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[Twinrova]

Rova froze. Not only was she in Selena's body, but now she was hearing voices! No, just one voice. But whose...? Before she could put her finger on it, the owner of the voice appeared at the door. Chikara!

"What the hell are yo--" Wait. Gotta play this cool. Chikara didn't know anything. ...Yet. Rova stopped short and waited, not saying anything else until the other woman was finished. She didn't know Chik at all, outside of what she'd heard from others. She knew she was the avatar of Lazu, and that certainly unnerved her, but she'd also noticed that Selena didn't seem particularly concerned with that. In fact, those two seemed to share a kind of bond. A curious bond for the leaders of supposed rival dorms to have...

Hm. Maybe she could play the drunk angle and take advantage of that connection. It certainly seemed Chikara wanted to. And rival dorm or not, she was easy on the eyes.

"You know, I have had a few glasses of mead tonight. I couldn't help it, Lady Rova is off on an assignment, and I miss her terribly.." As far as Chikara knew, these were Selena's words, and Selena's sentiments. It was nice to hear Selena saying those things, even if Rova was the one using her vocal chords. She took what she could get.

"My my, you certainly have the hots for me, don't you? I must admit, I could use some kind of distraction... Who knows when I'll be able to see Rova again..."

[Crimson Lego]

ooc: Nobody minds me taking control of Juvenal for a bit, right?

“Yeah, you’re right about that,” murmured Leo in response to Bob’s statement about Juvenal’s teeth. It was obvious that Juvenal gave off an uncomfortable aura, but the fact that actual jewels were in the man’s mouth made the whole common enemy situation even more awkward. If this guy dies, his family is gonna be rich for awhile. Listening to the sorcerer tell Rova to take the jewel, the dwarf kept a hand on his knife, ready to cause a big fight albeit the fact that there was a massive dog in the area as well. Maybe we should have dragged Selena along on this trip instead of attempting advanced magic like this, thought Leo grimly. We have no idea what Juvenal might have put in that jewel. For a moment, it seemed as though his suspicions were proven true, but after Rova began moving again, it became obvious Selena’s spirit had possessed it. Watching as the Calatian queen was helped to her feet, the dwarf glanced back at Jordan, whom was now talking to her about the mission and several other things. Should have expected that; if I wasn’t this high up in the military, I’d be ranting too.

Listening to the conversation between Juvenal and Selena, Leo found it quite easy to choose which side to take and believe. He was sure that the former had a grudge against another god (who wouldn’t?), but didn’t believe that Juvenal was allying with Calatia out of his and their own interests. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” quoted the dwarf out loud. “Frankly, all you’re doing is using us as a hammer against Koridai; after it’s over, you’re just going to backstab all of us with the Cursed, right?”

Raising his hand as if to make a rude hand gesture or push himself up off the chair, Juvenal closed it and lowered it back down onto the arm of his chair slowly. “General Crimson, if I was going to backstab you, why wouldn’t I just do it right now and force the Sword Bearer to work for me through magical means?”

“Well, maybe you-”

“Or if I just forced my pet here to follow you until Ahrem is dead. Is that better?”

With those statements, Leo fell silent; he had no valid argument against anything Juvenal was throwing at him. What a cheapo. “So what do you want from us then?”

“The Kingdom of Calatia possesses the strongest army on this planet capable of attacking Ahrem; I cannot get in that place’s capital alone.” Pausing, Juvenal spoke his next words with grit. “I must admit, I need help, physical help; ‘gods’, as you call us, can only do so much. You people are the only ones that can provide enough military help to even get close to killing Ahrem. However, there is also another factor involved that I can choose to reveal now or later.”

Juvenal then turned to Selena with a satisfied look on his face. “Is that enough information for you? You’re not going to pass up a chance to get revenge now, are you?””

[Sir Deimos]

Synile in his desperation to rediscover some lost segment of the Labyrinth had stumbled away from the group, and was long missing since before the Cursed attacked. None of the cave that he had explored thus far had any passageways into the Labyrinth, his old beloved home. Synile was on the verge of giving up, and sat upon a large rock in the middle of a somewhat cavernous chamber. He held his head up with one hand and reflected upon the centuries past. He looked like an orphan, battered by time and defeated. He had lost his home of six hundred years, and the separation anxiety was as much a burden he had to bear as was the cursed blade on his back. The Labyrinth symbolized eight lifetimes worth of memories. Each memory was locked away, and buried in a place where he couldn't even morn at the grave. All the voices in his head seemed to cry out in anguish.

"What am I doing here..? This is all just a fools errand." A sudden wave of rage washed over Synile, and he picked up the nearest large rock and threw it violently up against the wall of the cavern. It did little more than bounce off and make noise. Temper tantrums rarely made things better.

What of your comrades? What if they saw you like this? You'd never live it down. The terrifying Synile, brought to his knees because he misses his home. Hahahahaha.

"Mind your own damned business!"

What damned sense does that make? This is our business!

"I've noticed. It's slight, but I've begun aging again..."

Synile's thoughts were interrupted by a deep guttural growl that resounded through the cave. The source of the noise had to have been a beast of staggering proportions, something that would be impossibly large for the size of the cavern. Synile collected himself and wandered off into the direction the noise had come from. For most it would be difficult finding the source of a sound in a system of caves, the reverberations would make it almost impossible to discern the source, however these were the conditions in which Synile flourished for over six centuries. It was little work to make his way around again, and back into a large room. The group of Calatians were already here, and they looked worn down, and as if they had just had a skirmish. Several of the generic no-names were missing. There was a large dog on a chain, and an otherworldly looking man on the other end of that chain.

An unexpected feeling of deep primal rage came over Synile. He drew his nodachi and angrily entered the room. The mysterious man had just finished a statement of some sort to Rova. His words fell on deaf ears. Synile's mind was consumed with bloodlust. Quickly Synile charged into the cavern, tossing his allies aside as he ran. Planting his feet, Synile swung the nodachi with more force than he had put into an attack in centuries. The mysterious man, however, was quick like lightning. In an instant he was in front of Synile, and as if made of steel had caught the nodachi in his hand. The man's other hand came up in the form of a palm strike to Synile's face. The force was strong enough to blow Synile back several feet and disarm him at the same time.

"Well it appears the curse can even affect those already cursed." A wide smile appeared on the strangers face as he discarded the sword. Synile rushed to pick up the blade and now merely clutched it. "Or could this just be an instinctual response from a wounded beast? You aren't worth my time, Labyrinth dweller."

[Chikara Nadir]

"And is that something you've been doing often?" Although initially Chikara's question might have made no sense as a response to the latest comment that 'Selena' had spoken, it quickly clicked 'that' was the unofficial name which the goddess had chosen for the real Rova, in real-Rova's body…which she certainly was not. "Taking out your bedroom aggressions on a creature unable to even fathom the strength that you and I hold? Let alone capable of surviving it…"

The white gossamer of her gown drifted lightly in the air as the petite redhead pulled her mouth close to Selena's, her ruby lips lingering just above the milky skin of her adversary. And then..she blinked.

Chikara pulled herself back a few inches, her nose scrunched up in silent dismay. Something was amiss. Something in her aura…in the perfumey scent of her body, devoid of any unusual intoxicants. Yes, the faint flavor of vodka was evident in the sweat upon her breast, although few mortals would think themselves able to notice it. But even her unusually pleasant demeanor was beyond disconcerting.

If her spoken persona was so off, would the girl even be capable of proper telepathic discussion, she wondered?

Selena…have you been drugged?

[Selena]

Leo began to discuss things with the 'god,' and she was content to let them speak for the moment. As they conversed, Selena looked over to Jordan and fixed a steely gaze on him courtesy of Rova's shining peepers. "Suicide mission? Well, if you think a hike through the Cursed Lands qualifies as a suicide mission, I'll keep that in mind when picking out teams for the legitimately dangerous quests. If any of these people had trouble up here, then it's good they got a scare. It'll toughen them u--"

And that was when Synile ran in to attempt to strike Juvenal, only to be bitchslapped clear across the room. The dog looked on in excitement, bearing its drool covered fangs.

"I see Synile's still acting like himself, at least. Sorry about that, caveman. You get used to it."

Selena walked over to the dog and smiled - Selena's expression rather than Rova's usual one. She reached out her hand and the dog initially looked as if it was going to lash out violently, but he sniffed the air. His flat ears rose back up. His body calmed. He lowered his massive head until it was close to Rova's body, and Selena reached up to give the dog a good scratch behind the ears while the others did their thing. She began to coo and speak with the massive beast as if it were a puppy. Her personal aura had something to do with it, most likely. The spawns of hell were good at recognizing a fellow creature of evil. If it were Rova's aura and spirit, things might have been different.

She took a breath and turned back to the group, feeling uncomfortably warm all of a sudden. Restless. Her skin was electric. Her clothes suddenly far too heavy on her borrowed body. Her heart began to flutter while her mind felt lightheaded. It felt almost like she wanted to...

Selena…have you been drugged?

That was Chik, using their newfound mental connection to communicate directly with her spirit. Drugged? No, of course not. A few drinks of vodka, but that hardly had any effect on her, and certainly not in this body. ...Oh. Oh, god damn it! Why now of all times? Selena snarled using Rova's lips - this meeting had to end quickly.

