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When King Andronikos dies, six strangers are brought together to find his heir. CLOSED. |
| [Introduction]
The Ancient Order of Athena was created to dispell evil in the known world of Titus. The knowledge of the order is kept secret passed down generation to generation. The order has been kept together by priests at the temple of Athena. These six are all that are left. So we have six that is it. We will start it now. I am sick of waiting and it sucks to spend 15 additions on waiting. Totally not needed. Lets go. Rules: 1. Please write within 4 days or I will skip you. I hate skipping. 2. Please try and make this fun. 3. Do not kill any of the main characters. 4. Do not rape any of the main charaters. PLEASE SEND ME YOUR CHARACTER PROFILES!! We will not start until all of the characters have profiles and writers! Character Profile: Name: Sex: Age: Hair Color: Eye Color: Height: Weight: Personality: Clothing: Weapons: Talents: History: Name: Britian Harker (Eli Watson) Sex: Female Age: 19 Hair Color: Long, wavy golden blonde hair that falls right below her waist. Eye Color: Large midnight blue eyes Height: 5'3 Weight: 103 Personality: She is caring, intelligent, sweet, innocent and sensitive. Clothing: She wears a long light blue cloak, a pair of deep black pants, a long dark gray shirt that cuts mid-thigh, and a pair of black boots. She wears a silver star necklace around her neck, it is shows she is part of the order. Weapons: A longsword with a navy blue hilt and a silver star engraved on it. Talents: Britian is a warrior and good with swords. One of her skills is cooking. History: Britian parents were both part of the Order, until their deaths. Her father trained her in combat, he was a great warrior in his time and is still known as one of the best. Name: Hayden Waverly (Blake Watson) Sex: Female Age: 16 Hair Color: Long raven hair, a little above her waist Eye Color: clear blue Height: 90 LBS Weight: 4' 10" Personality: Independent. sarcastic, outgoing and Intelligent Clothing: Long forest green cloak, long tan skirt, white shirt Weapons: A bow with a incrested moon on it. Talents: Was taught in warrior training until she was 15. History: While giving child birth her mother and the child both died, her father adandened her, she was left to live with her uncle at the age of 4. Where she then began her training, her uncle introduced her into the Order. name: Jack Salvo sex: male Age 25 hair color: black eye color: brown height 6’5” weight: 225 lbs personality: A roguish joker full of playful banter and pointless humor. He always tries to stay jovial, or at least tries to keep calm and civil. He is neither prone to hate or anger and always takes any threat of violence seriously. He only fights as an absolute last resort, even if his life is in danger. He often fails to show respect because he is unimpressed by shows of skill or power, but he is an honest friend and a faithful companion. clothing: Decked out in fine style. He wears black, blues and purples in velvet and silk, usually a simple but luxurious tunic and pants with a cloak and wide brimmed hat. Also, he wears a silver necklace that shows that he is part of the order. weapons: rapier, throwing daggers, a retractable blade attached to the sole of each shoe talents: a master of finesse with both his daggers and rapier, trained well in many different kicking styles of fighting, very good at balancing/acrobatic type tricks history: Jack comes from a rich background. He was inducted into the order at a young age by a friend of his family who had taken a liking to him. He had seen a bit of combat and spent some time in the field. It was During one mission he had his left arm cut off, but he simply worked harder at using his right arm and his legs. He trained almost continuously for years, and the loss of his arm now leaves him very little disadvantage. Name:Zane Gardina Age:19 Sex: Male Hair: Black with a purple tint and tilts over 1 eye. Eyes: Blood red Heieght: 6'3 Weight: 143 Personality:He likes to act older, because he is very smart. He can be sarcastic at times. He has a bad temper and can get violent. He hates rich and arogent kids who can't take care of themselfs. Can be optmistic and negative. Clothing: He wears a black silk shirt that is as tough as armor. He wears black baggy pants that he sometimes tucks into his knee high boots. He also wears a sredded rode were the strips flow behind him. He also has a tatoo of the order on his collar bone. Weapons: Zane has a throwing dagger so when it hits someone they turn to ashes. He has a long bow and a red bladed sword. Zane also has Three daggers in each boot. Talents: He has some shapeshifting skills. He is also a master with all weapons and martal arts. History: He doesn't really have a history accept in assassinating. But in a past life he remembered serving the order. |
| Britian slept in a small room in the Frogs Toes Inn, where she had worked as a cook since she was tall enough to look over the counter. She was awoken by a light shake and the cool feeling of morning air. The room was full of dim light, from a candle that sat on a side table. "What are you doing here, Peter?" She asked in a whisper which Peter hardly heard. "There was a letter for you, Britian," he said with a little resistance. Then, he handed her a small envelope. Britian's hand shook as she grabbed it. She looked at the front, but all it said was Britian, in light blue large wavy handwriting. Britian tore it open quickly, revealing a crimson piece of paper with the same large, wavy handwriting with the same light blue color. At first she did not understand what it was saying, she rubbed her eyes and read it over. Dear Miss. Harker, I have written to you to request you to come to the Temple of Athena. We have important business to discuss although you have no idea, of it. I would like to tell you that you should tell no one, for this is very special meeting. Take the road south and into the Amica Pass. At the end of the pass you will see the temple. Bring this letter with you, for it shall give you admittance to the temple. Come at once, Priest Nikko. "What a strange letter," She said out loud, then handed the letter to Peter who read it, too. Britian went immediately to a cupboard in the corner of the room and pulled some clothes out and threw them into a large blue bag. She then went to a desk and grabbed some materials. Britian stopped halfway through her packing, when she realized she was still in her underclothes. Throwing peter into the hall, she dressed quickly and allowed Peter back in. "Peter, you cannot tell anyone where I have gone. Tell them I had gone to Hallworth City to see friends." Peter shook his head and handed her the letter. "Oh, Peter you have been a very good friend," she whispered and gave him a hug. "Do not worry Britian, I will tell everyone the story about Hallworth City." Peter, carried her bag out to door, they hugged once more. Then Britian and Pelorna her horse disappeared into the dark. She rode for what seemed forever before night, became day and they had reached the pass. It looked as if winter was fast approaching on the Amica Pass. Soon the low slopes would be fall of snow. Britian pulled her, light blue cloak tighter to her skin. After a couple hours the pass opened into a small forest. The small wooded area led into a clearing and for the first time Britian set eyes on the large, silver stone building. Jumping down from her mount she looked wide eyed at the massive temple with a strange feeling she had been her before, she walked to the entrance. A tall, man in dark green robes stepped forward and asked her what business she had at the temple. first, she had no idea of what to say, then she snatched the letter from her deep pocket and thrust it at the man. He smiled and opened door. They walked in silence down the long corridor, about halfway down the hallway, he turned to his left and opened a large wooden door, with silver door knobs. The doorway led into a small room. A man sat at his desk on the right wall, with seven chairs around his desk. On the left was a mammoth fire place, a large fire was roaring in it. Britian, was left by the man in green robes and walked toward the desk. A young men in gray robes sat in a large silver chair. He stood and smiled at Britian, "Hello, I am Priest Nikko. You must be Britian?" He said unsure. "Yes, sir." Britian said in a low tone. "May, I have your letter." Britian took the letter out and handed it to him. Priest Nikko, took the letter checked it over and tossed it in the frie place, at first Britian had an over overwhelming sense to jump in after it, but the Priest spoke first, "Come sit, we are waiting for five more people." For the first time Britian noticed the small woman, in the sixth chair. Britian sat next to her and smiled. |
| Jack was practicing in the yard when he got the letter. One of his mother's servants gave it to him. "So, they want me back, do they? Have to clean up someone's mess no doubt. Always do," Jack said idly, with a glint of humor in his eye. "Yes, sir," the servant said. "Have my clothes prepared and some supplies packed, enough for a day's journey," Jack ordered, "Have my horse prepared and brought to the front. I want to leave within ten minutes." Jack ran upstairs, wiping the sweat from his face. When he got to his room he found that the servants had set out some food, and a large tub of cold water was in his private bathroom. He stripped down and climbed in, the cool feeling on his skin a welcome change from the hot weather they had been having lately. He didn't have time to enjoy it, though. Jack quickly climbed out and toweled off. Jack got back to his room to find one of his servants laying out a stylish and comfortable travel outfit made of lavish materials. He quickly got dressed, collected his sword and personal effects, and strode out the door, grabbing some food on the way out, eating as he walked. Getting ready had taken him no longer than five minutes. Jack quietly opened the door to his mother's chamber. She was being fed broth by a servant, for she was too weak to lift the spoon herself. Jack knelt near his mother's side. "I have to go now," he said, a somber expression on his face, "I am needed." His mother wore a serene smile despite her deteriorating condition. "It's alright. I am not long for this world, and you have always been a good son. I will not see you again, I think, and I am glad to have you as one of my final memories." "No," Jack said, "I will be back. I promise I will see you again." Jack kissed his mother on the cheek and left the room imediately. It had been a short meeting, but more was said between the two then could be seen by anyone else. Jack walked through the halls of his mother's estate with a pensive expression on his face, but snapped out of it when he stepped outside. He saw his mother's servant holding his horse, and was pleased that they could have him ready so soon. "Bye, Roger," Jack said to the servant, "Take care of yourself. And don't be so serious all the time." "Sir," said Roger, his face impassive. Jack galloped his horse off the grounds, laughing out loud at the feeling of exhilaration. He knew, however, that he had to save the beast's energy for the journey. He rode along the path, humming to himself and sometimes laughing at a personal joke. Jack arrived at the temple around sunset. Jack ran his horse for the last leg of the journey and had it skid to a halt in front of the temple doors. Jack leapt smoothly out of the saddle and opened the temple doors wide with a very satisfying bang. "Lock up your daughters and hide your children, I'm back!" Jack said, a goofy grin on his face. A man in green robes took Jack's letter and led him through the temple. He had a hint of a sneer on his face, as if he found Jack's entrance distasteful. This, however, only encouraged Jack, and he did all he could to get a smile out of the man in green robes during their walk through the temple. "You are to enter here," the green-robed man said, a thouroughly annoyed look on his face. He bowed and left in a huff. Jack strode into the room as if he owned it. "Hi guys," he said. "Ah, you must be Jack. I am Nikko, priest of this temple." Nikko obtained and destroyed Jack's letter as he did with Britain's. It was then Jack turned Britain and Hayden sitting behind him. "At least the wait will be a plesant one," Jack said, half to himself but making sure he was loud enough to be heard. He took his hat off and elaborately bowed to the women, exagerating slightly. His hat was very wide brimmed and had a huge gaudy feather in it, so the effect was profound. "Jack Salvo, at your service," he told them. He dropped to one knee and kissed each of their hands in the fashon of the high court. His manners were impeckable, but he varied his behavior slightly so that it was clear that he thought it to be one big joke. "You will, unfortunately, have to wait," Nikko said after Jack straightened up, "Only once we are together I will reveal your mission to you." "Ah, it's one of those missions," Jack said, still grinning, and sat down with the other two. |
