Meanwhile, with Zachaia and Dante...
Zachaia looked back on her skulking comrade. Her honeyed words had ended long ago, and she had just ceased even speaking to him. Not much needed to be said now, everything had gone exactly as planned. He would become Argageres and then he would become a snack for that ice blade.
Her true love would arise from the chaos, and take his place as a King. The Seer had said so himself. She had thought of trying to make Dante meet The Seer a few times, but decided the time was not right for such a meeting.
The Cat Knows Where It's At
Dante slowly walked behind Zachaia.He had been completely ignoring her and didn't even notice when she stopped talking. After all, she was just a means to an end. After a time, the warrior sighed. "Gods you're slow," wanting to speed things up, he activated his speed charm at max and his strength charm at level two before picking up Zachaia and taking off in the direction they were going.
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Zachaia looked down at him with a darkly amused expression, "I like the new look on you...barely anything of the old Dante left."
She looked down at his still human face and caressed it gently, but then used her other hand to reach into him and take a tentacle into her hand, "Bulging, throbbing, ripping, tearing...much, much better than the old Dante."
The Cat Knows Where It's At
"Shut the fuck up, lady, and stop touching me more than you need to."
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Zachaia realized she had hit a tough spot and looked down on him, "Really now? And how are you going to stop me? I could simply let Argageres possess you right now and let you go on a rampage. Or, maybe, I could find dear sweet little Kiera! She would be all kinds of fun...of course, it would not last very long."
She knew that if this kept up, then he would explode before long and, in an exercise in futility, try to kill her. Then those fools would arrive due to the flux of demonic energy, and the ensuing fight would accomplish a few of her goals. Woe and Erick would not need to be informed after all.
The Cat Knows Where It's At
"I don't care. She can take care of herself and she's with good people. Besides, that relationship probably wouldn't have gone anywhere. It was more-than-likely one of convenience just like all the ones before her. Also, know this: If you try to turn me into Argageres I can guarantee you that I will remain in control long enough to kill myself before that happens."
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Zachaia smirked, "Well, you have surely not dealt with anyone like me. And are you really confident enough you won't be too Proud to kill yourself after I retract my spell? Kehehehe...you boys, are all so predictable. You threaten to kill yourself, but do you really have the nerve to go through with it? Lets find out!"
She leaped off of him and created a disgusting pair of biological wings, and she started to retract her spell from him, huge tumors of growth rippling through him, monstrous demonic faces trying to rip out of him. And throughout this, he will still be conscious enough to feel the pain. I do so love inflicting such anguish on people.
The Cat Knows Where It's At
Nick, what did you do? Also, if you go the rout of having Argageres' Healing Factor save him, remember that it won't be in complete control due to Dante's sword. Also, if you do, don't bother describing his appearance. I'll handle that.
Dante jerked forwards as Argageres tried to take control,"You dare test me? You foolish woman. I'm too proud to let myself die as a monster." Using his incredibly enhanced speed, he drew his sword and plunged it towards his heart. There was no way he was going to let himself become a monster.
edited 5th Jun '11 1:00:30 PM by Zelenal
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Zachaia has a trump card. And yes, feel free to describe his semi-transformation into Argageres.
Suddenly, five fleshy ribbons grabbed on to and wrapped around his arm, and yanked it back and away from the area of his heart. Zachaia chuckled darkly, "Just let it happen...it'll be so much better that way."
Zachaia had revealed her true monstrous form, a gray armored demon with her face, and more of the tentacles coming from her back. The chest seemed covered by a guard, and the stomach had a vertical pointing mouth constantly opening and closing.
The Cat Knows Where It's At
Seeing as how Zachaia is basically immortal, I hope you don't mind me "killing" her. Also, I'm going to a different kind of horror entirely this time. Mine is mostly left up to the imaginations of the reader so, theoretically, it is much scarier than anything you or I could come up with.
Dante activated his strength charm at full but still couldn't pull his sword back, "You... bitch! Agh!" He let go of his sword, stepped back, and grabbed his head. Pain was coursing through his entire body as Argageres began to take over once more.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGHH! DA-" his screams were cut short as he stopped moving. Dante's arms went limp and his eyes shut as he stood up straight. His skin returned but there was something off about it. Something that made him look just a little less than human. He broke into a psychotic, smug grin revealing that his canines had become much more pronounced. His eyes snapped open revealing that his sclera had become pitch black while his irises had become slanted and blood red.
