Mordor.
The very name of the cursed city brought a strange twinge of apprehension to every traveler's mind. The numerous stories told of Mordor reeked with evil, and no sane person would ever think of venturing there. Yet, here was one more fool, searching for the entrance. High atop a mountain range in a far distant land, this pilgrim was climbing. The loose rocks on the mountain ground against the earth under his boots as he progressed upward. In the time he had spent hiking, he had become so accustomed to the rythmic thumping of his feet against the ground that he was barely aware of it anymore. A sweat drop beaded on the tip of his nose before dropping to the ground with a silent splatter.
The mountain had no greenery to provide shade from the two suns overhead, and not a single living creature could be seen for miles. On the top of this barren red rock, the traveller pushed on, never stopping or slowing. He seemed to actually know where he was going, which was unusual. He trekked upward until he came to a small crevice in the side of the desolate rock, only five feet high and two feet across.
"Found you."
The adventurer ducked his head as he entered the crevice. A few steps forward, and he had to crouch lower. And lower. And lower. After twenty feet, he was belly-crawling through an impossibly small tunnel. He pushed himself forward with his toes as he dragged his whole body along the ground.
The crawling continued for a solid hour.
Finally, as he reached forward to pull himself another few inches, his hand found nothing to support itself. He looked down at the opening in front of him. With no possible way of backing out of the tunnel, he decided to drop in. He could not turn around to save his life, so head first was the only way. He inched his way into the hole, but wrapped his fingers around the edge of the opening as the rest of his body fell through. He rolled over himself as he tumbled through the opening, his feet falling down while his hands remained afixed to the opening. As gravity returned him to an upright position, he could finally see his destination in front of him.
Sprawled out in front of him for about six square miles was Mordor, a thriving underground colony with a dark secret. The dark stone cavern was absurdly large, with a ceiling no less than one hundred twenty feet above the city. The city was lit entirely by torches along the streets and mounted on the buildings, as no sunlight reached this forbidden place. The city itself was comprised of twelve gargantuan buildings, each one three times the size of an airplane hanger. Aside from the massive structures, there was also five other smaller buildings, and then a couple hundred very small houses around the edges of the cavern. Out of each of the seventeen larger structures flowed a constant stream of humans and other creatures. Although this city had once been known as the home of the orcs, that was thousands of years ago. Now, the city was home to myriad species of sentient races.
Lastly, the traveller's eyes found the door. The door was all the way across the cavern from him, but he could clearly see it. The door was fifteen feet high by eight feet wide and made of old rotted wood. Given its size, the door could probably be called a gate instead, except that the wooden construction of the door looked like an antique wooden double door. Just very large. Through that door was the tunnel that led down deeper into the mountain. The inside of the mountain was an intricate web of complex tunnels drilled out by dwarves long ago. At first, they were looking for valuable minerals, but the deeper they dug the mines, the more an evil presence began to manifest itself. Yet, the greed of the dwarves was stronger than their caution and they continued to dig. Unfortunately, they dug a little too deep and found a door to a darker world. No one here knew exactly where this door led to, but they did know this: they had unleashed a horde of monsters upon an unsuspecting world. Over time, the monsters spread out through the entire mine and made it their home. Venturing into the mine became so dangerous that the city's inhabitants started calling the mine a dungeon. Now, only brave (or foolish) warriors venture down into the dungeon in search of riches. This town consisted of two types of people: Those who led normal lives above the dungeon and those who entered the depths, for whatever reason. Usually greed.
The visitor looked down. The hole he had just crawled from rested about twelve feet from the floor of the cavern. He released his grip on the side of the hole and gently touched down on the cold stone surface of the cavern. He made his way forward, confidently strolling down the cobblestone streets that intersected and weaved their way around the massive structures. The streets were filled with a seemingly infinite number of creatures, ranging from humans, giants, and elves to gnomes, dwarves, and osiri. The locals were a rough sort, with pushing and shoving commonplace. In fact, you would tend to draw attention to yourself if you failed to start an argument in about five minutes. The city's occupants all had similar features: Dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin, and a serious disposition.
Although he was smaller than most of the creatures around him (aside from other humans and the occasional dwarf), the inhabitants of this city seemed to possess a sixth sense and understood better than to bump into him. He progressed down the street, noting the decorations on the buildings. Each of these large structures had an emblem displayed above the doorways, and he knew the one he was looking for. He stopped when he located the door with a shuriken (ninja throwing star) engraved on a metal plate topping the door. The door was propped open by a cinder block, so he strolled up the five stone steps and under the awning over the door. He stepped through the door and surveyed the interior. He was in a lobby area, with a receptionist desk to his left and four separate hallways in front of him. Each hall had its own string of torches lighting the way. A tablet, anchored to the wall next to the desk, appeared to be a list rules for visitors. The rules were written in a strange language, but the visitor could read it. As he waited for the troll in front of him to complete a transaction with the receptionist, he read the rules.
Rule #3 - Kali tago nonga.
(Do not touch the torches.)
The troll in front of him turned from the desk and lumbered out the door.
"Can I help you, sir?" the receptionist inquired.
The visitor sized up the receptionist. He was wearing a nondescript brown cloak, but the drawstring was loosened and the cloak was open, revealing ninja's garb from head to toe. Loose and very dark was the obvious theme, with a glint of silver indicating the presence of weaponry under the cloak. The clerk had a hood on, but it was pulled back off his head so that visitors could see who they were talking to. He had scraggly brown hood-hair hair and dark hazel eyes.
"You are Marcus Twilight, correct?" the visitor countered.
Marcus, the receptionist, looked startled.
"Have we met before?" he inquired.
"A long time ago. Now, I need to speak to Shu... the Guildmaster," the visitor said, forceful but polite.
Marcus stopped and mulled it over. This man, though wearing a Mordorian cloak, was clearly not a local. His accent alone was enough to make that clear, let alone the fact that he had almost referred to a guildmaster by name. Normally, seeing a guildmaster without an appointment was unheard of, but this guy was creepy and Marcus did not want to deal with him.
"Send him in!" came the Guildmaster's voice from the hallway on the far left.
"Thank you," the visitor said, and immediately walked down the hallway before MArcus could protest.
"Wait! How do you know me?" Marcus yelled down the hall after the visitor, halfway rising from his chair.
"You're wearing a nametag, Marcus," came the guildmaster's voice again.
---------------------------------------------------
[Guildmaster Shurianno's Office]
The visitor caught a glimpse of the Guildmaster as he entered the office. He had short hair, black and unkept. His dark blue eyes were penetrating and emanated wisdom and confidence. His skin was pale, typical of a man who had spent his life in an underground city. He was only the second person in this building thus far not wearing a mask.
"So... what brings you to the Ninja's Guild?" the Guildmaster asked, "And why do you require an audience with me?"
The traveller looked around the Guildmaster's office. The wall opposite the door was adorned with paintings of previous guildmasters. The painting on the far right matched the man sitting behind the oak desk. The wall left of the door displayed tricks and tools of the ninjitsu trade, with short swords, kunai, lockpicks, climbing tools, a mask, and a variety of other devices and weapons. The Guildmaster himself wore no cloak, but had on traditional ninja clothing. His boots were black and made of some strange leather material. His pants, also black, were tucked into his boots to keep from flapping around and the pants themselves were loose fitting. Continuing the black theme, his tight-fitting long-sleeved shirt was tucked into his pants and held snugly in place by a black belt. His cloak hung on a coatrack by the door. The rest of his belongings sat on a small pedestal behind the desk and included his gloves, mask, a medallion of some sort, and some miscellaneous gear.
"An audience? Becoming the guildmaster here has changed the way you talk, Shuri."
Shurianno's eyes narrowed as he studied his visitor. He was wearing a Mordorian cloak, but so was everyone else in this town. He could just make out eyes under the dark hood. Only other guildmasters and close friends ever referred to him by name, and the number of people who called him by his nickname could be counted on one hand. The light came on in Shurianno's head.
"Firestorm? Is that you? You look different." Shurianno looked skeptical.
Firestorm pulled the Mordorian cloak off his body and revealed his wardrobe, a black gi with red trimmings. Shurianno sized up his visitor at last. His gi was reminiscent of Ninja garb. His pants were tucked into his boots as well, and his shirt was also tight fitting. However, this shirt was sleeveless; the neckline had ribbing (Shurianno's did not), and the belt that held his pants secure was scarlet rather than black. Furthermore, Firestorm wore a matching red bandanna around his head that hung down to brush against his shoulders as he walked. He could possibly be mistaken for a ninja clan member trying to make a fashion statement.
"I assure you, it's me, Shurianno. Let me demonstrate."
Firestorm held his hand out, palm up, and cupped his hands together for a moment. When he withdrew the top hand, a glowing blue orb rested in his hand. A ki orb. The light from the ki orb reflected in Shurianno's eyes, bringing back memories of the first time he had seen this trick six years prior. Shurianno looked at his visitor once more. The deep red eyes were disconcerting and unfamiliar. The medium length black hair, which would almost reach Firestorm's eyes if it were wet, was equally foreign. Yet, Shurianno had never met anyone else who could wield a portion of his own spirit in his hand before. Still, he remained unconvinced.
"Still don't believe me, do you? Fine. Does this look familiar?"
Firestorm reached overhead and moved his arm in a circular motion, keeping his arm straight the entire time. His hand left a trail through the air, and when his arm completed the circle, there was a circle of faint blue light hovering in the room between them. Then the air inside the circle distorted and rearranged itself. Finally, the circle filled with light, creating a dimensional shifting warp portal. That did it. No way this stranger would be able to mimic two phenomena so perfectly if he weren't really Firestorm.
"Firestorm! It is you! It's great to see you again! What are you doing back in Mordor?" Shurianno's voice softened now that he was convinced of his visitor's identity.
"I found him."
The festive mood was immediately shattered as the gravity of Firestorm's words sunk into Shurianno's skull. He stopped for a moment. He didn't understand why Firestorm's physical appearance had changed, nor did he know where his friend had been for the last six years. What he did understand, though, was Firestorm's reason for returning. Shurianno owed Firestorm a favor. Time for collection had come. The two warriors looked at each other for a full minute. Shurianno understood the danger involved. Firestorm had not said anything else yet, but Shurianno understood. He was to come along.
Shurianno broke the silence by swiftly snatching his gear of the pedestal and throwing it into a traveling bag. He grabbed his sword off the rack behind his desk and sheathed it quickly.
"Let's go, Firestorm."
The two of them worked their way back out through the front door. There were three visitors standing in line at the desk now, all of whom gasped when they saw the famous and beloved guildmaster exiting the building with a stranger and brandishing a weapon, to boot. Marcus shot out of his chair and addressed his master.
"Guildmaster! Where are you.. who is ... WHAT IN THE WORLD?!"
Shurianno did not turn his head as he answered:
"Marcus, inform Shinobi that he is the acting Guildmaster until further notice."
"Y.. Yes Sir!"
Upon reaching the street, Firestorm turned to Shurianno.
"I have a couple other stops to make. Take this time to say goodbye to friends, go back and calm Marcus down, and write out a last will and testament."
There was no hint of humor in Firestorm's voice at the last part of that sentence.
-----------------------------
Continued in next post...
The Twilight Curse
-
Firestorm
- Member
- Posts: 2332
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: An asylum for the criminally stupid
-
Firestorm
- Member
- Posts: 2332
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: An asylum for the criminally stupid
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[The Paladin's Guild]
It took a few minutes of wandering through crowded streets to locate the Paladin's Guild. When he finally located the building with an emblem depicting a cross and a sword, he entered. This guild was far flashier than the Ninja's Guild. The floors were polished, the windows were spotless. The paladins aimed to please.
After making an inquiry at the front desk, Firestorm headed for the library. Walking down the hall toward the library, he sized up the paladins in the building. Bright white clothing, shiny golden armor, decorative swords. The Paladin's Guild was an intimidating place filled with illustrious warriors and knights. However, as was the case with every guild, the majority of the paladins present were rookies. The truly skilled and powerful knights were far and few between.
After entering the library, Firestorm approached one particular knight, who was perched on a stepstool and searching for something on the top shelf.
"Jen Kai? The receptionist said I would find you here."
The knight placed the scroll back in its holder and hopped down from the stepstool, making a metal clanking sound as he landed. His wardrobe was much flashier than the simple Ninja Guild attire. His boots were a light tan color and reached halfway up his shin. His pants were snowy white and hung down to his ankles. The pants were loose, but the chain mail underneath still shown through. His torso was protected by both a light brown leather armor and a shiny gold cuirass over that. Long white sleeves protruded from under the armor and covered his arms. His hands were bare at the moment, but were normally covered with gloves and bracers. He wore a white cape which hung down to knee length in the back and was hung around his neck by a gold chain with a breakaway clasp. He had bright blue eyes, uncommon for a Mordorian, and, even more uncommon, long blonde hair. Long by Mordorian standards, anyway, but it would almost reach his nose if soaked. His hair was carefully groomed, combed back onto his head.
"Firestorm? I did not expect to see you again."
The paladin, for some reason, recognized Firestorm for who he was despite the physical changes.
"How goes life in Mordor, Jen Kai?"
"Quite well, my friend. I am now second in command of this guild. By the way... why do you look so different?"
"It's a long story, Jen Kai. How would you like to exact some justice with me?"
Jen Kai's smile vanished.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean, Jen Kai... I found him."
Jen Kai tensed up immediately. He was all business now.
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning. Find Shurianno; he's coming, too."
"Very well. I will notify Guildmaster Eli that I am leaving."
---------------------------------------------------
[The Healer's Guild Emergency Room]
"Hold him down!"
"I can't! He's too strong!"
In a primitive medieval medical ward, the healers of the city attempted to repair the wounds of injured warriors who had returned alive from their ventures into the mine. Patients were laid up on stone tables covered by soft linen sheets. Rather than medical technology, magic was employed to heal the wounded. In this particular case, the warrior in question did not realize he had been rescued and was in shock, thrashing wildly.
"Get off me! DIE!"
The large man was lying on a stone slab, and three healers were trying to hold him down - to no avail. The healers weren't particularly strong folk, and the warrior was thrashing about. Thankfully, the healers had removed his weapon from him beforehand, but an unarmed warrior is still dangerous. His fist shot out and struck an elderly male healer in the side of the head, rendering him unconscious. He slumped to the floor in a limp pile. Almost immediately after the punch, a wooden pole connected with the back of the warrior's head, rendering him unconscious as well. The older female attendant looked up at the wielder of the pole, the third attendant. She was the youngest of the three, only nineteen.
"An interesting way to settle down a patient, Lynn," said the older woman.
"It's for his own good!" the younger girl snapped, "Besides, he was the idiot who decided he was strong enough to venture past the tenth floor. He's lucky to even be alive."
An unknown voice spoke to them from just inside the doorway:
"Bravo, Lynn Rae. You've just KO'd a prominent warrior."
The two ladies were startled to discover another person in the room with them.
"Who are you?" the two women said in unison.
"Lynn Rae, can we talk somewhere?"
"I don't..."
"Trust me."
"Okay..."
---------------------------------------------------
[Lynn Rae's Residence - A Room in the Healer's Guild Dormitory]
"So it really is you? I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
"I wasn't so sure I'd be back either, Lynn, but I needed some help."
"Anything, Firestorm. We all owe you one."
"I found him."
"Who?"
"Him."
"Ohh... and... but... you...wait, does this mean..."
"Yes, it does. We leave in the morning. We could use a healer."
"I'll see you in the morning, then."
"Thanks, Lynn."
---------------------------------------------------
[Traveller's Guild]
Firestorm entered the building of his second to last stop. The Traveller's Guild. This guild was immense, even moreso than the others. This was the starting point to becoming a great warrior, mage, thief, or whatever a Mordorian aspired to become. No one could enter a different guild until they had learned the basics here. Since every person in the city was required to be a member here, this guild was far larger than any other. The obvious result: the guildmaster here had more sway than any other. Firestorm found his way to the guildmaster's office. As Firestorm approached the door, he heard a voice from inside.
"Come in, Firestorm."
Firestorm was not really surprised that his identity and presence were both already known. The being who ruled this guild seemed nearly omniscient. Firestorm opened the door and stepped into the magnificent office of the Chief Guildmaster. This office was different. The other guildmasters had fancy rooms; this was practically a throne room. Ornately carved marble columns held up the ceiling of this massive chamber. A long bearskin carpet walkway lined with decorative suits of armor led up to the massive chair that seated the Chief Guildmaster. Firestorm approached the throne, but did not bow.
"Hello, Jago."
The Chief Guildmaster, Jago, rose from his throne and stood before Firestorm. He was not human, but a giant, measuring twelve feet even when standing erect. There was a ceremonial gown that the Chief Guildmaster usually wears, but Jago would not be troubled by such trivial things. Instead, he wore dark brown leather boots and some sort of an animal hide kilt and shirt. He wore no armor, for he did not need it. His leathery skin afforded him all the protection he needed, and the massive muscles protruding from every inch of his body left no question as to his immeasurable strength. Battlescars ran all along his body, testaments to his experience. His weapon of choice, an eighty pound war hammer, rested against the arm of his over-sized chair.
