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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 04-13-2005, 07:16 PM   #1
 
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Chapter Two: The Southward Winds

They entered the city, from the south gate nothing seemed to have ever been under attack. As they entered the city the story changed, though no serious damage was done to the city, many dead bodies of demons laid in piles around the city. The city of Gracia was lucky enough to be trained for such an event, only two people from the city died when attacked.

They were led into the coliseum to discuss what was to happen next. Ishia was dressed in a full set of Golden White armor. She carried a sword that would take any mortal three people to carry. The pure power that she carried made everyone in the group feel tense. ‘How could someone so pure looking before be wearing such a damaging presence now.’ Was the common thought in the group?

A table sat in the center of the Coliseum two of Gracia’s Generals sat there. Everyone took a seat around the table.

“As you were informed we were attacked by the demonic armies from northern side. Valmarus is currently encamped to the north just a couple of miles from here. He is conjuring as we speak more demons to fight for him.” Ishia said looking very concerned.

Magus shook his head. “Is he one of the four great demons that rule from the spire?”

Malice nodded. “Yes though from what I am lead to believe he is only considered one of them because he is like them, but he is in fact extremely weak in comparison to the others.”

Ishia looked around the table, she had not expected for there to be two more to join them. Even more to her surprise was that they were both girls. “Might you be so kind as to introduce me to your new companions?”

“Ah yes I am very sorry for not, to the right of Malice is our newest member, Titania or Gaia, she is a white priestess, not too unlike yourself. To my left is the once great ruler of all of Palis, Aikia Masuto.” Nichi got the reaction he wanted out of Ishia, one of disbelief and fear. “Don’t worry, she is on our side, in fact I believe she wants to join your order.”

Ishia was shocked to have the source of all the problems at hand right in front of her. “If you truly wish to join my order you may, I’ll talk to you later about it.”

Aikia could tell Ishia was shocked to know who she was. “I’ll server you in any way I can to help undo the horrible mess I have left on this world. But I am a burden to them so I wish to help from here.”

Ishia nodded. “As for you Titania, I am very glad to hear there is a healer in the group now, it puts my heart at rest knowing you’ll be there to help them.”

Titania was so overwhelmed by the whole situation that all she could do was smile and nod.

One of the two generals stood up. “I am General Takatori, and this is General Mitsugami. We are the leaders of the armies of Gracia.”

“We have learned that the forces of Valmarus will be attacking soon. We ask that you all rest well and prepare to fight off the forces that are coming our way, once we have this army defeated we will be able to hold our own again. We ask for your help because Lord Nichi has entrusted you to help him, and we believe in him and his judgments.” Mitsugami said bowing his head to the group.

Magus, Malice, Titania, Belial, and Nichi all Nodded back. “We will do what we can isn’t that right guys?” Nichi said with a reassuring smile.

Ishia stood up. “Well this meeting is dismissed, you can find your rooms in the same places they were before, and Titania can take the room that was just next to yours.” Ishia bowed. “We are going to have a hellish week of battle, I thank you in advance for all that you do to help Gracia.”
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Old 04-13-2005, 10:35 PM   #2
 
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Palis, The Year 699 Ishia, Gracia Castle

Magus walked down the halls of the castle, studying the carved murals on the wall. He felt a slight breeze and closed his eyes, smiling. The black wind... he thought to himself. He felt relaxed, for although the black wind was blowing, it wasn't as intense as it had been weeks earlier. He continued to look at the murals, all sorts of strange thoughts going through his head, trying to connect the images on the wall with Earth mythology.

"Hello there," came a voice from behind. Magus jumped, whirling around, coming face to face with Aikia. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh... it's you," he sighed.

Aikia frowned. "'Oh, it's you?' That sounds a tad insulting."

Magus shook his head. "I was thinking of some other things... trying to connect these," he said, gesturing to the wall, "to myths from my own world. I'm trying to see how much our worlds have in common."

Aikia smiled, turning her head slightly. "Hm... interesting stuff. Anything else bothering you? I felt an aura of contentment a few minutes agoaround here. What was making you so happy?"

Magus was surprised. "You feel contentment? That must be the black wind then. It's something only I can feel or hear - wind that blows when something evil is happening. A few days ago, it was blowing like mad - not long after you left Nichi's body actually. It felt like..." He searched for the word. "Like a hurricane. Just a few seconds ago it blew, but it was a light breeze. It was comforting to feel such a soft blowing of such a horrible thing, compared to what happened before."

Aikia took a step forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. Don't feel bad. I can understand. I-" There was a loud crash outside.

Magus dashed out of the castle, leaving a confused Aikia behind. She hadn't heard anything...

Outside, Magus confronted a giant shelled creature. He studied it, noting how similar it looked to... "Lavos," he whispered.