No, I am NOT drugged, and if you're in Snowpeak looking at my scantily clad body, you had better not touch it if you know what's good for you, you cheating whore! That's Rova. I was duped into switching bodies with her for a little while. Some all important meeting. I'll be back soon. Just... stay there. Out of sight. Use a disguise or something. And TOUCH NOTHING until I get back into my own skin!

[JRPomazon]

Jordan walked up behind Synile, although kept his distance since he had a sword in hand. He didn't want to take chances with him, especially if he was beginning to succumb to the curse.

"Synile, just take a couple steps back and put the damn sword away. You can put your sword away, right?"

Synile looked back briefly as he held his sword tighter. He wasn't going to comply, it was like he was in love with that damn blade. And the way Juvenal was insulting him wasn't helping. Irritability was a sign of the curse's affect on a person. But this wasn't going to validate suspicion alone, this was Synile they were dealing with.

"Synile, put down the sword. I need to know you can stop right now."

He wasn't complying. What else was new? Jordan raised his hand up towards his spear, Juvenal smiled as he turned to see what Jordan was doing.

"Are you turning on me as well Gale Emperor? Or are you merely putting this mongrel to rest for all of us?"

Jordan stopped, lowering his hand.

"He's a Calatian, it is my responsibility as their guide to keep them safe, from the curse, others and if the situation calls for it, themselves."

"You sound as though you have experience after the years you have spent here. Tell me, how many people have you killed to 'spare' them the pain of living in madness? How many of those souls did you euthanize?"

Jordan didn't speak. This guy knew just where to pick at, it was mildly disturbing.

[Kwicky Koala]

OoC: I guess that 5 Snakeheads 5 Huscarls thing doesn't apply anymore since 5 soldiers left the party to scout, 5 died in the last attack, and there was still one alive after to summon Juvenal, they must be running low but I'm keeping some around a bit longer if that's ok.

---

"Oh noo, its happened again!"

The Snakehead who would be known forever as Brownshanks for his embarrasing discharge looked around horrified, hoping for a sympathetic ear, and Catt was the closest thing nearby. He reluctantly replied:

"What, when Synile rushed in and attacked ol' Jewel-y Mouth over there?"

"Mhmm!"

"You know, I've been wondering" Catt continued. "How is it that you were able to hold your own against those Cursed back there in the tunnel, to survive when we lost five good men, but then do something so monumentally cowardly and embarrassing?"

"It was like some other force took hold of my body" he replied mysteriously.

"And told you to crap!?!" barked Nico. Juvenal and the others stopped conversing and looked over there sternly. Rova gave them a "quiet please, the grown-ups are talking now" look that was pure Lena.

Abashed, they lowered their voices. "You're a disgrace to the unit!" Nico whispered "I always thought you were too stupid to get scared, Brownshanks".

"Maybe it wasn't fear" said Luka, who had also survived the routing of the Cursed. "Maybe it was diarrhea from all the lousy food we've had to eat here."

"It is lousy, isn't it?" agreed Brownshanks gratefully. "Although I did enjoy the chicken rice and peas Bob made that one night"

"Stop stereotyping Bob and get yourself cleaned up soldier!" ordered Catt. "Go behind that big rock, and... hey, take these!"

He handed him a bundle of pamphlets. They do have a use after all, he thought.

---

While the man made use of the reading material, Lena/Rova talked with Juvenal, and Jordan with Synile, Catt lay down with his hands behind his head and took in the surroundings. The cavern was large and dark, moisture could be heard dripping from places, and footsteps and voices echoed around its walls. The few remaining Huscarls had got a fire started and were sitting around, dressing wounds and showing little deference to Lena's prescence, much less Juvenal and his hund. Catt was impressed by their dignified stoicism, which had to have come from surviving the terrible assaults of the Cursed, and seeing their comrades fall beside them. The Snakeheads too, Brownshanks notwithstanding, were a much more stable unit then when they had started, though they had lost many men, and their Captain was absent scouting.

Catt walked up to his friends, watching the impasse between Synile and Jordan.

"He's so mad" said Nico. "We're lucky to have Jordan with us."

"I wouldn't argue with that. I'd still rather Synile have my back in a fight, though"

"Why?" the Snakehead asked increduously.

"Oh, its just... something different, you know? With him or Khallos, or even royalty like Lena - I can be my crazy old self and they might still listen, still give a damn. But with others, I have to turn into a professional jackass just to get a hearing, and even then they don't respect my words." He sighed. "But more than that, its a question of time. I've known those guys so long. You get very attached to your old war buddies. I only hope you guys live long enough to know what that's like."

Luka remembered something Leo had said about Selena. "How old are you, Catt?"

"Not as old as these rocks, I assure you"

"But older than you look, right?"

"Trust me, I'm a baby compared to some of the family - but yes, appearances are deceiving."

"Wow..." the Snakehead murmured. "It must be amazing to live so long"

"I just had stuff to take care of, stuff that couldn't be finished in one lifetime. I'm a regular guy mostly, and I'm definately not going to spout all that patronising drivel about admiring you guys for the brevity of your existence, or start bitching cause all my friends are dead."

"Appreciated." said Nico glibly, as Brownshanks returned, washing his hands with a waterskin. "When are the commanders going to finish dealing with that devil? I hope they can negotiate us safe passage out of this godforsaken place."

The two soldiers seemed to silently endorse Nico's words. For the grunts of the expedition, returning home was never far from their minds.

[Dizzy]

If the large, hungry and blind dog wasn't baffling enough, being lucky to witness an all-out body switch took the cake.
Dizzy had only read about such a feat in the Calatian library, but to see it happen had confirmed her beliefs that there were crazier things in store for the troupe.

Worry wrinkled her brow, as she recognized that there was not much she could do in the heated situation, except to listen to the parried discussions between Juvenal, Jordan, and the RovaLena carefully.

Rampaging footfalls broke the diplomacy, and Dizzy's heart leaped into her mouth upon witnessing Synile's stampede into the room, seemingly devoid of all self control. With wide eyes and a sense of anxiety, she wondered if he had succumb to the strange and powerful influences of the cavern so soon...

Her hand instinctively crept down to the hilt of her blade, which was faithfully at her hip.

*Synile, please! You're a powerful warrior, and I know your mind is stronger than that!*

[Sir Deimos]

Synile glared at Jordan. Everyone had rightfully doubted his mental state before the expedition into the Cursed Lands, but this just felt like he was being talked down to.

"Worried about something, Whirlwind? That... thing." Synile motioned toward the man with the imposing presence. "Something about him churns my stomach. I admit given the circumstances my actions may have been... hasty... to say the least. There have been a great many things on my mind." The clarity of that sentence was rather unexpected, seeing the source it emanated from. Synile reluctantly returns the blade to the sheath, however Synile still clutches the hilt with his right hand. The cracks on the scabbard were worse than earlier and now appear through-out the entire length of the scabbard. They're also more pronounced, and visible to even those who don't know to look for them.

"My sword... it speaks to me. In the hundreds of years we've fought together... never has my sword demanded blood with such fervor... Hundreds of voices are demanding it. There is something horribly wrong with this man..."

Edited by Synile, 05 August 2010 - 12:32 PM.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan looked back at Juvenal briefly. He felt the same as Synile.

"I know what you mean." He said, hushing his voice. He gave a sigh of relief as he saw Synile put his sword away.

"Right now, that man terrifies me. Everything about him seems wrong, terribly and horribly wrong."

Jordan said this because Juvenal wasn't breathing. Not a single intake or exhale of air since he introduced himself, the wind manipulator could notice such sensetive things. However, he didn't pronounce what he saw. It wasn't as though there would be anything to gain from sharing this knowledge. As Jordan heard about Synile's sword and it's 'peculiar' properties, the man's instability was making a little more sense. Only a little. He would have to ask him about it later on.

"Seeing as he swatted you away just now, I have the most interesting notion that he could very well kill us without having to try too hard."

Edited by JRPomazon, 05 August 2010 - 02:14 PM.

[Crimson Lego]

Trying to block out all of the talk between Jordan, Synile, Catt, and what remained of the original task force, Leo tried to concentrate on the task currently at hand. Screw it; we need to take this offer before it’s too late, he finally decided. If the Calatians were eventually duped by Juvenal after Lazu was dead, they could easily relocate elsewhere or find somebody else to take him down. Looking for a few seconds at Turtlelot, the dwarf realized they had another advantageous factor: the DumGorin. If it’s the only way to kill Chikara, maybe we can also use it to kill this guy if he turns against us after the attack. It was a likely possibility, but he also wasn’t sure if it would be effective against Juvenal. Who cares? Let’s just take this deal and go home.

Turning back to the sorcerer, who had just knocked Synile across the room with one hand, was mocking Jordan about his experiences in the Cursed Lands, Leo took a deep breath before speaking. “Back off, Juvenal; if you want to work with us, don’t start hitting our people,” he said cautiously, “I can’t speak for everybody in this room, but I’m willing to work with you if it means bringing down Lazu forever.” He shifted his gun to his left hand and held out his right.

Smiling what appeared to be a friendly smile for the first time since the Calatians had arrived in the cavern, Juvenal shook the dwarf’s hand rather firmly. “Very good, Leo Crimson. You have made the right choice. Let’s hope the Gale Emperor, Selena Nadir, and your friend with the Cursed sword will do the same.”

Withdrawing his hand, while trying not to shudder, Leo looked back at Jordan to make sure he wasn’t attacking synile before talking to Juvenal; he still felt extremely uncomfortable around the man, but tried to make good conversation with him to avoid any hostilities. Let’s hope he isn’t telepathic. “From your point of view view, what’s the probability this will even succeed?”