| Name: Angeless Yamato Sex: male Age: 105 Hair color: black with white streaks. Shoulder length always looks wet. Eye color: very pale blue. Height 6’5” Weight: 130 lbs Personality: he has no wish to act his age as he is eternaly young at heart. Which shows through his rough demenor. He has a fondness of pointing out the obvious. Has way too much sarcasim for his own good. When he fights he is a different person unrelenting and incredibly violent. Way too perky for his own good. resents himself for being to good at what he does. A very heavy drinker. Clothing: He wears a suit of thin chain mail under a black tunic. A robe of black fabric lined with blood red material. Sometimes a Bandana that is soaked in the blood of his fallen comrads. Wrist gauntlets made out of silver embroided with the emblem of the Order. Knee high black boots with a white tree engraved into them. A skin tight black hood that he wears to hide himself better. Weapons: 2 short swords, 1 longsword, 1 long bow, varius knifes, A blue bladed Katana *ice element*. A pair of long chain whips coiled around his wrist. Talents: highly gifted when it concerns blades. He has some minor telepathic and kinetic powers. he has never aged physicly sinse the age of 25. Being able to hide in plain sight and get into anything and everything. Unaturaly lucky. Unaturaly fast. Seeing the raw potential of others. History: Eternal youth gifted to him by the order over 80 years ago. To allow him to carry out his duties for aslong as he wished. For the last 15 years he has been using his skils to steal things for the Order and other clients. Has seen more wars than many living beings. Considered a master of blades, but he often acts less able than he is. He has one defining feature abve all a tatto of a third eye in blood red on his forhead. He has many nicknames given to him by foes that survived him...the shadow, deathwalker, satans reject, deathdealer, nightstalker, white devil are some of his more renowned names. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Angeless sat on the top of one of the spires of the Temple. He'd been waiting up there for the last two hours in the pouring rain. Even with the flashes of lighting he could barely be seen. His third eyes tattoo was glowing bright red with a flame of some kind. He could see things in a distored light with the people giving of a light blue glow. "Hmm...only three...have come perhaps its a good thing I decided to show my face "he smiled as the tattoo died down to a dormant state. He pulled out a long coil of black chain with a sharp dagger tipping it. He flicked it and the dagger imbeded it'self into the stones of the temple beneath him. He swung down silently making no noise not even a ripple through the rain. The dagger came free at a quick jerk of his wrist and he flicked it again and landed on the steps to the temple without a noise. The chain seemed to coil around his left wrist asif it was alive. The doors opened slightly and a man poked his head out. "You're late I was especting you hours ago "sighed Nikko opening the door to allow him entry. Angeless stepped in out of the rain grugingly. He pulled down the hood of the robe. "One of these days you're going to have to tell me how you do that "asked Angeless as the door was closed? Grasping the base of his mask he pulled it off and tucked it into his tunic. "I would never reveal a secret like that yamato "smiled Nikko before showing him to his seat. Angeless sat down vagly acknowleging the other three. "So what could be so important as to call me off a mission Order sent me on in the first place "asked Angeless? "Baljoxers eye can be retreaved another time...but as to the reason I cannot inform you on the nature of the request...yet "sighed Nikko trying to refrain from raising his voice. Angeless sighed and asked no more questions. The younger of the two women however did ask him questions. "I am Britian Harker...it is good to meet you...Mr? "she asked bowing to him slightly? He returned the bow with a nodd. "I am...the shadow...deathwalker...satans reject...call me what you wish...but i would prefer Angeless Yamato...assasin, dark night and master swordsman at your sevis "he smiled with a glint in his plae eyes. |
| "Good morning, Mr. Deathwalker." Britian teased. "So your the great Angeless Yamato." "It seems so," He said with a smile. Britian was amazed, she had heard stories of Yamato. Stories about his eternal youth and his ability with weapons, She sat in awe of him. Britian turned toward Heyden and knew she was thinking the same. "So it is Heyden, Jack, Angeless and I, where are the rest?" Heyden asked with a sly tone. "Miss. Waverly, you will get no information from me until everyone I have invited is here." Priest Nikko said, without removing his eyes from his book. Britian knew Heyden was to be a sister to her. The two men she hoped would also be in her good grace. (Sorry sort of ran out of things to say. Dark Star is in, too. So we only need two more.) |
| "Satan's Reject? I always thought the Lord of the Pit could use all the help he could get." Angless Yamato paid no attention to Jack's slightly mocking tone. This, however, didn't discourage him. "I mean, all I'm saying is that it's not exactly easy taking on God, and surely someone as talented as you would be an essential part of the ranks." Yamato still barely spared Jack a glance, but he could see that a grin was splitting his face. Jack was enjoying himself immensely, but he always seemed to be enjoying himself. "I mean, it's different if you chose to leave, but I don't think ol' Lucifer would make it easy on you. I mean..." Jack never finished what he was going to say, for Yamato rolled his eyes and turned away from him. For no reason at all Jack let out a hearty laugh. "You should not speak," Yamato said slowly and deliberately, "Of that which you don't understand." "Oh, come now my good man, you shouldn't take me so seriously. After all, one of the great problems of the world is that people don't laugh at themselves enough," Jack said as he chuckled a bit, "And you have to admit, most people are pretty funny. After all, I have met so many people playing silly buggers and calling themselves something like, 'Walks In The Twilight,' or, 'The Soul Eater,' and trying to look very mysterious about it." Yamato slowly raised a questioning eyebrow, a motion that would send all but the bravest of his enemies bolting from the room. He slowly drew his sword from a sitting position, letting the steel scrape across his scabbard in a deliberate motion. "Is that," he said, "a challenge?" "Oh, by no means," said Jack, seemingly undaunted by the implied threat, a humorous glint still in his eyes and a smile still splitting his face asunder, "I do not doubt your skills, O Deathmaker," Angless thought he detected a hint of mocking in Jack's voice, "I only meant to illustrate that there is some humor in the way you present yourself." Yamato sighed. "You should show some respect, because you never know who might decide to teach it to you." If anything Jack's grin split even wider. "The funny thing about respect is that everyone thinks they've earned it. And no one has ever earned mine by playing with silly bits of metal. Anyhow, I can't stand violence, really. I even get queasy at the sight of blood." If Yamato had a response to this he didn't say it, for Britian and Hayden looked up from their conversation, and Hayden asked the room, "Did everyone recieve a letter?" Jack kept silent about this, for she had clearly seen his and Britian's. He did wonder about Yamato in spite of himself, however. The man was an odd one, definitely. |
| "Mine's...abit wet "smiled Angeless briefly as he held it out. He had a nagging feeling this Jack would be either highly entertaining or very annoying, he still wasn't sure which it would be. "Yamato keep that under contol or I will have to releave you of them "sighed Nikko as he spotted Angeless sending one of his chains towards Jack. "I promised I'd come and behave myself...but I didn't say for how long I'd play nice "he sighed smiling as the chain recoiled around his arm. "Act your age...you're 105 "sighed nikko hiding a smile. Angeless smiled and let out a small chuckle. "You know...I think I'm going to like having you around...god knows I'm depressing "smiled Angeless patting Jack on the shoulder. |
| Britian sat still watching the three men. Angeless and Jack, reminded her faintly of the little boys back in Meric. Heyden, reminded her of her mother, although she had not really known her. Priest Nikko, although he was young seemed to be made of wisdom as if he had seen all the years of Therun with his own eyes. (So if no one joins, than I am just going to knock the number down to 5. We have 2 new members to our campfire. Just need 1 more. Darkstar is not going to join us, but hopefully we will be off on this adventure. Great job to all.) |
| Angeless kept his distance from the others and sat down in an empty chair. He closed his eyes and felt a shiver run down his back. His tattoo glowed briefly and went back to normal. ~~~~~~ ~80 years and 11 months ago~ A dull grey evening with pouring rain so thick you could barly see your hand. Over the sound of the rain the sound of steel on steel could just be heard. Two young men were fighting each other. Each with a tattoo of a eye burning brightly on their forheads. Any normal man would have been blind and unable to fight...but these men were anything but ordinary. Weilding both fire and ice. In one hand each weilded a Katana. The other a longsword. They struck out against each other and both blocked with the Katana. The Katana with the red blade broke in two and was dicarded. The blue blade stabbing into the other mans side. The wounds edges began to freeze over. The impaled man unsheathed a dagger and thrust it upwards into the other mans neck and into his head. As the man fell backwards the sword pulled free from the other mans side. The moment the Katana came free of his side he removed the dagger. His tattoo died down and hisssed with faint steam as the rain fell upong the warm skin. ~~~~~~ He jumped slightly and held his side. None of them had even noticed he had been asleep. He hadn't had that dream in a long time. The remberance of his sin that lost him his brother. The girl, Hayden was watching him although he noticed none of the others were watching him. He gave her a small smile and rubbed his eyes. She tapped her forhead and then pointed at his. He tapped out his tattoo and nodded. "...Idiot...if He hadn't joined the poison dragons Order wouldn't have sent me to kill him... "thaught Angeless. |
| Zane burst through the front door emedealtly throughing the letter at the preist.He he caught it in between his fingers. Zane said, "The wind messed up my flight pattern." He sat down next to Angeless because he rembered him from his former life. He looked around and saw a girl with blond locks looking at him. He also saw a girl with long raven hair. On the other side of Angeless was a snobby looking, brand new clothes, rich kid. |
| Name: Peregrine Desmodus Sex: Male Age: 40 Hair Color: Black, turning gray around the temples Eye Color: Grayish blue Height: 6’11” Weight: 135 lbs. Personality: Grim, serious and without a sense of humor, but supportive. Intelligent and logical. Clothing: A steel helmet painted black, a raven blue cloak and a gray tunic. Wears leather gloves and boots with steel-plated knuckles and soles. Weapons: A long curved scythe, which he can wield with lightning speed. Talents: Peregrine has inherited unearthly talents from his father, who in turn inherited them from his father. Though very tall and thin, Peregrine has an unnatural speed, strength and agility. He makes no sound at all unless he wants to, can navigate mazes and pathways with incredible accuracy and can track down a wild animal or plant from several miles away. Most astonishing, he can cross distances of up to 200 miles in less than an hour. Nobody is sure how he does this, as he only does it when he is alone. History: Peregrine is the latest in a long line of warriors who have steadfastly served the Order. His grandfather Darien was a member of the Order in the days of ancient Rome, and was one of its best warriors until the day he claimed that he had became a lover of the Roman deity Hecate, goddess of witchcraft (although it was never proven; affairs with the gods never are). Shortly after, Darien underwent a mysterious change and turned unspeakably evil, becoming the enemy of the Order. They were forced to kill him, but he managed to evade them for centuries, until he was finally slain at the age of 302. Whether Darien’s affair with Hecate was real or not, he was the first Desmodus to possess unearthly abilities, which he passed down to his son and grandson, one of which was longevity. Peregrine’s father Kainus, who lived to the age of 259, pushed Peregrine very hard in his training and disciplined him strictly, for fear that he might succumb to his dark lineage. For this reason, Peregrine has an instinctive loathing for all evil and drives himself especially hard to make sure he has none within him. Despite his general seriousness, Peregrine grinned as he stepped through the underbrush, the bright glow of the full moon clearly illuminating the forest clearing. He smiled through bloodied, scarred lips and clenched the handles of his scythe tighter, hunching his shoulders, waiting for the right moment to strike. The man who stood before him, seemingly young but, in fact, over 60, grasped his own sword tighter with both hands and raised it above his head. Peregrine knew well to stay away from that sword; the blade was coated with a poison so deadly that any who was infected with it died painlessly after one day. There was no cure. Of course, Peregrine had two long scars on his stomach and waist where that blade had stabbed him twice before, and the blade had never brought him down. But, then, Peregrine didn’t die easily. “It’s been a while, Hawk,” he said, still smiling. “Your new helper there with the blades was quite impressive. He nearly had me twice.” He motioned a little further away, behind some bushes, where Jorgan’s body lay. Peregrine had stabbed him through the heart with the scythe, then cut him into hash with his own blades. “He wasn’t trained well enough,” said Hawk simply, “but I am. I’ve learned some new tricks since we last met, Peregrine. You are NOT getting into that tower.” Peregrine laughed. This was quite unlike him, but Hawk’s newfound confidence amused him. “Hawk,” he said slowly, “how long have we been fighting each other like this?” “20 years.” Hawk replied, without hesitation. “That’s right,” said Peregrine, returning to his deadly seriousness. “You are one of my worthiest opponents, and for that I will make you a deal. I WILL go into that tower, and I will get Perilus’s shield. He may have become your boss a while ago, but I have had a long history with him too. But I give you a choice. Go now, and let me pass. I think I know what your response will be, but, if it is—“ “If you know what it will be, don’t ask,” interrupted Hawk. “This ends tonight.” “Just what I was thinking,” said Peregrine. They stood facing each other for another moment, then-simultaneously—leapt at each other’s throats with lightning speed. Both had expected the fight to last at least 6 minutes, but surprisingly, it only lasted 3. Hawk’s new tricks were exactly the kind Peregrine had expected them to be, even if he had to move faster than he ever had in his life to avoid them. After dodging Hawk for 1½ full minutes without suffering a single injury—a new record for him—Peregrine decided it was time to attack with his scythe. Now it was Hawk’s turn to dodge, and true to form, he managed to evade the scythe for another minute without getting hit. But Peregrine was adamant. He WOULD get into Perilus’s tower, and he would allow nothing to stop him, not even the enemy who had fought him to a standstill so many times before. It was only a matter of time before a blow landed, and after 3 minutes the first—and only—blow of the fight fell: Peregrine, driven by the certainty of victory, jumped behind Hawk and swung his scythe. After a minute, Hawk’s head tumbled to the dirt, shining in the light of the full moon. Peregrine was pleased. A clean, quick death befitted his greatest enemy. Confidently he strode past the trees, and there it was: Perilus’s mighty gold tower, from which the Champion general, another of peregrine’s old enemies, plotted his conquest of Titus. The shield was the symbol of his power, and nothing could stop Peregrine from walking away with it. Just then he heard panting behind him, and a man rode up on a horse. “I was sent to bring this to you, sir,” he said, and handed a letter to Peregrine, who knew what to expect even before he opened it. He read the letter, then tore it up, muttering, “Just my luck. I was so close…” He looked up at the tower. “Well, some other time, then.” He sent the messenger off, and when the horse and rider were out of sight, and Peregrine was alone. He looked towards the temple. He couldn’t see it—it was at least 150 miles away—but he knew which direction it was in. “150 miles,” he said to himself. “No problem.” A little under an hour later, he strode through the door, and found the other sitting around the fire. He nodded a greeting to Priest Nikkos, assuring him that he had already destroyed the letter. Then he sat down, muttering a brief greeting to those seated nearest to him, namely Britian, Jack and Angeless. “So, are we waiting for anyone else?” |