He noted the icicles hanging off the spikes of the monster's shell. Icy... maybe a little fire will bring him down. Magus whipped up a flame in his hand, slamming the creature with fire. It howled and its head began to turn black. Soon nothing remained but an empty husk of a shell.

Malice, Nichi, and Belial quickly hurried outside. "Magus, Aikia told us that you came out here and... what is that thing?"

Magus turned to the three of them. "A Lavos Spawn. These things came from Earth. There's bound to be more..." He glanced at the shell. "This one was really weak though... I don't think the rest of them'll go down this easily..."

The four of them walked to the door. Magus nodded. "I'm off to bed then. I'll fill in you guys and the queen when I feel rested."
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Old 04-13-2005, 10:53 PM   #3
 
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The kingdom of Gracia lay dormant. The soldiers were alert on their watch, yet they said nothing. They stood as if they were not alive but stone figures, in place to ward off any demonic force. The moon glowed a crimson red, shedding a tear for its kin that had been lost the day before. It cast its gaze in an eerie glow over the surrounding plains. Gracia's retainers carefully watched the silent plains. The wind howled, releasing the souls of the felled warriors into the skies.

Inside, the warriors slept soundly. Malice and Magus had shared a room, and after a brief talk, they had retired. Breathing heavily, their snores offset eachother in a perfect harmonic balance.
The room over held Belial and Nichi. Since he'd converted to his elf-like form, Belial had been experiencing a new level of sleep. He felt at rest instead of on alert. Ensayne slept above him, floating above him, hands over her chest just as that of a fresh corpse.

The serenity of the night was short lived. The moon shifted, its glow becoming bright red. The fields and the city were both showered with a blood red light, startling the steadfast guards. A war conch echoed through the air, warning the city of an impeding doom. Ishia bolted up in bed, and reflexively grasped her sword that lay propped against the wall. Within minutes, she was dressed and at the steps of the royal palace. The others filed in sporadically, Nichi being the last to arrive. They all stared up in awe of the blood moon.

"They come," Belial muttered, his head down in prayer. "The demons will be upon us soon."

The soldiers were assembling in lines at the foot of the palace steps. Their lines spanned out into the distance. Archers could be seen filling the upper barracks, neatly lined. Ishia watched her warriors with pride. This was her kingdom, and it would not go down without a fight. She would defend it until the last ounce of her strength had been taken from her. She raised her blade high into the air, as if to strike the great gods themselves.

"Tonight, we fight! Fight for those you love. Fight for your city. Fight for honor. But most of all, fight for yourself and what you believe in. This battle will be long and strenuous, but if you believe in your cause, believe in those who wish you to return home, then you WILL return home. I am honored to have you fighting by my side. I am not your ruler, but a soldier. We are as one on the battlefield. We will fight under the stars, and we will fight under the sun. We will NOT stop fighting, until we are all joined in the Gracian banquet hall or we are all joined in the heavens above. We will make this a battle that NO BODY will forget, and we WILL stand triumphant through it all. In the generations to come, one name will be remembered. That name is not Princess Ishia. That name is the Gracian Retainers!"

Cheers erupted from the soldiers, a cry of respect to their brave leader. No tears were shed, for the battle ahead would warrant enough mourning. The conch was blown a second time, and the demons appeared on the horizon. The endless black plague marched towards the city, then stopped 500 yards off the castle walls. The conch was blown one final time, and the retainers turned. There was a clanging sound of weapons being drawn. Nichi drew his sword, Malice his daggers, and Magus his scythe. This would be the start of a legendary battle, one that would be remembered for years to come.

And as the two sides stood on opposites sides of the battle, the wind blew. The trees shuddered uneasily as the conch sound dissipated into the night.
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Old 04-14-2005, 01:58 AM   #4
 
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Titania made sure that she stood close to the others. With each passing second, the enemy crept closer and closer, until finally it came to a steady halt before the castle walls.

None of this made any sense. Fight for what you believe in? She had had no idea that the city even existed until a week or so ago. How could it be that now she was expected to put her life on the line for it? Wordlessly, the girl decided that her efforts would be to repay the kindness of her new companions whom she had put her complete trust in and so far had not betrayed her.

She stared out in the direction of the opposing army, her troubled face betraying her fearful soul. Lowering her head to say one quick prayer to the eidolons, she felt a curtain of auburn hair fall over her face. Using her common sense for once, she took out from her apron-like pocket a golden comb. Twisting her hair up and keeping it in place with the object, she gripped her hands tightly and tried to calm her breathing.

The comb that she so adored enough to wear at a time when she felt that death was imminent had been one of the many gifts of her father’s (who had made it from a melted down pinion he’d found outside the city).

