Dark Age Legends

[Coriko]

The clouds started to flash again and lighting could be seen. However this lightning was red, dark red, against an almost black sky. The bolts started to get quicker and more prominent.

“Only a few more moments now.”

Druid re-summoned the shadow energy orbs and joined in the summoning.

[Charging: 1825]

---

Coriko dropped his arrow and used his bow to block the count's attack. In close proximity Coriko could smell the noxious odor wofting from the count. Coriko grimaced and moved his head back.

"Man, it's called a breath mint."

Coriko then pushed his bow forward to knock the count away and give himself some space to breathe.

[Trent]

The hooded being was silent. After a long pregnant pause, it finally spoke. "Looks like you're lucky. Here he comes now."

The Zerobi no Anti was still taking his time walking towards his opponent. He soon started to pick up pace a little bit, speeding up more as he approached. He held his left hand out to the side, and a swirling ball of energy appeared in it. A giant leap, and he flickered out. A moment went by before he flickered back into existence right above the hooded being.

"Spiral Sphere!"

The hooded being leapt backwards, narrowly escaping the attack as it drilled into the ground. "That's MY move, you bastard."

Anti stood up straight and snickered. "Well, well, well. To come and face me alone... You've certainly got balls..."


"...for a woman."


The hooded being's words now had a voice. It was a feminine one, confirming Anti's revelation. "I'll make you eat those words." She flung the hood off, revealing...

"Aurelie Lynn Hikari..." Anti smirked. "There's no way you can defeat me alone, when even the four of you together couldn't."

She was wearing the same attire she did before her disappearance. The same black t-shirt, the same black shoes, the same long black circle skirt, but the fanservice-denying pants underneath the skirt were gone (Not as if Anti gave a crap about fanservice anyways). They had probably been worn out, and Xenai probably grew up. You could tell that she had been training if you could sense energy, but she didn't look like she had been training. "I'm still going to try."
"You're too young to die. Honestly, wouldn't you rather wait to be destroyed?"
"As if." She spun her scimitar around in her hand, sliding into a ready stance.
"Where's Tsunan?"
"None of your business."
"That's too bad. I'd much rather kill you two together."
"If you think I'm going to die, you're sadly mistaken."
"No, my dear." He pointed his hand at her. "You indeed will die."

An invisible force shot out from his hand, slamming into Aura, launching her backwards off of Kandarin. She flipped a few times and halted in the air, just to see that Anti was charging straight in...


// The fight will occur tomorrow morning. For now, I have revealed the identity of the hooded being for you guys. Smile

[ElderScrollinIt]

Ko'ji followed the other Velkens down the entrance. Helix was right, it did kind of smell, but Ko'ji was able to ignore it.

"Do you think they might be hidding?"

[D. Ein]

Damien slapped his head.

-"OH! Yeah! Aura, right. That one. The one that tried and miserably failed against Arlin. Hmph, and I thought Arlin was a failure. This ought to be an interesting show."

--- --- ---

Kandarin began undergoing preparations and changes as new undead beings were assembled, and new prototype weapons were built. New Stalker program was also in effect.

//777th post! Whoo!\

[Trent]

//Okay, then. Since both of these are my characters, I'm gonna go ahead and get this done in one post, since I don't have to wait on anyone. I don't want to drag out a fight between my own characters. It doesn't do much for the interaction aspect of RPing if I do. I hope it's alright that I get it done in one post.

Anti was charging straight in. Aura kept her cool though, and waited. When Anti came in range, he fired off a fierce upward kick at his opponent's jaw. And it missed, dramatically. She had gracefully swayed off to the side, leaving Anti way open. Anti already saw his folly. Shit, I badly underestimated her.

Aura was not going to let this opportunity pass. She unleashed a fluid slashing combo onto him with her scimitar, of about 15 hits or so, then stopped for a moment. A surge of energy shot through her... "Final Fury!" A much quicker, more furious flurry of slashes was unleashed on him, ending with a fierce uppercut. She shot up above him, raising her scimitar. "Dying Moon!" And one powerful downward slash shot Anti into the water.

She panted heavily, waiting for his next move. She didn't have to wait long. "GRAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Anti created a crater in the water as he furiously flared his aura. "You won't make an ass out of me!" He threw his arms out to the side, then pointed his hands up at Aura, a surge of energy shooting through his body. "Final Flash!!!"