His entire image was a subconscious horror. You would pass him in the streets and not pay him any more attention than a passing glance, a vague recognition, but his image would be engraved into your subconscious forever. He would be the unknown creature that always haunts your dreams; he would be the very image of fear for you. It is that kind of pure terror that is the greatest of them all.
"I must thank you for finally releasing me," Argageres' voice was two fold. The main one was a demonic voice that fit his appearance perfectly. The other, lesser one was Dante's, "But now you have fulfilled your purpose and I have no need of you."
Dante grabbed the hilt of his blade and sent a powerful, demonic flame up the ribbons; burning them to ashes. With his sword free, he flipped it around so he was holding it normally before drawing it back. In an instant, he was in the air behind Zachaia, her body was cut cleanly in two vertically. With the deed done, Dante landed before taking off towards the nearest town.
After you post, I'm going to blow up a town. Also, on a mostly unrelated note: ArgaDante, mi amigos! I'm gonna kill you, my friends!
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Zachaia fell on to the ground, looking pretty dead, until both of her halves fused back together, and she quickly flew off, deciding to let Arga Dante do as he pleased.
Him slicing her in half once, was an unforeseen consequence, but one that was necessary. She would just need to be more careful the next time.
bump, come on, lets keep it going...
Sanity not included
Kiera sighed. So, let me get this straight. My friend is a vessel for some demon freak, the prince is psychotic, his fiance is a mage, and my other friend is his mistress... almost. Then there's the old school teacher, who is also a badass knight who is forced to follow the laws of physics. Then there's that assassin guy who's primary weapon is fucking useless, the other assassin with the pretty eyes, and the senile old mage who's the advisor.
This group is messed up.
edited 8th Jun '11 1:13:27 PM by Dragon573
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.
Raize decided then, after finishing up, to start moving the group to the north of their current destination, which had been Estolia, and start the climb through the icy lands of the Frost Tundra. He informed everyone, and told Kiera, "We're leaving to go obtain Zero Edge, if you'd like to join us, that would be fine."
He had a bad feeling about this, though, like once he went up there, it would be a point of no return. The enemies they faced would likely be much tougher than any they had faced before.
And Kiera...if she tried to do what she threatened to do before his job was done...he did not like to think of what she would have forced him to do.
Sanity not included
"Free to join you? You say that as though either of us has a choice in the matter. I'm not leaving you alone for two seconds with a cursed blade that could destroy the world in the wrong hands... lest you act 'for the greater good'."
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.
He looked at her with a light glare, "Zero Edge is the only thing that can save the world from Tabarach. It defeated him once in the past. As for that last bit, I always act for the greater good of the people I am defending."
He walked off.
Taysa revealed she had been listening in, and sighed, before following him out.
Sanity not included
"Some good, killing a man who'd give his life for you to save yourself the extra effort of keeping an eye on him and looking for a way to help him."
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.
The Cat Knows Where It's At
His kunai or his dagger? The problem with Sakkaku is that every strike he makes is usually a death blow so either he has to miss a lot or his battles against people without a regenerative factor will be very short. Hopefully, she'll like Brìghde since she doesn't really have anything wrong with her.
Brìghde leaned back against the chair next to Sakkaku's bed. They had taken him straight to the Burial Organization so he could be healed. The wounds he had received weren't too serious and they managed to get him back before he went into shock from the blood loss so he would be fine.
Stephen was currently out in the city with the other three guards hunting down the man who attacked them and created the chimera. The Burial Organization managed to label him as Garth and went on high alert as soon as they did. He was very much a threat and was currently classified as "Kill on sight". There was no way they could let that man run free in the city.
Feeling restless, Brìghde got up from the chair and left the room. She wondered around aimlessly until she found herself in front of the records room. Remembering what Sakkaku said his group was looking for, she decided to see if they had any information on Zero Edge.