Her shoulders pulsing up and down as she breathed shallowly, Titania looked unsurely at Malice, Nichi and Magus. Seeing that they (who she was sure knew more about battle than herself) had drawn their weapons, she swallowed hard and gripped her hands tightly, wondering if the enemy would hold such deadly tools as well. As it was, she was still unsure of her healing, and spent a few moments hoping to Phoenix that she would be able to help keep the others safe and healthy.

Throughout all the ages, people had passed down stories of the glories of battle, telling tales about how soldiers would fight fearlessly to the death for their country and kin. So glamorous and moving were these tales, that children would sometimes act out the roles of the different armies, play fighting, and trying to see who could throw whom into the river first.

Even Titania had believed these stories, not questioning the opinion that all soldiers –when faced with defending their nation- were fearless, and invincible. Now that war was upon her, and the mortality of these men danced in front of their faces, she realized that the tales of her childhood could not be true; surely all these men were at least slightly afraid for their lives- afraid of death.

And thus she stood, her belief in the glory of battle and the fearlessness of soldiers destroyed by the reality. For a moment she said nothing, and wondered how many men who stood among her wished that they could be anywhere else in the world.

The two armies were still for an immeasurable amount of time, until finally the enemies of Gracia began to move. Their front lines ran toward the castle. Then, with one swift, unison, the archers who stood in a line behind them fired straight ahead, their arrows creeping over the heads of their own soldiers and heading straight for their opponents’ stronghold.

The arrows fell like rain, planting themselves into the hearts of men who had scarcely begun to taste the bitterness of battle. It was only a matter of seconds before there was chaos, and the men began to scatter.

Titania stood, paralyzed with fright, and lack of realization. The attack had come so fast that her mind had not begun to even comprehend the situation. As she watched the soldiers falling around her, an arrow pierced the ends of her once pristine robe.

For a good while, she simply stared, too scared to reach out and touch the weapon. The arrow had triggered something inside her, some kind of signal that told her she was standing in reality and not only watching it. The noises of battle and the wounded had become loud and all-to-effective, and suddenly the fear she had been feeling converted to pity and excitment. She ran to the closest wounded and knelt beside them, trying her best to mustre up a spell.
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Old 04-14-2005, 06:18 PM   #5
 
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Belial listened intently, then shrugged. "The non-believers would prefer to fight for another reason, you know..." he shouted. No one heard him over the cheering.

Nichi slapped Belial on the back of the head.
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Old 04-16-2005, 07:56 PM   #6
 
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Arrows covered the streets. The wounded were quickly sent off the front lines, and the dead were left as they were. It was a Gracian custom to leave the dead laying where they fell. It sprung from the belief that once a person dies, their soul continues on in a second life. With this belief in hand, the soldiers never fought alone.

The casualties had been small for both sides. After the initial crossbow barrage from the demons, the Gracian Elite Archers had regained composure and had shown the demons their true power. More demons had been felled than humans, but the dark mass of the demon army had not faltered. As one fell, another took its place.

Malice noticed Titania wisp away, but he dared not follow. On the front line of this horrific battle, not a body could be spared. The others had obviously noticed it too, because they each took a moment out of the tense battle to look at eachother. That was when Malice noticed the arrow.

It stuck out of Nichi's right breast, almost taunting him. How Nichi had not noticed was another question that would be left unanswered. He didn't even flinch as he turned to Magus with a confused look on his face as to Titanias disappearance. Malice decided that he would ask the question.

"Uhhh Nichi," he said, not sure how to phrase the question.

"Yeah," Nighi said casually.

"You're, uhh, sporting an arrow." Malice said. Nichi looked down and saw the arrow protruding from his armor. A shocked look placed intself on his face. The group laughed, but their celebration was short lived.

"Get ready. They come." Belial said in his same trance-like state.

There were murmurs of confusion between the archers. They were speaking as if they had seen a ghost. An archer quickly approached Ishia.

"M'lord, the demons. They are not heading for the main door. They look to scale our walls."

For a moment there was silence. Finally Ishia spoke.

"Archers will stand down and fall back. As soon as the first demon is seen along the horizon, we will fire. Have the longbows stay back, and have the soldiers on the front line ready themselves. Prepare for wave 2."
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Old 04-16-2005, 08:04 PM   #7
 
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They wanted a war, well they got one. Hige paced back and forth, he didn’t like war but his orders were clear: genocide. After this he could go to another dimension but first he had to pay off his debt.

“This is insane!” Hige said as he was talking to himself.

“Is there a problem…?” Hige looked up, in the doorway stood his debtor, Dacono, he smiled as he started to speak: “Most people nowadays have no intelligence. I’d hate to have to kill one of the few left.”

“I don’t think you’d be dumb enough to try.” Hige said as he cracked a smile. He was lying, he wouldn’t be able to kill Dacono; he wasn’t strong enough.

