NationStates Jolt Archive

A legend was forming upon the ripples of the dark waters, which gently and lazily lapped onto the sandy beach known as Velmora. A slow, sluggish mist which crept across the surface of this black water, the water which reflected the soft moon which hung in the sky. It was a rather enchanting and eerie scene to behold, this mist flowing across the water with a tired expression of movement.

The dark cold sky beheld this individual make his efforts to get to the beach, to the sandy land of home. The mist flowed forward, inches away from the land, the shallow liquid which was ebbing and flowing onto the fine grains of sand which populated the beach revealed the stars reflection in their cold surface.

The mist coagulated, spiraling upwards, a cone of condensation which was gaining two long legs, two muscled arms, a robed body, taloned hands and feet, and an unforgettable face. It formed, hanging in the air as if hung by strings, the mist gaining more detail in it's structure of this vampire...the mist carving out specific details.

And then, the figure formed completely, his tired face now illustrated by colour, the hues of the dark green of his skin, the blue of his heavy robes, and the almost glowing white silver of his massive lengths of hair. And with a loud splash, this vampire fell into the ground rather gently, but the reaction Kain had to the water was violent indeed.

The water felt as if it was burning his flesh, and Kain winced in the pain of having water gently passing by his feet. The infinitely fatigued vampire promptly moved out of the water in heavy movements, every action requiring more will than usual due to the massive journey he had just performed.

The moon shone down on this figure, which now collapsed in fatigue upon the beach, still recovering from both the immense passage back to his homeland and the pain which was the last test he had to endure. The vampire was breathing heavily, as his vampiric gift to turn to mist had drained him somewhat. He was not used to remaining mist for such an extensive period, it had sapped his mind, body and soul into submission. His panting robed body lay upwards upon the shore, the sound of his heavy breathing mixing melodically with the sound of the water ride up, and return back to where it had began.

Kain looked up into the perfectly black sky, the cold air around him fresh and carrying the familiar scent of the trees and flowers which inhabited his homeland. He smiled, looking up at the moon's surface, to the stars which glittered down at him. He chuckled in a lazy happy manner, his eyes closing as he did so.

He was home again.

Home after that insanity which was that other nation. He had left that situation, returned home to where he belonged and ruled.

He just needed rest, time to be alone, time to be in peace. Let the sands of time flow on, Kain thought, just leave me on this beach to rest, to restore my sanity. Both his arms flopped onto the sand, leaving him stretched out on the beach, his dark blue robes now covered with the grains of sand. It was slightly irritating upon his skin when he moved, but Kain did not care.

This was a time to rest.



But rest would not be granted.

A voice, a familiar, rather concerned and deadly serious voice floated into Kain's mind. So lost was the vampire within his state of rest, he almost thought he was in a dream, this sublime state of doing nothing at all and simply being broken by the mage's buisness like voice.

Kain. I see your back...at last. Can you come to my chambers? In particular, the experimental hall? I have something.....extremely important to show you Kain. Come immediately, this cannot wait.

Kain groaned to himself. He was enjoying that. That moment of doing nothing, not having to worry about anything, and having time to himself. Such moments he had an abundance of when he was wandering the world on his own, an exile from his nation. But now....he was never given a moment to himself. Always attending business matters.

Kain decided he needed a holiday.

Alright Magnus....give me around half an hour....I am pretty damn tired. I am walking over...right now.

Kain replied to Magnus in a weary manner, even his telepathy reflecting his fatigued state. Magnus ceased to reply, the head of Arcane for Velmora preparing for Kain's arrival...with someone Kain had never encountered before. They plotted something most dark for the vampiric ruler of this arcane nation.

Kain slowly dragged himself off the beach, his body filled with cold lazy lead which was disgruntled in being moved, and offered as much resistance as it could.

Slowly, the vampire plodded up the beach, leaving the taloned footprints in the sand, and headed to Magnus' chambers. He dusted some of the sand off himself and with an absent mind looked around in this late...or early...hour of the world.

"What does Magnus want?" Kain said, his irritable voice speaking to no-one but himself.

Magnus wanted many things, many things which he would get with the help of his new....grudging partner. And these things would change the course of this nation's history more than any other that had preceded...things which Kain would have never dreamed of occurring...

"You have it created?"

