they could not quite recall from where. It was as though the idea was on the tip of his tongue, but just barely out of his reach. Both Alco and Tsume's postures eased slightly as they tried to make sense of those noises. The woman before him was beginning to look familiar, but from where? Had they fought before? Yes, they felt sure that he had fought her before. That made her their enemy, right? No? Wait...

What's going on?
What's going on?

All the sudden he felt a something begin to give way in their mind, a sort of unnatural pulling sensation that caused them to clutch their heads not so much in pain but out of how wrong it felt. Dropping to his knees they howled out in protest.

OUT! GET OUT OF OUR HEAD!
OUT! GET OUT OF OUR--

Tsume blinked several times. He felt... different... as though something was missing... Looking up, he recognize T'yang before him with a very concerned look on her face. "T'yang? What happened? Where am I?" Before she could answer, the dreamworld shattered casting them into darkness.

As Tsume regained consciousness, he found himself struggling to hold onto his thoughts. Just as he had a grasp onto a coherent idea it would slip away. It was disorienting, but still he focused on restoring order to his mind. After several moments he became aware tangible features that were around him. The hard, unforgiving surface he lay upon for example. A concrete floor most likely. An instant after that realization he became aware of an equally uncomfortable cold and unyielding presence around both wrists. Shackles, likely anchored to a concrete floor. When the monk finally did open his eyes, his vision took several moments to sort out shapes from the colors. Once he finally was able to perceive the world around him, he was once again able to put thoughts together. Their unconscious bodies had been moved into the depths of the refinery while they fought the dreamwalker. One of the Essence storage bays from the looks of the vertically standing cylinders, though he wasn’t familiar enough with refinery schematics to be sure. Looking to his left, he recognized the others evenly spaced nearby equally bound with heavy chain shackles interlaid with some sort of cables. They too were beginning to stir and take stock of their surroundings. At their front stood a handful of armed guardsmen, a few familiar Magi, and the powerful looking summon now wielding a very large sword next to an elegantly dressed man whose posture suggested absolute authority. He was either the man in charge of the site’s operation or Udonis himself.

Propping himself upon his arm, he looked to his right and felt a sense of importance about the figure he saw. Once his sluggish mind registered why he let out a brief gasp of surprise. Loki lay there in a fetal position, abnormally pale and seemingly unconscious. Apart from the fading bruising that must have been inflicted upon him back in the leyline, the only fresh injuries Tsume could identify was the raw flesh at his wrists along where the manacles were secured. The gentle rise and fall of his chest told him that the boy was still alive at least. “Loki.” Tsume whispered lightly hoping to get some sort of response, but to no avail. “Loki!” He tried again, a little louder than before only to achieve the same non-results.

”As promised, the young lad is alive and unharmed.” Said the elegantly dressed man in a casual, almost bored tone.

“Unharmed?!” Tsume said in dissent, groggily pulling himself to his feet. “I hardly consider pale and unconscious to be a sign of good health!”

”He’s simply exhausted. You see, unlike the rest of you who must intentionally conjure up your powers, his manifests itself naturally. Go ahead, try and summon your spear monk.”

Shooting the man a skeptical glance, Tsume hesitated for a few seconds before attempting to bring his weapon into existence. The moment he begun to gather the Essence within his body to do so, he felt it violently torn out of him and bringing about a similar feeling of fatigue he experienced when Alco’s physical body was destroyed. The resulting lightheadedness subsided after a few moments and he found himself thankful for not trying to call upon Alco instead.

A smug grin spread across the man’s lips. ”Those lovely accessories around your wrists are connected to the refinery’s Essence intake. In laymen’s terms, the storage systems will steal away whatever energy you offer it. Unfortunately for that young lad, whatever Essence he has will always be readily offered to those batteries. I must say, he’s contributed a very generous amount of energy over the past few days, but we were kind enough to shut off his manacles once he lost consciousness so that we didn’t inadvertently kill him. After all, I had a promise to uphold.”

An amused chuckle bubbled out of his throat before he continued. ”All of this shop talk made me forget my manners. I am Lord Alucard Octavian Udonis, but you may simply refer to me as Lord Udonis. I must apologize to have kept you waiting so long before meeting face to face, but I’ve been quite busy as of late. There is no need to introduce yourselves seeing as how I’m already well acquainted with whom you are.”

by **quakernuts** Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:31 am

Jake woke up slowly from whatever world he had been in before the cold reality slapped him hard enough to open his eyes. For some reason, the dream state that he had been placed in was a blur. He knew he had been fighting, and he knew he had to have been out for some time, but the small details and large picture were missing from his memory. Looking around slowly at everyone else, it seemed they at least remembered what they went through. Judging by how they were acting, he considered this a small blessing as he went to stand up. He noticed some shackles on his wrist as he got to one knee. Looking around, he saw that they were all tied down to the floor in the same fashion. He tugged at them slightly, getting a good feel for them. Quickly, he wrapped his hands around the chain, and tugged as hard as he could. Almost the instant he did so he felt all of his strength leave him and he collapsed to the ground breathing heavily.

It was only when he looked up did he see that others were in the room aside from themselves. A few guards, a summon, and some pompous ass who needed to get his face broken from Jake's fist. Slowly, Jake stood to his full height and took a quick look at his surroundings. The others were all tied down in the same fashion as he was, and he could tell simply by the distance that they would be unable to touch each other. Jake was still looking around at everything when Tsume started talking to the man himself. It was only then that Jake became aware of a prone little boy sleeping on the floor. He was alive, if looking somewhat battered. The arrogant one standing amidst the guards addressed himself as the one and only Lord Udonis. At least they had a face to put to the name now, made it easier to hunt this man down once they were free. A little conversation between Tsume and Udonis later, and Jake still found himself thinking about different ways that he could manage to get himself out of this. There had to be a way, and if they were siphoning their essence away as they used it, then their powers would be useless up to the point where they got the cuffs off.

As Udonis said the last part of him knowing exactly who they were, Jake looked at him. He walked forward slowly until the tug of the chains let him know that he couldn't go any farther. A couple of the guards turned towards him, but didn't raise their weapons. They knew he couldn't reach them with the cuffs on. "Lord Udonis." Jake said, grabbing the man's attention. "That is a nice large summon you got going there." The man blinked once at Jake before returning to ignoring him. Jake continued. "Soooo...I wonder how much it's going to hurt when I rip out it's throat with my bare hands."

"I'd imagine quite a bit considering you'll have that blade buried to the hilt in your abdomen in order for you to do so." Udonis retorted, not even giving Jake a sideways glance. His voice was so neutral Jake wondered if the man was even human. Jake simply gave the man a shrug in response.

"Man can't take a compliment, can't take an insult..." Jake motioned towards his wrists with the cuffs on. "And is paranoid as hell." The man continued to ignore him. His self righteous attitude was more annoying than the pompous arrogance that his posture was giving off. Jake stood there awkwardly, looking around at nothing in particular. He kept rocking back on his heels regularly, and finally gave a small sigh. "So you gonna take these things off so we can fight, or am I going to have to break free?"

"I wouldn't put it past you to gnaw your own arms off to do so, but then you'd hardly be much of a fight." Another man spoke this time, and Jake looked over. His eyes narrowed as he remembered the man who lashed out with his tongue. Marinik if he was correct, the Saturate who had attacked them the first time and had been royally sent flying by Loki. Jake gave a small laugh.

"I remember you! You're the guy that got his ass kicked by Loki! How was the landing? Painful I hope." Marinik simply gave a sneer.

"Now were you the first, second, or third pissant I thoroughly trounced before that lucky break? You all went down so easily it was hard to keep track."

"Which makes it all the more satisfying to see you get your ass handed to you by a kid." Jake smiled, ignoring the insult all together. Marinik didn't bother with a glance this time.

"I suppose you have to take your minor victories where you can find them. Since they are so far and few between." Jake stepped forward as much as his chains would allow him, grinning at the man who so confidently believed he could beat him.

"When this is all and done, and your boss stops being a pussy and hiding behind chains, guards, summons, and little children hostages, it won't matter the amount of victories you managed to get yourself. You'll be dead." Marinik let out a laugh at Jake, and finally turned to address him.

"Why am I not surprised you are the sort who is unable to see the individual pieces for the big picture it is? I'm going to thoroughly enjoy the look on your face in a few moments." Jake leaned forward, the chains pulling taught as he extended them forward even now.

"Oh but I do see the big picture." Jake said, giving a devilish grin at the man. "And when it falls apart, watching as your...pathetic attempts at what I can only guess at fall through, I'm going to stand here and smile. Take pride while you can airboy, cause so long as I live, your life is forfeit." Marinik did not respond, and Jake knew he was simply ignoring him now. He stepped back slightly, releasing the tension from the chains on his wrist. He didn't know what was going to happen next, but he was going to be prepared. He wrapped his hands around the chains in a pre-emptive move, and waited.

He would be prepared, no matter what happened.

by **Digital Muse** Thu Dec 29, 2011 5:31 pm

**With Collab help from Loki**

Raewyn raced through the dark Dreamscape Maeve created. It wasn't as strong as it had been at first, she could feel the areas where it was crumbling and falling apart. She lead T'yang to Tsume's dream. He and Alco were in a frenzy of bloodlust. Maeve's shadow creatures were being mowed down even though they no longer were fighting back. Since Maeve's doppelganger was nowhere to be seen, Raewyn assumed she'd fled.

Raewyn watched as Tsume and Alco attacked together as if in a deadly, coordinated dance. It was at once awe-inspiring and terrifying. T'yang called to Tsume with obvious relief to see him unharmed. But, he didn't react to her voice at all. She called to him again, a little more forcefully this time and this time, he paused to look toward her. His breath was ragged from the pure joy of combat.

Raewyn felt his heart rate racing, it never had been like that before. He was always solidly calm and controlled. Had something happened to him? She closed her eyes, trusting to T'yang to protect her if necessary. She did her best to calm herself so she might send that to both Tsume and Alco. She knew almost instinctively that their link had changed in a fundamental way.

Tsume took a step toward T'yang, preparing to attack. T'yang drew her war fans to defend herself. But, before he could attack, Raewyn quietly told him "No." He hesitated and frowned. Raewyn was relieved that he seemed to have heard her. Tsume shook off the suggestion and charged forward once more, only to be stopped by another gentle, "No."

Tsume stared at T'yang trying to fathom what she was saying. It gave Raewyn the chance to press more deeply into the Monk's closed mind. Shockingly, Alco was there too. More than the link that Eri and Arashi shared. Tsume and his Summon were truely joined. Raewyn pressed, prying into Tsume's mind with gentle insistence.

The monk suddenly clutched his head and dropped to his knees in pain. Raewyn and T'yang traded a look of worry before the Dreamscape shattered around them into darkness.

Her head hurt and she was very cold. Raewyn tried to roll over so she might reach for her blanket, but found she couldn't. An unpleasant clanking sound preceded her reach being stopped dead. She tugged a few more times before she opened her eyes to the chilling scene of the dark room from the photograph of her father. Raewyn lifted her head and saw that all of her friends similarly chained to the floor. And there was Loki! Her heart leapt in her chest at how pale he looked. She looked toward the doorway to see the Magi and an elegantly dressed man who identified himself as Lord Udonis.

She listened to Tsume verbally fence with the man and winced when he was drained of Essence when he tried to summon his spear. That was why Loki was so pale? Had he tried to fight them all this time?

Jake's rage was not unexpected, but for the most part, Udonis took little notice of him. Unfortunately, Jake too tried to use his ability and was felled when his Essence was stolen from him.

"Where is my Poppa?" Raewyn suddenly burst out. "What have you done to him?"

In response to her question, Udonis smirked before calling out to somebody who was hiding behind the cronies. "Come now, aren't you at least going to greet your daughter?" Her father stepped into plain view, looking rather nervous and guilty but lacking any restraints.

"Rayne, you disappoint me. The least you could do is show her your real appearance." Reluctantly, the figure that assumed your father's guise reverted into a rather plain looking man. There was nothing really extraodinary about his appearance, but nor was he unappealing.

In a small voice, Rayne greeted her, "H-Hello... Raewyn..."

Raewyn merely stared at the shape changer. "It was you in the photograph?" She looked back to Udonis, "But the blood? Maeve said it was from my Father. If you've hurt him..."

Udonis gloated. "Confused? I admit, it was a long shot back when the idea was devised. It is widely regarded that a Goddess can only be derived from parents where at least one of them is a Saturate. It was a sort of an insurance policy to skew the odds in our favor even if only slightly. The temple would naturally keep an eye on children who come from Saturate households, but wouldn't cast a second glance at the mundane populous.

Udonis pressed a hand to Rayne's shoulder in an almost fatherly gesture. "Figuring it could only assist us in our goal, Rayne here sired a fair number of offspring by assuming the appearance of the woman's husband or lover. From there we just waited to see if things paid off or we would simply have to act without that added advantage under our belt. Fortune smiled in our favor, even if one monk managed to get lucky and find himself in the right place to inconvenience matters."

At first the implication of what Udonis was saying simply didn't register with the Goddess. Rayne couldn't be her Father...he couldn't have been there all her life." It was at that thought that the true implication slammed into her. He had...had... Raewyn wretched, nearly vomiting at the thought of her mother being violated and all without her knowledge. Her rage , her will, her world all simply shut down. Raewyn lay her head back down on the cold hard floor and felt nothing.

by **Guilty Carrion** Thu Dec 29, 2011 7:03 pm

Tal sat up with a start, rising almost immediately to his feet as he quickly snapped his gaze about the room. The others were near by, and he started towards the collapsed form of Loki, only for his arms to jerk and forced him to a stop. He glanced down at his wrists, frowning at the shackles he found there. He tugged at it experimentally, but there was no way he was going to get those off without some outside help or essence. As Tsume and Jake felt the crushing effects of their special cuffs, Tal’s frown deepened. Scratch the essence.

He lumbered closer to their captors, pushing the chains as far as he could, but still far from reaching the first of the guards. A few of them turned to watch him closer, and the vagabond flexed his hands experimentally as he eyed the closest one. The back and forth went over his head, as he paced about, trying to figure a way out of this situation. Of course when Raewyn spoke, it grabbed his attention, and he stepped back a bit to look at the young goddess.

The man that emerged was the one from the picture, he remembered. But…why wasn’t he restrained? The shape changer shifted, and Udonis, with a sense of pride, explained the ‘brilliance’ of their gamble. Raewyn collapsed in shock, and the summoner saw red. His chains snapped taught, arms jerked painfully behind his back as he strained and ripped at the bindings with the fury of a caged animal.

“YOU FUCKING ANIMAL!” He snarled, eyes blazing as he tried to get at the cowardly shapes just out of reach. “PIECES OF SHIT! I’LL FUCKING RIP YOU APART!” Two of the guards took a cautious step closer, as Udonis casually watched the furious man struggle in vain against his binds. “RAPIST! I’M GOING TO FUCKING END YOU! BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY FOR EVERY WOMAN YOU DEFILED!”

