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  1. Beiträge anzeigen #21
    Ranger Avatar von KeeperUTX
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    (Ok, I feel as if I owe an explanation for the lack of CH18 during the last 2 weeks. Remember the whole 'that's where I write the story' place? Well, turns out that some hero over there stole a DVD player, and as a penalty for not admitting the crime, everyone else had to do the time with him: the permission to use the computers was taken away, and I don't know for how long. I only recently realized that I could use my sister's laptop to write the last chapters down... Phew, now at least you know why I haven't posted the next chapter for so goddamn long... Enjoy this chapter, and I wish whoever patiently waits for each chapter to come out a successful and non-miserable 2013! Although I doubt anyone here still 'gets' literature...)


    Chapter 18: The Blade and the Lord are reunited.


    "You're intending on blazing your way through several mercenaries, Adanos knows how many orcs and bash the orc leader's skull, all that just to get a silly focus stone." Diego was not convinced by my intent on attacking Faring. He explain that without an army, without any reasonable weapons, no magical incantations and the like that an attempt on the iron fortress would be a suicide mission. Gorn had become pale after he heard what I was planning to do. He considered every option in his mind, to no avail.


    "I'm afraid it's just to damn risky for just one stone. We'll all die even if we were passing travellers. Faring has recently increased its orcish defences by fault of the orcs from Silden, Cape Dun and the destroyed city of Vengard. There's just too many of them, even for you. You might be immortal and all that, Kain, but they've got siege engines, and if one of those boulders were to hit you straight on, you'd probably turn out to be even flatter than a piece of parchment."


    As I turned away from him and to Milten and Lester, the two looked at me, then at eachother, then finally brought their gaze back up to me.


    Milten was the first to speak, barely lifting himself up because of his still frail leg. "If it's true then the shamans will have gained more power, too, seeing as they have so many artifacts and staves in there that there's no telling what they can brew up... they'll rip us up into ribbons, and I can't use runes if one of my bones are fractured. The mana isn't evenly spread throughout the caster's body if one of the bones are damaged or otherwise missing, and the runes always need a mana-balanced user to activate their powers. Long story short : no non-broken bones, no fireballs."


    Lester was still considerably shell-shocked from the encounter with Viora. "I... I dunno what to say. All I can say is that I can agree with my friends here. There's no way we could ever beat down so many orcs. Just look at the bridge to the castle, it's bursting with orcs..."


    "Speaking of orcs, these seem far different from the ones I 'met' on the isle of Khorinis. Whereas some of them wear coat-like clothing, others have more combat related armor on them, and still a considerable amount of them have donned what appears to be a fusion betweeb the two. Care to explain?" I had noticed the orcs were adorned with a different set of armor and weapons, and that they shouted the language of the humans instead of the usual 'GRAKH-KET-ZUUL!' and whatnot that I heard on Khorinis' island. They used similar weapons, but a few selected seemed to wield abnormaly large weapons, weapons that were likely capable of tearing a Hylden to shreds. Either these weapons were forged for that very purpose, or were otherwise meant for the most capable of their numbers.


    Diego offered me the insight I demanded. "You can forget the orcs of Khorinis, Kain. They never came into contact with humans until twenty or so years ago, and as such they only know their own linguistics. The conditions on the island forced their evolution to slow somewhat, making their bodies far different, remaining far stronger than their cousins here on the continent. The orcs of the mainland, however, have been in contact with humans for more than fivehundred years now, allowing them to learn from the human populace, and that's why the speak the human language. The conditions here in Myrtana were perfect, so the orc population here has a similar bodily anatomy to that of a human. But if one of the mainland orcs were to encounter an orc from Khorinis, they would likely try and tear eachother's head off. They just don't recognize themselves anymore... Eitherway I propose that we come to a settlement about this whole Faring ordeal..."


    We agreed to wait at least until Arthos returns from wherever he went, and that then and only then would we consider striking upon Faring. Even though we had a Necromancer and a vampire-wraith on our side, we were still outnumbered 100 to 1. Those numbers never boded well for my armada when I was still the corrupt ruler of Nosgoth, ironically sitting at the base of the Pillar of Balance, now desecrated by my fatal decision to stay alive, thus preserving the vampiric race, but also damning the Pillars of Nosgoth to rot in the silence that would then be the Vampire Citadel, encroaching the Pillars like water around a stone. I recalled how much I enjoyed crushing the last of the human's valorous general's neck, watching the life slowly fade from his widened, fear-struck eyes, his mouth paralyzed by an inexplicable horror as I sank my teeth to drain him of his sweet, crimson-red blood, flowing slowly down my throat as if it were the finest wine that the land could produce at the time when I was still... mortal. This would not happen again, as I knew the orcish anatomy well by the time I cleared out Khorinis' nooks and crannies. Their veins are six fold stronger than a human vein, making it that far more messy by struggling as I proceeded to drain them...


    At any rate, a lack of excitement washed over me as I watched the skeletons converse in the Ba'al-mae'an language, the ancient and long forgotten language of the dead as I stood on of Gotha's balconies under the starry night. At times I could make out certain phrases, but as my Ba'al-mae'an was severely out of tune I could only mix it with the 'modern' version of the language of the dead, creating nothing more than a repugnant heap of undead gibberish.


    Xardas' voice eminated from a shadow in the corner. "The language of the dead isn't easy to comprehend, I'll give you that."
    As he stepped out of the darkness his usually wrinkled face was lit up by the torches that hung from the walls.
    "But when you are the Chosen of Beliar, everything that speaks the languages of Beliar can be understood as easily as a child's drawing. The skeletons are thinking of helping us with Faring, but the majority of them are having second thoughts..."


    As the old man paused I interrupted him. "From when do the dead ever think for themselves? I always thought they were merely mindless puppets in a dance orchestrated by an invisible set of hands."


    Xardas joined me in viewing down at the skeletal celebration. "It's a tad more complicated than that. Beliar gives their souls back, but only under one condition : they must always obey the one who summoned them, no matter what the summoner orders. They can still think for themselves, but in a slightly different way than they used to. They think in the manner of a skeleton, that is."


    "I see you two are chatting nicely." Arthos appeared in a blinding flash of light.
    He walked up to me, holding in his right hand what seemed to be a wrapped up two-hander, one in the size of the Soul Reaver.
    "While you were all babbling on in the terms of how to get the red focus stone, I searched for a solution to the dilemma, and it lies within my grasp this very instant."


    Xardas was angered by what seemed to be an insult for him. "A paltry sword will not assist us now, Arth... IN INNOS' NAME! IT IS URIZIEL!!" The Steel Lord had unveiled a gleaming sword, the fire of the torch next to us on the blade's surface, polished like a mirror. Several thorn-like spikes protruded the edges of Uriziel, glowing runic markings were deeply engraved, eminating a powerful wave of energy as it was unfolded. What appeared to be a purple gem shine with all it's might, jammed deep into a socket near th hilt, along with streams of energy flowing outwards from the empowered jewel. The handle was black and red, signifying it's power as well. A small jem decorated the very tip of the handle. Xardas was speechless for some time, then managing to concetrate once more.
    "But... Uriziel was lost in..."


    Arthos cut him off in mid-sentence. "... The last battle with the Sleeper. I dragged its shattered remnants out of the ruins only to hold it once again, instead seeing what desecration had been laid upon it. It was lying next to a discarded ore armor, the very one that I wore when I was a mere human."


