Elements RPG! Part 2

[icybraker]

OOC: Sure, but what is Necrosis doing at this time? Killing people?

[Optimalist]

OOC: Sure, but what is Necrosis doing at this time? Killing people?

OOC: How 'bout an argument or mini-encounter with Destiny? Like one reason she came to the probing was to push us in the right direction... towards fighting Necrosis.

[icybraker]

OOC: Sure, but what is Necrosis doing at this time? Killing people?

OOC: How 'bout an argument or mini-encounter with Destiny? Like one reason she came to the probing was to push us in the right direction... towards fighting Necrosis.

And how 'bout both?

InC:

Heimdall blinked blearily, his mind weaving in and out of consciousness. Finally, his mind departed to the dream realm out of sheer fatigue, heavy with the burdens of thought.

Heimdall opened his mind's eye, entering the dream world. He instinctively shielded his head as he was plunged into the domain of the unconscious. This is going to be a bad one. He seemed to be seeing a cluster of strange hills. Almost immediately, he recognized them. The hills back in the Entropic Shores. A few Demons roved around, their bulbous heads carried with pride and dignity for the intelligent race of Maxwell's Demons.

And then, a cloud appeared on the horizon. It was the deepest indigo mixed with flecks of ominous grey. It rolled across the picturesque sky, and the few Demons glanced upwards at the storm cloud. A few of them retreated to their dens; some remained. And then, on the highest hill, Heimdall saw him.

His tattered robe fluttered slowly in the turmoil, its edges fraying as if they were stricken with some sort of eternal malady. The robe was a dull grey and a deep indigo; it seemed to be decaying before Heimdall's very eyes. He was a tall humanoid, standing stock still in the maelstrom of chaos that was heralded by the storm cloud. And then, Heimdall saw his face.

His eyes. His hair. They were purple - a deep, twisted, corrupted purple. His flesh was as skeletal grey, and his mouthful of jagged yellow teeth was set in an everlasting grin - the kind that always seemed to best suit skulls. But his face - his face was very interesting. When Xanriel was Exriel, he had on a demented, crazed face; the face of the figure before him was very similar, but there were some features to it that were bizarre. Behind him, a set of bone wings flourished like the angel of death.

And in his hands, he held a weapon that sent chills echoing in Heimdall's mind. A scythe. A huge, twisted scythe.

The figure leapt upwards and cleaved downwards with his scythe. He came down and split a Demon in two. He seemed to cut into the very air itself, splitting apart the seams of the universe to the corrupted void. From the void, Malignant Cells streamed outwards by the thousands, devouring upon the Demons and even the land itself. Soon, Heimdall's mind was completely obscured by the Cells and the skeletal face of the figure. And then, it spoke: a raspy voice with a sinister flair.

I am Necrosis. And you - you and your fellow adventurers are DEAD.

Heimdall's eyes flew open. A dream. A prophecy. Looking out the window, he saw the moon still high in the sky. He lay his troubled mind on the pillow and closed his eyes once more. Necrosis.

[Bloodshadow]

Icy, you can also mention how Necrosis's face seemed to resemble Jonathan and Exriel at the same time. And you should let him use "Metastasis Morti", Exriel's signature move. When we see that, Xanriel will probably sh!t brix

I'll be posting something shortly.

Editing in progress. Please don't post story parts that may mess it up, because this scene is pretty important.

Opening the obsidian door, Jonathan and Nyxia walked into the meeting room, where Incarnate sat alone on a black marble seat. "Good evening," the False God smiled as they entered.

Jonathan sat down, with Nyxia by his side. "Why did you wake us up in the middle of the night? What could be so important?"

"Come now, neither of you really need sleep," Incarnate replied. "I am aware that you two wishes to spend the night together, but there is something truly important that I need to talk to your about."

"All right," said Jonathan. "What is it?"

"This," Incarnate answered. He closed his eyes. Suddenly, Jonathan tensed, as he felt the flickering shadows in the room vibrate with power. On Incarnate's pale-skinned forehead, that barely visible vertical slit began to widen and deepen. Then, it sprang open abruptly, revealing an eye identical to the Eye of Darkness. Its sclera was as black as night, and the iris was a deep scarlet as red as freshly spilled blood; the pupil was a slit, and within it was an abyss as bottomless as the primordial Darkness itself. The very air around Incarnate seemed to thrum with energy, as his third eye captured all that lay in the shadows.