Udonis seemed more amused than anything, not even bothering to address the vagabond. Tal roared, calling on his essence as his body flashed a brief violet, before the shackles surged to life and the energy was ripped out of him. He collapsed to his knees, panting heavily but still burning holes in Rayne’s head. “Calm yourself, drunkard. We do what we must.”

“Shut…your…fucking…mouth.” He hissed, not even bothering to look at the self claimed ‘Lord’. “Second I get out of these chains, whore, I’m going to end you.” His teeth ground together, hauling himself back to his feet. “And it’s going to be slow. That’s a god-damn promise.” He turned sharply, spitting at the man’s feet before stalking back towards the others, focusing his eyes on the crumpled form of Raewyn. “A promise.”

by **Silvan Arrow** Tue Jan 03, 2012 1:27 am

The first sound Eri registered upon awakening was her screaming Jake’s name in horror as the axe plunged into his neck. But then that moment of confusion between dreaming and awakening passed, and her eyes opened to a cold, dark room. She lay on a concrete floor with shackles around her wrists. She felt a momentary burst of panic upon feeling the shackles, fearing she were still in her dream world as her father’s prisoner. But then Eri picked up the silhouettes of her friends also chained to the floor and returning to consciousness.

That’s when she remembered.

‘Jake!’ Eri thought frantically. She sat up too fast, triggering a wave of vertigo after being unconscious for so long, and took in her surroundings quickly once her vision cleared. She nearly fainted from relief at seeing Jake chained to the floor next to her, alive and uninjured, while Raewyn lay on her other side. However, her relief at seeing her comrades diminished upon seeing the other occupants in the room: guards, Magi, the same shadow summon that had kidnapped Loki, a man who carried himself as the leader of the group, and...

“LOKI!” Eri cried out at seeing her student lying in a pale, crumbled heap in the corner. She rounded on the group’s leader and demanded, “What have you done to him?!”

“As promised, the young lad is alive and unharmed.”

Tsume beat her to the punch in questioning the man, so she sat back and listened. As soon as the man introduced himself as Lord Udonis, Eri shot to her feet and instinctively went into a battle crouch, trying to cover Jake’s flank as much as her chains would allow. She locked eyes with him briefly, trying to convey that she still had his back like she did in their dream world, while keeping Raewyn and Loki in her periphery. If she were going to die, she would face it standing rather than on her knees like a prisoner.

Upon seeing Tsume and Jake experience the debilitating effects of their cuffs, she tentatively reached out to Arashi. She could still sense the bond linking their minds, but it felt muted. She could sense basic emotions, specifically his rage upon seeing Lord Udonis in the flesh, but trying to open the link wider immediately caused a migraine and forced her to grip her head in her hands to try and stifle the pain.

“Heh, not so tough without your oversized parrot, are you?”

Eri’s eyes locked onto the speaker with a furious glare. “Marinik…” she growled his name. “I don’t need Arashi to take care of you. I’d rather do that myself.”

“Looks like someone needs a reality check. Last I heard, you were the one in shackles while I’m free to do whatever I want,” Marinik taunted. Eri would have continued their verbal sparring, but Jake also had choice words to share with him. Besides, Lord Udonis was getting too close to the Goddess for her comfort.

“The temple would naturally keep an eye on children who come from Saturate households, but wouldn't cast a second glance at the mundane populous,” Lord Udonis explained.

As he placed his hand on Raewyn’s shoulder, Eri lunged for him, only to have her chains roughly jerk her backwards. “Don’t touch her!” she snarled. At the same time, she felt Arashi’s rage spike through their muted bond and could just imagine him aiming his talons for Lord Udonis’ throat.

But he didn’t stop there. “…Rayne here sired a fair number of offspring by assuming the appearance of the woman's husband or lover…”

Eri didn’t hear anything else that Lord Udonis said as she registered the implications of his words. She had never been intimate with a man, but the thought of all those women sighing their lovers’ names…being deceived as they gave of their bodies…and actually enjoying it…

While Tal screamed profanities at the rapist and Raewyn fought to keep from vomiting, Eri actually did vomit, though she had nothing in her stomach except bile. A small part of her consciousness got some sick pleasure from defiling Lord Udonis’ floor, though her knees trembled from the effort of staying upright. She spat to clear the bitter taste from her mouth and glared daggers at Rayne. “You…bastard…” she growled. “How dare you call yourself a human after what you’ve done!”

Eri turned furious eyes to Lord Udonis next, tugging at her chains futilely while resisting the urge to waste her Essence in a blind rage. “Once I get free from these chains, I’m going to slit your throat and leave your body as carrion for what you’ve done to Raewyn and Loki.” She moved back into position to cover Jake’s flank while keeping her eyes on as many of their enemies as possible. As soon as she got an opening – if she even got an opening – she would be out for Rayne, Marinik, and Lord Udonis’ blood.

And if she died here, at least she would die fighting.

by **Loki** Tue Jan 03, 2012 11:49 am

The expression on Udonis’ face suggested that he had spent enough time conversing with his captives. With his gaze locked with Raewyn’s, he begun taking long casual strides towards her with an almost giddy smile on his lips. Despite her attempts to put distance between them, the heavy chains only offered so much room to retreat. She had nowhere to run and nobody to help her. Pain lanced up Tsume’s arm like a bolt of lightning as he struggled to get the manacles off his wrist as he hid his arms behind his back. Having dislocated the bones in his hand, he was able to get more play out of the bind, but it was still too tight to come off easily and every minor progress me made sent another fresh jolt of pain through him. The Goddess was in very real danger and he had to ignore before Udonis could follow through with whatever plans he had for her. He had time; the Goddess would never willingly help this monster, right? Not after all he had done to them. To Loki.

”Shhhhh~…” Udonis soothed as he gently caressed Raewyn’s cheek even if it ultimately had no effect. ”Young Raewyn… These powers of yours have brought you nothing but trouble ever since day one. Yes, I may have been the one behind your ordeal, but if it hadn’t been me it would have surely been another. How many times have you felt resentment towards the hand fate has dealt you? I can help you. With my aid, you can live a normal life that every young woman is entitled to without needing a whole temple of babysitters looking over your shoulder 24/7.”

”No! I don’t want your help! I will never need you or anything you have to offer! You will never corrupt me!” Tsume was proud of Raewyn’s resolve, but a part of him sensed that something was wrong. How could Udonis ever hope to coax her into joining him after all the pain he had inflicted upon her? Had he spared their lives to use them as hostages for the Goddess’ compliance? If so, it was a bargaining chip with an expiration date. Raewyn would surely destroy his entire organization the moment she had the power to do so in order to save those she cared about.

A smoothly devious laugh bubbled out of Udonis’ throat with her response. ”I’m afraid you misunderstand me. I’m not looking for your allegiance child; such an arrangement would be tenuous at best in the wake of current events. No, it’s not you that I’m after. The thing you possess on the other hand is why I went to all these extremes to bring you here. It is something that I’ve wanted for some time now…” Udonis brought his other hand to her cheek so that he was now cupping her face, his glee on the verge of boiling over. ”And I now have a chance to claim it.”

A tsunami of adrenaline rocked Tsume’s body as he finally comprehended Udonis’ plan. The man wasn’t a summoner, he was a manipulator who had the ability to steal powers from other Saturates. “No! You can’t! The balance! You have no idea of the forces you’re messing with!” What Udonis intended to do was far worse than a corrupt Goddess. He was going to upset the natural cycle of the planet’s energy; such a thing was not only unprecedented, but it was unfathomable with repercussions that would both be unpredictable and far-reaching. The monk thrashed against his binds, desperate to get free. He had to stop this atrocity.

”Too late monk, you lost.”

Brilliant emerald light traced with motes of pure white erupted from where Udonis’ hands touched Raewyn’s flesh with the sound that was so unnatural and wrong that it couldn’t be described in words. Tsume could see the look of shock in Raewyn’s face as her body appeared entirely rigid. “Nooo~! You must stop this!” As he held the contact, tendrils of the light begun to spiral up along his arms and over his shoulders before plunging themselves into his torso. Tsume felt the metal cuff bite into the flesh on his hand and he forced one hand free despite the pain that was made bearable thanks to the surge of adrenaline flowing through him. Pressing his palms together, he popped the joints of his hand back into place before dislocating the remaining hand to begin freeing it. He attempted to conjure his spear with his free hand still hidden behind his back, but once again felt the Essence torn from him. Tsume had only managed to pull the remaining cuff partway along his hand before the last of the emerald tendrils raced up his arm and into his chest. The monk trembled as he watched Udonis release Raewyn, leaving her in a state of disorientation.

He had been too late.

”I had no idea it would feel this good.” Udonis boasted, rolling his shoulders.

“No... No no… What… What have you done?” Tsume shuddered out, still in disbelief of what he had just witnessed.

”What I was destined to once I discovered my own abilities, monk. Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to partake of the generous donation Loki had made to me these past few days.”

Moving towards another odd device that looked out of place in the refinery even though it appeared to be wired to one of the large Essence storage cells, he placed a hand on both chrome spheres that stood on the platform. ”Marinik, if you please.” A broad smile was upon the Saturate’s face as he stood at the control terminal. ”Yes, sir.”

When he did so, it was Udonis’ whose body went tense and frozen in place as the spheres glowed a pure white identical to Loki’s wings. Tsume felt his knees begin to shake even as he continued to free himself. This was all happening too fast for him to comprehend. Not only had this man perverted nature by stealing the power of the Goddess, but also rather than waiting however long it would have taken him to naturally generate his own power over the course of days, if not weeks, he was claiming what he had stolen from Loki over the past week. After a few moments, the shock and fear was overwhelmed by unbridled rage towards the man who had defiled everything he had known and held sacred. There would be no telling what would happen to the world once Udonis died or if the natural order of things would ever be the same again. Whatever it was, Tsume knew that that day needed to come sooner rather than later for the good of the planet and everything upon it. He would not let Udonis leave this place alive, no matter the cost.

Tsume managed to free his other hand moments after Lord Udonis had absorbed whatever energy the derelict battery had to offer. He would only have one shot at this and there was no time to try to free the others yet. First and foremost Udonis had to die; everything else will have to take second priority. The elegantly clad man spoke to Brycen once he had recovered from the sudden abundance of energy; likely preparing to make his escape. Udonis’ guard was down and the only obstacle that stood in his way was the behemoth of a summon and that broad blade of his that no normal human would have been able to wield. One opportunity. No room for error. No time to waste. The monk’s eyes flicked to his pack that rested several feet ahead of him, but still out of the reach of the shadowy summon’s large sword. Taking a moment to draw in a steadying breath, Tsume gathered the courage and resolve he needed to pull this off.

Tsume had begun his rush and summoned his spear before the heavy metal binds had a chance to clatter on the hard ground. So intent on their leader’s achievement, the only one who had noticed the freed captive was the monstrosity before him bringing his blade back in order to cleave the monk in two. Time slowed in Tsume’s perspective as adrenaline flooded his mind. He didn’t have time to face the summon, but had planned to create the moment of opportunity needed. Spinning his polearm around, the blunt end snagged his pack from the ground and flung it on a collision path with the monster’s face, providing a distraction as well as obstacle to obstruct a clear line of sight. As the pack went high, the monk went low to avoid the edged slab of steel that cut his gear out of midair sending its contents scattering across the floor.

Only then did Udonis and his followers become aware that something was amiss. Moving past the summon and into its blind spot without slowing, Tsume had readied his spear parallel to the ground just as the heretic God turned to see what was causing the commotion. The instant he finished pivoting, the monk saw his target and put all of his weight behind a lunge that buried the entire blade of his weapon directly into the man’s heart. Tsume was able to see the shock and surprise in Udonis’ eyes, but he was not content with simple impalement. Before anybody had an opportunity to react, the monk wrenched on the shaft of his weapon to open the wound wider before slamming his weight perpendicular to the weapon’s length violently forcing it laterally out of the man’s chest in a maneuver that would have cut his heart, lungs, and esophagus in half in a virtual river of blood.

Udonis’ balance wavered as he staggered to maintain his footing while clutching at his mortal wound as if it would stop the bleeding. Tsume felt a sense of morbid accomplishment with his dirty, but necessary deed as he watched the fear in the heretic’s eyes. Without appearant reason or warning, Udonis’ expression flashed to one of smug amusement as though he had just pulled off the best practical joke of all time. In that instant a feeling of dread flooded over Tsume’s mind, but the sudden change had thrown him off guard even as he heard a shout of warning and he was unable to avoid whatever had lightly shoved him in the small of his back. It hadn’t been a forceful blow by any means, barely necessitating him to take a step to compensate for the shift in balance. Yet it somehow managed to steal the breath right out of his lungs and make his legs weak. He felt his legs give way, but was baffled as to why he didn’t fall to the floor but was instead met with an intense pain in his stomach that elicited a cough that filled his mouth with flavor of copper. Then it clicked: the summon. The one who should have dissipated once its owner perished. But Udonis was not dead, in fact, he looked delighted. Only then did Tsume break his gaze from the man to look down where he found the blade, half an inch thick and nearly a foot wide with a solid three feet of length covered in his own blood protruding from his abdomen.

Master…

Both master and summon knew how bad it was, an awareness that was only made more keen with the distinct lack of pain that should have accompanied it. The color flushed out of the monk’s face as he returned his gaze to Udonis who now stood fully erect despite the amount of crimson that soaked his tailored suit. Tsume’s eyes went wide as he could clearly see the massive wound he had inflicted mend itself before his very eyes. ”I bet you’re wishing you had this ability right about now, huh? Come to think of it, I think that was the same question I asked the man I stole this ability from all those years ago. That’s right monk; I’ve accomplished what Eraclea had not.” Tsume suddenly felt his limbs and mind grow very wary.

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Loki’s body felt heavy as voices pulled him out of his slumber. He felt so unbelievably tired and it took considerable effort just to open his eyes enough to peer through his eyelashes. Several times he drifted in and out of consciousness for seconds at a time before he managed to gain a firm grasp on reality. Why is Udonis touching those things? It looks like it is hurting him… More voices. Familiar ones. Were his friends here to help him? He tried to lift his head to peer over his shoulder towards the sound but could not find the strength to do so. All he could see was Marinik, a few guards, Udonis, and the summon who had bested him at the leyline, Vox.

Once Udonis stepped away from whatever he was doing, things began to move too quickly for him to keep up at first. From his peripheries, he saw Tsume running towards Vox before throwing a backpack at him. The next thing Loki knew he was being pelted by the contents as they scattered in a wide swath in his direction, forcing him to close his eyes since he was unable to block them with his arms. When he opened them again he discovered an unusual, yet familiar looking tear shaped vial resting against his fingertips. It took a moment to remember how the silver liquid within had helped Tsume recover after their first encounter with Marinik. Fate had handed him the opportunity to help his friends, to fight alongside them and he was not going to let it go to waste. The vial might as well have weighted a hundred pounds with how weak his arms felt, but he managed to break the tip off the glass through considerable effort before bringing the liquid to his lips and swallowing it in one gulp.