    The Necromancer was even more shocked than before. "What?! YOU are the general of days long past?! YOU were the one who wielded the Uriziel in the final battle of the Primevals?!" He leaned onto the wooden beam next to him for support and scratched his head, which was astonishing to say the least.


    Arthos retained his usually cold voice. "Yes, Xardas. Allow me to clarify all that happened. When I was still mortal, I was made the general of the fifth human army of Innos. They forged me a armor made purely out of ore, and handed me the ancient blade named Uriziel, forged by Innos himself. Some claimed that the weapon was crafted by Beliar, but that is false. I have heard it from the god of the Undying Flame myself that I had been entrusted with his power those three millenia ago. But I revealed a better armor, and left the ore armor in..."


    "...The old fortress near the..." Xardas cut in quickly but was then cut back out by Arthos.


    "Orc cemetery, yes. Or at least I thought it was a better armor. The man who sold it to me tricked me, and I died close to the Primeval's lair fighting a massive amount of dark beasts. An unknown force raised my soul and put it into a younger form of my body, and gave me the helm that I now wear, transforming me into an immortal Steel Lord, freezing my current true age. I am otherwise 3019 years old in this form. At least as I recall. But I do not know my own human age. When I was given the helm, it forced itself onto me, and it only lets me take my human form every once in a while, but the last time I turned back into a human was twohundred years back. I could remove the helm this instant. But I feel that that would be a bad idea. Eitherway, after I scooped up Uriziel's remains and reforged it with the help of the other Guardians. I, myself, contributed the element of Fire."


    Still amazed, Xardas acted as if a revolution had started. "This... this is... excellent! With the power of the six elements in one blade we can now attack Faring with your help, Arthos! I will persuay the skeletons and Radikus to join our cause. Kain, go and talk to Diego and the others about this. Do not worry about Raziel, I will send one of the skeletons to tell him of the news!"


    He bolted off as if he were an entire 150 years younger. Apparently being the Chosen of Beliar not only gives you the power of understanding Ba'al-mae'an, it also permits the user longevity and added speed in their older ages.


    As the dust of the joyful old man's 'escape' cleared, Arthos and I began to forge a plan to bring down the walls of Faring. We had not gained a mere few steps, rather a giant leap closer to destroying the Hylden City in the Valley of Mines...


    (Well, hope you enjoyed this one!)
    The English WoG is NOT dead, my friends!
    [Bild: tOC_sig1.jpg]

  2. Beiträge anzeigen #22
    Ranger Avatar von KeeperUTX
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    Chapter 19 : The second battle of Faring.


    Diego seemed suprised by Arthos' story."Uriziel? But we lost it in the Sleeper's temple, under the orc town. Gorn was the only one who was able to wield it, but not use its powers. Milten was the one who forced the energy out the blade and rammed it straight into that overgrown demon's face... I can only remember a brief moment when the Sleeper was wailing, Uriziel suddenly shattered in Gorn's hands, giving him some serious scratches. We wanted to pick up whatever was left of the sword, but then we'd risk getting trapped in that accursed place forever. 'Lives are always more important than a powerful relic or a precious jewel.' That's what I always say."


    I turned to Gorn, patiently asking him what powers exactly the weapon bore.


    "Weeellll... All I know is that it could roast people if I hit them with Uriziel. And that it can shoot bolts of lightning with the help of a mage. But if you're saying that that thing's been imbued with the power of not four but SIX elements... it's just gotta be powerful." He then continued sharpening his axe on the whetstone, even though it was already far to sharp to comprehend.


    "Well, what? If I'm gonna be choppin' down orcs again I'm gonna need a REALLY sharp axe to get through that armor..."


    Lester slammed shut the book he was reading and stood up in front of the dusty table. "I've been doing a bit of research. I think I can use a few spells again, such as a more powerful form of Telekinesis. I can push and lift people around with it now, so I'll go try it on the skeletons." As he left the room of the smithy, everyone, including myself, stared at him as if he had a death wish.


    "So... what's this plan you've developed with Arthos?" Milten had finished polishing an old mage's stave. Observing it, I saw that the wood was finely cleaned by Milten's efforts, whereas he still frowned upon the fact that the red crystal on top of it was shattered. It still eminated a small amount of magical energy, but to no real extent.


    I opted to answer the young mage's inquiry. "Yes... about that..."
    I threw a large map onto the table, covering Lester's book in the process and lifting a small amount of dust.
    "Raziel and Xardas will go around the mountains and pass the desolated camp of Okara, recently cleared out by a passing Hylden patrol and attack the pass to Nordmar. We - that is our little group, Arthos and the demon Radikus - will attack the front, that is the bridge, the pass into Faring and so on. In this way we will use a pincer formation, thus preventing any of the orcs from escaping or otherwise creating a counterattack using the path through the mountains."


    Gorn was highly skeptical about the seemingly half-baked plan. "Yeah, right. A geezer and a dead vampire or whatever's gonna try and attack the pass to Nordmar, and we're stuck with the other hundreds of orcs that are gonna crawl up our butts. Nicely forged plan. Or should I say suicide mission? I just can't tell..."




    "Oh don't you worry your pretty little arse, my mercenary friend. One half of all the skeletons will go with us, whereas the rest will go with 'the geezer and the dead vampire', or, in other words, a powerful Necromancer named Xardas and my lieutenant Raziel, a powerful vampire-wraith with the capability to suck the enemy's soul out. Need I say anything else?"


    Just then, a loud cracking sound thundered through our ears, and then we heard a little girl screaming. And yet, to the comedial contrary, it was Lester running away from a large mass of particularly enraged skeletons, some of them carrying bones along with swords, and one of them carried a skull that glared at Lester with a fury unlike any other, chattering various curses in Ba'al-mae'an that I'd rather not say myself...


    ---


    The dawn of battle approached. All of my comrades donned chainmails, likely to prevent arrows from harming them. Diego had created a special quiver of arrows overnight. The tips were all different : some of them were from the looks of it poisoned, others had a small sack instead of an arrowhead, and yet others had arrowheads that were made out an unusual mineral. Gorn's axe had been not only sharpened to its full potential, it was also varnished with a thin layer of the same mineral. Lester and Milten had inscribed into their robes special runes that glowed with power. Milten picked up his newly polished staff started to hone his skills with a fireball and the staff itself. Lester merely lifted with his telekinetic abilities makeshift dummies that he clearly crafted in the night, probably because of yesterday's... incident. He propelled them towards himself and struck them with his mace.


    As I went up into the keep, the skeletons had all picked up some sort of weapon from who knows where, ranging from rusted swords to refurbished arbalests, a kind of giant crossbow. Each of the 'arbalesters' carried a large quantity of bolts with them in their leather pouches. The demon Radikus stepped up to me, holding in his left hand a viciously serrated sword, harbouring a large assortment of unholy runes and glowing in a menacingly red light.


    "T'is like in the olden days : I used to command the forces of Beliar with my own will. Now you command me, just as the dark god did. Your command is my will, Kain. You hold my cards now." He bowed down in front of me, showing me his loyalty. All the skeletons gawked at the sight of this 'surrendering."


    I forced him back onto his legs. "You need not prove your loyalty to me by bowing. Rather you shall prove yourself in battle."


    He pulled out from his sword a gem, encasing itself partially in demonic steel. Radikus placed this jewel onto my right-hand bracer, and it immediately latched onto it, permanently merging with the bracer. The demonic steel partially spread out onto the bracer in a crystal formation.


