(NSP: Umm..er...no. Alright--think this: You've just died. You (the soul part--aka you without your body) get another one. Your original body meanwhile, is turned into an undead--a souless body that can still function. THAT is what Semievil used to make his recipe in the post I made--an undead angel, namely, Kronaemix's. It's a concept that's suppose to be artistically pretty--undead angel and all. So to answer your question, there is only ONE Kronaemix-the one currently inhabiting a more djinn-like body (duller skin, etc etc--mind you, this could change later on). The other, undead version, is currently now part of the andamantite that Sem just made.

Hope that cleared things up . If not, uh...don't worry about the "cloned version" I mentioned in the last post with Sem. WOn't be playing any more roles anywhos.)

~Geb

(NSP: Alrighty, I'm going to help Semievil out and do something very similar to what Highemp is doing over in "Battle of the Nexus". I need everyone to e-mail him with whom you think should be 1) the champion for the respective forces and why and 2) which Eternal Force should win the contest and why (you must assume there will be one. also, offer whom you think will loose first and why). Here is the list of characters and their most likely respective alignments right before the contest (though it could be note for change):

Force of Good
~Stanin eth Calenb
~Amry Embos
~Robert
~Krig son of Krog
~Saatch

Forces of Nature
~Space Orca
~Diaszu Xenophent
~Krystal
~Noddo Guiyls
~Shawn Templer

Forces of Evil
~Ebon Skull
~Kupala
~Yarilo Embos
~Saidelora
~Jirverak Ironhands

Other characters (and why they aren't under the above lists):

~Bais (the writer also controls the Eternal Judge character, would be bias to choose his own character)
~Damien (meant as a side character)
~Semievil, Kronaemix, etc... (any ethereal/immortal being under an Eternal Force is not allowed to be a contestant. Ebon Skull, though powerful and a former demon, is "mortal". Whether this was a rule in former contests is unclear, due to Kronaemix's past)

Please e-mail your answers to those questions to Sem, and I'm sure he'll greatly appreciate it I'll try to see what I can do withsome more story posts.)

------------------
~Geb

[This message has been edited by Gebohq (edited December 02, 2001).]

NSP: I forgot! With your e-mails to Sem, please include what ONE advantage you think the champion shoudl get for reaching to the middle ground in the contest Arena first (over the other two champions). Thanks!

------------------
~Geb

Geb, I'm imagining the magic-nullification thing as a field around each assassin, like ysalamiri, if that's alright. Tell me if it isn't.

-----

Stanin stared at the nine women, in their ridiculous getups. Honestly, he thought, aren't the leotards a bit. . . much? Trying to be diplomatic, he asked, "What do you want from me? Perhaps if you tell me, I can oblige."

"Your blood!" the foremost woman hissed, as the others purred in contemptuous delight.

Stanin figured, from this remark and their calling him a "pig", that these must be man-haters of a sort. "But-"

His senses were suddenly overwhelmed by a vision of memory. The nine females became two, both dressed in pink leotards. The first spun gracefully across the floor in a ballet of exquisite skill. The other, who couldn't be more than six, followed her, doing her best to imitate her mother.

Mother? Stanin wondered idly. Yet somehow he knew that the women were mother and daughter. But who were they? And where was the father? His heart swelled with love for them, and he reached toward them. The mother spun around on her toes to face him, and he caught a glimpse of her face, swathed by golden hair-

Abruptly the vision vanished, leaving Stanin in the middle of the bank with his right arm outstretched. His cheeks burned as he realized he must look foolish. Lowering his arm, he saw that the female assassins - for surely that was what they were - had paused momentarily, but had now recovered and were moving to flank him. The other people in the bank were wisely moving out of the way. It seemed that this had happened before, these women coming to haul off - or kill off - strange men.

Grimly, Stanin drew his sword. He brought it down upon the nearest assassin, who began to parry with her sai reflexively. Stanin grinned in spite of himself. The blade, being composed of pure magic, would strike the assassin unimpeded by mere steel. . .

Stanin blinked. Was he seeing things? The blade of his sword had simply disappeared as it came to close to the woman. As he stepped back, however, the blade returned. Puzzled, Stanin thrust out his arm, sending forth a blast of emerald magic toward his attackers. Yet it too vanished!

The assassins were smiling their predatory smiles now as they encircled Stanin. He realized that they must have some way to nullify pure magic. Casting about him, he looked up at the ceiling. Using his magic, he collapsed part of it upon one of the assassins.

"AMRY! NODDO!" he bellowed, and then the others were upon him.

-----

Amry was about to reply to Damien when she heard Stanin's shout. "Stanin!" she cried, and she rushed off to his aid.

"Women," Damien muttered as he ran after her.

-----

Noddo was walking into the bank to get some money from Stanin when he realized that something was amiss. Then Amry collided with him. Casting baleful glances at each other, they went inside, followed close behind by Damien.

-----

His arms and legs flashed out in martial arts maneuvers that he didn't even know he knew, but they were not enough. Stanin was clunked over the head, and he slid down to the floor, losing consciousness.

His last thought before he blacked out, was to realize that the mother, in the pink leotard, had been Melantha. . .

------------------
Play epic RPGs such as Dark Exile, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

Saatch stopped, almost causing Diaszu to collide with him. "Not another sign," he groaned.

"Stamina, young one," Saatch said dryly, "is something you would do well to learn."

Jirverak raised his head, mocking, "Ooh! Another sign! Like fish in the water and birds in the air are gonna oust some all-powerful demigod!"

Saatch reproved him mildly, "Actually, life is one secret that is God's alone. The ultimate miracle is that of life. God is the ultimate mason, the mastercrafter of all creation. He alone has the wisdom to rule all things." He paused, reflecting. "As one of our friends will soon learn."

"Who?" Diaszu wondered, but Saatch would not say, instead raising his staff to the sky.

The ever-present storm clouds parted, revealing a grey sky which rapidly turned to blue! Chittering and chirping was heard as insect life returned to Shamoor!

Diaszu gaped, awed. As a servant of Nature, he could not be bothered by insect bites, even welcomed them, but what about the enslaved people of Shamoor?

Yet he looked around them and saw the Shamoorians coming out joyfully, almost begging - literally - the pests to bite them. They welcomed the itches as relief from the numbing pain they always felt from the tangible darkness that permanently enshrouded Shamoor.

-----

Xirivus, the Captain of the Guard of Shamoor, stood at watch in the sentry tower of the Citadel. His eyes strained to see into the shadow of Bazaal, which still cursed this land after all this time.

He frowned. Was it his imagination, or did he see motion in the darkness?

No trick. It was there. It was a swirl of specks, making buzzing noises.

Then, with a start, he realized what they were.

Insects. Gnats, flies, moths. . . mosquitoes. They penetrated his armor and agonized him.

-----

Saatch, looking in the direction of the Citadel, which was still miles away, smiled grimly.

-----

In the autumn of New England
With the sea electric blue
And the Arizona desert
When a storm rolls into view
In the Southern springtime meadows
Where the daffodils have grown
I have seen the glory Lord of You alone

In the California sunset
And the Carolina dawn
Int ghe tall wheat fields of Kansas
The Mississippi rolling on and on
In the midnights of Montana
And the snows of Yellowstone
I have seen the glory Lord of You alone

CHORUS
You alone have such wisdom
And wonderful plans
You alone form sjuch beauty
With a simple command
I see evidence of power
Know You reign from Heaven's throne
The glory all glory belongs to You alone

And the crown of Your creation
This human tapestry
You have formed us in Your image
Yet with such diversity
From the children of all nations
Down to those that are my own
I have seen the glory Lord of You alone

CHORUS

There is no other one
That can do what You do
None with I worship for I bow to You alone
You alone

I see evidence of power
Know you reign from Heaven's throne
The glory all glory belongs to You alone
I see evidence of power
Know You reign from Heaven's throne
The glory all glory belongs to You alone

-"You Alone"
Words & Music by Scott Krippayne and Tony Wood
Performed by Sandi Patty

------------------
Play epic RPGs such as Dark Exile, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

[This message has been edited by Highemperor of the Force (edited December 07, 2001).]

(NSP: Uhmn... hi guys... I'm back from retreat... it was fun.

Now don't be mad.

Seriously, don't be mad when you hear this.

I know you all saved your ballots, right?
Right?

Yeah? Good.

Why? Well when I got back from retreat... I uh... had 198 messages, and umm... deleted them. all. yeah.

I recognized Krig and Geb's e-mails, so you guys don't need to re-submit them, but the rest of you, if you can send 'em to me again, that'd be good. yeah. whoops.

Oh, and for all of you, I need a second choice. With so few voters and so many candidates, we're very likely to have a tie, and I'll count up second choices as a tie-breaker if we do.)

------------------
The early bird may get the worm-
but it's the second mouse who gets the cheeze.

Omnia quae specto dominavi, et tantam magnus sum, ut non specto!

(NSP: Bad news--my internet connection is down (using someone elses' currently) and with last minute school stuff anywhos, I won't be able to post much, if at all, for at least a week. I'll make sure to not keep anyone else waiting for me though. And HIghemp--you need to change the post about Saatch--I already covered that bit with airborne life Let's hope we can finish the story over winter break (and move on to "The Change"!) And the whole "vote for your champion thing" reminds me of the biblical tradition of casting lots for some reason... ).

------------------
~)Gebohq(~
Check out the following stories:
The Neverending Story Thread(comedy *sci-fi/fantasy*)--never finished--

(in story order)
The Change (The Second War) (sci-fi/fantasy) --not finished/on hold--
The Crusade--tentative title (fantasy/sci-fi) --To Be Announced--
Saga of the 3rd War (fantasy/sci-fi) --finished--
The Shadows of Darkness (fantasy/sci-fi) --finished--
The Eternal War (fantasy/sci-fi) --not finished/IN PRODUCTION--

Alright, edited my last post. I'm gonna try to finish up the signs real quick now, since I'm impatient, and I know Geb is, too. Also, Geb, I'm picking up with Stanin & Company AFTER they pass out of the village and defeat the female assassins, and I'll let you come back and do that part later.

-----

Saatch performed many miracles in the name of the Lord God during the next few days. He raised animals out of the dust once more, as livestock and pets for the Shamoorians. He healed the boils on their skin, brought upon by living within the magical shadow for a lifetime. He transformed their dwelling places from shabby huts into sturdy cottages while calling down a fiery hailstorm upon the Citadel and brought flora back in addition to the fauna.

Saatch raised his arm as he stood less than a mile away from the Citadel and banished the shadow from the land, until it hovered only over the dark edifice. Finally, in the last village, the one right next to the Citadel, Saatch came upon a large funeral.

"Who has died?" he asked.

With tears in their eyes, the tears of people who had seen hope once more, only to see dashed again, the Shamoorian villagers explained the the evil Guard had swept down into the village and killed every firstborn child as a warning to the people not to follow the blind old man.

"Grieve not," Saatch comforted them, "for they are not dead; they merely sleep" And at that, all the firstborn children sat up - alive!

And a great cry of joy was heard all throughout Shamoor.

For God, through Saatch, had defeated the darkness and was entering the Citadel to challenge the dread emperor and his demonic master.

-----

Ebon Skull was stalking Stanin eth Calenb and his companions as they entered a dark forest, when he received a mystical communication from the Captain of his Guard, Xirivus. "Yes, what is it?" he growled.

"Master," Xirivus paled before the demon, "the one known as Saatch has been brought to the courtyard within the Citadel. His two companions are being taken before the emperor."

"Very good," Ebon Skull grated. "I come."

With that, he spoke a word and vanished into Shamoor.

-----

Jirverak was walking again now, being prodded along by the Demon Axes of the guards, sealed in the anonymity of their plate armor. Diaszu walked in front of him and to his right.

They were ushered into what could only be a throne room.