It burned going down just like when he took a drink for Owen’s flask and gotten his first taste of liquor as it too elicited a cough, albeit much weaker than before. It only took a moment for him to begin feeling rejuvenated, but it took him the very next moment to realize that something was wrong. Pain. Intense and intangible pain that felt as though his entire body was on fire while somebody took a cheese grater to every bone in his body.

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Tsume’s eyes had begun to grow heavy with fatigue when an anguished scream reverberated off the hard refinery walls and coaxed him awake. Even if just barely. Once it started it did not stop, causing Vox to turn towards its source while absentmindedly bringing the skewered monk along with him. Everybody’s attention was upon Loki as he thrashed violently against his chains, his brilliant wings once again glowing radiantly as they too flailed wildly.

Tsume! In his hand!

Following Alco’s direction, he noticed the empty vial of refined Seed still clutched tightly in his grasp. “Oh Goddess… Loki…” There were two types of people that were not permitted access to refined Seed; User Saturates and individuals who had not grown into adulthood. The former was due to the drastic rate at which lifeforce was drawn from the individual to restore their supply of Essence, which was lethal for Users due to their deep wells for Essence. The latter was a result of complications with the aging process. When an individual has not reached their peak physical form, Essence within the body is devoted to completing the growing process by generating tissue similar to how summons are called into existence. The human body wasn’t meant to handle that much strain, which had the potential to kill him outright, even before the additional aging would have a chance to finish the job. Loki should never have consumed that elixir even if he was fully rejuvenated. Alco, we need to do something or he’ll die! Loki’s cries died out and his body went limp though his chest still rose and fell at an alarming rate.

”Heh, looks like the young lad intends to keep you company in the afterlife. It’s truly noble of him. Vox, finish the monk.”

Tsume let out a breathless gasp as he felt the sword pull free from him, his lifeblood now free to pour out of him. Though he could practically sense that was not to be the cause of his demise. Udonis would take no chances. Once the only support keeping him standing was gone, he fell to his hands and knees as Vox moved to his side to deliver the executioner deathblow. Alco! Force open a link with Loki. Once we die, whatever is left in us should transfer to him.

Master… It doesn’t work that way…

Look at him! His body is drawing Essence wherever it can get it. It has to work! We owe it to him to at least try dammit!

It took Alco a moment of silence before he responded. Alright. We’ll give it a shot.

Thank you, my friend… You’ve always been there for me and even though it really can’t be done any other way, I’m glad to have you by my side when we go.

It was an honor fighting at your side, master. Farewell.

There was a flash of phantom light over Tsume’s vision as the link between him and Loki was forced into existence. To do such a thing with somebody who was not a summoner was excruciating enough to reduce his vision to a narrow tunnel as he maintained the link through sheer force of will. Looking up, he searched as best he could until he recognized T’yang’s figure. Turning his gaze upward, he was eventually able to meet hers. Unable to speak between maintaining the link and his mortal wound, he settled with mouthing his dying words to her, hoping she would be able to comprehend them.

Then the executioner’s blade fell and Tsume fell for the last time.

by **Digital Muse** Tue Jan 03, 2012 10:19 pm

T'yang's breathing barely changed as she woke. She peered through her lashes, somehow knowing she was not in a safe place. Assessing her surroundings only confirmed her fears. That and the hard iron of the manacles she felt around her slim wrists. Barely turning her head revealed Raewyn just coming awake on one side of her and the big Vagabond on the other. They were all chained as she was. T'yang allowed her eyes to open and her stomach did a little lurch of fear to see Udonis, Marinik and the huge Shadow summon holding a huge sword.

Tsume shouted at Udonis for his treatement of Loki, but when he tried to summon his spear, his Essence was draw viciously from him, dropping him to his knee. T'yang sat up suddenly in concern. Udonis sneered and smugly explained the purpose of the manacles. And it seemed that Jake's attempt to break free of his chains only proved him right.

Udonis was glad to explain everything he had done and set in motion so many years ago. From procuring the facility they were in to sending Rayne out to seduce women all over the world.

T'yang's eyes shot to Raewyn when the implication hit the girl and Rayne showed his true face. Jake and Tal raged like caged animals, which was exactly what they were. Impotent and chained.

T'yang rose to her knees, ready in case, by some miracle she might get free and need to fight. But despite Udonis' eyes passing over her briefly, she did not speak. She had been his tool, nothing more. He felt nothing for her treachery or for her suffering. She simply did not matter.

But then, as Udonis continued to tell them what he'd been planning for these long years, he approached Raewyn slowly. He looked for all the world like a wolf approaching an injured lamb. Eri struggled and shouted at him to stay away from the goddess, but she was ignored.

"No, it’s not you that I’m after. The thing you possess on the other hand is why I went to all these extremes to bring you here. It is something that I’ve wanted for some time now…” Udonis brought his other hand to her cheek so that he was now cupping her face, his glee on the verge of boiling over. ”And I now have a chance to claim it.”

Oh goddess! T'yang paled, he couldn't possibly! Tsume seemed to echo her thought and she saw him struggle with his bonds desperate to stop Udonis from draining Raewyn's power from her. In that small instant when Udonis cupped Raewyn's cheek, T'yang noted many things. White power touched and power surged from the stiffened girl and into Udonis' body. She noticed Tsume get loose and begin his rush toward Udonis while the gigantic Shadow summon moved to intercept him. It was all a blur that had condensced into a microcosim of time. She saw Tsume's spear impale Udonis mid-chest, but before she could scream his name, the Shadow Summon buried it's sword into Tsume's exposed back.

T'yang watched in horror as Udonis' wound began to heal and he laughed at the mortally wounded monk. "No! No!" She cried out. She met Tsume's eyes and she registered the words he mouthed to her. And then the killing blow fell.

T'yang's eyes glazed over with tears, but they didn't fall. Peripherally, she registered Loki's sudden burst of light and his brilliant wings flailing wildly in all directions. She only saw Tsume's body on the floor at Udonis' feet laying in a spreading pool of his own blood. He's gone. She thought numbly. I wasted all those years hating him and just found him. And now he's gone.

She rose fully to her feet, standing as straight as her chains permitted. "You have become an abomination, Udonis. You will destroy the world you seek to control. You must see that." She glanced to each of the companions, hoping to catch their attention and to exude the calm Tsume had always had. She would do her best to act in Tsume's stead. She owed him that much. Her look told them to wait their time. But, when she looked toward Loki, she noted the broken vial and gasped. "Loki! Oh goddess no! You must release him, let me help him, please!"

by **Loki** Tue Jan 03, 2012 10:21 pm

Agony. Pure and absolute torment ignited every molecule in his body in its own contained atomic detonation. No matter where he looked within himself, Loki could not find refuge from his own personal Hell. Seconds stretched into decades and still there was no sign of reprieve. After what felt like an eon the torture abruptly ended leaving in its wake a changed man...

Udonis looked at the decapitated monk with no more inflection than if he had been looking at any number of mundane and unimpressive objects. Just another pawn deftly removed from play along his way to accomplish his lifelong ambition. The only thing that broke his facade of indifference was a smirk that was directed at Jake. "Remember that observation I made earlier? Now you have a visual to go along with the threat." Turning a dismissive back to the captives, the heretic God blocked out their threats, swears, and overall existence. There was more pressing matters at hand and he was so close to his goal that he could practically taste it. He was above associating with such petulant mortals.

"Brycen!" Suddenly reminded of his earlier command before the monk's distraction, the Magi withdrew his Kukri and plunged the tip into open air where he cut a hole in the very fabric of space. "We're in the home stretch to securing our empire. You all have your orders, don't let me down!" There was a resounding "YES SIR!" that resonated off the walls in the large metal chamber as Magi and soldier alike barked their unwavering loyalty. Save for one particular Magi who's lack of enthusiasm went unnoticed by his peers. "Oh, and Brycen." He added in a lower tone so only the followers nearby could hear. "See to it that these loose ends are tied once you're finished here."

"Lord Udonis! You said that Raewyn wouldn't be harmed once you got what you needed from her!" The elegantly clad man looked over his shoulder to Rayne, casting a inquisitive brow at his Magi's sudden defiance. "Indeed I did, but that monk's display left me in a rather sour mood. I'd rather not risk another such incident."

"But Lord-"

"You heard my orders, Magi!"

Flinching away, Rayne responded with a submissive "Yes sir..."

Following Rayne's lead, albeit with completely opposite intensions, Branom stepped forward and vocalized his own wishes. "I want to stay behind too! I have a score to settle with these... insects."

Udonis' upper lip twitched into a snarl as he found the sudden boldness of his followers to question him to be a rather annoying habit beginning to develop. He pondered for a long moment, making it hard to tell if he was entertaining Branom's request or if he was thinking about killing the arrogant Magi outright. "Fine, you can stay with this group and see that matters here are resolved." Though he had given his approval, Udonis made a mental note to make an example out of both of them once he had secured his throne.

Rayne watched as everybody walked through the portal save for Brycen, Branom, a dozen or so armed gunmen, and himself. Once the tear in space sealed those that were left behind proceeded tend to their duties in abandoning this facility. His task was to ensure everything had been completed, but was presently too preoccupied by his thoughts to do just that. Sure, twenty years ago when he was fresh out of his teens and filled with more virility than sense the job had been thrilling. Even before Udonis came along he couldn't believe how easy it had been to get laid and had taken advantage of women without a second thought. At least until years passed and he grew wiser with age. It was only through hindsight that he realized what he had done was not consensual even though he had been welcomed to their bed.

And ever since he had first laid eyes on Raewyn, the first of his illegitimate offspring he had ever seen in person, she had become the embodiment of transgressions. A lifetime of sins that can only be cleansed through redemption. Rayne had no delusions that that young lady wanted anything to do with him aside from possibly seeing him killed in a number of horrendous ways. But it wasn't about him; it was about her. As a Goddess, Udonis would never stop until he had gotten his hands on her and would only grow more reckless if she had been able to seek refuge in the Temple. Now that his boss had gotten what he wanted, she was supposed to be returned to her family safe and sound where she could live a more normal life. As normal of a life she possibly could at any rate.

The Magi sneered in disgust when he remembered being used as bait to ensure the group didn't abandon the boy. Raewyn was never to know the truth that she was his own flesh and blood rather than from her real father who had raised her since birth. No. Raewyn will have a shot at life even if it kills me to give it to her.

by **Digital Muse** Tue Jan 03, 2012 11:58 pm

Raewyn only dimly registered Jake and Tal raging at the oddly reluctant-looking Rayne. The next thing she really focused on was Udonis stalking toward her. She scrambled to her feet and pulled as far away from him as she possibly could. But he gently cupped her face in his cool hands. She was terrified. What did he want? Tsume was upset, desperate. What did it mea...?

Her body went stiff when Udonis' power invaded her mind. She felt as if all her will, all her strength and even some of what she was drained away. The connection she had with the others became distant. She felt exhausted and when Udonis stepped back from her, she was so dizzy, she could barely stay on her feet. Raewyn watched Udonis do something at a machine and he flexed his body as if somehow he'd been invigorated. Her mind buzzed and she couldn't really focus on what was happening.

Suddenly, Tsume was there, driving a spear through Udonis' chest. The monk's lips were peeled back from his teeth in a feral snarl. But....something was wrong. Tsume's chest suddenly didn't look right. Something was sticking out of it. And there was so much blood. Raewyn's eyes lifted in time to see the Shadow Summon jerk it's huge sword from Tsume's body, raise it above his head and bring it back down again to cleave the monk's head from his shoulders.

The spray of blood spattered over most of them and Raewyn didn't flinch when it touched her pallid cheek. She stared at Tsume's body in shock and disbelief. He couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible. He said he'd protect her. He promised. Raewyn sank to her knees not heeding the scrapes the concrete made on her knees.

The sudden flaring of brilliant light from Loki's wings made her look up in time to see Udonis, Brycen and others passing through a portal. She got a flash of a huge fireball in her mind and it hurt. It hurt so badly. She groaned and clenched her eyes shut and the pain subsided almost immediately. Opening her eyes once more, she saw Rayne peering at her with a resolute look on his face. "He'll kill you, you know." She told the shapeshifter. "You know he will."

by **Loki** Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:12 am

It took him a while to piece together the memories that could not have been his own. Yet they felt real enough for the line between his life and Tsume's to blur. Though they were far from complete, they could have come from no other and it took him some time to figure out how such a thing had happened. With his final breath, Tsume had given him the lifeforce and Essence needed to offset the effects of the refined Seed. Though it wasn't isolated to just that. There was more that passed through the link. Knowledge and... something else that he couldn't quite isolate.

"Magi Rayne, all preparations are complete. We just need to execute the prisoners and we will be set to rendezvous with Lord Udonis."

Time was running out and he was the only one who didn't have his binds activated leaving him the only one who was capable of doing anything. Opening his eyes for the first time since drinking the contents of that vial, he took in his changed physique for the first time as he stood. He was no longer the scrawny boy he had been an hour before. The aging effects of the refined Seed had carried him from late adolescence and into adulthood. He stood several inches taller than before and his broadened frame was built of taunt sinew and lean muscle. "What the hell? Rayne! The switch!"

Loki looked towards the ordinary man standing behind the console who had just turned his own gaze away from Brycen to lock with his. Loki hadn't expected somebody to be at the manacle controls and realized the Magi had him dead to rights, but there was something hidden in the man's eyes. When Rayne flipped the switch, the gentle whirring of the machinery behind them wound down instead of him feeling the Essence pulled from his body like he had so many times before. "Rayne?! What the hell do you---" As it took their captors precious moments to comprehend what was happening, he felt a vaguely familiar yet alien coalescing of energy in the palm of his hand. "TRAITOR! KILL THEM ALL!"