Dacono stopped smiling, “Is everything ready?” Hige sighed and looked at him with ice cold eyes, “The troops should be getting there right about now.”
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Old 04-17-2005, 10:38 PM   #8
 
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Nichi had just started to break a sweat. They just didn’t stop coming, he had taken out about 30 of them cleanly but they just kept coming. Nichi was running around to the grappling hooks knocking people off the walls and freezing their attempts to scale the walls. It seemed in vain though, for every one he froze 3 more came up. Malice, Magus and Belial were no were to be found, Nichi could see from on the wall poor Titania running around trying her best to heal all those wounded. Nichi had long since broken off the arrow that was sticking from his armor, lucky for him he had remembered to wear his Mitheral woven armor for the battle, had he not he might be doing so well right now.

That’s when Nichi noticed him, standing with a smug grin on his face just outside archer range. Dacono was shouting orders and seemed very pleased with the progress they were making, near him stood another non-demon general. One Nichi had never seen before.

Ishia fought valiantly guarding the main gate; her soldiers had taken not even a scratch yet. This however did not seem to be a fortune that would last long, Dacono broke his way through the main lines and was on the outer edges of Ishia’s soldiers, they started to fall. Dacono was not any bit as weak as he had acted when Nichi thought he defeated him.

Nichi did his best to try to get to Ishia and he troops, but Dacono was moving too fast. Dacono was crossing swords with Ishia in no time. She held her own well so Nichi went back to fighting off the incoming enemy troops. All of what seemed to happen in hours only took several minutes. The war raged on through the night. Ishia and Dacono stay sword locked all night. Neither of them seemed to wear. The floods of demons kept coming. The forces of Gracia defended their lands well.
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Old 04-17-2005, 11:23 PM   #9
 
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Old 04-18-2005, 06:09 PM   #10
 
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This battle truly would be remembered in years to come. Though the two sides fought bravely through the night and into the early morning, and casualties were grand for both sides, both man and demon never stopped coming. The Gracian army was definately more skilled in the art of combat than the demons, and each man could claim at least 15 to their name. The demon army though never seemed to falter. Wave after wave of demon came, and though they were struck down with great zeal, more amassed in their places. The demon army seemed like an unbeatable plague.

From the original shock of the arrow in Nichi's armor, the troops had split up. Nichi and Belial had gone into the front lines, while Magus accompanied Masuto into the left rank. Malice had heard them talking before; he suspected trickery on Masuto's part. Magus was still not a keen fighter, and to have his life thrown away at a futile plan would be nonsense. Together the two had fought off demons, as they made their way to the front gate which still stood unbreached.

Malice himself had another plan though. Knowing full well that demons possessed skills in magic, he was wary, but he decided to act upon his instincts. Before they had all met on the palace steps, Malice had grabbed himself his wooden bow. It had been left in Gracia, as Malice rarely used it. In fights like these, where chaos made a lengthy appearance, bowmanship was a much appreciated skill. Malice brought his bow off his back after he sheathed his daggers, and felt one of two quivers for an arrow.

Faster than the human eye could percieve, the arrow was knocked and the bow string drawn taught. Malice searched for a life to save, and quickly unleashed the arrow when he spotted the solider.

The soldier had been parrying blows with an ogre-like demon. The demon had just snapped his sword with its giant club, and it had the club reared over its head to strike. The maul came down upon the staunch soldier, who still stood his guard. Before the club could wreak its havoc, Malice's arrow pierced its neck, propelling the demon sideways with its great momentum. The demon vanished in a puff of smoke; only ashes remained.

Malice quickly ran to the ramparts to aid the other archers. The human archers were still at odds with the demon crossbows. Arrows still rained from the sky, injuring both sides. Malice quickly knocked an arrow, and just as he past a human soldier, let the arrow fly. The arrow missed the human soldiers face by mere inches, and the soldier jumped in fright. Another demon fell. Malice quickly unleashed the whole first quiver of arrows into various demons. Most never got a chance to react before they lit up in a cloud of black dust.

Suddenly, the demons stopped firing. A runner quickly broke from the group. It didn't carry a sword or a crossbow, and it confused Malice to it's presence in the battle. The archers resumed their usual fire at their commanders whim, ignoring the runner. Malice sensed something odd.

"No no, fire at the rogue!" he exclaimed, trying to get everyones attention. The archers looked confused, but followed their commanders orders.

By this time, the rogue had revealed its true purpose. It was a spellcaster demon, and left unattended, it had formed a translucent shield that covered the crossbowmen entirely. The arrows stopped having effect. They hit the shield, and fell dead. The crossbows resumed firing. Their arrows hit the magical barrier, but instead of falling dead, they travelled through untouched.

"Everyone, shield formation!" Malice called. Noticing how correct he had been the first time, the archers drew their shields. Those not quick enough to react were cut down.