Tapestries depicting cruelty visited upon the hapless Shamoorians decorated the walls. Even the dispassionate Diaszu nearly wept.

On an ornate chair that was still not quite impressive enough to call by such a grand name as a throne sat a figure swathed in black robes. He did not hide his face with a hood or cowl, as did so many who walked in darkness, yet the light hung back, as if it were afraid to touch him.

His face was contorted with so many wrinkles that he was almost unrecognizable as a human! Thin, wasted hands gripped the arms of his chair. When he spoke, his voice was dry and scratchy.

"Welcome," he rasped. "I am the emperor of Shamoor.

"My name. . . is Yimir."

"The son of Bazaal?!" Diaszu gasped incredulously.

"Yes. . ." Yimir hissed.

"But - but - according to the legends, you despised power! Yet here you sit, ruling over a land!"

Yimir smiled a crooked smile which was almost as crooked as his nose. "I have changed." He spat. "Thus are all men doomed to become their fathers!"

-----

Saatch stood alone in the courtyard. Without Diaszu, he was at the mercy of the shadow, yet it did not touch him.

A flash of ethereal flame danced about the room, coalescing into the demon.

Ebon Skull.

"Greetings, little one," he hissed. "Come to return my talisman." It was a statement, not a question.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Why are you here, then? What do you want?"

Saatch gathered his strength. "Let my people go!"

The corners of Ebon Skull's lipless mouth turned upward. "Amusing, young one." Undaunted, Ebon Skull went on, "I could kill you now, and take the pendant off your cold corpse. But I want you to go to your death knowing exactly how my plans are going to come to fruition to destroy everything you hold dear!"

Saatch cocked his ear. "Then, by all means, proceed."

Fazed by Saatch's calmness, Ebon Skull related, "Once, I was an angel of Heaven. But I joined Lucifer in his rebellion, becoming a demon.

"Eleven hundred years ago, my master, Satan, ordered the creation of a matrix that would draw off some of the power of Good to him. If such a thing could be created, it would give him an edge over Jehovah" - the demon spat the word - "and grant him, possibly, undisputed rulership over the universe.

"So I was sent to create the matrix. The one known as Ghaazi Dayyam was a man easily deceived by my master and myself; more than that, he was one of the first people on Earth to display paranormal abilities. He could use those abilities to create the matrix. So, appearing to him in the guise of an angel, I ordered him to study paranormality, in order to better understand. Later, I told him to seal himself into a stasis chamber; and these things he did. Three hundred and thirty-three years later, he was awakened, his paranormal - or magic - skills were at their peak, and the study of magic that he had initiated so many centuries ago had come to fruition.

"Thus Dayyam - or Volsang, as he now called himself - was able to create the matrix when I ordered him to do so as part of a scheme to free the Chaos beast Leviathan."

The demon snorted. "The whole Leviathan crusade was a farce, just an excuse to get Volsang to create the matrix. And so it was made, those almost 800 years ago.

"Then Volsang realized that I was duping him. In desperation to redeem himself, he hid away the matrix from my master's sight. So I set out to recover it.

"But I failed." Ebon Skull's voice was bitter. "And so I was cast out of Hell. I had no honor, no matrix, nothing.

"For six hundred and sixty-six years I wandered the Earth, until I found the one called Bazaal. He was a dark wizard originally come from Shamoor, as was his nemesis, Merlin. He had created a weapon, which seemed to be nothing more than a shadow, which yet corrupted everything in its path. It spread over the beautiful land that Shamoor was and corrupted it into what it is today.

"Then Bazaal came into the Sol dimension, where Earth is. I influenced him to work on a refined version of his magical shadow, and pulled out a rival wizard of his, named Strage, into Shamoor, so as not to get into his way.

"Then, of course, Bazaal brought his doom upon himself - curse the ambitions of the man! So I had a half-refined shadow. I ordered Strage to train an order of wizards dedicated to creating this. . . Black Shadow. For though they were powerful, they had not the 'wisdom' of Bazaal, and it has taken them this hundred years to refining and creating the Black Shadow. But now it is complete.

"I also never gave up hope of finding the matrix. To that end, after Bazaal's downfall, I found Yimir, wandering in Shamoor, sent here by Merlin's spirit on God's behalf, and granted him eternal life and ostensible rule of Shamoor if he would sustain his father's order of dark clerics." The demon grinned, a hideous sight. "Of course, I did NOT grant him eternal youth! That was a good joke.

"But I need the dark clerics, who know how to pervert and use the powers of Good, to teach me how to use the matrix when I find it.

"So you see," Ebon concluded, "once I have the Black Shadow, the matrix, and the pendant, I will regain my master's ultimate favor as his champion in the Eternal War!"

Saatch stared at the demon with sightless eyes. "You're mad," he whispered.

Ebon Skull's fiery eyes certainly seemed to glint with madness as he rushed forward, knocking the old man down and grabbing the Pendant of the Knell of Death!

Laughing maniacally, the cruel demon left him there to die at the hands of others.

And Saatch heard the wailing of the banshees.

-----

Sorry, that's all I have time to do now. Catch ya later!

------------------
Play epic RPGs such as Dark Exile, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

[This message has been edited by Highemperor of the Force (edited December 26, 2001).]

(NSP: Highemp, I was hoping you wouldn't jump the gun THAT much, but unfortunately, you're right, the story needs to keep moving, and besides, I can work with it. Make sure you all read the e-mails I sent you--vital info on events before the contest and something I need you all to send back to me. Anywhos, on with ze story!)

"...in the Three Dragons region, Chancellor Ming continues to speak with the neighboring kingdoms about plans to integrate with the Wizard Institute's World Web, in hopes of unifying the world with the state-of-the-art techno-magic network..."

The monitor continued to rant on endlessly with news updates, disturbing the room Saidelora sat in like a bored child. She was tempted to burn the monitor from the inside, but her obsession with breaking the puzzle to free Leviathan was keeping her from even sleeping or eating, much less take the time to shut the monitor off. Besides, she thought to herself, she was too sore to do much of anything right now. For the life of her, she could not figure out who the "man-beast" might be; she could not focus on anything. Sadielora's head began to drift lower to the table, her eyes closing, the words in the book in front of her blurring. She decided she could take just a little break.

"...in other news, this man, the one that mysteriously appeared in the Am-trac station a few days ago, is currently being pursued by officials after attacking several guards."

Saidelora, by partial reflex, looked up at the monitor. A boxed picture next to the news reporter displayed a man wearing black armor and a pith helmet. With her eye for detail, Saidelora noticed the complextion of his skin...

"This man, having been identified as "Kupala", has been found to date back to the early ninteenth century. Experts say that he may have been one of the few first magic users, and possible founder of the Enchanter center of magic, though they admit that all they have to go on is his recent attacks. It is unknown whether he is linked to the first two that appeared in the station, whos whereabouts are unknown at the mmoment, though sightings of the man have been reported somewhere in the ruins Ah'el-Phaugh."

Two more boxed images appeared, one of a female garbed in forest clothing and the other of a man in a robe with a light blue sash. Bais? Saidelora thought to herself. A smile began to pull on her face. So the plot thickens Saidelora thought. She looked as she recognized Krystal as the woman. She could not remember where she had seen that type of skin on the first man though. It was on the edge of her mind...

"The man known as Kupala is considered armed and dangerous. If you see this man, report to the authorities..."

Saidelora looked at her book, which was titled "History of the Third War and the Years of Darkness", and looked at a picture of an undead warrior. She looked back up at the picture of the pursued man, and it clicked in her head. He's undead! And he's somehow skilled in high magic. If I could get to him before the others, I could get his help in freeing Leviathan. And I bet he was after Bais too...

Picking up the book, Saidelora began to head for the door, with a plan.

"Time for the authorities to arrive," Saidelora said with a smile. Saidelora then made a mental note to herself to track down Krystal after getting Kupala--she could help in many ways...
------------------------------------------
"Damn you Bais!" Krystal yelled. "I wish he was here right now, so that I could strangle him where he stood!"

"Calm down, Krystal," Carol said to her.

"Don't tell me to calm down! We're in the middle of some cosmic war, Kupala managed to follow us, and he left me with this! THIS!"

Krystal madly waved a note in front of Carol. Slowly, Carol took the note and read it.

Krystal,

I had to answer to my feelings. If you wish to find me, I will be in my house in the ruins of Ah'el-Phaugh. Otherwise, good luck with the Decimillenial Battle.

Sincerely,
Bais

"Hm," Carol sounded.

"Well?"

"We could just go there you know. Talk to Bais, see what the deal is..."

"And then give him a piece of my mind!"

"Then it's settled. I'll just quickly leave a notice on my desk, and we'll be off. I've been meaning to use my leave anyways..."

(NSP: Notice Said lost some focus and agility, and Krystal lost some love and serenity )
----------------------

~)Gebohq(~

[This message has been edited by Gebohq (edited December 08, 2001).]

"So..." Yimir said in a dark voice, "What brings you two to my realm?" Yimir sat in his chair, slouching, looking upon the two with small amusement.

"We were casted here, with Saatch," Diaszu spoke. "The one who has been giving the people of these lands signs of life."

"How unfortunante. I, like yourselves, was casted here. Left to rot in this wasteland."

"Do you want us to pity you?" Jirverak growled.

"Not at all, young knight. Just making conversation."

"Why have you brought us here?" Diaszu demanded.

"Oh...it's been so long since I've seen real people. I just wanted to gaze upon your faces before I killed you."

"I'd like to see you try, old man!" Jirverak declared. "I'm already dead!"

"Undead," Yimir sneered. "My father had a thing for them. Do you know what I liked to do with his undead?"

Jirverak gasped, as he felt a painful surge flow through his lungs. Yimir smirked, only moving his head gently to the side.

"I expose them to life. It hurts, doesn't it? Undead can't live when breathing the deadly poisons such as oxygen, but now you can't help but to breathe. It burns inside you."

Jirverak looked down, as he saw a small fiery glow emenating from his chest. He began to hyperventilate. Diaszu, hesitating for some time, raised his staff to cast a spell, when a sharp and heavy pain stabbed his head, and Diaszu fell to teh ground, clutching his head in agony.

"Dear child, I've killed most much more skilled than you. Wait your turn."

"If only I had the others to help," Diaszu said to himself, gasping in pain. "Bais, Stanin, Krig, any of them--"

Yimir's eyes widened and looked upon Diaszu. "Did you say...Krig?" Yimir asked. Diaszu looked upon Yimir in utter fear, paralyzed to do anything, not being able to decide whether to tell him or not. Yimir lept from his chair and made a threatening sweep of his arm, telepathically sending Jirverak's body slamming into the wall. "ANSWER ME!" he demanded.

"Y-yes."

Sheer anger flowed from Yimir's face, when Yimir turned away from Diaszu and hunched soem distance away. Diaszu did not dare make a move. Moments passed, and Yimir stood back up, now composed, as before.

"Guards!" Yimir bellowed. Several guards immediately marched in, standing at attention. "Take these two out of my presence, and send them to Strage. Let him deal with them as he wishes." The guards nodded with "Yes sirs" and prodded Diaszu and Jirverak out of the Citadel. When the doors closed, Yimir began to nervously march back and forth.

"That viking is still alive. Which means the ship he was on survived... Ebon must not know about this. I'll have to take of this matter. This time, the matrix will be destroyed! Fate will deal an ugly hand to Ebon, and I will show him that I am free!"

Using his immense willpower, Yimir began to dissolve and phase away, diving into the inky blackness and into the realm of Sol.
------------------------

~)Gebohq(~

[This message has been edited by Gebohq (edited December 07, 2001).]

Hummmm, this place is so familiar yet so unknown, but familiar to what?

The question seemed to be plagueing him since he arrived in this new place. He looked down from ontop of the building that he was on.