    "This stone controls who may summon me from the Eternal Aether, my homeworld. No matter in what world you stand, or what opponent you face, you may always call my name to summon me at your side. I will fight until I my body disintegrates back into the Aether, or until you send me back to it..."


    I gave the demon a smug smirk. "I will make sure that this new trinket will be put to great use and through its paces."


    Radikus turned his attention back to the skeletons, shouting what sounded like a speech of inspiration in Ba'al-mae'an.


    Raziel was honing his skills with the Wraith Blade, preforming various attacks on Arthos' shield as he held it : The shield was coloured in blaze-red and had a gold lion in the center. Likely this was the mark of the Steel Lords.


    "Gah! Not even a single scratch on that blasted shield of yours! What is it made out of?!"


    The shield dissapeared from Arthos' hand. "It is the legendary Blackoak Shield. A powerful warrior once wielded it. But now is not the time to dawdle and tell stories, we have a battle to win!"


    I interrupted their conversation. "Then what exactly are we waiting for?" I then felt a slight thirst and shattered a blood vial to replenish myself.


    The Steel Lord turned upon me. "Xardas will send me a telepathic..."
    He raised his head slightly.
    "... message. Or rather... He already has. He is nearly at the pass to Nordmar. Prepare your friends, Kain. Raziel, go to Xardas. I shall prepare the rest."


    Raziel dissapeared, clearly passing over into the Spectral Plane, where time does not matter. I assumed that he had alreadly reached Xardas, and I then left for my comrades' smithy.


    "Lift yourselves from your arses, my friends. Today, we strike a blow to the orcs."


    The four picked up all their weapons, runes and other objects and we awaited the small army of skeletons and Arthos and the demon.


    After some time we reached the bridge to Faring. All the orcs guarding it stared at our army with fear, most of them shaking with the desire to run from death. A deeply disturbing quietude filled the space between the two forces, and the only sound to be heard were the skeletons chattering their teeth together. Arthos pulled out Uriziel and his shield, aiming the sword skyward, then slowly pointing it towards the orcs. The tension grew as both groups stared eachother down.


    Finally, Arthos suddenly swung Uriziel back up, then slammed it into the ground, and a wave of searing flames and twisted darkness rolled over the majority of the orcs, incinerating both the grass and the orcs caught in the area of effect.


    "ATTACK! LEAVE NOT A SINGLE ORC ALIVE, UNLIFES!"


    At the same moment when Arthos roared the order, bolts of lighting and spirit energy were visible at the pass to Nordmar. Raziel and Xardas had heard the warcry and decided to attack as well.


    Diego hit several of the remaining orcs with two exploding arrows, setting them alight. Lester used his telekinetic abilities to
    throw several of the orcs into the skeletal crowd. Gorn and Milten were nowhere in sight, although the mage's fireballs were quite audible and visible.


    I ran into the fray myself, swinging at every orc that I met, the power of the Soul Reaver taking away their souls with delight. One of them foolish decided to run towards me in an attempt to stop me, to no effect as I plunged the Reaver into his head and ripped it off with the help of the serpentine blade. The body collapsed as blood gushed out its neck like a gory fountain. I drained the corpse of the crimson liquid, then continued to kill orc after orc with the Soul Reaver's Time Emblem, effortlessly slicing tens of them at once. The blood spillt all over the ground, creating a large number of red pools.


    I could see Arthos raise his weapon again, this time a flash of light emerging from it, blinding all who opposed him, namely the orcs. He then slammed Uriziel into the ground, and a blast of wind and water blew away the rest of the orcs. As we all wanted to continue, an orc in a red cape came down the path to Faring.


    "WAAAAIIIT! PLEASE, WE GIVE IN! I AM KAN, LEADER OF THE ORCS! Whatever it is you want of us you can have it, just don't kill all of us!"


    So the battle ended far more quickly than I expected it would. Arthos and I escorted Kan back up to Faring while Gorn, Diego, Lester and Milten seemed to celebrate the easily earned victory.


    (Next up is... Oh, you know what in Innos' name I'm gonna say )
    The English WoG is NOT dead, my friends!
    [Bild: tOC_sig1.jpg]

  3. Beiträge anzeigen #23
    Sword Master Avatar von Black Sphere
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    Wow.
    EDIT: To bad you didn't applied to the Eve Online Immersive Story Contest, you might even get some real cash for your effort
    Geändert von Black Sphere (20.01.2013 um 00:59 Uhr)

  4. Beiträge anzeigen #24
    Ranger Avatar von KeeperUTX
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    Zitat Zitat von Black Sphere Beitrag anzeigen
    Wow.
    EDIT: To bad you didn't applied to the Eve Online Immersive Story Contest, you might even get some real cash for your effort
    'fraid I'm not in it for the cash, I'm in it for the pure fun and ensuring the survival of several series, the main two being LoK and Gothic. Otherwise, I simply must tell you to PM me next time... sorry, but I'm a rule-dude and the rules say that you shouldn't post in a story thread... Well, no worries.
    The English WoG is NOT dead, my friends!
    [Bild: tOC_sig1.jpg]

  5. Beiträge anzeigen #25
    Ranger Avatar von KeeperUTX
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    Chapter 20 : The crimson key to salvation.


    Once we had entered Faring's main castle, we noticed that the orcs inside were quaking with fear due to Arthos' brutal demonstration of his weapon's capabilities. As soon as he glanced them, they all took a step or two back. Kan looked at us as if we were working on his last nerve.


    And, in his unnerved, stuttering voice, there seemed to be truth of my claim.


    "W-We-ell? W-W-What is i-it t-that you... n-ne-need?" He spoke as if he had seen the ever-grinning face of death until recently.


    Arthos made an attempt to quell Kan. "Still your nerves, orc. You have surrendered, and as such I shall not lay a finger on the remainder of your... army. I am assuming that the demons that name themselves the Hylden gave you quite the scare along with your losses."


    As he was ready to tell me something, the orc leader spoke, his voice calm, almost too calm.


    "You do not know what my people have had to suffer during the last fortnight. Our crops, recently flourishing, have been obliterated by their fire machines, and our warriors simply cannot break through their armor. And the arrows they use... Those horrid... green arrows... they killed everyone, even the shamans that tried to defend themselves. The same goes for the humans, all their cities, including Vengard and the ENTIRE region of Nordmar have been... wiped off this continent by a mysterious flying bird made out of metal. They have not flattened Faring because of the red stone the Necromancer gave us. But that won't matter if the 'Hylden' have been thrashing the pass to Nordmar with their own warriors, and they're just using their bare hands to kill us off, one by one... And the worst of it all is that we have not heard word of Varant ever since those things appeared out of nowhere. I doubt that even the city of Ishtar's still holding up thanks to those metal birds. For now... I can only hope that stone repels them for a really long time. It's our last line of defence..."


    Arthos, standing taller than either I or Kan, tried to convince the orc into coughing the focus stone up, placing his large hand on his shoulder.


    "Listen, Kan. We need the stone to defeat the Hylden opressors. If we are to send them to hell you MUST give the stone to us, or face extinction at the hands of the newly arrived demonic population, and so sink into the river of the forsaken races that have already fallen to their advanced set of technology."


    Kan quickly glanced at one of the towers of Faring, standing far taller than the ones in Gotha, and then returned his nerveless view to the Steel Lord.