In the building confusion, all the gunmen focused their attention upon the one who had betrayed them and let loose a barrage of energy rounds that still managed to strike Rayne as he attempted to dive for cover. During that moment, Loki instinctively grasped that construct of energy and felt it take form guided by his will until he was holding onto a crystalline bastard sword rather than intangible energy. Before the gunmen could bring their weapons to bear upon their group, Loki poured energy into the length of the blade as he had done with his katar and with two competent swipes of his blade followed by two loud cracks of steel spontaneously failing he cut the chains from their anchors. "They shut down the manacles!" Without wasting a moment to notice the more masculine change in tenor of his voice, he brought his guardian wings to cover his right flank in a broad extended shield as he ran along the front of his friends, cutting the chains for whoever needed the assistance along the way. Shots rang out, several of which were absorbed by his shield, but he did not slow or look back as he sought to free the people who risked their lives to save his.

by **Guilty Carrion** Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:41 am

“Stay away from her, you damn animal!” The chains strained and bit painfully into his shackled wrists, but the vagabond paid it no mind, reaching in vain to stop Udonis from reaching the young goddess. As he placed a hand on her shoulder, Tal grit his teeth, ivory eyes narrowing into slits. “Hurt a single hair on her head, and I swear…”

The energy began to surge up the arrogant man, and Tal stared slack jawed, unsure of what was really happening, but unable to suppress the feeling of all consuming dread stirring in his stomach. “What are you doing..?” He breathed, taking a slow step back. As the light’s vanished inside Udonis’s body, Tal heard Tsume’s struggle to free himself, and the Vagabond turned to watch his friend barrel forward towards the unsuspecting thief. The summon tried to stop him, only for Tsume to expertly weave past its attack with a distraction.

Tal grinned darkly as the monk plunged his spear into Udonis’s chest, and then carved a lovely swath out of the man’s ribcage. “Atta boy!” The summon lunged, and Tal panicked. “Tsume! Look out!” The sickening sound of splitting skin and spilling blood reached his ears, and the vagabond could only stare as Tsume collapsed into a puddle of his own blood. “No…Tsume!” Things that looked far too important dripped from the wound, and Tal looked to the approaching summon. “You gotta move! Tsume! You gotta!” The blade rose. “DAMMIT! TSUME! MOVE!”

The stone cracked as the blade fell, and Tal felt the blood splatter across his chest, eyes wide and disbelieving as the body fell. His frame shook, watching the lifeless head roll to a stop as he collapsed to his knees, tears welling in his eyes. “No…Tsume…you…no…No. NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!” He reached pitifully for the broken body, feel the water trickle down his face, the salty streams tasting bitter to his tongue. “This can’t be happening…you…no…”

He doubled over, slamming his fist against the floor as he fought and tore at every emotion swelling up inside his stomach. Slowly, very slowly, he felt the grief choke itself back, forcing it deeper and deeper into the back of his mind, relishing as the choking emotion was replaced by the boiling fury welling up from the black of his mind. Inside, he felt the feral fury of his summon burning for vengeance, retribution and punishment of those who had defiled the goddess and butchered their friend. Clinging to the raw, unbridled emotion as it surged forward, Tal released a sobering breath, hands tightening into fists so tight the knuckles began to tear and bleed.

“Dead. Every single one of you is DEAD.”

Loki’s voice, however changed, echoed in his ears, and the vagabond’s face split in a feral grin as his gaze snapped up towards the guards. “DEAD.” His skin shone with sweat as he rose, and the stone that held his shackles shattered with one deft strike from Loki's crystal bastard sword. He rocketed forward, lips split in a bestial roar as he rushed towards the panicking guards with madness glinting in his eyes.

A round burrowed across his arm, but before the man could squeeze off another shot, Tal’s massive hand ripped the gun from his hand. No time to react, a powerful, rage enhanced hit drove the man into the concrete with a crack, but Tal didn’t pause to ensure the man’s fate, barrelling straight into another two of their supposed captors. Fear did them no favors, their shots shaky and wide, leaving countless scores across Tal's thundering frame, but missing the vitals points to save them from his rampage. Any pain seemed to be shut out of his mind, locked out so he may continue his furious charge. Gripping the guards by the throat, the mountainous man continued his charge, using the unfortunate souls caught in his grasp as makeshift battering rams to toss the few remaining guards out of his path.

He skidded to a stop, starting out into the refinery proper as more the guards seemed to become aware of the sudden situation brewing in the storage bay. He snarled angrily, breaking the necks of the two men he dragged with a painful squeeze, before tossing one into the nearest guard like a makeshift missile. Dropping his remaining corpse, the Vagabond screamed in his anger and anguish, breaking into another mad sprint as his helmet burst into existence without delay. The first of two men he reached took a full force shoulder check that sent him crashing painfully into one of the storage units, crumpling to the floor in a painful heap. The second shot his rifle several times, rounds ripping and tearing across Tal's body.

Snarling through clenched teeth, Tal struck the man with a backhand that knocked him flat on his ass. The guard tried to grab his rifle again, but the vagabond’s foot stomped it, before gripping the man by the arm and ripping him up into the air. The screams of mercy fell on deaf ears, as he tightened his hold and spun the man full throttle into a wall, only to draw him back and slam him into it again and again. Somewhere, he registered the sickening squelch as the bone dislocated from the trauma, the shattering of bones as the feeble body broke against the steel again and again and again.

An eternity seemed to pass, before the sound of ripping flesh brought Tal’s focus to the battered limb left dangling in his grip. Gore trickled down his body, as ivory eyes regarded the detached arm in his vice grip, before he looked down to the broken form that once passed as a man. He was still only for a moment, before tossing the arm violently at the corpse, stalking forward towards the sound of gunfire, blissfully unaware of his own blood mixing with that of his victims from the numerous scores across his body.

They needed to suffer! To die! All of them had to pay!

Snarling like something from a nightmare, Tal surged forward like a force of nature, hell bent on finding more victims of his bloody vengeance.

by **Silvan Arrow** Wed Jan 04, 2012 5:07 pm

Eri could recall many a night spent trying to figure out Udonis’ plans for Raewyn, either during her watches or when she couldn’t sleep. Corrupt her to create a new Eraclea. Use the rest of the group as ransom to force her cooperation. Kill her outright.

But none of her late-night musings could have possibly prepared her to realize the full scope of this madman’s plans.

Eri threw herself against her manacles over and over, screaming at Udonis to take his filthy hands off Raewyn as he spoke honeyed words laced with poison. She silently cheered upon hearing the Goddess’ resolve to never obey Udonis, but a cold knot of dread formed in her stomach as he seemed utterly unfazed by her lack of cooperation.

“No, it’s not you that I’m after. The thing you possess on the other hand is why I went to all these extremes to bring you here. It is something that I’ve wanted for some time now…” He cupped her face between both of his hands. "And I now have a chance to claim it.”

Realization hit Eri like a sledgehammer as brilliant emerald and white light began spiraling from Raewyn’s body into Udonis. He was stealing her powers! That had been his plan all along! “NO! You fool! Get away from her!” As Udonis stole not only a Saturate’s powers but a part of who she was…it was like rape in the worst possible way. Eri actually stepped back in horror as she realized that Udonis had undoubtedly committed this same heinous act to untold numbers of Saturates…and could very well do the same to her. The thought of him stripping away her bond with Arashi, just as he had done to Vox’s Summoner, conjured up pure, unadulterated fear that she had never felt before.

But Udonis’ madness didn’t stop there. He also absorbed the Essence he had stolen from Loki during his captivity. ‘This is it. We’re all going to die,’ Eri thought with finality. And then impossibly, Tsume was free of his manacles and charging for Udonis with his spear. He used his backpack to distract Vox and skewered Udonis with all the skill and lethality she had come to associate with the monk. For a split second, she thought it was all over. No one, not even Udonis, could survive a blow like that. But instead of panicking, Udonis only grinned smugly.

That’s when Vox struck.

Time slowed to a standstill, and sound faded into nothing as the horror unfolded before Eri’s eyes. Vox running Tsume through with its blade, Loki thrashing on the floor screaming in pain, and Tal crying out Tsume’s name. Their leader and her student, both on the verge of death, and she could do nothing to stop it. Something in the back of her mind snapped as Vox beheaded Tsume and his blood spattered across her face. Blood on her face. Blood from his corpse. Blood on the floor. Blood on her pants from the growing pool as she sank to her knees in numbed shock. Blood on her fingertips as she touched her cheek and saw the crimson that had once pulsed through Tsume’s veins. Everywhere she looked, she saw blood.

And by the Goddess, she would see more before these bastards took her life.

Eri felt oddly detached from her body while simultaneously acutely aware of her surroundings and the torrent of emotions raging inside her. She felt her shock and grief from losing the man who had guided their group from the beginning and had taught her so much. She felt Arashi’s normal polite reserve shatter, only to be replaced by grief over losing his first Summon friend and protective rage over seeing Raewyn broken and drained. Both their hearts broke over knowing that they had failed to protect Loki after he had trusted them with his training. They channeled all of these emotions into a single, focused desire: revenge.

Within moments, the room exploded into chaos.

“TRAITOR! KILL THEM ALL!”

Gunfire erupted all around her as time began to flow normally again and her ears suddenly registered sound again.

“They shut down the manacles!”

‘Wait…’
Wait…

At once Eri could hear Arashi again and could feel her Essence as plain as day. But that wasn’t the source of their shock. They knew that voice! Suddenly Loki stood in front of her, cutting her chains with a crystalline sword while shielding her with his guardian wings. He had somehow changed into an adult, but she could still see the same kind-hearted boy in his eyes. He ran on as quickly as he had appeared, leaving Eri with a clear path to the guards in front of her.

And she wasn’t about to waste it.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!”

Gale Cleaver leaped into Eri’s hand without a second thought, which she swung to create a shockwave of air that knocked many of the guards off-balance. She briefly registered that her father’s sword was missing from its scabbard. Of course they would have disarmed their prisoners. However, as she charged forward, she noticed a pile of weapons peeking out from behind the battery that Udonis had drained. Careless fools. They must have been quite overconfident not to lock those weapons in another room. Not that she needed to dual-wield to take out these weaklings.

Bloodlust, both hers and Arashi’s, filled Eri’s mind with a savagery that she had never before experienced while her mind went into overdrive, assessing and calculating her opponents’ moves. She channeled her wind Essence into her feet, giving her speed to dodge the incoming gunfire as she closed in on her first victim. Her cold, grim expression did not change as she sliced through his rifle and beheaded him, allowing the spray of blood to mingle with Tsume’s on her cheek.

Arashi threw himself against his mental confines in a blinding rage upon sensing the blood. He wanted out. He wanted to take his own vengeance and taste the blood of their foes. Eri clamped down on the eagle and forcibly restrained him, knowing it would be suicide to unleash a six-foot tall, enraged eagle in such a confined space. His influence still leaked across his barriers, taking over both of Eri’s eyes and changing them into a startling crystal blue. Possessing his keen eyesight only made it easier for Eri to predict and outpace the gunmen. She mowed a bloody path through the gunmen who stood in her way, slicing an arm off one, stabbing a second through the heart, and using the momentum to cleave a third’s torso completely from his legs. She didn’t waste time on disfiguring the corpses or thrashing them against the wall like Tal. All she cared about was destroying as many of them in as short a time as possible.

Eri worked her way to the pile of weapons and grabbed her father’s sword in her right hand, turning to face the remaining foes as she twirled both swords around her head in a deadly, graceful dance. Blood covered her face and body – Tsume’s blood, her enemies’ blood, and her blood from the numerous shallow cuts and gashes where bullets had grazed her. A sadistic grin broke across her face.

She was enjoying this.

by **quakernuts** Wed Jan 04, 2012 11:27 pm

Jake felt a growing unrest throughout his entire body as he tirelessly paced back and forth in his spot, waiting for an opening. He couldn't summon the majority of his strength without it being sucked away, he couldn't summon his armour either way because of the concrete all around them, and he could feel that a certain...ebb was missing from him. It was as if a battery were taken out of a charger and told to function with what it had. That's exactly what it felt to him. When Raewyn asked for her father, only then did Jake remember that they had her family here as well. He looked through the group, but found no one else aside from the usual. When a man stepped in front of the group of guards in front of him, Jake had a very bad feeling. He wasn't bound and was moving freely. When he revealed who he really was, Jake tugged at his bonds as much as he could. They strained, and the creak of the metal as they were being pulled could be heard across the group. He felt his strength start to fade though as his anger took unconscious control of his abilities, and he was forced to back down. He didn't bother saying anything, for there was nothing that words would do now. He needed action, he needed these people to die for what they had done. They deserved nothing less.

When Udonis moved in closer, Jake instinctively tried to force his way over. Only when the chains pulled him back did he stop moving. His eyes never left the man, and he constantly tugged on the chains as he tried to get closer to Raewyn. Despite the fact that Jake and Raewyn never really got along in more of a friendly manner, he had given his word that he would help protect her. His word was one of the few things he had left, and he refused to let that be lost as well. When the man's hands touched the Goddess's face, he didn't suspect what was happening until it actually happened. As he could visibly see the essence drain from the Goddess, he tugged harder and harder at the chains. Despite the essence draining from his body, they continued to groan from the strain even as he felt himself tiring. Despite this, the anger, hatred, adrenaline, and pure need for violence were overcoming his normal restraints in such a situation, and it wasn't until she was released from the exploitation did Jake back down out of necessity.

Udonis walked away, and even though there was a speech, Jake couldn't comprehend it. The only thought in his mind was how him and everyone that worked for him needed to die. He didn't say a word, but his teeth were gritted and his arms were tense with veins popping out as if willing the chains to simply come loose. His eyes never left Udonis even as he started draining the essence, and when Tsume managed to finally get free and go after him, Jake lunged forward out of reflex only to violently be tugged back. He got turned around for a second from the rebound, but when he turned back, he saw Tsume's spear imbedded in the man's chest. "About fucking time!" Jake yelled, but it was only moments later that the man smiled. Suddenly the summon stabbed Tsume through the back, and Jake froze. He didn't move or take his eyes off of the blade imbedded into Tsume's back even as Loki started thrashing and Tsume's body was lifted up. It wasn't until they laid the final blow did it bring Jake out of his sudden reverie.

Tsume was dead.

Jake looked from the headless corpse of the monk, back to Loki who was breathing shallowly. What just happened? The series of events left him more confused and lost than sad or angry. What was going on? How could Tsume be dead? How is it he wasn't free yet? It dawned on him finally as he regained his grip on his paranoia. They could lose here, die in a matter of moments just like their leader. He hung his head low, hair covering half of his face as he stood in place. He hadn't accepted his fate, but if he had to die here, it was going to be standing like a man and not cowering like a coward or raging like a dying animal. Udonis left, robbing him of his chance at vengeance and making him feel as if he had failed. When Rayne went to the manacle control, Jake glared at him through his hair, sending a hidden message that he was dead should he do anything but kill Jake now. Instead, he heard them yell, and suddenly the machine went dead.

"They shut down the manacles!"

Jake looked over, expecting to place the voice with Tsume, but seeing what was obviously Loki in a different body. It took him but a moment to process this and the fact that he was free. Loki cut the chains from the manacles, but Jake, being on the extreme range of Loki's blade, was left with most of his chains dangling from his arms. Despite this, the moment that he heard the chain's being broken, he was off and running. He ran by his pack, falling into a roll to dodge some rounds while at the same time, picking up his axe and coming out of the roll running.