They walk to their job just to slave their live away for what? They are nothing more than sheep and I......I shall be the wolf to draw out the hunter. Then we shall see if what my destiny truely holds.

He grins then turns around to decend the stairs that he used to get up here.

Across the way, another figure could be seen on another roof top, watching.....waiting.

Now is not the time, if I'm discovered now, I'll never be able to help him. No, I must stay hidden for his sake.

The figure walks backward and disappears into the shadows. In the streets below, a woman (like so many others in the city) walks to the libary for some quiet study time. Time away from home, her parents, and her bratty brother. She finds herself a few inches off the ground, staring a strange man in the face, unable to see the features of his face. He holds her up with one hand and pulls her closer to him.

"Scream for me!" he demands, locked with fear, she moves her mouth but unable to utter a sound. Her eyes water up Can't they see him, doesn't anyone see the trouble I'm in? see wonders to herself as streams of water fall from her eyes and trickle down her face. "Puufft, useless. Just like everyone else in this place." he snaps at her and tosses her to the side, into a few people walking by.

About that time, a few officals arrive on the scene to settle what ever conflict that had happened. They see the woman on the ground crying over what had happened. "Ehhh, you better go try to settle her down." one of them said and point to one of the members of the small squad that had arrived. "Yes sir" he said and rushed over to assist the woman.

The rest of them looked over to the man in the cloak, "Hey you, what happened here? You seem to know something so spit it out." the closest one said as he walked over to him. "Huh, not gonna answer me are you." He said as he cracked his nuckles. "Hehe, just remeber you asked for it." he said as he threw a punch and in the next instant he saw the world go black as he found himself up against a wall.

The others grasped their batons and surrounded him, they all charged him at once and at the last instant he jumped straight up and out of harms way. "Give me a real challenge!" he shouted as he came down hard on one of his attackers placing one knee on either side of his head, twisting, and then fliped, landing on his feet sending the guard head first into a wall, killing him. He turned to the rest of them, "So who will be next?" he said as he slowly walked toward them, with each step he took at them, they took backward. He laughed and then grinned, "Your afraid to fight a weaponless person. You with your big bad sticks, afraid to even take one step closer." he said.

In the distance, he thought he heard something, What was that? Sounded like....yes fire. He thought as he turned and stepped to his left just in time to dodge a ball of fire that had been thrown at him. "This could be interesting." he said as he removed his hood, reveling his face for the first time since his arrival. The wizard, dressed in a long slick black coat with a red undershirt and trousers with black boots, stood their waiting for the next move.

Looks like some kind of uniform. Must be for the magic users that work for the local security force around here. Shawn thought as he sighed and drew his katana. "So your the best that they could send against me?" he questioned. "Give yourself up and no harm will come of you." He said as he drew a short sword of his own. Shawn charged and shouted "Fool, your already dead!" He was soon upon the wizard and sliced him in the chest as he ducked and stepped to his right and then behind him putting his sword through the magic users back. The wizard grabbed the sword, shocked that his life was about to come to an abrupt end. Shawn twisted his sword, sepperating the plates in his back and pulled the sword out. Shawn held the sword high and sliced down hard, relieveing it of the newly found blood that had formed on its blade.


(NSP: I'll write some more to this fight in my next post and finish it up. Its abit late here so I'm gonna get some much needed sleep and write some more tomorrow.)

(NSP: Geb, When did Kupala have time to found the Enchanters' School? Not meaning to nitpick, but Bais did lock him away back around the 19th century I thought =P What happened? Just thought I'd try and get a heads-up out of you.)

"CHARGE!!!!"

The thunderous bellow shattered the relative peace of the windswept plains surroundng Bais' house, and half a dozen or so brightly uniformed museum security officers rushed the front door. Just before reaching it, the house itself sprang into action. Hundreds of grooved channels in the walls were filled with howling air currents which met at the front door and burst forth in a mighty shockwave, throwing the security forces back.

Inside, Bais sat at the window, thumbing through a book about his house, muttering about how wrong it was and waiting to turn back the next assault.

In spite of his incredulity about the whole situation, watching the security forces flailing about as they flew through the air had put Bais in excellent spirits.

(=P I know it's short, I just felt the need to put in a little blurb and remind you all to vote =D)

------------------
The early bird may get the worm-
but it's the second mouse who gets the cheeze.

Omnia quae specto dominavi, et tantam magnus sum, ut non specto!

(NSP: Sem, read the post again--the "news report" was giving info of what the experts had hypothosized from what Kupala could DO, seeing that the dates and his abilities conflicted logically.)

(NSP: Some things to address here on the story itself for posterity and cuz I want it off the 2 day marker :

1) Highemperor, do you think you could add a link to The Shadows of Darkness on your first post, which is the first post on this story? I'm going to as Merlin if he could do the same with adding a link to Saga at the beginning of SoD, and a like to The Crusade (which I'll start the thread for future writing after TEW so there's a link to it--now that we got a basic plot and all!), so the stories can have an easy continuity-link thingy going. Just a little thing really. I'll be posting links to their respective sequels as well (or in this case, back to the first in the storyline) since I can simply add a last post=D.

2) How many of you are interested in writing for The Change and The Crusade? I'm pretty sure I got Highemperor, Krig, and TLTE behind me. Arbiter might be in, but he's never been a constant writer, but how about any of the others? Perhaps we should start enlisting?

3) Remember to read your e-mails and reply in response to requested information. I know, they're long and intimidating, but you can do it, and when you do, writing for this story will be LOADS easier (for you and for the others. At least it'll give those like me some help and be able to write the rest of the story if it came to that). Yeah yeah, you have lives, details details...

That's all for now. I'm aiming to put up a couple story posts tomorrow (as well as study for my exams the next day, bleh) and the day after the weekend (then winter break, wheee!). I hope you all will be able to start posting more regularly soon!
-----------------------
~Geb

[This message has been edited by Gebohq (edited December 13, 2001).]

Glad to be back.
Hopefully now my name&password won't become compleatly lost this time....Another problem I had was that new posts wouldn't show up for me...even if I tried differn't computers on campus. Some how it works here at home, who knows. I know excusses, excusses....I WILL GET SOME IDEAS TO YOU GEB, TONITE!

(NSP: Just a short little jibber for y'all. Enjoy! Wow, that sounded like a bad soft-drink ad...)

"Release me, you low-lifes!"

Kupala, despite his squirming and fighting, could not break the bonds that clasped his hands and feet together. Guards outfitted in the standard blue uniform surrounded Kupala as they moved him on a magic-propelled pad. They were preparing to take Kupala to a high-security jail-cell until court came into session to put him under trial.

A woman, with short black hair cut in a practical manner, and garbed in similar attire, approached the guards that escorted Kupala.

"Greetings," the woman began. "Would this be the one we've been after named Kupala?"

"Yes ma'am," one of them, apparently the highest ranking one by the insignia on his chest.

"He sure put up quite a fight!" one of the others added, "but we succeeded," Kupala grumbled at his current situaiton.

"And a good job you all have done," the woman said back. Whipping out an ID from her side, she continued "Sarah Lorra, a private detective hired by one of the guards that was killed in this man's initial escape." Putting the ID away, she then pulled out some documents, and continued, offering the documents to the chief guard. "I have been given permission to question this man before he is to be handed over to the authorities."

The chief guard glanced over the documents and handed them back to the woman. "You will be granted a twelve hour time to question this man as you need, Ms. Lorra, but I must still accompany you."

"Of course, thank you," the woman replied. At that time, the chief guard dismissed the others, and the two of them began to take Kupala in the opposite direction.
------------------------------------
"Where are we taking him?" the cheif guard asked.

"Right down here," the woman replied. The guard, moving Kupala along, entered into a doorway, where the room was rather dark. The woman then followed, closing the door behind her, leaving them in darkness.

"Hey now, miss!" the guard began. "I can't--"

He never got to finish his words, as a sudden snap interrupted, with a thud after. The shadowy darkness then dissapated, as if the shadows fleed. Now all that was seen was the woman, Kupala, and the guard, now on the floor. The woman's clothings then dissapated much like the darkness had, and was now wearing a dark outfit standard to most enchanters, with te proper insignias to signify her excellence in the arts of shadows. She then approached Kupala and began casting spells upon his bonds.

"Who are you?" Kupala demanded.

"Not even a "thank you", huh?" the woman replied. "Though I suppose it wasn't terribly difficult. That guard there was a lot easier than I thought he'd be. All teh same though, I suppose I shouldn't leave you in the dark. My name is Saidelora. I am an enchanter, and a master of the ways of shadows." Sharp, pick looking shapes eminated from her fingers, dancing over the magical bindings that held Kupala's hands together.

"What do you want with me?" Kupala asked.

"I thought you would be of good assistance in helping me with freeing a great uh... well, let's just say you'll benefit greatly from helping me,"

As Saidelora broke the bonds that held Kupala's hands together, Kupala instantly gripped them around her neck.

"And what if I don't want to help you?"

Saidelora made no move to defend herself, but instead, spoke, as if the choking grip haad no threating impact. "Now now, Kupala, that's no way to treat a lady. Besides, I believe I can help you in return. I believe you were in pursuit of Bais?"

Kupala's dead eyes flickered open, renewed zeal burning within them.

"So I was right," Saidelora said with a smile. Gently moving Kupala's hand away from her, she continued. "I can help you track him, so that you can do as you wish, if you will assist me. Do we have a deal?"

Kupala smiled a crooked, decayed grin, and shook hands with Saidelora. She then began to free his leg restraints.
-------------------------------
"Well excuuuuuse me, Princess!"

~quoted multiple times from Link, from The Legend of Zelda cartoons

/_\Gebohq/_\

(NSP: Due to personal difficulties, Highemperor will not be able to post for an unknown amount of time. I will do the best I can to cover for him, as I hope the rest of you will continue to show your support for him and the story. Also, check your e-mails for past and present (as in what I'm about to send soon after this post) e-mails that deal with this story, and send back the appropriate information needed. Thank you, and here's a bit more for the story=) Yay for winter break!)

Inside the bank, the nine female assassins make quick work to line up everyone against the wall, with two of the assassins at the doorway.

"What do you want?" Stanin inquired to the nearest assassin.

"Shut up!" was what he recieved. Stanin continued to stay slumped on the wall, mulling over the fact that his magic was useless now. He was fustrated that he did not even know how these women managed to do so. His thoughts were broken as the two women guarding the door jumped on someone entering.

"He's not the one!" one of the two said, and promptly shoved the body towards Stanin. It was Noddo.

"So much for getting a loan..." Noddo said. A female assassin, the one closest to Stanin, grabbed Noddo by the arm.

"Hey now, senorita," Noddo said to her. "You're looking good. How about you and me--"

Noddo was interrupted by a knee in his stomach. He bent in half, clutching his stomach. "Well it was worth a try..." he managed to wheeze out before falling to the ground. Stanin gently took hold of him and helped drag his body next to his.

"Noddo, you best not say anything, if you know what's good for you," Stanin said to him. "These women seem to be career girls, to say the least."

Noddo shook his head in acknowledgement. Another disturbance arose, as two more entered the bank. Stanin and Noddo recognized one as Amry. The other was a man garbed in robes, wielding a sword. They apparently found out what was going on before, and came in prepared, unlike Noddo. One of the assassins fell from the man's blade, but the rest of the assassins surrounded them, disarming and restraining the two.

"We have Damien now, Hera," one of the assassins said.

"Good work, ladies. Athena, Eris, Aphrodite--you take him over there. Artemis, Thethys, and Hestia--you continue watching the door and the others by the wall. I'll treat Hebe."

The women did as Hera told them, and Hera began to tend to Hebe's wounds. Amry was motioned to sit by the wall with the others. Amry took her place by Stanin and Noddo.

"Um, Amry," Stanin wispered, keeping his head low. "Any help you could give now would be real helpful. These women seem to have a strong dislike to men. Perhaps you could use some diplomacy?"

