A New Begining (Page 210 of 214)

chopa me upa and throw me into the lions dena.

I'm extremely sorry guys. I mean, really, really, really, really sorry. Life just decided to throw me a really hard curve ball and I've got to deal with it at the moment on top of everything else but I should be back soon. Maybe this weekend or something. *sigh* I'm really trying. I am. It may not seem like it but believe me, I love being on here with y'all and everything.

I don't have time right now to go through all that's been posted in the last week or however long I've been away from y'all but do let Jest know I said congrats on gaining the top poster spot. He better keep it up or I may just have to put him back in his place. See y'all soon. And do behave. For me. <3
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Just realized I haven't posted anything in a little over a month now. I'm really ashamed of myself. I should be getting a breather soon though so if we're lucky I'll have a post for both of you within the next week. It's already in the works and I know what I want to write for the parts that haven't hit paper yet so I should get it done. I know it won't make up for this horribly long wait but I do what I can.
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dont. she's doing her duty. she has a much more important role in life than all of us combined right now. and she's a God-blessed patriot for fulfilling that role.

hm. okay? because that definitely came out of nowhere. i was applauding her for doing what she had to do.....and you wanna punch me in the face? 2+2=......5? hm. i'll let starr herself deal with that one.

and believe me. if you laid a hand on me, it would be a wrap for you in a few seconds, my friend. i'll get you outta there so fast you wouldnt even know what happened. you dont wanna throw em up. not with me. trust me on that.

OMG!!!!! Here it is!!! After like two whole months of writing I've finally posted!!! ^_^ And wow. I didn’t think it would be this long but I guess that’s what happens when I haven’t written for like two months. It’s like 3,000+ words so... enjoy! Now, it’s not perfect but it’ll certainly do. I lost a tad of my writing magic when I stopped using it for such a long time but I’ll get back into the swing of things eventually.
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Slade follows George along with the others, the vampire leaving some distance between the humans and himself as he always seemed to do, those cold eyes constantly shifting. Somehow the Orik’baar were masking their presence, and while the dark creatures had yet to inflict any casualties, the present situation was, nevertheless, irritating him. They were dealing with a cowardly enemy who chose to lurk in the shadows and strike when their backs were turned. And Slade... well, he wasn’t all that fond of surprises.

The ground beneath their feet rumbles and shifts abruptly, the sudden momentum nearly throwing them all off balance. The room begins to slowly spin, the stone pillar located in the center rising from the sand for a brief instant before it quickly falls with a heavy thud and a sharp hiss, the entire chamber moving down a makeshift shaft towards the lower levels of the temple. But then... everything stops.

Slade’s eyes narrow, blue seas mingling with traces of golden embers, and Safira’s hands rest on the dual lightsabers dangling from her hips as deep, haunting laughter echoes around them. “Such persistent creatures,” an ancient entity remarks from the darkness, its voice thunderous and weighed by corrupted power. “You continuously struggle against far more superior beings and realize only too late that you have merely succeeded in tightening the noose around your own necks. But your struggle shall end here,” it bites with distain, “son of Maric.”

The walls around them shake and threaten to cave in as a monstrous tremor rips through the Force, George’s consciousness slipping away before he can determine such power’s origins.

*The ship creaks and shudders, the result of some outside force attempting to bend the heavy plating to its will. The vessel trembles as the metal gives way with little resistance, light seeping into the dark, smothering confines of the cockpit.

...

George’s eyes suddenly burst open as he inhales sharply, choking on his own blood in the process, his entire body screaming in excruciating pain, his frantic heart thundering madly in his ears. “Da’lit?!” an oddly familiar voice calls from somewhere beside him, desperation barely suppressed in that single word. “Does it hurt, da’lit?”

He shivers as cold hands trail over his injured body, their tender touch somehow relieving the brunt of his pain. He blinks in an attempt to rid the sweat and blood from his eyes, his hazy mind struggling to remember where he’d heard that voice before, the Jedi’s blank gaze resting on the blurry image of the man beside him.

“Forgive me,” the man pleads shamefully after a few moments of silence. “I... I’ve failed you. I wasn’t... if I’d been faster maybe... maybe I could have... but now... damn it, you’ve lost so much blood!” The man grits his teeth in frustration and his body tenses with raging anger, his hands curling in fists. “I... can’t save you, da’lit. Not this time.”