    Said Steel Lord spoke again. "What say you, Kan? What... say... you?" With every word he circled around him like a vulture upon a dismayed victim of exhaustion.


    He stopped next to me when Kan came to a conclusion, "Sigh... Very well. We will leave the castle and take shelter in a cavern between Montera and Gotha. It is spacious enough for the last of my kin, and it's well hidden, too. The demons will not follow us and they won't find us with their metal birds. I will get the stone myself." He slumped off into the resets of the tower he looked at beforehand.


    Arthos, still keeping a fixed view on the tower, leaned to me. "Your silence was wise, Kain. Had you opened your trap I'd not be able to persuay him with such ease, otherwise we'd have to kill him along with the rest of his lookalike friends..."


    I gave him a smile. "Well, they do say that silence can mean a thousand words at once. When will our group be departing for the Hylden City on Khorinis' isle?" I then turned to face him.


    He did the same. "Only Xardas, I, you and your lieutenant will be attending the final battle. Your human allies are far to weak to face the horrors that the Hylden have prepared in their labs."
    As I tried to defy him he silenced my words with a mere thought.
    "Do not overestimate their abilities, Kain. They may be able to bring down an archdemon of Beliar, but not the Hylden. Say your goodbyes to them, explain the situation to them so that they know what needs to be done."
    He turned back to the tower.
    "Now go. Do as I say. For the sake of your comrades... and the fate of Nosgoth."


    I did as was told. As I walked down the path I could see Raziel talking with Arthos when I looked back. When I had returned to the pass up to Faring's exterior I saw Diego, Gorn, Milten and Lester chattering on about the strickingly fast victory.


    Gorn was swinging his axe around, showing how much blood had accumulated on it.


    "...An' then I slugged 'em a big one! Then I cut off the orc's head, with a single swipe! What a dope, he didn't even know what hit him!"


    Meanwhile, while the young magician and Lester listened to his story, Diego was looting the corpses that had fallen during the battle. The skeletons had all fallen back to Gotha, most likely for respite.


    As Gorn continued to swing the bloody axe I drew the crimson liquid off of it and into my mouth, giving me a mediocre refreshment, and then they finally noticed my presence.


    Lester was the first to react. "I see someone's thirsty. So, what's the status in the castle?"


    Gorn gained some interest in the castle's 'status' as well. "Yeah, what were you doing up there? And where did your demon buddy go off too?" He checked his weapon for any sign of filth, and the only filth visible was the dirt that he dug up while attacking.


    I halted Milten before he asked me the same inquiry. "That does not matter now. I have grim news for all of you."
    Diego heard this and ran in between Gorn and Milten.
    "With the focus stone in our possession we can now attack the Hylden City. But none of you cannot go there. Arthos says that it is a death wish for all of you to try and harm a Hylden, let alone kill one. That is why this is our last day together, as comrades."


    Diego was annoyed by the fact that I had to leave. "What?! But you can't just leave us like this! Not when we're having an adventure unlike any other!"


    Lester could only agree with the thief. "Yeah, you can't just drop us off like that! We're not just partners in fights, we're all friends too!"


    Gorn and Milten both told me that we had formed a true fellowship ever since we met, but to no true avail.


    "Listen, my mortal friends. You are all brave, you are all powerful and you are all my allies, neigh, my friends, but I fear that you simply cannot accompany me this time. I can clearly see that you all express a deep concern for me, but the Hylden are simply far too powerful even for the four of you. This is the last page of your journey with me. You all must leave me be, for another land still awaits salvation, and that land's name is Nosgoth, my homeland, the place I swore to protect its balance all those centuries ago, instead corrupting it and thusly punting it into darkness. I MUST go, for the sake of my land AND your lives, otherwise I can toss a thousand years of waiting for such a day into the abyss aptly named FAILURE and so doing lose the last fragment of humanity that I covet so dearly!"


    An immense quietude fell between us, making all of us think that a minute of our time was actually an aeon.


    Diego made the decision to break the silence after they all converged their gazes to eachother.


    "You're right, Kain. And we all support you. You have my respect and my bow." He kneeled down, holding his bow up.


    Gorn bowed as well. "And my axe." He held his axe high.


    Milten and Lester did the same, each offering their staff and mace, along with their respect for me.


    As I was honored, I told them to rise. "You are not the kind to bow. As you are humans that are more than capable allies, I am the one to be bowing to you."
    I bowed down before the four, unsheathing the Soul Reaver in all it's spiritual might, and chanted the old creed of the army of Willendorf, the banner that I served when mortality was still my weakness.
    " 'My blade is your blade. Your valor is my equal willpower. Your will gives me strength, your swiftness gives me confidence. May the light of the Wight Army of Willendorf always guide you through the darkest of times, may your steel be tasted by the enemy, let the darkness be... no more.' "
    I stood up to look at them, each of my comrades having an expression of pride.
    "What I just told you was the creed of the Wight Army of Willendorf, the force I once served all those 2502 years ago. May the old light truly watch over you."


    Arthos, Xardas and Raziel came down the pass with a casket presumably containing the red focus stone. Arthos seemed to be in a considerable hurry.


    "Change of plans, Kain. We leave now. I will elaborate once Xardas begins neutralizing the Hylden's barrier. Say what you still need to say, then we'll leave for Khorinis." He turned to the old man and started to chant an incantation which slowly forced a portal open.


    I turned back to my soon to be thousands of miles away comrades. "Well... I suppose these are the final few sentences in your part of my travels. May we one day meet again to battle alongside eachother. Until then... I bid you ado. May your luck fare better than mine in this cruel place..."


    "We won't forget you, Kain. We promise." It seemed almost as if Diego was about to leak a tear or two. I felt similarly. Loosing your comrades, whether in a battle or of another cause, is just as bad as losing a loved one.


    Gorn made a light joke instead of sobbing his eyes out. "Save a demon or two fer me, will ya? Jus' 'cause you're goin' back t' Khorinis doesn't mean you should have all the fun, y' know."
    He swept both Milten and Lester with his gaze.
    "Got anythin' t' say to the man that saved your asses on a few occasions?"


    Milten seemed anxious to exchange a final few words. "Well, I can say is that you're one mean vampire lord, Kain. In a good way."


    Lester was somewhat uncertain of what to say to me. "Uhhh... I've known you for what? Two, three days? That may not be much but I agree completely with the rest of my friends : you're one of us, even if all hell broke loose here and now."


    I nodded to all of them, and they all shouted 'goodbye' in unison as I left through the portal. I could still hear Raziel shout a few words himself to them, then he passed through along with the Necromancer and Arthos, and then the portal vanished.


    We turned round to see a massive metallic building, covered by a dome of Glyph Energy. I could sense the presence of the Sarafan Lord, or Hash'ak'gik as we stood before it. The final battle approached rapidly, my old nemesis, I presumed, felt it too. The mission to save Pyrokar was coming to a close end, but the true story was just beginning to unfold...
    The English WoG is NOT dead, my friends!
    [Bild: tOC_sig1.jpg]

  6. Beiträge anzeigen #26
    Ranger Avatar von KeeperUTX
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    For the time being I'm taking a bit of a break from writing. The next chapter should come out next Saturday. Till then... May Innos be with you.
    The English WoG is NOT dead, my friends!
    [Bild: tOC_sig1.jpg]

  7. Beiträge anzeigen #27
    Ranger Avatar von KeeperUTX
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    Chapter 21 : False Salvation.