"I think I can relate, though feminists..." Amry grumbled, the rest being inaudible. "I'll see what I can do..."
-----------------------------------------
(In case it helps for any distinction for these characters--the names are all after Greek Godesses. Hera is the supreme godess, Hebe is the godess of youth, Eris the godess of discord, Tethys is the water godess, Athena is generally known as the godess of wisdom, Aphrodite is the godess of love and beauty, Psyche was actually a human I believe, but fell in love wit Cupid and later was made immortal, Hestia is the godess of the hearth, and Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo (the god of the sun, light, music, etc). That's all for now=) Later then.)

"Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time." ~Albert Camus

-}Gebohq{-

[This message has been edited by Gebohq (edited December 18, 2001).]

Blind man stood on the road, and he cried. . .
He cried oh. . .
Show me the way. . .
The way to go home.

Saatch stood up and scrabbled around blindly. The presence of God, which he had felt so strongly just moments before, seemed to have fled. How could God have let this happen? He wanted to scream aloud, so great was his frustration. The confrontation had not gone at all like he had expected. He had been so sure of himself, so confident.

He heard the song of the banshees.

Draw your last breath
Beneath our master's skies.
Prepare to meet your death
Beneath our watchful eyes.

Mark our words,
Meet your fate,
Die the birds
And you with hate.

Saatch screamed. The song of the banshees was enough to drive one mad or even to kill him. Which, of course, was the intent.

He collapsed on the ground, unconscious, ready to die, wondering where his Savior was.

-----

Jesus hung on the cross, and he died. . .
He cried oh. . .
I am the Way. . .
The way to go home.

After an interminable time, with the banshees howling, Saatch felt a warm hand touch his arm. "Stand up," a voice commanded. And Saatch did indeed stand up. He didn't know how he did it, but he felt compelled by some unseen force. "Be still," the voice said, and the banshees fell silent.

The man's voice - for it was indeed the voice of a man - turned gentle. "Come with me, Saatch."

They passed through the castle. Saatch heard the voices of the Shamoorian Guard so close that he knew that he was passing right beside them, yet they seemed not to know that he was there.

And then they were outside the front gates. "Who - who are you?" Saatch whispered, hardly daring to breathe.

And the warm yet unseen voice come back, in a voice tinged with love, and joy, and peace, and meaning, and hope, "I am who I am. Some say I am love, but love is not true enough of a name. Others say joy, or peace, or meaning, or hope, but those are not true. I AM all that is good and true; I AM wholeness.

My name. . . is I AM."

Saatch fell to his knees and worshipped.

-----

Blind man stood on the road and got his sight. . .
He cried oh. . .
I found the Way. . .
The way to go home.

"Rise, My beloved son," I AM said to him. "I shall grant you one of two prayers. Choose either sight as other people see, or the sight to see into the souls of men."

Saatch shuddered. Which should he choose? Yet he knew there was no real choice. "Lord," he prayed, "give me the sight to see into men's souls."

"Well done, My good and faithful servant."

Saatch then was able to SEE the qualities of men. He was able to see hate or love, peace or anxiety. And in front of him. . .

It was indescribable. It simply was. No. It IS. Wholeness. Completeness.

"For your faith and wisdom, Saatch, I grant thee both sights!"

Instantly, Saatch was flooded with vision! And before him-

I AM was gone. But he heard, as one hears a whisper on the wind, the voice saying, "I AM always with you, My son."

------------------
Play epic RPGs such as Dark Exile, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

(NSP: Ok.... because I am.... uhmn.... dense beyond belief.... I have decided that I'm not going to try to dig through all the junk-mail that's presently flooding my netscape account.

Rather, all of you should e-mail me at robisonpg@home.com

Geb, Krig and Highemp, I have you all already, the rest of you.... put down the rotten cabbages, vote, and then you may throw them.

Also- voting closes on Christmas Day- if I do not have at least two more votes by then, I'm going to make an executive descision... and nobody wants that.

So get out there and vote people! common, 60% participation.... we can do it!)

------------------
The early bird may get the worm-
but it's the second mouse who gets the cheeze.

Omnia quae specto dominavi, et tantam magnus sum, ut non specto!

Geb, I'm going to fast-forward to after the female assassins, and let you write that part later, because I'm really getting impatient. Thanks!

-----

Stanin trudged across the grasslands, with Amry, Noddo, and Damien behind. He knew he was getting close to his destination. And he saw an incredible sight up ahead. There was a forest with a perpetual storm over it!

"Under bleak and stormy skies"! "Surrounded by bush and tree and glen"! It was starting to come together. Excitedly, Stanin broke out into a run, dashing for the treeline.

"Wait!" Noddo called, but Stanin paid him no heed. Amry started to reproach Noddo, then realized she - mysteriously - felt no inclination to do so. Damien wondered why any holy man would be so impatient.

Stanin stopped at the edge of the forest. "Be careful," he said, "there are wolves in this forest." Then he disappeared into the underbrush.

He was gone so quickly that an afterimage remained in their retinas, and then it seemed as if he had vanished into thin air - which, apparently, he had, for they could not find any trace of him.

Stanin's path was straight and true, plowing through the forest, yet leaving no trace of his passing. He knew that, if this was the place, there would be wolves prowling about.

True enough, as rain poured down and lightning flashed, wolves accosted him from every angle. Stanin deftly cleaved them in half with his magic-bladed sword, fired bolts of emerald potency at them, leaving their bloody carcasses behind.

He looked up and saw the moon. But - instead of a man in the moon, it was a wolf! So the wolves DID "haunt the blue corn moon" here!

Eventually, he came to the center of the forest, at the base of a mountain. And he saw three peaks, joined together about halfway up. Stanin walked around the base of the mountain (mountains?) until he found a treacherous stairway wrapping around the cliff face. Taking a deep breath, he started upwards. . .

-----

Otay, now it's time for Amry, Noddo, and Damien to catch up!

-----

Krystal and Carol appeared outside of Bais's cottage. "Bais!" the former roared. "You let us in this instant."

There was no response.

Krystal waded through the surprised crowd of people trying to gain entrance into the cottage-turned-museum-turned-back-into-a-cottage and pounded on the door. "Bais!" she cried again. "If you don't open this door right now, I'm gonna-"

But what Krystal would have done was not to be known for at that moment, the door opened, and Carol and Krystal were whisked inside and the door shut before anyone else could get in.

"What do you want?" Bais asked wearily of them.

Krystal was interrupted again by the appearance of a beautiful being. Gossamer wings; large, pearly eyes; and a soft gown.

A fairy, servant of Nature.

"Bais; Krystal; Carol - you have been chosen by our Queen, Gaea, to be tested as possible champions for her in the upcoming Battle of Ages."

Bais grumbled, "I don't want any part of this; leave me out of it, okay?"

The fairy stared hard at him. "You would defy our Queen?"

Bais squirmed under the pearly gaze before shaking his head.

"Then let me tell you what you must do. . ."

-----

Saidelora and Kupala, made into shadows by the former's magic, slipped under the doorway before resubstantiating back into their proper bodies. Kupala sniffed the air. "He was here. . . very recently. . ."

"The question is," Saidelora said, "where did he go?"

------------------
Play epic RPGs such as Dark Exile, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

[This message has been edited by Highemperor of the Force (edited December 20, 2001).]

Geb, I apologize if I'm going too quickly for you, but we ARE trying to get this done over winter break. We can always come back and fill in parts later, which I hope you are not averse to doing.

And, oops, I just realized that I skipped the part where the Nature fairy comes in to tell Bais & Co. about the test. I'll edit my post to change that.

------------------
Play epic RPGs such as Dark Exile, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

(NSP: Just a short little jobber. Also, included in a loverly e-mail includes a notice that many of the writers (with perhaps Highemp excluded hehe) will probably be relieved about: namely, that I'm giving a bit more time to wrap this story up, so as to not sacrifice quality. I'm now aiming to have The Eternal War finished by early February, and to get to the contest part by mid-endish of January. Your e-mails, unless Semievil decides otherwise, for your votes and all that good stuff that'll help the story, are still due by Christmas. Otherwise, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!)

Robert examined and pondered over the details of the jagged, jeweled daggar he held in his hands. The lightning bolt blade flashed bright as he gently twisted the handle in the light. Such an archaic and over-glorified weapon Robert thought, I can't believe that my father ever used this thing. I suppose it was fitting for him though. So much like his flashy stories, and his righteous wrath against "the forces of evil", --and the stabbing pain, --his death, --guilded, precious good over sharp cold reality...[/i]

The thoughts drifted, fading as they always did, as Robert's mind wandered onto other memories of his father. Fredick, son of Tessa, father of Robert. Robert was never told much of his past, never whom his grandfather was, never where they came from or where they lived before Cylerna. Robert was intelligent enough to realize that his grandmother must have fled from some horrible tragedy, perhaps from some attack of Bazaal's within the Years of Darkness. Of what, he did not know, and it would seem he never would now, left only with his own speculations.

The daggar, lifeless in his hands, struck him fitting his father's ways indeed, yet still, he knew he could never part with it. He could not divorce himself from the details...
-----------------------------------

"Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is."

~Albert Camus

=[Gebohq]=

The horse slowly pressed through the rolling hills of drenched alfalfa, its old eyes trying to peer through the swirling torrents of rain. Robert desperately gripped the horse’s slippery mane, as the wind swept leaves and sticks up into his face. Despite having a large scarf wrapped around his head, and a heavy cloak, Robert felt cold, chilled, and nervous. The sky was completely dark, though it should have been day, lit only by the occasional crash of lightening. Recently, a storm like this, was an all to common.

Once again, he was headed towards The Orc. Horran had informed him that he had been asking around about the ‘Imp’- Robert snorted at the word- and had found someone who was very knowledgeable, and very interested in anything of the sort. He was to meet both of them, at mid-day.

For some reason, he was apprehensive… nervous. Maybe it was the weather… It certainly wasn’t Clairvoyance, or anything of the sort. His horse felt it to. It seemed jumpy, and was snapping at invisible flies. Jumpy, but yet weary at the same time.

Finally, they reached the Orc. The storm’s fury had only increased. Robert stepped off his horse and his boots sunk into the mushy, muddy, ground. He found himself breathing heavily and quickly. Through The Orc’s small circular window he could see Horran drinking a small glass of rum, and looking around nervously between each sip. Robert trudged over to The Orc’s wooden door and made to open it. Seemingly out of nowhere another hand appeared, and grabbed his arm in a steel grip. The moment the fingers grabbed his arm a clap of thunder was heard, illuminating the stranger.

The stranger spoke in a calm conceited voice, “No, Robert. You needn’t enter the Orc just yet. Or ever to be more precise.” Another brief flash of illuminating thunder revealed the speaker to be extraordinarily muscular… almost god-like. However, his eyes seemed both vacant, and filled with thunder, simultaneously.

Robert wrenched his arm away and pulled on the door. It was stuck. He turned to the stranger. “I’ve never seen your face in Cylerna before. Who are you, and what authority do you have to speak so…”

The stranger cut him off with a sweep of his bulky hand. “You shall call me Quarsh. I am all-knowing, all-powerful, and more-or-less ominpotent compared to the likes of you.”

Robert threw his head back and gave a manufactured laugh. “Oh… I get it. You’re some kind of ‘holy’ magical, ‘angel’, who’s come to ‘enlighten’ me with the ‘truth’. Oooh. I’m intimidated.”

The lighting flashed, as Quarsh’s eyes flashed. “Close. But yet at the same time ridiculously wrong. I’m the opposite. I’m on the winning side. A servant of Hell. Let’s put it in terms even you could understand: A Demon.”

Robert laughed louder. “Let me guess. You want me to give you food or gold, to prevent you from ‘smiting’ my entire village. And then when I pay, you’ll leave Cylerna, never to be seen again. Sorry. I’m not that gullible.”