Jonathan's eyes widened. He had seen that eye before. During his battle with Johann, Jonathan delved deep into his own heart to seek out the power of Bloodshadow, the Master of Darkness; when Bloodshadow had revealed his draconic form, his eyes were exactly like the single vertical eye on Incarnate's forehead right now. Incarnate had told him that he acquired that eye from the previous Master of Darkness, but he did not elaborate. Beside him, Jonathan could see Nyxia's dark eyes widening with awe; she must have recognized that eye also, having shared memories with Jonathan.

Incarnate opened his normal eyes again, and his three eyes focused on Jonathan at the same time. "I believe that you recognize my third eye, Jonathan."

"Well, yes..." Jonathan was not quite sure what to say. "You have told me that the eye came from the original Master of Darkness... But you did not tell me how, nor did you show me what that eye looked like."

"That was because I could not," replied Incarnate. "As I have told you, this eye belongs not to me, but to the Master of Darkness; I have no control over its powers. The last time you asked about it, you were not ready; but this time, the Eye of Darkness opened because it sensed a power awakening within you."

"Does that mean I am ready now?"

"Yes," Incarnate smiled. "During your match with Kain, you have demonstrated the ability to call upon the power of the Dark Master within yourself to some extent, even though your conscious mind may not be aware of it."

"You're talking about that mask?" Nyxia asked. She had shared that memory with Jonathan, from her own point of view; but despite seeing it for himself, Jonathan could not remember wearing such a mask on his face.

"Correct. As of now, Jonathan is able to call upon his true powers when in imminent danger, albeit unconsciously. He is at the stage where he is ready to learn to properly control that power."

"Let me guess," mused Jonathan. "That eye would somehow help me control my powers."

"Perceptive as ever," said Incarnate. "This eye once belonged to the original Master of Darkness, and within it contained his power and memories. When I transplant this eye into your body, it would bring to to the next step in becoming the Master of Darkness yourself."

"Wait, what?!" Jonathan gaped. "You're going to transplant that eye into myself?!"

Incarnate chuckled. "Don't worry, it will be completely painless. And it will not make you any less physically appealing than you are now, because it will not be visible unless you wish it to be."

"It's all right," Nyxia nudged Jonathan and smiled mischievously. "You'll be just as handsome, having three eyes "

"Fine..." said Jonathan, shaking this head. "Do we have to do this now, or can this wait until tomorrow?"

"It would only take a minute," said Incarnate.

"All right..."

Done for today...

Tomorrow, I'm going to post a flashback scene to thousands of years ago, when Bloodshadow gave his eye to a young Incarnate. You guys feel free to proceed to the next day if you want, just don't get too far ahead.

[Optimalist]

Even as max pondered upon the imponderable, a rustling of heavy fabric could be sensed echoing through the halls.... The insect head cocked to one side, neckless and otherwordly.

Midnight servants ushering guests to their master. Controlled breaths. Careful but impatient movements. Hmm... something very important is amuck. The morrow will be "ochin interiessno", or in the common tongue. very interesting. 

"Well, Dexter the Spectre, I think we've had enough thinking for one day. We need our beauty sleep."

You have to be strong my dear, Maxwell. Beautiful and strong. Keep your new friends together and support them with every gift you have been given. Let not the differences lead you to fear, hate or anger. These are only the tools of those on the other side.

Awake and breathless, the elf's eyes opened as the ground raced to meet his head.  [ lycanthropy ] 

[Bloodshadow]

Er... Nobody?

Sorry, I might not be able to post anything until hours later. But I dunno, I might be able to add something in right now...

[Bloodshadow]

Why is it that whenever I stop posting, everyone stops posting? ???

Editing in progress.

Thousands of years ago, in the Kingdom of Darkness...

Bloodshadow, the Master of Darkness, and a young Incarnate sat in the dimly lit room. Incarnate was a thin, pale but handsome youth, while Bloodshadow resembled an older Jonathan. They sat in a circle etched into the floor, a giant Mark of Darkness that glowed with eerie sanguine light.