"Crap!" Was all she could say before she was engulfed by the energy beam. When the beam evanesced, she was flying up through the sky. Anti took off immediately to intercept her, and it wasn't long before he was right above her. Another surge of energy. "Razing Phoenix!" His body seemed to catch on fire. He formed his arms into a large sword and smacked her down into the ocean.

He pointed a hand down at the water. "This one's going to be... shocking! Indignation!" This was the normal form of Indignation Judgment that Aura had used before. A purple circle of energy appeared at the water's surface. A purple bolt of lightning shot down and struck right in the center of that circle... in the water. And as we know, water conducts electricity. The lightning discharged into the water...

He waited. He knew that didn't kill her. And he was right. A hand came out of the water, grabbing onto the large chunk of ice that was Kandarin. She pulled herself out of the water and stood up, panting a bit. She then yelled up at Anti. "Are you stupid or something?!"
He shouted down in response. "What the hell do you mean?!"
"I know your weakness! You used two hi-ougis in a row, and then you used Indignation, one of the most powerful spells in the book! If you keep using that much energy, I WILL be able to take you!"
"So you do know my weakness. You won't be able to take me if I kill you first! ...Hm?" A shimmer in the distance. Suddenly, the shimmer was right in front of him! Another hooded being, wielding a golden katana. This one did not bother to mask his voice, it was that of a young man.

"Majin Messatsuen!" The man slashed down, and a small field of dark energy lashed up several times at Anti from right below him. The man then pulled his katana back... A surge of energy. He unleashes a flurry of slashes...

Blood rejects blood... "Majiwara zarishi inochi ni..."
Heart breaks heart... "Ima mo tarasaren setsuna no kiseki!"
Miracles aren't coming. "Toki wo hete..."
This is why dreams... "Koko ni yuugou seshi..."
...do not come true. "...mirai he no taidou!"
You resist?! "Gishouken!!!" A fierce downward slash, and another surge of energy. He turns around for a moment... "Boku wa... Kako wo tachikiru. Chire!" He turns back around and slashes upwards, followed by a fierce thrust.

"Majin Rengoku Satsu!!!"

"URGH!" Anti, caught off guard by the man's sudden appearance, could do nothing against the combo, and was sent flying back. The man then flickered out of existence, only to reappear by Aura. He grabbed her arm and took off as fast as he could. Anti halted himself in the air, and watched the man fly off with Aura. "Hmph... Stupid pests." He then started to fly off towards the Dark Continent.

--- --- ---

"H-hey! What gives, Tsu?!" Aura was trying to pull free from the man's grip.
"You overdid it a little."
"Hmph. Fine." She finally broke free of the man's grip, and flew alongside him. "Take that hood off. I hated wearing that. It's obvious that we're back now, there's no need to hide it."
"Alright." He flung the hood off. It was indeed Tsunan Nami. He had managed to retain his appearance as well, wearing the same jeans, shoes, and t-shirt as before. "Tell me about him."
"Well... we were right about him. His energy source is himself. So he can dish out hi-ougis like they're nothing. Me... I only had one shot. I won't be able to use another for a while, not until I see some more combat. And neither will you. That was your best one."
"I was saving that for a good use. Saving you was a good use to me."
"Thanks, sweetie." She smiles at him. He smiles back, then returns to seriousness.
"So since his energy source is himself..."
"The more energy he uses, the weaker he gets."
"I see. We'll have to tell Zion and Xenai..."
They continued their course, flying toward Romme...

[Xorlak]

"They're probably not hiding.  I'll bet they're trying to either leave or get in," Helix explained to Ko'ji.

The Velkens began floating down the underground drainage pipe, hovering inches above the grimy water so their boots would not get soiled.

"If we split up, we could cover more ground," Renard suggested as they passed another open pipe.

"Absolutely not," Anslem retorted.

"Look... that happened when I wasn't expecting it.  I'm on my guard now.  Really..."

"Your reasoning doesn't matter, Renard.   Lord Virmir said no groups less than four, and that's that."

"AHHHH!!!"  Helix screamed from behind the group.  Suddenly a fiery explosion burst from his hands and the water below splashed everywhere.  He floated there for a second panting with his claws smoking from the fire spell he just cast.