    "Wait here while I perform the barrier removal spell. Once it's gone, we'll have to act fast - the Hylden will surely notice the missing green dome and send their scouts to search the area for tresspassers."


    Xardas placed the red focus stone at the base of the Hylden barrier that covered the entire valley. The barrier itself made its contents nearly impossible to view as a thick, green fog rolled over the newly formed Hylden City. The Necromancer pulled his black staff from under his robe, then raised it into the air, and finally slammed it into the charred soil beneath him. A blood-red pentagram formed all around him, and he started to mutter a chant that was to be spoken in Ba'al-mae'an. The souls of many a dead man screeched horrificly, chilling even me to the bones.


    I recalled the original version of the demonic citadel that now lies in ruins in the vicinity of the town of Meridian in Nosgoth. As my ship devoid of a living crew slowly closed in on it, I noted the gigantic runes that ran over its disgusting and plain exterior. They glowed in the usual color of the Glyph Energy, the light pulsating at a slow, almost unnoticable rate. My aquatic transport crashed into the dock, causing all of the ship's bloodless corpses to be punted forward by the might of inertia. There were no guards at its entrance, save for one of their demonic servants patrolling the outside sectors. As I walked up to the doorway that lead into the City, the Hylden Lord himself reared his revolting head. He attempted to strike fear into me, but my vengeance would be exacted, and the Soul Reaver would fall into my hands once again as I defeated Hash'ak'gik. How he survived the power of the Reaver, I do not know. But one thing is certain : this time he SHALL fall, and I shall drink his blood with such delight.


    Raziel walked up to me as I watched my serpent-like blade. as I sat down on a rock. "You seem distraught. What is it that ales you, Kain?"

    I focused my attention, for a moment, on him. "I am not distraught, Raziel. I am merely remembering that which has passed away so long ago. The first Hylden City had nearly no defenses whatsoever. I cannot say the same for the second. Hell knows what appaling beasts lie within. For all we know the Hylden could have created the same wraith-like abominations I faced in Malek's Bastion."
    Raziel leered at me when I said 'wraith-like abominations' - he himself was a wraith.
    I quickly clarified the sentence to him with rigidness in my voice.
    "I meant the armor wraiths, Raziel."


    Arthos heard this. "I don't believe the Hylden could retrieve the souls of lost warriors anymore, as the materials here are far too... outdated to support the massive energy requirements of their technology."


    Raziel contradicted him. "Then how do you explain the enormous barrier of Glyph Energy that now stands so proudly behind us?"


    The Steel Lord was quick to answer. "It is well within reason that they may have used a generator of some sort that they salvaged from the old citadel near Meridian, the now flattened city, thanks to the Dumahim's efforts of undermining the city's defenses. Literally. As far as I saw from the world ripple, the generator that a certain vampiric Balance Guardian destroyed was still partially intact, and the Hylden simply grabbed whatever was left of the by then rusted parts. Which leaves one inquiry : How in the name of the Three Brothers did those demonic scumbags manage to escape the Demon Dimension again?"


    I stood up to answer him. "It is feasible that the cause is the abolished and annhilated Pillar of Dimension. Without its powers, a portal to another world can be easily created, whether it is created in the other world or in Nosgoth itself. For you see, this Pillar kept the fabric of reality well woven, thusly shielding Nosgoth from the Hylden threat and any unexpected visitors from a world beyond ours."


    He nodded. "Seems logical. If the lock is removed from the door entirely, then the door can simply be pushed aside. But with the lock still in the door, and naturally, locked, no one may go through the doorway. Not without a corresponding key to unlock it."


    I myself nodded back. "Precisely, my friend."
    I unsheathed the Reaver and activated the Dimension Emblem. The blade glowed a vile green.
    "But would the Dimension Reaver suffice as a 'lockpick', or even the actual 'key'?


    "With enough power... it is possible. But when I say 'enough' I mean a HUGE amount of power, say from a large pile of magical ore. Uriziel requires a 'recharging' every once in a while, for it may wield great power within the black ore gem that adornes it, but it can only hold so much energy at once. After it is recharged it behaves as if it were recently forged. Perhaps the Reaver needs a recharge of some kind too..."


    He pulled Uriziel's handle from under his cape. The actual blade rapidly materialized shortly after this unveiling as the 'black ore' gem shined an intense purple. Raziel was amazed by the sudden appearance of this mythical weapon.


    He asked Arthos regarding the occasional recharging that Uriziel needed to function correctly.


    "Up until recently, my blade was a mere representative of the element of Fire, and thusly needed no power source whatsoever, save for a decadent piece of supercharged magical ore. But with the reforging of the blade, it is now able to draw a far larger source of energy without shattering in the process. This is what the black ore is for, as it contains massive amounts of energy when fully charged. But with every more powerful attack I execute the black ore comes one step closer to a lower level of power that it can always supply the blade with, that is the power level of the previous supercharged ore gem. In this form of low but infinite energy, Uriziel can only scorch its opponents, but it cannot do anything beyond that, not even create a source of light. I cannot wait to..."


    A loud humming and thundering sound was clearly audible. As we all turned around, we could see the barrier being dispersed rapidly, and the red focus stone shattered under the immense stress its own power applied. The force of the powerful yet small explosion was enough to knock Xardas off his feet. He collapsed near our position, and a loud alarm sounded the loss of the Hylden's precious dome.


    Raziel and I leaned down to pick up the old man, and the wraith made a light joke out of the situation.


    "If you are done with your beauty sleep, we must hurry."


    Xardas freed himself of our grip upon his arms. "I am aware of that. Come, we must save Pyrokar!"


    As the four of us faced the Valley of Mines, we saw the true extent of the Hylden City was far larger that it was presumed : The entire valley had been converged into a massive citadel, and in the very center was a vast platform with gigantic streams of Glyph Energy flowing around it. I knew that both the Magician and th General would be there.


    As we ran down the first stretch of the citadel-valley, several Hylden in robes attacked us with balls of Glyph Energy. Xardas ran forward, striking a piece of untouched earth to summon a large army of willing skeletons. Several Glyph Demons ran out from what was shaped like an entrance to an abandoned mine and countered the Necromancer's small legion. He himself engaged in magical combat with all the robed Hylden scientists, deflecting their attacks with a magically formed pentagramic rune shield spell and countered with his own fireballs and ball of darkness. The Hylden's agility served well in avoiding the old man's spells.


    "Go! I will deal with these ones! For the sake of Beliar, GO!" He continued pummeling the Hylden with his spells.


    Arthos, Raziel and I ran forward through the skeletal and demonic mass. As we propelled through I telekinetically through one of the Glyph Demons at one of the scientists, causing further confusion as it attacked its own master in anger.


    The second section of the of the Hylden City seemed vacant at first, but just around the corner we encountered several groups of Hylden warriors, which used their own arms as blades.


    As they ran towards us, I and Raziel were ready to face them all, but Arthos jumped in between us and severed one of their limbs. Pecular as it was, their wrath focused on him and only him as he battled at least half of the warriors at once, blocking their attacks with his Blackoak Shield and countering with a myriad of elemental combinations : one involved sliding Uriziel across the ground to form a wave of earth that knocked all of the opposition back.


    As he struck down one of the retaliating Hylden warriors, he warned us. "I will deal with these weaklings. You two have to rescue Pyrokar if the Pillar of Fire is to be controlled by anyone! Go!" A ball of ice flew from Uriziel's tip, freezing one of the Hylden as it stood up.