Those cold hands slip around him suddenly, the man carefully pulling George’s broken body into a partial hug. The man sighs deeply as if weighed by some tremendous burden, a few grains of sand clinging to sweaty, golden strands which occasionally dance playfully in the desert wind.

“Is it wrong of me to envy you, da’lit?” the man asks softly as if he were afraid he words might be treacherous in some regard. “Envy your ability to experience death... experience an end to this suffering... even if it is only for a brief moment in eternity. I wonder,” the man adds as George’s eyes slowly close, “is it as beautiful as I imagine?”*

George’s heart skips a beat and his eyes widen as reality returns in a single, overwhelming instant, his gaze immediately locking with Slade’s. “Da’lit...
 he whispers huskily, those notoriously cruel eyes surprisingly soft as he tenderly looks down at the young man near his feet, a drop of dark blood seeping from a corner of the vampire’s mouth.

A short, shocked gasp escapes George’s throat as his eyes find the barbaric sword lodged in Slade’s abdomen, the tip of that gruesome weapon protruding from the vampire’s back where his own acidic blood begins eating away at the fabric of his shirt.

“A taez’riin? Risking his life for a mortal? Ah... I see...” that ancient entity states after a brief moment of contemplation, a smile creeping into its voice. “It will be very interesting to see how much of a challenge you pose without your master to pull your strings, tyoce.”

The long, rusted chain attached to the sword suddenly tautens, the vampire gasping in pain and his eyes widening as that jagged blade is mercilessly ripped from his flesh, a large pool of blood gathering at his feet. “Saye,” he curses, leaning against Safira for support when she rushes to aid him, Mat, Leina, and the two other soldiers hurrying to make sure George is unharmed.

What is he doing? George wonders subconsciously, a sense of worry creeping into his thoughts as the vampire presses a shaking hand to the gaping hole in his stomach, the wound bleeding uncontrollably, torn flesh and a few organs visible through the blonde’s bloody fingers. Why isn’t he healing himself?

Safira manages to hide her concern for Slade fairly well, the Sur’haai’s hand glowing a bright blue as she reaches our in an attempt to help heal the vampire’s fatal wound. Slade, however, snarls and snatches her wrist, his callous eyes narrowing dangerously, his grip on Safira’s wrist suddenly painfully strong.

The vampire utters something corse and unintelligible, the sound far more animal than human, and a blush spreads across Safira’s cheeks when he unexpectedly licks her neck seductively, his fangs sharpening hungrily, lightly scraping her sensitive skin. She gasps and her nails dig into the blonde’s back as his fangs pierce the delicate flesh near the crook of her neck, bright crimson droplets trailing down his throat as he swallows her blood in greedy gulps, his body shuddering in unspeakable ecstasy.

This... this is... dangerous... Slade realizes after a few moments, barely able to organize his thoughts, the vampire struggling immensely so just to maintain his sanity given the circumstances. His inner demon roars, aggressively thrashing agains the fragile bars of its ancient cage, demanding more, more... No... I... I have to stop...

Slade abruptly pulls away from Safira, his breathing ragged and heavy as his tongue lazily sweep across the bite marks he’d created in the Sur’haai’s neck, the mysterious property in his salvia instantly healing the abused flesh. She seemed to have lost consciousness somewhere in the brief process of feeing the famished vampire and so Slade lowers her to the ground.

He turns on his heel suddenly, the dark hunger which still lurks in the depths of his unrelenting golden eyes sending shivers down George’s spine, blood still dripping from his lips, staining the collar of his shirt. The vampire steps forward and they all cannot help but tense instinctively, the subtle yet obviously cursed power which clings to him giving the man before them a terrifyingly savage demeanor. The Jedi finds his eyes falling to Slade’s abdomen where tendrils of smoky black finish repairing the flesh there, leaving the skin completely unscathed.

What... what the hell was that?!

“Your control, for a taez’riin, is quite impressive,” the entity admits, successfully drawing Slade’s attention to the darkness above them as if someone was there. “However, I have yet to witness a display of your power... Saluin.” Slade’s eyes narrow coldly, an obvious threat, but still the entity continues, hoping to somehow goad the vampire into a fight.