He looked over to see Tal and Eri both unleash their literal hell on the guardsmen, and Jake gave a small smile as they had a look of fear from both of them destroying their ranks. You haven't seen anything yet. Jake thought as three gunmen turned to face him. Before they could fire, Jake whipped out with one of the chains on his arm, and caught them at the extreme range, managing a nasty bash on their hands gripping their rifles. They recoiled, and that was enough for Jake as his essence enhanced strength became stronger from the pure adrenaline flowing through his body. A slice from his axe cause a man to, quite literally, be cut in half vertically and fell to the ground in a bloody pile. The other two turned to fired, but Jake twisted, wincing as the rounds grazed him on both his chest and middle back. I quick slice decapitated one of them while a quick long arm sent a man flying up in the air. With a move almost too quick to see with the naked eye, Jake wound up, and punched the man's head so hard into the ground that it exploded, leaving nothing but a bloody mess where the brain should have been housed.

A few more rounds flew by him before he had time to think, and a quick roll was all that saved him from the following rounds that chased after him. He quickly came out of the roll running towards the storage contained, and reached it as the rounds splashed harmlessly off of the metal container. Before they had the chance to move forward, Jake came around the other side and threw his axe. It hit the first of the three and carried him all the way to the wall where it impaled him. He went slack, hanging from the chest a good couple feet from the floor. The other two returned fire even as Jake moved to dodge. A round came extremely close to his head, leaving a small burn on the side of his cheek as he rolled behind one of the metal crates. Rounds splashed off the crate in rapid succession, keeping Jake pinned in place as he started pushing the crate towards them. Suddenly, the rounds stopped colliding with the crate, and Jake peeked around the corner to see that Tal had bulldozed his way into the couple of guards who had him pinned. Tal grabbed the man, lifted him high above his head, and smashed him to the floor. With a quick movement and before the man had a chance to react, Tal brought his boot down on the man's face, crushing several bones and making the man go limp instantly. That left only one more, but Jake was already moving. Jake didn't have the time to reach him before he fired on Tal, but he did have the chains on his wrist.

The other guard turned to face the new threat, but thanks to the combined nature of essence and adrenaline, time moved so slowly that to Jake, it seemed as if it had stopped. He looked at the chains on his wrists, and looked at the man. With a quick few steps to get within range, and just as the man's gun rounded on Tal's figure, he lashed out with the chain from his right arm. He was hoping his aim was true, because if he missed he wouldn't get a second shot. Luckily, it seemed that at least that was going to go right today. The chain wrapped around the man's arm and yanked his aim away from Tal as he was forcibly brought towards Jake. "Get over here!" Jake yelled as he met the guy halfway and gripped him in a headlock. With a quick jerk and a loud pop, the man's form went limp and Jake let it hit the floor rather bluntly.

Jake looked at the battlefield, and saw the littered corpses all over the floor. For a second, he forgot about the numbers they were facing, and quickly unlatched the cuffs from his wrists, watching as they clattered to the floor in a heap. Suddenly he felt a disturbing presence, and looked up to see Eri yelling at him. "Jake! Behind you!" Jake sidestepped and ducked, watching as the sword clattered to his left and a scythe missed him by mere inches. He whirled around, looking to slash at whoever was after him, but quickly realized his axe was still imbedded into the wall. Looking at who had attacked him, he didn't recognize the man, but judging by the way he was rapidly backing up to gain space from Jake's close range powerhouse, the man knew him. That was good, it gave him a chance to get to his axe.

However, the man started moving his hands once he was far enough away. It almost looked like he was a puppeteer, pulling strings to some unseen doll. Jake stopped for a second, wondering if this was some sort of warm up to a more powerful attack like the light beam from Roshan. Instead, he heard shuffling behind him, and looked back to see the bodies of the guards start to rise up once more. Some of them even without their heads. It was sick and Jake took the closest and simply threw it into the rest. When he looked back, he saw that nearly all the guards had been reanimated. They moved slowly, and were obviously being controlled by the man in front of him even though he had stopped moving his hands. Suddenly Eri jumped into the group, delivering a quick kick to one of the undead guardsmen, and impaling it on the ground. She moved onto the next one, but Jake watched as the one she had just stabbed, started getting back up again. The only way they would keep these things down would be if he took out Branom. Tal rushed in behind him, and bowled over another three as he continued his mad charge. Even the man that Jake had impaled was trying to free himself from the axe.

Jake took the opportunity, and booked it towards Branom. One of the guardsmen got in the way, and with a quick grab threw it towards Eri who slashed it both across the chest and across the back in a deft turn movement. Branom quickly readied his weapons, and when Jake came into range, swung both horizontally towards him. Jake quickly sidestepped and backed away slightly, only to move in when the swipe had finished. With a quick punch to the open gut, and a knee to the face, Branom stumbled backwards clutching at both his face and his stomach. Jake took that moment to brush past him and grab his axe from the wall. "Thanks for holding this for me." Jake said with a small grin as the guardsman reached for him. Jake quickly grabbed his collar, and launched the nightmare over the heads of everyone, and impacting on the opposite wall. Jake turned, and barely had enough time to parry a stabbing motion by Branom.

He had holstered his scythe in place of his sword, the faster of the two. More effective against Jake since it required speed and not strength to use, but it didn't matter. It was obvious by the way the man was giving ground that it was a lopsided battle the moment it started. Branom couldn't manage to even compare to Jake's strength, and had to deflect or avoid each of Jake's powerful blows. He breathed heavily, most likely both from the fight with Jake and the exertion of keeping the bodies going to keep the others busy. Finally, after a few minutes of rapidly giving ground, Branom found himself against a wall, and holding up a sword to the hammering blows. The first blow the sword held, the second blow came dangerously close to Branom's face, and the third hammering blow shattered the sword. With a quick motion, Branom launched at Jake, only to be tossed aside and sliced at by Jake's axe. The resulting attack ended up ripping the robes away from his upper body, but with that, came the addition of a trail of blood.

A massive slash across his torso, from his left shoulder down to his waist poured blood like a waterfall. He held his hand in front of his wound, watching as the liquid released itself from his body. Jake got a good look at the man, and had to hold down the gag reflex. His skin was deformed, and even rotted in areas. Some seemed like you could see bone poking through the surface while others looked as if you touched them, they would simply fall off. Sores covered his body and his face was no better. No hair adorned his head, simply patches of malformed skin. "I'm...not a god..." he stated, his voice raspy and hard on the ears, yet it felt like he was genuinely surprised . Suddenly a quiet laughter, completely evil could be heard from the man. He looked up at Jake, his mouth actually peeled away and revealing his teeth without even smiling. His eyes as white as ice as he stared at the man who had caused the damage. A twisted smile came to his face. "Not yet anyways."

Dah shit.

Jake thought this as, despite the wound, Branom stood up and held out his arms. Instantly the bodies of the fallen guards quickly flew to him, and started to surround his body. They started changing, becoming almost a liquid state as they banded together. The blob of human flesh grew larger, until it stood to about 11 feet tall, and the appendages started becoming apparent. Eventually, a stub of a main head peered through. The bodies of the guardsmen having banded together to form this massive being, with faces and limbs poking out of the 'skin' at random. The head was a mixture of different eyes at random intervals that made no sense, and the mouth was filled with razor teeth. With a slow glare, it looked down at him.

"Well this is new." Jake said as he dived to his side to avoid the massive fist that smashed the area he had just been standing at. He barely had enough time to stand before another fist from the 'big' Branom came to crush him. He dove yet again, and this time rolled out of harm's way before he stood up again. Branom looked over towards him, but suddenly shadows warped out from nowhere, reaching up to great him. Jake looked over at T'yang, struggling to maintain the shadows as Branom fought them off. By this time, Tal had managed to grab a hold of his warhammer, and dealt a powerful blow to the back of the man's knee. He went down into crouch, and Eri leapt on top of the man's knee. With a quick motion, started leaving scars all throughout what made up his flesh with her blades, but all they got in response was a laugh. Jake charged forward to deal some damage of his own, only for Branom to toss Eri aside, plant a big foot into Tal, and shrug off the shadows. Even with his enhanced reflexes, Jake didn't have time to avoid the incoming punch from out of nowhere as a huge fist landed on his person. He flew backwards slightly, rolling end over end, and finally landing in a crouched position with his hand holding him up. He took a few gulps of air, the blow having winded him for a moment. Branom gave a laugh, and as he turned to attack Tal, a ball of lightning struck him clear in the back and exploded, sending him stumbling forward but not down.

Jake looked over to finally see Owen up and on his feet. He had one of his revolvers out firing, while throwing the balls of lightning at the figure. They were all ganging up on him now, and it looked like he was starting to feel it. All they needed was a little more, just a little more and they could take him out. Jake stood to his feet, watching as everyone attacked him, and took a deep breath. It was time to finish this freak. Then move on to Udonis.

For Tsume.

by **Digital Muse** Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:28 pm

Udonis ignored T'yang's plea, leaving through the portal Bryce had opened for him and the rest of the Magi. Perhaps five minutes passed before the guards returned from whatever duties they were given as final instructions. T'yang kept her eyes on Loki, terrified for the boy.

Branom suddenly shouted, "Traitor! Kill them all!" T'yang shot a glance toward Rayne. "He's disabled the manacles!" Rayne dived for cover, but T'yang saw that he had taken several hits from the energy rifles. He was the least of her worries, however.

The guards were semi-disciplined and fired toward them. But Loki, had suddenly changed. His brilliantly lit wings flared into existence and he created a sheild around Raewyn. The energy round simply splashed off it and burned holes into the concrete behind him. With a single swing of his crystaline sword, he cut the chains that had bound them all except Jake who was beyond his reach. But, then, Jake didn't need any help and tore himself free.

While Jake, Tal and Eri went into berserker killer rages, T'yang shouted after them, "No! Don't get separated!" Her shouts fell on deaf ears. The company had been through too much and their emotions were raw. A dozen guards were killed in less than a minute. The remainder, however kept firing, scoring glancing, burning hits on Tal and the others.

T'yang immediately called her Shadows up as a barricade around Raewyn, the energy rounds simply being absorbed into the inky blackness. With a soft murmur, small tendrils swiftly glided along the floor and retrieved her war fans. She had to get the others calmed down and coordinated. If they didn't, they'd all die.

A very changed Loki met T'yang's startled gaze. He was a man now. His eyes ere wiser, deeper and somehow familiar. More shots splashing against Loki's sheild tore her gaze away from his. "Stay with her. I will try to get the others." She instructed him. Loki nodded sharply, "Alright. Be careful."

Moving with a dancer's grace, T'yang whirled and dodged using her fans and the Shadows to cut down the two guards that were closest to the control panel. The energy rounds had turned one of her fans to slag and she was forced to drop it. The remainder guards had run off toward the storage tanks. From the sounds of the cries, screams and raw angry shouts, she could tell that her companions were still alive. She had an unfamiliar pang of relief. But, she also knew it might be short-lived. Branom was likely there as well. While he was incredibly arrogant, he was also incredibly dangerous.

**********************************************************************
Raewyn crouched behind Loki, ducking reflexively at every energy beam that splashed against his shield. Two guards tried to take advantage of Loki's relatively stationary position and rose to fire at him. His white and angry tendrils burst forth and grabbed the pair, burning them to literal ash.

"Loki! I...I think they are going to blow up the factory. I...I saw it. I saw the explosion." Raewyn looked up at the young man, still unsure what she was seeing. "We don't have much time."

Loki looked around, all his friends were gone. He had to warn them and then, they had to get out and away from the factory. That's when he spotted a huddled Bryce in a corner near where he'd opened a portal for Udonis. "Raewyn, you have to keep Bryce here. He has to open a portal for us."

Raewyn looked up at him, "What? How?"

Loki blocked a few more energy bolts. "With your mind. The way you tried to put me to sleep, remember?"

**********************************************************************
T'yang raced down toward the storage tanks and arrived in time to see Branom begin to absorb the dead and swell to enormous proportions. The smell of decay stopped her in her tracks. Nothing Eri, Jake, Tal or Owen threw at the Necromancer seemed to have any affect. Even with T'yang's shadows cutting the engorged Mage to ribbons did anything other than inconvenience him.

T'yang looked at the others, "We cannot win this battle, his entire body must be destroyed! We have to get away! There is nothing we can do here!." Her voice still held the calm she'd always exuded. But it had taken on a new ring of leadership.

Branom looked down at T'yang, "Witch! Useless traitor! I will eat your heart and your death will be sweet!" In the nearly insane state Branom was in, his words were spit out of his decaying face. Rage lit his eyes with a sickly green glow.

T'yang looked at the others. "Go back. The way out is behind us." She looked to Eri and Owen, "Use your wind and lightening powers to block him." Her eyes glanced toward Tal and Jake, making sure they were back to some semblence of sanity, "You two, lead the way. We have to get Raewyn out of here." She turned then to head back ready to follow the two tanks. "Move!"

**********************************************************************
Just as Loki pointed Bryce out, he began to move. He was supposed to stay to ensure the prisoners were all dead and then get Branom and Rayne out to join Udonis. But things had gone to hell. Rayne had betrayed them, the prisoners had gotten loose and the timer on the explosives was winding down fast.

He glanced toward Rayne on the floor near the control panel. He looked done for. Branom was nowhere to be seen, but knowing that creepy bastard he was probably playing with the bodies...and not in a nice way. The Necro-Mage was on his own, Bryce decided.

Rising from his hiding place, he moved to a platform, hoping no one saw him. Gathering his will, he started to draw a vertical line in the air with his finger when a wash of exhaustion hit him like a hammer. He staggered to the side, having to grab a wall to stay upright. WHat the hell? Maeve? Had Udonis sent the witch back to...? Bryce shook his head to clear his thoughts. No....it was someone else. But, who? His eyes searched the area in a mild panic, but he saw no one but the kid and the used-to-be-goddess. The kid didn't have mind powers and the girl had everything drained from her.

Turning his back on them, he started to open a portal again and once again, he was interrupted by a wave of confusion. Where was he supposed...Udonis said....? He couldn't remember. He had to think. Where was he supposed to go? He strained to remember.

**********************************************************************
Loki watched Bryce scramble from his hiding place and jerked, "Raewyn!" He hissed. "Stop him! He can't get away!"

Raewyn's head wiped around to see Bryce begin to open the portal. She reached out and poured all of her aches, fatigue and emotional exhaustion out in a wave of raw power. She closed her eyes imagining the Mage faltering and falling to the floor. She felt it. She'd connected to him. She had done it. But then Bryce shook her off. She squeezed her eyes shut when he tried to open the portal a second time and simply blocked his memory of what or where he was to go. It had the effect of giving her a massive headache, but at least he wasn't getting away. "I can't hang on too long." She gritted out. What do I do?"

"To the Temple, can you show him the Temple?" Loki asked.

"But I don't know where that is!" Raewyn answered almost in tears again.

Loki's voice deepened, becoming more calm and reassuring. "I do, Raewyn. I know where it is. Look inside my mind. I know you can."