Expectedly, Juvenal was watching SelenaRova play with his dog, his right hand twitching as he did so. “This so-called Holy Empire of Koridai, obviously a puppet regime,” he began slowly, “Has a larger army than yours. Additionally to Ahrem’s avatar, there are many intelligent officers in their ranks; I know a few of them. Have you heard of the Lord Steel?”

Flashing back to the Ikana-Fortress-Woods meeting on Hurian Island and the Battle of Olimandias that occurred a short time later, Leo nodded in response to Juvenal’s question. “Yes, and I’ve fought under him as well. He’s quite the smart military strategist; unfortunately, as a Woods sergeant, I was hardly qualified to execute that plan.” Only 700 out of 3000 made it out of Olimandias; less than half of those that went in.

“Some things in history can never be changed,” said Juvenal, who seemed to have lost interest in Selena petting his dog. “Nevertheless, my point to you is that Ahrem has many intelligent mortals working for him; Steel is one of 4; another is Pope Toan.”

“Another one of Chikara’s friends in the Labyrinth,” said Leo boringly. “I’ve already learned a lot from some of the guys who used to belong there.”
“He is not of too much significance. The other two you should be worried about are Solomon and the General Magnus.”

“Well, that’s obvious; Magnus has the majority of Koridai’s armies under his control, but Solomon’s just some whackhead that got higher into the Empire by killing people.”

“I agree,” said Juvenal, “But only on our views of Magnus. Some time ago, I had the opportunity to meet Solomon and a high ranking imperial officer; the latter was once a member of the Alliance.” Pausing for a moment, he Leo in the eye. “Crimson, you need to know that these people are blinded by greed or fear and have the wrong impression of Ahrem; I could hear Solomon’s so-called devotion to her in his words.”

“Again, what are you trying to prove?” said the dwarf uncertainly. “Does something bad come out of this?”

“No, I’m trying to say that those Koridaians will be determined to protect what they think is their leader, goddess, whatever; you yourself must think before moving to attack them recklessly.” Smirking, Juvenal indicated the cave they were in. “For example, I suppose you weren’t given a good reason to come out here and not expect to become dead, correct?”

“No doubt there; to be honest, I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“Interesting thought. In any case, the answer to your question is that I believe we have at least a 55% chance of success.”

Nodding in acknowledgment, the dwarf looked back at the other Calatians and Selena before talking. “Though I believe working together is good, this whole thing won’t work unless Selena agrees to it. I’ll go talk to her and see what her opinion is.” I’d also like to stay as far away from you as possible; the conversation was nice, but I still feel rather anxious right now.

“Good luck, then. Let us hope we will meet again.”

Walking over towards the large dog, Leo waited for a moment before speaking to LenaRova; it seemed as though the queen were talking to herself or somebody invisible. Awkward situations. He noticed Bob standing nearby, isolated from the rest of the crowd, a young blonde soldier trying to talk to Synile, and Catt conversing with the Snakeheads that had survived the journey from Snowpeak Ruins. New purpose, thought the dwarf; he was beginning to feel his thoughts starting to separate from his body. Getting all these people out of this cavern alive….that’ll be fun.

Tapping her on the shoulder, Leo gestured back at Juvenal, who had sat back down and was observing the Calatians with interest. “I think there’s a good chance this guy is going to be helpful if we’re going to kill Chikara. If he’s not bluffing about how strong he actually is, we’ll need him to back us up against Koridai. It’s your decision, ma’am.”

[Selena]

Selena had been listening to all the clamor and discord with only mild interest as she waited for Juvenal to actually describe his plan, and she had yet to hear any solid details. She gave the underside of the dog's jaw one more loving scratch, then turned around to face a dutiful Leo with a displeased expression on her borrowed face. He was nervous; she could tell from his body language. She'd forgotten what it was like for the people who had stumbled into the Madness of Lazu centered within the Labyrinth for the first time. She'd been born there. She'd been exposed to it from the start. It hadn't bothered her on the day of the Cataclysm, either, and that was when it had been at its strongest - spreading over the land in strong, rapid waves until it reached its maximum extent.

She inhaled and shut her eyes, seeing if she could sense the curse in the underground cavern. It was the source of her immortality - a trait that had been slowly escaping from her grasp the longer she spent time away from her former home. Still. Rova's body, not hers. If the curse was active, then Rova would be the one to gain the longevity, and that would take years to build up for someone who had never been previously exposed to it. That was why it took so long for native-born Labyrinth citizens to start aging slowly. They shot through their childhood and adolescent years as anyone else did, but then the Madness of Lazu finally blessed them with virtual immortality. Summer of the Selena's fifteenth year and bam - aging crawled to a near-stop. It took several centuries before she looked as if she were in her twenties.

Juvenal was a mystery. In all her years, she had never encountered him. He wasn't a Loddie. She would have remembered. Felt something like it, but wasn't it. And, as with anyone she did not know, Selena did not trust him.

"I know it's my decision, Leo," she replied. Rova's voice wasn't terribly intimidating compared with hers, but she tried to lower it to a commanding tone as best she could. "Let's remember that. You're say you're willing to put your life and the lives of your people on the line, but you haven't heard any real details about his enigmatic 'plan' yet. For all we know, he's little more than a cursed-up hermit in a cave with delusions of grandeur. You haven't seen any real powers. There's nothing that indicates he'd fare any better in battle than I would. If this were any random warrior wanting to tag along, it would be one thing. We take in lots of strays. But he's asking for the Sword of Diel. How he knows about it is questionable, but I'll worry about that later. We don't hand over a weapon like that without getting solid details."

Selena narrowed Rova's glowing eyes at Juvenal.

"Well, then. Get talking. How do you intend to kill her?"

A rather large part of Selena did not like discussing the death of Chikara, especially if it did not involve her directly fighting with the tiny goddess, but it was worth hearing out.



ooc: Details. Steel has them.

[Selena]

ooc: I was given information clearance, so we may proceed!

--


Juvenal got up and began to walk toward Selena and Leo with a pleasant expression on his face. "You are aware that Chikara's mind is one of many that makes up the essence of Ahrem, yes? That she is just one of many voices in a great choir of chaos? Ahrem is shaped by each of his avatars. Some aspect of their personality always stays with him."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Selena said.

"You were present in Olimandias during Lazu's reawakening. You saw the shadow men that walked that day, slaying countless soldiers on the fields beyond the city limits. They gave chase to Ahrem's enemies."

Selena felt that he was now standing a bit too close, but she didn't budge. "I vaguely recall them. I figured they were just one of Chik's new parlor tricks."

"Absolutely not," Juvenal said, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "They are the key to Ahrem's defeat. Those shadowy figures are called into battle only when Ahrem's physical body is in grave danger. Each figure is a manifestation of a former avatar - the ones who came before Chikara. In effect, Ahrem splits himself into multiple forms to take on many enemies at once, but his 'main body,' the one occupied by Chikara, becomes vulnerable when the god's essence is separated into those multiple figures."

"Essentially, it drains Lazu's power to create one of these shadow figures," Selena replied.

"In a way. With the avatars separated out, Chikara becomes nearly as helpless as she was before her ascension to godhood. She will still have power, but I can deal with it."

Selena paused. She had thought that Chikara was permanently altered following her possession by Lazu; that the only way to liberate her from the repressive chains of power and the eventual loss of her own identity was to kill the woman. That would have forced her to pass on her powers to a new avatar, or so Selena assumed. It was like putting down an animal after it was stricken by rabies. It was the humane thing to do. Selena couldn't have stood to watch Chik's personality sink away into the chaos that was Lazu's essence. But this.... this may have been a cure. She kept her expression neutral, so as not to draw unnecessary analysis onto herself.

"And if the shadow figures are dealt with, she won't regain her power?"

Juvenal was silent for a loaded moment. "If her body is not destroyed, then Ahrem will remain in the mortal realm. He will find some way to regain his lost powers. It is for the good of all mankind that we destroy all of Ahrem's physical forms. I will help you. I have been studying Ahrem's behavior for ages. With my knowledge of the divine, and with your knowledge of Chikara, we can win the battle to come."

"So you want us to take on the shadow figures while you kill Chikara?"

"Yes." He held up a hand. "But the shadow figures - the avatars - cannot be destroyed with normal weapons. Fortunately for you, I have been preparing for this day for a long time. In my many travels across the land, I secured the holy relics necessary for slaying the shadows. They are yours to command in battle. Your elite warriors may be trusted with them."

Juvenal walked to the back of the cavern and held out his hand. With one motion, part of the cavern wall sank down, revealing a smaller room. Selena craned Rova's neck until she could see inside and spotted a rack of black weapons - all shapes and sizes. There were four weapons - two spears, an axe, and a sword. They would have to pair up during the fights, perhaps. Have the weapon wielders deliver the death blows.

"How are you going to get Chikara here?"

Juvenal smiled and pointed straight at Selena. "You. You will enter the ruins of the Labyrinth itself. She will easily sense the presence of intruders in her most sacred place. The tunnels have been blocked off, but there are still entrances here and there. A large cavern is due north of here. You will go home, Selena, and you will wait for her. She will arrive, and we shall destroy her. Your land will be free, and you can conquer Koridai knowing that it is no longer protected by an invincible goddess."

Selena crossed her arms. "I see."

"Do you accept?"

"What's in it for you?"

"Nothing of consequence - at least not as far as you are concerned."