"Helix!  Way to blow our cover..." Renard said through clenched teeth as he floated over to his friend.

"That thing... scared the ffff-frack outta me... Look at the size of it!"

Sitting in the water was the charred corpse of a giant rat...

"That's a big rat," Renard observed.

"I swear, every single sewer has to be infested with giant rats..."

----

"Duilin?"  Ven's eyes lit up.  "Duilin! It really is you!"

The silver knight jogged over to him, sloughing through a small stream of murky water that divided the room, but paid it no mind.  They were in another larger chamber, open pipes lining the walls big enough to walk in.

"I am so glad to see you're safe!"  His smile faded a little when he noticed that the other figure, Ben, was not the king.  "Where is King Henri?  Is he all right?-- Hang on a sec..."  He interrupted himself as a strange rasping sound filled the air.  "Did you hear that?"

The ground began to rumble...

Ven quickly drew his blade.  "Blast...  we'll talk later..."

Just then, something huge burst out of one of the pipes and bellowed a screeching roar.  At first it resembled a smaller wingless dragon-- large ears and a long tail.  But when its snarling form stepped into the dim light, it was none other than a 12 foot long rat with burning crimson eyes...

Ven took a few steps back and stammered, "I-I really had no idea all these monsters were down here!"

----

It was dark.

Of course, it was the Dark Continent.

Draven lowered his power level significantly enough to dim his aura upon approach, and now he floated thirty feet above the ocean with his arms folded, observing the black fortress cutting into the churning gray skies before him.  Beyond that, a rocky peninsula connected to the Dark Continent mainland.

North Point.

It was just south of here where the Dark Emperor betrayed him a year and a half ago, banishing him into that portal with the other rejects.  The memory did not put him in a particularly good mood.

There were much easier targets up and down the black rocked beaches, but no, this was the big one.  How fitting this place would come into play as an instrument of Retan's downfall, however insignificant-- as the fodder for Kronos' army he would turn the soldiers into.  But still,  it'd be fun.

Of course, there was the matter of it being one of the most indestructible fortresses on the planet.  But he estimated security to be down since Retan moved shop to that infernal Tower of Heaven's Bane and the fact that there was simply no war front to the arctic north (that Retan knew of, at least).

Then of course the fact that he personally reviewed the structure when it was part of his Crimson Empire...

Draven cracked his knuckles.

[Dude Man]

Duilin was pleased to see that it was indeed Ven. "Yeah it's a long story, but yeah I'm okay." He started to feel a bit worried when Ven started to ask him about the king, but then the ground started to rumble.

"What the?" He then took out his mace when he saw the shadow of the creature.

But then it revealed itself in the dark light to be a giant rat. Never before had Duilin ever seen a rat that big.

"Great..."

--- ---

Vandrin parried back as Coriko pushed him away. He rolled his eyes at his adversary’s comment.

"You'll smell a lot worse than my breath once I'm done with you." Vandrin quipped. He then lifted up his katana and its blade began to glow green. He then slashed his katana forward shooting forth a blade of poisonous energy...

--- ---

Nex and the elites had been traveling across the Dark Continent for quite a while, after several hours. They passed Sigmund on his travels as nothing seemed to be of interest to Nex. Something seemed to be drawing him to this place. He could feel something here. He had all the time in the world to waste so why not?

Less than a mile in front of him was north point. The elites were unsure why Nex had lead them here, but they didn't question his motives. Their orders were simply to follow him.

[D. Ein]

The black soul gem dissipated in the golem's skull. It turned into a black mist, which crawled across the creature's head, and seeped into the holes it came upon. The flesh golem's right claw twitched.

-"Yes!!! Come to life! Awaken, my flesh golem! Mwahahaha!"

Indeed, the flesh golem got up, and shambled to the teenager. However, something was wrong... the golem's outline started fading, and turning into something else...

-"What? Noooo! Golem, come back! Come baaack!"

Soon, in the place of a flesh golem, there was a man standing. He was completely naked. The necromancer backed away.

-"Er... hello?"

-"Hello. It's rather cold here, would you happen to have pants?"

-"Yes...here..."

-"Thank you. Do tell, what am I doing here?"

-"Ah, I tried using your soul gem for an experiment with an undead creature."

-"Rather young to be resurrecting, aren't you?"