| Britian said nothing, she was thinking, deep thoughts crowded her mind. Finally, when silence had fallen and a new member had joined them in the small room. He very much like Angeless, he was older then Heyden, Jack and her, but still his soul seemed young. It reminded her of Angeless and someone else. Someone from a long time ago, her father. "Was my father part of this.." came a low, strange noise, one she had never heard. "the order, I mean. And her, too." Her large eyes staring off into space. Priest Nikko, looked old all of a sudden. He was no longer the young man, the wisdom he possessed was coming through, "Yes, they were. Both two of the finest warriors we ever had. Your father gave Angeless a run for his money sometimes, but he was still a boy. Your mother, she was good and upright. She should not have had this life." His wisdom seemed to dissipate and only saddness was shown, now. Britian looked straight into his eyes, she did not cry though. It was the truth, finally. She had always wanted to know them, now, she was living very much like them. |
| Jack was getting bored by the silence. "So," he said, "not that I'm not having the time of my life, but when are you gonna send us into certain doom? Y'know, for the good of home and country and all that." Before Nikko could speak Zane looked up with a sneer. "As if you'd know anything about danger," he said, "you've probably been coddled all your life, eating from a silver spoon." Jack still kept his toothless grin, but he raised his eyebrows at Zane. He motioned at his missing arm. "Yeah, so you've seen some action, but you couldn't handle it. Will you even get your hand dirty on a sword? Sure it wouldn't mess up your fine complexion?" "Actually," Jack said calmly, "This wasn't an accident. It was a price I had to pay. Perhaps I'll tell the tale sometime. It's quite a good one." "And what would you know about such things? Some coddled pretty boy with his nice suit who pretends to know about real life." Jack still smiled. "Look, friend, I harbor you know ill will..." "I'm not your friend," Zane said coldly, "In fact..." He stopped when Angless put a hand on his shoulder. They all sat in silence for a moment. A few of them seemed to tense up but Jack was as cheerful and relaxed as ever. "So," he asked, "anyone know some good jokes?" |
| "Intresting...I was under the impression that Azuma Ninja were unafiliated with external parties...let alone the Order? "asked Zane quietly looking at Angeless? Angeless moved his hand from Zane's shoulder. "What gave it away...me being Azuma? "asked Angeless quietly smiling. "The Izayoi, Muramasa and Shichishito swords...Only the leader of the Azuma Shinobi-ryu ninja sect...has benn proven worthy to hold all three swords...any man who can do that can learn little else in combat "smiled Zane. "Hmm...I didn't think anybody would recognise them...few do...while they are still and untainted with blood "Sighed Angeless glancing over at his seat and the bundle of swords. "Never cross swords with an Azuma...that my friend is something I was taught as a child "smiled Zane walking off. "Good moto...takes the fun out of life though "sighed Angeless going to sit down after moveing the sword bundle. |
| Zane pulled out one of his daggers and threw it at a brick in the thick walls. The brick he hit turned to ash. Angeless said, "Wow, I haven't seen one that does that in years. Did you get that from Ferverus hunters?" Zane said, "Yeah, I trianed withthem and the Krypton priestesses. I also trained with the ninjas of Surda." As Zane went to pick up the dagger.When he came back he saw Britin glanceing at him. Now Zane was fidling with his red bladed sword. |
| Peregrine ignored the talk of the others, gazing into the fire. He hadn’t carried out a mission for the Order in over 9 years, and in all that time he had been holding his breath. It had almost seemed that with all the new blood, Peregrine was no longer needed as…NO!! He couldn’t even THINK it. He was a Desmodus, a long and proud family of warriors who had been among the Order’s greatest fighting force for centuries. Just because of what his grandfather… He pushed the thought out of his mind. He could still hear the stern voice of his father Kainus, even though his father had died almost 12 years ago. But the message would stay in Peregrine’s mind forever. Suddenly a thought came to peregrine, and he sat up, his mood brightening. Surely that man over there was the fabled Angeless, and if so… Peregrine frowned, and stood up. He grabbed his scythe from where it leaned against the wall and strode towards the door. The others looked at him in surprise, not knowing what to say. He turned. “Don’t worry, I’m not going,” he assured them. “But someone is sneaking around the building, and I’m going out to find what he’s up to.” “How do you--?” Zane started to ask, but Priest Nikko cut him off. “Do not argue with Mr. Desmodus about this. He can tell.” Peregrine had walked outside, and was crawling through the shrubs of the building. The rain had started up again, but getting wet never bothered Peregrine. Then he saw his quarry: a man wearing a gold helmet with a narwhale’s horn in the center, and a large curved sword so heavy he couldn’t even lift it off the ground. Peregrine crouched down even lower, then sprang out of the bushes and tackled him. The man didn’t even have time to move. The sword fell out of his hands and the blade sank deep into the earth. Peregrine quickly knocked the helmet off with the back of his scythe, then whirled the scythe around in his hands and pressed the other end—the bladed one—against the man’s throat. His feet were firmly planted on each of the man’s arms, pinning them to the ground. The man was now helpless. Peregrine looked at his face and read two emotions from his expression: hostility, meaning that the man had indeed come to kill the Order, and loyalty, meaning that he had been ordered by someone else to do this, and he wasn’t a hired killer but a devoted servant. “Now,” said Peregrine, “tell me who sent you! Was it Perilus? Lord Carnus Prime? The Derestekeo? Who sent you? The man laughed. “I was warned about you. I have a special trick for special use against the likes of you!” And so saying, his began to blur as if his features were slowly melting. Perilus felt something bad was about to happen, but couldn’t pull his eyes away; he was somehow frozen in place. The man’s face became blurrier and blurrier, until his whole face just a swirling mass of grayish brown. The bad thing was now only a second away. Then, suddenly, a wolf leapt out of the bushes and took a large bite out of the man’s head. In an instant his face was normal again, and he was screaming with pain as blood poured like a waterfall out of the large hole in his head. Within a second he was dead. Peregrine got up and looked at the wolf. It looked up at him for a moment in beastlike admiration, then sauntered off. Animals always seemed to be drawn to Peregrine. It was a family thing. It and all the other “family things” had been gained at a terrible price, long ago, by his grandfather. Peregrine walked back into the room, wondering what to make of the event. When the others asked him who it was, he replied, “I was wrong, it was just a squirrel.” All of them except Priest Nikko believed it. Nikko knew Peregrine too well. But Peregrine knew he would not reveal that. There was no other choice. Peregrine had to ask, or he and his descendants would never have any peace. He sat down beside Angeless, and asked, “Do you know I am?” Angeless nodded. “You’re Kainus’s son, aren’t you?” Peregrine made a grunt that meant “yes” and stared embarassedly at the ceiling. “I know you worked with my father, and I was wondering…” “Yes?” “There was a family heirloom, which he was the last possess… called the Tapestry of Night. Do you know what he did with it?” |
| "It is time for me to talk now," Priest Nikko said and everyone became quiet. "You all are very different, but the same fate is shared by all of you. The King of Therum was killed in his bed chambers this morning. To his subjects he is the last of his line, but he has an heir. A young boy, who does not know who he is. It comes to the six of you to bring the hier back to the temple, back here to be crowned. "You are not alone in your quest though, there are others out there who want to kill the boy and take the throne for themselves. "The boy is hidden in another temple on the sea of Varum," Priest Nikko stopped and took a long breath. "It is up to you to find him, keep him safe and bring him here. Will you do this for the Order, for Titus?" "What choice do we have? I will go," Britian said in a low tone. She hoped the others would go, at least that Heyden would. She could not do it alone, but then the rest chimed in quickly saying they would go. |
| The six had left immediately, not wanting to waste any time. They rode at a walk, knowing that the journey would be long and wanting to conserve energy. Heyden and Britain rode close together and were whispering to themselves. Angless, Zane, and Peregrine were still comparing weapons, martial training, and exploits. “Hey, guys,” Jack spoke up. Three heads turned his way. “Don’t you think it would be a bit quicker if we just stopped here and see who can pee farther?” The three ignored him and returned to their conversation. “Geez, ask a simple question,” Jack muttered to himself. Jack rode in silence for a while. He simply thought while the others spoke around him. This matter was graver than he was willing to let on to the others, and he was secretly worried about the potential dangers to the king. He hoped they could get to him on time. The first day’s journey was uneventful. The group’s armament and crests representing the order were likely enough warning for any wandering bandits. They soon arrived at a small town where they could rent an inn for the night. The six sat in a tavern, relaxing and socializing, mentally preparing for the trials ahead. Angless sat in a corner, nearly passed out drunk. Peregrine sat nearby, not quite drunk, but alert and humorless. The rest of the place was very lively. There were two of the tavern’s musicians present, and they had struck up a lively tune that set most of the people singing and dancing badly and wildly. Many danced with sloshing mugs in hand, spilling the drink over everyone else to the humor of the entire place. Jack broke free of the multitude and returned to the bar for a refill. He plopped down next to Angless, who had started rambling drunkenly. “How could they forgive me? How could anyone forgive me?” He started to cry and took another swig out of his mug, sloshing much of it all over himself. “Ah, cheer up,” Jack said, smiling and slapping him on the back, “it can’t be as bad as all that. Come on, live a little.” Jack grabbed Angless’ arm and tried to pull him out of his seat. Though he was drunk, Angless’ reflexes were not dulled. His hand flew to his sword, and he slashed with it nearly faster than the eye could follow. Jack had jerked his head back just enough so the blade missed. “Ooookaaay,” Jack said, “I guess you mean no. I’ll just leave you alone then.” Angless let his sword clatter to the floor. He grabbed Jack by the shirt collar. “Don’t you get it? The things that I’ve done! The things that I’ve done.” Angless started weeping again, and then passed out. Jack easily supported the man’s weight. He carried Angless to a table and threw him down on it. Angless muttered something incoherent and then went into a deep state of unconsciousness. Just as Jack turned away from his drunken comrade, he felt someone behind him and the point of a weapon at his back. “You will leave, now, order scum” a voice whispered into his ear. “An assassin. How quaint. I guess we weren’t long for it, huh. I must say, you chaps work fast. But if I leave then you may get away with your hide in tact after you kill me.” The assassin started to sweat. This wasn’t how his plan should have worked. “Leave,” he said, grasping for anything to say, “and I may not kill you. I just want information.” “My arm’s gone, not my brain. You should kill me now. It’s the perfect opportunity.” The assassin hesitated, and Jack quickly stepped away and turned to face his assailant. He saw a slightly scared looking young man. “Come, now,” Jack continued, “I don’t want to fight. I bruise easily. I’ll buy you a drink, we can swap war stories.” The assassin wore a furious look on his face and charged at Jack, knife outstretched. Jack dodged out of the way of every slash, not even letting the dagger cut his clothing. Suddenly the kid turned to ash. Jack saw Zane standing there, having just thrown one of his daggers into the assailant. None of the rest of the crowd had noticed the fight going on. “That wasn’t necessary,” Jack said, with the slightest hint of a tremor in his voice, “He was harmless.” “Listen, rich boy. I’m not going to save your skin every time you get Your Prissiness into trouble. If you’re just going to be deadweight then you can leave. Now.” There was rage in Zane’s eyes. He probably had a few drinks in him. Jack smiled. “If you want to cause trouble do it later. Lets not spoil everyone else’s fun, eh? You can kill me when it’s more convenient.” Jack laughed at his own joke, though even to him it didn’t sound remotely funny. He jumped back into the raucous, mob, once again joining in the dance. “Is something wrong,” a voice asked him. Jack turned to see Heyden dancing beside him. “Nah,” he laughed, “Come on, I’m only getting warmed up.” |