Jago was a legend in this city for numerous reasons. For starters, he was the Chief Guildmaster, a distinguished position of respect and honor. The Chief Guildmaster, generally speaking, is the most experienced warrior in the city. Furthermore, Jago was the first Chief Guildmaster to be of some race other than human. Humans tend to make better leaders and learn much faster than other races, but Jago had beaten the odds and rose the highest rank possible in this culture. In addition, Jago had ventured further down into the depths than any other warrior and returned alive, though he did not find the bottom. He was regarded as immortal, a warrior with no equal. Finally, he had bested every other Guildmaster in combat at least once, including Shurianno.
Jago was a warrior of a whole different caliber than this city had ever known.
"Hello, Firestorm. I knew you would come."
"Then presumably you know why I'm here."
"I do. And I'm coming with you."
"Good. I can really use your help."
Jago's sea blue eyes peered deep into Firestorm, almost as if he were looking through him. His eyes seemed to mask so much knowledge, so much experience, so much peace. His gaze alone was awe inspiring.
"Firestorm... do you think we will survive this battle?"
"With you, Jago, how can we lose?"
"Simple. You want to challenge a centuries-old being who has devoured the souls of thousands of mighty warriors and ascended to a level of power beyond godhood. That's how."
"We may lose, Jago, but we must still try."
"Agreed. When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning. I have one more stop to make here and then we're out of this cave."
"Very well. I must inform the city elders that I am leaving and appoint someone to run the affairs of the city while I am gone. I'll meet you in the town square tomorrow."
---------------------------------------------------
[A Small Dwelling in the Suburbs]
{[Knock Knock.]}
Firestorm banged on the door of a small hut.
"Who is it?" came the voice from inside the hut.
"An old friend."
For the man inside the small stone hut, the concept of a friend paying him a visit was a completely foreign notion. The wooden door swung open, revealing the source of the voice. His hand was on the hilt of his sword. He had black hair as well, with dark blue eyes. He resembled Shurianno, but his skin had a darker tone to it and was not as pale as most. The man wore dark clothing, with a half length cloak concealing his upper half. His pants and boots were black.
"Not likely a friend... wait. Firestorm? You look different. What do you want?"
"I need a word with you, Ranto. In private."
Ranto looked intrigued.
"I know a place."
Firestorm nodded.
"Lead the way."
---------------------------------------------------
[Location Unknown]
"You said private, didn't you? Now what do you want Firestorm?"
"I need a favor, Ranto..."
---------------------------------------------------
[Mordor Town Square - Early Morning]
In the early morning mist, a sleeping city did not notice as five of its people stepped through a portal to another world, possibly never to return.
The clock was ticking, and the countdown to destiny had begun.
[The Paladin's Guild]
It took a few minutes of wandering through crowded streets to locate the Paladin's Guild. When he finally located the building with an emblem depicting a cross and a sword, he entered. This guild was far flashier than the Ninja's Guild. The floors were polished, the windows were spotless. The paladins aimed to please.
After making an inquiry at the front desk, Firestorm headed for the library. Walking down the hall toward the library, he sized up the paladins in the building. Bright white clothing, shiny golden armor, decorative swords. The Paladin's Guild was an intimidating place filled with illustrious warriors and knights. However, as was the case with every guild, the majority of the paladins present were rookies. The truly skilled and powerful knights were far and few between.
After entering the library, Firestorm approached one particular knight, who was perched on a stepstool and searching for something on the top shelf.
"Jen Kai? The receptionist said I would find you here."
The knight placed the scroll back in its holder and hopped down from the stepstool, making a metal clanking sound as he landed. His wardrobe was much flashier than the simple Ninja Guild attire. His boots were a light tan color and reached halfway up his shin. His pants were snowy white and hung down to his ankles. The pants were loose, but the chain mail underneath still shown through. His torso was protected by both a light brown leather armor and a shiny gold cuirass over that. Long white sleeves protruded from under the armor and covered his arms. His hands were bare at the moment, but were normally covered with gloves and bracers. He wore a white cape which hung down to knee length in the back and was hung around his neck by a gold chain with a breakaway clasp. He had bright blue eyes, uncommon for a Mordorian, and, even more uncommon, long blonde hair. Long by Mordorian standards, anyway, but it would almost reach his nose if soaked. His hair was carefully groomed, combed back onto his head.
"Firestorm? I did not expect to see you again."
The paladin, for some reason, recognized Firestorm for who he was despite the physical changes.
"How goes life in Mordor, Jen Kai?"
"Quite well, my friend. I am now second in command of this guild. By the way... why do you look so different?"
"It's a long story, Jen Kai. How would you like to exact some justice with me?"
Jen Kai's smile vanished.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean, Jen Kai... I found him."
Jen Kai tensed up immediately. He was all business now.
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning. Find Shurianno; he's coming, too."
"Very well. I will notify Guildmaster Eli that I am leaving."
---------------------------------------------------
[The Healer's Guild Emergency Room]
"Hold him down!"
"I can't! He's too strong!"
In a primitive medieval medical ward, the healers of the city attempted to repair the wounds of injured warriors who had returned alive from their ventures into the mine. Patients were laid up on stone tables covered by soft linen sheets. Rather than medical technology, magic was employed to heal the wounded. In this particular case, the warrior in question did not realize he had been rescued and was in shock, thrashing wildly.
"Get off me! DIE!"
The large man was lying on a stone slab, and three healers were trying to hold him down - to no avail. The healers weren't particularly strong folk, and the warrior was thrashing about. Thankfully, the healers had removed his weapon from him beforehand, but an unarmed warrior is still dangerous. His fist shot out and struck an elderly male healer in the side of the head, rendering him unconscious. He slumped to the floor in a limp pile. Almost immediately after the punch, a wooden pole connected with the back of the warrior's head, rendering him unconscious as well. The older female attendant looked up at the wielder of the pole, the third attendant. She was the youngest of the three, only nineteen.
"An interesting way to settle down a patient, Lynn," said the older woman.
"It's for his own good!" the younger girl snapped, "Besides, he was the idiot who decided he was strong enough to venture past the tenth floor. He's lucky to even be alive."
An unknown voice spoke to them from just inside the doorway:
"Bravo, Lynn Rae. You've just KO'd a prominent warrior."
The two ladies were startled to discover another person in the room with them.
"Who are you?" the two women said in unison.
"Lynn Rae, can we talk somewhere?"
"I don't..."
"Trust me."
"Okay..."
---------------------------------------------------
[Lynn Rae's Residence - A Room in the Healer's Guild Dormitory]
"So it really is you? I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
"I wasn't so sure I'd be back either, Lynn, but I needed some help."
"Anything, Firestorm. We all owe you one."
"I found him."
"Who?"
"Him."
"Ohh... and... but... you...wait, does this mean..."
"Yes, it does. We leave in the morning. We could use a healer."
"I'll see you in the morning, then."
"Thanks, Lynn."
---------------------------------------------------
[Traveller's Guild]
Firestorm entered the building of his second to last stop. The Traveller's Guild. This guild was immense, even moreso than the others. This was the starting point to becoming a great warrior, mage, thief, or whatever a Mordorian aspired to become. No one could enter a different guild until they had learned the basics here. Since every person in the city was required to be a member here, this guild was far larger than any other. The obvious result: the guildmaster here had more sway than any other. Firestorm found his way to the guildmaster's office. As Firestorm approached the door, he heard a voice from inside.
"Come in, Firestorm."
Firestorm was not really surprised that his identity and presence were both already known. The being who ruled this guild seemed nearly omniscient. Firestorm opened the door and stepped into the magnificent office of the Chief Guildmaster. This office was different. The other guildmasters had fancy rooms; this was practically a throne room. Ornately carved marble columns held up the ceiling of this massive chamber. A long bearskin carpet walkway lined with decorative suits of armor led up to the massive chair that seated the Chief Guildmaster. Firestorm approached the throne, but did not bow.
"Hello, Jago."
The Chief Guildmaster, Jago, rose from his throne and stood before Firestorm. He was not human, but a giant, measuring twelve feet even when standing erect. There was a ceremonial gown that the Chief Guildmaster usually wears, but Jago would not be troubled by such trivial things. Instead, he wore dark brown leather boots and some sort of an animal hide kilt and shirt. He wore no armor, for he did not need it. His leathery skin afforded him all the protection he needed, and the massive muscles protruding from every inch of his body left no question as to his immeasurable strength. Battlescars ran all along his body, testaments to his experience. His weapon of choice, an eighty pound war hammer, rested against the arm of his over-sized chair.
Jago was a legend in this city for numerous reasons. For starters, he was the Chief Guildmaster, a distinguished position of respect and honor. The Chief Guildmaster, generally speaking, is the most experienced warrior in the city. Furthermore, Jago was the first Chief Guildmaster to be of some race other than human. Humans tend to make better leaders and learn much faster than other races, but Jago had beaten the odds and rose the highest rank possible in this culture. In addition, Jago had ventured further down into the depths than any other warrior and returned alive, though he did not find the bottom. He was regarded as immortal, a warrior with no equal. Finally, he had bested every other Guildmaster in combat at least once, including Shurianno.
Jago was a warrior of a whole different caliber than this city had ever known.
"Hello, Firestorm. I knew you would come."
"Then presumably you know why I'm here."
"I do. And I'm coming with you."
"Good. I can really use your help."
Jago's sea blue eyes peered deep into Firestorm, almost as if he were looking through him. His eyes seemed to mask so much knowledge, so much experience, so much peace. His gaze alone was awe inspiring.
"Firestorm... do you think we will survive this battle?"
"With you, Jago, how can we lose?"
"Simple. You want to challenge a centuries-old being who has devoured the souls of thousands of mighty warriors and ascended to a level of power beyond godhood. That's how."
"We may lose, Jago, but we must still try."
"Agreed. When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning. I have one more stop to make here and then we're out of this cave."
"Very well. I must inform the city elders that I am leaving and appoint someone to run the affairs of the city while I am gone. I'll meet you in the town square tomorrow."
---------------------------------------------------
[A Small Dwelling in the Suburbs]
{[Knock Knock.]}
Firestorm banged on the door of a small hut.
"Who is it?" came the voice from inside the hut.
"An old friend."
For the man inside the small stone hut, the concept of a friend paying him a visit was a completely foreign notion. The wooden door swung open, revealing the source of the voice. His hand was on the hilt of his sword. He had black hair as well, with dark blue eyes. He resembled Shurianno, but his skin had a darker tone to it and was not as pale as most. The man wore dark clothing, with a half length cloak concealing his upper half. His pants and boots were black.
"Not likely a friend... wait. Firestorm? You look different. What do you want?"
"I need a word with you, Ranto. In private."
Ranto looked intrigued.
"I know a place."
Firestorm nodded.
"Lead the way."
---------------------------------------------------
[Location Unknown]
"You said private, didn't you? Now what do you want Firestorm?"
"I need a favor, Ranto..."
---------------------------------------------------
[Mordor Town Square - Early Morning]
In the early morning mist, a sleeping city did not notice as five of its people stepped through a portal to another world, possibly never to return.
The clock was ticking, and the countdown to destiny had begun.
-
Firestorm
- Member
- Posts: 2332
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: An asylum for the criminally stupid
Enlistment
Gunjin.
The very name of the legendary battleground brought a familiar twang of uneasiness to every warrior's mind, the feeling that whispers into a warrior's mind and tells him not to let go of his sword. The numerous stories told of the Gunjin were saturated with outlandish tales, and believing those stories required much faith in the supernatural.
Yet, it still existed. The seemingly ridiculous stories were in fact understatements of the abilities of the warriors who made the Gunjin their home. The titanic collisions of might and magic in this realm defied the imagination.
"Hello?"
There was no answer except the whisper of the wind. Firestorm stood in an endless field of green grass which continued in every direction for as far as he could see. There was a slight breeze in the air, and the gently glowing sun overhead maintained a picturesque seventy-two degrees fahrenheit.
Standing a short distance away were his five allies from Mordor, all of whom were skeptical about Firestorm's story of experienced warriors.
Hello Gunjin. You look exactly as I left you.
"So.... where exactly are your friends?" came Shurianno's sarcastic question.
Firestorm ignored him.
Gunjin, the place Firestorm had called home a few years prior, appeared as a plain field at first. However, whenever two warriors confronted each other in this mystic place, the surroundings changed to be a reflection of their minds. The resulting terrain would become a battlefield where the world could watch the outcome of their struggle. Furthermore, it was said that if a person called a warrior's name in this ancient field, that warrior would be obligated to appear before that person and answer his challenge.
Firestorm hesitated for a moment. He was not sure whether this visit would be worthwhile or not, but it was worth a shot. He still needed more allies. Although the group of friends he had already gathered was formidable, the opponent he planned to challenge was far more powerful than any of them.
"There's no one here, Firestorm. Let's get out of here," the ninja persisted.
He remembered that a number of warriors here possessed great power and skill. Some of them had moved on, most likely, but he could feel the presence of a few of his former sparring partners. They were still here. He reflected on his past experiences here, and a few choice names came to mind.
One of these names still had *very* pronounced presence here. He would try that name first.
"Wyborn!"
He could remember first meeting the psychic. It was from Wyborn that Firestorm had learned never to underestimate an opponent, and also that no situation is ever hopeless unless you choose to give up hope. Wyborn also held the distinction of being the first person in the Gunjin to defeat Firestorm, although Firestorm still complains about the circumstances. It's a long story.
It would take a few minutes for the echoes of his summoning to reach the psychic's ears, so Firestorm moved on.
"Looks like nobody's home..." the same voice again interrupted his thoughts.
Who else can I feel?
His mind's eye searched throughout the Gunjin. Another very strong presence was here... and it was familiar.
"Repster!"
That silly dragon. Firestorm had learned the very meaning of persistence from Repster, the dragon who refused to die. He was one resilient opponent. That same resilience would make the dragon an excellent ally in the upcoming confrontation.
Firestorm knew Repster could hear him, although it would take him some time to respond.
Quickly... who else is here? I can feel them... there's one!
"Joker!"
Uh oh. The big bad vampire and Firestorm had not been particularly close friends, but Joker posssessed one characteristic in an abundance that few others could match: Brutality. Joker was clearly demented and sadistic in combat, and it was from him that Firestorm learned just exactly how to make an opponent wish he had never been born. He would be helpful, indeed.
Firestorm was reluctant to try the next name. He could feel her presence, but it was so faint... he doubted she could possibly hear him. He would still try, however, to get his friend's attention. He bellowed out as loud as he could:
"SHEHARAZHAD!"
He could still clearly remember meeting the Jedi. She was the one who had taught him that there was more to life than just fighting. He valued her friendship because it had been formed outside the battlefield, an uncommon characteristic among his friends. He had, however, crossed blades with her in the past.
"Firestorm!"
This time, it was the paladin's imposing voice that interrupted his thoughts.
"Are you certain your friends are still here? This place seems deserted..."
The empty breeze blowing between them only seemed to agree with Jen Kai's assumption.
"Quiet, Jen Kai. Let him finish."
Jago's voice dwarfed all of the previous statements, and his his authoritative manner permanently silenced any further conversation. They would stand there all day if Jago thought it profitable.
Firestorm's mind continued to reach, feeling into every crack and crevice of the Gunjin's far-reaching influence... to no avail. He could not feel anymore of his friends. He could, however, feel a tremendous number of other entities, although he not known them in the past. His all-present mind projected itself and focused, one at a time, on each individual being. Peering into their subconscious minds, he learned many names...
Erdawn Il Deus; Selene Starblade; Scripture; Abaddon; Kargath; Alucard; Conan Edogawa; the Darkness; Inferno Dragon; the Unknown Author; Nintendogod; the Metal Man; Tazy; Acradius Journeyman....
The list of names continued for a full ten minutes, bringing to his mind a massive list of hundreds of names. The roster was extensive, but he did not know these people. Perhaps some of those people had heard of his exploits? Either way, he could distinguish from their thoughts that many of them had great talent. Some were more experienced than others; some were gifted with innate powers that dwarfed their opponents; still others held positions of prestige and influence. Any and all would be helpful, but Firestorm had never engaged the majority of them in combat and could not tell the worthy from the weak.
He could not afford to be burdened down by weak allies.
There must be some way to filter the great warriors from the thousands of weaklings...
To call all of them would take hours. To determine who was worthy would take more hours still.
I have a solution...
Firestorm whispered a brief incantion silently, his lips moving but no sound emerging.
May only the warriors of destiny hear this call....
"Come to me..."
Unlike his previous summons, this call was quiet, a breathy whisper immediately drowned out by the wind. However, the power of the magic in those words carried them far beyond their normal range, riding the wind and scattering into the distance. The faint breeze transported the voice throughout the far reaches of the Gunjin, projecting them directly into the minds of those who had proven themselves in battle.
Firestorm's voice was again answered by nothing but the breezy voice of nature.
However, that would soon change as his voice reached the ears and minds of Gunjin's inhabitants...
(I tried to make this a separate post, but the board keeps automerging...) :smashhead:
Story topic time.