“Yes. I know well who you are and I know that you could have easily deflected my attack. However, to my disappointment, you refused to rely on your own strength to save you, fearful -as you always have been -that it will consume you. But you cannot save these mortals simply as their shield. If you truly wish to save them, then do not allow such petty mortals to stay your hand any longer. Test your blade against mine,” that ancient being demands. “Otherwise-”

A hardly noticeable smile teases the corners of Slade’s lips and the vampire disappears, much to George’s surprise, reappearing in midair above them as he seems to grab some invisible force and slam it into the nearby wall of the shaft, creating a sizable crater. He quickly flips off the wall and disappears again, only to reappear as he kneels at George’s side.

“I’ll deal with this bastard,” he snaps violently, his voice shaking considerably, two beings attempting to speak as one, each fighting the other for control. “Fight your way through this gauntlet. Find the key. Find Therion,” he commands sharply and George cannot help but notice the way in which the vampire’s golden eyes flash an occasional bloody red. “He’s the only one who can stop them now.”

And with that the vampire suddenly vanishes, the stone pillar in the center of the room rises and falls once more, the chamber continuing its journey down the shaft though George’s mind still lingers on what had just transpired. That power... that smile... those eyes... they didn’t belong to Slade. It makes the Jedi wonder just what sort of monster the vampire truly is... and what he might be capable.

o.O.o

Kal opens his eyes as he slowly stands to his feet, the symbols he’d been drawing in the desert sand glowing faintly, the ground beneath him rumbling. He turns his attention to the horizon, pulling his dual swords from their hidden sheaths on his back. “Be prepared!” he orders the soldiers around him. “Their god has called them to war...”

In the distance soldiers and starships rip open the earth as they emerge from underground, forcing their way to the surface and pouring out over the desert sea like the sand itself. Kal’s eyes narrow and a small smile curves the Mandalorian’s lips.

Let them come.

o.O.o

His heart pounds faintly in his chest as if its slowly, rhythmical beating might just cease at any moment now, his breathing shallow and strained, his eyes dim and incredibly heavy. He wasn’t exactly sure how he’d gotten himself into this mess. It was never easy for a vampire to control the shattered half of his soul, but there seemed to be something else. Something else feeding Hakai’s rage; something else fueling his power.

Instinct...

Kain repeats the word again and again as if he might notice something about it he’d somehow missed before.

The desire... to fight...

He watches helplessly as Hakai pulls Kyobona’s blackened blade from his flesh, dark blood pooling at his feet, a devious smile curling that demon’s lips. He couldn’t go on like this much longer. In the end, no matter how hard he struggled... it seemed he’d lost from the very beginning...

No. His eyes narrow in defiance. No. I won’t... lose. I won’t let him... win... won’t let him... hurt you... Riordan...

Mustering the remnants of his strength, Kain grabs Kyobona, a burst of silver erupting from his hand, devouring the sword completely. Hakai gasps sharply in surprise, the shattered soul immediately flashstepping away from Kain, his eyes wide in disbelief. A primitive sound rumbles in the redhead’s throat and his ferocious gaze rises to meet Hakai’s, those vibrant green pools completely consumed by rage as he finishes removing his own sword from his flesh.

Instinct...

Kain flashsteps before Hakai has any chance to react, the demon’s eyes narrowing in anger as Kyobona’s now silver blade is forcefully driven through his chest. He gives a short ‘tsk’ in annoyance, starring up into those strangely calm eyes as his body slowly begins to fade away.

“Damn. Watd’ya know? I guess I must ‘ave been wrong ‘bout ya,” the shattered soul shamelessly admits despite the current situation. “Looks like ya still ‘ave a bit of that killer instinct after all...” A smirk finds its way onto those devilish lips. “Fine. Ya win.. for now. I guess I’ve no choice, I’ll ‘ave ta accept ya as King. Still,” he abruptly adds, “I don’t want ya ta forget that while yer struttin’ ‘round like a king on ‘is horse, I can take yer crown away at any time. I’ll keep an eye on ya ‘nd tha moment I sense tha slightest weakness, I’ll toss ya ta the ground ‘nd crush yer skull ta pieces!”

The demon reaches out, those callous fingers wrapping around Kyobona’s blade, his cocky smirk growing into a wicked grin . “Jus’ one last piece of advice ‘fore I go. If yer serious ‘bout controllin’ my power then all ya have to remember is one thing...” He tugs on Kyobona suddenly, lodging the sword a little deeper into his own chest but at the same time successfully forcing Kain closer to him, their faces only inches apart. “Don’t get yerself killed ‘fore we meet again!”