| Angeless came to with a stunning migrane. Underneath all of the facad he was still just a man. Eternal youth was good but the constant knowing that he'd outlive everyone he knew was a trouble he didn't want. "I should have died with my brother...but Order cheated me out of that death...Giving unatural life to somebody who was already a shadow "he thaught. Picking up his Katana he slid it back into it's sheath. He saw Hayden looked at him and somebody walk infront of him and he was gone. He was sometimes glad how quickly his body worked. He could burn through poisons in his body in a mater of hours. "Why do those who deserve life die and the ones who deserve death live on...these swords have taken as many lives as they have protected...my share of blood is not nearly complete... "sighed Angeless as he stood outside in the rain. His tattoo flared up into a bright flare and he drew 3 swords. His short swords in his hands and his Katana clenched in his teeth. "Who's there? "he asked unable to see anything even with the aid of his tattoo? "A friend "spoke a voice so quietly he could only just hear it. "Show yourself "he demanded. He could see it but was not sure how it was possible. The energy was shattered broken somehow like it had been destroyed and peiced together again. "I came to warn you...there is a patrol they are looking for you...they come in search of the group Order sent "said the ghostly voice. "Master Lee? "asked Angeless dropping his swords and holding out his hand. The energy disappeared and he felt a sadness wash over him. Grabbing his swords he put them away save for his Katana. The Blade sparked with energy and the glow grew brighter. Rain was freezing as it passed the blade and melting again when it hit the dirt. Pulling on his hood he pulled his robe hood up and held the robe tightly closed. He stabbed the Katana into the ground were it stood glowing like a becon of cold light. "You there were looking for a group of people "shouted a male voice ahead of him. "I walk around with the strength of a hundred men. It's the feast of the blood that says unleash the beast within...you'd best run before I count to ten! "he spoke lighty from under the hood. His rage was boiling up inside him demanding to be set loose. "Ten "he sighed after a second. He pulled the robe off sending it flying. Grabbing the Katana he disappeared in a haze before appearing in front of the search party. His rage was in control now. "I've sacrificed everything for the order and I am bound to them such is their fate "he shouted as he cut the man in two. He didn't even break his stride as he killed them. He just kept walking to them. He sheathed his sword and looked back at the inn and saw his robe caught on a hook. He disappeared and his robe flicked out of sight and the door to the inn briefly opened. "Fancy sword work "smiled Peregrine. Angeless drew his Katana in the blink of an eye and the tip just touching Peregrine's right cheek. "You really are fast...my father said you were good but I had no idea that you were this good "smiled Peregrine. He sheathed his sword and went to sit in the corner. |
| Zane was done with the nights festivities and headed out side. He saw a few people talking in a dark corner. Zane quickend his pace and strode into the forest by the tavern. The men started running afer him. Zane guickly shifted into a male harpy and flew up toward the tops of the trees. They started fireing arrows at him and Znae drew his sword and hit them. With the magic that his father gave him ,[His father was a sorcerer for the order] Threw fire at them uttering a few words. Two men caught on fire. Zane disended from his height and ran deeper in the forest with the man fallowing him. Zane stopped and morphed into a gaint dragon. He roared and swiped at him with a mighty paw. The man Banged against the tree and died. Zane was running into the tavern and located the others with his mind. They were all outside the tavern so they didn't see the happening. He shouted, " Assains are here. More then in the bar and the one Angeless killed. We need to go. Now! Or we can stay here and get our throughts slit while we are sleeping. Gather your belongings and come out here fast. We can get food later but right now we have to go. Or I'll go myself." Britian said," I agree." Hayden said," I'll get my stuff." Angeless said," How will we get out of here so fast? But I don't like the odds so I will go." Jack and Pengerine agreed. Soon every one was out there with there belongings. Soon Zane was a mighty dragon with seats for all of them and handhold spikes. At a great speed they took off. |
| As the party took off into the clouds, Peregrine began to feel just slightly uneasy. He couldn´t explain it, but a feeling told him that this adventure would be the greatest trial of his life. Suddenly, a large golden flare lit up the sky, and a gust of wind almost knocked everyone off of Zane. Peregrine looked up and saw three warriors in gold armor, flying with the help of three long golden capes that caught the wind. They were generating magic bombs of energy with their bare hands and tossing it at the Order. ¨We serve the Derestekeo! Death to the heir of Titus´ throne!¨ Peregrine narrowed his eyes. The Derestekeo, another of his old enemies, was an amorphous being of pure magic. Sometimes it was male, sometimes female. His father had fought it at a young age and Peregrine had carried on the fight. Peregrine squatted down, then leapt off of Zane´s back. He soared through the air towards the three fliers. Then, waving his scythe, he expertly sliced their golden capes to ribbons. With nothing to hold them up, they now fell screaming through the treetops. Pergerine pushed off against one of them and leapt back to Zane. Suddenly, a barrage of arrows flew out of the trees and struck Zane´s wings. He roared in pain, and flew away. Peregrine saw the archers below, and heard them scream ¨Long live General Perilus, Future Lord and Master of Tirius!¨ Peregrine frowned. The Derestekeo and Perilus were obviously working together with Zeus-knows- who-else to find and kill the heir. Just the thought of an alliance between the two of them made him shiver. Then, suddenly, a large warship--a strange air chariot pulled by birds and held aloft by an air-filled balloon--rose into the sky. It bore the crest of the Derestekeo. A magic pink missile was fired from it, which hit Zane, and in a blinding flash of pink light he automatically reverted to human form. Zane, Angeless, Britian, Jack, Hayden and Peregrine started to fall. At this height, they would be killed when they reached the ground. Peregrine grabbed Angeless. He had to save them all, but this took precedence. All of Tirius--and Peregrine´s salvation--depended on it. ¨WHERE DID MY FATHER HIDE THE TAPESTRY OF NIGHT?WHERE?!¨ barked Peregrine. Angeless smiled. ¨He hid it in...¨ |
| Britian, fell fast toward the hard. cold ground when a hand grabbed hold of her's. When she opened her eyes she was sitting in mid-air with the others. Britian liked flying, but did not enjoy being attacked while flying. She could not wait to be safely on the ground. "I think it would be best to return to the ground. I do not like the idea of falling to my death," Britian said. Her voice seemed oddly commanding and everyone watched her. Finally, putting both her feet on the solid ground, she took a deep breath and watched the woods around her. "We should keep that tapestry for later. It is handy in tight spots," Britian looked at her shoes. "Lets get a move on it. Cut through this section of forest and we should come to the Jesol River," Angeless said. Angeless had been around long enough to know his way. He had an odd ability to navigate, one which Britian was happy to discover. Britian stayed close to Heyden, the men walked ahead. They all seemed to like to think Heyden and Britian needed to be protected, even though the pair had been well trained. "My arm is bleeding," She spoke in a calm voice, which only Britian could hear. "Britian there is a piece of cloth in my bag can you get it and tie it tightly around my arm." Britian went quickly to Heyden's bag and took a long piece of white cloth. She tied it tightly around Heyden's arm, "I will need to clean it, but it will be fine," Heyden said to Britian who looked a little worried. "I do not want them to know. They seem to want to protect us. I do not know why. It gets on my nerves. I can fight and you can. So, why?" Britian smiled and said she did not know. Something was bothering her though. Heyden had a pretty bad cut, but of course Heyden could take care of herself. |
| "You know, I'm still not sure about why we're risking our lives for this," Jack was saying, "We had a good thing going in the temple. We could have just sat there and whiled away the days relaxing and playing idle games while sipping ambrosia." "This is your duty, coward," Zane sneered. "And what about the king?" Britain asked. "So we'll get a new one. How hard can it be? Look, my family has known kings, and any moron can be the king. Heck, any one of us could do the job and we can barely even get from place to place without getting lost in the woods," Jack bantered. "Yeah, but at least we can get out again," Angless said, and everyone found themselves suddenly out of the forrest and back on the main trail. "Good," Jack said, "Now instead of wandering for days and starving to death we can be picked off one by one by assassins. This is sooo much better." "Will you stop it!" Zane shouted, "This situation won't be made better by your whining. Just shut up and deal with it." Peregrin put a hand on Zane's sholder. "Calm down, friend. This trip's been hard on all of us. And this is just the beginning." As if to punctuate his statement an energy blast hit the ground, causing a large blast. The six companions lept into action immediately. They all drew their weapons and stood at the ready. Britain and Hyden stood back to back. Zane and Perigrine edged closer to the two of them. Angless had a sword in either hand and crouched at the ready. Jack drew his rapier and watched for danger. There was a large humming sound and everyone looked up. A giant dirigible was overhead. It shot down a barrage of magic bolts covering a wide area. The six of the order moved to get out of the way. The bolts exploded all around them, knocking them to the ground. Jack rolled to his feet, blade at the ready. He looked up again and saw six figures in gold armor drop from the airship and land among his companions. One of them lunged at him with a giant golden sword. The figure was twice the size of Jack. The other five attacked the others in a similar fashon. Jack jumped backwards, the blade just narrowly missing him. The soldier quickly followed up with a series of slashes. Despite its massive size the figure was quick. It was all Jack could do to avoid its blade. The giant golden soldiers attacked the order members, and even Angless was pushing his skills to their limit just to stay alive. The golden warriors forced the order members away from each other, forcing them each to fight alone. The last sight Jack saw of his companions was of each of them being forced away into a steadily widening circle. Jack knew he had to get past this man. He dodged a sword stroke and tried to run past him, but the soldier stuck out its arm and slapped Jack twenty feet back. Jack grunted, but he hadn't even a second to catch his breath, for the soldier was on him. Jack launched himself upward and backed away from the soldier. Jack launched an attack at the soldier. He released the blades in the toe of each of his boots. He jumped up at the soldier, slashing and spinning with all three of his blades. He looked in horror when he found his blades merely scratched the armor, and there was no apperant weakness in it. He backed away to avoid another slash and then struck the soldier again. This time he must have found some weakness, for he drove the point of his rapier through the soldier's helmet. Jack grinned in his victory, but the soldier seemed unphased by the blow. Jack was barely able to avoid the soldier's counterattack, the blade slashing a shallow cut across his stomach. It was a very small cut, Jack barely noticed the pain, but Jack couldn't afford any injuries right now, however small. Jack looked and saw into the soldier's helmet for the first time. He saw nothing there, only blackness, as if the armor encased some foul specter or shadow. Jack set his face with a determined look. This was going to be a long night. He looked up and saw more figures dropping from the massive dirigible. |
| Angeless was his sqaurly in the back of the head by one of the golden warriors. He fell to the ground splashing into the damp earth. A cold shiver ran up from his feet and into his head. His eyes were open looking out to his right. Somebody was crouching next to him. "Get up...you have to focus on the eye...FOCUS ON THE EYE! "said the ghostly face. His third eye ignited into a fierce flame that spread to his hair as it turned into fire. His swords flew into his hands from the ground and he sheathed them before pulling out his Katana. If he had learn't one thing in his long life...the worst move anyone could do was to piss him off. It just made him stronger and harder to kill. "WRAITHS...I hate WRAITHS "he shouted as he grabbed one from behind. He bent it over backwards and stabbed the Katana into its torso freezing the metal and making it very britle. The metal cracked as he pulled the sword out and threw the wraith to the ground shattering its shell. He removed the limbs of those who came at him using a speedy slash to either cripple of destroy the armor shells. "Break the armour...it's the shell that keeps them from withering away "he shouted to the others as he punched his fist into the chest plate of another. Experience was usfull...but running water was better than any sword at destroying Wraiths. Kicking one into the water he paused for a moment to watch it hissing before turning to dust and being washed away. A sign that these were made by a mediocar sorcerer. He grabbed one by its head and pulled it to the floor. "THE FURY! "he shouted as he picked it up and threw it by its head. As it left his hand it was engulfed in flames. It hit the dirigible and set it ablaze. It retreated quickly billowing thick black smoke. They finished the last of the golden warriors off seperatly. Hayden had thrown the last of her water into one's face destroying it. His hair went out and his tattoo died down to a dull flame before going out all together. ~~~~~~~~~~ His time with Kanus taught him many things in terms of magic. It was Kanus who had restored his third eye's power after it shattered when he killed his brother. It was also Kanus that had instructed him on the location of the Tapestry of night. "Take the tapestry...Hide it away from the world. Keep it safe...never let it out of your sight "The last words Kanus had imparted to him before leaving for the last time. He had kept it on himself all these years...a keepsake of an old friend. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I've never seen anything like that...The way you moved didn't seem human...I've never seen anybody punch right through a inch and a half of armour before "asked Peregrine? "That's just a taste of how bad it can get...rage is my most powerfull tool...so much anger pent up into this body and little chance to let it out "he smiled. "Why didn't you tell me you had the tapestry on you? "asked Peregrine? "I wasn't sure you were ready for it...Its a powerfull item... "sighed Angeless. |
| Zane hated the wraiths. All his daggers went through the slits in the helm and he lost them all in the armor. He had to tear the armor off when he torned into a harpy with his talons. Now they were in the forest floating on the tapastery of night. He didn't mind walking but acasaonaliy he would fly on swim in the river. The group was either silent or loud and talking. He and Angeless often talked about weaondry. Zane often practiced magic or his shot with arrows. It was days with no exciting happened. It was calm until the hornets. He had seen them before. They were giant bugs that were just six foot hornets. They were used for search and destroy missions. It was the biggest swarm he had ever seen. There were about 10,00. Someone must have recruited Dangus. The only breeder of the hornets. Zane shouted,"Hornets! Get in the water and fight or you are as well as dead." He was relived that they had been following the river. The whole group was in the water about waist high. They had their weapons drawn and ready. They would have to kill them all. Zane and Hayden were fireing arrow at the swarm with great speed. About 1000 fell out of the sky. Andeless, Peregrine, Brittin,Jack and Zane had thier swords drawn in the bank as the swarm zoomed at them. |