I'm not sure how long it's been since anyone ran a story topic here, so I'll go over the rules again:
The basic law of the Gunjin which states that "All charcters are created equal" does not apply here; some charcters are far more powerful. Please don't make any posts wherein you singlehandedly wallop them.
Second, as a story topic, events that occur in this thread are permanent. In other words... don't die. Now, this is more of a guideline than rule, so if you just happen to die and it doesn't really fit into your schedule, you can always ignore that occurance outside this topic. However, to maintain a sense of continuity, it helps to respect permanent changes.
With that said, any new weapons obtained or skills learned can be used in other battles.
If you have a storyline that you would like interwoven with mine, PM it to me and I'll work it in, provided it isn't so complex that it requires its own topic.
Likewise, if you would like to have your own villain appear in here, let me know.
Any suggestions via PM will be much appreciated.
And now, to rant and rave.
[Ranting-and-raving]
As far as participation is concerned, anyone is free to join. I'm not going to turn anyone away and say they're not good enough or too inexperienced. Everyone is welcome, that is, until I have too many people for me to keep up with, at which point I will declare the story full. I will, however, ask that only experienced/skilled writers enter my story; it means a lot to me and I don't want to have to deal with n00bish nonsense.
Furthermore, since this is a reunion-style topic, anyone who knew way back when will receive priority as far as joining.
I'm sorry if this offends you; I promise I'll make another whole topic especially for you to whine in.
[/ranting-and-raving]
Now then, get in here.
Gunjin.
The very name of the legendary battleground brought a familiar twang of uneasiness to every warrior's mind, the feeling that whispers into a warrior's mind and tells him not to let go of his sword. The numerous stories told of the Gunjin were saturated with outlandish tales, and believing those stories required much faith in the supernatural.
Yet, it still existed. The seemingly ridiculous stories were in fact understatements of the abilities of the warriors who made the Gunjin their home. The titanic collisions of might and magic in this realm defied the imagination.
"Hello?"
There was no answer except the whisper of the wind. Firestorm stood in an endless field of green grass which continued in every direction for as far as he could see. There was a slight breeze in the air, and the gently glowing sun overhead maintained a picturesque seventy-two degrees fahrenheit.
Standing a short distance away were his five allies from Mordor, all of whom were skeptical about Firestorm's story of experienced warriors.
Hello Gunjin. You look exactly as I left you.
"So.... where exactly are your friends?" came Shurianno's sarcastic question.
Firestorm ignored him.
Gunjin, the place Firestorm had called home a few years prior, appeared as a plain field at first. However, whenever two warriors confronted each other in this mystic place, the surroundings changed to be a reflection of their minds. The resulting terrain would become a battlefield where the world could watch the outcome of their struggle. Furthermore, it was said that if a person called a warrior's name in this ancient field, that warrior would be obligated to appear before that person and answer his challenge.
Firestorm hesitated for a moment. He was not sure whether this visit would be worthwhile or not, but it was worth a shot. He still needed more allies. Although the group of friends he had already gathered was formidable, the opponent he planned to challenge was far more powerful than any of them.
"There's no one here, Firestorm. Let's get out of here," the ninja persisted.
He remembered that a number of warriors here possessed great power and skill. Some of them had moved on, most likely, but he could feel the presence of a few of his former sparring partners. They were still here. He reflected on his past experiences here, and a few choice names came to mind.
One of these names still had *very* pronounced presence here. He would try that name first.
"Wyborn!"
He could remember first meeting the psychic. It was from Wyborn that Firestorm had learned never to underestimate an opponent, and also that no situation is ever hopeless unless you choose to give up hope. Wyborn also held the distinction of being the first person in the Gunjin to defeat Firestorm, although Firestorm still complains about the circumstances. It's a long story.
It would take a few minutes for the echoes of his summoning to reach the psychic's ears, so Firestorm moved on.
"Looks like nobody's home..." the same voice again interrupted his thoughts.
Who else can I feel?
His mind's eye searched throughout the Gunjin. Another very strong presence was here... and it was familiar.
"Repster!"
That silly dragon. Firestorm had learned the very meaning of persistence from Repster, the dragon who refused to die. He was one resilient opponent. That same resilience would make the dragon an excellent ally in the upcoming confrontation.
Firestorm knew Repster could hear him, although it would take him some time to respond.
Quickly... who else is here? I can feel them... there's one!
"Joker!"
Uh oh. The big bad vampire and Firestorm had not been particularly close friends, but Joker posssessed one characteristic in an abundance that few others could match: Brutality. Joker was clearly demented and sadistic in combat, and it was from him that Firestorm learned just exactly how to make an opponent wish he had never been born. He would be helpful, indeed.
Firestorm was reluctant to try the next name. He could feel her presence, but it was so faint... he doubted she could possibly hear him. He would still try, however, to get his friend's attention. He bellowed out as loud as he could:
"SHEHARAZHAD!"
He could still clearly remember meeting the Jedi. She was the one who had taught him that there was more to life than just fighting. He valued her friendship because it had been formed outside the battlefield, an uncommon characteristic among his friends. He had, however, crossed blades with her in the past.
"Firestorm!"
This time, it was the paladin's imposing voice that interrupted his thoughts.
"Are you certain your friends are still here? This place seems deserted..."
The empty breeze blowing between them only seemed to agree with Jen Kai's assumption.
"Quiet, Jen Kai. Let him finish."
Jago's voice dwarfed all of the previous statements, and his his authoritative manner permanently silenced any further conversation. They would stand there all day if Jago thought it profitable.
Firestorm's mind continued to reach, feeling into every crack and crevice of the Gunjin's far-reaching influence... to no avail. He could not feel anymore of his friends. He could, however, feel a tremendous number of other entities, although he not known them in the past. His all-present mind projected itself and focused, one at a time, on each individual being. Peering into their subconscious minds, he learned many names...
Erdawn Il Deus; Selene Starblade; Scripture; Abaddon; Kargath; Alucard; Conan Edogawa; the Darkness; Inferno Dragon; the Unknown Author; Nintendogod; the Metal Man; Tazy; Acradius Journeyman....
The list of names continued for a full ten minutes, bringing to his mind a massive list of hundreds of names. The roster was extensive, but he did not know these people. Perhaps some of those people had heard of his exploits? Either way, he could distinguish from their thoughts that many of them had great talent. Some were more experienced than others; some were gifted with innate powers that dwarfed their opponents; still others held positions of prestige and influence. Any and all would be helpful, but Firestorm had never engaged the majority of them in combat and could not tell the worthy from the weak.
He could not afford to be burdened down by weak allies.
There must be some way to filter the great warriors from the thousands of weaklings...
To call all of them would take hours. To determine who was worthy would take more hours still.
I have a solution...
Firestorm whispered a brief incantion silently, his lips moving but no sound emerging.
May only the warriors of destiny hear this call....
"Come to me..."
Unlike his previous summons, this call was quiet, a breathy whisper immediately drowned out by the wind. However, the power of the magic in those words carried them far beyond their normal range, riding the wind and scattering into the distance. The faint breeze transported the voice throughout the far reaches of the Gunjin, projecting them directly into the minds of those who had proven themselves in battle.
Firestorm's voice was again answered by nothing but the breezy voice of nature.
However, that would soon change as his voice reached the ears and minds of Gunjin's inhabitants...
(I tried to make this a separate post, but the board keeps automerging...) :smashhead:
Story topic time.
I'm not sure how long it's been since anyone ran a story topic here, so I'll go over the rules again:
The basic law of the Gunjin which states that "All charcters are created equal" does not apply here; some charcters are far more powerful. Please don't make any posts wherein you singlehandedly wallop them.
Second, as a story topic, events that occur in this thread are permanent. In other words... don't die. Now, this is more of a guideline than rule, so if you just happen to die and it doesn't really fit into your schedule, you can always ignore that occurance outside this topic. However, to maintain a sense of continuity, it helps to respect permanent changes.
With that said, any new weapons obtained or skills learned can be used in other battles.
If you have a storyline that you would like interwoven with mine, PM it to me and I'll work it in, provided it isn't so complex that it requires its own topic.
Likewise, if you would like to have your own villain appear in here, let me know.
Any suggestions via PM will be much appreciated.
And now, to rant and rave.
[Ranting-and-raving]
As far as participation is concerned, anyone is free to join. I'm not going to turn anyone away and say they're not good enough or too inexperienced. Everyone is welcome, that is, until I have too many people for me to keep up with, at which point I will declare the story full. I will, however, ask that only experienced/skilled writers enter my story; it means a lot to me and I don't want to have to deal with n00bish nonsense.
Furthermore, since this is a reunion-style topic, anyone who knew way back when will receive priority as far as joining.
I'm sorry if this offends you; I promise I'll make another whole topic especially for you to whine in.
[/ranting-and-raving]
Now then, get in here.
-
The Willful Wanderer
- Member
- Posts: 2221
- Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2004 2:00 am
- Location: Aisle 12, between the kumquats and the radicchio.
Hi! I'm away for eternity, please leave a message after the beep....
"You call for names that have long been extinguished, warrior."
Firestorm looked up, smiling slightly at that, while his companions shifted. Something about the voice made them restless... uneasy. There was a faint, echoing quality there that minded them of a distant echo- and yet at the same time, the harsh quietude of the words lent it the quality of a whisper.
"Know you that Selene Starblade is dead and gone for all Ever and onward. Do not seek to call for her again." The voice warned quietly in everyone's ears. "You might well waken her.... and here the aphorism about care with wishes holds quite thoroughly true...."
The gi-clad man winced slightly, and nodded to himself, still looking up into the air. He could feel it now- this wasn't one presence, but many. At least fifty, maybe even a hundred, all linked and thinking similarly. Who or whatever it was that sorted the 'streams' of communication was converting the mass of thought into a unified front- but it bore disparate tenors, that he could tell. Several of them quite... upset.
"Reach not for that one actively again."
"I'm sorry to have bothered on that." Firestorm apologized, bowing slightly. "I thought that my listening would not draw attention."
"Not all work as you do, or in frame you understand. Now then.... you seek a warrior, yes? There are many here who might answer, but such a large number... no, it would make things far beyond awkwards. Speak of a quality you desire, and one with it shall.... volunteer. Be it the greatest, the swiftest, the toughest, the most subtle, the most numerous, the most unpredictable....."
Then, its attention seemed to turn aside. A weight that none present had realized in its descent lifted from their shoulders and released the heavy air to breeze about again through the grass.
But it... no, they, were still listening. And Firestorm frowned slightly to consider. It was too much like having only one wish. For what would he ask?
"You call for names that have long been extinguished, warrior."
Firestorm looked up, smiling slightly at that, while his companions shifted. Something about the voice made them restless... uneasy. There was a faint, echoing quality there that minded them of a distant echo- and yet at the same time, the harsh quietude of the words lent it the quality of a whisper.
"Know you that Selene Starblade is dead and gone for all Ever and onward. Do not seek to call for her again." The voice warned quietly in everyone's ears. "You might well waken her.... and here the aphorism about care with wishes holds quite thoroughly true...."
The gi-clad man winced slightly, and nodded to himself, still looking up into the air. He could feel it now- this wasn't one presence, but many. At least fifty, maybe even a hundred, all linked and thinking similarly. Who or whatever it was that sorted the 'streams' of communication was converting the mass of thought into a unified front- but it bore disparate tenors, that he could tell. Several of them quite... upset.
"Reach not for that one actively again."
"I'm sorry to have bothered on that." Firestorm apologized, bowing slightly. "I thought that my listening would not draw attention."
"Not all work as you do, or in frame you understand. Now then.... you seek a warrior, yes? There are many here who might answer, but such a large number... no, it would make things far beyond awkwards. Speak of a quality you desire, and one with it shall.... volunteer. Be it the greatest, the swiftest, the toughest, the most subtle, the most numerous, the most unpredictable....."
Then, its attention seemed to turn aside. A weight that none present had realized in its descent lifted from their shoulders and released the heavy air to breeze about again through the grass.
But it... no, they, were still listening. And Firestorm frowned slightly to consider. It was too much like having only one wish. For what would he ask?
\"What if nothing means anything? What if nothing really matters?.....
...Or suppose <b><i>EVERYTHING</b></i> matters. Which would be worse?\"
-Calvin
\"Joke \'em if they can\'t take a f$%k.\"
...Or suppose <b><i>EVERYTHING</b></i> matters. Which would be worse?\"
-Calvin
\"Joke \'em if they can\'t take a f$%k.\"
-
Firestorm
- Member
- Posts: 2332
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: An asylum for the criminally stupid
Wish upon a star
The voice in the air still reverberated in the heads of all six of the visitors.
"What kind of enchantment is this?" demanded Jen Kai.
Quiet... it's waiting for a response," Jago concluded.
Ranto looked into the air thoughtfully.
"Hey Firestorm... if I'm interpreting this right, you're only going to get one person to help you out here. Pick the quality you need most. And pick carefully!"
"I can tell... question is, which quality do we need most among our ranks?"
In unison, the Mordorians voiced their opinions:
Jago: Experience.
Shurianno: Determination.
Jen Kai: Courage.
Ranto: Power.
Lynn: Teamwork.
Firestorm slowly shook his head. All those qualities would be helpful, but in the long run, he had to narrow it down.
"I seek... the most heroic. The one who has that intangible something in him that allows him to succeed where others fail and to press on when others have given up hope."
The voice in the air still reverberated in the heads of all six of the visitors.
"What kind of enchantment is this?" demanded Jen Kai.
Quiet... it's waiting for a response," Jago concluded.
Ranto looked into the air thoughtfully.
"Hey Firestorm... if I'm interpreting this right, you're only going to get one person to help you out here. Pick the quality you need most. And pick carefully!"
"I can tell... question is, which quality do we need most among our ranks?"
In unison, the Mordorians voiced their opinions:
Jago: Experience.
Shurianno: Determination.
Jen Kai: Courage.
Ranto: Power.
Lynn: Teamwork.
Firestorm slowly shook his head. All those qualities would be helpful, but in the long run, he had to narrow it down.
"I seek... the most heroic. The one who has that intangible something in him that allows him to succeed where others fail and to press on when others have given up hope."
-
The Willful Wanderer
- Member
- Posts: 2221
- Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2004 2:00 am
- Location: Aisle 12, between the kumquats and the radicchio.
Ain't that a kick in the seat of the pants?
Silently, the sense of presence returned, lowering itself about the area like a thick cloak, or perhaps some form of fog. For a moment, it gave no sound, but when it spoke it bore the distinct tone of amusement.
"You ask for a quality that all of us possess." The presence spoke, and then smiled. None of those present could figure out how they understood it to do so, but smile it did, and warmly at them. "Though.... none of us is a 'he'. Not precisely, at any rate."
A brief pause came.
"Well, then," Firestorm began to answer, "We'll-"
"Ah, there is a volunteer. Your friends, they speak of great values, and of all these... yes. This will suit you best. Be warned, 'Teamwork' is hard to know for the paths we walk, and may well take odd shape. 'Determination' often turns to stubbornness, 'Power' subject to restriction, 'Experience' is relative, and 'Courage'? That needs be tempered."
The man nodded, then. "Your cautioning is taken."
"That is well to know. Be aware- from here on, if you wish to call upon us, call for the Willful Wanderers. Disturb not the deity's grave."
A wind whipped by, bearing a few small bits of leaf and broad blades of grass. Things which neither belonged nor fit on this savannah of drying brown. The six would be left to wonder what exactly had really been happening- for there was little in explanation.
And then there was quiet.
***********************
The next sign of presence was much more material- a gentle shaking of the ground. Not so much as a quake, but enough to be tangible to the group standing still in the midst of the grasses. For a few moments, they looked puzzled, then turned in varied directions to seek the origin.
It was Jago who spotted the source first.
"....Thrymkin?" He rumbled, puzzledly. The unexpected tone of the comment led the others to turn and look where he did.
There, striding across the plains, was a titan to Jago's giant. Fully forty feet and then a bit she stood, leaving immense bootprints in the spread of grass. Her skin was a strong, dusky blue where it showed, and her hair the flaxen faded yellow one would expect of Norse who lived in the chill regions. Despite their immense size, her boots were clearly made of leather not from tiny patches, and the same was to be said of her close breeches. The links in her chainmail skirt had to be four inches long each, the mass of metal reaching down to mid-thigh. Even more impressively, she wore what looked to be an appropriately sized corset- made of steel and lined in white fur. Bracers with etchings of stormclouds striking adorned her wrists and lower arms, and the titanic, almost gladiatorial shoulderguards she bore rose up to even with her cheekbones, only enhancing her incredible size. No helmet she wore, her severe face exposed with its short-pointed ears only slightly showing from the long, wind-tousled mass of blonde hair. Even all that, though, paled to the two objects seemingly attached to the huge leather cross-straps about her torso. The quiver of arrows like young saplings was only to be expected- as she bore with her an immensely long bow, the staff behind her and reaching up above her left shoulder. A bow that held a length of fifty feet if it had an inch to it. With its hilt up over her other shoulder was a positively mind-boggling greatsword, full length clearly equal to that of the giantess carrying it.
