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The Story of Palis A continuing story of worlds trapped in war, where their only hope are Heroes from other worlds.

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Old 04-19-2005, 05:09 PM   #16
 
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******************************
Palis, The Year 0 Aikia, Somewhere Else

Gamma heard laughter coming from Kain's throne room. Looking over Schala, who was still strapped to the stone slab, he gave Beta orders to watch the girl as he entered the throne room.

Inside the throne room, Kain was laughing so hard he was having trouble staying on his chair. Gamma raised an eyebrow. "Lord Kain?"

Kain calmed down enough to speak. "Ha. You'll love this one, Gamma. I've just heard from Valmarus - watch this."

Kain beamed an image into Gamma's head - that of Dacono beheading Ishia. Gamma felt Kain's glee and went back to Beta and Schala.

****************************
Palis, The Year 0 Aikia, Gracia Castle

Magus sat in his room. At dawn the demons would return, and the war would restart. Malice was preparing for the next day's battle, and Nichi had gone to talk to Belial. Aikia was now running Gracia, and Titania was helping with the soldier-healing. Only Magus himself had nothing to do.

He left his room, strolling down the hall. He began to think of everything that was happening, and about the shapeshifter that had knocked him away like nothing. He went outside and watched the men who were stripping down the Lavos Spawn's shell and making it into better armor.

Someone in this world knows who I really am, but how? Only Schala also came from Earth and knew who Janus was, but she wouldn't know that Magus and Janus were the same person. Nobody knows me as Janus Zeal. There's no way..

The festival continued. Magus quickly dodged through the crowd, remembering the last time he had been at a festival - to buy a clone to resurrect his friend Crono back on Earth. He thought back...

*****************************
Earth, The Year 1000 AD, Truce Village

Magus watched as Marle copied the clone's movements. Dr. Bekkler clapped, admiring her imitative skills. "Splendid! Have the clone!"

They grabbed the clone and stopped off at Crono's house for a quick rest. His mother was there.

"How is Crono doing? Where is he?" she asked. Marle started blinking away tears, but Frog spoke up. "Milady, Crono is fine. He hath suffered a minor injury. We shall bring him this doll in order to raise his spirits."

Magus shook his head. He looked back at the happy faces at the festival - all of them oblivious to Crono's death thirteen thousand years prior. He sighed. "Ignorami*..."

*****************************
Palis, The Year 0 Aikia, Gracia Festival

"Sir Magus? Are you alright?" asked one of the soldiers.

Magus looked up, eyes bloodshot. "I'm fine. How long to dawn?"

"Only a few hours," grunted another guard.

Magus hurried back to the castle to rest up before the coming battle.

*I'm pretty sure ignorami is the plural form of ignoramus - if not, then just replace it with whatever the real plural is.
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Old 04-19-2005, 05:18 PM   #17
 
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((I'm not sure where everyone is, and Nichi ended this portion of the battle too quickly for me to initiate my plan to kill the shield over the demon archers. So i'll continue as a rogue))

Ishia's death had taken a toll on Malice. For the past three days, he had watched humans and demons fall under eachothers blades. War was too harsh a reality for Malice. Secretly he wished he was back in Theira, under the care of the elder, and away from this strife. At least there he wouldn't be aware of this gruesome battle. Ignorance really was bliss.

The thought of Ishia's death bothered him. The ease at which Dacono had ended her life was troubling, and it wreaked havoc on Malice's conscience mind. With death all around, it was hard to keep faith in the light of hope. It was that fading hope that was leading his to question his purpose. Ishia was dead along with tens of thousands of Gracians. Who was next? Which of his friends would suffer next? How long would this unneccessary bloodshed last. It was with that thought that he finally came to terms with his conscience. He knew what he must do. He had to end the war before any more noble soldiers were taken from this world, unable to return to their families.

Slowly he got up from where he lay in tumultuous thought. He checked his equipment quickly: handling his daggers to ensure working order, flexing his bow and refilling his quivers, and lastly tightening and slipping on his gauntlets. He whispered a quick prayer to the goddess of the wind and sent it up into the heavens riding on a current. With graceful silence, he left through the window, unseen to the eye.

Only once he had cleared the gates did he look back at the resiliant kingdom of Gracia, still standing even under such oppression. He offered a last goodbye into the wind, and gave a small salute to the soldiers of Gracia. With his prayers said, he looked towards the small fires that marked the demon camps. He knew that the demons didn't sleep. Those fires were symbolic of ritual spawning pits, the pits that summoned the demons from the netherworld. These pits were direct links to the demon world, and Malice could see the movement of the demons as they passed the fire. With a great sense of responsibilty, he started towards the treeline, determined to set the world right and cease the entertainment of the Gods of Chaos and Pandemonium.

Malice set down into the trees, still unseen. He uncloaked to preserve his strength, and as silently as he had come he continued forward, not a single stick breaking under his nimble footing.

The demon camp was alight. No guards were placed on the perimeter. The demon generals did not intend to win this war with strategy; they intended on their sheer numbers and brute strength to win this war. Malice entered a clearing, where ahead he was made aware of the 7 spawning pits. 7 shamans stood at each, chating a prayer to the demon world. Each shaman wore a different robe, and each was representative of their patron demon. Malice recalled Belial talking about the great 7, seven demons who had once been figureheads of the demon war. He knew virtually nothing of them outside of their terrible power and influence on the world.

In the brush Malice slowly watched for a number of minutes. After a good half hour, the blood moon was directly overtop of them, and the shaman's chant changed. The demon portals turned from a golden yellow to an ominous purple. They also widened. A larger demon appeared from the portal, more sinister and horrific than the swarm of regular demons they had been engaging for the last few days. In the hour to come, these new demons flooded out of their homeworld and into Palis. They joined the rank of their lesser demons without so much as a grunt. Finally, Malice decided he'd have to make a move.

He felt back into his quiver, and pulled out 7 arrows. He was going to have to act fast. He aimed his bow at the nearest portal, but quickly decided against it. Instead he quickly scanned all seven portals, and noted a single shaman. The shamn wore robes that insignified black ice, and there was an unsettling presence about them. Malice quickly unleashed his seven arrows at one time from his bow, and within a second, each of the noted shamans fell to the ground.