Quarsh flicked out his hand, sweeping it across Robert’s cheek. Robert sailed several meters backwards, skidding in the mud. Quarsh sneered. “Not gullible, Robert. But stupid.”

Robert rose wearily to his feet. Wiping his cheek with hand, he came away with blood on it. He looked defiantly at Quarsh. “So, you have a rather impressive backhand swing. That still doesn’t prove…”

Quarsh spat in the mud. “What more proof do you need. I sent you a servant to give you a message more assertively…”

Again, Robert was confused. “Wha… you are the first stranger I’ve seen in days. If you sent me a messenger I can’t seem to remember it.”

The ‘demon’ smiled a devilish smile. “Oh, he was about yeh high, sharp teeth, rather nasty demeanor.”
“So it seems that Horran told you about the creature that attacked me. And even if you did send it. That wasn’t a message. It was a blatant attack. That… thing… was doing it’s best to try to kill me.”

Quarsh gave a small nod. “Yes. It was less of a message than it was… a test.”

“Test?”

“A test to see if you are… worthy enough for me.”

Once again Robert snapped back into his veneer of arrogance. “So you want me to join your little scam, as well?”

Quarsh gave Robert a long, cold, stare. “You want proof.” He lifted his eyes towards the dark horizon. Deliberately, he then turned and gazed at The Orc. Lastly, he met Roberts curious eyes, once again. “Behold.” Subtly, Quarsh lifted a finger on his outstretched hand.

Without any warning of any kind, a bolt of lightning- identical to every other bolt of the turmoiled storm- struck down. But this time, it hit a place closer to home. The shimmering white bolt lanced through the Wattle-and-dob roof of The Orc. One fork struck Horran in the chest- burning him where he sat from the inside-out. The other shot through the rum canisters, heating them up, and causing them to explode nearly instantaneously. As one side of the Orc collapsed, the other went up in flames; flaming puddles of boiling rum splashed throughout the wood.

Robert looked over at Quarsh, looked at his smiling face that glimmered with the dancing flames. Mentally, he searched for some rational… scientific… explanation. “Chance. Very improbable but… chance. Show me something similar. In the same spot”

Quarsh was suddenly weary. “I can’t just throw around my power like a club. It’s got to be refined… using it in a display like that saps my energy. As much as I would like to send a blast of lightning through your skeptical skull… I can’t. Until later.”

Robert nodded. He had been expecting an answer similar to that. “Another thing I’ve noticed. You look human. You sound human. But you say you’re supernatural. Shouldn’t ‘demons’ have big horns, sharp teeth, green snakelike tongues…”

Quarsh grimaced, as if a painful, infuriating thought had come over him. “I have one more way of proving my divinity to you.” With a flash, Quarsh had reached behind him, and pulled out a gleaming, glowing, red Scimitar. He kissed its edge. The red blade spun, twirled in Quarsh’s hand as he came screaming inhumanly, dashing towards Robert. Robert had just seconds to dive to the ground, roll out of the way and pull something out of his pouch. Quarsh’s spiked foot stamped down on Robert’s stomach, preventing him from moving any further. The sword flashed high in the air, swooping down, melodramatically. With a grunt, Robert flicked an object out of his hand. The sword was just inches away from Roberts forehead, when the blade shot past him, landing in the mud like a curved Javelin. Quarsh screamed as his sword arm spasamed, a jagged blade penetrating deep into it.

Robert’s dagger.

Quarsh set his teeth together, and then grabbed the jeweled hilt of the dagger. With a shrieking moan he pulled it out. Blood… black in color… spilled out from Quarsh’s arm.

The Scimitar lay stuck in the mud. Robert lunged for it, grabbed the hilt, yelled, and then withdrew his arm quickly. The sword was scalding hot.

But instead of finishing off Robert, Quarsh simply eyed the dagger in his hand… spinning it slowly, musing… “So it is true. The dagger that makes the immortal, mortal.” To Robert’s surprise Quarsh took his foot off of him. “I had meant to prove myself. But in doing so, you have proved yourself. You are indeed worthy for the task.”

Robert shook his head. “You say you’ve killed my friend. You tired to kill me. Why would I want to follow you.”

Quarsh handed Robert’s dagger back to him. “A better Question would be… why not? Your friends are dead. You have no family. No life. No calling. No purpose. No ambition. And I know that you want to know the truth. The real truth.”

Robert was suddenly laden by curiousity. His anger towards Quarsh was dissipated. Why he didn’t know. He simply raised his head, and asked Quarsh, “Where to?”

Quarsh made a motion and two black horses, reined in red copper, galloped out of the woods. Quarsh jumped onto one. Robert leapt onto the other. As they rode off, towards the Thunderstorm, a short, red headed figure watched them from behind the still flaming remnants of The Orc…

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"Ah, but who's the greater fool? The fool, or the foolish fool who get's fooled by the fool who's foolisher than the foolish fool?"

-Janitor Bob(Salk Wars)

[This message has been edited by Janitor Bob (edited December 23, 2001).]

Just posting this to say, Merry Christmas, all!

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Play epic RPGs such as Dark Exile, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

NSP:

Aight guys, here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for- the champs!
Note: if you feel your character has been mistreated, misjudged or left out in any way, I will be accepting petitions for changes until shortly after the first of the year. This does NOT[/b] mean that I automatically will change it to your choice, so you'd better have some reasoning.

Also- as of the third- this is set in stone! If you want a change, act now, or forever hush up! I will post a final list the weekend of the third, whenever that is, and that's it!

Good: Krig, son of Krog

Nature: Diaszu Xenophent

Evil: Saidelora

If you disagree with these descisions, you have seven days remaining to do something about it. NB: if you are petitioning me, it would be to your advantage to get one of the three people who voted- Geb, Krig, and Highemp- on your side.

Happy New Year everybody!

------------------
The early bird may get the worm-
but it's the second mouse who gets the cheeze.

Omnia quae specto dominavi, et tantam magnus sum, ut non specto!

(NSP sorry for the lack of post time, but I've been busy with work and some personal issues lately.)

"You are quite powerful indeed my friend." a fairly old man said dressed in the same uniform as the fallen wizard at Shawn's feet, "But I'm afraid that we can't let you keep this up. So, either you give your self up peacefully." The expression on his face changed to a grin with a slight hint of anger behind it. "Or we can do this the hard way. Trust me, you don't want to do this the hard way, cuz unlike my friend at your feet the rest of us called out here are much more powerfull than him." he said, pushing away from the wall that he was leaning against and puting his hands out infront of him. Shawn shifted his position, holding his sword at his side. "So, you claim to be more powerfull than him?" he said as he kicked the lifeless body at his feet, "I guess we shall see then."

Shawn felt an uneasiness in his mind, somethings wrong. Shawn thought, feeling a slight pain in the back of his head. Some one is in my mind, but where is he? thinking to himself looking around. There was a few that he could see but didn't look at them, they didn't know that he knew where they were...yet. He kept his eyes on the wizard in front of him. If I make a move toward him, they'll all come at me at once. He thought, accessing the situation. Shawn took a few steps toward the wizard and stopped. He held his sword up high and brought it down, sticking it firmly in the concrete. "Lets see how much I can learn to hate you guys, eh??" Shawn said and then charged the wizard. He heard a loud sound and knew that someone had finished one of their spells, But still he charged forward. He kept his eyes forward and saw a fireball heading for him. Kinda low aim, might come up short. He thought and then his eyes lit up and it hit him their all aiming at a focal point, to nail me all at once. The fireball grew closer and then, it hit, along with a pack of wolves composed completely of fire. They dash, out of nowhere, toward the impact point. As they converge on their target, they explode in a brilliant display of colorful fire. The smoke from the fire and explosions quickly dissipated, turning into clear air. Shawn was nowhere to be seen. The Wizard glances around but finds no trace of his attacker. Then, a thought finds its way into his head, he quickly glances up and finds a foot planted neatly in his face. Shawn flips backward, knocking the Wizard off balance, as he lands he flashes a slight grin and charges toward his next kill. He reaches back with his arm and stops in his tracks.

What?! What is going on here. Why won't my arms move? Shawn thinks to himself as he glances around, looking for the person who has done this to him. "Give yourself up, and we will stop attacking you." said a new voice on a rooftop behind Shawn, "We have fused the bones in your arms together. It's no use to continue fighting us, just give up." Shawn looked at the Wizard infront of him, as if he was taunting him, living proof of the only person that has escaped him. The thought made him angry, the thought of failure was unacceptable. Shawn dashed forward and with a new found strength manged to deliver a powerful punch with his right arm. The Wizard doubled over in pain as he found Shawn's right arm plunged through his chest. The Wizard's lifeless body fell forward just as Shawn's lifeless arm fell to his side in an extreme state of pain. He turned around to face the Mage on the rooftop.

The Mage held his hands out infront of him, and blue sparks went off all around him, They slowly begain to form into the shape of bats. The bats circled the Mage and then headed for Shawn. Shawn dashed toward his sword, dodging the electrical bats that attempted to run into him to stop him. He reached his katana and grasped it with his left hand. Shawn jumped and spun, launching the blade from his useless hand and toward the Mage on the rooftop. The blade cut through a bat and then lodged itself in the Mage's right leg. The Mage screamed out in pain as his body was electrified, and then he fell over into a deep sleep. Shawn grinned as he landed and then saw his world go black as the pain in the back of his head became unbearable. An Enchanter came out of a dark alley way leaning on the wall breathing heavily. "Get that man some medical attention and then to a top security holding cell." the Enchanter said to one of the Security forces that had just arived on the secne.

Suspended precariously high above the raging Atlantic, directly below the Arcane Academy sat two middle-aged rugged men. The Academy can do many things, but it doesn't clean itself. Thus Jim and Tim, as they were affectionately known, were hard at work scraping, cleaning and polishing the great stone artworks that hung beneath the floor of the campus.

Often, some of the more respectable students would join them to discuss the finer points of life and happiness- the things no class could ever teach.

Today, however, they worked alone. As they finished the great orb that hung directly below the center of the campus, they broke for lunch. Looking out across the sea, the storms far below and off in the distance, it was a truely inspring sight.

But something was different today. Directly below them, nearly three miles straight down, there was a curious disturbance in the water. A giant bubble, wider than the academy itself was rising to the surface.

Preparing for the massive pressure wave it would cause when it broke the water, Jim and Tim packed their food up and held on for dear life, looking down and waiting.

The bubble neared sea level... and there it stayed. For half an hour the two waited for it to breach, but it never did. Finally, they decided to break for it- hurriedly they pulled in the lines that held their makeshift work platform in place and pulled themselves back on top of the campus platform in record time.


(NSP: Yes, it's what you think it is- the Arena is comming! Note- Jim and Tim are not main characters. They are, in fact, The Duct-Tape Guys. They have no further place in the story. The Duct-Tape guys are not going to become the champions of anything. This is not NES. Though I might just introduce them over there now... Seriously now- no more Jim and Tim

------------------
The early bird may get the worm-
but it's the second mouse who gets the cheeze.

Omnia quae specto dominavi, et tantam magnus sum, ut non specto!

(NSP: Alrighty, seriously, we gotta keep the NSP-only posts to a minimal. Any reader trying to read this stuff would get bored out of their mind from it, so use e-mail when you can, or add some story with your NSP's. Yes, I'm guilty of this myself, I realize. Also, remember that even if you miss the deadline, you still might have a chance at sending a vote in to count, and it is in fact encouraged (unless the champions have been chosen IN the story already), so send those votes AND OTHER REPLIES TO THE E-MAILS in to us all, cuz we really do like to see them

Anywhos, onto the many posts I should have made long ago. Give a shout otherwise--that goes for everyone! Now to da story stuff. First up--more Robert!)