"So... It begins tomorrow," said Bloodshadow grimly.

"...Will you be all right?" asked Incarnate, his young face full of fear and anticipation.

Bloodshadow sighed. "Honestly, I do not know, young one. The Void is the most powerful being in existence, and our God Zanzarino could only seal a part of it away at a time."

"But there are more than twenty of us now, so surely the Void would be weakened enough so that we could defeat it?"asked Incarnate.

"Do not underestimate the Void," warned Bloodshadow. "We have sealed away its body parts, but its essence remains to be conquered. To truly seal away its heart and banish it once and for all, it would require all of our powers... and our lives... combined."

"Your lives?!" cried Incarnate in shock. "Don't tell me that you..."

"Aye," said Bloodshadow with a heavy sigh. "Chances are, that we will have to sacrifice ourselves in order to seal away that which seeks to end all existence."

"But... Master..." Incarnate stammered. "Without your guidance, who will teach me, and help me control my powers?"

Bloodshadow's face softened. "Young one, that is something that you must learn for yourself," he replied.

They sat still for a moment. Then, fearfully, Incarnate asked: "Will you be gone... forever?"

"No," Bloodshadow reassured the young False God before him. "When we sacrifice ourselves, our souls will be reincarnated. When the Void threatens the world again, we will return to combat it. And this is the very reason why I have called you here today, young one. When my reincarnated self returns to life, it will need your guidance just like you needed mine."

"You, need my help?" Incarnate's eyes widened.

"Yes," Bloodshadow smiled. "When my soul returns, devoid of the memories and powers of its previous life, it will need guidance in understanding its identity, its powers, and its responsibilities. You are my most trusted disciple, Incarnate, and that is why I have chosen you for this task."

"Master..." Incarnate was speechless. "Thank you... It is an honor beyond my imagination. But how do you want me to guide you when you return?"

"Teach him everything you can," replied Bloodshadow. "Also, I am going to leave a part of me behind before I leave; I entrust it to you. When I reincarnate, you will return that part back to my new self, so it will take less time for me to awaken."

Bloodshadow closed his eyes, as did Incarnate. Suddenly, the Mark of Darkness engraved on the floor lit up, a glowing crimson sigil of power. Tendrils of pure Darkness erupted from Bloodshadow's body, twining themselves around Incarnate. A single vertical eye, the Eye of Darkness, opened on Bloodshadow's forehead; it shot forth a scarlet beam of energy that penetrated directly into the skull of Incarnate. In an instant it was over; the Eye of Darkness glowed eeriely on Incarnate's forehead, while Bloodshadow's third eye vanished.

"When my reincarnation is ready, return the Eye of Darkness to me..."



Jonathan opened his eyes, and gasped. He was wearing that black demonic mask again, and sanguine fire leaked from his jaws when he opened them. But this time, the mask was no longer only a mask, as the black metal wrapped around his head and formed a formidable, obsidian draconic battle helm. On his head, three eyes glowed, two his normal eyes and the third the newly transplanted Eye of Darkness. On Incarnate's pale forehead, the third eye was now gone.

Jonathan gasped, and collapsed onto the floor. The black helm cracked, then disintegrated and melted into the shadows. But his third eye remained in place, its sclera deep and dark as the night while its iris red as blood. With a great effort of will, Jonathan closed his eyes, all three of them; his third eye closed shut and vanished into an almost unnoticeable vertical slit. Jonathan lay on the floor panting, with images after images of broken memories of his past life rushing through his thoughts...

"...I need some sleep," Jonathan wheezed tiredly after a few minutes. Putting his arm on Nyxia's shoulders for support, Jonathan was all but carried back to his room. He collapsed onto his bed, shaking his head and shutting his eyes tightly.

"He said it was supposed to be painless," Jonathan said finally, before he drifted off into sleep.

Done. You guys can proceed now.

[Sirenes]

[OOC] Because you control the story too much

Tomorrow, I'm going to post a flashback scene to thousands of years ago, when Bloodshadow gave his eye to a young Incarnate. You guys feel free to proceed to the next day if you want, just don't get too far ahead.