The portals ruptured, and wavered as they fought to stabilize. Demons that were half through the portal were stuck in between Palis and their homeland, and they vanished into smoke with a great unholy gasp. The shamans took no time to find their enemy. As if possessed, they turned in unison to Malice. With his bow still out, he unleashed arrow after arrow until all 49 shaman cloaks lay, black smoke still wisping from their covers. Feeling quite proud of himself, Malice stood for a second to admire his act. Without warning, a human hand grabbed him and pressed a diamond bladed sword to his throat.

"We're going to see the big V," the man taunted, leading Malice forward. They past the rows of demons, and it was only then that Malice realized just how many of the second rank demons had been created in an hour. Suddenly he felt black.

**

Malice woke chained to a post. He heard talking coming from a structure to his right, but he didn't have the slack to see who it was that was talking. The one voice he recognized as that of his human capturer, while the other was a low grumbling. That was undoubtedly Valmarus, the commander of the demon armies and the lesser of the 4 demons. There was a third voice, who Malice recognized but couldn't make sense of.

"We attack at morning. Send the juggernauts. I do not care if they were just summoned, they will seize the Gracian capital and take the heads of those who vanquished the seaside cities."

"Yes m'lord," said his capturer.

Malice knew a great trouble was coming. In a last pitch attempt, he let out a whisper: "Nichi. At camp. New demon. Juggernaut. Attack at morning. Don't come for me." With the whisper done, he blew at the air in front of him, sending the message forward to Gracia.

Please let the winds stay true, and may my message hit it's mark.

((Spiff I'm setting you up, and for the rest of you, I have to keep the story rolling))

Last edited by Mong00se; 04-19-2005 at 05:21 PM.
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Old 04-19-2005, 07:54 PM   #18
 
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((attempt at moving people numero deux.))

Some time passed and the moon was beginning its trip back to the blankets of the horizon. There was an eerie stillness about the castle, interrupted only by the hushed councils and drunken ramblings that were hidden in the shadows and unknown rooms of the palace.

A terrible peacefulness rested about the atmosphere of the infirmary; those who lay there were either unconscious from pain or had died of it long ago. Exhausted, Titania pulled closed the heavy drapes of a window that brought the only light into the room. With a sigh, she sat down on her chair and tried to get some sleep. There was no use.

From somewhere in the room there was a gargled moan that did not sound quite human. Lighting a candle, the girl made her way along the rows of bloody beds, shining a steady beam of vision on every one to make sure its inhabitant was either asleep or dead.


“Grrgh.” There was the terrible moan again.

She turned, quickly, bringing her candle up to view the direction where the voice had come from. To her surprise there lay an empty bed- its sheets were in disarray.

For a moment she looked around the room, as if believing that the injured man would be found walking upright.

“Don’t bother.” Came a weary suggestion “Just let him be for now, he won’t get far.”

She shone her candle on the speaker. It was Belial.

“Who was that?” Titania asked.

“A friend.”

With the façade of a weary arm, she lowered the flame to avoid seeing the demon’s face. Whether she would say so or not, his tattooed appearance had always disturbed and reminded her of the mist-covered roots at the Iifa Tree.

“He sure can run fast.” she muttered, frankly, uncertain as to what else she should do.

Belial laughed “You could say that.”

Titania smiled, realizing that there was probably something she’d missed.

“So…you were watching over him?”

“In a way.”

“Ah…”

There was an awkward silence, as the two said nothing. Though neither could quite explain the sensation, both could feel the disturbing feeling of magic masterlessly conflicting in the air. Wishing to end the un-easy scene, Titania finally spoke up.

“…erm…do you know where Malice is? I was going to ask him for help with a spell.”

Belial shook his head, and then realized that she probably could not see the action in the darkness.

“Nope. I was…busy…earlier and I didn’t get a chance to speak with him.”

“Oh.” Titania said, sounding a little disappointed.

“Nichi might know where he is.”

“Oh. Do you know where Nichi is, then?”

“Nope.”

“You’re a big help.”

“…Nope.”

Titania rolled her eyes and made for the door.

“Oh.” She began, stopping in her place “Can I trust you with these men?”

“Nope.”

Having somewhat predicted the answer, the white mage left the room, to make her way down an abandoned hallway.

*

The winding passage was eerie at night, with its dark stone floor and stale smell. On both sides, the walls were dotted with small windows, each displaying a beam of moonlight on the shadowy grounds. In the uncomfortable silence of the place, Titania could, for a moment, make out the hissing of a night-wind as it spiraled along outside. Trying to escape from the stagnant air of the place for just a moment, the girl stood on a dainty relevé, pushing her hand through the glassless window to try and feel the rush of the wind. To her disappointment, it seemed as if the gust had ceased just before she had reached out for it. A little more bothered by this than she thought she should be, Titania turned, only to bump into a standing, iron oil-lamp. She cried out as the object hit the ground with an echoing clank, and immediately tried to stand it back up. Passing through the ends of the flame, her hands did not find pain in the glowing fire, but instead were warmed by it.

“You really have trouble looking at what’s going on around you, don’t you?” came a voice from behind her.

Standing the lamp back up, Titania turned to see Nichi’s silhouette against a moonlit window.

“I guess.” She said.

“Why do you think I felt like following her. I knew something funny’d happen.” This time it was Belial speaking “I don’t know what’s more ironic- that I’m right, or that you didn’t notice me.”

She turned to find the cocky warrior leaning against a wall.

“Oh! You think I’m so clumsy?” she put her hands on her hips as she made the fake threat. “Why don’t you come over here and I’ll show you how clumsy I really am!”

Mock-accepting the challenge, Belial made his way over, only to burn his feet on the oil that had splattered on the ground. The demon exclaimed something which shouldn’t be written down and shook his head.

“You knew that was there.” He said.

“…nope.”



Once again the wind rustled outdoors, seeming to instill in all three a desire to get out of the musty hallway.

"The demons don't sleep." Nichi said, suddenly taking a serious tone. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Ishia's death had affected him the most "We'd better get outside."

"Oh, wait! Nichi...I was going to ask you. Have you seen Malice anywhere?" Titania finally piped up.

"Not for a while, now that I think of it," the warrior replied, then raised his eyebrow "...why?"

"Oh… I was just going to ask him for some help with a spell. It’s not important.” She said, obviously disappointed by Nichi’s answer.

“We’d better find him, anyways. Important or not, last thing we need is you taking limbs off the injured.” He teased, though he was genuinely bothered by Malice’s absence.