Just a while ago, Robert might have felt comfortable. It had stopped raining, and his clothes and skin were beginning to dry. The terrain had been rather flat as well, and as long as Quarsh did not bother him any more with his hocus-pocus, he thought he might be able to adjust to his situation.

Then the rain came hailing down on him again. The cold and wet once again penetrated to his core. Robert noticed then that the trail they were on appeared to have stopped, and Quarsh signaled towards a more rocky path. It really did seem as if everything was against him these days. Robert hung on for what was left of his life as the horse violently galloped, leaping over hurdles of rock and dead logs. Things couldn't get any worse, Robert thought to himself.

Quarsh, with a look of disgust, as if the mere existance of things annoyed him, brought his horse back, and brought both of the horses to a walking pace. Robert thought now how much heavier the rain felt, now that they had slowed down. Quarsh was now riding next to Robert, and from what Robert could tell, Quarsh didn't seem to share the same attention to the rain as he did.

"We will be riding westward, veering slightly to the north, to the coast. Once there, we will obtain means to find and travel to a Northman sea vessel, not far from the coastline. There, we shall find an artifact, by your standards, known simply as the matrix of Volsang. It has the power to act as a backdoor into the states of Good and Nature, giving anyone who wields it the capability to draw from their power. Your test, Robert, will be to assist me, fending off any angels or whomever may try and stop us, while I retrieve the matrix. Understand?"

Robert thought how dead wrong he had been. It had gone worse. The man who called himself a demon, Quarsh, was now rambling again about supernatural things. Something about some backdoor into Heaven? Something with angels anyways. Robert decided to continue the act.

"Riiight. I'll go 'fend off the angels', and you'll get your matrix-thing. Doesn't sound too bad."

"Fool!" Quarsh yelled, the lightning and thunder cracking the night sky just then. "What will it take you to comprehend the importance?"

"How about a little angel and devil on my shoulders, Quarsh?" Robert said with heavy sarcasm. "Seriously, what is it you're really after? Some big treasure? If you needed grunt work, you should have just said so."

Quarsh gave him a cold stare. "You're just like your grandfather. Unbelieving, indifferent..." he muttered. Robert then bolted upward, his eyes glued to Quarsh as if he could see the very words coming out of his mouth.

"What do you know about my grandfather?" Robert demanded.

Quarsh gave a small chuckle. "You'll find out, in due time, Robert." His gaze on Robert grew dark. "If you cooperate, and do as I say."

Quarsh then gave a hard kick to his horse, and bolted ahead of Robert again. He yelled "Come now! We still have much ground to cover, and not much time!"

"What did that mean?" Robert pondered. His thoughts jumbled though, as his own horse once again began to violently gallop over the rocky path.
---------------------------

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind" -Albert Einstien

X}Gebohq{X

[This message has been edited by Gebohq (edited December 29, 2001).]

Krig stumbled over a branch submerged in the muck, plumeting face first into the ankle-deep sludge. Deliberately, he got to his feet, wiping the mud from his eyes and continuing on through the pouring rain like he'd done countless times since beginning this latest trek. He hadn't seen rain like this in a long time. The ground was becoming a quagmire.

Krig squinted ahead for signs of which way the lad and the bad man had gone. The ground was pretty much useless for holding tracks now, in this rain, but there were still signs if one knew where to look for them. A broken branch here, a disturbed rock there, and if one was lucky, some horse droppings to confirm his path, like he'd found a little while ago. He squinted again. They were still going west, it looked like.

The stocky Northman continued on the path, looking bedraggled and worn under the layers of greyish mud. As a peal of thunder ripped through the sky, Krig wearily wondered what he was doing here. He didn't even know these people he was following. Or he was pretty sure he didn't. The younger one looked familiar, somehow. Maybe that was why he'd followed them. Krig wasn't sure of anything anymore. He'd always relied on his friends to let him know what he was supposed to do. And now he would never see them again. He was sure of that now. It was about the only thing he was sure of.

The scent of burning elm wood floated into Krig's nostrils. Krig frowned. It was wrong. Fire didn't burn in wet. A look of consternation crossing his mud-caked face, Krig headed in the direction of the smoke smell that shouldn't be there. It didn't feel right at all.

Krig came to the top of a small wooded rise, and peeked over. Across a small valley on another low hill flickered a dim flame, an unnatural blue in colour. Krig's frown deepened. Two barely visible forms sat by the flame, one huddling close to the fire, the other sitting away from it. They were probably the ones Krig had been following. He began to close in, keeping behind trees and any other available cover. He would find out what was going on.

------------------
When the blind leadeth the blind.... get out of the way!

(NSP: I made a suggestion that, in the contest, the champion that reaches the middle ground first would have the advantage of obtaining any ONE wish from Semievil before the champions fought. Here were the stipulations that Semievil would make clear before the wish was made. Tell me what you think of the one-wish advantage idea, and any suggestions for either a different advantage, or any stipulation that I forgot/should change.

1) Cannot make a wish that involves the supreme dieties of Good, Nature, Evil, or Justice that would require the alteration of the rules of the Battle of the Ages (meaning no direct powerline from a diety, elimination of a diety, etc etc).

2) Cannot eliminate more than one champion from the Battle of the Ages (two would sort of end the competition right here. Allowing one would make things suspenseful).

3) Cannot make a wish that would require the alteration of anything outside the confines of the Champion ground (middle ground of the Arena--meaning the Earth can't blow up, etc etc)

Thanks, and now, Diaszu and Jirverak!)

"Out of the frying pan, and into the oven..." Diaszu muttered.

"Oh shut up!" Jirverak demanded.

"You shut you!" Diaszu shot back.

"Shut up!" ordered Xirivus, the captain of the guard. The two guards next to Diaszu and Jirverak jabbed them with the blunt ends of their Demon axes. Diaszu fell to the ground, while Jirverak clutched onto the guard's handle and sneered.

"You first," he growled, before hurling hte guard into the lead guard. Unshealthing his sword, he yelled "Diaszu, now!"

With a quick flick of his wrist and staff, the guard that hit Diaszu was hurled in a similar fashion. With the three guards piled on top of each other, Jirverak charged at them with his sword, making quick work of two of them. Xirvius, however, was able to block with his Demon axe before Jirverak could finish him, and with a heavy shove, pushed Jirverak far enough away to be able to stand up, nearly cleaving the undead knight's head in the process.

Again, Jirverak lunged and brought his sword down in a strong downward arc, which Xirvius blocked, and countered with a quick swipe to the side, the blade of the axe pulling Jirverak's sword away from him. Before the sword even hit the ground, Xirvius swiped again with his axe in the opposite direction, which Jirverak barely avoided. Xirvius was about to bring his axe down on Jirverak for a finishing blow, when to his surprise, it stopped.

Diaszu, chanting arcane words, had managed to stop the axe in mid-swing, and still, Diaszu continued. Xirvius released the axe as it moved on its own, retracing the swings it had made. Xirvius couldn't make out what was happening, as the airborne axe swung to the opposite side, moving closer to him, despite his retreating steps. It then blocked an imaginary swing, and then, its blade facing Xirvius now, came with a hard shove down and into his neck and chest.

For several seconds, Xirvius stood there, axe embedded, jaw gaping as if he was trying to scream. Jirverak then walked face to face with Xirvius, grabbed the handle of the demon axe, and shoved it deeper, sending Xirvius to the ground. Jirverak then went for his sword, talking to Diaszu, who was still recovering on the ground, as he retrieved his sword.

"Well, that takes care of them."

"Yeah, now all we have to worry about, Jirverak, is how to get out of this wasteland. And with the rest of the guards, not to mention the dark clerics and wizards of Strage after us, we don't exactly have the upper hands."

"You forgot the shadow beasts," a familiar voice broke in.

"Yeah," Jirverak said. "You forgot the--hey! Who said that?"

"I did," the voice answered from behind a rock formation. An old man, armed with only a staff, stepped into view and towards them.

"Saatch!" Diaszu exclaimed with joy. "How did you ever live? And your eyes..."

"Yes, Diaszu, my sight has been restored. I can also see the intent of the hearts of men. All thanks to my Lord."

"That's nice," Jirverak grumbled.

Ignoring his comment, Saatch continued. "I can tell you that not everyone who works for Strage are against us, and we may yet be able to escape, with those of Shamoor who have been enslaved as well. Though the Shadow that covers this land has bred beasts that are a great threat. Dark and large, like the Shadow, they have sharp dagger-like teeth, a multitude of red eyes, and impossible to harm physically, save the eyes. We must keep an eye for them as we make way to stop Strage."

"We?" Jirverak asked. "I'm perfectly content right here, old man. You can take the kid. he can help you out."

"Are you really content, Jirverak?" Saatch asked in a soft voice. "here, in this lawless land?"

"The laws of men," Jirverak snorted. "I once followed those as a blind man does. Now I see how wrong those laws are!"

"Do you?" Saatch asked back at him.

After a short silence, Diaszu broke in.

"Law or no law, by man or by nature, you're still have to take action for it. These people are being repressed of their privledge to live freely as they will. The privledge to be and do and they want, and those that have repressed them stand against the principle of existance. Defend the freedom you so boldly claim you have!"

Defend... The word alone echoed within Jirverak's head. It had meant so much to him before that he had pledged an oath to do so. And now, having been exposed to the laws he had been bound to, having been exposed to death, he still had not discovered what it meant to live. Life, death...it confused him now which was which. But that one word, if nothing else, was what made him who he was. And if he lost the will to defend, it did not matter what he could see if it was to be lost. He was a knight, and he would defend.

"Where to?" Jirverak asked Saatch.

"To Strage's stronghold. But first, we must gather an army."

"Lead on, foolish man," he said. Jirverak glanced at Diaszu, giving a half smile before following Saatch. Shaking his head in confusion, Diaszu stood, kicking his staff off the ground and into his hand, before sprinting to catch up.
------------------------------

"May it be an evening star
Shines down upon you
May it be when darkness falls
Your heart will be true
You walk a lonely road
Oh! How are you are from home

CHORUS
(Darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
(Darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now

May it be shadows call
Will fly away
May it be your journey on
To light the day
When the night is overcome
You may rise to find the sun

CHORUS
(Darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way
(Darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now

A promise lives within you now.

~"May It Be" The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Soundtrack

o0o_Gebohq_o0o

[This message has been edited by Gebohq (edited December 29, 2001).]

Stanin climbed the treacherous stairway set into the face of the mountain. It was a stairway too smooth and sharp to be natural, which gave further credence to the idea that this was the location of the Crystal of Power.

The wind threatened to tear him from the cliff and down to a gruesome death. Yet Stanin stepped surefootedly from one stair to the next, using his magic to buffet him from the wind.

Finally, he reached the top.

And before him was a dome of fire, stretching high into the air. It was a fire generated by powerful spells, so that only someone of sufficient strength could pass through it.

Stanin generated an emerald shield about him and walked through the flames. The heat was intense, almost unbearable, but Stanin bore it. And as quickly as he had entered it, he was out, on the other side.

In front of him was the "citadel of steel from days long past".

It was made of steel, but resembled a brooding cathedral, with arches and curves and ogees of all sorts.

Stanin walked up to the entrance, which was girded by a heavy door and guarded by two statues in the images of warriors. He walked up to the door and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. He fired a bolt of jade magic at it. It was unscathed.

"Hmm," Stanin considered. There had to be a test here somewhere, that determined how he was to get inside.

As he was thinking, the two statues suddenly came alive! They drew their swords, and Stanin saw that their blades were generated of pure magic, too!

And so they dueled. It felt as if he fought them for hours, but, when the severed heads of the statues lay at his feet, he realized that it had only been a few moments.

The door swung open without a creak. Stanin walked inside.