Coming to a stop with her boot-toes a scant ten feet from the group (and thus demonstrating that yes, those were real leather, cut from pieces larger than most city property lots. A brief shift, and a quaking of the ground as fifteen tons of frost-giant Aesir moved down about ten feet, and she bowed her head to look at the small group with quiet, mist-gray eyes.
"I am Uldi Skadisdottir, and I answer your call of mine own volition. Is Reiko here yet?"
Firestorm stared up at the huge woman. "...who?"
"Me."
It took a bit of effort, but Firestorm managed to remove his gaze from the astonishingly enormous woman (who seemed to bear about her a vague... chill) and turn. What he beheld would have been considered nightmare and granted a great hunt in many places.
A bristling mass of long brown quills. Two black horns. Eyes of a rich, bloody crimson. Long-pointed ears. A three-foot green reptilian tail with four curved spikes near the tip, two to a side. And she stood eight and a half feet tall, bulky and solid. Reiko gave a smirking grin that showed her very pronounced canines on one side. She knew she must look a fright, despite the soothing sea-blues of her cheongsam and obi, or the clean white of the silk bow pulling her quills into an approximation of a tail. Her spiked bracelets only contributed to the sharpness of her appearance granted by horns, quills, and tailspikes, to the point that the monogrammed black sea-turtle on the breastplate and any real details of her buckled white boots would likely be lost.
"...There wouldn't be a third army arriving, would there?" Firestorm asked, slightly miffed. What was it with the sudden appearances of really really big women?
"You're asking about me, then."
The entire cluster twitched, turning as one to the space between them. Uldi quirked up one blonde eyebrow as her attention shifted slightly, and Reiko shook her head with a smile, quills rattling in a gentle sussuration that would have lent itself well to ocean waves.
There, amidst them, was Karna. Not even five feet she stood, purple hair in an angled cut that looked almost like some sort of a helmet. Her ragged-edged white cloak billowed slightly about her, revealing heavy brown leather boots and thick, padded leather fingerless gauntlets. Her dusky-teal bodysuit covered from angles up to over her bosom in front, the back scooping a fair bit lower, though it could not be seen. Her own gray eyes peered up at Uldi's before she nodded, pulling her naginata in close to herself. Worrisome it was, the pale splotch of the old scar over her heart, in sharp contrast with her dark islander skin tones. Where Reiko was bulky, and Uldi (as well an Aesir would be) thoroughly statuesque, the much shorter woman was plush, even a slight bit chubby.
"Three we come. Though, this may be overkill of a sort." She commented quietly, in a very crisp, neutral accent. Then, more relaxedly, "I mean, with Reiko here, y' don't need me or Uldi most likely. Then again, you really don' want our spiky friend t' hafta pull out th' stops."
Uldi smiled slightly, Reiko blushed a bit. Karna continued to bear no particular expression.
Silently, the sense of presence returned, lowering itself about the area like a thick cloak, or perhaps some form of fog. For a moment, it gave no sound, but when it spoke it bore the distinct tone of amusement.
"You ask for a quality that all of us possess." The presence spoke, and then smiled. None of those present could figure out how they understood it to do so, but smile it did, and warmly at them. "Though.... none of us is a 'he'. Not precisely, at any rate."
A brief pause came.
"Well, then," Firestorm began to answer, "We'll-"
"Ah, there is a volunteer. Your friends, they speak of great values, and of all these... yes. This will suit you best. Be warned, 'Teamwork' is hard to know for the paths we walk, and may well take odd shape. 'Determination' often turns to stubbornness, 'Power' subject to restriction, 'Experience' is relative, and 'Courage'? That needs be tempered."
The man nodded, then. "Your cautioning is taken."
"That is well to know. Be aware- from here on, if you wish to call upon us, call for the Willful Wanderers. Disturb not the deity's grave."
A wind whipped by, bearing a few small bits of leaf and broad blades of grass. Things which neither belonged nor fit on this savannah of drying brown. The six would be left to wonder what exactly had really been happening- for there was little in explanation.
And then there was quiet.
***********************
The next sign of presence was much more material- a gentle shaking of the ground. Not so much as a quake, but enough to be tangible to the group standing still in the midst of the grasses. For a few moments, they looked puzzled, then turned in varied directions to seek the origin.
It was Jago who spotted the source first.
"....Thrymkin?" He rumbled, puzzledly. The unexpected tone of the comment led the others to turn and look where he did.
There, striding across the plains, was a titan to Jago's giant. Fully forty feet and then a bit she stood, leaving immense bootprints in the spread of grass. Her skin was a strong, dusky blue where it showed, and her hair the flaxen faded yellow one would expect of Norse who lived in the chill regions. Despite their immense size, her boots were clearly made of leather not from tiny patches, and the same was to be said of her close breeches. The links in her chainmail skirt had to be four inches long each, the mass of metal reaching down to mid-thigh. Even more impressively, she wore what looked to be an appropriately sized corset- made of steel and lined in white fur. Bracers with etchings of stormclouds striking adorned her wrists and lower arms, and the titanic, almost gladiatorial shoulderguards she bore rose up to even with her cheekbones, only enhancing her incredible size. No helmet she wore, her severe face exposed with its short-pointed ears only slightly showing from the long, wind-tousled mass of blonde hair. Even all that, though, paled to the two objects seemingly attached to the huge leather cross-straps about her torso. The quiver of arrows like young saplings was only to be expected- as she bore with her an immensely long bow, the staff behind her and reaching up above her left shoulder. A bow that held a length of fifty feet if it had an inch to it. With its hilt up over her other shoulder was a positively mind-boggling greatsword, full length clearly equal to that of the giantess carrying it.
Coming to a stop with her boot-toes a scant ten feet from the group (and thus demonstrating that yes, those were real leather, cut from pieces larger than most city property lots. A brief shift, and a quaking of the ground as fifteen tons of frost-giant Aesir moved down about ten feet, and she bowed her head to look at the small group with quiet, mist-gray eyes.
"I am Uldi Skadisdottir, and I answer your call of mine own volition. Is Reiko here yet?"
Firestorm stared up at the huge woman. "...who?"
"Me."
It took a bit of effort, but Firestorm managed to remove his gaze from the astonishingly enormous woman (who seemed to bear about her a vague... chill) and turn. What he beheld would have been considered nightmare and granted a great hunt in many places.
A bristling mass of long brown quills. Two black horns. Eyes of a rich, bloody crimson. Long-pointed ears. A three-foot green reptilian tail with four curved spikes near the tip, two to a side. And she stood eight and a half feet tall, bulky and solid. Reiko gave a smirking grin that showed her very pronounced canines on one side. She knew she must look a fright, despite the soothing sea-blues of her cheongsam and obi, or the clean white of the silk bow pulling her quills into an approximation of a tail. Her spiked bracelets only contributed to the sharpness of her appearance granted by horns, quills, and tailspikes, to the point that the monogrammed black sea-turtle on the breastplate and any real details of her buckled white boots would likely be lost.
"...There wouldn't be a third army arriving, would there?" Firestorm asked, slightly miffed. What was it with the sudden appearances of really really big women?
"You're asking about me, then."
The entire cluster twitched, turning as one to the space between them. Uldi quirked up one blonde eyebrow as her attention shifted slightly, and Reiko shook her head with a smile, quills rattling in a gentle sussuration that would have lent itself well to ocean waves.
There, amidst them, was Karna. Not even five feet she stood, purple hair in an angled cut that looked almost like some sort of a helmet. Her ragged-edged white cloak billowed slightly about her, revealing heavy brown leather boots and thick, padded leather fingerless gauntlets. Her dusky-teal bodysuit covered from angles up to over her bosom in front, the back scooping a fair bit lower, though it could not be seen. Her own gray eyes peered up at Uldi's before she nodded, pulling her naginata in close to herself. Worrisome it was, the pale splotch of the old scar over her heart, in sharp contrast with her dark islander skin tones. Where Reiko was bulky, and Uldi (as well an Aesir would be) thoroughly statuesque, the much shorter woman was plush, even a slight bit chubby.
"Three we come. Though, this may be overkill of a sort." She commented quietly, in a very crisp, neutral accent. Then, more relaxedly, "I mean, with Reiko here, y' don't need me or Uldi most likely. Then again, you really don' want our spiky friend t' hafta pull out th' stops."
Uldi smiled slightly, Reiko blushed a bit. Karna continued to bear no particular expression.
\"What if nothing means anything? What if nothing really matters?.....
...Or suppose <b><i>EVERYTHING</b></i> matters. Which would be worse?\"
-Calvin
\"Joke \'em if they can\'t take a f$%k.\"
...Or suppose <b><i>EVERYTHING</b></i> matters. Which would be worse?\"
-Calvin
\"Joke \'em if they can\'t take a f$%k.\"
-
Repster
- Member
- Posts: 6130
- Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: J'tun ostie d'Acadien.
"Sounds like a tuesday. So what do we got? Crazy magey type thing, most likely undead? Lord of demons or devils or some such? God? One who reaches past the gods? Some sort of freaky beast? Some random dude that stole your lunch? Your ex-wife?"
Again, the group was disturbed by a voice that gave no warning before hand. That voice... Firestorm turned and did not see what, or rather who, he expected. Where he expected a towering draconic beast of fire, there was what looked at first glance to be human. Humming and Juggling of all things.
Obviously fit from training body and mind, the monk held a small smile on his face. The golden eye, more like a wild beast then a man, in his right socket held no mirth, only a sense of calm serenity, contentment, and pure unrestricted madness. Fiery short red hair toped his skull and blew with the breeze, against it, and was unaffected by it. For it's seemingly endless tones of reds and near orange, it might as well be fire a top his head. Across the other side of his face was a scar. A massive thing that went from crown, hair undisturbed by it but one could swear they could almost see it, down and down along his flesh circling below his right ribs and stopping near his spine. A clean neat line. The wound of having been cut in twain. The eye patch that covered the left eye, it must be missing considering the scar ran right in the middle of it, held an unknown rune painted in what looked to be blood.
The countless balls, countless for they're identical coloration of a mesh of two dozen and one shades of bright pink, seem to disappear up his sleeves as he shifted his position on the tree he leaned against. They're were two things wrong with that. First, he had no sleeves. What looked to be a tattoo, of a golden dragon spiraling around the length of his right arm and resting it's head on the back of his hand. It had the consistency of a mark left by a brand on the backside of a cow. The thing, was clearly visible, as was the scar previously mentioned. Second, there were no trees for miles. Yet, there it was, a tree big enough for him to lean on.
His right hand went to his hip, grasped a silver flask and he took a swig. The scent of strong alcohol, that most likely tasted vile, wafted out before he fitted the cap back on it the same motion he had remove and clipped it back. A silver ring in plain leather strip held it. Pain strip that held a few pouches, little under a dozen, each on a similar ring. The buckle was something else. Finely crafted of the purest silver, in the shape of a dragon, just the red gemstone eyes surrounded by a thing layer of gold could be worth a fortune. The mass of folds that was his pristine white silk trousers rippled slightly in the breeze. A clear sign it was thin. He was sorely lacking in footwear.
"Firestorm is it? Names Aidan Dreiks. I'm pretty damn sure you know what's sleeping in me bloody head, having called out the bugger. Like a damn parasite really. Made me loose my mind... twice. Course, wasen't much sane in me before hand. Best not to wake it up eh? 's got a bit of a temper. It be a strange situation, but neary a day when I care much of it. Brings in some nice...perks." he chuckled. His voice, with it's undertone to made it sound like he was speaking from within a burning building, was clear, and seem to come from more then one place at a time.
Just to prove his point, and outright squash any doubts in the man's mind of who Aidan was. The monk slid the eyepatch to the side, and exposed what was beneath. It was not allowed fresh air for more then a moment, but that was all Firestorm needed to see. Fire, a perfect orb of the stuff constantly shifting, with what looked like an iris of blood trapping within in more fire. A pupil as it were, of such intensity that It seemed on the point of bursting out and setting the area ablaze, it's tiny prison weak walls. It seemed to be doing just that in the half second it was exposed growing stronger, and the outer laying draining it's strength and rising in intensity as well. Nothing else could had those eyes, or eye in this case. Lesser beings would have cowered from it. Not so much that is was a frightening sight, as it forced fear upon the weak minded.
The eyepatch once again covering what might as well be a sun, the monk chuckled and swatted at something unseen. Unseen because it was quite simply not there.
Again, the group was disturbed by a voice that gave no warning before hand. That voice... Firestorm turned and did not see what, or rather who, he expected. Where he expected a towering draconic beast of fire, there was what looked at first glance to be human. Humming and Juggling of all things.
Obviously fit from training body and mind, the monk held a small smile on his face. The golden eye, more like a wild beast then a man, in his right socket held no mirth, only a sense of calm serenity, contentment, and pure unrestricted madness. Fiery short red hair toped his skull and blew with the breeze, against it, and was unaffected by it. For it's seemingly endless tones of reds and near orange, it might as well be fire a top his head. Across the other side of his face was a scar. A massive thing that went from crown, hair undisturbed by it but one could swear they could almost see it, down and down along his flesh circling below his right ribs and stopping near his spine. A clean neat line. The wound of having been cut in twain. The eye patch that covered the left eye, it must be missing considering the scar ran right in the middle of it, held an unknown rune painted in what looked to be blood.
The countless balls, countless for they're identical coloration of a mesh of two dozen and one shades of bright pink, seem to disappear up his sleeves as he shifted his position on the tree he leaned against. They're were two things wrong with that. First, he had no sleeves. What looked to be a tattoo, of a golden dragon spiraling around the length of his right arm and resting it's head on the back of his hand. It had the consistency of a mark left by a brand on the backside of a cow. The thing, was clearly visible, as was the scar previously mentioned. Second, there were no trees for miles. Yet, there it was, a tree big enough for him to lean on.
His right hand went to his hip, grasped a silver flask and he took a swig. The scent of strong alcohol, that most likely tasted vile, wafted out before he fitted the cap back on it the same motion he had remove and clipped it back. A silver ring in plain leather strip held it. Pain strip that held a few pouches, little under a dozen, each on a similar ring. The buckle was something else. Finely crafted of the purest silver, in the shape of a dragon, just the red gemstone eyes surrounded by a thing layer of gold could be worth a fortune. The mass of folds that was his pristine white silk trousers rippled slightly in the breeze. A clear sign it was thin. He was sorely lacking in footwear.
"Firestorm is it? Names Aidan Dreiks. I'm pretty damn sure you know what's sleeping in me bloody head, having called out the bugger. Like a damn parasite really. Made me loose my mind... twice. Course, wasen't much sane in me before hand. Best not to wake it up eh? 's got a bit of a temper. It be a strange situation, but neary a day when I care much of it. Brings in some nice...perks." he chuckled. His voice, with it's undertone to made it sound like he was speaking from within a burning building, was clear, and seem to come from more then one place at a time.
Just to prove his point, and outright squash any doubts in the man's mind of who Aidan was. The monk slid the eyepatch to the side, and exposed what was beneath. It was not allowed fresh air for more then a moment, but that was all Firestorm needed to see. Fire, a perfect orb of the stuff constantly shifting, with what looked like an iris of blood trapping within in more fire. A pupil as it were, of such intensity that It seemed on the point of bursting out and setting the area ablaze, it's tiny prison weak walls. It seemed to be doing just that in the half second it was exposed growing stronger, and the outer laying draining it's strength and rising in intensity as well. Nothing else could had those eyes, or eye in this case. Lesser beings would have cowered from it. Not so much that is was a frightening sight, as it forced fear upon the weak minded.
The eyepatch once again covering what might as well be a sun, the monk chuckled and swatted at something unseen. Unseen because it was quite simply not there.
When our world is burning.
When all run like the cowards they are.
I shall stand in the inferno, and fight until I am consumed
When all run like the cowards they are.
I shall stand in the inferno, and fight until I am consumed
-
Firestorm
- Member
- Posts: 2332
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: An asylum for the criminally stupid
Reactions
OoC: Forty feet? Um.... well then...
The reaction to the appearance of the three intimidating women varied greatly from person to person...
---------------------------------
[Firestorm]
The appearance of a forty foot woman did surprise him, which was unusual. Given the seemingly infinite size of the presence that had addressed him at first, he should have expected something like this. Fear was not one of his usual reactions, though he thought he felt something akin to it when he first spotted her coming.
As she drew closer, he could discern that she was female. This detail he had determined when he spoke to the presence, for the mannerisms of the presence, though unseen, had made it obvious.
He would likely have backed off from the creature as it approached, were it not for two things:
1: This creature was not exerting an aura of hostility, &
2: He had killed larger creatures before.
Not to say he want to fight this person. Indeed, avoiding conflict would be infinitely wise, given the circumstances. Besides, size was rarely an indication of power. Of strength, yes, but power? No.
"I am Uldi Skadisdottir, and I answer your call of mine own volition. Is Reiko here yet?"
Firestorm did not recognize the name. Presumably, Reiko was another huge female. As a matter of fact, he could feel her approach even now. She was smaller, it seemed. He replied with, "Who?"