    We did as the Steel Lord said, disregarding his safety. I was sure he was beyond able to fend for himself, even without a legendary weapon.


    We continued into the outer cloister of the Hylden City. Multiple Hylden warriors and a handful of Glyph Demons occupied this segment. We both decided to attack them as a team to hasten things somewhat. I focused my fury upon two of the demons and used the Dark Gift Immolate to char their body into irrecognition. Raziel himself used his ability to travel in between planes, namely the Material and the Spectral, to pseudo-warp behind a Hylden warrior and stabbed him with the Wraith Blade. The soul of the victim briefly appeared at its tip before being consume by the ever soul-hungering weapon. As two of the other warriors took notice to the lack of a comrade they both attacked him, but to no avail as my lieutenant punted them backwards with the Wind Reaver form of his weapon. One of them landed on an ornamental spike, whereas the other collapsed from a collision with the wall behind him. Raziel quickly dashed up to him and rammed his arm through the Hylden's chest, causing blood to erupt out of both the entering and the exiting wound, painting the wall and the floor around him a lovely shade of red. The vampire-wraith pulled out his soul and devoured it as the lifeless body slumped against the wall and sled down. I used the power of the Dimension Reaver to instantly eviscerate all the Glyph Demons in sight, then draining them of what paltry amount of blood their broken bodies contained. Finally, I swapped Dimension for Conflict and rammed the Reaver into ground with a resoundingly metallic thump. The few remaining Hylden set their sights on eachother and ripped into one another like rabid dogs after a bloody steak. After the deed was done, Raziel and I fed upon whatever was left of the carnage. He drawed souls out of the Spectral Plane, and I drained the bodies of their blood. A greater feast indeed.


    We continued into the outer part of the Hylden General's sanctum through a large gateway. The streams of Glyph Energy that swirled above us were irritating to the skin, as Glyph Energy is what poison is to a human, in a manner of speaking.


    Raziel stared at the green and orange glowing glyphs that decorated the entry point to the inner sanctum. When we tried to go through it, both of us were burned as if by fire and violently pushed backwards, landing on the ground near the previous gateway. This combination of both pure and processed Glyph Energy was far stronger than the ones that either of us encountered.


    I stood up, rapidly walking towards the doorway. "Neigh! I refuse to be denied when the prize is within our reach... We HAVE to figure out a way to disperse this force field!"


    Raziel practically strolled up to me and looked up to the highest glyph. It was unique in comparison to the other glyphs.


    He kept glaring at the artistic glyph. "Hmmm... I may have an idea, but I likely won't be able to go with you."


    He summoned the Spirit Reaver form of the Wraith Blade, and a loud shriek could be heard from it as he ran it through the wall of energy. A wave of Glyph Energy flowed over him, almost forcing him to his knees, but he endured through what I assumed was a very painful idea.


    "Urrrrggh... If this works... the barrier will eventually be neutralized by the Spirit... Reaver, allowing... ungh!... both of us to continue... onward... agh!" The occasional wave of energy that passed through him made his sentence somewhat incoherent, but that was the least of our problems.


    My worst fear was confirmed by three large demonic beasts that apparently appeared out of thin air. I knew exactly what atrocities had found their way to us. : They were the same experiments that I faced in the firsy Hylden City. Their blue, or almost black plated skin made them nigh unto invincible to any attack, even the Soul Reaver itself bounced off their hides like a ball.


    Raziel pleaded me. "Listen to me... Kain. If Hash'ak'gik truly is residing up... there, then you're the only one who can... defeat him. I will distract these vile things... Go."


    I tried to reject his noble offer. "No! I will not leave you to face these abominations of nature on your own. You do not know just how powerful they are, no weapon, not even the Soul Reaver can damage them! What you are attempting is suicidal!"


    He grabbed me by my arm. "Exactly... And I... cannot be killed in any... normal way."
    With brute force in conjuction with his telekinetic might, he threw me into the hallway inside and removed the Spirit Reaver from the faint force field.
    As it started to regenerate, Raziel turned to face all three of the demons.
    "Good luck, Kain. You're going to need it much more than I ever will..."
    With those words I tried to run through the still reforming barrier, but far too late : it knocked me backwards into the staircase.
    Raziel pointed the Wraith Blade at the monstrosities. "COME ON, YOU PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR THE DEMONIC SPECIES! SHOW ME IF YOU ARE WORTHY OF FACING ME! COME ON!"


    Raziel ran off and they disappeared out of sight, and the barrier reformed completely, preventing any kind of sound from the outside. The only choice I had now was to go up to the platform and get to Pyrokar. And so I did, forced to leave my progidal son to face the black demons alone. As much as this pained me, I knew he was doing this for a greater cause : The salvation of Nosgoth.


    I arrived at the platform after a long walk up the staircase presented to me. The streams of Glyph Energy seemed far larger up close, but curiously did not cause any kind of irritation. The platform itself was absolutely flat, with not a single decoration whatsoever, not even a meager inscription on the ground. To what purpose this platform truly served, I had no idea, but as soon as my gaze turned a little bit, I saw him. Pyrokar was chained to a wall, staring at me like a skeleton would, exempting the friendly look.


    "Oh god, not another orc! A disgusting one at that!!" He flailed around like a fish out of water.


    Wonders upon wonders, first deemed a half-orc by Xardas the Necromancer, then a lizard by Marin the Felonian, now a fully blown orc, an ugly one at that, by non other than the future Guardian of the Pillar of Fire, Pyrokar. Stupidity at its finest. How absurdly wonderful.


    "You may be a High Magician of Fire, but you're certainly missing a few concepts. I am by no means a filthy orc. I am a vampire, and the name I go by is KAIN, not 'another orc'. Now, I'll get you down."


    As I walked towards the trapped mage, I saw his robe more clearly: It was colored a bright red and grey instead of red and black, and the belt he had was somewhat more decorative looking. Several imposed runic marks were splattered across the hole gown.


    But as I was ready to free the mage with just a thought, a very familiar voice resonated around us.


    "I've been expecting you, Kain. Quite the mess you and your friends have made across MY citadel."


    I could sense him behind me, several feet away. "I knew this wouldn't be as easy as draining blood from a body."
    I turned round to face Hash'ak'gik. His face was scarred.
    "The Sarafan Lord. Or should I just call you 'Hash'ak'gik'... We meet again. I see the Reaver has left its mark on you."


    He teleported closer to me, and started to circle me. "Your Reaver scarred not only my face, but also my soul. I was weakened to the point of demise. But a misterious power saved me from death, under one condition : I would take over this island AND Nosgoth as a place to serve my master's agenda, and yet my sabotage of the old fool's interdimensional spell STILL failed, making your presence detrimental to my forces."


    I started to circle in conjunction. "Ah, which reminds me... how did your kin manage to escape the Demon Dimension again after I destroyed the gateway to it? Why exactly are you keeping that mage captive? What do these newfound Guardians have to do with all of this that you want so badly?"


    The Sarafan Lord was displeased with my tampering. "Kain, two millenia have passed since our last encounter, and yet you are still so foolish as to ask such trivialities? Well, since we're already here, I will provide you with enlightenment. Firstly, we did not, escape ourselves, our master gave us a gateway through which we would strike. You can never really destroy any interdimensional gateway, all you can do is close it. Secondly, that mage is one of the Guardians that my master desires. All of which leads to the third answer : my master wishes to destroy both the Guardians and whatever Pillars they may protect, so that his brother's kingdom may fall into rapture!"