“It’s a reflection spell. I just figured out I have it….” She replied, starting to get a little irritated by all the jokes.

Seeing that his humour had not been taken in, Nichi shook his head “…come on, let’s go find Malice.”

That said, the group made its way outside. As they descended the stone steps of the palace, a gentle wind blew along the ground, sweeping past Belial and Titania before finding Nichi.
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Old 04-19-2005, 09:23 PM   #19
 
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****************************
Palis, The Year 0 Aikia, Gracia Castle

Magus felt another chilly wind as he tried to sleep. He sat up, listening intently. Another black wind? Maybe it's a message from Schala...

After a few seconds, he realized it was not the black wind, but there was still a voice being carried by it. "Nichi. At camp. New demon. Juggernaut. Attack at morning. Don't come for me."

Magus slowly repeated the message in his head before he recognized Malice's voice. DAMMIT!

Magus flew down the halls. "Nichi! NICHI! Dammit, where the hell are you?"

Several soldiers cursed at Magus for waking them up so late at night. He ignored them, still flying down the tunnel.

"Magus? What is it?" Aikia's voice drifted from a nearby room.

Magus came back and looked inside. Aikia was sitting on her bed, wide awake. Magus drifted in. "It's Malice. I got a message from him over the winds. There's a new demon, and I think he's in trouble. The message was for Nichi." He then repeated the message verbatim.

Aikia's eyes widened. "If this is true, then..."

Magus glided out of the room with incredible speed, going outside to find Nichi.

He ran into everyone on the steps - Belial and Titania waving their hands in front of Nichi's face, which was deathly pale. Magus came up next to him. "So you heard it too?"

Nichi nodded numbly, still pale from hearing Malice's voice.

Titania looked confused. "What's wrong? He... he acted like he heard something... what happened?"

Magus took a deep breath, nodded to Nichi, and proceeded to relay the message to the others.
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Old 04-20-2005, 01:05 AM   #20
 
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Belial walked back to where Nichi had unceremoniously dumped Osirus. He walked in, and looked around the darkness. "The fact that you're healed enough to walk shoudl say wonders to how you could fix me." he said. If you listened close, you could hear the bone fragments grinding in his legs and ribs.

Osirus sat down on the bed. "Could. Should. Won't." he whispered, trying to magnifiy the darkness in the room. He realized how pointless that was, as Belial could sense him. "Well, I would, you see, but you haven't granted my request."

Belial tried not to lean against a wall or sitdown, knowing damn well he'd be done.

"You run your body like a steam golem, you know." Osirus stood again, walking over to face Belial. "You just propel the fragments forward, hoping they will hold out till you can properly fix them."

Belial closed his eyes. He couldn't keep the fragments together much longer.

Osirus poked Belial in the forehead, and he fell over backwards, another scream escaping his throat. Osirus sighed, and placed Belial where he'd been before. He sat down in chair next to the bed, and opened his book, and began to read quietly.

Belial ground his teeth. "Bastard..." he hissed.

"Oh, grow up." Osirus said, not even looking up. He turned the page. "You bow to me, I fix your legs. Otherwise, I'm not at all uncomfortable with letting you suffer."

Belial tried settling his muscles down, so as not to aggravate the bones. Humans at least got to suffer shock. "That's the diffrence. Friend does not mean toy or tool to me, it means something more."

Osirus raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's why I'm the closest thing you ever had to one. " He patted Belial's head condesendingly. "Honestly... you take everything so personal and seriously."

Belial fought the urge to scream again. Instead, he just rolled his eyes back... this was probably the worst beating Osirus had ever managed on him. Hell, it was the worst feeling he'd ever had.

Osirus put his face in his hands. "God, if you're going to be such a pain about it." he waved his hand, and Belial felt fatigued. "You may not need to sleep, but all of us know that dreaming is by far the greatest recreational activity..."

Belial faded off into slumber, and Osirus lit a candle, and kept reading. An astute observer would notice that the words on the page seemed to advance as he read, as if a whole epic story was contained, scrolling down the pages.

An extremely accute observer would also realize that the book was an entire library, built into one convienent tome.

But an even more accute observer would have seen the look of sorrow on Osirus' face whenever he glanced at his sleeping friend. Granted, they'd have caught a black ice bolt for the trouble...
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Old 04-20-2005, 04:34 PM   #21
 
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After hearing what Malice had said to him through the wind Nichi Felt a horrid pain in his side. He knew that if he did go after Malice he’d not be there to start the war, but if he left him there he might also not have one of his friends the next day. It was time to pull the Ace that Gracia held.

“Malice isn’t going to be able to help you with this spell but perhaps I can, and you can help me with something as well.” Nichi said looking Titania hard in the eyes.

Belial had left several minutes before to go see his demon kin. Only Magus and Titania were here to help him. Nichi felt very much so in need of the support of others. He had lost too much today to go without it.

Titania nodded. “I’ll do what I can. What exactly are we doing?”

Nichi motioned for Magus and Titania to follow. He led them to the base of the largest pillar in the Gracian castle. Nichi said a chant and a door opened in the side of it. A staircase went under the city. “This is going to be a long walk.” Nichi warned. Only four hours till sunrise. They had to hurry. “You know what this mite hurt but we are going down the fast way.” He froze the staircase and sat on the ice and began to slide down the two miles of stairs that was in front of them.

Magus and Titania followed, they both seemed worried about were it was that they were going. It was so very dark that one could not even see their own hands. Slowly it became brighter and brighter. A giant alter appeared in front of them. In front of the alter stood a set of Black Armor and a Giant Sword Sheath.

“What is this place?” Titania said looking around at familiar runes and statues.

Magus looked and noticed it too; this was a familiar looking room.

“This is the sanctum of Gracia’s most prized treasure. The Black Armor of Gracia, you saw the other side of it the White Armor worn by Ishia during the last fight.” Nichi said as he undressed to just his underclothes, Placing his own sword in the sheath that seemed to change the swords shape as it entered.

Magus came over and helped Nichi as he started to put on the Black Armor. Nichi removed his training weights and his power restraints at this time as well. Magus tied down the last part of the great armor.

“This is where I need your help Titania. Please pick up the book from the alter and follow the instruction to bind the armor to my soul.” Nichi said pointing at a book that was roughly two times the size of Titania’s entire being.