Her strange arcane voice echoed softly through this odd chamber, the magically powered sound was the most unique voice you had ever heard. It was smoothly spoken this time, the Construct who spoke was addressing Magnus, who was the Head of Arcane within Velmora. Magnus was currently on the other side of the room, attending a small device which he was following instructions on how to create. It's nature was malicious indeed, and complex in the manner of creation. It was a thing of brass, rune and will, something which had never been created by a mortal hand before.

"Almost." Magnus said irritably, his mind being distracted by the constant pushing of his grudging partner in crime. In truth he was being part blackmailed into this service, his hands working onto the project which would doom more than just Kain.

"Hurry up! He shall be here soon!" Fable snapped, the creation changing her tone to a chilling order to her servant. She knew that Kain would be asking questions, and that he was a powerful individual with great influence. She was definitely not going to underestimate him, not when she herself was so weak in this pathetic, poorly made body of silver, wood and the binding of magic keeping her animated.

Fable was a creation, named a Construct. Her appearance was humanoid, her body formed in the same way that others would be born into. Her hands and feet were most like Kain's in a strange coincidence, her hands and feet bearing only three digits, instead of the usual five. Her entire frame was constructed of silver plates, and silver screws, all covered with elaborate rune structures which maintained her animation. Wood were her joints, a dark purple wood which inhabited Velmora. The wood was so chosen, because it absorbed magic with passion, so rune structures could be poured onto it, giving it the flexibility and durability which allowed it to be used.

Fable had glowing green eyes, those strange vortex's of malicious energy swirling in thought. They hummed with a lowly, so low that most could not hear. Fable herself commanded a certain presence, that one should respect her. She had that way of walking, and talking, that made one always believe that she was plotting, those pure dark green orbs for eyes narrowing often.

It was not a far truth to this belief.

"There. It is complete." Magnus said with a long breath of fatigue. That was the most demanding enchantment he had ever performed. The small device which was upon his small wooden work desk lay there humming and glowing darkly, it's appearance most like a small cog, with swirling patterns of intricate detail upon it. Magnus' gloved hand picked it up with infinite care, and showed Fable.

Fable glanced over at it, and made no noise. She seemed satisfied with the device. She attended her own work, she was using a small device which she had created herself within this cold workshop. It seemed like a strange compass, which floated and pointed in strange ways. One moment it would point true at one area, then Fable would utter a soft command and then it would bolt in another direction. Sometimes the device would change its colours, to soft blues to violent reds.

She sent the device away with a word, the compass like artifact fading from view. Fable looked around the room, look at the impossibly high ceiling, looked at the shadows of the room, and was satisfied.

"He approaches Magnus. Remember what we have planned. If you fail, you shall be rewarded in pain and the robbing of your powers." Fable hissed at Magnus, her eyes glaring at him for one final time as threat. Magnus regarded her with fear, as he drew his crimson robes around him, trying to ward off the terrible cold of this room and her glare. Magnus nodded, making no noise.

And then...Fable faded away....leaving the slowly approaching Kain on the other side of the door to encounter Magnus...who was readying himself to act out what he had been instructed to do.

The halls of this place held that strange character to them. A mixture of the shadows of the prisons around the world, that vicious threatening atmosphere that you might be stabbed in the back, and a church, dedicated to the ways of magic, strange runes and smells within this place dominating the walls. The place was dark, few windows and few lanterns lit. The shadows seemed organic, living, breathing. Watching Kain as he walked through these halls, silently, his vampiric trace being nothing. Kain was a silent owner of these shadows, stones and runes, owner of it all yet he seemed stranger to this place. This place was darker than it usually was, and it was totally abandoned. Huge ceilings and grand stairs which would normally be populated by shuffling of feet, exchanging of ideas and an eternal sea of robes. But now, this place was utterly abandoned; everyone who worked here had left.

Kain realized that he had seen no-one as there was a festival going on at the moment. A major one, which celebrated the new year, the bringing of the harvest and the gift of magic to whatever Gods hung up in the air. Everyone was there, celebrating and having fun, spells going up into the air, an explosion of light and energy like fireworks which would entertain the masses of Velmora. The festival was held where the crops were grown, but as they were cut, the land was barren and flat. An ideal place for a mass gathering of people. The spells of celebration had a double purpose, both to entertain and to fertilize the soil. It was a clever festival, one with meaning.