But, it is the land of darkness. Your domain. 

[INC]
Xanriel's arms curled around Sirenes as she positioned herself beside him and drew her close, the top of her head just below his nose. He could smell her hair, which always seemed to smell like the air just before the rain. "I'm glad you're here" Was all he said, squeezing her tightly.

She relaxes against him, placing a hand over his. "I'm glad you don't have to be alone."

Thoughts of the four men lying on the floor like frightened babes flashed in her mind again. Not alone... Heimdall! Xanriel had her and Jonathan had Nyxia, but Heimdall was alone. She frowned. Tomorrow she would ask him how he was fairing.

[icybraker]

Meh. Time for a new day

InC:

For the rest of the night, Heimdall tossed and turned in bed, his mind wandering around, unwilling to lay at rest. The feeble rays of sunlight leaking out from the tapestry slowly forced him to open his tired eyes. He sat in bed, his hands clenched tight. He rubbed his fists against his temples. Sleeping on a full mind is nigh impossible.

He walked over to the tapestry on wobbling legs and threw it aside. The grey light streamed into the room, but he still remained tired. What was it?

He remembered his dream from last night. Necrosis. The specter of Death. What was it about him that sent chills down his spine?

Not his weapon. Not his cloak. Not even his voice...

his face. Exriel. Was he Exriel? Was he some incarnation of Xanriel's corrupted-

Stop, thought Heimdall, jolting himself with a mental spark. They're be time to think later. Right now, you need to sharpen up. Energize. Then, he thought back to the time yesterday, just before he had fallen asleep. He had done something with the shard on his head. Hmm...

Although his body seemed to remain eternally fatigued, Heimdall's mind was as attentive as always. He gathered his mental energies. Although they were usually invisible, they seemed to shimmer with a clear light blue today. The streams of energy coalesced and rushed from Heimdall's brain up to the shard in his head. The room seemed to grow brighter as he continued to pour his energy into the shard. Wow, I have more than I thought, Heimdall thought as the last drop of energy finished moving into the shard after nearly a minute. The energies flowed and shifted within the shard, yearning to be freed.

What now? thought Heimdall. His muscles still felt tired, but his mind felt powerful enough to take on the heavens. Suddenly, his mind seemed to act on its own accord. The energies rose out of the shard; Heimdall heard a high, clear note reverberate through his skull. Clear blue streams of mental power streamed over his body, coating him in an aetherial sheen. Then, it was over; the blue fluid floating an inch off of the surface of his skin flowed inwards, and Heimdall felt pure, distilled energy enter his muscles. The room grew dark once more; Heimdall knew that his shard had stopped glowing.

What was this feeling? He flexed his muscles experimentally. He was not tired in the slightest; Heimdall felt as though he could fight the entire army of Druids right here on the spot. He opened the door to his room and walked out into the dark hallway.

How?

[Optimalist]

"That should teach me to sleep at precarious perches."

The butterfly flitted towards his first comrade's room and just in time too because Heimdall just cleared the doorway in full stride walking towards the other direction.

Goooood morning, Heim! May I call you Heim? You look too fresh this morning. And, your aura is in full blast. What's up?? So where are we headed off to? I mean in general not just now. Although, I could be curious about now as well. I mean... um... I think I'll shut up.  [anti-rage]

"I'm sorry Heimdall. Good morning."

The elf continued to walk beside the ulitharid in silence.

[icybraker]

"My name is not Heim. It is Heimdall." The name my parents chose for me.

"But you may call me whatever you want. I did some sort of ... experiment this morning, and I feel energized." Heimdall stretched.

"But I seriously have no idea what I did. Meanwhile, I think I'll explore the town and... explore." I need to figure out what powers I have. Veneficus won't be a bad place to start. "You can follow me if you like."

Heimdall brushed against Jonathan's mind gently. Me and MaX are off. We'll be in the city. We'll be back in a couple of hours.