She looked at the book with disbelief and then at Nichi. “How exactly am I supposed to pick it up?”

Nichi smiled. “Just touch it.”

Titania touched the great book and with a feint glow it shrank to being perfect size and weight for her to carry. Titania looked puzzled by this but began to read to herself the instructions that were there. It noted the vile of water that sat on the alter and that she had to spread it over the warrior wearing the armor, she did so. She then read a strange language that for some reason was very easy to read at the time for her. She then laid her hand on the shoulder of the armor and said the last line. “Bind!”

Nichi’s eyes were Yellow, and then turned the same black color that the armor was. His muscles grew to fit the armor and made him look like a great God of a Warrior. He drew what was once his great Black Steel Sword and now it was a longer wider cleaver like sword with a handle at one end and another handle center blade. Nichi’s Eyes turned back to normal. “Thank you Titania; this should give us just a little more bend in our favor.”

“What exactly is that armor?” Magus said looking at it closely, reading some of the runes on it but unable to make out what they said.

“This is the only reason the demons are trying to take over Gracia I believe, this is the first demon kings armor, before Aikia was ruler. There was a great demon known as Kharn, ask Belial about him sometime and you’ll see his eyes light up. Kharn was the original, the first demon ever. And he was the most powerful being ever known, He was given the position of ruler of the afterlife, or heaven because he was also the most compassionate of beings, he basically was the creator of this world and the one who raised humankind here to the level that we are at.”

Magus looked a little confused. “So a demon is to credit for taking care of this world before the gods?”

Nichi nodded. “Now about that spell, read as much of that book from chapter 5-30 as you can, inside you will find all the knowledge of the magic world known to this world.”

Titania held her new book close with joy. “I may finally become a great Mage with this help thank you Nichi; will I need to return the book?”

Nichi shook his head. ‘Nope, a new one will replace it in a thousand years.”

Magus looked around the room some more in hopes of finding some clue as to where he might find his sister.

“Magus I have something for you as well.” Nichi pulled out a small crystal ball. “I know your looking for someone, just think of that person and you will be able to see them from now on through this.”

Magus looked at the item in delight. “Thank you Nichi.” He put the ball in his jacket pocket.

Three more hours till the Battle started. The three of them ran as fast as they could up the stairs. ‘Mother please protect me!’ Nichi thought as he came into the light of the city. The raid of the demon camps was only an hour and a half off by the time they got to the top of the stairs they all sat down out of breath.

Titania looking in her book and found a spell, and for the first time she could remember her spell went off without effort. “Regen!” She cast on the three of them, their fatigue left and they all felt like they had just woken up.

Nichi and Magus gave thumbs up in approval. The three of them ran off to the rest of the army who was preparing for the advancement. Aikia stood in the White Armor that Ishia had worn last battle and carried the same sword. She looked at Nichi and was bewildered by the site of him wearing such a powerful set of Armor.

“Looks like all the Aces are drawn, let’s play a little poker.” Nichi said Moving in front of his now massive army of almost a million and a half. Aikia stood next to him.

“Today we bring the fight back to the demons my brothers. Today we seek the grand vengeance that will once and for all prove that the mortal race is not willing to give up so easy.” With that Nichi signaled for the advancement of the army. With a great Hazzah, the forces moved in unison towards the battlefield.
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Old 04-20-2005, 05:22 PM   #22
 
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*****************************
Palis, The Year 0 Aikia, The Battlefield

It began.

Demon and human clashed in battle and slaughtered each other.

Nichi stood tall, commander of the Gracians. On one side stood Aikia, the new queen of Gracia. Together they formed a figure of pure inspiration to continue the fighting.

Magus fingered the crystal Nichi had given to him. He almost took it out before having another thought. No... not Schala. I don't even know if Schala is still alive or what the hell is happening anymore. Maybe... maybe those Lavos Spawn got her. I don't know anymore. There's someone else who needs saving first.

He pulled the ball out of his pocket, thought, and gazed in...

******************************
Palis, The Year 0 Aikia, Valmarus's Base

Malice suddenly felt apprehensive. He could feel someone attempting to watch him, although he was bound to a pillar. He also heard Valmarus shouting orders to his commanders, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

Did Nichi get the message? What's happening now? Are we winning? Losing? He struggled with his chains, trying to move around the pillar and get free.

*****************************
Palis, The Year 0 Aikia, The Battlefield

The vision was cut off when a demon knocked the crystal out of Magus's hand. With a great bellow, the monster raised its axe, ready to bring down Magus in a single blow.

Magus looked up at the demon's face. "Oh hells no. You did not just do that." A few quick swipes later, Magus's scythe was bloodied and the demon was lying in several pieces. "That was for the crystal ball." He looked and saw several more demons marching towards him. "And these are going to be for working for the guy who has Malice. Dark Matter!"

Pure dark energy flew from Magus's fingertips, causing the demons to swell with power. In a few seconds he was pinned to the ground. Okay, I didn't totally think that one through.

Suddenly the demons were burned to ash. Magus looked up to see the giant shapeshifter demon he had fought in the previous battle. The demon cackled. "WelL JaNus... weeemeeeeetaaggaaAAAIINN!!!!"

Magus and the monster traded blows. "FooLiSh moRTal... yOu try To sAvE yoUR siSTeR noT kNOwiNG heR FAte! SHe liEs deaD noW!"

Hatred boiled through Magus's blood. Schala's dead. This thing brags about it. It knows that I am Janus... only one other thing has ever stood between me and Schala reuniting... and the last one was destroyed on Earth. This thing is going to have to go the same way.

The same feeling of anger that Magus had once felt in the dream that he had first seen Zera Shaal in came back. Darkness and hatred fused together inside of Magus. Unconciously, he lifted up his hand.

"You... disgusting creature... you killed her... you... demon... you... murderer..."

The creature laughed in delight. "DeMOn? HarDLy. I am bORn Of thAT yOU cAllED 'LaVoS!'"

"Lavos... you're... Lavos Spawn... a shapeshifter... despicable... disgusting... only Lavos... ever before... me and Schala... you... things..." His rage boiled over. "DARK FLARE!"

The monster shrieked in agony as the area around Magus was suddenly blasted with powerful dark energy. Human and demon alike nearby were destroyed. The Lavos Spawn shifted wings and flew away as it had before.