------------------
Play epic RPGs such as Dark Exile, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

(NSP: And now it's time for yet annother Sebohq and Gemievil collaboration! Sit back and enjoy! =D)

"Where the hell are we!?!?" The almost questioning tone was accompanied by a sharp smack to the back of Bais' head by Krystal.

"Shhhh!!" Bais hissed, but too late... a massive claw ripped through the ceiling of the dark room where Carol, Krystal, Bais, and the fairy now stood. Light flooded in, accompanied by Kupala and Saidelora.

"Said? What are you doing here?" Bais seemed vaguely surprised by this turn of events.

"I'm here to foil your plans of good and righteousness by convoking the powers of Chaos into a physical form of legendary proportions in accordance with a series of spells and rites I have found through my necromantic studies!"

"Righteousness? I think we ditched the holy blockheads a while back." Krystal said, thinking on her feet.

"I see... well... I don't think they qualify as enimies any more then, Kupala. We should let them go." Said seemed content to play along.

Oblivious to the efforts of Krystal and Saidelora to get Bais out unharmed, but still sensing that his objective was in danger, Kupala interjected. "I still think we should kill Bais at least. It would be something of an anticlimax for me, and I would be forced to abandon your quest for additional invocative power." And with that he moved forward to stike at Bais.

"Back, vile underthing! I am the Vox Domomniae, stand back or face destruction!" The fairy's thunderous bellow shocked Kupala into submission for a moment, but he only became more bent.

Striking the fay creature down with a mighty blow from his shoulder, he charged through the fairy and after Bais. The Vox, however was not to be underestimated- recovering it's balance it caught hold of Kupala's claws telekinetically, stopping them inches short of Bais' throat. As Kupala whirled to face this recurrent threat, Bais dove into a corner and curled tightly around a largish wooden box with blackened iron fittings.

Standing again with the box, the length of his arm, 1/2 that in width, and four inches deep, Bais opened it and withdrew a small piece of highly polished opal.

"Kupala!" Bais thundered. The opal burst into flame and Bais cringed, his hand twitching from the heat. Kupala was suddenly torn from his fight by a thin stream of air that hit him dead-on in the forhead. Stunned, reeling from the staggering blow, Kupala fell back.

Not sensing a particular need for taking time, Bais turned to the wall, shouted "Follow me!" and stepped through. Quickly The Vox, Krystal, and Carol followed suit.

"They've dissappeared." Said explained to Kupala a few minutes later as he was beggining to regain his senses. Looking up at the splintering hole in the ceiling she added, "Let's take the stairs this time," and led him out of the basement.

-------------------------------------------

The sounds of arcane locks clicking could be heard eminating from the bottom of a spiral maitence stairwell, followed by the creaks of a door. Light footsteps followed, and a few seconds later, Bais, Krystal, Carol, and the fairy stepped onto the museum floor.

"Heh," Bais said, mostly to himself. "Seven hundred years, and they still haven't changed the locks." He twirled the keyring once more before placing it back into the box he held. He then pulled out a pair of leather gloves, and strapped them on his hands.

"So why did we take a detour to the museum again?" Krystal inquired.

"We'll need a ship to set sail in, correct?" Bais said. He continued to search the floor, leaving Krystal and Carol with only more confusion. After wandering for a few moments on the floor, Bais turned a corner, and pointed in the direction he was facing. As Carol and Krystal turned, their eyes followed where his finger pointed to, taking it all in. Before them was a Northman longboat, fully intact from an era after the Change. The fairy, having casually caught up with them, looked upon the vessel with light interest, then to Bais, to witness how events would unfold.

"It's..." Carol trailed, at a loss for words. She finally managed to end her sentence with "big".

"Not too big though," Bais added. "It will be roomy," he said with a smile.

Krystal, trying to keep a straight face, continued. "That's nice and all...but how were you planning on getting it out? Were you going to ask Vox here to snap her fingers and move it by divine force?"

"I will partake in no such action," the fairy interjected. "This is part of your test, after all."

Digging through his box of regeants again, Bais said "I had something else in mind, actually." Bais then pulled out a lump of aquamarine, and lead Carol and Krystal up the ramp and onto the main deck of the ship, while the fairy simply flew up onto the deck. Signaling Carol and Krystal to hold onto something, Bais then began to speak, then shifted into a drone of something that sounded like a short song. The aquamarine then ignited and crumbled to dust.

Several moments later, the roof of the museum shattered as a waterfall of wind fell directly around and in front of the Northman sea vessel. The winds carved deep into the ground, charging foreward and piling down the wall, exposing the harbor water. The water gushed forth, contained within the newly-made channel, and surrounded the vessel and the ship gently drifted into the harbor water.

Bais said nothing, rather stood glowing in his achievement and grinning widely as alarms sounded and security officers came running. Krystal and Carol stood amazed, while the fairy simply nodded her head in approval at Bais.

As the ship began to pick up speed in entering the harbor water, Bais recognized the museum 'expert' whom he had kicked out of his family home sputtering at him. Bais wondered idly if he had ever stopped sputtering since their first meeting.

------------------
The early bird may get the worm-
but it's the second mouse who gets the cheeze.

Omnia quae specto dominavi, et tantam magnus sum, ut non specto!

(NSP: Just an excuse for a post, so it stays above the 2 day marker thing Story? Oh yeah--I mean, advance the story...)

Not far from Amry and Noddo, Yarilo sat on a high branch of a tree. She had been stalking the group for sometime now, having issues still needing resolution. Issues with Stanin, for one. For not giving her the information she needed on the matrix of Volsang, Yarilo had followed, hoping that Stanin would lead the way to it and be able to kill him off in retaliation for his stubborness before. She had heard of Stanin talking of having ultimate power once he had it, so she was certain that Stanin was venturing to get it now.

She had also been following though to watch her sister, Amry. The ties she felt with Amry still confused her, and she felt that she needed to see her sister again to resolve them permenately, one way or another. Yarilo had, for the most part, successfully stayed hidden from them, with Stanin seemingly obsessed with his quest to bother with much else, and knowing what Amry was capable of. Noddo, on the other hand, appeared to have noticed her presence at times, but made no move. She would have to watch for that rat...

(ok..this may not be the biggest of posts...but i gotta try)

krystal speaks as they leave the harbor.
“Alright, when did I say: I wanna be a canadate!? Sure I guess I’m
confortable with serving nature and all... but, how many times have I
been taken here and there? and, and I have encoutered ..himmm what? angels..a djinn, Oh and NOW I meet a servant of Nature!” Krystal sighs and finishes her ramblings, “ I just had to use the bow.”

-----------------------------------------
later on...

Krystal sits on the port side of the ship looking out to the open sea.
Thoughts and memories begin to fill her head. The sea..different than
the forest but still just or perhaps more beautiful than it. Deep, blue,
like his eyes. Memories of the time she still was living with her husband..the village’s herbalist. The sea, it’s also,hazy...troubled, just like his
eyes, when he became ill just like the others. The plague had found its way to
her village. “ I tried dammt!” she cried out, being reminded once more how she lost her love...She then rembered something else, the flute he gave her. Bais, Carol and Vox soon hear the soft sorrowful song comming from the port side.

THE ETERNAL WAR - OUT-TAKES:

The three supernatural armies of Nature, Good, and Evil were arrayed at the points of an equilateral triangle on the immortal battlefield. In the center, Jehovah God, Satan, and Gaea were meeting.

Satan was glowering at God, whereas the latter had a peaceful expression on His face. Gaea kept her expression neutral. Neither was exactly pleased with the way God kept winning these decamillennial battles.

"So," Gaea broke the silence, "it is time - again."

"Yes," God's voice squeaked. Gaea and Satan look at each other and burst out laughing.

Satan says, "Still going through puberty, God?" More laughter.

-----

When Krig awakene, he was lying on a small unmarked raft, next to the towering masked figure that had saved him. Struggling to his feet, Krig prepared himself for combat, unarmed though he was.

"Fear not, Krig. My intentions are peaceful, even though you are entitled to your doubts."

Krig gazed upon the masked figure with disguised awe. While he was still soaked from head to toe, this being had not a drop of water on him.

"You...save Krig?"

THe figure smiled. "Yes. My name is Kronaemix. My intentions, at this point in time anyway, are irrelevant."

"Krig think everything relevant."

"Because, noble warrior, you aren't meant to die yet. You still have a destiny to ful - Dagnabit, Krig, you're deviating from the script!"

"Funny man be quiet. It not funny man's place to dictate events of universe."

"Why, you slimy little weasel - that's my line!"

*Bam* *Crash* "KRIG SMASH!" *Boom*

-----

Aesnor cried, "We are going to play the Guess Who? game!" Everyone cheered, and Highemperor thought, Well, that seems harmless enough.

The king got all the women who were playing - which included Melania and Elayne - into one row, and all the men - including Highemperor - into another row facing them. "Ladies," Aesnor continued jovially, "Close your eyes! No peeking!" Then he continued, just as jovially, "Gentlemen, you know what to do; go kiss one of the ladies!"

Oh, no.

For a moment, Highemperor just stood there, at a loss. Obviously, he wanted to kiss Melania, but he didn't feel worthy or pure enough; he felt as if he would be defiling her by that act. Yet who else would he kiss? Elayne? Ha!

After several tense moments of agony, he threw up his arms, grabbed Melania around her waist and kissed her passionately on the lips for a long while.

Elayne: "Hey! That's my place!"

Melania and Highemp/Stanin: "Shaddup!"

*Continued kissing noises*

Crowd: "Ooh, la, la! There are going to be some children out of this, aren't there?"

------------------
Play epic RPGs such as Dark Exile, or duel in the Interdimensional Arena @ The High Citadel

(NSP: Teehee. In retrospect to what Highemperor just did and harkening back in ye old days of SoD (and for the sake of posting), here's some more.)

The Eternal War: Outtakes![/b]

*Jirverak Ironhands stood in the middle of a fenced field, with several blocks, pits, and obstacle traps surrounding him. Jirverak was clad in a white outfit, with flashy gold and silver aromor. To match, he had an impressive double bladed sword that no average man could hold with one hand (he was no ordinary man though) and a reflective shield. He was fit, to say the least, more near the buff side, but by no means slow or thick. He stood in a semi-crouched position, ready to begin his gauntlet.*

*Taking a deep breath, he ran, leaped up onto a block, ran off it and started to fall into a pit...

And kept falling for a short distance, until an audible "Fwump" could be heard. He ha dlanded on the inflatable cushion below the camera's view.

"I'll get it one of these days!" Jirverak's voice could be heard. "I refuse to have a stunt double!"...
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*There before him stood a man, garbed in white, with short, blond hair parted neatly on his head. If it weren't for the bird-like wings that were spread on his back, Jirverak would not have known that he wasn't human.*

"Watch where ya swingin' that thing, hotshot!" the winged man yelled in an annoyed voice. "You nearly took my head off!"

Looking dumbfounded at the winged man, Jirverak stuttered "You're a..a..a.."

"Yes, an angel," the winged man said. Right then, one of the wings fell off.

Jim glanced at the fallen wing, then at Jirverak. Jirverak and those off camera began cracking up.

"Ig-nore the wing, young grasshopper..." Jim said...
------------------------------
Noddo could see her shaking her fist wildly in the air, and a thought drifted to his head. "Is she that whore I slept with not to long ago?" Who knew, he thought, and continued on his way.*

*The woman apparently had other plans though, as she tackled him to the ground, grabbed him by the shoulders, and shook him furiously.*

"Pay you dirty rat!" she said. "That is how I get money you know, or at least I did get it that way..."

Noddo tried to supress his laughter, but he failed miserably. Everyone else bursted into laughter as well.

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Amry said to him, laughing.

"How can I? You're suppose to be a whore..." Noddo said, after which, Amry pushed him away, laughing...
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"Who are you and what are you doing in the Hall of the Serpent? And how did you get past the guards?"