She slowly walked into the room. It was brightly lit and there were corridors of filing cabinets that contained every piece of knowledge the Burial Organization had on everything and everyone. There was a young man sitting at a desk near the entrance. He was wearing glasses and reading something.
Brìghde cleared her throat to get his attention. "AH, yes. Can I help you?"
"Yes, I would like to know if we have any information on a sword called Zero Edge."
"I believe so. Give me one moment, please," the man got up from his desk and went down one of the corridors. After some searching, he pulled out a file and brought it back.
"I'll leave what the file says up to you, Nick.
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The File described a sword without equal, which made Kings, had numerous ascribed acts of valor to its name. But the history was one strewn with bloodshed. For every good deed inevitably involved killing someone, and further research on anyone who ever wielded the sword would yield the same story: went insane, needed to be defeated. And in some cases, the sword seemed to have been described as taking on a life of its own. Popular myth dictates that the sword has eaten so many hearts it has gained one of its own.
The sword was cursed, according to the file, with a malevolent intelligence of a truly immense caliber.
Raize responded, "Yea, and what of the people who might be killed in between Dante becoming Argageres and then waking up? Have you thought of that? Of the indiscriminate slaughter which could ensue while you are trying to wake Dante up? And should the Archdemon consume his soul completely amidst possession, all while we would be trying to wake something that no longer exists. What then, Kiera? What then?"
edited 8th Jun '11 8:14:02 PM by NickTheSwing
Sanity not included
"That would be a good point... if he hadn't already woken up!"
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.
"Gaah, you know what, never mind, I will just get going now."
His pride hurt, he started walking out of the little inn and Taysa followed. It was a long way north to the Ice Citadel.
The Cat Knows Where It's At
If she only knew.
Brìghde remained calm as she read the file. Are they really going after this thing? Surely they must know what will happen if Prince Raize gets a hold of this... I'll just have to wait for Sakkaku to wake up and ask him, she got what she came for. Zero Edge was located in the Ice Citadel which lies in the far north. With this in mind, she returned the file before heading back to Sakkaku's room.
Back in the room, the assassin was tossing and turning in his bed. Memories of the fight and what had almost happened raced through his mind. If the Grand Master hadn't had stepping in when she did, Sakkaku would have lost himself to that thing and this town would now be in ruins.
When the image of Nadia's dead form flashed through his mind, Sakkaku bolted upright and screamed. He was panting heavily and sweat was starting to soak his body. He looked down at himself and noticed that his clothing had been changed. He was now wearing a creamy beige shirt with pants to match. It made sense that whoever put him in this room would change his ruined clothing.
The realization set in that he didn't know where he was. Panic started to creep in as he reached for his dagger and kunai but didn't find either of them in their usual place. He scanned the room and saw them lying on a table not too far from the bed. The assassin quickly got off the bed and raced over to them. He strapped them on and was about to leave when he heard someone coming.
Panic and paranoia began to kick in again. He glanced around to room, looking for someplace to hide but found no suitable spot. With the footsteps getting closer, he chose the only place available to him: behind where the door would open.
He drew his dagger and quickly got into place right as the footsteps stopped at the door. The door swung open, almost hitting him, as he heard a familiar voice call out his name.
Sakkaku relaxed a bit and waited for Nadia to take a few steps inside before he shut the door. When the latch caught, Nadia jumped slightly before turning to the door. "Oh! Sakkaku... What are doing?"
"I'm in an unfamiliar place and the last thing I remember is fighting. I heard someone coming so I took action."
"It's okay. You can relax. We're in a building belonging to the Burial Organization; the company I work for. No one is going to hurt you here," Sakkaku stayed silent. "Oh! I got some information on Zero Edge. Apparently, it lies in a building known as the Ice Citadel far to the north."
"Lovely," Sakkaku snarked. "Yeah... Do you know about the legends of Zero Edge?"
"No. I had read the name a few times but I don't know anything about it."
"... Zero Edge.... It possesses whomever wields it. It drives them insane while giving them great power. In all known cases... the wielder of Zero Edge had to be killed," once again, the assassin was silent. A few seconds past before he spoke up, "What does that moron think he's doing. Surely he must know of this. Does he honestly think he can control it?" his question wasn't directed at anyone in particular. "If he does, than he must be desperate," he went silent again, "After he defeats Tabarach, I'll have to kill him."