The hole in the battle caused by the magic was quickly filled by more fighters. Magus noticed Titania staring in shock at him. He stared back, never more fearful in his life. He bolted back to the castle. Nichi quickly commanded soldiers to cover the area that Magus had left open. He glanced at the castle, wondering what had made Magus kill so many both ally and enemy.

Inside, Magus flew to his room and curled up in the corner. Then, for the first time since he was separated from Schala so many years before, he began to cry.

***************************
Palis, The Year 0 Aikia, Kain's Castle

Contrary to the Lavos Spawn's words, however, Schala was still alive. Gamma bent over her, taking the pendant off her neck. "Sleeping well, little princess? I see you've broken pieces off your necklace. A shame. It would have been easier if you'd kept it in one piece." One of Gamma's arms transformed into a threatening claw. "Now we'll have to rip your magic from you the hard way."
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Old 04-20-2005, 06:07 PM   #23
 
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It seemed each demon was it's own shaman. Though Malice had descecrated the shamans, he had left the portals intact. Before the morning shed its gaze upon the world, the shamans had assembled around each portal, and the ritual continued. Malice noticed that the lesser demons they had fought for the last few days no longer made up the front line. They were being saved, Malice thought, saved to become shaman. Malice sent another prayer to the wind goddess that day as he hoped for Gracia.

The juggernaut army had left at the slightest hint of dawn. They had moved out quickly, as volitile as ever. Malice had never seen such a bloodlusted entity. They cared for nothing except destruction. The demons rose 8 feet off the ground in their prime, but the majority Malice had encountered had been a dwarfed 7. They resembled elephants, their sheer body weight and truck like snout only adding to the visage. They hunched over, and carried weapons ranging from chains to clubs and swords. The demons streamed one after another continuously out of the portal.
The real thing that disturbed Malice about the juggernauts was their behavior. They weren't like the other demons, listening to orders and thinking at least a little before they leapt into the fray. No, the juggernauts were more dangerous because they ceased to think. They were blinded by rage and weathered by battle. The lust for blood drove them further into the battle. They would kill either side to achieve the goals layed out for them by their commander. They were the perfect tanks to end the war.

Because the entire lesser demon force had not been sent, the stragglers lay bored in their camp. One approached Malice.

"Ahh tis the mage Hige was talkin bout," said the demon, ushering over his posse. "Gen'ral Hige is gon give yea quite thuh lickin eh boys." Around him his followers snickered, elbowing eachother at their friends routine. "But us'ns dun likeh Hige, so we's gon givit t'yea usselves. Ain't we?"

The first demon grunt kicked Malice, but summoning a powerful gust of wind, his foot was reversed backwards. The demon fell backwards as his companions laughed.

"Ehh ye think yee're tuff, usin' yur trick'ry? Git'm boys."

Malice could only do so much with his hands bound. His danced on the wind, avoiding blows, but the demons quickly overpowered him. With one demon dead, impaled by nature's fury on a treebranch, and two more laying dazed, the demons finally subdued Malice.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" came a call from behind. With a swift strike, the demons rose into smoke. It was the human that had saved Malice before.

"Thank you," Malice tried to say, but was cut off by a low growl.

"Do don't test my patience," said Hige. "You WILL learn your place." Hige turned and slowly walked away.

Malice pulled his trump card. "I know you don't like siding with these demons. I see it in your eyes. I see your compassion for your kin. You hate sending orders that slaughter us. I ask that you join our cause; help us rid the world of the spreading crystal plague. You owe it not only to yourself, but to the people of Palis to be true to this world."

Hige dropped his head, and stopped walking. "You know I can't," he said, and he continued walking.
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Old 04-20-2005, 10:06 PM   #24
 
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((Had to cut this one in half))

Titania did not immediately follow the others into the rage of battle. Instead, she made her way to the infirmary to check on the injured that might have awaken. Though she hadn’t said anything, the few days of war had given her experience and she had begun to understand her art more.

”White magic is unlike any other kind of fascination” the high-priest used to say, though Titania had never understood him until now “Each time you cast a spell you have to be able to call upon all the compassion and comfort that lives within you.
When one heals, they are giving away piece of themselves- all their pleasantries, all their hopes and all their dreams, all that they live for, all that they remember and cherish…you cannot alleviate pain and injury with nothing. It all must come from within you, and it all must be given freely with compassion and sympathy.
For a brief moment, you will be giving your very life to someone else. Remember that, but never say it. As healers we know that few can understand us- though we give comfort, we must never expect others to appreciate how for one moment they lived and breathed through our own spirits.”


Titania let the ancient instruction repeat in her mind as she continued down the musty hallway.

“I finally understand you.” She said aloud, for a moment forgetting that the high-priest was only a memory, washed away in an ominous storm.

As she stood in the same hallway she had come through before, the echo of her voice slowly dissipated and fell to a dry silence; its solemnity only interrupted by a passing wind.

The breeze that blew outside the hallway windows was different than the one she’d heard before. This one was harsher, more unruly, and seemed altogether hollow. Repeating her previous actions, Titania rose onto the balls of her feet- this time to see the outside.

Malice…where are you? she thought, not understanding why the group hadn’t decided to rescue him.

She stared out the window, her eyes melancholy with confusion. Was he sick? Injured? Had they tortured him? Was he dead?
Wherever he was, she was certain he was not in good hands. The thought made her sick to her stomach, and she began to feel anger toward the others- why wouldn’t they try to save him? Could she go herself? No… that wasn’t too good an idea.
Her palms ached with the fear that comes from imagination, and in such a state, she shed a duet of tears, not understanding that the others had made their decision on the grounds of the greater victory and not on the benefit of their comrade. With little hope, the girl conjured up a healing spell and set it gently outside the window, praying to Phoenix that the wind would take it to its master.

After a time, she resumed her journey to the infirmary, this time minding the oil lamp. In the short time that it took her to travel down the hallway, her anger had taken dominance, and she began to consider her situation.

Was it such a callous group that they would leave their comrade to the death with the enemy? Why did they do nothing? Suddenly, she was overcome with a feeling of uselessness- she knew there was little she could do unless the others changed their minds.