The commander was either too proud or too stupid to listen to Malice. He continued firing arrows from his silver bow, only to have them stop at the touch of the barrier. The demons had noticed the few that had been to pompous to listen to the words of a savior, and they aimed their arrows for them. Malice noticed this, and cloaked himself. He silently flew over the outer walls, and looked inward on the battle. The arrows flew at the unsuspecting archers, and Malice focused his mind, creating wind. With many bursts of wind jutting from his palms, he quickly altered the crossbow bolts course. He flew back to the ground, out of breath.

After a quick word with the commander, all tower shields were up, protecting the city as best as they could for the time being. Together, Malice and Commander Mordikir formulated a plan.
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Old 04-18-2005, 06:46 PM   #11
 
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Palis, The Year 699 Ishia, Gracia Gate

Magus cut down a few more demons with his scythe. Suddenly he felt a breeze he knw nobody else could feel - the black wind, once again. Only this time, there was a voice in it. He listened intently.

****************************
Palis, The Year 699 Ishia, Somewhere

Schala cried softly into the black wind for help. She wanted someone, anyone to hear the wind and her voice. Soon a soldier stepped into her chamber.

"Ah, miss, I was hoping you could be of some assistance to us..."

Schala blinked. "Who are you? Why do you need my help? Why..."

The soldier gave a huge bow, a grin on his face. "My name is Gamma," he said. "I work for Lord Kain, one of the great demons of Draconis."

Schala recognized the strange tinge to the man's voice. "You... you're... you're the same as..."

The man grinned, showing rows of sharpened teeth. "Miss Zeal, Kain requires your magic. I know what it is like, having felt it myself back on Earth. You can either work with us willingly..." He held out his arm, which turned into a powerful claw. "...or I can rip the magic from your body myself."

****************************
Palis, The Year 699 Ishia, Gracia Gate

Magus chopped down demons, a new fury blazing within him. Schala was in danger, calling for help when she was suddenly interrupted. He felt nothing more than hatred welling up inside of him.

A giant shape-shifting demon appeared. Its form didn't seem to be able to stabilize itself, continually shifting to become more and more powerful. Magus continued to strike at the other demons, trying to ignore the larger one until he heard a rasping voice carry over the heads of the demons; "Janus Zeal... how nice to seeeeeyyoouuuU!" The shapeshifter cquickly mowed down several soldiers in front of it and started knocking away human and demon alike to get at Magus.

Magus stumbled back, actually afraid for once. Thousands of thoughts flew through his mind, the most prominent being How does this thing know my real name?

The shapeshifter howled, chomping down on a soldier and shifting away its mouth with the soldier only halfway inside - Magus looked at the gruesome half-corpse before he dove at the monster.

A claw extended from the transforming monstrosity and knocked Magus back. Suddenly it reared an arm, which was slowly changing into a head, to the sky. "I muSt lEave yoU Now JaNus... buT I wiLl RetUrn!"

Two of its extra heads transormed into wings as the creature began to fly. Even as these wings transformed, more would appear, keeping the thing aloft. Magus immediately turned his attention back to the hordes pouring through the gate. He shot a quick glance to Aikia, who he suddenly realized was nowhere to be found. "What the..."

********************************
Palis, The Year 699 Ishia, Somewhere Else

Gamma strapped Schala down to a large slab. He grabbed her pendant from around her neck and called out to the sky. "Beta! Come here!"

Schala let out a muffled cry before Gamma shot a jolt of electricity into her. The world soon went black.
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Old 04-18-2005, 08:58 PM   #12
 
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A few of the soldiers who were close enough to see, but far enough to escape its wrath, watched the terrifying creature as it disappeared into the hazy sky. One young soldier in particular stood in awe- the mistake that allowed a demon blade to pierce his heavy armour with little resistance. The foul attacker moaned in triumph, only to be speedily interrupted by the heavy sound of an impacting arrow, sent from the steady bow of The Planning Commander. With great speed, the object hurtled through the demon’s neck and exited out the other side.

“You shot late.” Noted Malice, who was close to him.

“No.” the commander replied, shaking his head “I shot just in time.”

The doomed creature fell to its knees and behind it could be seen the staggering bodies of three more of its kin, all having been hit by the same arrow which now rested safely in a blood-covered post.


Titania wandered about the place, searching for injury, but finding only death. In a haze, the girl continued to turn over bodies with little success. Finally, she simply gave up and looked to the rampart where the main battle had come to a disturbing lull.

Swiftly speeding away from the mutilated bodies that lay decaying on the blood-stained ground, Titania ran up the ramparts, the bottom of her robes laced with war’s scarlet fuel.

“Malice! Nichi!” she yelled, a smile appearing on her face as she spotted the familiar. In her joy she did not even notice that the two seemed to be forming some sort of plan.

“You won’t believe th- ah!” The unshielded girl, turned to see an arrow coming for her. Frightened, she threw up her blood-covered hands and suddenly found herself surrounded by a green haze. The arrow never hit its mark.