Selena narrowed Rova's eyes into a glare. Well, killing off the shadows would restore Chikara to her former self. She just had to stop him before he got to kill Chikara entirely. It did not feel right to say so, but Selena nodded once and said, "I accept."

Juvenal smiled. "Excellent. Now, get your sorry rear end out of Snowpeak and join us at the Labyrinth."

He snapped his fingers, and the body of Rova dropped to the floor, Selena's spirit retuning home to Calatia while Rova's came screaming back to the cave.

--

Selena woke in her bedchambers wearing nothing more than a loose robe, and Chik was standing there before her with one arm on her shoulder. She didn't feel.... well, it felt like nothing had been done. That was good. The eery glow had vanished from Selena's eyes and was replaced with her typical wild gaze. Selena grabbed Chik's arm, a solid grip, and caught her breath after the transfer. Everything about her body stilled, a sharp contrast to the erratic energy that followed Rova's spirit. She had trouble fixing her gaze on Chik's face at first, still dizzy, but locked onto her eyes and focused there.

"You need to go home," Selena whispered. "And you need to get ready. Things are going to look very bad, but I need you to trust me."

[Crimson Lego]

Listening intently as Juvenal explained Ahrem/Lazu’s powers and how he could be defeated, Leo thought about the difficulty of the task. First off, how are we even going to find these avatars? The only way to do that is to…oh. Deciding from then on to listen to all of an explanation instead of jumping to conclusions less than halfway through, the dwarf listened as Juvenal explained the possible weaknesses in Lazu and watched as he revealed four black weapons hidden in a secret room behind his ‘throne’. Wishing for not the first time that he was taller, he was able to see the weapons clearly from a farther distance away. At least the axe looks decent; spears would go well with Jordan. Sword would go well with Catt or Khallos.

As Selena was sent back to her own body back in Snowpeak Ruins while Rova’s spirit returned to its own in the cavern, Leo signaled for 2 members of the Baker Team to help her up while he continued to gaze at the weapons in curiosity. After a few moments, he turned to Juvenal, who was watching him as well. “Let me try the axe for a minute.”

Vaulting the wall, Juvenal returned to the main room with the axe and handed it to the dwarf. “Be careful with this,” he warned. “These are not to be tampered with or used casually.”

“I understand.” Walking off to a more illuminated area of the cavern, Leo hefted the weapon in his left hand, while drawing out his own axe with his right. Comparing the two, he found that there wasn’t too much difference. Around the same weight, same size; they’re almost twins. Swinging each of them twice, Leo pondered what kind of traits the weapons had that could allow them to kill a god’s avatars. For one, they’d have to be made from the same power Lazu was created from; otherwise, it’d be much harder to kill him or his puppets. The weapons would also probably have had to be enchanted by Lazu himself or somebody just as powerful as him if they were to possess the amount of might Juvenal claimed they did. Worst scenario: this could all be a bluff and he could be another one of those avatars like Chikara or the others he talked about. Maybe Selena is going to be killed on her way to or inside the Labyrinth. Who knows what could be lurking within that place after 2 years of rottenness? Nevertheless, forging an alliance with Juvenal against Koridai, just like the Woods did against Khuffie, was probably the only useful option left to Calatia. Overall, the dwarf didn’t feel anything physically outstanding about the axe, but felt as though there was a great power residing within it, ready to be unleashed at anytime.

Feeling another person walking up to him, Leo turned around to see a grim looking Bob stop in his tracks. “You haven’t said much since we arrived here,” said the dwarf.

“Naw, mon,” replied Bob in a much softer tone. “Deh dog still gives me da creeps, and dat man too.”

“I know what you mean, but he might be our only hope of bringing the Empire down once and for all; if Lazu dies, we might even be able to reverse the Cataclysm.” Even as he said that, Leo was quite certain that possibility was very unlikely.

“Aye, mon.” He then pointed at the axe. “What’s dat tink’ ya got?”

“Oh, just something Juvenal said would be able to kill off Lazu’s avatars. Let’s hope he isn’t bluffing about it.”

Nodding, Bob casually walked off to where Jordan and Synile were; placing his own axe away in his leather sash, Leo handed the black weapon back to its owner. “Take your weapon back; I don’t need it for now.”

Merely setting it to the side, Juvenal took a seat on his throne. “You do not feel comfortable with it?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…there might be more ‘elite’ fighters in our Kingdom than me,” fibbed the general. “Personally, it works well with me, the size and weight of it all; I wouldn’t mind using it.”

“Very well, then, General. I wish you and your men the best of luck”

Walking off from Juvenal and towards the center of the cavern, feeling a sense of relief and calmness overwhelm him as he did so, Leo sat down against a large stalagmite protruding from the ground. As he rested for the first time since making through the path in the Taj-Nar Mountains, he thought about what Selena had said to him earlier about Juvenal. Was I too eager to work with this guy? Is my experience from the Lost Woods making my opinion too biased? The dwarf knew the answer to both those questions was ‘yes’, but he had no intention of letting him cloud his judgment in other things. At the most, he hoped it wouldn’t.

Feeling rather bored in his current situation, Leo began to take apart his rifle part by part and pulled a bottle of oil from his pocket. Until we’re ready to go, I might as well get the rust off of this thing, he thought, picking up one of the gun’s barrels and applying the oil to it. It won’t be good for me if this jams in the middle of a battle.

ooc:

1. I’m going to assume this job’s pretty much over?
2. Are our characters supposed to be heading to the Labyrinth with Juvenal for another quest?

[Kwicky Koala]

OoC: Let's have some more adventures pleaseee, we're only on the fourth page..

Catt sidled up to Juvenal for a quick chat.

"Hey there, "Juvenal Offender", hahaha...just my little joke."

"What do you want, man?" Juvenal asked, saying the last word mockingly and not as in the popular colloquilism.

"Well Jaws, I just wanted a word since you seem pretty important and once you get used to us you'll realise there's no need to ever talk to me due to my air of gentle incompetence. This may be my only chance for us to have a word."

"Well?!"

"Just this. Once you extract the bad juju from Chikara, what's to stop you absorbing it yourself? Because, and I mean no offence by this, you look evil. Like, Palpatine evil. I'd rather be killed by a dark Chikara than you... though I guess it makes no difference in the end"

"Because you'd be dead either way"

"No, because Lena would kill you just as soon as you merged with this Ahrem guy... and we'd burn the remains."

"Do you have anything else to say to me?!" Juvenal sneered.

"Not unless you want to tell me where you'd like your ashes scattered" said Catt, returning to his group of friends.

[Selena]

ooc: The thread is effectively done, but if you all want to hike up to the rendezvous point and have adventures along the way, that's up to you! Lena will be there eventually. The actual battle probably won't happen for a while, since Chik will be on vacation for two weeks starting Tuesday. I'll be out for a few days of that as well, since I'll be on part of that vacation with her. XD

[Crimson Lego]

ooc: I’m good with adventures.

Snapping together the last components of his rifle, Leo jammed some ammunition into the chamber and snapped the bolt into place. Pressing the trigger to hear the satisfactory click, he slung the back on, picked up his axe, got to his feet, and began walking about the cavern in search of something interesting. It’d be a good idea to get some rest right now if Juvenal’s bringing us to the Labyrinth, he thought. Unfortunately, the environment in which the Calatians had found themselves in was anything but comfortable. Scratching the back of his head for a moment, the dwarf watched in amusement as Catterick spoke to Juvenal; both spoke rather impolitely to each other, which was unexpected.

However, one thing Catt said to Juvenal during their short conversation brought a thought of importance into Leo’s mind: whether Juvenal was planning absorb Lazu’s power or abilities after Chikara was killed to become even stronger. If he does that, this world is even more screwed over. Dark clouds, Cursed Lands, and giant dogs would haunt Verden, Komitaa, Norrendir, Korento, and every other landform on the planet. Shuddering at the very thought, he looked back towards Juvenal and hoped that the sorcerer would be keeping his word and his side of the bargain.

Stopping once again near Juvenal, though it was not to his liking, Leo looked at the god and asked a rather obvious question: “When do we get going to the Labyrinth?”

“Whenever your friends are ready, General,” he replied. “We cannot travel into a shadowlike land until you have secured the mental toughness to do so. But in reality, I’ll lead you out in 5 minutes”

“Good idea; I’ll debrief them.” Wishing nothing more to block off Juvenal’s aura, Leo snapped his fingers and shouted, “Circle up! Baker Team, stand guard.” Gathering the Calatians in a circle, he looked at each of them and told them about the plan. “At this moment, Selena’s probably on her way to meet us in a Labyrinth cavern; we’ll be following Juvenal there in a short period of time. On the way, I want everyone to do what they did when we came out to here: stay alert, keep concentrated, and inform Jordan, Bob, me, or somebody else if you feel different.

Any questions?”

[Kwicky Koala]

"No questions sir" said Nico smartly, swallowing his hopes for an immediate retreat.

"I'm ready too" said Catt. "Here's hoping the Cursed haven't discovered this alleged Labyrinth cavern - in fact, here's hoping nothing has." At least they had a big dog to 'protect' them...

"How are our supplies doing, by the way? Do we have enough to stay here waiting for Lena?" he asked, remembering that they had left some things at the cave's entrance. "I can double back and get our stuff, if you like - except, wait -" he groaned. The entrance closed up, didn't it?"

Wonder if that was his doing as well, he thought, looking darkly at Juvenal's back.