Raewyn looked up into Loki's face with unsure eyes. They locked gazes for what seemed minutes and she knew. She knew what had happened...where the Temple was...everything. It almost broke her temporary hold on Bryce. "Oh...oh..." She breathed.

"Concentrate, Raewyn." Loki said. "Did you get it?"

Raewyn nodded and looked back at Bryce, still as a stone on the other side of the room from them.

**********************************************************************
Just then, the others raced back into the room, all but Owen. Raewyn's heart lurched at the sight of her friends. "Pick up Rayne. Bring him with us." She pleaded. She then rose and hurried across the room, "They're going to blow up the factory." She said.

T'yang looked down at the man that had sired Raewyn...raped so many women. "Why?" She asked flatly.

"Because he regretted it." Raewyn answered softly.

Raewyn then looked back toward Bryce, frowning. "The Temple. Lord Udonis is at the Temple." She whispered.

Bryce frowned, concentrating hard, his head didn't feel right. Had he been hurt? He couldn't tell. The Temple. His hand lifted and with a single finger he drew a vertical line in the air and spread it wide. The Temple of the Goddess could be seen on the other side. He began to step through when Raewyn once again stopped him with an effort of will.

T'yang looked from Raewyn to Bryce and then to the portal. "Pick up Rayne and get through the portal now!" She urged the others.

by **Silvan Arrow** Thu Jan 05, 2012 5:58 pm

Eri barely felt pain as she hacked and slashed through what remained of the pack of gunmen. Energy rounds had left a few grazing burns on her arms and legs, but the adrenaline and bloodlust kept her mind from registering the throbbing pain. Arashi’s blood was up as well, and the black pinfeathers hidden under Eri’s hair stood on end and prickled against the sensitive skin on the back of her neck.

She had sensed Jake and T’yang join the fight, but she paid no heed to T’yang’s warning to not get separated. These gunmen were idiotic weaklings. Tal or Jake could have probably decimated the entire group alone in their current berserker rages. For a moment, their group stood in a room littered with corpses, and Eri paused to catch her breath. No problem at all.

Then she remembered Branom.

Still looking through Arashi’s eyes, Eri picked up a flicker of movement from the shadows and a glint of metal…aimed for Jake’s head.

“Jake! Behind you!”

Jake got her warning just in time to avoid Branom’s decapitating blow, but he had somehow lost his axe. Eri started to charge Branom to keep him busy while Jake retrieved his weapon, but the dismembered corpses of the guards began to rise from the ground and form a literal barricade of death. Eri cursed under her breath. Now she was kicking herself for getting separated. With a frustrated battle cry, Eri leapt into the fray with both swords, kicking the first gunman and impaling it to the ground with Gale Cleaver. She started to move on to the next one, but the one she had impaled started to get back up again. ‘Crap, these things don’t stay down!’ she realized. These puppet bodies would keep fighting as long as Branom had the Essence to sustain them. As Jake tossed a gunman toward Eri and she dealt a one-two slash across his back and chest, she realized that they still had a chance. As long as Branom had to keep regenerating his puppets, he couldn’t devote his full strength to protecting himself.

Eri brute-forced her way through the group of undead, hacking off heads and limbs as necessary, until she stood between them and Jake. “Jake, I’ve got your back! Focus on Branom! He can’t split himself between fighting you and controlling his puppets forever.”

She focused on keeping the undead gunmen busy and dealing as much damage to them as possible while she heard Jake pushing Branom back behind her. At first, it looked like it was working. The bodies moved more slowly and took longer to reanimate every time she cut them down. She had a vague sense of Tal and Owen fighting somewhere nearby, but she had to keep all her focus on the sheer numbers she was facing.

“I’m…not a god… Not yet anyways.”

Suddenly the bodies of the gunmen stopped attacking Eri and flew towards Branom, banding together in a massive blob of rotting flesh. The stench of death and decay permeated the room until Eri gagged. She tasted bile in her mouth as she watched Branom grow and swell to a massive, disfigured walking corpse with random limbs, eyes, and an odd mix of razor-sharp teeth. “Disgusting” didn’t even begin to describe this…abomination.

For a moment, Eri was at a loss as to how to even begin to attack Branom. Jake couldn’t get close enough to deal any damage as Branom kept trying to crush him with his giant decaying fists. By that time, however, T’yang joined the fight and attacked Branom with her shadows. Even though they did little but slow him down, Tal took the opportunity to smack the back of Branom’s knee with his war hammer. Eri saw her opening as Branom fell to a crouch and charged forward, channeling her wind Essence into her feet to propel her into a massive leap. She landed on Branom’s knee and slashed with furious abandon anywhere her blades could reach, even while each fresh wound released the putrid stench of rotting flesh and threatened to make her vomit. Despite the number of deep wounds she inflicted, Branom merely laughed and tossed her aside with a flick of his wrist. She yelped and landed roughly, barely managing to go into a roll to cushion the fall and keep from skewering herself on her swords.

Spots swarmed Eri’s vision as she struggled to regain her balance. She saw Jake get back to his feet and met his eyes, though she could see the slight surprise on his face at seeing Arashi’s blue eyes instead of her green ones. “I’m clearing a path!” she shouted at him as she raised both swords over her head. Branom had knocked back Owen and Tal for the moment, so she had to take the opportunity. She swung both swords at the ground and unleashed twin shockwaves of slicing wind that turned Branom’s arms into ribbons of decaying flesh. “ATTACK HIM NOW!” His arms were already healing even as she spoke, but it bought Jake and the others a few seconds to charge him and deal more damage before he could retaliate.

Despite their advantage in numbers and with all of them attacking at once, Branom kept healing his wounds as quickly as they could deliver them, while the others kept amassing fresh bruises and losing energy futilely. T’yangs voice rang over the din of battle, exuding a quiet calm and authority that reminded her of Tsume. "We cannot win this battle, his entire body must be destroyed! We have to get away! There is nothing we can do here!” Eri hated to admit it, but T’yang was right. She instructed Eri and Owen to block Branom while Tal and Jake led the charge back to Raewyn. Yes, they still had to protect Raewyn. And Loki. Eri understood that much even in her battle-enraged state.

Eri nodded at T’yang in agreement and waited until the others were safely out of range. She glanced at Owen standing beside her. “You ready, Owen?” She turned her eyes back to Branom and raised her swords again. “EAT THIS!” She sent out twin shockwaves of air again to push him back and then dealt out slicing blades of air in rapid succession to keep him distracted with healing himself while Owen threw more balls of lightning to stun him. She heard T’yang call again and turned to follow the others, assuming Owen would be right behind her.

She brought up the rear as the group raced back to Raewyn, so she only caught the tail end of the Goddess begging them to bring Rayne. “Because he regretted it,” she said softly. Raewyn somehow had enough of her powers left to force Brycen to open a portal to the Temple of the Goddess.

“Pick up Rayne and get through the portal now!” T’yang ordered.

Eri hesitated for a second. They didn’t have time to debate over Rayne’s fate when Branom was probably right behind them. Cursing again, she ran over and grabbed him by the shirt collar. “…Why?” he asked weakly, clearly in pain from his wounds.

“Because the Goddess wishes it,” Eri deadpanned. “And because I’m probably the only one here who wouldn’t kill you on sight right now.” Without another word or thought, she dismissed and sheathed her swords, looped Rayne’s arm over her shoulder, and hauled him as quickly as possible towards the portal, not knowing what awaited her on the other side…

by **Loki** Fri Jan 06, 2012 11:14 am

Pulses of essence continued to be absorbed by his shield as Loki offered whatever cover he could to Raewyn while the others dealt with the gunmen. If her prediction about the demolition of the facility was true, they couldn’t afford their only opportunity for escape to leave without them. So he did what he could to allow Raewyn focus upon manipulating Brycen’s mind to take them to their only safe haven. Even if they no longer had a monk or Goddess among them, they had to know what had transpired here in the hopes they knew how to stop Udonis before it was too late.

A faint feeling of nausea began to come over him as the impure Essence tainted his own reserve, once again causing the purity of his brilliant wings to take on a slight violet hue. Tal, Eri, and Jake were tearing through their numbers so quickly that he felt no sense of urgency about needing to expunge that Essence, but was struck with an idea that he sought to test in the event he should need it in the future. Looking down at his crystalline blade, he focused upon all that impurity and forced it into the length of his sword causing it to radiate a deep violet energy while his wings quickly transitioned back to their pure white coloration. Shortly after the gunmen stopped firing upon his shield, the energy around his sword transitioned back to pure white as well once all the unrefined Essence had been expended into heat.

That will come in handy.

Although the sound of gunfire had ceased, the sounds of combat only intensified at another part of the chamber from the two of them. It was then he realized the rest of the group had likely been engaged since none were around them. The conflict lasted much longer than he had expected it would, each passing second and shout only adding more unease to the situation from Loki’s perspective. Especially since there were explosives set throughout the facility that were either on a timer or intended to be detonated remotely. When T’yang led the group back towards them it was evident it was a tactical retreat as they fought back whatever they were pitted against to buy time. Glancing over his shoulder, Loki was relieved to see that Raewyn had been successful in coaxing Brycen to open a gateway to the Temple as he recognized the interior wall of the temple’s meditation chamber. It was becoming confusing having two sets of memories to draw from, but now was not the time to sort them out.

“We got a way out, we need to move now!”

Under Raewyn’s request, Eri grabbed the wounded ex-Magi and everybody was making their way to the portal. There was a series of consecutive deafening booms that shook the ground sending forth a burst of air as the shockwave shove against them. The explosions weren’t near enough to pelt them with shrapnel or send them into a tumble from the shockwave, but for an instant Loki thought it had been over for them. After his mind recovered from shocked anticipation of the inevitable, there was another series of explosions that went off throughout various portions of the facility. It was then he realized they were set on a delay, though instead of taking the time to ponder why, he instead redoubled his efforts to make their escape.

“Hurry to the ga-“

Loki was cut off by another series of explosions, this time coming from a grouping of storage tanks several rows away. As the shockwave hit, he was overcome with nausea and disorientation as his wings instantly changed to a deep violet that bordered on black. He instantly recognized it as a heavy dose of unrefined Essence that he had to get rid of immediately. There was no time to aim, he just stretch out his arm to the nearest wall and force out all that contamination from his body in a single powerful blast that turned a portion of the steel wall into slag and several feet of concrete and earth into molten rock until it was all purged.

Legs still a little shaky, he made his way towards the gate waiting his turn as everybody began filing through. His friends may be Saturates, but they weren’t as sensitive to Essence as he was. They may feel mostly fine now, but Loki knew that they had all been hit with a lethal dose of unrefined Essence and it wouldn’t be long before they started exhibiting symptoms. Once they made it to the Temple, he would need to find a way to treat them quickly. He hoped the Temple healers would be able to help them somehow, otherwise it’d be up to him to come up with something on the spot.

by **Silvan Arrow** Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:29 pm

As Eri made her way towards the portal dragging Rayne’s half-dead weight, a series of concussive booms shook the refinery and nearly sent her and her burden sprawling to the floor. ‘What the…?’

Then it hit her. Mistress, they’re blowing up the refinery! Arashi exclaimed in alarm. The realization sent a fresh surge of adrenaline through her system that snapped her out of her raging bloodlust and turned her eyes green again. All that mattered now was getting through the portal before the refinery exploded. A new set of explosions rocked the floor beneath her feet and shoved her forward from the shockwave, this time from a nearby set of storage tanks. Eri noticed Loki’s wings turn a sickly purple-black color before he discharged the Essence into the wall.

‘That can’t be good,’ Eri thought grimly. She didn’t have time to ponder it though as she hauled Rayne through the portal. The portal was…disorienting, to say the least. All at once she felt like she was being pulled from all directions and didn’t know which way was up. But the sensation ended as quickly as it happened, and she found herself standing in the Temple of the Goddess in what appeared to be some sort of meditation room.

Eri tried to do a quick head count of the group, but her vision suddenly started to blur as a wave of dizziness swamped her senses. At first she thought it was a residual effect of going through the portal, but the ensuing wave of nausea told her that something was very wrong. She collapsed onto her knees, barely managing to keep a hold on Rayne so he didn’t hit the ground too hard, and then shoved him away as her stomach lurched and emptied its contents onto the ground. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked around with her blurred vision to see the others – or at least the ones she could see – suffering similar symptoms.

“What’s…going on?!” she croaked weakly.

Mistress… Arashi’s voice wavered in her mind, suggesting he too was feeling ill effects. He shared a mental image of the storage tanks exploding and Loki’s wings turning that purple-black color. At the same time, Eri heard someone toss out the phrase “unrefined Essence.” She didn’t know exactly what that meant, but she guessed that the blast from the storage tanks had poisoned them all somehow.

Another wave of nausea gripped Eri’s stomach, but she had nothing left in her system except bile. She coughed and retched, tasting bile and blood on her tongue. The worst abdominal pain she had ever felt forced her to wrap her arms around her torso and grit her teeth to keep from screaming in agony. The constant dizziness and blurry vision made her feel like the world was spinning. She collapsed onto her side, gripping her stomach and curling around herself in the fetal position. She gasped for breath in quick, shallow gulps, and her heart pounded way too quickly in her ears.

‘Is this…how I’m going to die?’ she thought. Her vision started to go black…

Mistress! Eri! You must…stay awake! Stay…with me! Arashi’s voice sounded oddly hollow and static-y.

Pain ripped through Eri’s abdomen and back, and this time she couldn’t keep from crying out. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered that she still had to kill Udonis, protect Raewyn, and avenge Tsume’s death. But her body just didn’t want to cooperate. She couldn’t see, couldn’t tell which way was up, and had no idea if anyone could still hear her. She was simply trapped in her own personal hell.

‘Please…just let me die…’

by **Guilty Carrion** Sat Jan 07, 2012 5:21 am

With the mutated Branom hot on their heels, Owen found himself lagging as he lobbed countless orbs of lightning at the titanic figure, using sheer concussive force to keep it from catching them. Despite his efforts, the monstrous Magi kept coming, shrugging off any damage he dealt with manic laughter. As they neared the alcove, the exile skidded to a stop, summoning all the essence he could muster into a ball of electric energy. “BACK.” He hissed through clenched teeth, feeling the strain of the blast tearing across his nerve endings.

As the corpse beast reared on him, the exile unleashed the blast, sending the force rocketing into Branom’s chest and successfully heaving the Magi back several feet. Collapsing to a knee, Owen clutched his head as every nerve and node and cell screamed in protest at the abuse. Swallowing the pain as best he could, he staggered to his feet, grasping the wall for support. Before he could turn to join his comrades in their escape, an explosion rocked the refinery, tossing him from his feet and into a crumpled heap. Straining his eyes, he barely made out the portal ahead, dragging himself forward as his feet fought for purchase.