-"The Sovereign requires everyone of all ages to know at least basic Necromancy."

-"So he's Sovereign now, eh..."

The man rubbed his chin. He looked at the curtains in the house. They were black on one side, and red velvet on the other.

-"You don't mind if I borrow your curtains, do you?"

-"I guess... What's your name, anyway?"

-"I'm Ein. Who are you?"

-"Mark..."

Ein took the curtains off of the rods, and wrapped one around himself like a cloak. The other one was used as a hood to cover his white hair.

-"Well, see you later."

-"Uh..."

Ein simply walked out through the doors.

---

What an interesting turn of events. He was deep in enemy territory, with no weapon, and no one to help him. Ein walked through the streets, looking about. The houses were mostly made of stone, some partly composed of living, pulsing flesh. Many were held up by gigantic bones.

The skyline was dominated by an incredibly tall upside down pyramid, rather thin for its size. It appeared to have four unnaturally large bones supporting it from the ground. That must be Kronos' hideout...

Suddenly, Ein noticed a large banner on one of the houses, probably a government-related building:

"The Stalker program is now recruiting. The Sovereign is looking for talented marksmen, agile warriors, and adept mages. Apply to the Academy."

What better way to learn of the changes in Kandarin, all the while picking up a few tricks to kill Kronos with later on? The banner included a map on it, showing the Academy's location. Strange... the islands weren't shown, and the city itself looked different than any of the four districts of Kandarin. Did the Kandarinian plague spread out of its islands? All will be revealed, Ein thought, when he entered that Academy. He headed on the path that the map pointed out...

[Trent]

//I'll let Draven and Nex have their meeting before Anti shows up.

Anti was taking his time with his flight... Indeed, using two hi-ougis followed by Indignation... he was very sapped. Normally, you would have to build up power for a hi-ougi during combat. His power was slowly returning to him... But he wanted to be at least 80% power when he arrived at the Dark Continent.

--- --- ---

Tsu and Aura arrived at Romme. There didn't seem to be anyone to meet them there.

"...They're taking their time, aren't they?" asked Aura.
"They'll tell us why when they come out."

A hole opened up in the sky. Out jumped Zion Ultima and Xenai Omega. They too had retained their original appearance, except the gems on their swords had returned. The Eternity and Zero Weapons... They had been rebuilt.

"What took you so long?" asked Aura.
"After Tsu took off after you," said Zion, "which wasn't very long after you first left, we noticed an anomaly of sorts... It looked like a dimensional transfer so soon after another before it might be damaging the fabric that separates them."
"Yeh, so we decided to test out our new weapons for a bit. Get warmed up with 'em, y'know?"
"Alright, then..." said Tsu. "Now what do we do?"
"We need to find our friends. Probably Duilin is our best bet. I don't know why... but I can't sense Zeros' ridiculous aura. I do sense other trouble, though, in the Dark Continent. We'd best shy away from there until we know what's up."
"Yeah, if we do run into trouble, though," said Xenai, "we don't have our Breaks to use."
"You mean your hi-ougis?" asked Tsu.
"Yeh, those. We, uh... used them in a little sparring match."
"Wonderful. We should probably get going."
"Indeed," said Zion.

With that, the four flyboys (+ girl) took off.

//I'm implementing the limiters like before, though I'll need some time to figure out how to go about using them. I should figure it out before any of my protagonists get into any fights, though. As for the villains? You don't put limits on villains. Razz

[Xorlak]

"I don't like the sound of that..."

"What, the bestial roar echoing in the distance?"

"Uh-huh..."

Helix rubbed his nose. "Well, it might just have found whoever it is we're looking for."

"Indeed," Anslem agreed.  "Even if not, we should exterminate any threats to order.  By the sound of it, such a beast could cause mayhem if it made it up top."

"Ans... we always have to do extra work with you around..."  Helix groaned.

The Velkens glided down the dismal damp underground passage, turning a corner and running straight into a dead end.

"Oh, great!"  Helix threw his hands into the air.  "Hey, guys!  I have an idea!  Let's build our sewers into a giant maze!"

Renard rolled his eyes as they turned around.

"... And, then we'll put giant rats in it!"

"Shut up, Helix..."

----

"You took the words right out of my mouth..."