[Crimson Lego]

ooc: Appears that all of this is okay, so let’s get our characters moving up.

“I think our supplies should be good for the rest of the trip,” replied Leo, following Catt’s gazed towards Juvenal; he wondered exactly how the latter was confident all of the Calatians would survive the trip. We probably won’t. “I’m hoping Selena will bring up some stuff when she meets up at the Labyrinth, but for now, we’ll have to fend for ourselves. Hopefully this cavern isn’t too far away from our present location.”

“It’s time.” Unknowingly, Juvenal had approached the group; he seemed to have also shrunk his dog to a much normal size. He had a broadsword in his right hand, while the other carried a leash that was connected to the dog’s collar. A bag slung on his back carried the four weapons that had the strength to kill Lazu’s avatars. “We must move before Ahrem or the Cursed discover us.”

“Fine,” said Leo, hefting his axe. Leading the Vikings after Juvenal, he had one last question to ask. “If the entrance back there is closed, how will you get us out?”

“There is more than one exit, dwarf,” snapped Juvenal. “Do not worry: I will lead you there in one piece. However, I cannot guarantee the safety of the weaker members of your group.”

“I’ll deal with them,” replied the general. “Just keep us moving in the right direction.”

“Aye.”

Falling in step behind Juvenal and his dog, while allowing the Baker Team soldiers to keep an eye on the rest of the group, Leo was unable to stop himself from thinking about the upcoming tasks required of Calatia. First, we need to kill these avatars, and then launch an all-out assault on Koridai. Though he knew the war would be much more even without Chikara, the dwarf still felt rather uncomfortable taking on a very highly-trained army. Virrat could help, but we’ll need many more men. An option he knew would work at least decently was guerrilla warfare; the buildings and structures of the Arbiter’s Grounds could work to the Vikings’ advantage. Unfortunately, Leo also remembered that there was plenty of flat space surrounding the imperial capital, which would be useless to the fighting tactics he had in mind. Screw this; I’ll think about it later.

With the resolve of taking a break set in his mind, the dwarf continued trekking off after Juvenal in the tunnels, hoping that the trip to the Labyrinth would actually contribute to something positive.

[Selena]

Chik departed without a spoken word, though the private mental communication between them was far more heated. Watching Chik disappear into a portal, and then remembering that she now possessed greater mastery over chaotic energy due to her connection with Lazu, Selena considered an alternative to arduous mountain travel with full battle gear. Xeres, one of Selena's old agents and the person originally trained by Keel to deal with Lazu's power, had been taught to use chaotic energy to open her own set of portals. Perhaps Selena now had enough power to do so. Chik made it look so easy, and Selena would only be moving to one location. A portal would be faster. She'd get to the Labyrinth before everyone else and have a moment to reflect. It would be good to see her home again, even if ruined.

"Eivor!"

The young woman came running into Selena's bedchambers, ignoring Selena's state of minimum dress. "Yes, ma'am?"

Selena's voice was calm. Pleasant, even. "Would you please do me a favor and help me dress for battle?"

She could fasten her armor down on her own, but it was easier to have someone else do the back latches. Eivor nodded and went to one of the large cabinets on the far wall of Selena's plain bedchambers. She took a form-fitting blue cuirass, Selena's regal Calatian armor, from within. Selena held up her hand. She pointed to the one beside it. Eivor looked confused, but replaced the Calatian armor and instead held up something much older. It was a silver and red cuirass - colors now used by Koridai but once belonging to a very different society. It was worn, but it had warped like a good leather boot. It had contoured itself to fit Selena's every curve. Any battle scars present on its surface were marks of glory. Eivor gathered its matching parts.

Selena slid into a pair of black leather pants, then pulled on a gray and crimson longcoat. The cuirass was fastened on next, Eivor securing every lace and latch until it was tight against her body. Then came her lightly armored boots. A pair of black and silver gauntlets. A belt was tied low around her hips, with another belt was strapped to her thigh to hold her dagger's sheath in place. To the average person she resembled a Koridian officer, but the markings on her armor were proof that she was - as always - a proud Loddie. If one was going home to the Labyrinth, one had best dress for the occasion. Selena relaxed as Eivor pulled her long brown hair into a tight ponytail so that it would be out of her way in battle.

Selena held out her hand. She found her spear there in a matter of moments. There. That felt right.

"I don't like that armor," Eivor said. "It's old and ready to break."

"It will likely fall apart during battle. This armor is not meant to be in a case for the rest of eternity. If it's going to finally give in after all these years, it will do so in its rightful home. Not a showroom or museum of relics. It will be useful in the last hours of its life." Selena turned around and gave her a smile. "Thank you for your assistance, Eivor. You may return to your regular duties. Please make sure that Rhiannon's troops have everything they need before they move toward the borderlands."

"Yes, ma'am. Safe travels."

"Farewell."


When Eivor left the room, Selena concentrated on a single spot on her floor. She'd try to make a portal there. She took a breath and imagined her former home's spot on the globe. She pictured herself sinking into inky blackness and emerging on the other side in the bowels of the Labyrinth. It was Lazu's home as well, after all. The energy in her body began to spark and shift, begging to leave Calatia and rejoin the well of power in the Cursed Lands. She concentrated that urge and pumped it full of raw power, drawing it all down to the floor beneath her feet. She found herself falling and sinking, lost in a deep black pit that was trying to rip her skin clean off her muscle. It was agony, yet the electricity felt good at the same time. Her lungs ceased to work, and she feared that she might not recover in time. She focused on the Labyrinth and, like someone breaking through the surface of the ocean, she jumped back into existence and landed on her feet.

She was still in the dark - but it was a familiar darkness. A darkness that she could see through. Her eyes had been trained to see in the pitch black underground, though life in Calatia had done some damage to her abilities. She had to squint at first to observe her surroundings. She took a breath, and her lungs filled with stale, ashen air. The air of underground tunnels and the wayward debris of the Taj-Nar volcanoes. The smell of home.

Her pupils dilated until they were nearly black to allow in maximum light, the finer details of her surroundings coming into view. She was in the Labyrinth.

It felt strange. Familiar, yet foreign. Rubble and debris clogged up passes and left the chambers filthy. She ducked her head around one corner, unable to recognize the hall beyond. Then it hit her. The throne room. She snorted. Hard to spot the thrones when they were buried under stone and soil. Selena walked up to the pair of thrones, one for Chik and one for her, and did her best to remove the filth. She stared down at her own throne and remembered the crazed parties that used to take place there - warriors celebrating their victories with ample alcohol and food. Everything had been so... alive and exciting. The Labyrinth was dead; a rotting shell of its former self. The state the Labyrinth had once left its enemies in.

Selena sat down and remained there for several minutes, lost in her memories. It was all over now. The Labyrinth would never return to its former state of glory. The floodwaters Khuffie had plagued it with eventually drained out. With Chikara, the tunnels had collapsed in on themselves. Most of it was destroyed. The power of a god had made it in the first place, and no mortal could restore it to its former beauty. Neither could Chik after Selena freed her from her divine prison. It was for the best, anyway. That era was over. Selena and the others could carve out a place in the new world. Even if they eventually grew old and perished like all the other peasants they has slain over the years, what time they had left could be amusing. Better to be free and dead than to be ageless and imprisoned.

"Well," Selena said to herself, "I'd better do something with the place before my guests arrive."

Where would she stage the fight? The throne room was perfect for a poet, but impractical for a warrior. Too small and too many minor flights of stairs near the center of the room. It would be cramped. Most of the Labyrith was like that. It made defense easier. There was only one real place she knew of that was large enough to accommodate a fight between her troops and all of Lazu's former avatars. She walked down a corridor until she came to one of the main stairwells that ran down most of the Labyrinth's height. She descended down two levels - reaching the fourth subterranean level - and entered what was one of the military levels. Barracks were supposed to be to her left, but they were caved in. Down the corridor would be a large armory. Selena peered inside and found that most of it was intact. Several racks of Labyrinth-quality weapons were sitting there in a layer of dust, ready to be brushed clean and taken into battle. Armors lined the back wall. Good emergency supplies if something bad happened to her own.

Beyond the armory, the corridor opened into a wide arena - a training area once used to conduct massive battles between young warriors. She'd once participated in the fights. It'd been several centuries. She shut her eyes and shook her head. No more dwelling. It was over. The arena would be ideal for an intense battle with Lazu and his many shadow-selves. Ah, but the new people wouldn't be able to see unaided. Selena held out her hand and sent a blast of magic into the emergency torches planted around the arena - faster than lighting them herself. They sparked and began to bathe the arena in a warm glow.

Selena planted her spear in the dirt floor of the arena and enjoyed her last moments in her home.

[JRPomazon]

"I'm not going with you."

Jordan remained where he stood, looking at the two ebony spears that Juneval showed the Calatian warriors.

"These were not meant for me, they were meant for someone or 'someones' else. Isn't that right?" He asked their unworldly guide. He smiled, his face eminated an odd sense of foreboding.

"Perhaps, perhaps not Whirlwind Spearman. But you will need them to fight none the less if you wish to defeat our common enemy."

"Keep them."

"I beg your pardon?" Junvenal asked.

"You heard me just fine."

"And how will you fight then? These holy weapons are the only artifacts that can harm the Goddess in the state she is in and you are the best person to wield not just one of them, but both. Have you succumbed to fear, or madness?"

The Calatians looked back at Jordan as if he had lost his mind.