Closer, closer…

He reached, fingers grazing against the strange image before the roof above the portal shattered, the insane eyes of the corpse beast glaring down at him. The light vanished, and his heart sank, rolling to avoid a crushing blow from one of the many mutilated limbs. Finding his legs finally, Owen leapt back from the alcove, flaring his time manipulation briefly to avoid the collapsing wreckage that had once provided safe haven.

Echoing off the walls, the dozen hunger mad mouths of the reformed Branom spoke, each a different sound but all speaking with the height of madness to their raucous chorus. “Owen.” The name sent the power mad magi into a spiel of caustic laughter, eyes glistening with callous mirth. “Alone! Alone again!” It stalked closer, fangs dripping with gobs of puss filled saliva, malformed nose sniffing at the air as the exile pressed himself in between twin storage tanks. “Hiding won’t work. Cannot work.” Nails of jutting bone scraped against the steel, as another explosion rocked the refinery, sending a plume of fire jutting up the Magi’s arm.

Owen dove from his cover as the beast hissed in pain, sprinting as fast as he could across the stretch of empty ground. This was a fight he could not win, and he knew it all too well. The necromancer had been difficult enough at the leyline alone, but in it’s power mad state now, he would be hard-pressed to even damage the creature. A barrage of bone shards pelted the earth behind him, shattering marrow and cracking concrete spurring him faster. The ground shook as Branom brought itself to bear and began it’s deafening approach, screeching with a banshee’s fury as more and more of his skin tore apart to fling the deadly projectiles.

Diving forward, Owen spun mid-leap, drawing his revolvers with a fluid tug and picking off the bone spears as they neared with a few well placed shots. The ground reared up too quickly, and he jolted into a roll, crashing against a crate with enough force to rob him of breath. He lingered for only a second, before roughly hauling himself over the protective metal, wincing at the painful sting in his side as he pressed tight against the crate. Reaching down, he felt the warm flow of blood, and pressed tighter to the wound, feeling the tip of the shard jut further out. Gripping it, he bit harshly against his tongue, ripping the projectile from his body with an agonizing pull. Gasping hungrily for oxygen, the gunman drew once more upon his time, regressing his body by the briefest amount he could muster, just enough to halt the wound’s bleeding.

The sting burned at his side still, but the shaking concrete warned him of the rapidly approaching Branom. Drawing a sharp breath, he prepped two rounds into his revolver, tossing the second to it’s fate as the magi loomed down. “Iron. Thick and rich. Spilling, spilling, spilling. Stop, stop. Waste not a drop.” Dozens of eyes zeroed in on Owen, who offered a snarling grin back to the monster. “Devou-” The revolver barked twice, and two of the eyes exploded in a shower of ichor and nerve. Howling in pain, the beast reared it’s head back, clawing at the wounded eyes as Owen rose to his feet.

“So, you do feel pain.” Another charge detonated, this time much closer than the last, and the refinery groaned over the spreading flames. The building didn’t have much longer. Whatever you’re going to do, Owen, do it quick. Branom’s eyes bubbled shut, splitting their scars seconds later to glare down at the stubborn creature.

“Pest! Urchin!” Slamming it’s arms down, Owen flung himself out of harm’s way, the crate buckling under the relentless strikes. “Die! You hunger for it! Die!” Gritting his teeth, Owen broke into a sprint, nimbly reloading his revolver as Branom screeched. Seconds later, the magi was hot on his heels, all it’s countless limbs working in unison to achieve unnatural locomotion. “Die! Die! Die!” A limb snatched out, grabbing his leg and ripping the limb out from under him. Branom wasted no time, hauling Owen back towards him as the exile’s hands gripped wildly for something to hold.

Hoisted into the air, his desperate grasp snatched hold of a railing, jerking his body to a rough stop so violent it threatened to dislocate his shoulder. Turning as much as he could manage, Owen spat blood, raising his revolver with a shaking arm, aiming desperately for the vulnerable eyes. They roared in unison, the shot screaming as flesh rent from flesh. Without dignity or grace, the exile was flung across the burning refinery, striking into the storage container and his world fading black.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His eyes fluttered open, staring at the inferno that now dominated the refinery floor. Vaguely, he processed the detonations of countless storage tanks, the unrefined essence washing his body in it’s poisonous venom. He pushed with all the strength his body could summon. It was little, but the exile rose enough to stare across the refinery. Flames licked at the corpse beast’s body, but it still lumbered forward, ignoring the blisters and searing wounds.

Glancing behind him, Owen could only stare in wonder at the landscape beyond. It was close. He tried to rise, feeling his body burning in desperation for freedom, as it tore through his precious essence. Coughing, he fought to cover his mouth, only to gaze at a bloodied stump. The blood trickled slowly, far slower than any wound should ever bleed. His eyes lifted to the pristine world beyond, swallowing in cold revelation.

A granted wish.

His essence reserves dipped low, and the first stings of the pain seeped into his sluggish brain, and the world instantly snapped into focus. Gasping, the exile turned back to Branom, watching the living corpse get closer and closer. The animal sought to escape. His eyes narrowed, lips peeling back into a vicious snarl. A defiler. An abomination. A murderer.

It could not be permitted to live. It was a sobering feeling, one that clenched his gut firm with both horror and resolve. His remaining hand crackled with energy, as the muffled sounds of the pending detonation grew louder and louder, drowning out all thought.

Thought was unnecessary.

He needed to act.

The lightning crackled from his finger tips, and Owen found himself smiling. The titan lunged forward, and he raised his remaining arm as the last of his energy sapped into the blast. His fingers formed a mock gun, his blue eyes dulling as the life blood flowed.

“We have made our choices.” For a moment, he swear he saw fear flicker on the monster’s face. “Now let us abide them.”

The lightning leapt, it’s brilliant power arcing across the containers around him. There was no time, not for him, nor the necromancer, as they vanished in a plume of fire and steel.

by **quakernuts** Sun Jan 08, 2012 9:17 pm

The attacks on Branom were doing little more than buy them time. Jake was considering simply finding a way to bring the building down on him when T'yang decided to try and pull the leader card, and told them that they all needed to book it out of there. Jake looked back at the necro-mage, and had to agree with her. Any damage they had done was already reversing itself as he kept his charge forward. T'yang laid out the battle plan, but Jake hesitated. He was still a fighter, first and foremost, and running was something he completely despised. Yet, he could only see the logic in running, and none in staying. Quickly he forced his way back and ended up shoulder to shoulder with Tal. Anything that was in their way was quickly destroyed or bashed aside. It wasn't long before they met up with Raewyn and Loki, who was looking different to say the least, and a couple of the magi.

A portal was formed, looking like it was stemming from one of the magi. Jake only guessed, by looking between Raewyn and Bryce that she was somehow keeping him here. As the others caught up, and Jake heard Raewyn say she wanted to save the man that had raped so many women over his life, he considered killing the man right there to save them the trouble. So he had a last change of heart, it didn't make up for all the sins he had committed for his master. Instead, Eri took the man, and lead the charge through the portal. Jake looked around for a second, and only then did he notice that Owen was not among them. He looked back, but didn't see the man. Raewyn went through the portal next, and another explosion rocked them. Jake remained standing upright, but knew that they had to get out of there. Loki went through next, and Jake was about to when Owen rounded the corner followed by Branom. Hurry up you god damn idiot! Jake thought to himself as Owen sprinted towards the portal. Branom appeared behind him, obviously catching up to him as he ran.

Jake looked over to see Tal about to run back to help Owen, only to have his neck grasped firmly by Jake's hand. Without a second thought, he tossed the oversized man through the portal and looked to T'yang. She gave a moment of hesitation before following him through the portal. They couldn't wait for him, so it would be up to him whether or not he made it through.

The trip through the portal was strange to say the least. It felt like he was everywhere and nowhere at the same time, being stretched in all different directions only to be crumpled back together. Jake exited the portal in a roll, and got up to see Tal looking at him angrily as he tried to force his way to the portal. "We have to go back!" He yelled as he simply tried to push Jake aside. Jake grabbed his shoulder, and gave a gentle push that, because of his state, knocked Tal on his back. Jake looked back, expecting Owen to come through at any moment. Instead, the portal simply blinked out of existence, and Jake stood there staring. That made the kill count for the bad guys two. Jake hung his head, and turned to walk through the crowd. He ignored Tal as he seemed to be cradling his one arm that appeared to have taken the brunt of the damage.

For some reason, he simply kept walking. His vision started to get wavy, as if he was underwater. Everything seemed to be moving, including the ground itself, and he struggled to remain upright. He managed to make it to the closest wall and placed a hand on it, allowing it to steady him. Almost as soon as he did that, he doubled over and threw up black vomit all over the floor. He tried to look around for the others, but the haziness of his vision didn't allow him to make out any coherent images. He could see blobs, but that was all. His stomach wrenched again, and once more he emptied the contents of his stomach. He dropped to one knee, breathing heavily and sweating as if he had run a marathon. After once more throwing up, he attempted to stand. He needed to stand, and he needed to survive. Staying here and dieing to a sickness was not the way to go. With an impressive amount of willpower, Jake raised himself to a standing position with the wall as support, and pushed off in order to regroup with the others. He had only managed to get two steps back before his feet fell out from underneath him and he collapsed on the ground in a heap.

Everything felt like it was on fire, and frozen to the core at the same time. As if someone was physically grabbing his organs and squeezing all the juice out. His stomach once again tried to force out everything through his mouth, but by this point there was nothing more. All that came out was blood and spit as he rolled to his side to avoid lying in it. Why was this happening? He had never felt this sick in his life, but slowly, through the last rational part in his mind, he started piecing it together. The storage tanks had unrefined essence in them, they exploded before they could get through...That had to be it. A huge dose of unrefined essence would be enough to kill them. With this in mind, Jake doubled his efforts to stand back up again to no avail. He would get to a kneeling position only to fall over once more in pain. He didn't shout, didn't bother saying anything. Chances were everyone else was feeling the same way.

They were all going to die.

by **Digital Muse** Mon Jan 16, 2012 8:06 pm

While it was clear no one wished to save the shape-shifting Mage, Raewyn was intensely grateful that Eri chose not to argue and helped the man upright. The factory shook with timed explosions. She retained her hold on Bryce, but her fear was making it more and more difficult. The timed explosions grew closer and more violent. The concussions made the factory shake and Raewyn could hear the concrete begin to crumble behind them.

Lighter explosions behind the group told Raewyn that Owen was still back by the storage tanks. He was still in danger! She was about to ask about him when she saw Owen heading for them, but the horrifically bloated Mage was was right behind him. She nearly froze in place from the sight.

T'yang placed a strong hand on her should and urged her through the portal Brycen still held open. There was a moment of disorientation when her world was turned inside out and Raewyn landed heavily on her hands and knees on the verdant green grass on the opposite side.

A vicious wave of nausea hit her like a freight train and every nerve in her body seemed to be on fire. It was as if she was being burned and then dipped in ice water and then burned over and over again. She wanted to cry out, but the pain and nausea prevented that. Finally, she simply curled into a ball and lay crying, too weak to move.
___________________________________________________________________________________

T'yang waited for Eri to carry Rayne through the portal and then watched as Loki followed. Where was Owen? Had he died? The delayed concussive explosions went off one after another, destroying the factory and supposedly them with it. And still she didn't see Owen. But she could hear the lighter explosions of his ball lightening and cracks of his guns as he held off the Death Mage. Tal turned back as if to help Owen, but Jake grabbed the big man and tossed him through before diving through the portal himself.

Turning her head, she saw that Brycen was looking about confusedly. Raewyn no longer had control of him. He began to close the portal, but hadn't stepped through himself. T'yang could see Owen running for the platform, but the bloated Branom reached out for him, dragging him away. T'yang and Owen met gazes and she saw his decision. T'yang nodded and dove through the portal just as it closed behind her.

She had traveled with Brycen before, but even when she had been ready for the vertigo, she had never gotten used to the feeling. She landed lightly on the opposite side and had to take a few additional running steps to accommodate for her momentum. She heard Tal crying out trying to get back to Owen, but Jake held him back. She turned to tell him of Owen's ultimate sacrifice, but the vertigo she'd experienced intensified a hundredfold. She fell to her knees and then to her side. Her single war fan fell from her useless fingers. Boils and blisters formed on her skin almost instantly. T'yang tried to see the others and noted that they all seemed to be suffering as well. What had happened? Were they attacked before they had managed to escape? Her mind seemed to be coated in molasses, it refused to reason. All she managed to latch onto was the storage tanks of the factory. They were somehow responsible for this.

by **Guilty Carrion** Mon Jan 16, 2012 10:08 pm

The detonating refinery snapped Tal from his fury, coughing roughly as his body was drenched in whatever the storage containers had been holding. His body felt heavy, but the remaining adrenaline served to keep him from collapsing, half starting towards the portal as he glanced back at the remaining group. He paused in his stride, spotting Owen’s mad dash to escape from the titanic magi hot on his heels. The vagabond turned quickly from the portal, breaking into a light run to assist Owen, only for Jake’s hand to grab his neck and stop him dead in his tracks.

Before any protest could be mustered, Tal was lobbed forcefully backwards into the portal. It was one of the most peculiar feelings that he’d ever had the misfortune of feeling. The ground was no where, and his body felt like a piece of thread slowly unravelling from everything, only to snap back to normal as he exited it with all the momentum of Jake’s toss. Skidding a few feet, Tal grit his teeth against the pain, all the wounds from the refinery suddenly crystal clear.

Staggering to his feet, the vagabond felt at his side, wincing as his fingers brushed against the deep burns. His mind was clouded and foggy, but he pushed forward, glaring furiously as Jake emerged from the portal with T’yang in tow. Mustering whatever speed he could, the oversized man ran forward, fully intent on bulldozing the brawler out of his way. “We have to go back!” Jake stopped him with ease, giving a gentle, yet forceful push that knocked the feet out from under him.

Trying to catch himself, Tal collapsed onto his arms, only for his left to buckle out from under him and send him face first into the ground. Hissing through clenched teeth, he tried to rise, feeling a lone arm grasping wildly for purchase. The world swayed and blurred, and he shook his head to clear the nauseating feeling, finding it only intensified with the motion. Rolling to his back, he gasped wildly for breath, swallowing in vain as the air continued to rush from his lungs.

Gagging forcefully, he turned his head in time to vomit, barely registering the sickly black colour of what should have been his breakfast. Sweat coated his body, as his eyes watered from the stabbing pain from this strange sickness and the burns.