Krig looked around like a startled animal. He finally saw the speaker, beyond the the confusion of new people. The speaker was a big, dark haired man, seated on what looked to be a crude throne.

"Krig not like snakes."

A loud noise from off-stage went off. trying to improvise, the speaker on the throne improvises. Badly.

"Now I have you trapped here, right where I want you Dr. Jones--er--Dr. Krig."

"Krig hate snakes..." Krig said, as everyone laughed...
-----------------------------------
The figure siezed upon the opportunity to introduce himself: "I like your style-if it is a little poorly planned-I am Semievil- Judge of the Tournament of the Three Powers, and Keeper of Justice in the relevent universes" Dark-Lancer's head (his body had fallen away, and his head was now floating at Semievil's eye-level) blinked. "I am building an arena" Semievil continued, "and you are going to be part of my raw materials. I observed your arm regerating on the battlefield, and that indicates one of the qualities that I will need."

The head blinked again, and tried to speak, but could only weakly ask: "What?" "Glad you asked." Semievil continued "The arena must be constructed of adamanium--er--andam....ah **** it..."

A voice said offstage "Alright Magneto, go learn your lines again...Dark Lancer is NOT one of the X-men--get your movie parts straight..."
---------------------------------
"So..." Yimir said in a dark voice, "What brings you two to my realm?" Yimir sat in his chair, slouching, looking upon the two with small amusement.
"We were casted here, with Saatch," Diaszu spoke. "The one who has been giving the people of these lands signs of life."

"How unfortunante. I, like yourselves, was casted here. Left to rot in this wasteland."

"Do you want us to pity you?" Jirverak growled.

"Not at all, young mage. Just making conversation."

Realizing his slip-up, Yimir made the most out of it.

"Who wants me to tell a story?" Yimir said in a grandfatherly voice. As those offstage were laughing, Diaszu and Jirvera improvised, skipping like children. Diaszu jumped on his lap.

"Oh boy oh boy!" Diaszu said. "Wow, Grampa Yimir, you SURE got a lotta wrinkles!"
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And the warm yet unseen voice come back, in a voice tinged with love, and joy, and peace, and meaning, and hope, "I am who I am. Some say I am love, but love is not true enough of a name. Others say joy, or peace, or meaning, or hope, but those are not true. I AM all that is good and true; I AM wholeness.

My name. . . is I AM."

Saatch fell to his knees and worshipped.

"Aaaand CUT!" said the director. Saatch then started off, not really.

"Wow, you really play that part well. I'd say you should even get an Oscar for that--um, hello?"

The other with him during the scene was not there. Left behind was a white rose.

"Ohhhh, reeeal funny!" Saatch said. "Alright, which one of you guys is pulling this one on me?"

As Saatch continues searching, two elven warriors run by, yelling at the top of their lungs, their pants obviously soiled.

( )
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~Geb

(NSP: ooh, ooh, me next!)

Kronaemix awakened in a cold sweat from a bad nightmare hanging several hundred feet in the air above a heated discussion between Amry, Noddo and Saatch. He was slowly becoming used to his new master's pension for the dramatic and was only a little surprised to find a small box in his left pocket.

Kronaemix was surprised when he opened the box and three vials popped out, each larger than the box itself and with it's own tag:
Noddo: Butter, cheese, eggs.
Amry: Milk, bread, cookies, waffles.
Saatch: Coke, No-Doz, loose women.

Laughing so hard, Kronaemix barely felt the ground as he fell out of the sky.

Amry, staring at the literally fallen angel, broke into a fit of rage, shouting: "I can't work like this!" she stormed off.

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What to do then? He was just a man, a blind old man with nothing but a wooden staff. Then a voice spoke into his head.

Do not fear, Saatch... for I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.

"Who, who are you?"

I am that I am. I am the god of your forefathers Merlin, Gebohq, and Ping_Me.

"What do you want with me?"

I have seen my people in Ravynya. I have heard their cries underneath the demons that inhabit their bodies. You are to lead them out, to command High King Khaos, "Let my people go!"

"Ohhhhh, know, I know what this is from! Hey buddy, listen up, I read the Bible, I know what happens to Moses! You think you're gonna cut me out of the Promised Land, don't you? Uhhh-huh. Well what now mister smarty pants?"

Saatch?

"What is it?"

I'm askin you what I asked Noah: How long can you tread water?

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The early bird may get the worm-
but it's the second mouse who gets the cheeze.

Omnia quae specto dominavi, et tantam magnus sum, ut non specto!

[This message has been edited by Semievil333 (edited January 09, 2002).]

(NSP: Time to start moving this along...

First, back to do the Amry bit with the assassins. The other posts will come shortly. If they don't, yell at myself or one of the other writers )

"So..." Athena said at Damien. "Once again, you get in our way. What is it with you men, always trying to supress us?"

"You're just like every other extremist," Damien growled, pinned on the wall. "You'll answer to your calling, your delusions, even if it means sacrificing your humanity!"

Damien tried to move foreward, but one of the assassins that was pinning him had kneed him in the stomach first. He doubled over, still managing to hold his head up, glaring at Athena. She looked upon him as if he was a stupid and aggressive dog.

"You understand so little--" Athena began, when a whistle was heard. It was Amry, trying to get their attention.

"What do you want?" Athena demanded.

"Mind if we talked a bit?" Amry asked.

"Dear friend," Athena said, "Do not get yourself involved in our affairs."

"But I can help you out," Amry said, trying to sound sincere. "You see, I hate men just like you. I uhh...want to become a member. Right now."

"It'll have to wait--"

"Oh PLEASE? I can even prove it to you! I'll kill this man for you!"

"But we really don't need--"

Amry, getting up already, walked up to where Athena was standing. The assassins, obviously confused about someone wanting to be a member and being so foreward, were standing with dumbstruck faces, not sure what to do.

"Here," Amry said real quickly, "I'll show you my skill! Here, can I borrow this?--thanks."

Amry took one of the blades from the assassins and advanced toward Damien. Damien was in utter confusion. The others were as well. Even Stanin and Noddo began wondering where Amry was going with this. Amry stepped up to Damien, and brought her arm up to strike, but instead of striking Damien, she struck the arms of the two assassins pinning down Damien.

The other assassins, quickly understanding that Amry was not on their side, drew their own weapons. Amry made quick work of killing the two that pinned Damien, and now with two of their blades, engaged in a fight with the other seven.

Stanin and Noddo watched as these women fell down by Amry's blades. "How..." Noddo began, but never bothered to finish his sentence. In only a few moments, all nine assassins were sprawled on the ground, dead. Amry, throwing aside the blades she held, brushed her hands on her clothes.

"So predictable. All talk and no show..." Amry muttered.

One of the hostages, the owner of the bank from his appearance, stood up, saying "Thank you, stranger, thank you! How can we ever repay you?"

"Got any single women in this town?--" Noddo said, when Stanin jabbed him in the stomach. Noddo managed to say "Ow...I'd think my abs could take this by now..."

"Actually, we're in need of supplies," Amry said. "And I'm with those two over there," she pointed over at Stanin and Noddo. Damien, with a look of deep thought, simply nodded at Amry, and made his way out.

As the day went on, Amry, Noddo, and Stanin made preperations for their journey onward...
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"I guess that's the way the story goes/
Will it ever make sense/
Sombody's got to know/
There's got to be more to life than this/
There's got to be more to everything I thought exists"

"Youth of a Nation" ~ P.O.D.

-*-Gebohq-*-

(NSP: Alrighty...next up--a bit with Said and Kupala)

"We're wasting time," Kupala growled. "We should be out trying to follow them before we loose their trail!"

"Patience, Kupala," Saidelora said. "I assure you, we won't loose them. "I know where they're going." She then pointed at a map on the table, where a position south of the islands where the Third War began was marked. "Right now, we will rest, take what we can from this house, and research a little more on my...project."

"You and your project! You're raving mad, you know that, right? Trying to free some mythical beast!"

Saidelora was about to rebuke Kupala when an idea appeared to have literally smacked her on the face. She smiled.

"You jsut gave me an idea, dear friend." She began flipping madly through her book.

"I did?" Kupala asked in a stupid manner. "How?' he added with a bit of suspicion.

"Here," Saidelora said, pointing now at a picture in her book. "Look,"

Looking at Saidelora as if it might be some trap, Kupala slowly glanced down at the book. She was pointing to a picture of a man garbed in ragged and dirty robes, torn and dirty himself, his hair long and wild. He appeared to have an air of royalty about him. The picture was of low quality, having been an action shot. Below was the following:
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Raivus

Once a dark magic-user that was a member of Bazaal's elite circle , Raivus was abandoned by his leader within the Shadow State (for more on the SHADOW STATE, refer to page 96). A band of heroes, the majority of them having last lead the battle against Bazaal nine years before, had found Raivus there, and barely escaped with their lives. When Raivus escaped with them, Bazaal had imprisioned him within his fortress. Raivus managed to escape though, but was soon casted into what experts can only guess was an undeveloped state. Theories that Merlin, who was believed to have died nine years prior, was the one who casted him are still in question. Details of his life prior to his membership in Bazaal's elite circle are unknown.
------------------------------------

"Alright, so this means what now?" Kupala asked in a rough manner. Saidelora sighed heavily.

"Merlin was an avid supporter of following the ways of his God, a God of love and often called "The Nameless One" by his followers. They believe this God is the one and only, and that he is the Creator and that everyone who does good resides with him in Heaven."

Kupala looked blankly at Saidelora. She rolled her eyes, and continued.

"Raivus was also known as a raving lunatic, having been affected by prolonged years within the Shadow State, and his magic therefore developed on a basis for chaos. Whatever the case may be, those that casted Raivus in that other state said they did it in the name of Heaven and its ways. And since under the circumstances the state had to be able to accept him, it means that the state had to be the State of Chaos, where Leviathan has been held prisioner! Don't you see? Raivus is the key to unlocking the State of Chaos, and free Leviathan! Just like in the poem here!"

Saidelora's eyes were wide with excitement, waving around the piece of paper that had the poem written on it. Kupala continued looking at Saidelora, not moving.

"You really ARE raving mad," Kupala finally said. "I had my doubts before, but now I know it. You've gone off your rocker, woman."

Saidelora, regaining her composure after nearly exploding with anger, stepped close to Kupala.

"I may be insane, but I'm still willing to help you out. In fact--" She said, suddenly perking up, as if she sensed someone. "--I think someone else will be willing to as well."

"Who?" Kupala demanded.

Just then, a crash came through the roof, and a man garbed in a black shirt and jeans, with dark hair, wielding a katana, stood before them.

"Him," Saidelora said, with a smile. The stranger stood in a defensive position, searching and confirming their presences.

"I heard there was quite a commotion going on here. Seemed like a good place for a challange. Whom might you two be?"

"I'm Saidelora, and my associate here is Kupala," Kupala continued to look stupid. Saidelora went on. "The commotion you speak of, which I can only assume was due to the number of officials trying to gain entrance through the doorway," Saidelora muttered a "still" under her breath and smirked, "was of others that were in here, but now gone. If you wish though, we were about to track them down. And I'm sure they would be a good challange for you..."

"Templer," the man said. "When do we set off?"
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"...Let all the love inside the world belong to you/Well, I can't understand just why you went away/Too young to feel the pain of bitterness and love..."

"It's All Good" ~ Cold

/Y\Gebohq/Y\
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Side note: ALL WRITERS! Check out the link below! You might find it find The Story Arcade is is that main characters from stories such as NeS, Saga, SoD, etc. can fight against each other. Feel free to join, contribute, or support in any way!

http://pub26.ezboard.com/fhighcitadelfrm23.showMessage?topicID=12.topic

Thanks! Another shameless plug, brought to you by Gebohq!

[This message has been edited by Gebohq (edited January 16, 2002).]