"Me," the second lady said.
Firestorm turned to face his second visitor, and the only word that ran through his mind was "Whoa." This creature, despite being smaller, was still a good two feet taller than him and just as unpleasant as the first creature. Still, judging from its appearance, it was probably more dangerous than the titanic woman.
Firestorm was unimpressed with Karna, but still pleased with her decision to join him for the time being.
------------------------------
[Jago]
From the moment they had arrived, Jago had seen the presence. Its intangibility and its invisibility mattered nothing to him; he saw all. Before Firestorm had even first spoken, Jago knew who would answer and who would ignore... nothing escaped the scope of his mind.
Before the massive creature even approached, the Truth spoke to Jago.
Uldi Skadisdottir...
The Truth was all knowing...
Reiko...
The Truth was all seeing...
Karna...
The Truth was all feeling...
The only reason Jago even turned to look at the visitors was out of courtesy; he did not need see them to know them... to feel them.
Not a single one of them seemed to phase Jago.
---------------------------------
[Shurianno]
Shurianno’s sixth sense was extremely well developed, and he tended to anticipate things before they occured...
But the forty foot tall woman’s approach caught him completely off guard. He was dumbfounded... he had fought a demi dragon once, which measured about twenty-eight feet tall, but even that was nothing in comparison. Upon the woman’s arrival, he nearly shrank back. Only his status as guildmaster and his reputation at stake kept him from backing away.
The second creature was far less intimidating.
I’ve killed a million things like this one. Hopefully, she’s a little stronger...
Shurianno’s perspectives were somewhat skewed; a number of the nightmarish creatures that dwelt underneath his hometown resembled this second creature, and thus he equated her with them.
The third woman was a sigh of relief, a brief flash of normalcy despite her strange hair.
--------------------------------
[Jen Kai]
Jen Kai’s reaction to all three of the ladies was identical:
He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, muscles tense.
Theoretically, in time, he could grow to trust the first and last of the three.
The demonic-looking porcupine woman, however, would probably never earn his trust. As far as he was concerned, as soon as this was over, he and that thing would part company permanently.
---------------------------------
[Ranto]
Ranto reacted similarly to Jen Kai, tensed up and on guard, though he did not bother grasping his sword.
I hope these things aren’t looking for a fight. Not that it really matters... Jago could kill them all in five seconds, I don’t care how big they are. And even if he couldn’t.... they couldn’t possibly stand up to the darkness...
But...
I like that spiky one. I’ll bet she can cause pain quite exquisitely...
He always liked that.
---------------------------------
[Lynn]
Lynn cowered behind Jago at the approach of the behemoth. Behind his bulk, she didn’t care if the sky fell; he could catch it and put it back.
The approach of the second one further startled her, though Reiko offered some kind words to calm her down.
“You needn’t be frightened... we’re not here to fight. Not to fight you, anyway,” the monstrosity told her. Yet, it seemed that the creature’s ability to speak just made matters worse.
She’ll get used to us after awhile...
-----------------------------------
“I truly appreciate you’re coming to meet me,” Firestorm announced. His voice commanded attention, despite the presence of three creatures that dwarfed him. “I hope I don’t sound rude, but if you wouldn’t mind waiting until the others arrive, I’d prefer not to tell the same story ten times.”
“We ain’t in no hurry,” Karna told him.
OoC: Forty feet? Um.... well then...
The reaction to the appearance of the three intimidating women varied greatly from person to person...
---------------------------------
[Firestorm]
The appearance of a forty foot woman did surprise him, which was unusual. Given the seemingly infinite size of the presence that had addressed him at first, he should have expected something like this. Fear was not one of his usual reactions, though he thought he felt something akin to it when he first spotted her coming.
As she drew closer, he could discern that she was female. This detail he had determined when he spoke to the presence, for the mannerisms of the presence, though unseen, had made it obvious.
He would likely have backed off from the creature as it approached, were it not for two things:
1: This creature was not exerting an aura of hostility, &
2: He had killed larger creatures before.
Not to say he want to fight this person. Indeed, avoiding conflict would be infinitely wise, given the circumstances. Besides, size was rarely an indication of power. Of strength, yes, but power? No.
"I am Uldi Skadisdottir, and I answer your call of mine own volition. Is Reiko here yet?"
Firestorm did not recognize the name. Presumably, Reiko was another huge female. As a matter of fact, he could feel her approach even now. She was smaller, it seemed. He replied with, "Who?"
"Me," the second lady said.
Firestorm turned to face his second visitor, and the only word that ran through his mind was "Whoa." This creature, despite being smaller, was still a good two feet taller than him and just as unpleasant as the first creature. Still, judging from its appearance, it was probably more dangerous than the titanic woman.
Firestorm was unimpressed with Karna, but still pleased with her decision to join him for the time being.
------------------------------
[Jago]
From the moment they had arrived, Jago had seen the presence. Its intangibility and its invisibility mattered nothing to him; he saw all. Before Firestorm had even first spoken, Jago knew who would answer and who would ignore... nothing escaped the scope of his mind.
Before the massive creature even approached, the Truth spoke to Jago.
Uldi Skadisdottir...
The Truth was all knowing...
Reiko...
The Truth was all seeing...
Karna...
The Truth was all feeling...
The only reason Jago even turned to look at the visitors was out of courtesy; he did not need see them to know them... to feel them.
Not a single one of them seemed to phase Jago.
---------------------------------
[Shurianno]
Shurianno’s sixth sense was extremely well developed, and he tended to anticipate things before they occured...
But the forty foot tall woman’s approach caught him completely off guard. He was dumbfounded... he had fought a demi dragon once, which measured about twenty-eight feet tall, but even that was nothing in comparison. Upon the woman’s arrival, he nearly shrank back. Only his status as guildmaster and his reputation at stake kept him from backing away.
The second creature was far less intimidating.
I’ve killed a million things like this one. Hopefully, she’s a little stronger...
Shurianno’s perspectives were somewhat skewed; a number of the nightmarish creatures that dwelt underneath his hometown resembled this second creature, and thus he equated her with them.
The third woman was a sigh of relief, a brief flash of normalcy despite her strange hair.
--------------------------------
[Jen Kai]
Jen Kai’s reaction to all three of the ladies was identical:
He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, muscles tense.
Theoretically, in time, he could grow to trust the first and last of the three.
The demonic-looking porcupine woman, however, would probably never earn his trust. As far as he was concerned, as soon as this was over, he and that thing would part company permanently.
---------------------------------
[Ranto]
Ranto reacted similarly to Jen Kai, tensed up and on guard, though he did not bother grasping his sword.
I hope these things aren’t looking for a fight. Not that it really matters... Jago could kill them all in five seconds, I don’t care how big they are. And even if he couldn’t.... they couldn’t possibly stand up to the darkness...
But...
I like that spiky one. I’ll bet she can cause pain quite exquisitely...
He always liked that.
---------------------------------
[Lynn]
Lynn cowered behind Jago at the approach of the behemoth. Behind his bulk, she didn’t care if the sky fell; he could catch it and put it back.
The approach of the second one further startled her, though Reiko offered some kind words to calm her down.
“You needn’t be frightened... we’re not here to fight. Not to fight you, anyway,” the monstrosity told her. Yet, it seemed that the creature’s ability to speak just made matters worse.
She’ll get used to us after awhile...
-----------------------------------
“I truly appreciate you’re coming to meet me,” Firestorm announced. His voice commanded attention, despite the presence of three creatures that dwarfed him. “I hope I don’t sound rude, but if you wouldn’t mind waiting until the others arrive, I’d prefer not to tell the same story ten times.”
“We ain’t in no hurry,” Karna told him.
-
Wyborn
- Member
- Posts: 12269
- Joined: Fri Jun 16, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: All over the place
OoC: I apologize that this isn't much, but you'll get more when some story gets started. Or character interaction. Or something! I hate entrances. -OoC
"Well isn't this already a pretty party," Wyborn said. There was a brief moment where several of the warriors nodded in a sort of ironic agreement, and then those who were inclined whipped their heads around to look at him.
He was standing amidst Firestorm's crew, having popped there as if he had been standing there the entire time. He slipped out from between them, green eyes bright and mouth bared in a grin that made him look like a devil. He was in his ancient Gerudo King armor, something he literally had not worn in years, but if he carried any weapon it was not visible.
There was not much else to say.
"Good to see you again, Firestorm. It has been some time." He was still grinning, but it was tained by the downturning of his eyebrows. "Ah...I see you still think about our last fight. I apologize for it; I was arrogant, and in the wrong, and don't count that fight as having ever finished."
Somebody was about to say something, somebody who was not Firestorm, and Wyborn held up his hand palm outwards, stifling them with little more than a motion.
"So what are we here for, man? You still after that soul vampire after all these years?"
"Well isn't this already a pretty party," Wyborn said. There was a brief moment where several of the warriors nodded in a sort of ironic agreement, and then those who were inclined whipped their heads around to look at him.
He was standing amidst Firestorm's crew, having popped there as if he had been standing there the entire time. He slipped out from between them, green eyes bright and mouth bared in a grin that made him look like a devil. He was in his ancient Gerudo King armor, something he literally had not worn in years, but if he carried any weapon it was not visible.
There was not much else to say.
"Good to see you again, Firestorm. It has been some time." He was still grinning, but it was tained by the downturning of his eyebrows. "Ah...I see you still think about our last fight. I apologize for it; I was arrogant, and in the wrong, and don't count that fight as having ever finished."
Somebody was about to say something, somebody who was not Firestorm, and Wyborn held up his hand palm outwards, stifling them with little more than a motion.
"So what are we here for, man? You still after that soul vampire after all these years?"
Help me out with the best fanfiction ever, Ganondorf Beats Up EVERYONE! You decide who gets beaten!
For the battle-minded and mathematically inclined, there's the Hyrulian War, a revived time-honored tradition!
For the battle-minded and mathematically inclined, there's the Hyrulian War, a revived time-honored tradition!
-
Firestorm
- Member
- Posts: 2332
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: An asylum for the criminally stupid
A Prison of Humanity
OoC: Holy cow, Repster, you speak English now! That's cool. I'm glad to see you're still around, man.
"Sounds like a tuesday. So what do we got? Crazy magey type thing, most likely undead? Lord of demons or devils or some such? God? One who reaches past the gods? Some sort of freaky beast? Some random dude that stole your lunch? Your ex-wife?"
Aidan took this moment to pull back his patch. Firestorm stared into the monk's eye socket, though it was only exposed for a few seconds. Still, a few seconds was all it took. That was the dragon all right; those same glowing eyes had belonged to the infamous dragon so many years back. The confrontation between the immortal dragon and the dimensional drifter had been catastrophic, literally ripping a hole in the fabric of reality.
"Firestorm is it? Names Aidan Dreiks. I'm pretty damn sure you know what's sleeping in me bloody head, having called out the bugger. Like a damn parasite really. Made me loose my mind... twice. Course, wasen't much sane in me before hand. Best not to wake it up eh? 's got a bit of a temper. It be a strange situation, but neary a day when I care much of it. Brings in some nice...perks."
"Some random dude who stole my lunch, of course. Now, do you mean to tell me that my old friend the dragon is inside you?"
"That's exactly right! It's really cool, actually, I can burn things now, and I'm a whole lot stronger. Ain't that right?"
Aidan motioned to the left with his elbow, as though he were poking someone in the ribs. But... there was no one standing there.
I think having Repster's power inside him is driving the man mad...
"So! What kind of lunch did the guy take from you?" the monk inquired, sounding serious.
"Umm... I'll give you the details in just a second. I hear someone else coming."
The monk staggered to the right as he said,
"Right! Call us when you're ready!"
Aidan and is imaginary friend sauntered back to the tree before jumping up into its branches to relax.
He's insane... but Repster's presence will definitely be of use.
OoC: Holy cow, Repster, you speak English now! That's cool. I'm glad to see you're still around, man.
"Sounds like a tuesday. So what do we got? Crazy magey type thing, most likely undead? Lord of demons or devils or some such? God? One who reaches past the gods? Some sort of freaky beast? Some random dude that stole your lunch? Your ex-wife?"
Aidan took this moment to pull back his patch. Firestorm stared into the monk's eye socket, though it was only exposed for a few seconds. Still, a few seconds was all it took. That was the dragon all right; those same glowing eyes had belonged to the infamous dragon so many years back. The confrontation between the immortal dragon and the dimensional drifter had been catastrophic, literally ripping a hole in the fabric of reality.
"Firestorm is it? Names Aidan Dreiks. I'm pretty damn sure you know what's sleeping in me bloody head, having called out the bugger. Like a damn parasite really. Made me loose my mind... twice. Course, wasen't much sane in me before hand. Best not to wake it up eh? 's got a bit of a temper. It be a strange situation, but neary a day when I care much of it. Brings in some nice...perks."
"Some random dude who stole my lunch, of course. Now, do you mean to tell me that my old friend the dragon is inside you?"
"That's exactly right! It's really cool, actually, I can burn things now, and I'm a whole lot stronger. Ain't that right?"
Aidan motioned to the left with his elbow, as though he were poking someone in the ribs. But... there was no one standing there.
I think having Repster's power inside him is driving the man mad...
"So! What kind of lunch did the guy take from you?" the monk inquired, sounding serious.
"Umm... I'll give you the details in just a second. I hear someone else coming."
The monk staggered to the right as he said,
"Right! Call us when you're ready!"
Aidan and is imaginary friend sauntered back to the tree before jumping up into its branches to relax.
He's insane... but Repster's presence will definitely be of use.
-
Firestorm
- Member
- Posts: 2332
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: An asylum for the criminally stupid
The Psychic Appears
And there he stood. The primary person Firestorm had been seeking, this infamous psychic sorceror had one of Firestorm's closest allies in the past. A mere six year absence had little bearing; they still had each other's backs.
"So what are we here for, man? You still after that soul vampire after all these years?"
The psychic's frank manner was of no surprise to Firestorm. He had always been a pretty direct person.''
"That's the gist of it. But before we get into that..."
Firestorm walked over to Wyborn and gave him a firm handshake. They made eye contact for a moment and Wyborn realized that the six year absence had changed his friend. The twinkle in his eyes was gone... replaced by a coldness that seemed out of place in him. The dark red eyes were no help, either.
Wyborn looked Firestorm up and down. The physical form was clearly different, but the aura was the same.
"A new form, huh? Where'd you pick this one up, and what's so special about it?"
Firestorm remembered now... the last time they had spoken, Firestorm had still been playing body snatcher, inhabiting the bodies of the strongest warriors he could find.
"Not quite... all those various forms I assumed before are gone. Instead, they've merged together to form the body you now see. It's a whole lot stronger than it looks. Not surprising, considering what it's made from. I still have access to most of the abilities I possessed, though, so it's more convenient this way."
"Sounds fun... now, why are we all here? I know you didn't call us for a tea party. Let's go stomp that vampire thingy flat and we can make it home in time to play cards."
"Gentlemen..." Jago interrupted, "... someone else is coming."
The entire group turned to witness the approach of...
And there he stood. The primary person Firestorm had been seeking, this infamous psychic sorceror had one of Firestorm's closest allies in the past. A mere six year absence had little bearing; they still had each other's backs.
"So what are we here for, man? You still after that soul vampire after all these years?"
The psychic's frank manner was of no surprise to Firestorm. He had always been a pretty direct person.''
"That's the gist of it. But before we get into that..."
Firestorm walked over to Wyborn and gave him a firm handshake. They made eye contact for a moment and Wyborn realized that the six year absence had changed his friend. The twinkle in his eyes was gone... replaced by a coldness that seemed out of place in him. The dark red eyes were no help, either.
Wyborn looked Firestorm up and down. The physical form was clearly different, but the aura was the same.
"A new form, huh? Where'd you pick this one up, and what's so special about it?"
Firestorm remembered now... the last time they had spoken, Firestorm had still been playing body snatcher, inhabiting the bodies of the strongest warriors he could find.
"Not quite... all those various forms I assumed before are gone. Instead, they've merged together to form the body you now see. It's a whole lot stronger than it looks. Not surprising, considering what it's made from. I still have access to most of the abilities I possessed, though, so it's more convenient this way."
"Sounds fun... now, why are we all here? I know you didn't call us for a tea party. Let's go stomp that vampire thingy flat and we can make it home in time to play cards."
"Gentlemen..." Jago interrupted, "... someone else is coming."
The entire group turned to witness the approach of...
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::Abbadon::
- Member
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:04 pm
- Location: Vegas
The Demon Wizard Returns
OoC: Sorry I gotta make this short... my network has a few flaws in it I have to fix...
A voice spoke in a smooth but pale voice...
"Well, well, Firestorm, its been a while friend. I hope you have not lost your sense of fight since we last met? with you at my side last time, we were near immortal, now I come to return the favor"
The small crew of warriors were all looking at this figure, puzzled...for they did not know him, except Firestorm. The man was tall, around 6'3, his figure was built like a trojan, but not massive. He was wearing all black, along with a black cape. His hair was white and touching his shoulders, his face was smooth and pale; his eyes were glowing with what looked like electricity. His wand was at his side. He was a Demon Mage from the lands of Abyss.