“Tal…” Darren’s voice blurred in his mind, but he pushed hard against the agony, trying to hear the summon’s words. “You’ve…rest…got…” His body felt like it was on a rollercoaster of hot and cold, shifting from one extreme to the other in a matter of moments. “Sleep…”

Curling in on himself, Tal squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain as fatigue and exhaustion crept in on his senses. Whispering hushes and words from Darren soothed as best they could, and Tal fell into the welcoming dark.

by **Loki** Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:08 pm

Loki watched as his friends around him begun to succumb to their affliction before more movement drew his attention to several monks encircling them with weapons brandished and poised to strike. It was then he realized that the only one of the group that may be recognized was somebody who left the Temple, none of whom had authorization to enter the Temple’s Meditation Chamber. He had to help his friends and he needed the healer monks to help him do it, but unless he thought quickly, the only help they’d offer would be a swift death to end their suffering. There was an important nugget of information that was hanging on the tip of his tongue that would get them out of this new mess. The armed monks begun taking cautious steps forward, closing in on the intruders and poised to dispatch them as he frantically tried to piece together countless foreign memories.

Just as the nearest monk pulled his blade back preparing to strike at him like a coiled serpent, it came to him in a flash of revelation. “The furies of winter are upon us, respond.” All the monks circling them froze in their tracks as their bodies expressed both surprise and suspicion at his words. None answered, causing Loki’s temper to flare up as his voice becoming more hard and authoritative. With the lives of his friends in peril, he had no time to deal with skepticism especially when reciting that of all passphrases. With a very visible snarl on his lips, he repeated the phrase. “The furies of winter are upon us! Respond!”

Loki watched as the eyes of the monk who had been moments away from striking opened wide with alarm. ”May the light of summer never die!” Lowering his weapon, he looked over his shoulder to his nearest comrade whose skepticism had also given way to apprehension and barked an order that snapped him out of his thoughts. ”You heard him! Fetch the Grand Mistress! NOW!”

“Get the healers! They’ve gotten exposed to a heavy dose of unrefined Essence and they need help!”

Three monks sprinted out of the chamber in to retrieve those who were needed while the others put their weapons away and eased their stances only marginally. ”You nor any of your companions are monks of this Temple, so how could you possibly know that phrase?” Loki had knelt next to Raewyn trying desperately to figure out what he could do to help her by the time the lead monk asked his question. “It’s a long story that I will share once my friends are tended to. If you need some reassurance as to our allegiance, we’re here on behalf of Tsume.”

”We haven’t heard from him in weeks, how do we know that this isn’t some sort of trick?”

Loki shot a scowl over his shoulder to the monk, quickly growing agitated by the man’s skepticism that only served to distract him. “Dammit Fidelias, I don’t have time to deal with your condescension right now! There is too much to explain while distracted, so until my friends are healed you’re going to have to get off my case!” The monk blinked in bewilderment at the stranger who had called him by his birthname rather than the one he adopted upon becoming an acolyte to the temple.

Moments later a small team of monks entered the chamber and begun examining the injured. After they were told the cause of their affliction, a grim expression spread over their faces. ”Though it degrades the body, Essence poisoning itself isn’t a physical affliction that can be treated through healing. At most we’d be able to delay the inevitable, but the moment we stop healing them they will be back at the state they are now. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do to save them…”

A matronly voice pulled Loki’s attention away from the healers to look at the woman standing between an armed escort. It was easy to see that she was the eldest in the room, but time had been generous on her frame. Lush silver hair hung in a long braid to the middle of her back and her physique suggested to a body that seemed to hardly wane once it reached its physical peak. It was her pale blue eyes that suggested her true age; carrying the magnitude of wisdom only seen by those who have devoted their lives to seeking Enlightenment through experience and reflection. ”How is it that your friends lay at the precipice of death and yet you are perfectly healthy? I understand you appeared at the same time.”

A part of Loki stared with reverence for the woman, but the other half could not fully grasp the significance she represented. It was easy enough to assume she was the Grand Mistress a portion of his mind sought audience with, but it was through instinct rather than knowing that he summoned her. “I-… It’s part of my ability. I can manipulate Essence and I was able to discharge that surge of tainted energy that is killing them… Is it possible for me to do the same for them? Pull the impurity from their bodies and ground it like I did for myself?”

“Not without killing them. Your power is unique in that it can keep the two separate, for nearly every other Saturate it is like a disease that permeates through the blood. The only way you’d be able to remove their affliction through that method would require you to drain them of everything, including their lifeforce.”

Loki’s hands begun to shake as he suddenly felt entirely hopeless and alone. It only took his mind an instant to latch on to one key portion of her words. “You said that method wouldn’t work! Is there another?!”

A grandmotherly smile traced the woman’s lips, approving of the man’s insight. ”There is.”

Hope mixed with desperate frustration flooded through his mind as she simply let that hang in the air without explanation. His friends were dying and she was playing games! Loki had been about to voice his aggravation when a voice in his conscious warned him to tread carefully. Lowering his head in respect for his elder, he pleaded to her. “Please, Grand Mistress Adina, tell me how I can save my friends.”

The woman’s smile widened, suggesting he had passed a test he had been entirely unaware was taking place. ”You truly are a curiosity. A stranger who reminds me of another in more ways that is entirely coincidental, but we will talk on that later. Like an affliction of the blood, it isn’t a matter of draining the toxin, but of filtering it from the blood. For this particular affliction, you must help their bodies refine the impure energy that is killing them by running it through you. As a Saturate who has power over Essence your body is far more efficient at doing this, but you must also be cautious not to be hasty lest you surpass your limits and share in their fate.”

Looking back at the agonized expressions on those who had not only been by his side as he first ventured forth into the world, but had risked their own lives to save him, Loki knew he had to try. Sitting between their prone bodies with legs crossed beneath him for comfort, he left the healers instructions to repair the physical afflictions that were killing them long enough for him to remove the unrefined Essence from their bodies. After a few moments of mental preparation he was ready to do something he never even attempted before as a tendril wrapped around the wrist of every one of them, including the Magi who had a hand in his kidnapping. As malevolent as their intentions were, nobody deserved such a fate and they may still prove to be of use to their cause still yet. Once contact was made, Loki begun slowly pulling their tainted lifeforce into himself causing him to feel nauseous as the pure white aura of his wings faded into a light violet.

Over the course of several hours, he worked on refining the impurity into something that was fit to sustain life rather than simply power machinery. Countless times he retched as his body tried to expunge the affliction through traditional means. Fatigue sunk deeply into Loki’s being, urging him to rest for a while. It was a notion that was often made verbal by one of the healer monks who periodically checked his own condition. Still he did not relent. By the sixth hour he was thankful for the countless hours of rest he had received imprisoned within the refinery, even if it was forced upon him. He used that as an excuse to make up for lost effort. Finally at hour ten the violet coloration begun to show subtle signs of growing more pale, providing him a finish line, an objective he could now see after hours of painstaking effort. It wasn’t until two hours after that that Loki finally felt the remnants of the tainted Essence dissipate and he finally allowed himself to collapse to his back. Never before had he worked so hard in his life nor felt so thoroughly exhausted and surely his friends wouldn’t blame him for catching a little shuteye even though the first rays of morning were beginning to crest over the mountaintops all around them.

by **Silvan Arrow** Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:20 pm

Eri fought tooth and nail to hold onto consciousness, literally clawning at the cold stone floor beneath her, but the pain kept threatening to pull her under. She started to have a hard time hearing Arashi’s mental voice, which told her that she was in very real danger of dying if she couldn’t even sense her Summon anymore.

Then several events happened in rapid succession. She vaguely registered the sound of people shouting at each other and barking orders, and one of the voices resembled Loki. She then felt a pair of hands moving over her body and gently rolling her onto her back. Still unable to see, she tried to flinch from the unfamiliar contact, but she was too weak to put up much of a fight. The owner of the hands spoke in a calm, soothing tone that sounded female, and she managed to pick up a few words: “Peace…your friend…help…we…heal…”

Eri felt a tendril of what could only be part of Loki’s guardian wings wrap around her wrist, and the relief was almost immediate. Her nausea started to diminish as she felt the taint start to leave her body, but it was slow, gradual process. At the same time, the person next to her placed her hands on Eri’s torso, and she felt unfamiliar Essence course through her body as she performed some sort of ritual to start healing the physical damage the unrefined Essence had caused.

“Rest…you'll…fine…”

Whatever time passed next could have been minutes, hours, days, or even weeks. Eri couldn’t tell. She simply lay on her back in a state somewhere between wakefulness and full unconsciousness. She had this odd sensation of being connected to the others in the group through links of Essence, with Loki as the central hub. The taint in her body circulated back and forth between her and Loki, with each circuit purifying the Essence a little more and transforming it into something life-giving instead of simply removing it. Through the web of Essence connections, she could feel the others healing and growing stronger as well. At the same time, the physical pain and nausea slowly subsided thanks to the constant work of the healer sitting next to her.

Eventually, exhaustion and stress overwhelmed Eri’s body and tipped her just over the edge into full unconsciousness…

-------------

Eri’s eyes flew open with a start and then promptly squinted shut again as even the dim lighting in the room burned after spending so many hours of total darkness. She groaned as stiff limbs protested her efforts to move. “W-what happened…?” Her voice cracked weakly, and her throat felt as dry as cotton. The room spun crazily as she sat up and rolled into a kneeling position and her eyes readjusted. She felt disoriented and didn’t remember what had happened or how she had gotten here.

Panic struck Eri as she took in the scene around her. Her friends were all lying on the ground in this dimly lit room. A number of strange people either knelt beside them or walked around the perimeter, speaking in hushed tones. She had no idea who they were, but she could see that most of them carried weapons on their belts. Then she caught sight of Loki passed out in the middle of the room.

Hazy memories flooded back all at once. Loki! The unrefined Essence! He had been healing all of them, but now…had he been injured? Had these strangers done something to him? And the Goddess! She was unconscious too and surrounded by more of these strangers. All Eri could see was that her friends were unconscious, including the one that had supposedly dodged the effects of the unrefined Essence, and the only ones potentially responsible were these armed strangers.

Eri snapped as one of the strangers approached Loki. “G-get away from him!” she shouted. She forced her aching body to move and went into a kneeling battle crouch, reaching for her sword.

“Wait!” Eri whirled around to face the woman who had spoken. She was a few feet too close for Eri’s comfort. “We’re not your enemies!”

“Save it!” Eri growled, her voice sounding less hoarse. “Who are you people? And what did you do to them?!” She reached for the Essence link connecting her to Arashi. ‘Arashi! To me!’

Mistress, wait!

But it was too late. Eri completed the process of summoning, and Arashi materialized behind her in a defensive crouch.

That’s when all hell broke loose.

No sooner did she finish summoning Arashi than the back of Eri’s neck started itching…really badly. ‘What the…?’ The little black feathers hidden under her hair stood up on end, and the itching sensation raced down her neck to her shoulder blades. Her back arched on its own accord as Essence gathered in her shoulders and increased to a painful level. “What is…AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!” She cried out as dozens of new black feathers sprouted from the back of her neck and down her spine to her shoulders. At the same time, the Essence just kept building under her shoulders until it felt like her skin was about to burst. Just as she reached that breaking point, the pain suddenly vanished and a sudden weight from her shoulders dropped her to her hands and knees. Her eyes about bulged out of their sockets as she turned her head and saw…wings…

Impossibly, a pair of jet black eagle wings protruded from her shoulders, ripping slits in her tunic in the process. Combined, their wingspan exceeded ten feet and looked like they could easily support Eri’s weight in flight. They looked like real flesh, blood, and feathers, but at the same time they didn’t feel quite real. For one, the wings weren’t connected to Eri’s body in the same way that her arms and legs were. The closest comparison she could draw is that she had summoned them in the same way that she had summoned Arashi. Like Arashi, they were physical embodiments of Essence that could materialize and dissipate at the Summoner’s bidding.

“How…is this possible?” Eri asked.

My guess is that the unrefined Essence that Loki purified somehow manifested itself into a physical form, Arashi answered.

“Oh man…how do I get rid of these things?” Eri tried to get to her feet but promptly fell again as she realized that she couldn’t control these new wings. They flailed in every random direction possible and knocked her from her knees to her side to her back and onto her other side in a succession that left her dizzy and lightheaded. She just couldn’t coordinate the movement of six limbs at once and shouted curses as she undoubtedly made quite the spectacle of herself. “Aaaaaaahhhhhh…I can’t…HELP!” Arashi screeched in distress as he could only watch helplessly.

Just then, the woman who had shouted earlier actually threw herself on Eri’s right wing and pinned it to the ground. “You must calm down! Hurry and dismiss your Summon!”

Eri wanted to shout at the woman to stop telling her what to do, but she didn’t really have any other options, seeing as she was lying on her stomach with her left wing still flailing out of her control. Gritting her teeth, she severed the Essence link with Arashi and watched as he vanished back to the elements. Thankfully, the wings also dissipated in a cloud of black feathers, leaving Eri shaking from shock and covered in a cold sweat. The woman placed a calming hand on her shoulder as she tried to move again. “Easy…take it slowly…”

Eri felt the back of her neck with a trembling hand as she moved back to a sitting position. The new feathers that had sprouted had also disappeared, leaving just the ones that had always been hidden under her hair. “W-who are you people?” she finally asked. She figured that they probably weren’t out to kill their group by this point, and she finally remembered the events that had brought them here, to the Temple of the Goddess.

“We are all monks and acolytes of the Temple of the Goddess,” the woman replied, indicating herself and the other armed strangers in the room. She arched an eyebrow and continued, “I think, though, that we should be the ones asking you the same question.”

By this point, Tal had regained consciousness and was explaining their situation to the other monks, including an elderly woman with long, gray hair who clearly carried an air of authority. “What happened?” Eri asked. “How are we…alive?”

The female monk nodded to Loki, who was still sleeping. “Your friend managed to purify the unrefined Essence in your body while we healers tended to your physical injuries. I’m guessing that the Essence he purified also explains the appearance of your wings.”

Eri nodded. “That’s the only explanation I can gather as well.” Realizing that she had turned on allies in her confusion, she sighed wearily and added, “Thank you for helping us, and…I’m sorry I tried to attack you. I didn’t…”

The monk waved a hand in dismissal. “You were disoriented and thought your friends were in danger. Fighting to protect others is an admirable quality.” Eri started to get to her feet, but the monk held up a hand to stop her. “There is…something else you should know. You may not be aware of it, but I found something while I was healing your injuries.” Seeing Eri’s look of confusion, she leaned forward and whispered something in her ear…

Eri froze. Of all the things the monk could have told her, she had not been expecting that. The woman gave her a look of pity. “I’m so sorry…” she whispered.

“I...I…uh…” Eri stammered nonsensically and staggered to her feet. Her legs trembled beneath her as she meandered to the nearest wall and leaned sideways against the cold stone, trying to process the shock and make sense of what the monk had just said. A hand drifted down to rest over her stomach, above the scar marking where Jasper had stabbed her at the end of that fateful battle.

“You have a lot of scar tissue from what looks like a recent abdominal wound. Your vital organs are fine, but most of the scarring occurred in your reproductive system. That amount of scarring, combined with the exposure to unrefined Essence…I’m sorry, but it’s rendered you infertile…”

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