| Peregrine twirled the scythe around in his hand with incredible speed and grace, turning it into a deadly spinning blade that chopped all the hornets who flew at him into mush. The others were striking at the hornets with their swords, and Angeless was creating a cloud of fire to engulf them. Zane was striking at all the hornets who came near him with his throwing dagger, turning them to ash, but this was a rather ineffective method, and he was already covered in stings. Peregrine watched him struggle, and in the depths of his subconscious, something clicked. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning leapt out of his hands and struck Zane´s dagger, traveling through it to encircle all the hornets. Instantly they all turned to dust. Everyone looked at Peregrine in surprise. He merely stepped out of the river and sat on the grass, trying to appear indifferent. In reality, he was more surprised by the lightning than anyone else. "We´re going to have to plan out a course of action." "With what?" inquired Zane. "With this…" Peregrine rolled the dark gray tapestry over the ground. "…the Tapestry of Night. It details the history of the land of Titus, the Order of Athena and the families closely connected to it. It was woven by the Dark Weaver Orpheus, who was my great-great-uncle. My father had it last, and he gave it to Angeless for safe keeping." Everyone looked upon the vast impressive pictures showing the Order´s history. Each person there recognized at least one person depicted in the many tales that the Tapestry told. Peregrine himself saw his grandfather Darien, while he was still a member of the Order, beating senseless some poor tyrant with his weapon, a sword whose blade opened and closed like a scissors. He looked further down and saw Darien after he turned evil, at the scene of his last battle. 15 members of the Order were fighting to bring him down, 9 of them had already been wounded, and 2 of them were dead. Darien was older in this picture, with a short gray goatee, and with a shudder Peregrine saw how clearly he had been changed. His eyes had a sort of white lazed look to them. He then looked further down and saw his father Kainus, fighting side by side with Britain´s father and Angeless against the Claw King, a bloodthirsty ruler from another world where monsters reigned supreme. His father, an intimidating giant of a man, was attacking the monster´s shaggy head with his signature weapon, a long whiplike steel ribbon with jagged edges. And with another shudder, he saw at the bottom the many enemies of the Order: the Derestekeo, whose amorphous face appeared to be made of water; Perilus, whose shining gold hair matched the passion with which he tried to conquer Titus; Lord Carnus Prime, known as "The Butcher General", who was never happy unless the scent of blood was thick in the air; Hawk, the enigmatic mercenary who was the closest thing to an arch-nemesis for Peregrine, and countless others. Pererine´s blood froze as his hand passed over a dark red smear on the line that represented his family. The smear sparkled brightly, almost glowing. Sparkling signified divine intervention. Peregrine´s heart sank. So it was true. His father had been a lover of the goddess Hecate. That meant that the darkness which had afflicted his grandfather had since been passed down, and it was trapped inside him, waiting to get out. All his life Peregrine had been hoping that wasn´t true, but it was. The Desmodus family was cursed. But now, new questions opened up. Who was his grandmother? He had assumed that his grandfather had a mortal wife, but now—could it be possible? Could Peregrine himself be a quarter divine? And—even more troubling—did the darkness come from that union. It was a known fact that alliances with men and gods were not meant to happen, but Hecate was not an evil goddess. Maybe the darkness had come from… something else. Then he remembered the task at hand and spoke again. "We know now that the Derestekeo, Perilus and Dangus are working together to kill the rightful kin of Titus. They may be working with others. However, I can assure you that the Derestekeo and Perilus usually work alone. They must have a special reason for coming together, but ths also means we can easily turn them against each other. The young king is hidden in the temple in the sea of Varum, which is here"—he pointed to a spot on the map--"and we must bring him to the Temple of the Order, here."—he pointed to another spot--"Now, we should expect more attacks, but Perilus and Dangus I´m not quite so worried about. " "The last time I fought the Derestekeo, I found out that his-her-its weakness is, surprisingly, oranges. However, these only row in one place in Titus, the Great Orange Grove in Karpa Noumalaa, which is far off our trail… three days travel, at least. Therefore, I propose we split up. Some of us head to Varum to retrieve the boy, and some of us go to get the oranges, which will give us a huge advantage over the Derestekeo´s forces. We´ll meet up again before we journey back to the temple with the king. Well… what say you all to this plan? " |
| Britian pushed pass the tapesty and walked off. Everyone had told her she should be proud of her father, but how could she. He was just a face, and a voice she had placed in the back of her mind so long ago. Why her mother was not on the tapestry she did not know. She looked around everyone else seemed deep in thought, but this was not a time to be thinking it was a time to be doing. Britian picked up her bag and started to walk through the bushes. She was not sure if the rest were following, but she knew as the hours went on in silence they were. Britian hated the silence, but was not sure how to remedy it. There was something a head, she could see the outline in the darkness. Suddenly stopping everyone came quickly to her side. All amazed and unsure of what the outline was they pressed on. The sun was just below the horizon when the group stepped onto a field and discovered what the outline was. A massive wall stood across the field. Angeless looked surprised for a second then exclaimed, "The Wall of Acher," he seemed amused by this. "It has been many winters since we last met." His face lit up at the sight, he seemed to find the wall something of a joke. Taking the lead, the group walked toward the wall, "This is where the Battle of Hadon, was fought," he said and kept walking. "I met your father for the first time here, Britian, he was not even sixteen. Almost lost his life here. So you see we are not really strangers after all." |
| (hey, I'm with you Blake) "Ah, adventure wouldn't be adventure without a legendary something-or-other, now would it?" Jack was talking cheerfully, though mostly by himself. "Or oranges. I suppose they always come in handy." "Now, I don't suppose there is a Town of Archer, is there? No Castle of Archer? Not even a Group-Of-People-Who-Just-Want-Out-Of-The-Wind of Archer? I mean, it seems a bit silly if it was just a wall standing there alone." It was noon the next day before they reached the wall. The group trudged, intermitantly breaking the silence with forced conversation. Finally, weary from the heat, the group reached the base of the great monument. Jack had to admit, as legendary battle sites went this wasn't all that bad. The wall was massive, and beautifully done. It was supported by collossal pillers, each of which the whole group couldn't reach halfway around standing hand in hand. Many carvings adorned pillar and wall alike, images of the sun and moon, ivylike growths snaking up the collumns, reliefs of angels and gods springing out from the upmost regions of the monument. The alcoves between the columns were adorned with images of stories, characters from myth and legend acting out their roles. There were some there that not even Angless could recognize, some that none had known for hundreds of years. Several lifetimes of work had built this, and they had a skill and cunning unheard of since the time of the ancients. This truly was a holy place, for wild plants never invaded it, wind and rain never eroded it, and no conquering army had been able to destroy it. The group stood in awe, feeling small next to such achievement, and at the same time lofty for being apart of a legacy so great. Not even Jack could think of any quips or jibes. Everyone went off by themselves, each wanting to be alone with their own thoughts in such a place. Jack walked a great while along the length of the wall. He finally settled on an alcove with the story of a woman with a bow. These were, of course, representational, for however splendedly the artist carved her face, no one would know what she looked like. It was the symbols of her bow, and the recurring image of the moon, that let people know who she was. Jack removed his sword belt and set it carelessly on the ground. He did likewise with his boots. He didn't know about the others, but it somehow felt wrong to bring weapons into such a place, even if the place didn't have an inside, just a space between pillars. He sat quietly, his back to the wall. He reflected on how such places always seemed to conjure memories of pain. He reflected on pain. Each one of them probably had it, some great pain they didn't want to talk about. Jack touched his left shoulder reflexively, the place where his arm used to be attached. Each had their own pain... Jack reflected on himself. He had a very relaxed view of life. Most of the time life just seemed like a silly joke which most people took to be serious, which only added to the humor. And it wasn't even like it was a coping mechanism, he really felt that way. Sometimes, though, he just needed a moment to deal with his problems that he might find the strength to go on. They weren't so bad, really, but sometimes they just caught up with him. Jack sat there in thought for a long time. He wished he could see his mother again. He knew, somehow, though, that her last words to him were true, that he would never see her again. Jack got up and picked up his sword and boots, carrying them barefoot in the shadow of the wall. After a little walking he saw Britain and Hyden sitting in an alcove, talking in hushed voices. They both looked up when they saw Jack standing their. Jack inclined his head. "Would the pleasure of your company be too much for me to ask at this moment? This place has affected me deeply, and I would prefer not to be alone today, if I would not be intruding." "Please, sit," Britain said, indicating a spot. Jack lowered his head again and sat down. "Thank you. I don't like to impose myself, but people who could disintegrate me with a thought tend to put me off a bit." "Huh, and I almost thought you were going to last two whole sentances without cracking one of your lame jokes. I guess I shouldn't have held my breath." Heyden had a slight smile on her face. Jack was warmed by it, as it was a welcome change from the somber thoughts he had been having. Jack chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I've been having thoughts of home. Of mother. Those courtly mannerisms always find their way back into my speech if I'm not careful. You know how it is, 'good breeding' and all that rubbish." "What was she like," Britain asked, keeping more in the somber mood than the other two. "She was... mother." Jack shrugged. "She knows all my faults, yet loves me the more for them. How about you two, where have your thoughts taken you?" Heyden seemed unwilling to speak, but Britain said, "My thoughts drift to my parents as well." The three stared off into the distance, over the path they all traveled to get here. The sun was beating down on the plain, mercilessly taking any bit of cool or moisture left. It was an arid place they had chanced upon. Jack broke the silence. His familiar silly grin had found its way back to his face. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but that's about all the 'depressed' I can take for today. I say we all start by getting a life." "Oh, you're one to talk," Heyden shot back, "You come in here, crying like this: 'Look at me, I'm Jack, and I miss my mommy,' and now you're trying to tough it out. Well, Mr. Jack, you've lost what little manliness you had, and you'll never get it back, momma's boy." Jack laughed genuinely at this, and Britain wore a smile. It was as if the tension in the air was suddenly cut. The laughter was contagious, and soon the three were holding their sides and falling over. It felt good, like all the bad feelings and the worry and doubt were suddenly clensed. It was like jumping into a cold lake after a walk through the desert. The three stood up, all of them back in high spirits. They trudged along the wall to try to seek out the rest of their party. |
| Angeless was remembering his first sight of the wall at the tender age of 4. The sun hitting it as the caravan he was traveling in moved ever closer to it. He was so young and innocent bairly able to even hold a sword let alone use it. He had somehow managed to remove a sword imbedded in one of the pillars. The Shichishito sword as he discovered later in life was a weapon of unearthly power. It was a ice element sword. He wished he has known then that his brother would end up with the sword and its influence would turn him away from the Azuma and the Order. ~~~~~~~~ And so he walked alone trying to find the last place his Brother was to be laid to rest in secret. At the base of the wall the broken sword of fire marked a nameless grave of his brother. ~~~~~~~~ "All the wars I've conqered and won...I still feel lost without you....this silence takes it's toll "sighed Angeless running his hand over the hilt of the sword. He kneeled down infront of the sword and pulled out a dagger and slit the palm of his right hand. "By this blood you shall be honored once more...a lost Azuma and my brother...My honor is with you now brother...may you finaly find your peace "sighed Angeless as his blood dripped over the ground. Tears were running down his face bluring his vission. "Because of the sword I found your mind was poisoned against the people who loved you most...You were always stronger than me but...our minds were never the same...You craved only to be different...and in death you found your difference "sighed Angeless standing up and wiping his eyes in one move. He bowed to the unmarked grave once before he heard something. He drew his swords at the sound only to discover it was Jack, Hayden and Britain. "We will meet again in the next life if not in this one "spoke Angeless before putting his swords away and leaving his brother behind once more. He had leanrt never to love anything in the world as he would just end up loosing it anyway. This was a place of sorrow and joy for him. Sorrow at his borther died here and joy that he learned to live here. |