She stopped for a moment, wide-eyed and completely confused. Finally giving it better reason (and noticing that the haze had been gone for some time and she might as well be target practise) she hid behind a soldier who was smart enough to have his shield up.
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Old 04-19-2005, 02:00 AM   #13
 
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The great tower in the middle of town struck noon. The war had been in movement for almost twelve hours now. Nichi had drawn back to Malice’s position to form a plan. He had told Malice about an idea for a combined attack of wind and ice. They would attempt to launch it shortly.

Meanwhile Belial mowed through almost a thousand demons all by himself so far. He sat in the middle of the great demon army, well out of range of killing his own people. Unleashing a great unmaking spell he swallowed up the existence of several thousand of the demon soldiers in one foul spell, making sure not to overdo it so he would not be weakened too much by the spell.

Nichi and Malice watched the horrific display of power done by Belial and both shivered in the thought of what it would feel like to have such a spell cast on them. Riding the winds into the front lines of the battle Malice started a strong gust of wind that Nichi released large and sharp fragments of ice into. The force of the wind took the large ice fragments and impaled hundreds of Demon soldiers. They continued to do this until Nichi noticed the battle between Ishia and Dacono coming to an end.

Ishia was starting to grow weak from fighting so long. Somehow Dacono had not lost on ounce of his fierce might. The swing finally came to end the beginning of the war. Dacono managed a heavy swing across Ishia’s stomach. It was not deep but it was enough for her to loose composer and almost fall. While off balance Dacono cut her several times in the legs and arms, easily piercing her mighty armor. She fell to the ground bloody and unable to stand back up. With a howling laugh that could be heard for miles Dacono removed the head of Ishia in one foul blow. Picking her head off the ground and raising it high above his head Dacono marched back towards his troops with a triumphant look.

Nichi screamed in fear as he watched Ishia’s head fall to the ground. That bastard brother of his had taken away the last thing in his life that was truly important to him.

Dacono’s the back lines of the Demon army withdrew, knowing that they had won that days battle. They returned to start the summoning rituals to refill their dead ranks. The front lines remained and were killed off by sunset.

Funeral services were held that night for Ishia. Nichi hardly spoke until them.

Nichi stood in front of the city in the great coliseum as the head spokesperson for the first time. “Today we defended our lands in a way that no one has ever thought would be necessary. Today we held off the invading hordes of demons that are here to take over our world. Today we also lost the leader that held us strong enough to hold against these foes.” Nichi began to tear up as he said this. “As many of you know I was raised by our strong and mighty queen Ishia.” Aikia stood close to the alter that Nichi was talking from. “Our new ruler was chosen by Ishia herself. Aikia Masuto will be our new queen acting in as of today. Please stand and give praise to our new Queen.”

The court stood and clapped in acceptance of Aikia. Nichi presented her with the crown of Gracia and with it came a pillar of white light. Aikia ascended to being a god once more. She let out a great sigh of relief. “It is my honor to take place of one so great of Ishia, I am so very sorry for her loss and hope she resides along side all the other great fallen gods of Kharn. Many of you know of my past and I would not be able to put on this crown if you all did not accept me, so I thank you all for trusting me in your hearts and for believing that I will make a good queen.”

Malice, Magus, Belial and Titania stood behind the Alter with Nichi all dressed in robes that signified honorable positions in the court. They had all been shocked by the falling of Ishia and had little to say to each other at the time, they all mourned the death of the poor woman they had come to believe in.

The priests came forward to sanctify the blessings of Aikia’s queen ship and now moved to the burial and sanctification of Ishia’s tomb. The ceremony only took a few moments, and then all bowed their heads in honor of Ishia and raised their heads to now hear the plans of war that Aikia had declared would be announced.

Aikia raised her head slowly and then began to speak. “So they think they can wipe us out of this world. That is the goal of our assailants. I don’t think any of us will allow this to happen and that is why I say we bring the fight to them. Shortly before Ishia died she sent word of the attack to our allies in Diasis, and Forlun. They arrive in less then and hour, each city has sent us an army. Diasis sends their elite Black Capes Army or 620,000 soldiers. They are the most feared army in the land, for their excellence and for their brutal tenacity. Forlun sends their Elite Death Raven Rangers, a force of 80,000 and their Raven Guard Army a force of 400,000 elite soldiers.” Ishia took a deep breath. “Tomorrow the demon army of Valmarus will beg for its death for we shall give them a fight they will never forget.”

The citizens of Gracia stood silenced by the good news, awestruck that they would not be fighting alone. Many started to cry in happiness. Many couldn’t stop cheering.

That night a great feast was prepared and the whole city celebrated the crowning of Aikia. For many this would be the last Party any of them would take part in. The party lasted all night the incoming armies joined in and had brought their own additions to the festival.