...

Kain’s eyes soften in realization and the young vampire falls to his knees in an almost defeated manner, his sword making a soft thud as it lands in the sand beside him. He releases a shuddery sigh, his body carelessly relaxing as he blankly stares up into the clear, desert sky, his vision slowly returning, those tendrils of which had blinded him retreating.

“Te’le ode, Sarna’ka...” a melodious female voice assures thorough the Force, soothing the redhead’s lingering uncertainty.

The faint sound of footsteps draws Kain’s attention off to his left, the vampire producing a weak yet whole-hearted smile as he makes out the blurry image of a man rushing towards him. “Riordan...” he whispers breathlessly.

“Kain!” Riordan answers, falling to his knees beside his brother. “Is it you?”

“Yeah... it’s me, Riordan.” Kain shakes his head on a forced, short laugh, hoping to brush away his brother’s concern. “Got my ass kicked pretty good for a bit I made it... somehow...”

Riordan smiles charmingly and for a moment it seems as if all their cares might slip away. “I knew you could do it.”

Kain’s eyes narrow somberly and he lowers his gaze. “Don’t patronize me, Riordan,” the redhead responds coolly, feeling the stinging bite of his own words. “Eternity’s a long damn time. It’s only been 50 years... 50 years, Riordan. I... I don’t know how much longer I can handle this,” he admits. “I lose more of myself everyday.”

Riordan’s eyes soften in understanding. “There are times when I do not completely understand why we struggle,” he begins. “I wonder why we continue to fight our own monsters when we shall inevitably lose to them one day. Even Slade, despite his age and power, shall eventually fall prey to the animal he truly is,” the young fullbring remarks. “But then I ask myself, if we do not fight, who will? Kain, we are a rare few who know what is to come. As a result, we must fight ourselves only to lend our strength to a far greater fight.”

“You have suffered much because of me, Kain,” Riordan continues, the crack in his voice betraying the emotions he so often withheld, “and so I will ask no more of you. Do not fight this fight for me. Fight it for Slade and I shall do the same... for we owe him much more than our blades.”

...Ilum, Valley of Glass...

The wind howls across the barren landscape, tattered banners dancing in the everlasting winter breeze, snow already beginning to collect atop the empty suits of armor cluttered together in a heaping pile, a vast army cut down before they ever struck their foe. Daisuke and Sabien stand in awe though they dare not let their faces betray them. They had both heard stories of the alt’eri, as had all vampires, but only the highest ranking of their kind had ever witnessed a feat such as this.

An alt’eri was, after all, a corrupted valsai’ium, a god of souls who casts aside righteousness for... carnal desires. To witness one harvest a multitude of souls only to ruthlessly devour them was a prime example of just how far the “guardians of heaven” could fall.

...Central 49...

Giaden’s eyes widen in complete shock and he gasps, the insignificant sound escaping him before he can stop it, his arm shaking faintly as he bears down upon his sword, strips of negation energy still wrapped around the hand which stays his blade. The valsai’ium can barely belief his eyes. “Im... Impossible.”

“You seem rather surprised, Gaiden,” Tyrael observes, his voice disturbingly calm and thick with dark power. He slowly rises to his feet, his iron-clad skin preventing the valsai’ium’s blade from tearing apart the flesh of his hand when Gaidan tries to pull the weapon away from the monstrosity before him. “Did you truly believe such pathetic chains could hold me?” He chuckles softly. “You underestimate the power of an alt’eri...”

Gaiden’s eyes narrow in anger. “As you underestimate mine,” he replies, releasing a devastating powerful burst of Force energy which propels Tyrael through the prison’s wall, acidic blood splattering across the hallway, burning holes in the stone. The Supreme Judge releases a deep sigh. “I wish you had died with honor, Tyrael,” he whispers somberly as the dust from the destruction begins to clear.

A psychotic laugh sends a sharp shiver down Gaiden’s spine. “You seem to be giving yourself too much credit, valsai’ium,” the alt’eri remarks, his voice increasingly coarse and animalistic. “I’m not dead yet!”