| Zane couldn't belive the sight of the wall. He was stareing at the wall trying to name the stories on it.Zane had geusses that one of them had to be about the order. |
| Peregrine walked idly down the length of the wall, awestruck. His father had mentioned it once or twice, but he had failed to describe its incredible beauty. He trudged along, feeling lonely and miserable for a reason he couldn`t quite explain. Not wanting to be alone, he walked back to the group. He rejoined Angeless, Hayden, Zane, Britain and Jack sitting beside the wall and talking. He sat down, still unable to keep his eyes off the beauty of the wall. "The first time you see it always the best." Angeless said, as if divining his thoughts. Peregrine nodded. "My father said as much." Angeless paused, obviously unsure how to ask a burning question. "What ever happened to Kainus?" Peregrine sat up, and looked at him with surprise. "He`s dead. He has been for years. You didn`t know?" Angeless shook his head. Anyone else would not have noticed his well-hidden surprise, but Peregrine--like his father--could read faces. "How did he die?" "That," answered Peregrine, "was one of the questions I had for you." Even more depressed than ever now, he turned and walked into the woods. A hopeless weight seemed to crush him. The country was in peril, threatened by an alliance of his most deadly enemies (nearly unbeatable individually, they could conceivably be omnipotent in a group), and Peregrine was so busy worrying about his ancestry--something he could do nothing to change--that he was neglecting his allies. He walked until the trees hid the Wall from sight. Then he stopped. He sensed an animal close by, and it wasn't friendly. Suddenly, a four-story giant tore through the trees. Peregrine barely managed to dodge it in time. It looked like a huge black wolf, with thick, shaggy hair, horns like a bull and long leathery bat wings. In one clawed hand it held a sword taller than thicker than a tree. Peregrine gasped. He knew this monster but had never seen it in real life. "The Claw King! You cannot be here! You have been defeated! My father sent you back to your own world! Go back there, where you belong, and leave us be!" The creature emitted a long, roaring laugh. "I have powerful friends who were able to bring me back to this place. I believe they are acquaintances of yours. Together, we will conquer Titus, and you and your friends are powerless to stop us!" It waved a massive paw at Peregrine, knocking him hard to the ground. The monster knew exactly how to beat him, moving quickly, striking hard, never giving him a moment to rest. After twenty seconds, Peregrine lay on the ground, breathing hard and bleeding badly. "The other were right," continued the beast, "You are not half the warrior your father was. I honor him now by killing you quickly, but I will take my time with your friends!" The Claw King raised its massive paw once more to impale Peregrine. But now, in the heat of battle, simple intuition appeared out of nowhere in Peregrine`s mind. He raised his arms and uttered a chant he had never heard before, and suddenly, the earth swallowed up the Claw King. He had been transported to the other side of Titus. Peregrine stood up weakly, then faltered. He had never before been this badly injured, and pain made him stumble. He crashed down to the bottom of a gully and fell in a stream. He lifted his head and screamed in pain and frustration, then turned and saw something resting in the grass. It was a large shrine. And then, suddenly, another burst of magic filled his mind, and he saw something that had taken place in that very spot, nearly 500 years ago... It was night, and a man was leaving the shrine. It was his grandfather, Darien. Peregrine knew immediately that in that shrine was Darien`s lover, the goddess Hecate, who was now pregnant with Kainus Desmodus. Darien walked to the stream, and bent over to drink, when a man leapt out of the stream and tackled him. A man with a helmet that had long horn in the center... The man pinned Darien to the ground, although Darien could have easily thrown him off. But before Darien could do anything, the man`s face began to swirl around, the features melting into a large blur of flesh. Darien could not pull away now, and could only watch, though his face revealed that he was scared, for the first time in his life. Then, suddenly, thew man was gone, and Darien stood up. But he loked different; he was now... evil. His eyes were glazed white, as they had een in the picture where he was fighting the Order. With a cruel laugh, he ran out of the clearing and was gone. A beautiful young woman in a long white robe came out of the shrine. She held a mirror, and in the mirror her reflection was that of an old crone, although her reflection in the stream was that of a five-year-old girl. She was undoubtedly Hecate, whom Peregrine now knew for certain was his grandmother. She listened as Darien`s mad laughter grew farther and farther away, and tears fell from her face. Then, the vision faded, and Peregrine was alone again. So Darien had not become evil from his afair with Hecate, but because that man had done something to him. A man just like the one whom Peregrine himself had recently encountered outside the temple. They were both servants of a greater evil: who was sending them? And why? |
| Britian and the rest moved on shortly after Peregrine left the group. It did not take long before they realized he was missing, "Where did he get to?" Jack said with a bit of anger in his voice. This was a huge delay on their journey. They had not even made it to the shore. Now, they were missing one of their own. Stepping into a clearing, something hit Britian hard across the jaw and sent her flying to her left. Blood filled her mouth, and fighting could be heard in the background. Britian lifted herself off the ground, spitting blood out on to the ground and slowly finding her footing. |
| The group froze, having been caught off guard. Only Heyden reacted, moving to the side of her fallen comrade. All gazed in wonder at the creature that had so casually backhanded Britain. It was a huge figure, shaped like a man, but twice as tall. It had a sleek metal body, the smooth material broken only by wicked looking spikes coming out of his chest, arms, legs, and shoulders. He had claws on the end of his fingers and a spike at the end of each foot. His sword was gigantic, but he handled it lightly, as if it was a mere trifle. The sword's blade was made out of hundreds of smaller blades, all of them serrated, so that any cut would be messy and difficult to heal. His head, unlike his body, which still seemed human, was entirely alien. It had huge metallic eyes that dominated his head. It's mouth was filled with many deadly sharp teeth, and the jaw attached from the outside, as if by some strange magic or machine. It had two large twisting horns jutting out of both sides of his head. It seemed a metal devil, an abomination that carried with it an aura of destruction and things unnatural. Jack and Zane were the first on the attack. Jack ran at it with his sword drawn, and Zane threw his knife at it. Zane's knife clattered off the creature's smooth metal body. Jack ran up to it, releasing the blades in his toes and jumping up into a leaping kick. The blade simply snapped off, not even scratching the monster's hide. Before Jack landed the monster moved for the first time since he had attacked Britain. No one's eyes could even follow its arm. One second the arm was harmlessly by its side, the next it was clutching Jack's leg. Jack could feel the sharp edge of the monster's fingers cut into his leg, a grip unbreakable by any human. The creature casually tossed Jack at least two hundred feet. Jack grunted as he landed hard onto his back. Angless and Zane moved in, swords drawn. "Demon," Angless snarled, "I'll send you to the dark pit you crawled out of!" The demon didn't move, or show any indication that it had understood the challenge. Angless snarled and lashed out with his two blades, and Zane attacked at the same time. Both men were shocked as all three of their attacks were deflected. The demon hadn't even seemed to move except for the briefest of seconds. Not only had it parried, but it had parried hard. Angless' swords were almost wrenched from his hands, and Zane stumbled back a few feet. A movement came from behind the demon, and Peregrine was there, his scythe in hand, slashing toward the evil creature. Zane and Angless used this distraction to their full advantage, attacking once again. The three men fought the creature, all of them putting their entire effort into it. The creature blocked their attacks almost lazily, and the few that got through didn't even seem to phase it. Suddenly the demon knocked away all three combatants and sent a beam of foul energy hurling at Angless. The man dodged aside, albeit barely, and the beam continued on to strike the wall, showering the area with dust and debris as it took a chunk out of the sculpted face. "Not here," Angless whispered, his anger growing, "NOT HERE!" He sent his strongest magics at the demon, and Zane and Peregrine followed his lead. All three struck the creature with their most powerful orisons and incantations, but to no avail. The creature seemed radiate a magicless aura, and none of the spells could penetrate it. Angless roared with anger and ran at the creature, his katana and long sword drawn. He struck the demon simultaneously in both shoulders, the energy from the strike radiating outwards and knocking his companions off their feet. The demon, unaffected by the blow, moved supernaturally fast. It struck with it's sword in Angless' side, making a cut which mirrored the one Angless made to kill his brother so long ago. The cruel tines of the demon sword tore through Angless' side, lacerating his flesh. Worse, there seemed to be some cruel power at work in the blade. The pain from all the wounds that Angless had ever received, and all he had ever given, seemed to concentrate themselves into the demon’s sword and tear into Angless' body. Angless flew back, landing hard near where Britain had fallen. The fire in his eye had gone out, and he seemed unconscious. The others' eyes were wide in amazement. "A pity that one," the demon laughed in a cold, ringing metallic voice. His face seemed incapable of betraying emotion, and his voice showed no evidence of it. "I expected a bit more. I was surely not summoned to combat so weak a force." He flexed his metal claws experimentally. "Last time I defeated armies. These talons have not tasted blood for well over a thousand years! It will feel good to do so again." The order had regrouped. Peregrine and Zane had moved back in front of the fallen Angless, and Britain and Jack had both regained their footing. Jack saw that his rapier had broken in his fall. He cursed and threw away the hilt. Now he was weaponless. "Of course," the demon continued, "I could kill you now. You helpless fleshlings are barely worth such a vulgar exorcize of my power. But I am after someone else. Someone you will lead me to." Jack's eyes widened. Andronikos, he thought. This beast is after the king. Britain tried to shout in defiance, but suddenly started to cough, clutching her side as if in pain. Her hands came away from her mouth with blood on them. Heyden spoke for her. "We will never lead you to him! We won't play your game, foul creature!" The demon laughed. "Such defiant little manlings. You have lost power since the time of the ancients, oh yes, much power, but you have lost none of that stalwart defiance. Of course you will lead me to him. He has other enemies who are searching, and you must get there first, or he will have no chance. I can see your scheming fleshy brains planning, thinking that there will be some way to protect him. Oh, yes, you will lead me to him, and I will be waiting." The demon laughed again. "Now RUN! Find your precious king, or you will die and no one will save him." Zane, Peregrine and Heyden moved to confront the demon, but it opened its mouth and an inhuman sound issued from it. The earth rent under their feet, and the six companions had to scramble out of the way of the swiftly growing precipice. Fire and smoke issued out of the cut in the earth, and a foul smell hit the group, nearly knocking them over. When they looked across the chasm the demon was gone. |
| His vission was swimming. He centered himself and got to his feet. He was clutching at his side hand clamped over his side like it was nothing but a painfull stitch. He retrieved his swords and saw that they were unharmed. "That blow should have killed it...the blades made no mark...these are the most powerful blades this side of the wall "sighed Angeless still feeling the power of the things strikes. He rejoined the group and ran his hand over his tattoo. It felt like his head was splitting in two. Kainus's had always warned him that although he had been restored there was bound to be some contamination. The magics he had used to restore his power were rooted firmly in the darkest regens of magic. He had felt the truth in the thing. It's familierity of it was all too real. "His foe is beyond all of us...No weapon or craft can kill it. It is Shichishito. The true Shichishito...has been unbound and released "sighed Angeless confirming what Peregrine was thinking. "My god....Shichishito...but I thaught your sword was the last remaining relic of it? "asked Zane? Angeless looked at Shichishito's ancient sword in his hand. Long had it been removed from it's master. "When he was bound he was fractured and broken...all but one peice was worked into this sword. Shichishito is now both in this sword and free. Somehow the lost peice has been used to create him anew "sighed Angeless as he lifted the sword up and other his shoulder. |