"All this rubbish on who is going to take over the Kingdom of Abyss has got me rather "stressed", I needed a break Firestorm. You know me, I dislike power struggles. Who are your friends? Ahhh, Wyborn, a Legend in my world, you and Luigi...my my my" Wyborn looked at Abbadon with a blank face but then nodded.
"And for the rest of you, I shall get to know you better in the future, whats the game this time?"
Abbadon smirked.....
OoC: Sorry I gotta make this short... my network has a few flaws in it I have to fix...
A voice spoke in a smooth but pale voice...
"Well, well, Firestorm, its been a while friend. I hope you have not lost your sense of fight since we last met? with you at my side last time, we were near immortal, now I come to return the favor"
The small crew of warriors were all looking at this figure, puzzled...for they did not know him, except Firestorm. The man was tall, around 6'3, his figure was built like a trojan, but not massive. He was wearing all black, along with a black cape. His hair was white and touching his shoulders, his face was smooth and pale; his eyes were glowing with what looked like electricity. His wand was at his side. He was a Demon Mage from the lands of Abyss.
"All this rubbish on who is going to take over the Kingdom of Abyss has got me rather "stressed", I needed a break Firestorm. You know me, I dislike power struggles. Who are your friends? Ahhh, Wyborn, a Legend in my world, you and Luigi...my my my" Wyborn looked at Abbadon with a blank face but then nodded.
"And for the rest of you, I shall get to know you better in the future, whats the game this time?"
Abbadon smirked.....
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Firestorm
- Member
- Posts: 2332
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: An asylum for the criminally stupid
The Demon King Emerges
Well this is unexpected. I haven't seen him in almost a millenia.
Firestorm and the demon lord had been put on the same side by circumstances in the far distant past. The reason the others present were unfamiliar with their former alliance was quite simply that it had existed long before the majority of them were born.
Just because we've fought together before doesn't mean he's trustworthy. He literally had no option other than teaming up with me before, but now he doesn't necessarily have to. He *IS* a demon, after all. They have a reputation of not being very loyal. Still, his resources and his power would still be of use. I guess I've got no real reason to doubt him...
Firestorm's silent discussion with himself left Abbadon standing silently for a full thirty seconds before he said anything.
"What's the matter, Firestorm? Demon got your tongue? You shouldn't be so surprised. After all, we did make a formidable alliance. With the two of us..."
Abbadon sneaked a look at the crowd around him...
"...we probably wouldn't need anyone else."
What's he trying to say? There's more to it than that. Does he want to fight me? Maybe he wants revenge? I did kind of wreck his fortress... but if I hadn't, we'd both be dead.
"Surely you're not thinking of allowing a DEMON to accompany us, are you, Firestorm?" Jen Kai inquired. "You know full well they can't be trusted. He'd just as soon devour our souls as fight with us!"
Jen Kai's provocative comment elicited multiple responses, most noticeably from Abbadon himself and Jago. As usual, however, Jago's supremely authoritative manner and sheer volume took precedence.
"Jen Kai! Do not be so disrespectful. He is a demon from another realm. Granted, the undeads and demons back in the mine were never to be trusted, but he not from our homeland. Leave him be. It is Firestorm's perrogative if he wishes to employ a demon creature."
"But..."
"ARE YOU ARGUING WITH ME?"
"N, no!"
"I did not think so. Now let them alone."
Just a slight tone of annoyance in Jago's voice was literally frightening to the Mordorians. Indeed, a minute increase of volume in his voice had earthshaking results, partly due to his stature and partly due to his occupation. Leaders needed to inspire confidence and awe; Jago was the master of doing so.
Jen Kai apologized as he backed away. He had not changed his mind; no, he had only decided to silence himself rather than get on Jago's bad side. He walked a short distance from the group and waited while Firestorm and Abbadon spoke about something. He did not care what they were saying.
"You should have known better than to object, Jen Kai," Ranto's voice whispered, "I mean, if Jago let me come along..."
Ranto had followed him away from the others and their conversation could not be overheard except by extremely keen ears. His laugh was muffled, but still chilling. It had an evil ring to it.
"... then he'd not care if Satan joined us."
Jen Kai turned and stared into Ranto's eyes.
The two of them simply played the staring game for about ten seconds before Jen Kai threatened him:
"Ranto... I am going to kill you. I am not sure exactly when that opportunity will present itself, but I am going kill you."
Ranto wanted to just laugh if off, but something about the Paladin's tone made that hard to do.
---------------------------------------
"And that's how I ended up here," Firestorm concluded.
"Now, down to business. Jago, how many more people are coming?"
"That depends on how long we wait. A nearly unlimited supply of people will answer your call if we linger indefinitely," the giant told him.
"Fine. We'll wait for one more minute, and then we leave."
Well this is unexpected. I haven't seen him in almost a millenia.
Firestorm and the demon lord had been put on the same side by circumstances in the far distant past. The reason the others present were unfamiliar with their former alliance was quite simply that it had existed long before the majority of them were born.
Just because we've fought together before doesn't mean he's trustworthy. He literally had no option other than teaming up with me before, but now he doesn't necessarily have to. He *IS* a demon, after all. They have a reputation of not being very loyal. Still, his resources and his power would still be of use. I guess I've got no real reason to doubt him...
Firestorm's silent discussion with himself left Abbadon standing silently for a full thirty seconds before he said anything.
"What's the matter, Firestorm? Demon got your tongue? You shouldn't be so surprised. After all, we did make a formidable alliance. With the two of us..."
Abbadon sneaked a look at the crowd around him...
"...we probably wouldn't need anyone else."
What's he trying to say? There's more to it than that. Does he want to fight me? Maybe he wants revenge? I did kind of wreck his fortress... but if I hadn't, we'd both be dead.
"Surely you're not thinking of allowing a DEMON to accompany us, are you, Firestorm?" Jen Kai inquired. "You know full well they can't be trusted. He'd just as soon devour our souls as fight with us!"
Jen Kai's provocative comment elicited multiple responses, most noticeably from Abbadon himself and Jago. As usual, however, Jago's supremely authoritative manner and sheer volume took precedence.
"Jen Kai! Do not be so disrespectful. He is a demon from another realm. Granted, the undeads and demons back in the mine were never to be trusted, but he not from our homeland. Leave him be. It is Firestorm's perrogative if he wishes to employ a demon creature."
"But..."
"ARE YOU ARGUING WITH ME?"
"N, no!"
"I did not think so. Now let them alone."
Just a slight tone of annoyance in Jago's voice was literally frightening to the Mordorians. Indeed, a minute increase of volume in his voice had earthshaking results, partly due to his stature and partly due to his occupation. Leaders needed to inspire confidence and awe; Jago was the master of doing so.
Jen Kai apologized as he backed away. He had not changed his mind; no, he had only decided to silence himself rather than get on Jago's bad side. He walked a short distance from the group and waited while Firestorm and Abbadon spoke about something. He did not care what they were saying.
"You should have known better than to object, Jen Kai," Ranto's voice whispered, "I mean, if Jago let me come along..."
Ranto had followed him away from the others and their conversation could not be overheard except by extremely keen ears. His laugh was muffled, but still chilling. It had an evil ring to it.
"... then he'd not care if Satan joined us."
Jen Kai turned and stared into Ranto's eyes.
The two of them simply played the staring game for about ten seconds before Jen Kai threatened him:
"Ranto... I am going to kill you. I am not sure exactly when that opportunity will present itself, but I am going kill you."
Ranto wanted to just laugh if off, but something about the Paladin's tone made that hard to do.
---------------------------------------
"And that's how I ended up here," Firestorm concluded.
"Now, down to business. Jago, how many more people are coming?"
"That depends on how long we wait. A nearly unlimited supply of people will answer your call if we linger indefinitely," the giant told him.
"Fine. We'll wait for one more minute, and then we leave."
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NintendoGod
- Member
- Posts: 2754
- Joined: Sat Apr 15, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: Somewhere far too hot.
As Firestorm's comment hung in the soft breeze, a single mote of light appeared near the formidable group. As it floated in the air, it was joined by several others, and the amount grew until several dozen hovered above the field. The wind picked up sharply, whipping the loose clothing of those present in a momentary gust as the wind encircled the present parts of energy, twirling and twisting them together in a vortex, collapsing them into one another. A brief flash occurred at their unison, and the gale returned to it's casual breeze, scattering the energy to the winds and leaving behind... a man.
At first glance he appeared positively normal, aside from his strange choice in clothing. He appeared relatively near his thirties, though the way he carried himself hinted at having many more years of experience under his belt. He stood at an average 5'9", his form showing only average musculature. His vestments were comprised of a loose fitting pair of long pants and a simple traveler's tunic, both of them shockingly white. Despite the bright spotless color, they were clearly designed with the road in mind: tough and simple, and cut for ease of movement. Beneath these a keen observer could spot a set of silvery chainmail, both vest and leggings. His belt, made of tough leather and itself of no real interest, carried various pouches and containers for a myriad assortment of equipment. His boots and gauntlets, both of a supple brown leather, were plated over in a silvery metal that shone despite the many nicks and scrapes present from years of utility. Lastly, he wore a thick and brilliantly white cloak that seemed to glimmer in the sunlight, which hung behind him to the point of flowing just over the ground as he strode. For those who knew him, this bright mantle was the most potent of his protection: a legendary weave of nigh impenetrable metal fabric that few blades could tear, and defensive wards capable of deflecting a dragon's breath.
Concealed beneath this cloak was a dark blue metal scabbard, inlaid with silver runes depicting various mythical beings along it's length. Within lay Argent, a long silvered bastard sword that had served the warrior in his years of battle, culling many a foe on it's enchanted edge. It's edge and flat sparkled beneath the protection of it's scabbard, each engraved with various runes formed during it's crafting. The crosspiece was formed in a soft crescent, carved into the approximation of a pair of feathered wings, and it's hilt, a similar blue and silver to the scabbard, was centered with the woven image of a silver dragon, it's leathery wings spread wide to encompass the diameter of the handle. The ornate weapon was capped with a blue sapphire for the pommel, which seemed to glow even without the field's soft sunlight bathing it. Equaling it's luster were the man's eyes, a pair of silvery blue that twinkled with an inner spark of energy, accentuating the almost ever present hint of a smile on his lips. He strode a few steps closer to the group, and dropped a humble bow to those present.
"Lucius Kirinith, at your service. I believe you summoned me?"
At first glance he appeared positively normal, aside from his strange choice in clothing. He appeared relatively near his thirties, though the way he carried himself hinted at having many more years of experience under his belt. He stood at an average 5'9", his form showing only average musculature. His vestments were comprised of a loose fitting pair of long pants and a simple traveler's tunic, both of them shockingly white. Despite the bright spotless color, they were clearly designed with the road in mind: tough and simple, and cut for ease of movement. Beneath these a keen observer could spot a set of silvery chainmail, both vest and leggings. His belt, made of tough leather and itself of no real interest, carried various pouches and containers for a myriad assortment of equipment. His boots and gauntlets, both of a supple brown leather, were plated over in a silvery metal that shone despite the many nicks and scrapes present from years of utility. Lastly, he wore a thick and brilliantly white cloak that seemed to glimmer in the sunlight, which hung behind him to the point of flowing just over the ground as he strode. For those who knew him, this bright mantle was the most potent of his protection: a legendary weave of nigh impenetrable metal fabric that few blades could tear, and defensive wards capable of deflecting a dragon's breath.
Concealed beneath this cloak was a dark blue metal scabbard, inlaid with silver runes depicting various mythical beings along it's length. Within lay Argent, a long silvered bastard sword that had served the warrior in his years of battle, culling many a foe on it's enchanted edge. It's edge and flat sparkled beneath the protection of it's scabbard, each engraved with various runes formed during it's crafting. The crosspiece was formed in a soft crescent, carved into the approximation of a pair of feathered wings, and it's hilt, a similar blue and silver to the scabbard, was centered with the woven image of a silver dragon, it's leathery wings spread wide to encompass the diameter of the handle. The ornate weapon was capped with a blue sapphire for the pommel, which seemed to glow even without the field's soft sunlight bathing it. Equaling it's luster were the man's eyes, a pair of silvery blue that twinkled with an inner spark of energy, accentuating the almost ever present hint of a smile on his lips. He strode a few steps closer to the group, and dropped a humble bow to those present.
"Lucius Kirinith, at your service. I believe you summoned me?"
\"Yesterday we obyed kings and bent our necks before emperors, but today we kneel only to the truth.\"
--Khalil Gibran
\"It is a good day to Pie!\"
--Khalil Gibran
\"It is a good day to Pie!\"
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Ionic Fox
- Member
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2001 2:00 am
- Location: Classified
No stealth black helicopter whipped over head, depositing a shadowy figure onto a rooftop in the midst of night. No custom-designed motorcycle roared into town, its rider skidding the bike into a long skid which ended mere inches from the gathering group. Rather, a lone voice spoke from a long shadow that seemed to appear from nowhere.
"You keep calling for Shehar... sounds like you're pretty desperate, if you're trying to rally Darth Sakura to your side."
The shadow seemed to shrink away as the figure in the alley slowly approached the gathering group, the lower hemline of the figure's black-grey trenchcoat slowly coming into view. The tails of his coat began to to blow in the breeze which had just picked up, billowing behind him like a cape.
"Well, I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you. I haven't seen her in a period of time I've determined long enough to mean she's not returning."
The figure, now identifiable as a man from his outline, continued to fade into visibility, his outfit consisting of a figure hugging stealth suit augmented by strategically placed armor plating in vital locations. A large rifle hung off of his back, its scope nearly as large as the rifle itself, while at his waist, a long black sheath hid an impossibly sharp blade with a lineage.
"Lucky for you, where one of us falls... there is always another to replace her. And might I say, I plan on being one hell of a replacement."
The agent finally stepped fully into the light, revealing a head of forest green hair paired with a set of sunglasses which sat low upon the bridge of his nose.
"Special Agent Ionic Fox, and I guess I'm technically returning to duty, though you might say I'm doing this as a favor to an old friend." He adjusted the sunglasses. "What needs to get done?"
"You keep calling for Shehar... sounds like you're pretty desperate, if you're trying to rally Darth Sakura to your side."
The shadow seemed to shrink away as the figure in the alley slowly approached the gathering group, the lower hemline of the figure's black-grey trenchcoat slowly coming into view. The tails of his coat began to to blow in the breeze which had just picked up, billowing behind him like a cape.
"Well, I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you. I haven't seen her in a period of time I've determined long enough to mean she's not returning."
The figure, now identifiable as a man from his outline, continued to fade into visibility, his outfit consisting of a figure hugging stealth suit augmented by strategically placed armor plating in vital locations. A large rifle hung off of his back, its scope nearly as large as the rifle itself, while at his waist, a long black sheath hid an impossibly sharp blade with a lineage.
"Lucky for you, where one of us falls... there is always another to replace her. And might I say, I plan on being one hell of a replacement."
The agent finally stepped fully into the light, revealing a head of forest green hair paired with a set of sunglasses which sat low upon the bridge of his nose.
"Special Agent Ionic Fox, and I guess I'm technically returning to duty, though you might say I'm doing this as a favor to an old friend." He adjusted the sunglasses. "What needs to get done?"
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Nameless Author
- Member
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2007 4:55 pm
"So I was not mistaken. There was indeed disturbances in the dimensional fabric. Hail, heroes."
A large sky-blue book twisted itself into existence in front of the motley group with nary a flash or bang. It just appeared. The tome bore no title, no author, and if one were to look in the book it would be blank. Yet it spoke, with a slight Irish accent tinging the vocals. It turned slowly, observing each person silently.
"If I'm not mistaken, you are gathering together to defeat a vampire of some sort? Interesting."
The book flipped open and words were written with an invisible hand in a neat, elegant fashion. "My name is...well, you can call me Bookie for now."
The book closed and started to look at everyone again. "Yes, yes. A very nice collection here. Or at least I hope it is, since I know nothing about this vampire. Or maybe I do. Isn't it fun to be enigmatic?"
It flipped around and soared slightly higher before saying, "I would like to accompany you, if I may. You needn't worry about my combat ability, as I know just enough to not die in a fight. This adventure could very well be worth writing about. Or it might end up a failed attempt and we all die." Even when dispensing this potential grim outcome, the book's voice never wavered from anything less than bright and chipper.
"If you would like a demonstration of what I can do though, feel free to ask. Or maybe, this might help?"
The book flipped open again, but this time words materialized on the page. It ripped itself out and the book closed. The torn paper flitted down to the ground and exploded in a poof of white smoke along with a sound like a jack-in-the-box.
When the smoke faded, a faceless muscle-man stood in front of the group, wearing little more than a loincloth and perfect tanned skin. On his back was no hair along with a massive claymore. His hair was black, perfectly smooth and flowing. Were it not for the lack of a face, he would be fit to take Fabio's place in the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" commercials.
"Gentlemen, meet Gary Stu. He's the least of what I can do, but I hope that this will serve as an adequate demonstration."