"Maybe . . . he's lost his mind . . . " spoke a random viking within the crowd. Then there were murmurs, suspicions began to rise.

"Think what you will, but I'm not going any further in there. Juvenal, these weapons you offer us are not a blessing and your comradeship is just the same."

"Then you shall do nothing as the ones you have come to know as allies risk their lives within the darkness while you idly watch? I misjudged you Gale Emperor, I never would have guessed you to be scared of the dark."

Juvenal turned away and began to guide the other Calatians into the depths. Jordan watched as they went on, looking back with confused faces as to why he stayed behind.







"You're going in there whether you want to or not."

Jordan turned around, only to see that no one was there. He turned back slowly.

"I won't allow you to retreat from this, I have quite a bit invested in you and these others dying today."

Jordan, wide eyed was looking around the room frantically. Where? Where was this voice coming from? WHERE!?

"Mon, what the blazes is goin' on wit you?" Bob asked as he pointed at Jordan, pale in the face. He looked down at himself, his hands were growing darker. His entire body was sinking into what appeared to be a black bog underneath his feet.

"JORDAN!" He cried as the green clad warrior sank quickly into the depths. The ground closed up, only to be patted down by Bob as he tried to make sense of the phenomenon. Juvenal looked back, his face showing no surprise.

"Well, no skin off my bones."

Edited by JRPomazon, 12 August 2010 - 11:41 PM.

[Steel Samurai]

OOC: Gotta clear a couple things up ladies and gents. Pay attention
Juvenal strode quickly through the dark tunnels of the cave, the war-dog close at his heels. Though it was smaller than it had been before, the beast was still at least the height of a full-grown man.

"You humans travel so slowly. I'd be there by now if I didn't have to show you the way."

It was odd watching him move. He seemed to not move his legs at all, yet one had the sense that he could outpace them all without a second thought if so he chose. It was not long before they emerged from the rocky tunnel, into the grey wasteland that was the area within a few hundred miles of the Labyrinth. A surprise greeted them. Around five hundred of the Cursed stood before them, crude weapons at the ready. The soldiers stood in shock, hands nervously caressing the hilts of their swords. Juvenal turned and flashed a ruby-red leer to those behind. He lifted his hands and spoke three words in an old, foul language. No one could exactly remember what was said, but all were sure that they had no wish to.

The effect was . . . astounding. Each and every one of the cursed knelt before the strange grey figure, parting to allow him and the group through their midst. He stepped through them, looking confidently ahead, and when the party was through them, the Cursed rose, and began to follow them.

As they traveled, every time one would look back he would see that more of the cursed had joined the quickly growing army that followed them. By the time they reached the midpoint of their journey, about three days in, there was a horde of three thousand cursed following them.

[JRPomazon]

Jordan opened his eyes, but his vision remained dark. He was certain he had opened them, he even moved his hand in front of his face to check. They were, in fact, open but there was nothing but the void. He felt normal, physically normal save for the weightlessness underneath his feet. He looked around, frantically seeking out any shimmering crack of light anywhere. All in futility. As he moved his fingers around, it felt as though he was wading underwater, though he did not feel soaked or cold. It was almost as though the air itself was solidifying. He was terrified, oh so very terrified of what was happening and where he was. It was a world of nothingness. Of fear.

A glaring eye opened in front of him, an eye that seemed larger than the dog that he had just seen in the caves. It was a blaring white with a single pupil that was as black as the void around him. Every nerve in Jordan's body began to react, shaking and shivering as if he were back at Snowpeak. This sensation, was pure terror as he looked on wide eyed. Slowly, a crack appeared underneath. It grew wider and wider, the white color coming from the opening began to take the form of . . . teeth? It was a smile, a sickening, gruesome smile that he could identify anywhere.

"I see you've awakened at long last." the voice said, echoing within the endless realm.

"Crowe!" Jordan shouted, unable to move from where he stood.

"And you remember me as well. I am touched Jordan."

"What is all this? Where are we?!"

"A world of nothingness, a paradox created within a rupture in reality. This is where you and I shall stay for all eternity."

"What! What kind of bullshit is that?!"

Suddenly, pain. Excruciating pain. It was as if ever inch of his body was being struck by lightning.

"But if I wish to have my plans progress, I need you to leave this place. And I assure you, I will happily allow this as long as you follow Selena's warriors to their deaths."

"Ge . . . Get Bent."

"HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME!"

The pain resumed, worse than before. It was like he was being torn limb from limb as he opened his eyes to see, he discovered that he was in multiple pieces. Jordan screamed in horror.

"In this world, this world that you brought forth into existence, I AM GOD! I control all things here and you shall become the harbinger who shall bring MY REIGN TO THE WORLD OF THE LIVING!"

Jordan's limbs were reconnected in an instant, gasping and panting for breath in the wake of the all power wraith.

"This world . . .I created?"

"Remember our battle in the Hall of Heroes in Sornaiid? I killed you. I pierced your armor and left you to die. However, when you reached the afterlife your were received by those whose wishes were for you to live. Your Teacher in life, Argus of the Whirlwind Spear and my eternal nemesis, Pharos Incendia. It was by their hand that you were able to breathe life once more and defy the laws of reality set in place by the creator Diel. As such, this world of nothingness was created by the distortion you created by coming back to life! To return after death to the realm of the living. But by returning and sealing my mortal fate, you ensured my ascension to godhood within this paradoxical realm we reside in now."

Jordan placed his hand over his face, the stress of this truth raking at his very mind.

"And so you now understand the truth Jordan. But please do not worry, your pain shall end soon. I will allow you to leave this place and return to Verden with your friends. However, you shall go into the depths and proceed in making my wishes a reality."

Jordan felt a new sharp pain coming from his chest. He looked down to see that his two spears had been jammed into his chest and were slowly turning and twisting the wounds they caused. Jordan screamed in agony once again.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist the IRONY OF IT ALL."

"KILL ME ALREADY! I'd sooner drop dead than help you-"

Jordan's head was ripped off his body by unseen forces, although the disconnection did not kill him. It was as though he couldn't die.

"This is a world formed by a paradox Jordan, I cannot kill you here. I can torture you till the end of time, but that is pretty much it."

Jordan was once again at whole, panting desperately after the last serving of pain.

"Give up and submit to me. I can offer you salvation, as well as eternal pain."

Jordan remained silent, the spears digging into him slowly.

Edited by JRPomazon, 13 August 2010 - 01:12 AM.

[Crimson Lego]

Unable to stop himself from looking back at the army of Cursed every now and then during the 3 days of travel, Leo tried to reassure himself that Juvenal had them all under control, but couldn’t help feel that something could wrong on the way to the Labyrinth. Once we’re done killing off those avatars, he could, and probably will, turn all of those things on us. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to focus on the long journey ahead and block out of all his irrelevant thoughts, Leo tried to make things more relaxed by eating a piece of stale bread in his pocket; he spat it out immediately in disgust after he put it in his mouth. “I hate this place,” said the dwarf angrily. “The food rots way before anybody can even get a chance to finish it.”

“As you should, dwarf,” replied Juvenal mockingly; he appeared to have fallen back through the ranks of the group, while his dog continued to lead the general trek north. “Your mouldering spit is the reason you even made this journey in the first place.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t expect to see my food rotting 10 times as fast as normal,” snapped Leo in response to the comment. “Why the hell didn’t you tell us about this?”

“These are the Cursed Lands, Crimson. What do you expect?”

Wishing he could have come up with a better argument, Leo suddenly remembered an event. “And what about Jordan?” he said fiercely. “Did the Curse have anything to do with what happened to him, or was that all of you?”

Without breaking his step, Juvenal spoke. “If you are interested in the Gale Emperor’s history, speak with him once he resurfaces. I have no intention of wasting my breath on such a meaningless story.” He then walked back towards the front of the group, leading them slightly in a different direction.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Leo thought about it a second later and wondered whether it was good or bad news. We’ll be in a closed environment, but the Curse could be a lot stronger. Additionally, he had only heard stories of the Labyrinth of Doom, had been taught to despise them as a child, and had no idea what the environment of that former domain would do to Synile. Now that Jordan is gone, the only obstacle we have against him going berserk is Juvenal. Unfortunately, the dwarf knew that the sorcerer could let Synile run loose for fun and then kill him afterward. Gripping his axe uneasily, he looked back at the former Loddie and hoped that nothing would change.

Throwing off his hood for a moment to scratch the back of his head, Leo hoped that the remainder of the journey could take less than several days. Let’s hope Selena will get there before the attack starts, he thought grimly.

[Kwicky Koala]

They were getting ever closer to the Labyrinth ruins. Making their way through yet another cramped corridor, Catt glanced behind at the mass of grey faces further down the tunnel. They were keeping some distance from the Calatians, but every time the lightest breeze blew from that direction it carried the Cursed stench to their nostrils. Sometimes it was enough to make them gag. As travelling companions that ranked them pretty low in Catt's estimation.

Even for those who didn't suffer from enclosed spaces, the effect was pretty claustrophobic. Having three thousand lunatics blocking your escape route was, for tactically-minded members of the group, nightmarish.

"This truly is Hell" remarked one Huscarl, and no-one disagreed. They were on a pilgrimage to Hell with the rest of the damned. Catt wanted to force Juvenal to call off the Cursed, but knew he was in no position to coerce such a powerful being. Bloody immortals. It disgusted him that Lena might interpret the Cursed as guards for a group too weak to take care of itself, and that they were bringing such filth into his ancient home. Most of all he hated how old ruby retainer was taking control of the expedition.