Stopping at the end of the hall, the girl shook her head I’m tired of this. she thought I won’t let myself be helpless anymore. This isn’t Madain Sari and I’m not going home any time soon. I have to stop acting like I am and start growing up…

Titania reached into her pocket and found the spell book Nichi had given to her. Getting an idea, she changed directions. She arrived at her destination- a rarely visited room. Knowing what lay inside, she placed her delicate hands on a heavy, monstrous door and pushed to try and open it; she was met with no success. She tried once more, this time pressing her feet hard into the floor and forcing all her weight against the entryway. After some time, the object finally gave way, letting Titania fall painfully on the stone floor.

“Ow.” She said, out loud, rubbing her arms where her skin had smacked against the ground.

The shelf-lined room was dark, dusty, and full of cobwebs. It had no windows, and so Titania had to take a torch which hung outside the door.

She had found this room a few days before when she was wandering, and returned now to find what had so easily caught her attention the last time she had come.

Coughing a bit from the dust, she shone her torch on the supply-laden shelves until she found an old box with a broken hatch. The black, wooden case was etched with ancient designs: winding rivers and sturdy magnolias. Blowing dust off the lid, Titania opened it and retrieved from the inside two old fans, each framed with metal. The objects were much like those that she had used when she was younger for ceremonies at the eidolon wall.

An event that had started as a prayer for a mild winter, the people of her village used to light candles at midnight during the last days of autumn, and perform rituals for the eidolon Shiva. One of these was a dance performed by the young girls, who would each bring with them two fans for maneuvering.

Placing the torch in a wall-holder, Titania set the two objects down on the stone floor before she removed the ancient spell book from her pocket. With a practiced thumb, she flipped through the pages until she found an enchantment similar to the one that had been given to her flute by her mother. Uttering unintelligible phrases, the girl placed her hand over the two fans, for no longer than a ten seconds. It was not long before they shimmered in the darkness, suddenly infused with a holy magic so unlike the shadows they had been stored in. Timidly, Titania reached out and took the items, putting them in her apron-like pocket for later use. At the touch of her hand the objects ceased to glow.

As she returned the box to its proper place and prepared to return to the battle, she double-checked her reasoning to make sure it was sound.

When she’d first arrived in Palis, there had been a demon in the town, which was destroyed by only the touch of a holy flute. Therefore these creatures did not need to be slain with weapons- even the mere effect of enchantment could turn an ordinary object into a demon’s death-sentence. She had practiced dancing with these fans, so why shouldn’t she be able to wield them in battle? In all likelihood it was easier (more dangerous, but easier).

That seemed to make sense, and now all that remained was her ability to kill.These things lived and breathed, and, were she to be successful, she would be taking the gift that had been bestowed upon them. But then again, she had seen in the infirmary how these demons had caused so much merciless carnage- how they had killed over a hundred men. Did these things deserve to live? Well she reminded herself That’s not for me to decide.

Silently, she exited the room, pulling the door closed (with good effort), before placing the torch back in its proper place.

It’s never alright to kill. She thought, finally coming to a resolution But we are at war. And the enemy will show us no mercy- a demon that is left alive may be the cause of a Gracian's death.
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Old 04-20-2005, 10:07 PM   #25
 
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BANG! Outside, demons battered at the Gracian gates. Their small bodies were little match for the ominous entryway, which still towered sturdily above its invaders. From the ramparts, soldiers fired arrows down toward the offending beasts with little fatigue.

At about sunset the demons began to back up and stopped their persistence at the gate.

“They’ve given up!” cried an inexperienced Gracian soldier.

“No.” Nichi said, shaking his head “If they’d given up they would have left. They’re staying put, which can only mean…”

As if on cue, juggernauts –elephant like demons- made their way slowly to the Gracian gates. The creatures were pelted with arrows, but did not cease their mission. In less than five minutes and with only one of the demons slain, the gates gave way and enemy began spilling into the city.

“You!” Nichi cried, pointing to a group of soldiers “Stay up here and shoot them down before they can get inside.” He turned to another group “Come with me!”

Below, Magus had already begun battle with the creatures. A demon came from behind, raised its sword and made for the man’s neck. Seeing the beast from the corner of his eye, Magus quickly turned and parried the blow, kicking the demon in the knee before digging his heavy scythe into its chest.

“You ok?” Nichi asked as he ran down the steps of the rampart, slicing down a dozen demons in the process.

“Yeah…” Magus replied, surprised that the warrior was talking to him.

“Dammit…where’s Belial?” Nichi cried as he cut the head off of one of the invaders.

“Behind you. It’s a small world after all.” Belial muttered, his legs still weak from Osiris.

The stream of demons seemed endless, and the only thing that kept them from completely overwhelming the Gracian soldiers was the width of the gate.

A disturbing grin on its hideous face, a demon whose skin seemed to be festering with unimaginable things arrived within the city walls. Wielding a terrifying blade, the creature hacked through soldiers with little heed, before setting his eye on Nichi. A fiendish expression on his face, the demon swung his blade, nailing his victim in the back of the shoulder. There was a clang, but nothing more. His armour holding strong, Nichi turned to stare at his aggressor. His face was the last sight that the creature ever saw.

Belial stared in sarcastic wonder “New outfit?”

“Yeah.” Nichi laughed, turning quickly to dig his blade into another enemy that was coming for him.

The three of them fought bravely, Belial’s fists meeting the broken ribs of several demons and Magus’ blade finding many monstrous sheaths.

Suddenly, the battle came to a lull as the ground thundered beneath the warriors. Casting a dark shadow, a monstrous juggernaut came toward the group, crushing demon and human alike with its flat feet.

“What the hell?” a soldier exclaimed, firing an arrow at the beast only to find that it was useless.

More accustomed to giant enemies than the rest, Magus did not hesitate to attack. The others soon followed suit, but the creature held strong.

“What is that thing?” Nichi cried, taking a swipe at its legs.

“It’s called a Juggernaut.” Belial said, driving his fists into the monster.

“I don’t even want to know why you know that.”

The battle raged on and the ominous creature gave little leeway. It was not until a soldier dug his sword into its foot that beast could be more easily taken down, for you see, the blade held the monster to the ground, preventing an attack. In less than a minute, there was a harrowing cry as a Gracian sword cut through demon flesh, which soon turned to darkened ash.

A smile appeared on Nichi’s face as he saw the creature disappear, but it quickly faded- he raised his head to see that at least six more juggernauts wandered the city.

Suddenly, there came a familiar cry from a few meters away.