A large sky-blue book twisted itself into existence in front of the motley group with nary a flash or bang. It just appeared. The tome bore no title, no author, and if one were to look in the book it would be blank. Yet it spoke, with a slight Irish accent tinging the vocals. It turned slowly, observing each person silently.
"If I'm not mistaken, you are gathering together to defeat a vampire of some sort? Interesting."
The book flipped open and words were written with an invisible hand in a neat, elegant fashion. "My name is...well, you can call me Bookie for now."
The book closed and started to look at everyone again. "Yes, yes. A very nice collection here. Or at least I hope it is, since I know nothing about this vampire. Or maybe I do. Isn't it fun to be enigmatic?"
It flipped around and soared slightly higher before saying, "I would like to accompany you, if I may. You needn't worry about my combat ability, as I know just enough to not die in a fight. This adventure could very well be worth writing about. Or it might end up a failed attempt and we all die." Even when dispensing this potential grim outcome, the book's voice never wavered from anything less than bright and chipper.
"If you would like a demonstration of what I can do though, feel free to ask. Or maybe, this might help?"
The book flipped open again, but this time words materialized on the page. It ripped itself out and the book closed. The torn paper flitted down to the ground and exploded in a poof of white smoke along with a sound like a jack-in-the-box.
When the smoke faded, a faceless muscle-man stood in front of the group, wearing little more than a loincloth and perfect tanned skin. On his back was no hair along with a massive claymore. His hair was black, perfectly smooth and flowing. Were it not for the lack of a face, he would be fit to take Fabio's place in the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" commercials.
"Gentlemen, meet Gary Stu. He's the least of what I can do, but I hope that this will serve as an adequate demonstration."
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Firestorm
- Member
- Posts: 2332
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: An asylum for the criminally stupid
The Last Three
"Lucius Kirinith, at your service. I believe you summoned me?"
Firestorm silently sized up the man.
Let's see here. No dragon tattoos or flaming eyeballs. Obviously not a demon. And, he's less than eight feet tall. FINALLY! Someone normal.
"You are correct, Lucius. I am gathering volun...."
His explanation was interrupted by the one called Ionic Fox.
"You keep calling for Shehar... sounds like you're pretty desperate, if you're trying to rally Darth Sakura to your side. Well, I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you. I haven't seen her in a period of time I've determined long enough to mean she's not returning. Lucky for you, where one of us falls... there is always another to replace her. And might I say, I plan on being one hell of a replacement. Special Agent Ionic Fox, and I guess I'm technically returning to duty, though you might say I'm doing this as a favor to an old friend."
He adjusted the sunglasses.
"What needs to get done?"
"Darth Sakura? You and I will talk later, Mr. Fox. As far as why we're h..."
He was again interrupted by the arrival of another entity, though this one was not quite as spectacular. One moment there was nothing, the next, a book. And not just a book... a very lame looking book with no inscriptions or features that even warranted looking at it.
However...
...books that *talk* are usually worth paying attention to.
The book introduced itself, then conjured up the sword-wielding Chippendale's reject.
"Gentlemen, meet Gary Stu. He's the least of what I can do, but I hope that this will serve as an adequate demonstration."
What... I'm not sure if the book is summoning this creature from another world or just creating it from nothing, but either way... it is quite potent. This book will be a useful tool...
"Okay... do we need to carry you, or something?"
If the book were capable of raising an eyebrow or grinning, it would have done both. The book hovered into the air and cheerily said, "Trust me, I can get around just fine. Now, what's the story with the vampire thing?"
"All right, no more stalling. Here's our objective."
The crowd shifted and positioned itself around Firestorm, listening intently. Jen Kai, Ranto, and Aidan all rejoined the others, not wanting to miss a detail.
"This is fairly simple. I've tracked down a creature called the Soul Vampire. He is not truly a vampire; he does not drink blood or protoplasm or anything like that. He does, however, possess the capability to drain a defeated warrior's soul out of his body before he can cross over to the afterlife. As such, he has the combined strength, skill, and experience of *millions* of warriors. Obviously, I'm not going to fight him alone. That's where all of you come in. I know where he is, and my dimensional rift can take us very close by. Problem is, things like this always get complicated. I doubt it will be as simple as going in and ganging up on him. He'll probably throw a whole bunch of crap at us to wear us down before we even get to him."
"In other words," Lucius said, "it's going to be like a cheesy B-movie where we cut through hordes of zombies and demons [Abbadon looked displeased with this idea] and bad guys until we find him. Then we get to have a stereotypical boss fight and watch the dramatic conclusion?"
Lucius' bluntness elicited some laughs from the group.
"The only question," Fox said through muffled laughter, "is whether we get popcorn with it!"
"I'm glad to see you have done this kind of thing before," Firestorm said, not surprised at their reactions.
After all, they had all proven themselves in battle before, most likely overcoming absurdly negative odds to get to this point. He waited until they were done making jokes about pwning the bad guy.
"I'm not even going to bother trying to explain how strong this guy is. You wouldn't even believe me. You'll just have to see for yourselves when we get there. Everyone ready?"
Firestorm moved his arm overhead with a wide sweeping motion. His arm left a trail of baby blue light behind it as his teleport spell began its action. He continued the motion until he had completed a circle, and the two ends of the light connected, forming a blue circle. Slowly, from every conceivable angle, threads of blue light extended from one end of the circle to the other, creating a network of blue spiderwebbing until the entire circle looked solid.
"Through this gate lies our destination."
He looked up at Uldi and frowned.
"If you are incapable of shrinking to a manageable size, I'm sure one of us can come up with some kind of shrinkage enchantment."
-----------------
OoC: Wow, three people joined in one day. Now I'm overloaded.
I'll have to go make up some more bad guys, it seems.
Now then, we're going to get started. Before we do anything, let me remind you that although the outcome of this story is pretty much set in stone, the middle is quite flexible. Hence, feel free to take whatever creative license you wish. You can basically put whatever you want into this story, and if you've got something you'd like me to include, PM it to me. Furthermore, the more of the story that you guys write, the easier it will be for little old me to keep up with all seven of you.
I'll give instructions periodically.
Selene, we are now waiting on you to shrink your character or something like that. Furthermore, if you would like to include the transportation in your post, or maybe even a description of Kastrik's lair, go right ahead.
If you'd rather not, I'll put a description up tomorrow.
He's a 'castle' kind of villain, but again, creative liberty is yours to take.
Begin the carnage.
This post will self-delete in five seconds.
"Lucius Kirinith, at your service. I believe you summoned me?"
Firestorm silently sized up the man.
Let's see here. No dragon tattoos or flaming eyeballs. Obviously not a demon. And, he's less than eight feet tall. FINALLY! Someone normal.
"You are correct, Lucius. I am gathering volun...."
His explanation was interrupted by the one called Ionic Fox.
"You keep calling for Shehar... sounds like you're pretty desperate, if you're trying to rally Darth Sakura to your side. Well, I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you. I haven't seen her in a period of time I've determined long enough to mean she's not returning. Lucky for you, where one of us falls... there is always another to replace her. And might I say, I plan on being one hell of a replacement. Special Agent Ionic Fox, and I guess I'm technically returning to duty, though you might say I'm doing this as a favor to an old friend."
He adjusted the sunglasses.
"What needs to get done?"
"Darth Sakura? You and I will talk later, Mr. Fox. As far as why we're h..."
He was again interrupted by the arrival of another entity, though this one was not quite as spectacular. One moment there was nothing, the next, a book. And not just a book... a very lame looking book with no inscriptions or features that even warranted looking at it.
However...
...books that *talk* are usually worth paying attention to.
The book introduced itself, then conjured up the sword-wielding Chippendale's reject.
"Gentlemen, meet Gary Stu. He's the least of what I can do, but I hope that this will serve as an adequate demonstration."
What... I'm not sure if the book is summoning this creature from another world or just creating it from nothing, but either way... it is quite potent. This book will be a useful tool...
"Okay... do we need to carry you, or something?"
If the book were capable of raising an eyebrow or grinning, it would have done both. The book hovered into the air and cheerily said, "Trust me, I can get around just fine. Now, what's the story with the vampire thing?"
"All right, no more stalling. Here's our objective."
The crowd shifted and positioned itself around Firestorm, listening intently. Jen Kai, Ranto, and Aidan all rejoined the others, not wanting to miss a detail.
"This is fairly simple. I've tracked down a creature called the Soul Vampire. He is not truly a vampire; he does not drink blood or protoplasm or anything like that. He does, however, possess the capability to drain a defeated warrior's soul out of his body before he can cross over to the afterlife. As such, he has the combined strength, skill, and experience of *millions* of warriors. Obviously, I'm not going to fight him alone. That's where all of you come in. I know where he is, and my dimensional rift can take us very close by. Problem is, things like this always get complicated. I doubt it will be as simple as going in and ganging up on him. He'll probably throw a whole bunch of crap at us to wear us down before we even get to him."
"In other words," Lucius said, "it's going to be like a cheesy B-movie where we cut through hordes of zombies and demons [Abbadon looked displeased with this idea] and bad guys until we find him. Then we get to have a stereotypical boss fight and watch the dramatic conclusion?"
Lucius' bluntness elicited some laughs from the group.
"The only question," Fox said through muffled laughter, "is whether we get popcorn with it!"
"I'm glad to see you have done this kind of thing before," Firestorm said, not surprised at their reactions.
After all, they had all proven themselves in battle before, most likely overcoming absurdly negative odds to get to this point. He waited until they were done making jokes about pwning the bad guy.
"I'm not even going to bother trying to explain how strong this guy is. You wouldn't even believe me. You'll just have to see for yourselves when we get there. Everyone ready?"
Firestorm moved his arm overhead with a wide sweeping motion. His arm left a trail of baby blue light behind it as his teleport spell began its action. He continued the motion until he had completed a circle, and the two ends of the light connected, forming a blue circle. Slowly, from every conceivable angle, threads of blue light extended from one end of the circle to the other, creating a network of blue spiderwebbing until the entire circle looked solid.
"Through this gate lies our destination."
He looked up at Uldi and frowned.
"If you are incapable of shrinking to a manageable size, I'm sure one of us can come up with some kind of shrinkage enchantment."
-----------------
OoC: Wow, three people joined in one day. Now I'm overloaded.
I'll have to go make up some more bad guys, it seems.
Now then, we're going to get started. Before we do anything, let me remind you that although the outcome of this story is pretty much set in stone, the middle is quite flexible. Hence, feel free to take whatever creative license you wish. You can basically put whatever you want into this story, and if you've got something you'd like me to include, PM it to me. Furthermore, the more of the story that you guys write, the easier it will be for little old me to keep up with all seven of you.
I'll give instructions periodically.
Selene, we are now waiting on you to shrink your character or something like that. Furthermore, if you would like to include the transportation in your post, or maybe even a description of Kastrik's lair, go right ahead.
If you'd rather not, I'll put a description up tomorrow.
He's a 'castle' kind of villain, but again, creative liberty is yours to take.
Begin the carnage.
This post will self-delete in five seconds.
-
The Willful Wanderer
- Member
- Posts: 2221
- Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2004 2:00 am
- Location: Aisle 12, between the kumquats and the radicchio.
What, you think we won't be prepared somehow?
"If you are incapable of shrinking to a manageable size, I'm sure one of us can come up with some kind of shrinkage enchantment." Firestorm offered to the titanic frost giantess. However, she gave no positive response.
Instead, she simply rose to her feet from her previous kneeling position as Reiko smiled. "I think," The quill-bearing woman said, an amused spark in her pale-crimson eyes, "That nothing's going to be needed there." Reaching back, she reassured herself of the presence of her heavy, solid-metal sledgehammer as she waited.
"Indeed." Uldi quietly rumbled, and then turned and stepped forwards through nothing, disappearing as thoroughly as if she had walked into some form of invisible doorway.
"C'mon, then." Karna urged, turning and striding through the portal. A rather motley crew they made, but it didn't bother her any. "No use standin' around doin' nothin'."
That left only the the quilled, bulky Chinese-looking woman of the three. "So impulsive." She murmured to herself, and then stepped up with a walk that quite well-fit the term 'trundle'. "Doesn't look like a Nexus portal..." She commented with a slight shrug, then stepped through, spiked tail swaying slightly as it vanished through the light.
************
Uldi clearly held a number of unusual abilities- as she arrived beside the far side of the portal that Firestorm had created, she stood only eight and a half feet tall. Still, that left her far above the height of Karna, who arrived next. Now, though, Reiko seemed to hold place as largest of the three- though she herself stood eight and a half feet, the splaying mass of brown quills seemed to grant her an extra foot in height.
"Don't understand why you asked us t' tag along, Reiko." Karna murmured as she took in the new place they had arrived at.
"You did see how they looked at me, yes, Karna?" The half-dragon seemed very glum as she waited for others to follow through the portal. "No, Uldi has a much better chance of acceptance in her way, and even you seem more 'normal'. Better they see how well you both trust me, and learn from that, ne?"
"Fine, fine." The indigo-haired woman sighed. "Jus' don' expect me t' stick around too long. Feelin' another bout of violence approachin'."
Then the portal shifted, readying for someone to step through, and Reiko straightened up, a more neutrally-pleasant expression taking seat on her face.
"If you are incapable of shrinking to a manageable size, I'm sure one of us can come up with some kind of shrinkage enchantment." Firestorm offered to the titanic frost giantess. However, she gave no positive response.
Instead, she simply rose to her feet from her previous kneeling position as Reiko smiled. "I think," The quill-bearing woman said, an amused spark in her pale-crimson eyes, "That nothing's going to be needed there." Reaching back, she reassured herself of the presence of her heavy, solid-metal sledgehammer as she waited.
"Indeed." Uldi quietly rumbled, and then turned and stepped forwards through nothing, disappearing as thoroughly as if she had walked into some form of invisible doorway.
"C'mon, then." Karna urged, turning and striding through the portal. A rather motley crew they made, but it didn't bother her any. "No use standin' around doin' nothin'."
That left only the the quilled, bulky Chinese-looking woman of the three. "So impulsive." She murmured to herself, and then stepped up with a walk that quite well-fit the term 'trundle'. "Doesn't look like a Nexus portal..." She commented with a slight shrug, then stepped through, spiked tail swaying slightly as it vanished through the light.
************
Uldi clearly held a number of unusual abilities- as she arrived beside the far side of the portal that Firestorm had created, she stood only eight and a half feet tall. Still, that left her far above the height of Karna, who arrived next. Now, though, Reiko seemed to hold place as largest of the three- though she herself stood eight and a half feet, the splaying mass of brown quills seemed to grant her an extra foot in height.
"Don't understand why you asked us t' tag along, Reiko." Karna murmured as she took in the new place they had arrived at.
"You did see how they looked at me, yes, Karna?" The half-dragon seemed very glum as she waited for others to follow through the portal. "No, Uldi has a much better chance of acceptance in her way, and even you seem more 'normal'. Better they see how well you both trust me, and learn from that, ne?"
"Fine, fine." The indigo-haired woman sighed. "Jus' don' expect me t' stick around too long. Feelin' another bout of violence approachin'."
Then the portal shifted, readying for someone to step through, and Reiko straightened up, a more neutrally-pleasant expression taking seat on her face.
\"What if nothing means anything? What if nothing really matters?.....
...Or suppose <b><i>EVERYTHING</b></i> matters. Which would be worse?\"
-Calvin
\"Joke \'em if they can\'t take a f$%k.\"
...Or suppose <b><i>EVERYTHING</b></i> matters. Which would be worse?\"
-Calvin
\"Joke \'em if they can\'t take a f$%k.\"
-
Repster
- Member
- Posts: 6130
- Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: J'tun ostie d'Acadien.
Aidan did not waste time, he had been one of the farthest for the portal, yet followed threw third it seemed. Once threw, He walked up to Reiko, slowly taking in the surroundings around him. He disliked movement that required anything he could not provide himself, and had been eager to get it out of the way. He looked up, clearly used to it. To him, the three feet of difference was almost a welcomed change to what he was used to dealing with.
"I'ma curious about something, and since we're just gonna be waiting for a bit, might as well just go ahead and ask."
The monk tapped the dragoness' breastplate lightly.
"What's with the turtle?"
"I'ma curious about something, and since we're just gonna be waiting for a bit, might as well just go ahead and ask."
The monk tapped the dragoness' breastplate lightly.
"What's with the turtle?"
When our world is burning.
When all run like the cowards they are.
I shall stand in the inferno, and fight until I am consumed
When all run like the cowards they are.
I shall stand in the inferno, and fight until I am consumed
-
Firestorm
- Member
- Posts: 2332
- Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2000 1:00 am
- Location: An asylum for the criminally stupid
First Contact
Kastrik’s Lair
The very thought of venturing to such a place was ludicrous. Engaging the Vampire of Souls in battle was suicidal regardless of location, but to attempt an attack on his home?
Stupidity.