    I finally realized what this was all truly about. "You're talking about the Steel Lord, Arthos, and his brother which is your 'master'. But tell me, Hash'ak'gik... Why would you stoop to such lowly levels such as servitude? Why do you not stand for yourself? Is it because I practically wiped your kind off the face of Nosgoth? Or perhaps is the cause... pure fear? Do you fear me, general? Do you wish to retreat before I snap your neck like a dry twig?!"


    I managed to enrage him. "I am no servant! I command the greatest force this world has ever seen, or any other world! You will fall in combat with the greatest warrior of them all! DIE, KAIN, DIE FOR THE SAKE OF MY REVIVAL! YAAAAHAAAAAH!"


    He suddenly pulled a familiar blade and lunged at me : T'was the same blade that nearly made my untimely death all those centuries ago...


    I blocked the attack with the Reaver, causing sparks to fly. "Urgh... What's the matter? Losing strength?" I punted him backwards.


    He retaliated with several quick blows the majority being blocked again by my efforts, only one of them slipping in and scuffed my arm. I ignored the massive pain and vaulted over him and slashed him in the back. He grunted and collapsed to his knees. As I tried to run the Reaver through him, he vanished into thin air and I hit the ground. He reappeared behind me, grabbed me by the head with his left empty hand, and tossed me across the platform, causing me to skid into the wall where Pyrokar was.


    "Dear Innos!"


    I decided that enough was enough. As Hash'ak'gik tried to run his Glyph Blade through me, I vanished into Mist Form and then rematerialized in front of him and I grabbed him by his torso. In that instant, I concetrated all the anger I could muster against him, and used Immolate again. He was severely burned in that heavy armor of his, and as he roared and panted and gasped in his undeniable agony, I slashed his neck with the Reaver. Blood splattered all over me and Pyrokar and the surrounding area, much to the disgust of the mage. The Sarafan Lord collapsed to his knees again, with blood pouring from his open neck. I freed Pyrokar as this happened. As much as I was tempted to drink the blood, I wanted to see it all flow out of him, just like the life would have faded from him.


    Gurgling in his own pool of blood, the dying Hylden gave me a defiant look. "Gugh... Y-You may have won this battle... But the war... will never end... and my master will... raise me... again..."


    I raised the Soul Reaver in preparation to end him. "Tell that to him when your soul will be in the Reaver again. I do not care what will happen, I WILL ALWAYS DEFEAT YOU."


    As I swung down the Reaver, everything went black again. Arthos had started a teleportation sequence.


    "NO! I HAD HIM! LET ME GO! NOW! HE IS MINE!"


    But as I could not do anything about it, I turned my attention to fact that I was being pulled apart again. This was no mere teleportation... I was being transported through dimensions again.


    Finally, I awoke. Pyrokar was already standing and staring at the set of six Guardians that stood before him. Alicia, Marin, Vorador, Janos Audron, Arthos and an unknown one, one that had his or her hood over. The last one had a blue robe with a small amount of markings. I could assume that this was the Guardian of the Pillar of Water.


    Raziel and Xardas were unconscious, lying on the runic floor next to me.


    Arthos spoke with a booming voice "Welcome, Kain. To the Pillars... and your service to me."


    Shock filled me as the seven Pillars of the elements lighted up. The worst was to come.
    The English WoG is NOT dead, my friends!
    [Bild: tOC_sig1.jpg]

  8. Beiträge anzeigen #28
    Ranger Avatar von KeeperUTX
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    Chapter 22 : The Prelude to Chaos.


    "Y-Y... You! You are the one who I met in m-my dreams! You are t-the one who told me that I was..."
    Pyrokar was stutterring in sight of the six Guardians that stood before him.


    Arthos cut him off mid-sentence with a very brash tone.
    "... Destined to become the Guardian of the Pillar of Fire. So it is written by the by-gone era of the Nine Guilds of the lands encompassing Avalon. You knew that this day would come to..."


    As Arthos babbled on about his devious plot, my vision strayed off of him and onto the other five, each standing next to his or her corresponding pillar : Alicia stood under the shining Pillar of Light, which bathed the entire room with an unearthly light. Marin leaned on the Pillar of Earth, with dirt and earth swirling around it like a tempest. The next two confirmed my fears : Janos Audron, the last of his kind, stood near the Pillar of Air, encroached by severe winds, and Vorador, the first of all Vampires, turned by the winged vampire next to him, stared at me while he idled near to the Pillar of Darkness, which was surrounded by a veil of pitch-black darkness. The last one, as mentioned somewhat earlier, wore a blue robe with a small amount of blue markings. The Water Guardian had his or her hood over, with what appeared to be gloves covering the hands, making it impossible for me to derive whether it was a she or a he, and the Pillar of Water that loomed over the figure had been covered entirely by water. The other two pillars were that of Fire, which was to be guarded by the Fire Mage, Pyrokar. Blazing flames crawled around the stone pillar which stood the left of the Pillar of Light. The last of these monumental monstrosities was the Pillar of Spirit. It was all too clear to me what had entwined itself around the stone object : T'was pure spirit energy, the kind of energy which forces both Reavers to behave oddly in its vicinity. The serpentine blade that I had strapped to my back glowed an ominous blue and violet, the same colour that the Spirit Pillar's energies had. All of these constructions bore an insignia, each representing a corresponding element. They were exactly the same as the ones I had encountered while searching the old Vampire Citadel in Nosgoth. The actual appearance of these symboles here disturbed me. It was all true : the prophecy of the Seven Elements had been truthful all along, and all these decades I was foolish enough to dismiss the predictions of Moebius like a rusted blade when the Time Streamer visited me one last time.


    I decided it was time to finally break the long and winding conversation of the mage and the Lord.
    "Arthos!"
    Telekinetically punting the old mage aside, I stroded to Arthos in a rage.
    "What in the name of Nosgoth is the meaning of this? What services do you speak of?"


    Arthos seemed somewhat infuriated. "Your destiny - for the time being - is to battle along side the others in this room. And the other Protectors besides yourself."
    He held his hand up to stop me from questioning him.
    "Before you start inquirizing me like a child thirsting for pointless answers, allow me to... fill you in on the situation at hand. You see, the Guardians are here to balance the powers of the elements of this world. In days long past, there was a Steel Lord who waged war upon these depraved lands : my brother, Azriel. When I last faced him, he told me that he saw a world that needed to be purged of its... vermin. Namely, that is everyone and everything that does not agree with his method of subjugation. To make matters worse, he has corrupted several other Steel Lords of different ranks, all of them having their own unique abilities, allowing Azriel to manipulate multiple lands at once. The last battle that I had a thousand years ago against him resulted in my victory, but at a terrible price. The forces we unleashed upon this dimension were unthinkable, tearing hole after hole into the aspect of reality. When I realized what was going on, I saw the following : fires were uncontrollable, the earth bended as it pleased, day and nights were unequal, simple gusts of wind tore even the sturdiest fortress apart, and water... let us not go there. It all seemed hopeless, so I built myself the very dome we all stand in - the Fort of the Elements, a safehouse which prevented the raging elements from tearing me asunder. Year after year passed as I watched the events of other parallel worlds through the use of world ripples. I am immortal after all, so I decided to peak through them to prevent myself from falling into insanity... or worse. But one day, the Winged Beings of Nosgoth erected their Pillars, and thusly righted the errors of their nemesis, the Hylden ancestors. The world became a better place with the raising of the Pillars of Nosgoth, and so I gained the same idea. The Pillars of Avalon were nearly identical in function to their Nosgothian counterparts, except that they righted the wronged elements. When I stepped outside the Fort, the seas were normal again, the earth had stopped in its motions, and the day was once again equal to the night. But to prevent the Pillars from losing their powers, there must always be someone that will take care of the Pillars : Guardians. Until now I took the all the mental strain of the Elements upon myself. But with these six as Guardians, long ago marked by me, I can finally think of something else other than keeping everything under control. One man alone must endure all of the mental stress of the Pillars, but when it is divided among seven it is practically nothing. However, to ensure that the Pillars do what their role in this world enlists them to do, the Guardians must be alive. Once one of them is assigned to a Pillar, the two are permanently tied together. If the Guardian dies, the Pillar dies with it. Which leads us to this conclusion : there must always be a group of people who will protect them. These are the Protectors, and there are four of them. You, Raziel and Xardas are three out of four."