Nichi sat high above the city in the clock tower playing his favorite tune on a wind instrument from his culture. When the sun rose it would be the biggest battle known to man. They would push back and cleanse the demon army and all cities within 100 miles. Tomorrow would be a day to go down in history.
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Old 04-19-2005, 01:47 PM   #14
 
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Belial stepped outside for a fresh view. Even with his eyes shut, he could feel the summoning call. They weren't just bringing grunts in now. They were trying to claim the hierarcy, falling just short of the council.

"You have sinned, brothers." he whispered. "You have broken our laws."

"Laws were made to be broken, Ash-maker."

Belial heard a familiar voice carried upon the darkness. "Not these. Even the greatest champions of defiance need guidance, Ruin-bringer."

Demonic titles could number into the thousands. But only one demon could carry any one title at anytime.

"You always seemed to favor revolution for just causes, oh Unmaker of Worlds." the voice replied. "Whereas the more enterprising among us..."

"Favor anarchy for the sake of chaos." Belial finished. His eyes still closed, he walked forward, off into the air. "But what good is chaos without a reference point."

The voice laughed. "I offered that solution a long, long time ago."

"Your reference point wasn't enough to stem the unmaking." Belial sighed, still blindly walking forward. He felt something stirring inside him he hadn't felt in a long, long time. Not since the nights of old, when cults met secretly in underground unhallowed chapels and sacrificed the innocent in his name.

The voice changed its tone to a little less confident and a little more urgent. "But it was solid, none the less. It was a mountain that no profit could move. It was legendary, it was unchangable, and it was fate."

Belial just kept walking. "I cannot deny your logic, Gnawer of Reality's Roots, but it was a pillar in the wrong land."

He felt rather enjoyably relaxed. He could feel the blue eightpointed star begin to glow.

"Could it be that you are simply resisting against the rest of the defiant?" the voice chided. "That you cannot accept a certainty in the world of free will?"

Belial felt the black flames fanning from his feet, begining to form a shell around him. Wait... this was familiar...

"There is no certainty. Free will negates any form of possible prediction." Belial whispered, feeling himself being pulled from afar.

"The only thing that cannot be changed is what we decide not to allow to become corrupted." the voice seemed to press against him now, almost slowing his advance. "And these four, while they break the laws, presently anger me."

"And why is that, oh desecrator of the open heart?" Belial mumbled. He suddenly realized what was going on, but it was too far...

He was being summoned by the four.

"BECAUSE THEY TRY TO TAKE WHAT'S MINE!" the voice roared. Belial felt something slam into him, driving him back into the palace wall.

Belial coughed, a small amont of blood spilling out. He tried to stand, but his legs were broken, and they weren't regenerating fast enough.

"Ow." Belial stated flatly. "You play too rough."

The figure belonging to the voice stood up. A few inches taller than Belial's present form, with spiked red hair, and red eyes that gleamed with the light of the stars, he adjusted his gloves. He made sure he still had his book, and his goggles. His pants were covered in dust from the impact. He shook himself, all the dust leaving his skin. Where Belial had blue tattoos, this demon had red, and they were strict and cornered instead of flowing tribal. About his left eye, he bore a seven-pointed star of a diffrent style.

"Oh, relax. You'll heal." Osirus leaned forward and sat his old friend up. "Mend your legs and lets go. We have worlds to play with."

Belial shoved Osirus' hands off. "Not gonna happen. Not after last time."

Osirus laughed. "Oh, you still ticked about that?" he put a foot on Belial's knee, and ground the shattered bones together. "I think that you'd have really forgiven me by now."

Belial screamed. Not roared in rage, not howled defiantly, but outright screamed in pain.

Osirus switched to the ribs as he took out his book. "Ahem... Thus, Osirus and Belial fought for seven hundred and seventy one nights, one for each member of the founding. Belial refused to use his unmaking powers, for he cared too much for the only real friend he'd ever known, but without them, Osirus over powered him, and bound him to an obsidian Caern. Beaten, broken, and betrayed, Osirus remained there for an eon while Osirus tried in vain to obtain fealty from him."

Belial was fighting off spasming in pain. He could restart the fight, right here, right now, and ruin the lands, and most likely annihilate the entire world. But that'd solve nothing.

He clenched his fists, moaning in agony. "Something on your mind, Eight?" he whispered, leaning down.

"You..." Belial gasped. "Never... understood..."

Osirus rolled his eyes. "Understood what?" he said, stepping off. "That you have no finishing technique? That you lack the conviction of our people?"

Belial winced as he raised himself up to sitting upright. "No..."

Osirus suddenly threw himself flat as Nichi lept over him. "Oh, look! Entertainment!" Osirus shouted. "You are quite the sneaky one, whelp!"