Before they could turn to look, Titania stood in a pile of ash, having been surprised by an attacking juggernaut. The fear and anger she’d already been feeling triggered in her a burst of holy magic; magic which was emitted from two objects that were hard to see beneath her lengthy sleeves.

The girl stared at the darkened ground for less than a moment before a demon came up behind her. Shocked and still full of magic, she hit the creature in the chest with the edge of her fan. As she had suspected, the object cut through the monster’s flesh and brought it to its knees. Utterly disgusted, she kneed it in the face and closed her fan, bringing it down into the creature’s skull. The thing gave out a terrible noise and then disappeared into smoke and ash.

“Sorry I’m la-” Titania began to speak to the others but was interrupted by another demon. Adrenaline flowing through her veins, she produced white magic once more, turning her attacker into the hellish dust he'd come from.

"...late."
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Old 04-21-2005, 01:23 PM   #26
 
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Belial smiled and wiped a fleck of blood from the corner of his mouth. So far, so fun...

He tried to fully grasp what was going on, which for anyone but a demon would be nearly impossible. However, since almost all battles decend into anarchy [or loosesly structured chaos] he could easily pick out the important events going on.

The one that bothered him was the hole in the back of the demonic lines. The darkness that blocked it was killing the others nearby, as if their essence was needed to fuel the event...

And then Belial fell to his knees. He realized exactly what was going on. There was no command to save them now. There could be no retreat, no escape, and no victory.

Slowly, from the fading cloud of nothing, a gigantic throne of skeletons and flesh emerged. Fifty feet tall at the back, there sat a seven foot heavily armoured figure, with great wings of shadow covering him like a cloak.

"The Fourth..." Belial whispered in terror.

...

Meanwhile, inside the castle, Osirus stopped banging his head against the wall suddenly. He shuddered, and dove out the window towards the battle.

Landing beside Belial and Nichi, his jaw dropped. "Is that-"

"Nidogg..." Belial said, not bothering to get up. "The Lord of the Dead."

Osirus nodded. "Thought so. I was wondering what the Fourth had been up to lately."

Nichi shifted his grip on his sword. "How powerful?"

Belial half caringly waved his hand, shooting a wide beam at Nidogg. The demon took the bolt to the chest, and stood. Nothing had been unmade.

"That powerful." Belial sighed. "He was originally a normal demon, just simply the fourth one created. But he grew fast, and grew hungry. Now, the lord of the dead is one with the entropy, a living force of undoing."

As if to prove Belial's point, Nidogg decended from his throne. As he passed, he touched the occasional demon or soldier, and they turned to ash. He was carving a line straight for Belial, Osirus and Nichi.

"What can we do?" Nichi asked, still staring with murderous intent.

Belial looked up at him. "Die like heroes." he said sadly.

Osirus shook his head. "You rely way too heavily on unmaking when fighting others, Belial." Osirus nodded. "Nichi, we'll hold him off for a bit. Watch him CAREFULLY." he winked.

Belial rose slowly, wincing. "I'll re-break them later." Osirus said, touching Belial's shoulder. "For now, I need you in one piece."

Nidogg's face was a cold, emotionless gaze. He brushed a Juggernaut as he passed, and it disapeared.

Belial looked down, and spread his arms. An orb of nothingness appeared infront of him. Osirus did the same. "Hopefully, this will keep him from trying to undo us."

Nidogg was almost there. Belial then motioned at the sky. His opponent looked up.

A torrent of black fire decended down right onto Nidogg. Just before it his, his hand raised above his head, and it was sucked inside.

"Thought so." Belial smiled. "Osirus, we have to clip his left arm off."

Osirus nodded. "I knew that one of us had the Left Hand of Kharn." he smiled back. "That'd explain why Nidogg has become so unstoppable.

Nichi was watching, his eyes yellowed and flickering. If it was the Left Hand of Kharn that was allowing Nidogg to unweave reality...

Then perhaps some trick lay in Kharn's armor...

Nidogg kept walking, trying to get close enough to touch Belial. Belial kept the orb in between him and Nidogg, so Nidogg would stall, unable to absorb that much nothingness at once. Osirus continually blasted Nidogg's feet with dark ice, but the demon simply reached down and brushed it away.

"You know something, Lord Nidogg?" Belial said as he drew his cane.

Nidogg mouthed the word what.

Belial took a fighting stance.

Nidogg stepped forward.

Osirus filled Nidogg's back with steel pages.

"You're a lousy warrior." Osirus spat. Nidogg slowly rolled his shoulders, the pages falling to the ground.

Arms raised, he turned to Osirus.

And a blur went past his upper body on the left side. Slowly, his left arm, from half way past the elbow, slid off from a 45 degree angle.

Nichi landed, cracking his neck as he sheathed his sword.

Nidogg stared dumbly at the severed limb. He mouthed the word impossible.

Nichi turned, crossing his arms. The arm floated over to him, disapearing into the armor for the time being. Nidogg screamed silently, and a wave of dark lightning sent all three of them flying back away from him.

"Great! So now, instead of being a walking ender of existance, he's a really pissed off lightning slinging demon lord. Way to think things through, Belial!" Osirus shouted as he landed.

Belial shrugged. "Improvise, smart ass."
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Old 04-23-2005, 12:19 PM   #27
 
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((Thanks a-holes for saving me. I think I'll save myself then...))
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Old 04-23-2005, 01:52 PM   #28
 
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((Thanks a-holes for saving me. I think I'll save myself then...))
((Someone's a little testy...))
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Old 04-23-2005, 04:50 PM   #29
 
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((Thanks a-holes for saving me. I think I'll save myself then...))
((H’okay…story’s going nowhere so here goes…))

Titania watched as the giant demon descended upon Gracia and commenced battled with Nichi, Belial, and another who she could not quite distinguish.

Taking advantage of the distraction, the mage quickly ran through the city gates. The grounds were littered with soldiers and demons – all locked in arduous battles, and yet Titania did not stop. The thick mud pulling at her feet with persistence, she continued her expedition, a moment of insanity (or at least lack of sense) having come over her.

She had gone surprisingly far, when at last a demon came before her. Baring its hideous teeth, the creature raised its jagged sword and prepared to sheath it in her chest. Not a moment after it brought up its arms did it drop its weapon; its stomach meeting the ancient fan.

Absolutely thrilled with herself (though slightly disturbed by the sight of death) the girl continued on through the mud. Had she been more aware, perhaps she would have been able to avoid the next attack put upon her, but as was not the case she hit the ground, having been tripped by a demon soldier.