-------------
Firestorm followed immediately behind Aidan, appearing on the other side of the warp point instantly. There was no period of travel between realms; rather, it was the same as stepping from one spot to another. He found himself on the top of a hill, looking down across a forested slope. He now had the opportunity to size up their target:
The fortress lay at the bottom of the hill, stretching beyond it the length of several football fields. The fortress itself was reminiscent of concentric circles, with alternating layers of castle and outdoors. One massive outer wall stood some sixty feet high, with cast-iron gargoyle statues lining the roof of the wall. If they could get across the moat and in through the front gate, they would enter the wall itself. The wall was nearly two hundred feet deep, meaning they would have to enter it as though the wall itself were a building.
From their vantage point on the hill, they could see over the wall. Beyond the outer wall lay a massive courtyard. The courtyard itself was huge, and would probably take several minutes of walking to get across. The entire length of the courtyard was lined with red carpet, statues on either side. At the end of the carpet was a staircase leading up into a door. That door was the entrance to the main body of the castle, also circular. The main portion of the castle was the largest portion, spreading out before them for what seemed like forever.
Beyond the main castle portion was a final courtyard, and in the center of that courtyard stood the most intimidating of the castle’s features: The Castle Keep. The keep stood four hundred feet tall, thick at the base and growing thin towards the top. The keep was composed of a different material, more opaque than the simple gray stone material that made up the rest of the castle. The tower was decidedly black, lending it an evil feel.
As Firestorm surveyed their target, the rest of the group entered the warp one at time. One by one, they all emerged, until Jago stepped through, bringing up the rear. The entire group surveyed the castle for a full minute before anyone spoke. Finally, Abbadon broke the silence.
“Is this his idea of a fortress? My castle is nearly three times this size. Let’s blow it up and move on.”
“Don’t get so cocky,” Wyborn cautioned him, “if Firestorm brought along a group this size, then the guy in there is definitely more powerful than you give him credit for.”
“Is that so? We’ll see, my friends. We’ll all see.”
“Can we just go?” Lucius questioned, “You can argue about who has the most universe ending power after I kill this thing and we go home.”
“ENOUGH!” Firestorm raised his voice slightly, now impatient.
“I’m going in there now, you can argue or come with me. It’s your call. I’m leaving the warp open. If you change your mind, you can leave anytime.”
“Not a chance,” put in Agent Fox, “we’re in for the long haul. Let’s get moving!”
Slowly, the group descended through the dense forest, heading down the hill toward the castle.
However...
Their approach did not go unnoticed.
-----------------------------------------------
Atop the Fortress Keep
“Master Kastrik!”
“What is the matter, Lukios?”
“A group of people is approaching the castle from the south! In addition, there are two other people lurking about, though their positions are unknown.”
“Why do you tell these things to me instead of dealing with them?”
Lukios frowned, irritated.
“I was about to do that, but I thought you would be interested to know this. A few familiar faces are in that crowd.”
“Such as...?”
“Well, Firestorm for one.”
“You say that as if I should care.”
“He’s brought some help, too, like that demon king you thrashed two hundred years ago. He’s also got a renowned psychic, an ancient dragon, a talking book, some *really* tall...”
“Lukios? Please shut up before I have to kill you.”
“...yes, Master Kastrik. I will dispose of them for you without delay. But...”
“Yes?”
“You should see what Firestorm is wearing. It might be of interest to you.”
“Don’t tell me...”
“Yes, Master. He’s wearing Daniel’s gi. Do you think it means that he’s...?”
“Maybe, but that’s irrelevant. Just kill him. If you fail, that probably means it’s true.”
Lukios left without a word.
------------------------------------
In the Forest
The group advanced through the forest on a cautious note. Some made conversation, while others seemed to prefer silence. The forest was sparse, leaving plenty of maneuvering room between the trees. The underbrush, however, was extremely thick; even Jago sank to his knees beneath the ferns and other growth that flooded the forest floor. The gloomy gray clouds overhead blocked out most of the light, and a light mist hung in the air, reducing visibility. The lack of lighting and the rainclouds overhead set a depressing mood.
Yet, at least one person, if you can call him a person, seemed unaffected by the eerie mood.
Bookie, as he was called, was floating quite contentedly next to Shurianno as they descended, and he would *not* shut up.
“Wow! That’s COOL! But how did you know where the switch to disarm the trap was?”
“I told you, I didn’t know,” the guildmaster reiterated, now getting frustrated. “It was a lucky guess.”
“Cool! Say... why are you dressed like a ninja?”
“... because... I am a ninja, perhaps?”
“I thought you said you were an elemental sorceror?”
“I am both. The guilds in Mordor represent completely different lifestyles, but a person is not limited to only one guild. Although everyone starts out in the Traveller’s Guild, they usually move on to a more specialized guild after they have learned the basics. I chose the Ninja’s Guild in honor of my father, and later joined the Sorceror’s Guild as a tribute to my mother. I hold membership in some other guilds as well, though I am not as advanced in them yet.”
“What’s a guildmaster? I heard you use that word before.”
Do the questions never stop?
“The guildmaster is the person who has the most experience and talent in a particular guild. Becoming a guildmaster is a lifetime accomplishment, requiring years of training. There is one guildmaster per guild, and the guildmaster of the Traveller’s Guild, that’d be Jago, is the supreme guildmaster.”
“Are you a guildmaster?”
“Yes. I am the guildmaster of both the Ninja’s Guild and the Elementalist’s Guild.”
“BOTH?!”
“Correct. The Elementalist’s Guild, formerly the Sorceror’s Guild, is my second office. I am recognized as the best ninja and best sorceror in the city.”
“I thought you said it took a lifetime to bcome a guildmaster! You’re clearly not even forty yet.”
“Actually, I am eighty-six. The water of life that flows underneath Mordor maintains my youthful appearance. OUCH!”
Shurianno tumbled down into the brush for a moment before his head resurfaced. The underbrush had caught his foot and tripped him. He struggled on, lifting his feet as high as possible to wade through the vegetation.
“Wow... you’re a freaking FOSSIL. How come it’s called the Elementalist’s Guild now instead of the Soceror’s Guild?”
Why does he ask so many questions!?
“*sigh* I changed the name after becoming Guildmaster. The term ‘sorceror' didn’t seem appropriate. The entire focus of the magic in that guild was based on manipulating the elements and nothing more. Sorcery is more broad than that, so I renamed it. Besides, elementalist sounds better anyway.”
“I see... say, how many guilds are there?”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!
------------------------------------------------
Firestorm pulled the one called Ionic Fox away from the rest of the group. The crunch of leaves under their feet was barely noticeable as they separated themselves from their companions for a moment of privacy.
“Tell me, Ionic Fox, did you know my friend, the Jedi?”
“Just Fox will do fine, Firestorm.”
“Very well, Fox. Now, as to my question?”
------------------------------------------------
Jen Kai walked silently through the brush. His footsteps had a mechanical rythym, never changing as he trudged downhill. He never took his eyes off of Abbadon or Reiko the whole way down.
Ranto, on the other hand, seemed distant, lost in his thoughts.
-------------------------------------------------
After ten more minutes of walking...
(and Bookie’s constant questions)
”Ladies and Gentlemen... we will have company in a moment.”
Jago’s voice lacked any trace of uncertainty.
-------------------------------------------------
At the foot of the hill
“Go, my pretty! Devour them!” Lukios’ voice cackled.
“Devour them all!!”
-------------------------------------------------
“What do you hear, Jago?” Lynn said with a hint of concern in her voice.
”’Hear’ is not quite the right term, but something large is coming. Something hungry.”
“HUNGRY?!” Lynn shrieked.
“Way t’ keep a girl from panickin’ there, Jago,” Karna mused, “How far’s it?”
Her question was answered when the massive snake emerged from the underbrush a scant ten feet in front of the furthest forward member of the group. The snake stood some thirty feet off the ground when preparing to strike, and the portion of its body that remained horizontal must have measured some ninety feet total. It was reminiscent of a cobra, but with some clear differences. For starters, the snake’s scales were entirely green, matching the forest floor and blending in like a chameleon. The only thing not green onthe snakes body were its haunting yellow eyes. The flaps that normally just encased a cobra’s head ran half way down the body of this particular serpent, giving it a streamlined appearance. After the flaps finally retracted, the lower half of its body was covered with foot long spikes on either side. The most startling difference, however, was not revealed until the snake opened its mouth.”
“Ah... crap,” Aidan intoned.
The snake’s mouth had more than two fangs. Indeed, six fangs on top and bottom filled out the creatures mouth, surrounding a muscular tongue that looked like it could knock someone over.
The snake prepared to strike...
OoC: Have at it.
Kastrik’s Lair
The very thought of venturing to such a place was ludicrous. Engaging the Vampire of Souls in battle was suicidal regardless of location, but to attempt an attack on his home?
Stupidity.
-------------
Firestorm followed immediately behind Aidan, appearing on the other side of the warp point instantly. There was no period of travel between realms; rather, it was the same as stepping from one spot to another. He found himself on the top of a hill, looking down across a forested slope. He now had the opportunity to size up their target:
The fortress lay at the bottom of the hill, stretching beyond it the length of several football fields. The fortress itself was reminiscent of concentric circles, with alternating layers of castle and outdoors. One massive outer wall stood some sixty feet high, with cast-iron gargoyle statues lining the roof of the wall. If they could get across the moat and in through the front gate, they would enter the wall itself. The wall was nearly two hundred feet deep, meaning they would have to enter it as though the wall itself were a building.
From their vantage point on the hill, they could see over the wall. Beyond the outer wall lay a massive courtyard. The courtyard itself was huge, and would probably take several minutes of walking to get across. The entire length of the courtyard was lined with red carpet, statues on either side. At the end of the carpet was a staircase leading up into a door. That door was the entrance to the main body of the castle, also circular. The main portion of the castle was the largest portion, spreading out before them for what seemed like forever.
Beyond the main castle portion was a final courtyard, and in the center of that courtyard stood the most intimidating of the castle’s features: The Castle Keep. The keep stood four hundred feet tall, thick at the base and growing thin towards the top. The keep was composed of a different material, more opaque than the simple gray stone material that made up the rest of the castle. The tower was decidedly black, lending it an evil feel.
As Firestorm surveyed their target, the rest of the group entered the warp one at time. One by one, they all emerged, until Jago stepped through, bringing up the rear. The entire group surveyed the castle for a full minute before anyone spoke. Finally, Abbadon broke the silence.
“Is this his idea of a fortress? My castle is nearly three times this size. Let’s blow it up and move on.”
“Don’t get so cocky,” Wyborn cautioned him, “if Firestorm brought along a group this size, then the guy in there is definitely more powerful than you give him credit for.”
“Is that so? We’ll see, my friends. We’ll all see.”
“Can we just go?” Lucius questioned, “You can argue about who has the most universe ending power after I kill this thing and we go home.”
“ENOUGH!” Firestorm raised his voice slightly, now impatient.
“I’m going in there now, you can argue or come with me. It’s your call. I’m leaving the warp open. If you change your mind, you can leave anytime.”
“Not a chance,” put in Agent Fox, “we’re in for the long haul. Let’s get moving!”
Slowly, the group descended through the dense forest, heading down the hill toward the castle.
However...
Their approach did not go unnoticed.
-----------------------------------------------
Atop the Fortress Keep
“Master Kastrik!”
“What is the matter, Lukios?”
“A group of people is approaching the castle from the south! In addition, there are two other people lurking about, though their positions are unknown.”
“Why do you tell these things to me instead of dealing with them?”
Lukios frowned, irritated.
“I was about to do that, but I thought you would be interested to know this. A few familiar faces are in that crowd.”
“Such as...?”
“Well, Firestorm for one.”
“You say that as if I should care.”
“He’s brought some help, too, like that demon king you thrashed two hundred years ago. He’s also got a renowned psychic, an ancient dragon, a talking book, some *really* tall...”
“Lukios? Please shut up before I have to kill you.”
“...yes, Master Kastrik. I will dispose of them for you without delay. But...”
“Yes?”
“You should see what Firestorm is wearing. It might be of interest to you.”
“Don’t tell me...”
“Yes, Master. He’s wearing Daniel’s gi. Do you think it means that he’s...?”
“Maybe, but that’s irrelevant. Just kill him. If you fail, that probably means it’s true.”
Lukios left without a word.
------------------------------------
In the Forest
The group advanced through the forest on a cautious note. Some made conversation, while others seemed to prefer silence. The forest was sparse, leaving plenty of maneuvering room between the trees. The underbrush, however, was extremely thick; even Jago sank to his knees beneath the ferns and other growth that flooded the forest floor. The gloomy gray clouds overhead blocked out most of the light, and a light mist hung in the air, reducing visibility. The lack of lighting and the rainclouds overhead set a depressing mood.
Yet, at least one person, if you can call him a person, seemed unaffected by the eerie mood.
Bookie, as he was called, was floating quite contentedly next to Shurianno as they descended, and he would *not* shut up.
“Wow! That’s COOL! But how did you know where the switch to disarm the trap was?”
“I told you, I didn’t know,” the guildmaster reiterated, now getting frustrated. “It was a lucky guess.”
“Cool! Say... why are you dressed like a ninja?”
“... because... I am a ninja, perhaps?”
“I thought you said you were an elemental sorceror?”
“I am both. The guilds in Mordor represent completely different lifestyles, but a person is not limited to only one guild. Although everyone starts out in the Traveller’s Guild, they usually move on to a more specialized guild after they have learned the basics. I chose the Ninja’s Guild in honor of my father, and later joined the Sorceror’s Guild as a tribute to my mother. I hold membership in some other guilds as well, though I am not as advanced in them yet.”
“What’s a guildmaster? I heard you use that word before.”
Do the questions never stop?
“The guildmaster is the person who has the most experience and talent in a particular guild. Becoming a guildmaster is a lifetime accomplishment, requiring years of training. There is one guildmaster per guild, and the guildmaster of the Traveller’s Guild, that’d be Jago, is the supreme guildmaster.”
“Are you a guildmaster?”
“Yes. I am the guildmaster of both the Ninja’s Guild and the Elementalist’s Guild.”
“BOTH?!”
“Correct. The Elementalist’s Guild, formerly the Sorceror’s Guild, is my second office. I am recognized as the best ninja and best sorceror in the city.”
“I thought you said it took a lifetime to bcome a guildmaster! You’re clearly not even forty yet.”
“Actually, I am eighty-six. The water of life that flows underneath Mordor maintains my youthful appearance. OUCH!”
Shurianno tumbled down into the brush for a moment before his head resurfaced. The underbrush had caught his foot and tripped him. He struggled on, lifting his feet as high as possible to wade through the vegetation.
“Wow... you’re a freaking FOSSIL. How come it’s called the Elementalist’s Guild now instead of the Soceror’s Guild?”
Why does he ask so many questions!?
“*sigh* I changed the name after becoming Guildmaster. The term ‘sorceror' didn’t seem appropriate. The entire focus of the magic in that guild was based on manipulating the elements and nothing more. Sorcery is more broad than that, so I renamed it. Besides, elementalist sounds better anyway.”
“I see... say, how many guilds are there?”
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!
------------------------------------------------
Firestorm pulled the one called Ionic Fox away from the rest of the group. The crunch of leaves under their feet was barely noticeable as they separated themselves from their companions for a moment of privacy.
“Tell me, Ionic Fox, did you know my friend, the Jedi?”
“Just Fox will do fine, Firestorm.”
“Very well, Fox. Now, as to my question?”
------------------------------------------------
Jen Kai walked silently through the brush. His footsteps had a mechanical rythym, never changing as he trudged downhill. He never took his eyes off of Abbadon or Reiko the whole way down.
Ranto, on the other hand, seemed distant, lost in his thoughts.
-------------------------------------------------
After ten more minutes of walking...
(and Bookie’s constant questions)
”Ladies and Gentlemen... we will have company in a moment.”
Jago’s voice lacked any trace of uncertainty.
-------------------------------------------------
At the foot of the hill
“Go, my pretty! Devour them!” Lukios’ voice cackled.
“Devour them all!!”
-------------------------------------------------
“What do you hear, Jago?” Lynn said with a hint of concern in her voice.
”’Hear’ is not quite the right term, but something large is coming. Something hungry.”
“HUNGRY?!” Lynn shrieked.
“Way t’ keep a girl from panickin’ there, Jago,” Karna mused, “How far’s it?”
Her question was answered when the massive snake emerged from the underbrush a scant ten feet in front of the furthest forward member of the group. The snake stood some thirty feet off the ground when preparing to strike, and the portion of its body that remained horizontal must have measured some ninety feet total. It was reminiscent of a cobra, but with some clear differences. For starters, the snake’s scales were entirely green, matching the forest floor and blending in like a chameleon. The only thing not green onthe snakes body were its haunting yellow eyes. The flaps that normally just encased a cobra’s head ran half way down the body of this particular serpent, giving it a streamlined appearance. After the flaps finally retracted, the lower half of its body was covered with foot long spikes on either side. The most startling difference, however, was not revealed until the snake opened its mouth.”
“Ah... crap,” Aidan intoned.
The snake’s mouth had more than two fangs. Indeed, six fangs on top and bottom filled out the creatures mouth, surrounding a muscular tongue that looked like it could knock someone over.
The snake prepared to strike...
OoC: Have at it.