Gaiden quickly sidesteps, managing to miss the large, barbaric sword which flies past him, the weapon lodging itself into the wall on the far side of the room. Tyrael flashsteps and, yanking the sword from the stone, charges towards Gaiden, his attacks incredibly fast and overwhelmingly powerful.

“You seem to be having a little trouble keeping up,” the alt’eri taunts, disappearing only to instantly reappear behind Gaiden, the valsai’ium barely reacting in time.

Tyrael suddenly reaches out unexpectedly and grabs Gaiden by his face, slamming the Supreme Judge into the heavy stone wall of the prison. He holds the tip of his sword against the valsai’ium’s throat as billows of dust rise around them.

“Seijin... sakebi.”

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Vampire Vocabulary:

tyoce: puppet (lit. empty body)

Te’le ode, Sarna’ka: You did well, my King.

o.O.o

Hmmm... I think everything in this post is pretty much self-explanatory. Well... some of it at least...

Regarding the temple, I know we said we were gonna have some secret Force generating shield thingie that kept Slade from flashstepping or using his powers but then I was like "Well, I kinda want him to save someone so I'll have him unlease this massive, super badass shockwave that just overloads the shield" and tada! Sorry if I ruined your plans for something or anything. The overload won't last forever though...

There is a reason why Slade doesn't heal himself like most vampires can do when he gets stabbed but your character can ask him about that later. Now, the gauntlet is going to continue and it gets harder the further you progress. The next creatures are known as Salafites. They're incredibly cunning and powerful adversaries so they're not going to be easy to kill like the Orik'baar infantry class. Safira's unconscious for just a little while so I currently don't have any characters with your group but you can pretty much do as you please.

Kain finally beat Hakai. You got to admit you were worried he wouldn't make it through for a little while there. But yeah, they're finally finished with all that drama so the Koga brothers should be rejoining the battle in the next post.

*squeal* It's revealed... a little less glamorous than I initially intended [I remember promising some action for this scene and I'm terribly sorry for not delivering my I'm literally brain dead and action scenes don't tend to want to work for me for some reason... -_- I will absolutely have some later though] but there it is... Dmitri is an alt'eri!!! This of course means he was first a valsai'ium which means of course he's powerful beyond all fathomable means. This also means that Mortis is an alt'eri and even more powerful (I revealed this a little less obviously cause back on 207 I wrote: "Dmitri was the oldest of their kind, born into an age-old lineage of vampires which did not derive its origins from the souls of mortals but of far darker and vile beings. ... his King, the last of that ancient breed.") This is gonna be one epic boss fight!

And OMG! Tyrael vs Gaiden! I wonder who's gonna win? It may seem obvious that Tyrael is but you never know. I like switching stuff around and there are 40-something other valsai'ium within Central 49. And even though Tyrael just became a vampire he's already got a badass sword. Introducing Seijin: Saint's Sin.

Seijin Sakebi: Saint's Cry
     A special attack with unknown capabilities. A mixture of Tyrael's dark energy and his ability to reap souls.

Hope ya liked it! If you have any questions you know where to find me!

Yeah. Really sorry about not posting for so long. Had to do a bit rereading myself and looking at my post from earlier today it doesn't seem as good. My writing skills seemed to kinda dwindle away when I stopped using them but like I said, I'll pick back up soon.

The part with Kal outside the temple is simply the emerging of the full force of the Orik'baar army. Ships, foot soldiers... everything they have to throw at their opponent. It is Kal's job (along with the soldiers George left with him) to prevent them from gaining access to the temple and flanking George and the others.

And yeah, sorry about Dmitri and all. I meant to have this pretty badass battle where he completely crushes the ghost army but as you can more than likely tell I got a tad lazy and, having not posted in forever, decided I'd just throw in a little something.

But to cheer you up a bit, I may be revealing a particular vampire's released form fairly soon (perhaps in a few posts from now). You'll finally understand why I've hidden this ability of theirs for quite some time... cause I wanted it to be all dramatic! ^_^

And don't feel rushed or anything, dear. I don't mind waiting a few days when it took me like two months to post. -_- I'm gonna go sulk in my corner now...

Gonna try and be back sometime next week to post. Sorry for the long waits in between posts but I really got a lot going on right now but I'm trying my best. ^_^
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Sorry I haven't been able to get on at all recently but things should be clearing up pretty soon and I should have more time. Hoping things work out. Be back to post fairly soon I hope.