| "But the demon said that someone had summoned him," said Peregrine. "What I want to know is, who's behind all of this? Who is the rallying force behind all of these villains? Who is the mastermind?" He thought for a moment. Then he strode forwards. "Wait here for me, everyone. I'm going to ask the Tapestry of Night itself." He leaped into the Tapestry, which immediately swallowed him whole. He suddenly found himself walking along a blue road in the midst of an inky blackness. He was attacked by magical representations of Hawk, Lord Carnus and the Claw King, and though he knew they were as dangerous here as in real life, he fought them without the slightest flicker of fear, and won. He left them all with their heads separated from their bodies, and continued down the path. At last he reached the heart of the Tapestry. It hovered above him, in the form of a large red gem. "What do you wish to know?" It asked him. "Which enemy of Titus is behind this plot to kill the king?" asked Peregrine imploringly. "The Tapestry cannot answer without being given something to open the vault of knowledge," the red gem pulsed as it spoke. "You must sacrifice a part of yourself." Peregrine knew exactly what to do. He raised his arms. "I offer you my evil. It was placed within my grandfather and drove him mad, but since being passed down through the generations it has grown weaker. It could not control me or my father. I give it up now freely." The gem fired a beam of light into him, which seemed to reach down into his very soul. When it subsided, he felt cleansed, as if some clinging filth had been scrubbbed from his body. Then, as the answer to his question appeared in his mind, his thoughts turned to dread. The others watched the Tapestry to see when he would emerge. At length, a pale red spirit emerged from the Tapestry and flew off, laughing. Peregrine, still within the Tapestry, saw his father, Kainus Desmodus. "At last, you know the truth, my son." "Father! That... thing was..." "Yes. That spirit is the god Mis, God of hate, son of Ares and Eris, god of war and goddess of strife. He chose Darien, your grandfather, because of the enormous power Hecate had given Darien when he became her lover. He has been trapped in our bodies for centuries, but he still calls out to his followers, and they have arranged this whole scheme for him. But you and your friends can stop them. You are now free from any evil, and fully in control of your powers. You and your friends must corner him, and destroy him. That done, you can safely restore the king to the throne. Once all this is done, and only then, will the Desmodus family, and Titus be restored to their former glory." "But father! I need your guidance! I cannot do this without you!" Kainus chuckled. "I live in you, my son." He began to fade. "Good luck, my son. I have complete faith in you." "Father!" Peregrine reached for the fading figure. Suddenly, the Tapestry shuddered, and in aburst of smoke, Peregine appeared back in the real world. |
| Britian silently cursed herself, how could she have been so stupid? The battle played over and over again in her mind. The only thing that kept her awake was a sharp pain in her chest. Nothing she would openly admitt. The worst thing was the waiting, whether you were waiting for battle or for night. It seemed that the group was waiting for some sound in the distance. A sound that would bring them back from this place. Worst of all, a heavy silence had spread throughout the group. It made things intolerent. |
| The group sought shelter in order to tend their wounds and plan their next move. Britain was supported by Heyden. Angless wouldn't admit to feeling any pain, but he still winced from the wound in his side. The group had been silent since the attack. Jack was the first to speak up. "Well, hey, at least now we won't have to worry about being killed by any beings made of magic. Or hornets." Zane sneered. "Can't you just shut up?" he shouted, "This isn't a big goddamn joke, alright? We just got beat bad. That isn't funny. Can you understand that, rich boy?" Jack shrugged. "Hey, I'm scared too. No reason to start crying about it." "Will you both just shut up?" Heyden said, "We need some sort of medical help." "She's right," Angless said calmly, "It's possible that I may pass out soon. This wound is bad." Britain started coughing again and collapsed. Heyden knelt down and supported her friend. "She's getting worse. We need to rest." Tears were coming to her eyes. ---------- It was night, and Jack had drawn the middle watch. He sat up staring at the fire as the rest of the order slept. Britain woke up, once again hacking and coughing. Jack knelt down at her side, holding her hand until the fit died down. He leaned down and talked quietly into her ear as she lay panting. "I guess it is pretty bad, but you're strong, you'll see it through. You may have to give up something meaningful along the way. That's a lesson I was quick to learn." Jack reflexively glanced at his missing arm. "Hang in there. You'll get through this, and though an important part of you will be missing, you'll find that you'll have become better for it. |
| Angeless was busy sitting cross legged grinding up a black powder into a fine paste. Despite his wound he had taken the first watch, even in his weakend state he was unwilling to let somebody take over. "Home is far behind, The world ahead, And there are many paths to tread. Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are all alight. Then world behind and home ahead, We'll wander back to home and bed. Mist and twilight, cloud and shade, Away shall fade, Away shall fade! Fire and lamp, and meat and bread, And then to bed! And then to bed! "he sang in a soft calming voice that seemed to resonate like a ripple through the earth. He stopped singing as he saw that most of them were listening to him intently. Peregrine was watching him with a questioning look upon his face. The feeling of the song lingered like a comforting warmth. "Your voice carries much power master Angeless "spoke Peregrine breaking the silence. "Forgive me...It has been long since I used my voice to sing...the power to enthrall the listeners "He bowed his head like an apoligy though his voice sound harsh and unfair to the smooth voice he had been singing in. He took a handful of the Black powder and lifted the side of his tunic smearing it deep into the wound. He put his hand up to his mouth and whispered something harsh and cold into them. As he pulled his hand away a misty substance trailed. He placed his hand over the wound in his side again. A hiss split the air and a sizzling noise followed. A sweat smell filled the air and he removed his hand from the wound. He had used a simple fire spell to scorch the black powder in the wound. It was glassy and smooth and flexed like flesh. "Thank the gods your father was a good teacher. Simple but powefull "sighed Angeless standing up and streatching. |
| Peregrine's was the last watch. While all others slept, he practiced his new magic. With his father’s words ringing in his ears, he found new ways to channel the magic his grandmother, Hecate, had given him. He turned the blade of his scythe into pure fire, hotter than the sun’s core. He made trees spring up from the ground and rocks fly into the air. Finally the sun rose. Britian was the first one awake. “Come on, everyone,” she said, “We’ve got to the sea of Varum, to find the king before Mis’s minions do.” “I can take us there,” said Peregrine. In moments everyone was ready. Peregrine made them gather into a small group. Then he closed his eyes, raised his arms and chanted a spell. The earth swallowed the group up. They were transported through the earth at lightning speed, under the ocean, to finally resurface right outside the gates of the temple of the Order of Varum, where the new king was located. The first thing they saw on entering were bodies: those of the Order of Varum. “We’re too late!” cried Hayden. Angeless looked troubled, “The Monks of Varum were great warriors, skilled with bow and blade. Who could have massacred them all like this?” “Something very powerful, that’s for sure,” remarked Zane. For once, Jack could not brighten the situation with merry jests. The six of them instantly began searching the hallways for survivors. They found none. Whatever had killed the Monks possessed incredible power. Suddenly, Britian screamed, “I’ve found him!” Everyone ran to her, and she pointed into another room. There, cowering in the corner, was a boy who could not have been more than 14. In his face and features, they saw a mirror image of the late King Andronikos. “It is him,” said Peregrine. “Don’t be afraid, your highness, we’re here to take you home.” As Peregrine advanced, the boy screamed. Suddenly a cold draft entered the room, and a blue figure materialized behind the young king. He grabbed the boy by the shoulder with one hand, and held his other hand, which was clawed, dangerously close to the king’s throat. “Stay back, all of you. No, no, Peregrine, much further. I know what you’re capable of. You too, Angeless. Back, or the whelp dies.” The figure was blue, and shimmered. His body appeared to be made of water, and his face, which currently held the shape of a man, looked like it could dissolve at any moment. Peregerine knew well who this was. No less than one of the most dangerous beings alive, the most black-hearted servant of Mis. The being who killed Britian’s mother and father, murdered more than a dozen members of the Order, and was instrumental in the mysterious death of Kainus Desmodus. “Hello,Derestekeo,” Peregrine growled. |
| The members of the order tensed, ready to spring into action. Angless' hands traveled to his sword hilts. Hayden notched an arrow to her bowstring. Jack just stood there, feeling helpless without a weapon. Derestekeo grinned. Suddenly everyone was blinded by a flash of light. A sulfurous odor whisped through the air and a dark figure stepped forth. It was the demon they had fought earlier. Both Britain's and Angless' eyes widened, their bodies remembering the pain caused by the creature's cursed weapons. The metallic monster's face was unable to change, but somehow all the onlookers got the impression that he was grinning. "Hello Derestekeo," The demon said, his voice raspy yet excited. Derestekeo's eyes sharpened in anger. "Shichishito! Everything is in hand, you have no need to be here." Derestekeo's liquid face split into a grin. "Unless you want to make sport of these other maggots." Derestekeo motioned at the members of the order. "No. I'm afraid I'm taking the boy." Derestekeo's eyes widened, the action distorting his face almost comically. "No. I have my orders. I am to see to his safe delivery personally." The demon, if anything, seemed to become even more overjoyed. "You misunderstand. I'm not taking him back to your master. You have been useful in your own way, but you are, and always were, disposable. It is a pity to loose such a servent, but," Shichishito raised his blade, "killing you will be very pleasureable." A beam of blackish light sprang from Shichishito's eyes and toward Derestekeo and the young king. The beam struck Derestekeo and there was a huge surge of power which lit up the area. For the briefest of moments Jack swore he could see the skeletons of his companions. Miraculously Akidros was unharmed. Angless had been inching toward him ever since the demon showed up and had managed to snach the king away at the last moment. The ground near Shichishito and Deresteko was clear, the two combatants facing each other. Deresteko's face was set with determination, but Shichishito almost appeared to be amused. The two launched themselves at each other and fought, each blow sending shockwaves through the air. The order could only stand back and hope not to get caught in the melee. Jack made his way to Britain. "Not that this isn't absolutely fascinating," he said, "but this is probably our best chance to make an exit." Britain opened her mouth to respond, but just then Shichishito was slammed into the ground, rattling the earth and jarring the companions. Britain and Jack both winced, and then Britain nodded and motioned to the others. The six companions crept silently away with the king. Shichishito and Deresteko fought and fought, neither seeming to harm the other or get the upper hand. Shichishito's blade suddenly charged with energy and he sliced through Deresteko's amorphous form. The liquidy man seemed to dissolve and could do nothing but lie on the ground. "This will not kill you," Shichishito said, "but it should give me enough time to complete my mission. The demon walked off and then dissapeared. |
| An idea sprang into Angeless's mind. All he ever needed was alittle time. Pulling out the Shichishito sword he concentrated a small surge of his own life force into it. He had stoped in his tracks and caught the attention of the others. "What are you doing? Either one of them could be coming after us any second. We have to get the king out of here "shouted Jack trying to pull Angeless along. He shrugged of Jacks hand and raised his sword. The sound of something being cut into rang out. He sheathed the sword and concentrated on a spot invisible to the others eyes. "Open already damm it "Shouted Angeless raising his hand too speed the process up. A split seemed to grow in the air. A mystical barrier of some kind had formed. A portal of some kind. "Everybody go through the portal! "shouted Angeless in a commanding voice. They couldn't disobay the command and lept into the portal one after another. He was left alone with the boy king. Setting the king down he kneeled down infront of him head bowed. "Forgive me my king. But you must go now, I'll catch you up...but first I have work to do "he sighed looking more aged than he had ever felt. He threw the king into the portal and began to close it up behind him. "I do what I must...for the kindgom. For my family...for the king "sighed Angeless He threw a sword that he had kept hidden into the portal. He had done his duty. Get them to the king and give the kings sword to it's rightfull heir. He had played the role he was given. He was tempted to remain behind to insure their path was hidden. Shichishito was their to great him when he turned. "FOR THE KING! "he shouted as he charged towards Shichishito. He had already made the neccicary ajustments to his technique. Even if he could not kill Shichishito he would make a crack in it's hide. But it would mean a complete loss of himself in the imperishable flame. "So...you would seek to use the fires of life to wage a war against me? "asked Shichishito? "No...I would use my Life force to battle you...filthy demon "shouted Angeless as the fire spread to his entire body. He grasped the head of the demon and it began to heat up. Basic law of nature...metal can be heated up. Easyer to break through. He ramed the Shichishito Sword into the center and the metalic skin of the demon cracked. "See no matter how powerfull you demons are...an Azuma always finds a way to hurt you "laughed Angeless as he leapt away from the demon and into the portal. It sealed up behind him. He was glad he'd chosen the woods of the wind clan. The others had waited despite him wishing they wouldn't. The young king was holding the golden sword. Almost everything was as it should be. "I seems young king you will be graced by my presence till your corination. Perhaps even after that. Come we have still to travel south for 5 days before we even make it to the borders of your kingdom. "he sighed ignoring the questions. he sighed as he stepped foreward and placed a gental hand on the kings shoulder. "You have my sword and all the swords I command at your disposal. That sword was made by the people of my clan long ago...we would be honored to see it in the hands of a king again "sighed Angeless softly. He took the leed and soon found himself walking next to Peregrine. "You've done a great thing here today. You will be acorded the hisest honor as shal we all "spoke Peregrine. "I'm affraid I will not be taking that honor. The Azuma are a shadow clan. We must remain that way...even at the cost of friendships. I will pass out of knoweledge after this task is done "sighed Angeless. (**off topic** Sorry for the jumpyness...really painful to type at the moment. Also apoligise for the spelling mistakes.) |