Ven leapt backwards as the thing took a giant claw-swipe at him, baring its massive protruding incisors.  The mutant rat stooped forward and lashed its tail, and Ven felt a red hot flash of pain across his left shoulder.

"Ah!"

He retaliated with a slash of his own, swiping the monster in its cheek, causing it to rear back in a scream.  Ven caught a glimpse of the creature's tail that had nicked him.  It was tipped with a long blade-like protrusion that dripped some sort of liquid... The silver knight brought his blade up to deflect another blow from the lashing tail, but in doing so left himself open to be pushed over by the rat-monster's front claw, sending him reeling on his back.  Before he knew it, the thing had him pinned and leered over him...

----

Draven stealthily moved over the water and then over land, circling the mighty black fortress from a distance.  Wyverns fluttered about in the dark skies.  He didn't quite want himself to be discovered just yet....

He landed on small plateau that overlooked North Point from a distance.  Below he could see the outline of a Lizard Man army practicing their drills or whatnot at the mouth of the fortress' peninsula.  Perfect.  They'd be first...

[Dude Man]

Duilin noticed the strange blade on the rodent of unusual size's tail. He'd have to watch out for that. Before he could make his move after Ven made his strike the beast had the knight pinned down.

"I don't think so!" Duilin flung his left hand forwards shooting a fireball at the mutant rat hitting it on its side. The beast then turned towards the half demon and flung its blade-like tail at him. Duilin blocked it by smacking it away with his mace. He then dashed towards the monster and swung his mace smashing it on the side of its head, causing it to squeal in pain...

--- ---

As Nex walked through the plains and the fortress of North Point was closer, Nex recognized something.

"Hmm, boys do you feel that?" Nex asked, the elites.

"We can feel many things. The taint of shadow magic is strong here." The elites both replied.

"I feel a presence, a presence I have not felt since..." Nex then stopped as he remembered. "Oh? Goodie, the he ole' flame-boy is still cooking! Come on boys, I want to say hello to an old friend of mine." He then started to dash forward his feet barely even touching the ground as his cloak flowed with his movement.

Due to his high skills in aura detection, he was able to locate Draven hiding on a small plateau. Just near a peninsula was a group of lizard men he seemed to be eyeballing. Likely he was going to attack them; he may as well join the fun. Nex raised his right hand as his scythe materialized in his hand. He then held the scythe backwards as he continued his dash. The elites then began to fly along side him; their gems on their gauntlets began to give off a dim orange glow...

[D. Ein]

The building was certainly massive. There was a glowing aura around almost all of it, save for the entrance. It was made mostly of brick, but many areas were dominated by flesh. The Academy enjoyed a classic Gothic architecture on the outside, but through the aura a more Roman style was observed.

Ein approached the entrance. He could already see several other hopefuls entering the Academy. From the looks of it, he'd have competition: there were people who appeared to be at least half the size of a mammoth. The other extremes also looked dangerous due to their potential speed.

The building inside was just as magnificent as outside. The walls were covered in writings in Kandarinian, probably from some training manual or their holy book. The recruits were urged to sit on a series of benches, all facing a central stage. When all the benches filled up, an older man came onto the stage.

-"Greetings to you all, Kandarinians. Welcome to the Academy. I am Kragos, the Headmaster. All of you are here for the Stalker program." He scanned the public with his eyes. "There are many of you, and almost as many won't make it. The place you are about to enter is final for at least several years. I'm sure you've noticed the time dilation aura around the building. To those outside, less than a day will have passed - while for you it may be up to five years, if you live that long. Should you decide to discontinue your training at the academy, you will be provided quarters until the next ready batch leaves. I'm sure I don't need to point out that our program leaves almost half of the recruits dead."

There was a murmur in the hall. Ein's bench suddenly didn't feel as comfortable.

-"Now, your future instructor: the Colonel."

Kragos left the stage, as another, rougher soldier-looking man came on.

-"ALL RIGHT YOU MAGGOTS! All softies, leave NOW! The rest of you pathetic scum, get through the doors on your left hand side! Don't make me repeat myself!"

The crowd rushed to the left, in almost the full entirety. Only a few people decide to leave. Ein continued through the passage, watching the time dilation aura reactivate...