Nichi drew his blade. "Whelp?" His eyes turned yellow. "I've been cutting your ilk down for days now. Wanna be next?"

Belial closed his eyes. Osirus' ability to leave long standing wounds was annoying, normally, but Belial was tired from the summoning attempt.

Osirus raised two fingers. "You have a choice, cat-eyes." he hissed at Nichi. "Be hidden under the soil, encased in black ice, or to cease to exist!"

Nichi waited patiently. "Try it and see what happens."

Osirus threw his arms out to the side. "Challenge Seven and be smashed beneath my heel LIKE AN EMPIRE!"

A beam of unmaking shot from Osirus' left eye. Nichi threw himself flat, and then bolted back up, and threw his hand forward.

Nothing happened. Nichi looked at his hand.

"Oh, that. Your technique would easily replicate my blackened ice. Unmaking requires a little less... mortality." Osirus smiled. He started walking towards Nichi, opening his book. A page flew out, and Nichi deflected it.

"Oh, and to your earlier comment... do I look like a lesser demon?" He snapped, firing another page. Nichi deflected it too. "DID ANY OF THEM DO THIS?"

He shot a bolt of unmaking low, shearing Nichi's lower right leg off. Nichi looked down, stunned. It didn't hurt. It just wasn't there.

Osirus held a ball in his hand. "Hero, huh?"

Nichi spat at Osirus, swinging forward with his blade. "Tis better to die a hero than live as a monster."

"Allow me to accomadate your request." Osirus laughed, rearing back to throw.

A flat beam of unmaking careened at Osirus' head. He stood stunned. A lock of hair drifted to the ground.

Belial stood, his hand shoved into the wall, holding himself off the ground. "Next one hits." he snarled.

Osirus let the ball disapate. "You don't have the conviction." He started walking towards Belial. "You couldn't kill me then, you can't kill me now."

Belial waited as Osrius came face to face with him. Nichi propped himself up on his sword.

Osirus put Belial's hand on his own throat. "If you can, then do it." He stared at Belial, straight in the eyes. "If you ever wanted to slay me, for all the wrongs I caused, here's your chance."

Nichi wished to everything holy that he had telepathy at that point. He was urging Belial to end Osirus right there.

Belial stared back. For one moment, the world held still.

He let go.

Osirus nodded. "Thought so."

Belial hung his head. "Some demon you made, Eight." Osirus grabbed him by the hair and threw him into the ground before the palace. "If I have to beat obidience into you, so be it."

He lept off of the wall. Nichi gritted his teeth. He'd seen it done before... but he had to be ready to copy at the time to copy...

It was just a matter of playing it back in his head and convincing himself it was real...

His leg regrew. He jumped after Osirus, sword pointed down.

Belial lay there, a faint blue light eminating from his tattoos. Osirus had his foot across Belial's throat.

"Why the hell do you always have to tempt me, Osirus?" Belial coughed.

"Eh..." Osirus shrugged. "Call it tough love, I guess."

He was so occupied with trying to crush Belial's spirit, he never saw Nichi's sword as it rammed into his chest. He looked down at the massive blade.

"Oh wow..." Osirus ran his finger through the blood. "That was pretty impressive."

Nichi withdrew and wound up to take Osirus' head off. Osirus fell to his knees, and colapsed on Belial. "Hey, that stings." he whispered. The glow around his eye softened. Nichi brought the blade around.

A sharp clang was heard as Belial's palm caught the blow. Nichi tried forcing it through.

"Can't let you." Belial said through gritted teeth.

"He was going to kill us both." Nichi snarled.

Belial held Osirus' bleeding body with his right arm, and started forcing Nichi back with the left. "Can't... let... you..." he said, rising. The skies began to turn red. Thunder started off far, then drew closer. Black lightning arced.

Nichi withdrew his blade. "I won't let him into the castle." he said flatly.

A bolt of lightning slammed into the ground nearby, leaving a crater. "I won't leave him wounded for the enemy to either kill or claim." Belial lifted the barely concious Osirus, walking towards the gate.

Nichi pointed behind Belial. "Ambush." he said simply.

Belial turned his head, catching the approaching band with the corner of his eye. He thrust Osirus forward. "Take him back, and put him in a bed."

Nichi looked shocked. Belial's arms were shaking. He threw Osirus over his shoulder. "What are you going to do?"

Belial clenched his fists at his sides. Nichi walked through the gate.
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The Via Hyron, Road of the Hive, dictates that you shall protect your loved ones, fight to preserve your way of life from outside threats, and never forget you follow the road. This road is, by far, one of the most honorable roads known to the vampire clans, short of Galconda only. The Via Hyron is only practiced by one clan, the second clan of Ashur-called-Cappadocius, namely, the Baali, the original infernalist clan...
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Old 04-19-2005, 05:18 PM   #15
 
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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))

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