    Calmed by the story he had told me, he had given me an inquiry with his last four words.
    "Then who is the fourth among the Protectors?"


    I heard a familiar voice behind me. "That'd be me." Caroll seemed happy to see my party again.
    "Welcome to the Fortress of Elements, Kain. Nice place, right?"


    I frowned slightly. "I suppose. But that leaves me with the very last question I shall ask you this day."
    Turning towards the Steel Lord, I knew he had the answer.
    "Why us? Why not anyone else?"


    He put his large hand on my right shoulder. "All of you have endured many hardships together... and alone. All four of you are worthy of this task, all of you strong enough to overcome any obstruction with teamwork. Both of you can now stop pretending to be unconscious now."
    His glowing eyes locked onto Raziel, who was glaring at Xardas, both them now standing.


    "How did he know?" Xardas sounded suprisingly stupid whispering this to the wraith.


    Raziel's head jerked towards the old man. "How am I supposed to know?! I hardly even know the man..."


    I whistled to the silly pair. "If you're both done acting like twats, would you care to get your arses over here?" I gestured to them to do so as well.


    As they both approached us, Arthos had one last request.
    "Kain, will thoust taketh this duty upon thine shoulders and helpeth me defeat mine enemies?"


    With the way he asked me, I could not turn down the offer.
    "I accept this call of duty. If it means saving Nosgoth in the process, then I shall follow you whereever you shall go. I now serve you, Steel Lord."


    Raziel made the same vow. "Even if Kain serves another, I shall still fight alongside him. He is my lord, and so shall he remain."


    Xardas was at first reluctant of accepting his role. "... But even though I dislike this role, Kain is an ally worth fighting alongside. I will stand at your side, Arthos, and at his aswell."


    Caroll was joyful in accepting this role. "I'm staying with you guys. You can't get rid of me like that, especially when it sounds like you're going to have all the fun to yourselves. Count me in!"


    We all bowed before Arthos. He unsheathed Uriziel, tapping our shoulders with the tip of the blade, one by one.


    "I now pronounce you Protectors of the Guardians. May Innos watch over you, help you cross all the dark paths that you shall walk upon." He then bowed in front of us as an apparent sign of respect. The other Guardians did the same thing. The fact that actual humans respected me was... amusing, almost invigorating...


    Arthos, Xardas and Caroll disbanded to talk with Alicia, Marin and Pyrokar, while Raziel and I went over to Janos, Vorador and the hooded figure.


    The father of vampires was elated to see me. "Ahhh, Kain! It's been so long..."


    But I was anxious to know something. "Before we continue with introductions, I'd like to know how Arthos revived you in the first place, and how he managed to liberate Janos Audron from his imprisonment in the Demon Dimension."


    Janos enlightened us. "It is a long story, but I believe it is a good time to tell it now. Vorador's soul was retrieved from the Spectral Realm by Arthos, and he was given a new body. He pulled my nearly lifeless body out of the Demon Dimension in turn, as he was the only one who knew where to look for me."


    Vorador laughed. "Hahaha! You know, I've died so many times over that I don't even remember how many times exactly I've been killed. Slipped my mind around 400 years ago. It's hard to remember everything when you're just a soul floating around aimlessly..."


    Raziel asked the hooded figure at last. "And who, praytell, are you?"


    The figure removed its hood. To both of us with Raziel it was a massive shock : another female Felonian stood before us. Her ears were a dark brown, same for her hair and the upper half of her face, which was covered with the same dark brown fur, until her nose and the bottom of her eyes. The bottom part was consisted of white fur, which explained why her hands were white. Her eyes were a slightly lighter shade of brown.


    "I'm Patricia. It's good to finally meet the infamous Kain!" She shook both our claws at the same time.


    Still partially suprised, I asked her a few questions. "How come you the human language so well?"


    She spoke with confidence. "Arthos taught me everything I know about the old human languages."


    The second question was placed by Raziel. "So... are you completely white under the garbs?"


    Suprisingly, she did not blush. "Okay... rather an uncanny question, but... Well, actually I'm mostly a dark brown 'under the garbs'. Just my hands and feet are white, besides the white stripe that starts on my midsection, widens over my chest, then it becomes about the same width again, then it ends on my face, again, wider."


    "And you say the question is more disturbing than the actual answer." As Patricia looked at me I gave her a fat grin.


    We all decided to relax for the day. We each told our stories, filling in eachother on the recent events.


    With that done in, I stood atop the dome that encompassed the Pillars of Avalon and pondered. If Arthos claims Azriel is a powerful being, then this would be one of my most intruguing travels... although I assumed at first that I would not travel at all. Looking down upon the mountains that surrounded the dome, I quaffed the last of my blood vials as a toast to my elevation to the rank of a Protector.


    But one thing would not go out of my head. Hash'ak'gik... I felt that that bottomfeeder was still alive, clasping those last few drops of his filthy blood, wondering what had happened to Kain, where he had gone, and so on...


    But I knew, that one day, I would finally exact my righteous vengeance upon the Sarafan Lord. Mark my words, I WILL taste his blood.


    Until then, I serve the house of the Seven Elements. Many a trial awaits me in depths of Fourth Earth.


    I am Kain, and this is my Legacy.





    And so ends the first leg of Kain's long, winding journey. What awaits the wise vampire in Avalon... What demons he will face... shall be revealed in the next...


    Well, it's been six months or so since the start of the story. I have to say that I'm suprised that I managed to make this so lengthy. My last story was horrid in comparison...
    Eitherway, I'll now use a link to show LoK : Double Dimensions in my sig. So, until I decide to start the next 'cyberbook'... Hold on to yer panties!

    -KeeperUTX, Archmagus of Innos.

    The English WoG is NOT dead, my friends!
    [Bild: tOC_sig1.jpg]

  9. Beiträge anzeigen #29
    Ranger Avatar von KeeperUTX
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    Jun 2012
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    KeeperUTX ist offline
    One last dink in the armor...

    Well, since the english side of WoG is closing down, I'll have you know that I've 'saved' this story of mine. If anyone wants me to upload it in a RAR or ZIP file they should tell me now.

    Otherwise, the next story aka the successor to Legacy of Kain : Double Dimensions will appear on the german, more lively side of WoG since I heard that we're more that welcome to post there. So, if you want to read about it... Keep your eyes peeled.
    The English WoG is NOT dead, my friends!
    [Bild: tOC_sig1.jpg]

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