[Drannic_Lord01]

"Let's finish this!" Ben threw his hand to his side and created an energy sword, then flung his body forwards and curved his wrist, trusting forwards at the beast. It was jabbed directly trough his forehead, searing the beast's head. Blood poured out of the giant rat like a continuous fountain.

[Dude Man]

//Oh come on, we just started the fight. You can't kill a boss monster that easily.\

Suddenly the blood stopped pouring from its forehead and the wound started to heal over. It didn't full regenerate, but it was still able to fight. The mutant rat then made its monstrous growling and snapped its jaws down at the aggressive angel...

--- ---

Hypnos then dashed towards the lizard general and slid across the ground as he swung his hatchet aiming at his shoulder. Gorus however, was pretty quick himself and shifted himself to the side avoiding the swing. The stalker however gave a quick kick right at Gorus' back as soon as he passed him, but Gorus just too big to be hurt much by it. The lizard man spun around and swung a punch at Hypnos yet the stalker swiftly leaned backwards avoiding the lizard's claw/fist. He then swung his hatchet at Gorus, yet he was able to knock away the blade from hitting him, by clawing at it. Gorus then swung a kick at Hypnos but he jumped backwards performing a flip, completely avoiding the attack. As the stalker landed on the ground he tossed his hatchet which flew like a boomerang towards the lizard general. Hypnos assumed that would kill him, yet the hatchet was again smacked out of the way by the lizard man.

"Hahah." Gorus laughed. "You humans are all the same, pathetic."

This was not good; he had already lost his kamas. So now he was unarmed, unless he could get his weapons back. He was sure his kamas weren't broken from when they were smashed against the building, since they were made out of reinforced obsidian. But he needed to act fast. Fortunately that was one of his specialties.

[Xorlak]

Ven rolled to the side and stood, brandishing his blade with both hands.

"Hragh!!"

With a violent thrust, he plunged the sword deeply into the rat-monster's side before it could descend upon Ben, and the thing sidestepped as it squealed.  The silver knight jerked the blade out and backpedaled, watching the blood gush out of the wound and then... stop?  The thing's forehead head stopped bleeding as well.  It shook its head and the flesh flew right off, revealing a yellowed rodential skull with bright red glowing eyes within the its sockets...

"Oh, blast!"

The undead giant mutant rat charged and bashed Ven in the chest with its head, sending the knight souring backwards into the brickwork of the sewer walls with a loud clang.

----

Draven leapt off the cliff and landed in the rocky valley bordering the Lizard Men standing there in formation.  Although it was dark, he was certain they could see him by now, and walked briskly towards them.  There were at least twenty of the heavily armored reptiles, and they broke up at his intrusion, one of the larger ones beginning to walk towards him... Perfect... North Point was hidden behind a large protrusion of black rocks... This group wasn't in the line of sight of the fortress.

"Who are you?"  The scaly warrior demanded.  He was a good nine feet tall, his hulking black armor protruding in spikes at the shoulders.  Draven kept his arms hidden under his cloak until the last instant...

The Lizard Man hissed as the man ignored him and continued his walk.  He drew his long jagged blade and raised it to the clouded sky, ready to smash this puny human in one blow...

Perfect.  Draven's cape unfurled and he drew his right fist back, the edges growing with a brilliant crimson sheen.  With a quick dash he was just under the lizard's face, and he punched his target square in the exposed armored chest.  The lizard's eyes bulged and he doubled over completely, his scaly feet leaving the ground.  Draven's fist cracked and bent the black armor, and a bulge formed on the creature's back...

Draven looked his much larger victim square in the bloodshot eye and smirked deeply.  He opened his fist inside the Lizard Man's chest and a blinding blast of flame burst from the creature's back, flying above the overhanging cliffs.  The Lizard Man flew back some five feet and then toppled lifelessly to the rocky ground, a gaping hole in his chest...

Draven stood there for a moment with his outstretched palm smoking, a maniacal grin across his face.  The other Lizard Men stood there wide-eyed for a moment, before angrily drawing their blades and rushing him.  Draven spun on one heel and dashed through the air, the sandy ground parting in his wake as he dove right into the heart of the angry mob.  With a brillaint flash, he was engulfed in flame, and a blazing sword of crimson burst from his right hand.  All the lizard madly bore down upon him, but he smacked away their weapons with shear force, sending the much larger creatures teetering and limbs flying...