More pathways and corridors were opening up, like a true labyrinth, to the left and right of them, but they continued heading straight. Catt stopped as Luka and some other Snakeheads dipped a short way down one path, attracted by a strange freize on the wall. Its lack of deteriation suggested it had been carved by magical means.

It depicted several small figures, knights equipped with weapons surrounding a much larger creature, somehow hard to make out now matter how much torchlight the Calatians threw on it. Grotesque tentacles seemed to make up its lower body, and something about it seemed feminine. Beyond that only its bulk, and an unspeakable evil could be discerned from the carving, since the image seemed to swim when you looked at it directly.

"What is it, Catt?" asked Luka.

Catt shrugged. "Hard to say really... there are legends of female demons inhabiting the Labyrinth, maybe that's what that thing in the centre is. Its certainly very creepy, isn't it?" The Snakeheads shivered in assent.

"And the figures?"

"Well, those are probably Labyrinth knights from long ago." Catt elaborated, growing pensive. "Its actually fascinating how we're retracing the steps of so many warriors, and seeing their legacy in the very walls. Maybe one day someone will make art featuring our expedition"

"I'm more worried about that thing. I don't want to fight a demon" said Nico.

"No-ones going to fight a demon" Catt said, making smoothing motions with his hands. "In reality the creatures spoken of were probably mythological. Maybe when a Queen died someone thought they saw her evil spirit reincarnated as a demon or something. Underground you get to believe you've seen all sorts of rubbish"

"Don't listen to him, men" said Khallos, wandering over. "Those things were real! There was one you know, we used to call her-"

A wet thud that shook the ground and screams of rage cut off whatever Khallos was about to say. A huge tentacle had burst through a side-passage the Vikings had fortunately already passed. Instead, it had landed squarely into the pack of Cursed, who were screaming blue murder, obscenities echoing through the tunnels.

"Told you" said Khallos.

The Calatians watched transfixed as the Cursed threw themselves at the fat purple appendage, hacking at it with their weapons and teeth. Smaller tentacles started appearing, grabbing figures in twos and threes. Subconsciously gratified not to be the ones abushed for a change, the Snakeheads and Catt were neutrally observing until a cry erupted in their midst. A tentacle had appeared from the tunnel they were just standing in, and grabbed a Snakehead.

"Its got Brownshanks!" yelled Luka, as the unlucky soldier was dragged upside-down down the passage. Worse still, more tentacles were appearing from other routes, surrounding them with obvious hostile intent.

"They're coming out of the walls! They're coming out of the goddamn walls!!" moaned a cliched Huscarl.

"Stand your ground with the others! I'll go after Brownshanks!" ordered Catt, speeding down the passage after the retracting tentacle, still not knowing what was attacking them this time.

[JRPomazon]

OoC: The second part, my apologies for high jacking the story like this.

"9997 . . ."

Jordan was torn in half slowly, as if pulled apart on a massive rack. His form was reconstructed moments later.

"9998 . . . "

Jordan was set aflame, his entire body burning within a massive inferno and charred black. He was restored the moment before he lost consciousness.

"9999 . . ."

Jordan began to melt, his skin physically dropping from his bones until there was nothing left. His nerves screamed out in pain. After he was bare for a minute, his body had once again regenerated by the will of Crowe, who had become a god of paradox.

"10000."

Jordan was ripped apart in a massive whirlwind, a death too ironic for the wind manipulator for it was by this means that he finally defeated the wraith several years ago. Jordan was released by the wind and left as a bloody pulp in the void, face to face with the all seeing eye and his crooked smile.

"Cut your loses Whirlwind Spear, despite the euphoria you have given me my offer still stands. Only a fool would refuse."

Jordan remained silent, his mind had already gone into shock after the first one hundred deaths.

"I know you are still in there Jordan, I can feel an intelligent form of thought coursing in that dastardly little mind of yours. Or perhaps you want to revisit another death?"

Just how long had all this gone one? A day? A month? A year? Decades? Centuries? Eternity had come and gone, nothing had changed. There was only the eye that encompassed this world and the hatred that kept his gaze ever stronger on him. There was no escape, he'd tired to flee in vain only to be stuck down the moment he made a move.

"Do you fancy yourself a martyr? I bet your thinking of just letting me kill you for eternity, as long as I remained sealed here. But you see, I'm quite satisfied here Jordan. I can easily take over one dimension without have to go to it. I've become a true god and it will be I who brings the void to the realm of the living."

Jordan lifted his head to the eye, his eyes tired and faded. Now, say something. Say something snarky, something witty that will get at his nerve. Roast him. But no words came to his lips and he remained silent. He was broken, terribly and horribly broken. A defeated soul to witness the sadistic eternity set in place by his own enemies.

"Look at you, nothing to say? What ever happened to all that bravado you exhibited with the wind at your feet? What happened to 'saving Verden' and 'defeating the goddess?'"

Nothing from the greed clad warrior.

"If only I could kill you, oh how I'd love to see you die permanently."

There was silence in the dark void. After fully grasping his question, Crowe burst into a monstrous laughter.

"Oh I BET YOU'D LOVE THAT TOO, WOULDN'T YOU!"

The laughter echoed throughout the paradoxical world, but within the madness Jordan reached for his spear, which was taken with a furious grip.

"OH? And what have we here? Ok, I'll humor you and let you take one good shot at me. Hell, you can even use both spears if you want. I'll show you that it takes more than a pole arm to kill a god."

Jordan grabbed the end of the spear, holding the pole arm close to the blade. He looked at the edge, how his weary reflection looked in the scarred steel. He turned the blade on himself and struck himself in the chest, piercing through his armor and into his chest. The smile shifted into a frown of disbelief.

"If my life . . . created this world . . . my death . . . will end it."

There was silence, Crowe staring intently on Jordan as the blood tricked down his chest. The eye and the mouth of Crowe began to dissolve away. A blinding light encompassed the void, a wounded Jordan stood before a version of the Wraith in his gray cloak. His hood was down, revealing his tattoed face and piercing blue eyes.

"You . . . what have you . . . done?"

"He has restored time to this paradoxical world, wraith. But I am not talking to the demon I exorcised and sealed hundreds of years ago or the creature this young man has fought in the depths of Limbo, only a mere shadow consciousness created by the memories and fears left behind by him."

A man appeared in front of Jordan, dressed in an umber robe accented in green and wielding a staff much like gnarled branches with a vacancy within the top. His face bore similarities to the green-clad warrior. The red stone which Jordan carried with him since shortly after the defeat of Crowe shined brightly with the warrior's leather pouch. As Jordan looked down to see the glow, he knew who it was that stood before him now.

"It seems that my wish for him to live has cost him a great deal of woe and so it will be that I destroy you as penance for defying the will of creation. Within this world, where time and space have ceased to be I shall END YOU!"

"PHAROS! AGAIN YOU STAND BETWEEN ME AND MY DESTINY!?"

Flames consumed Crowe, the wraith screaming in agony as the mage held his staff towards the cloaked schemer.

"Oh wretched soul, back into hell! Return to reside within that woeful inferno!"

"I am the god of paradox! I destroy all order and usher in the void! I am the beast who consumes this world! I am-"

The flames were intensified as a massive burst of wind fanned the inferno Pharos had conjured. The fire mage turned behind him to see that Jordan had reclaimed his spear from his chest and sent a gale force wind to fan the flames.

"A nightmare I just woke up from!" Jordan interrupted.

The ephemeral phantom that was the collected malice and memories of the wraith vanished in front of the mage and the warrior, into the the white of the paradox world. Jordan stood in awe of his ancestor, unsure as to why or how he arrived. His wound was still bleeding out however. Although missing his heart, the intended target, the damaged he caused to himself was severe.

"It seems I have caused you nothing but trouble Jordan, please forgive me."

"How can you be here? Aren’t you dead?" Jordan asked, coughing up his own blood. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the damage was not going to recover like before.

"Within the red stone you carried since the day you defeated Crowe, a part of my power was left to reside within it. Within this world, where the laws of creation do not apply, I was able to restore myself in this dimension once Crowe had lost his godhood. But that was clever, endangering your own life shook the very foundations of this world and removed Crowe from power."

Everything within the paradox was fading away, restoring itself within space and time.

"I fear we have little time left. This world is beginning to crumble.”

“It doesn’t matter. Even if we do manage to escape, this wound will kill me soon enough.” Jordan said, looking at his blood smeared hand that was holding his wound.

“In this world of paradox, the limitations of creation have no effect upon either of us. This is why you are able to stand with such a grievous wound. If you so desire, you can use this power to return in the manner of your choosing. It depends on you now.

"How do you know all this?" Jordan asked his ancestor.

“I wished to know everything about this world and it seems as though the knowledge came to me. “

The two began to fade away into the void, the world was collapsing.

“Before we part, I must tell you that the red stone that I have given to is to be used in a time of great need. Use the power that I have given to you as your birth right in the manner you see fit.”

“Pharos, I’m not sure what I can do back there. The goddess, the cursed, the prophecy in the painting at the witch’s house, there is something so much bigger than me going on! What can I do?”

Pharos placed his hand over Jordan’s shoulder, the bewildered warrior in green confused by the gesture.

“Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.”

The two vanished as well from the white void as time was finally restored to that lost world. As the fire mage retired into eternity, Jordan found himself spinning through the vortex of time and space. He closed his eyes and dreamed of home.