| It had taken less than a second, using the magic of Peregrine, for the group to cross the vast distance to the temple where the child-king had waited. Now, after spending fifteen minutes there, it had taken another second, using the magic of Angeless, for the group to arrive to... wherever they were now. Had they not gotten what they came to the temple for, and escaped with their lives, the group would have felt somewhat cheated. "Where are we now?" asked Zane. "No idea," said Hayden. The young king, being just a boy, was overwhelmed by all that had just happened, and was now quite visibly white with panic, so Angeless took pity on him and put him to sleep with a nerve strike. Slinging the young king over his shoulder, he turned to survey the scene, noticing the sides of the large, rocky canyon, the slash marks in the walls, the gnawed bones resting at the bottom. Jack noticed a hooklike finger bone, and his heart sank. "Oh god. We're in Bone Valley." The others turned pale and grimaced. "This is bad," said Britian. "We need to find a way out of here without encountering any soldats!" "How do we do that?" asked Hayden. "We can't climb the walls, and we don't even know what a soldat looks like." Peregrine had not yet spoken, but his mind was at work, listening, looking, thinking. "They knew we would come here," he said at last. "They are waiting for us." "Ridiculous!" sneered Zane, but Peregrine silenced him. "This entire region is surrounded by the Bloodletter army of Lord Carnus Prime, the Butcher General," continued Peregrine. "Right now neither Angeless nor myself can create another transportation spell, as they will not function within the walls of Bone Valley. Which means, either we stay here until we die of a soldat attack, or eventually we face the army." "Then I guess we have no choice," said Jack. "Good thing we have a Azuma ninja and a godling at our side." The group mobilized themselves for war while Peregrine and Angeless, the two quietest ones, went to survey the army. "He's right, you know," said Angeless. "We don't die easily, and we don't go down easily as well." Peregrine grinned. Then her peered out of the tree branches. He saw several factions of the bloodletter army standing in the dirt and grass of the forest, and a whole other phalanx standing waist deep in the river. Peregrine saw the jagged swords, the cleaverlike axes, the poisoned arrows, eager to taste and spill fresh blood. Peregrine blinked and the river heated up to boiling in an instant. The soldiers yelped and ran to shore. Peregrine inhaled. The soil on which the soldiers stood changed to soggy mud, and they felt their feet sliding into the ground, causing some to stumble and fall, and others to be rooted to the spot. Peregrine and Angeless went back to rejoin the others. "The mud and boiling water won't affect you," Peregrine told them. "I will not be using my powers in battle, but will be using supportive magic to increase all of your abilities. The object of the fight is to go straight for Carnus. You'll know him if you see him: long red hair, red beard, helmet with bull horns, carries a trident." "All right," said Jack. "Let's go." |
| Britian took one last look at the child. She had been reasoning with herself for a long time. Now, that she had come face to face with the boy there was nothing to reason about. He was worth this. The world needed him more then any of the Order. She gave him a smile and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword ready to fight. |
| (erm, sorry blake, it wasn't a girl thing, though perhaps it was rather stupid of me. That's the disadvantage of campfires-limited time for reflection and proofreading. I've made an effort to represent Heyden well otherwise.) Everyone was uneasy about resting for the night, but they were all weary. Travel through the valley was more dangerous at night anyways. Its residents were at home in the darkness; a fire would keep them away, at least in the short term. Angless was sitting a short way from the fire, either keeping watch or lost in his own thoughts. Perigrine likewise seemed lost in a trance. The others stared inward at the fire. The darkness here seemed somehow deeper and darker than it should be, and it seemed to wear on their psyches. The light of the fire seemed to help aleviate the dark thoughts that had been settling over everyone. None of them slept that night. Their imaginations made out horrible creatrues just beyond the light of the fire. Even if someone did manage to drift off, their dreams would be full of horrible images and they would awake soon after. Finally they all just gave up the pretense of sleep and joined in each other's company. Everyone was silent for awhile, until Jack spoke up. "Have I told you of the place where I grew up? The feilds near my house were greener than any grass you'd seen. Even in the winter the grass wouldn't die out, and there was a quality of peace over the fields. In the summer all was clear and bright, and it seemed that the entire world was as peaceful and verdant as it was there. In the spring-oh the spring-it was beyond the description. The trees would bud and the flowers would bloom, and you would be surrounded by the most brilliant colors." Jack went on to talk about his life there; mostly funny stories about misadventures and mishaps. As Jack talked the darkness seemed to recede and their minds were more at peace. Even Zane, who had little patience for Jack's sense of humor, could almost see the endless fields and taste the sweetness of the berries that grew there. Soon they were all laughing and sharing in their own fond memories. Even the Heir opened up a bit. As the sun rose over Bone Valley, the pain and fears the night had brought were forgotten. The weary, but still somehow rested, travelers set off on their march again. They trudged off in single file with Angless and Perigrine in the lead. An hour after the group set off Angless and Perigrine stopped suddenly. The others started to catch up with the pair to see what had happened, but without warning a multitude of dark figures swarmed the cliffsides. They seemed formless, as if shadows on the rocks, but of deeper darkness than any mere shadow could bring. When Jack stared too long at one he seemed to glimse his fears and doubts, and even the darkness inside of himself. "Soldat," Perigrine hissed. The companions drew their weapons and stood around the Heir in a wide circle. The Heir drew his sword and tried to step forward, but Britain held him back. "No, we cannot loose you, my king. Zane, watch him. The rest of you, fan out." Zane stepped nearer to the king as the others stood apart. The soldat were almost upon the order. "Don't worry, your Majesty," Zane taunted, "I'm sure you'll get to fight soon enough." The soldat lept at them and the order sprung into action. Jack, still weaponless, could do little against such creatures. He stood against one with only his fist and his wits about him. Though the soldat had no definite form, they seemed to have arms and claws to go along with their hazy forms. Jack knew that a slash from one of those claws would do more than simply cut. As the battle raged around him, Jack faced off against a lone soldat, weaving and dodging as the creature tried to rend his flesh. Neither could get an advantage over the other. Jack danced backward as Zane threw a knife over Jack's sholder, spearing the creature between it's beady red eyes. Jack's usually grinning face was set in determination. He feverently hoped the others were having more luck than him. |
| Angeless had known about soldat's for nearly his entire life. He knew the majority of them couldn't begin to fathom the things he'd seen or done. After all he was over a hundred. He could hardly believe how quickly the Soldat could reproduce. Less than a year ago he had all but eradicated them. He always felt a cold sence of bliss flying through the air. A brief freedom from the gravity of everlasting life. Even as he was slammed into the ground he was aware of something being wrong inside. His head was spinning. A familier warmth ran down his face the warmth of blood...or was it? "Is there no end of them? huh my skin its burning? "he thaught to himself. It was like he was watching himself through the Soldats eye's. The fire welling up and billowing out of himself as if it was water. The fire jumping from Body to body, Friend to foe. It was a cool warmth to his own company but a inferno to the Soldats. Something about the fire was different than his own eternal fire. Like all the desires of all the people he had ever known. It was gone before he could understand what it was. He was standing he knew that much. But everything was pitch black. He clicked his fingers to make some light. He could feel the heat close to his face. His swords where in his other hand and as he tried to take a step he stumbled and they slipped from his grasp. The clatering echoed in his ears. "Why is it so dark? Perigrine can yo make some light? "asked Angeless hearing their voices? "Angeless...it's daylight...what did you do to them all...they've been burnt to ashes "Spoke Perigrine's voice coming closer. "I can't....I can't see....I blind "he spoke loudly unable to mask the panic in his own voice. He felt strong hands lifting him up so he was standing. Fingers open his eyes and somebody sigh. "...can you still use your third sight too see? "asked Perigrine handing back his swords. Angeless sheathed the swords instinctavly and tried his tattoo. Light flared in his mind. Everything seemed to radiate a aura of golden fire. He could just about make out the others faces. As he grew more controled he found he could define things more clearly. He could make them out in a fuzzy glow of fire and light. "I can make due...but I may need some help in getting around... "he sighed feeling ashamed of how week he felt. Perigrine was tearing some fabric up and felt it being tied around his head to cover his eyes. He could make out the blinding form that was Perigrine walking away and speaking to somebody. He felt somebody take his hand and place it on their shoulder. "Don't worry...I've got you "spoke Britains clear voice. It occured to him that he'd never realised how beautiful she was...just like his sister was all those decades ago. He was hearing a sort of Echo from her like thaughts or memories. He understood why he had kept his distance now. "When did you know? "he asked her quietly? "Know what? "she answered calmly. "About who your mother always looking for when she stared into the woods "he answered. "She told me shortly before she died...about her brother who hadn't aged a day...I guessed it was you not long after we met "she sighed. Tears rolled down his face and he didn't want them to stop. "I should have come to see her before the end...and you dear niece "he spoke as his voice shook. (HOWS THAT FOR A TWIST!!!...blindness not permenant just a complication of being the flame of life!) |
| Peregrine had been wrestling with a soldat when the cloud of fire leapt out of Angeless' face and turned them all to ash. The touch of the soldat felt cold, clammy, and induced pain. However, that was nothing compared to what you saw in its face. There, Peregrine saw the face of his worst enemy--the Derestekeo--talking to him about his greatest fear: his own obsolescence. Now, without realizing it, he repeated to the entire Orders the words that the Derestekeo had put in his mind: “There are many Orders like the Ancient Order of Athena, all around the world, in lands outside Titus. High up north, in the snow and cold, the Ancient Order of Thor keeps the peace. Far to the east, there is an Ancient Order of Tsuko-Yomi, and down South in the Tropics there is an Ancient Order of Elegba. I myself have a half-sister in the Ancient Order of Anansi, even farther down south, and Angeless, in his travels, had a lover in America’s Ancient Order of Wisakedjak. There are so many Orders, why should the fate of this one Order make so much difference?” Then he felt himself answer, and knew his reply to be true even as he spoke it. “Because our actions are not merely important to us, but to the whole of Titus. The entire kingdom wants the king back, and should that not happen, our enemies will engulf Titus. We are needed to stop them as long as they exist; it matters not if we kill them, as we have killed a few and will kill more on this mission, because every time a villain dies in Titus another one takes his place. Therefore the Ancient Order of Athena will never outlive its usefulness.” Peregrine’s announcement brought smiles and cheers to the others, who felt new purpose and invigoration after the fear and pain of the soldat encounter. And so the Ancient Order of Athena left Bone Valley, taking the Heir with them. “What happened to Lord Carnus and the Bloodletter Army?” asked Hayden at some point. “Hmmmm,” mused Peregrine. The day before, on first arriving in Bone Valley, they had emerged to do battle with Carnus’ army, driving them back before returning to Bone Valley. They had help from Peregrine, who made the ground slippery and muddy for the Bloodletters, and used his magic to boost the powers of every Order member (“I have never before been able to fight five men at one time,” Britain had exclaimed after the fight). No, Carnus and his soldiers were nowhere to be seen.” “They must have retreated quite a distance,” said Angeless/ “We did quite a number on them.” “I have a feeling we’ll see them again.” Said Peregrine. Jack, meanwhile, was going over something in his head. His own knowledge of the Order, combined with that contained within the Tapestry of Night, which he had spent the early morning reading, allowed him to deduce something in his head. “It all makes sense,” he said suddenly. “500 years ago, Darien Desmodus—Peregrine’s grandfather—is possessed by the spirit of Mis, God of Hatred, and turned evil. 200 years later he is killed by the rest of the Order. After that, several members of the Order die, some others go insane, the Derestekeo and the Claw King enter our world… it all has to be connected somehow.” “I knew we kept you around for something,” said Zane, actually smiling at him. Jack went on. “Roughly 70 years ago, Angeless enters the scene. Then, later, Britain’s parents enter as well. Then, they are killed by the Derestekeo, Kainus Desmodus dies, and finally, now, King Andronikos dies.” “So what are you saying?” asked Hayden. “I’m saying that this plot to take over Titus must have been orchestrated 500 years ago, and was the cause of every bad thing that has happened to the Order since then, starting with Darien turning evil.” “Then who killed my father?” asked Peregrine. “Yes,” agreed Angeless. “Who killed Kainus?” “That,” replied Jack, “is something I’m still not sure about.” |
| Everyone knew so much about the past of the order it seemed. All Britian knew was her parents, she would have never even known about them if she did not answer the letter. The only thing Britian was sure of was that her mouth would stay shut while everyone had their conversation. Personally, Britian was just happy to be away from the Bone Valley. There was still an awful feeling in her chest, but she kept it under wraps. Truth be told it was a feeling of dread. |
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