She turned to look up at it, only to have the monster press its metal-clad foot upon her- its toe resting upon the base of her ribs so she could not stand up. Reacting quickly, Titania closed her fan and drove it into the demon’s shin twice. Letting out a hallow cry, the monster fell to the ground, nearly landing on its opponent, who was luckily swift enough to roll out of the way. Shocked but still determined, the girl crawled away before standing and running once more.

The thrill of battle had finally hit her, and though she feared for the preservation of her life, she could not help but feel a sense of overwhelming excitement. She became much too confident and so did not prepare herself for what came next.

Another fowl creature came before her, she took hold of her fan but was interrupted. She cried out loud as a demon, who had caught onto her inexperience, drove his fist into the back of her shoulder, from behind. Quickly, the same demon wrapped his arm around her neck and another around her waist so she could not run without choking herself and could not fall to escape him. The fear finally becoming real, Titania struggled with all her might but was met with no success.
Then, after a few moments, a companion of her attacker stood before her with his sword drawn. She tried to look to the side for any sign of the others, but found that the castle was far and she was very much alone. Flashing its yellow teeth, the demon brought its sword baring hand forward; Titania closed her eyes so that she would not see.

CLANG! There was a clash of metal and then nothing. Unharmed, save for her shoulder, the shaken mage opened her eyes to see that another demon of a higher ranking had arrived and had stopped what would have been her death.

“Bring this one back…” was all he said “Might be useful.”

Titania heard and understood this for some reason she could not explain.

Oh thank the eidolons… she thought and then made sure that she did not struggle hard enough to actually escape. Now, for once, things were working in her favour.

When at last they arrived at the demon camp, she took in her surroundings, searching for any sign of her captured companion. Not ten metres away, chained to a post did she see a slumped figure, facing away from her. She strained her eyes to see who it was and was affirmed by what she could make out: that the figure’s hands were clad in dark, studded gauntlets. She concealed a smile, and then –not having any idea what to do after, but doing it anyways- she cast a spiteful cure upon her demon captors and watched as two hit the ground while another turned to ash.

Drawing her fans from apron pocket again, she ran toward the post, the opposition having had no time to react yet.

“Look! I got better.” She said, cheekily as she kneeled beside Malice.

With one quick motion, she severed the demon chains with her fans, and then fell silent. Blocking out the sounds of the oncoming demons and all the confusion that lay around her, she closed her eyes, and did as she had done so many times in the days before.

In a second, Malice felt a distance from the chaos- he was no longer sitting in the muddy ground of the camp- he was far, far away.

At first his vision was clouded with a light haze, but soon he could see clearly and so found himself sitting on the heated rocks of a cliff. The fingers of the sun extended down the ground and warmed him to his soul, while the breeze played a gentle tune along nearby waves.

Surreally, the water rose to meet the top of the cliff and spilt over the edge so that it ran along Malice’s worn palms. Surprised, by the unusual texture of the water, the warrior raised his hands to find that the wear from the demonic chains had disappeared.

Mechanically, he opened his mouth as if to speak, and found that the wind coursed through his mouth and flowed through his body, bringing with it a comforting and tender feeling. When at last the breeze exited, he found that he was strong once more.

Not knowing what else to do, Malice rose, and as soon as he did so, he realized that in the distance he could hear faint voices echoing off invisible sea rocks. The voices spoke in what seemed like nonsense, and yet they brought with them a tenderness that raised the warrior’s spirit.

“…with…”
“…and then they’ll …”
“…blessed it….”
“Tania, I think…”
"...but she'll never..."


And so came to him remnants of conversations that had long ago been washed away by time. They were incomplete and had no significance to him, and yet at the same moment, they seemed like all the world.

No sooner did these voices appear, did they leave, replaced by a thousand images, each playing in Malice’s mind at the same time. He saw calm waters, the shadows of children running in fields, boxes hidden in stone walls, bright, joyous flames, and games etched into sand.

Then, slowly, the white haze came over him again and when it withdrew he found himself sitting in the cold mud of the demon camp. All that he had seen had happened in an instant and it seemed to him like only a dream. Though at first he strained, he could only recall faint moments of the experience and even then, they slipped away from recognition like so many other reveries.

Mud still on her joyful cheeks, Titania smiled, and Malice found himself aglow with a white enchantment, which soon turned to a pulsating red.

“Aura.” She said plainly, explaining to him what was going on, while still holding an uncontrollable smile on her face.

The last solid suggestion of the healing spell faded from Malice's psyche, and yet somehow, he was still aware of an ingraspable memory, hidden somewhere, far beneath what he could find.
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Old 04-26-2005, 03:19 AM   #30
 
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Nidogg looked down at Nichi as Nichi prepared to attack again. Nichi’s blade sliced through Nidogg’s Armor like a warm knife through butter. Time seemed to stop for Belial and Osirus as Nichi unleashed a stolen move. Nichi’s speed an movement went to such blinding speeds that Belial and Osirus only had time to blink before Nichi landed behind them sword sheathed. Belial and Osirus looked at the monstrous creature that was once Nidogg. Limbs and body parts slowly started to fall from Nidogg’s body.

Osirus looked at Nichi and a cold shiver went down his spine in sudden reality that this mortal was much stronger then he had ever thought. “What exactly did you just do?”

Nichi just smiled and continued to kill off the demons that were in the area. Belial and Osirus joined in and within a short time had cleared the inner part of the city.

Nichi sat down and pulled out a bottle of water from the back of his Armor. “I’m waiting here for more of them to reach here, Titania is already trying to help Malice, and she seems to be doing the job.” He said as he put away a spy crystal.

Belial sat down next to Nichi and lit up a cigarette. “So what exactly is that blade? Nothing normal could have cut through Nidogg like that.”

Osirus looked in the never-ending book that he loved to read so much. His eyes opened wide as he read part of it.

Belial looked annoyed at Osirus for not sharing his little bit of info with them. “What’s got you freaked out all the sudden?”

“And it was said that Kharn carried a great blade of unmaking, a pure and unchallengeable power that could cut mountains.” Osirus read. “That boy is carrying Kharn’s equipments right? Then that means that he is carrying that blade of unmaking.”

Nichi smiled and took another sip of water. “Anyone know were Magus is?”
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