OoC: Additional development

Spoiler

BDW 15

A newborn baby sleeps in the arms of his mother in a cave within the harsh deserts of Southern Verden. It is night and the woman and her child huddle close together to keep warm. She is sleeping, as is her child. A man dressed in a charred and tattered gray cloak concealed by a hood appeared before the sleeping dreamers within an instant, wearing a terrible grin on his face. He slowly placed his hand over the babe's forehead as a dark glow came from his hand. He was exhausted, almost as though he would give out within moments.

"You will know fear. You will know pain. Madness and hatred will hold the reigns of your existence in order for my greatest wishes to be realized. As of this day, you will be my living legacy and carry my will on your shoulders. So go forth child, live the terrible life that waits for you. I shall grant you the power to survive, a power in your blood."

The figure disintegrated into the air, the final act of the ephemeral phantom was done. He gave the infant a gift and a curse that would plague him for the rest of his life. As the cloaked schemer smiled, he closed his eyes and then he was nothing. The child woke as if from a nightmare and begun to cry, waking the mother from her sound sleep. But she was used to this now, this was not her first. She rocked the babe in her arms, shushing the infant to be silent.



"There, There, hush little baby."

"Hush my dear Solomon."

Edited by JRPomazon, 17 August 2010 - 02:31 AM.

[Khallos]

Khallos had remained silent since the meeting with Juvenal. He just despised the man. Something about him was truly wrong but Khallos wasn't going to be the person who distrubed the peace and got everyone killed. Not that Synile didn't make a damn good job of it. Not that the monster wasn't going to kill them all anyway.

Following them all deeper in Khallos broke his rather sulky 'I don't want to play around with the even more evil being than my current leader' attitude, as part of the group of Calatians stopped by a carving of something born of darkness eternal. Just looking at the thing spoke of sanity's final end.

One of the Snakeheads started asking Catt about the nature of such a thing, for some reason people just got on better with the guy. Listening in closer, Catt explained more.

"No-ones going to fight a demon" Catt said, making smoothing motions with his hands. "In reality the creatures spoken of were probably mythological. Maybe when a Queen died someone thought they saw her evil spirit reincarnated as a demon or something. Underground you get to believe you've seen all sorts of rubbish"

"Don't listen to him, men" said Khallos, wandering over now interested. Taking a closer look, the image recalled some deep and disturbing memory to his mind. "Those things were real! There was one you know, we used to call her-"

From a side passage a sound and a following writhing tentacle emerged cutting the rest of the sentence short. Spinning around Khallos saw the thing lash about and smash into ranks of Cursed. Taking a moment to ready his sword, Khallos smartly turned around and helpfully said, "Told you."

Khallos joined in with the curious spectating as Cursed threw themselves at purple tentacle. So far, so entertaining. A tentacle flashed passed his face and Khallos lept back as the appendage grabbed the unfortunate Snakehead forever to be known as Brownshanks.

The Snakehead who was most vocal about the carving shouted "Its got Brownshanks!" while the unfortunate got dragged down a tunnel screaming. More tentacles slimed their way from side passages and rapidly the Calatians found themselves surrounded.

While a Huscarl cried something that fated him to the full effect of genre based danger, Catt dived down the side passage after Brownshanks, commanding the rest "Stand your ground with the others! I'll go after Brownshanks!"

Khallos yelled a reply while he hacked his sword into purple flesh. "Will do, scream and bawl if you're in dire need of support, the mess here is big enough for what few we have. Good luck!"

Whirling into a new battle stance Khallos sliced through a tentacle that had seized the ankle of a Huscarl and impaled a sword right through another. Sadly this caused the tentacle to retreat backwards rapidly sword still stuck in it. Khallos rushed after it, but was halted by more tentacles and instead set into them with his Koridaian trophy sword. Always knew it was a good idea to have spares.

"You bitch, you give me back my sword right now."

Launching an axe at another tentacle strangling a snakehead, Khallos bellowed.

"Sure could use some fire spells about now!"

[Kwicky Koala]

Catt continued running as fast as he could after the beastly tentacle that had Brownshanks. He could not quite make it out in the darkness, but there was only one path to follow, a twisting tunnel that seemed to be moving uphill. Before he had realised it, he had entered a chamber, and was face to face with the creature that was attacking them.

It was gigantic, and occupied most of the room. Identical to the thing in the picture they had observed, but hunched over on its belly in the cramped dwelling, some its tentacles snaking down the room's exits, while others seemed to be moving through cracks in the floor. Realising that this room must be directly above the rest of the party, Catt saw that they had been ambushed. But where was Brownshanks?

Suddenly he caught sight of the creature's head. It was huge, the face obscured by long, dark hair, not made of living snakes but medusa-ish in all other aspects. Glaring at him, the monster rooted Catt to the spot with its stare, but didn't attack him just yet, for it held a paralysed Brownshanks in its bony, vestigal arms!

Catt was forced to watch as the loathsome monster broke the poor man's neck with superhuman strength, and made as if to swallow him whole, unhinging its jaw in the manner of a snake. Before it could do so, however, the effect of its gaze had worn off - Catt yelled and charged at it, making it drop Brownshanks' body and face him down. Covering his eyes this time, Catt was close to striking distance before the beast employed another trick - it shrieked and shot some kind of projectile vomit towards him. Raising his shield just in time, he saw the acidic liquid burn straight through the wood, and dropped the useless husk down. The creature shot another burst at him and he was forced to throw himself flat to avoid it.

The monster, now aware of the meddlesome insect bothering its feeding, and no doubt feeling the sting of the Vikings attacking its appendages below, began to use some of its suckered tentacles to anchor itself to the ceiling: raising itself up above the ground, it attempted to squash Catt under its bulk. Rolling out of the way, he nevertheless found himself pinned up in a corner against the monster's flesh and the chamber's wall, feeling his bones strain at the pressure. "Backup!!" he gasped, hoping his comrades could hear. "F-follow the tentacles!"

In this python-like squeeze he somehow managed to draw his sword and cast Fire on it, which startled the creature though even this could not pierce its hide. Feeling a brief respite as it shrinked away from him, he took the only escape route available - climbing on top of the thing itself. Here at least he was safe from the monster's mouth, but knowing where he was it was trying to dislodge him, throwing its weight around and generally making his postion precarious. He tried attacking the tentacles clinging to the ceiling but they were thick and tough, and no sooner had he removed one than it had reattached itself while he was working on the second. If only he had a boomerang or something to attack all of them at once... but that was crazy talk. He desperately tried to stay on top of the monster and hoped help would come.

[Crimson Lego]

When the first tentacle had attacked the Calatian troops, Leo had been scratching his back with a twig he had picked up on the way; fortunately, he was able to snap to attention quickly enough to fire at and kill one of the tentacles. “Fan out!” he shouted, reloading his gun. The dwarf jammed the ammunition into the chamber, but soon realized his pocket felt much lighter than before. Great; I’m out of rounds. Grimacing, he used the last of his bullets as several more tentacles began to spring out of cracks, miscellaneous tunnels, and any hole that was big enough for an appendage to wriggle through on its own. Almost of the Calatians, including the Baker Team, were unused to this kind of foe and were having an extremely hard time adjusting to the environment of fighting they were in. Fortunately, the Cursed appeared to now be on the Vikings’ side, and many took the chance to do their best to readjust and fight back.

Seeing Juvenal nearby blasting apart a tentacle with a blast of energy, Leo felt inclined and angry enough to loudly say, “What the hell is this shit, Juvenal?! Are you trying to rip us off before we even get started?”

Juvenal replied with, “The power of Ahrem is extremely strong down here; what were your expectations?”

“Well, I thought you would at least warn us the Labyrinth had massive fuc-”

“General, these are the Cursed Lands! Deal with them!” roared the sorcerer.

Hearing the all-too familiar click of an empty chamber, Leo tossed his rifle in the direction of a solid wall and readied his battleaxe. “Juvenal, give me one of those weapons you’ve got on you!”

“Fine; just get your men through the passage alive! I’ll meet you there in a minute or 2.”

Gripping both axes tightly, Leo hacked down more than a few tentacles before deciding for an alternate option. There are way too many of these things; we’ll never make it. We need to get out immediately. Relieved to find the main tunnel, the dwarf fought off another one of the tentacles. “Everyone this way! Let’s get out of here!” Signaling for a Cursed to pick up his empty rifle, Leo sprinted as fast as he could through the underground passage, hoping that it would lead to the Labyrinth meeting spot without too much trouble.

Unfortunately, he skidded to a stop just more than a few yards after; the first thing Leo saw was Catterick standing on top what appeared to be the owner of the tentacles and trying to avoid being eaten. That’s actually a good idea. Throwing that aside, he swung both of his axes at two nearby tentacles, cutting them off immediately; unfortunately, they grew back almost right after the disconnection. “Shit,” murmured Leo as he moved back to analyze the situation. “Yo, Catt, you got any kind of good ideas to handle this thing?”

[Kwicky Koala]

Catt spun round at the sound of the noise.

"Leo! Don't look at its eyes, and watch out for its mouth. It can spit something corrosive at you"

Stopping to avoid being throw off, he continued:

"I wasn't able to get close enough to attack cause of that stuff. We need something long range - guns, magic, whatever. And fire. Living in the dark it seems to be afraid of bright light and heat. I'll try and keep it distracted by attacking these tentacles"