"Meanwhile, I can introduce you to the rest of our party. You know me. Jonathan is a Vampire demon. You don't want to get him angry," said Heimdall, chuckling, as he walked down a flight of steps

"Then there's Sirenes and Xanriel. You saw them before. Sirenes is a human, I think. There's something about her that I don't think even she knows... and Xanriel is an angel. He's the one I first met. And there's Zanthos; you saw him, too. He's an Elf. And Dorfl, a Lava Golem. You don't want to get on his bad side, either. And Ragen, who you haven't met yet. He's a human." He walked past the gates of the citadel; the city was just waking up.

[Bloodshadow]

Hey, Icy, I thought we're ignoring Ragen
Reasoner haven't posted in this thread for a long while now. I think it's safe to assume that he ditched the story for good. Really, I've talked about this issue a couple of times now, but we never reached a conclusion. What do we do with Ragen? My solution is just to ignore him but not killing him off officially.

Do you guys all want to stay for a while longer, or do we leave for the Dead Marsh now? Heimdall could stay and experiment with his new powers a bit, and there are a couple of reasons why some other characters may want to stay. Do you guys think that this is dragging on for too long? I don't mind this much, but I want to hear what you think.

Editing in progress.

Light. Shadow. Images. Memories. They swirled in a chaotic maelstrom inside Jonathan's mind. He saw... He remembered... But he didn't quite understand. Deep within his subconsciousness, scenes after scenes of that cataclysmic battle played before him. Jonathan saw that thing, its many tendrils of anomalous energy reaching out, and draining all color and existence from everything they touched. He remembered the twelve Masters and the Overgod Zanzarino surround that thing; they conjoined their will and their power, merging their immense elemental energies into a spell that would seal away the monstrosity forever.

But just as the Masters were preparing to sacrifice their own lives, one of the twelve sources of elemental energy suddenly waned; the pillar of golden power, representing Time, sputtered and went out. Sensing that weakness in their formation, the creature they were about to seal away lashed out with its strange power. Zanzarino's eyes widened in horror as their formation fractured and broke. The Master of Time fled before his life force was sacrificed, but the spell was already complete. In a last act of desperation the entity struck out with all of its power, aiming at that tiny imperfection in the sealing spell. That blow made contact with the Master of Death and the Master of Aether, severing their connections with the binding spell. Then, the psychedelic torrent of mixed elemental energies descended upon the entity in the center...



"John..." Nyxia's face was full of fear and worry as she looked at the unconscious Jonathan, his body writhing in obvious pain. "You'll be all right, John... You'll be all right..." She held his hand tightly in one hand, and put her other hand on top of Jonathan's forehead.

Suddenly, Jonathan's body shook violently. In reflex, Nyxia withdrew her hands. "J-John...?" she asked fearfully.

Slowly, Jonathan's eyes opened. Three of them, all cold and alien. They focused their gaze on Nyxia's lovely face. "Nightsong?" His voice echoed.

Nyxia shuddered; Jonathan's voice sounded... different. It seemed to be coming from many directions at once, reverberating in every surface covered by shadows. "E-Excuse me?" she stammered. "W-What did you call me?"

Jonathan smiled, his three eyes glinting coldly. "Nightsong, my love." He abruptly extended his arm, put it around Nyxia's waist, and drew her close to him. "I am glad that you are here with me, my queen," he breathed in her ear. "Today, Bloodshadow, Master of Darkness, has returned."

Nyxia was trembling as she looked into Jonathan's sanguine eyes. They emanated an aura of dark authority and crushing dominance. A part of her was afraid of what Jonathan had become, but in the deepest part of her psyche she was excited. She shivered under his dominating presence, and she wanted nothing more than to submit to him, to give him her body, mind and soul. In an instant, something in the back of her mind seemed to emerge. "Bloodshadow..." Those words escaped Nyxia's lips, as she slid her arms around Jonathan's neck to kiss him.

Then, suddenly, they both shuddered. Jonathan's third eye on his forehead closed, and his other two eyes lost their cold glint and returned to normal. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "Ugh... Sorry, Nyx, but what were you saying?"

Nyxia let out the breath that she didn't know she was holding. "Finally awake, huh?" She said lovingly. "Who are you now, Jonathan or Bloodshadow?"

Jonathan closed his eyes, and shook his head. "I don't really know... There are all those memories in my head, but I understand none of it." Then, he opened his eyes and smiled. "Want to have a look at them?"

Done.