"What?"
"We need to take Tabarach down and I'm hoping that Raize has already gone through his other options. After he defeats Tabarach, he will be weakened. I'll take that opportunity to strike him down before Zero Edge takes control of him. That way, history will remember him only as a great hero and we can put an end to something before it becomes a problem."
"There has to be another way. I mean, killing the crowned prince? There has the be a better way."
"If Raize has already gone through his other options than there isn't. However, I shall talk to him when we meet up. Personally, I don't want to have to do it but if I must I will," once again, there was silence. "We should go an find your friends," Nadia finally spoke up. "Yeah. We should so we can get moving," and so they did.
I feel as if this was below my standard. I hope it is just me.
edited 8th Jun '11 10:53:51 PM by Zelenal
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Raize kept moving forward, not knowing any of the above mainly because his information about the sword came from the King. He did wonder if the forces of darkness would try to stop him from attaining the sword. Kalein would be dealt with permanently this time, and he would take care of Vallegrave if he did appear. Just because the last fight had ended inconclusively did not mean there was any reason to doubt his ability to defeat the Lich Lord.
Taysa just kept by his side, and thought on the sword. The King had seemed very blunt about it, and like...it was like he was not telling the whole story of Zero Edge.
Sanity not included
Kiera followed, with some misgivings. She didn't like the idea of letting the prince have that kind of power... but was there anyone who could be trusted with it?...
We're humans. Of course not.
It's kind of funny. Sufficiently advanced stupidity is like sufficiently advanced science; eventually, you find something you can't solve.
I just realized that Stephen channels both Vincent Valentine and Cloud Strife (especially with that attack). Also, I slightly edited his appearance.
Stephen got up and set his sword on his shoulder before looking at the children who were now in seven pieces and looking towards Brìghde. She was staring wide-eyed at the corpses with a hand over her gaping mouth. She figured this was the case but seeing them like this was almost traumatizing. Ashley, meanwhile, paid the children no head. Instead, she was interested in the man who had killed it in one move.
"Hey there, Nadia. I didn't expect you to still be here," he called out to the lady. She floated back down to the roof but still hovered an inch or two off of it. "Stephen... What are you doing here?"
"You know, the Burial Organization has me posted here to protect the city. When this beastie attacked, I was sent to kill it and kill it I did. We all got lucky though. They almost sent the Disaster Three."
Brìghde's eyes went wide with a horror greater than that of when she saw the children, "Oh... Oh god. We did get lucky."
"Very. If I hadn't interrupted when I did, this place would be in ruins. The chimera would no longer exist in any way, but this place would be in ruins," while they were talking, Ashley switched to the persona Sakkaku and Eyes were used to before walking up to them. "So... How are you lifting that sword?" her voice and speech patterns was soft and bubbly again. "It's the Spell Core of the Warrior's Soul. It grants me great strength and the ability to do attacks like the one I used on that thing."
"What if someone were to cancel magic in the general area?"
"Well then," his sword disappeared in a beam of light, "It's not my only weapon." Stephen reached into his duster with both of his hands before drawing two sabres that were mostly hidden. "I don't just have my strength and attacks going for me. I am a very skilled swordsman."
Ashley made a mental note of the sabres, just in case. "Alright, so, what now? What are we going to do about Sakkaku?" Brìghde gasped, "Oh! Sakkaku!" She flew over to him before actually touching to roof and kneeling next to the assassin. "We need to get him to the Burial Organization to be healed. And quickly!" Brìghde carefully picked up the assassin with one arm at the bend of his knees and the other at his shoulders. "Alright, while you guys do that, I'll get a friend of ours who's here as well." Brìghde just nodded at here while she and Stephen went towards the Burial building.
Ashely looked at the two as they ran off and sighed. She hopped Sakkaku would be okay. Clearing her mind, she took off towards the Assassin's Bureau. She had a feeling her other chosen underling would be there.
I know the sabres should be impossible but, in this instance, I'm deciding "To hell with it. His duster acts as hammerspace".
edited 31st May '11 12:14:50 AM by Zelenal
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