A festival Kain wished he was attending. He did love it, as he would send a display of magic of his own which always did entertain. He moved through his cold dark halls, which seemed giant in scale in comparison to the vampire. Kain felt constricted to this place, as if someone had died here and was looming over him. He did not like the setting here, did not like it one bit. His vision was perfect within the dark, and his mind worked faster within the moonlight. He hated the sunlight, and loved the quiet moments which only the night would provide. But this...this was a strange atmosphere which Kain related to the times before he had sent his soldiers to war. Like the quiet before the storm, the tension before the explosion which would tear through everyone.

If Kain could sweat, he would.

He was not nervous, more apprehensive. His eyes looked at every shadow that seemed to move. When he opened a door, it seemed to disturb the spirit of this place, and it hated him for it. Kain felt oppressed, that he was not welcome within the place where Magnus and many other mages researched and experimented.

Kain was heading upwards, up and up into the largest and most grant chamber. It was designed for experiments relating to massive displays of magic, and it was where Fable was created, and Magnus' private study was.

Kain missed Shar, he wanted to see her. Wanted to ask how she was. He was concerned about her, she seemed always concerned with something, a quiet shy look which indicated a problem, a problem with fitting in and adapting to this highly social nation.

After long minutes of a solitary ascent up in this massive building, Kain reached the place where he was aiming for. Two grand brass double doors greated him, which reached all the way up to the huge ceiling. Upon the brass was a dipiction of the wave, the wave of reality and the waves of possibilities. It was a beautiful piece of art, and almost a religous symbol to the Psi. It was the central concept within Psi life, the concepts of magic to which gave them power and control over the world around them.

Tenderly touching the brass doors, feeling the intricate details which adorned this piece of metal...he pressed it forward. The doors allowed him passage, swinging outwards without noise, the brass creating a massive rush of air. These doors were only opened and closed when they were required to. They often remained open for months at a time. Kain wondered why these doors were closed now...had an experiment occoured while he was gone? Was one in the process?

Kain saw in the distance of this utterly giant sized room, Magnus, standing over a desk, ajusting something feverly it seemed. His great mass of crimson robes lay about him, as if he had been moving a considerable deal.

"Magnus!" Kain called out, unafraid to break the silence which surrounded this place like a curse.

Magnus remained stationary for a moment, his breathing audible to the vampire. He was breathing heavily, as a nervous man might. His body heaved in the tension of what he was about to do. Fear was flowing strong within Magnus' veins, as he was about to take on the most powerful individual which had ever graced Velmora. An individual which had defeated Xzar, the possessed previous ruler of Velmora and Kain's own father. An individual which had fought the shadow hoards of the underdark with the armies of Velmora. An individual who was sired by one of the most powerful vampires in existence, Ravelyn Shentavo. An individual which had faced countless inquisitors, and become victorious at the end of it. An individual who had traveled into the underworld and battled with dark legions of demons, who threatened to rob his very soul. An individual which had overcome his curses, overcome his loss, overcome his exile, and everyone who would oppose him.

An individual, who was legendary and known by most of the world. This individual, this twenty nine year old demonic vampire, by the name of Kain Brightblade Shentavo, stood in the entrance of this massive experimental hall.

And this was the person that this arch mage would face. Magnus would face an individual who had done all this?


Magnus was right to be afraid.

"Yes Kain?" Magnus replied quietly, his voice audible to the ruler of Velmora. Kain could hear the slight fluctuation in his voice, and understood it as fear. The Psi's mage robes shuffled slightly, Magnus was shifting his feet. Kain's eyesight precisely caught individual drops of sweat forming upon the mortal's pale brow.

He heard his heart beating faster, the blood flowing stronger within his veins, powered by adrenaline of an action plotted and soon to be acted out.

"Why does your voice tremble so?" Kain asked sardonically, his eyebrow rising but his imposing body remained within the doorway. A great shadow was cast across the stone floor, the vampire's daunting figure appearing as if some demon had come to claim the soul of this sinner.

Magnus did not reply. His heart was beating faster now, those tears of sweat upon his brow flowing faster now, he was shaking subtly. He clenched his jaw tighter, becoming more resolved.

"Answer me Magnus the Red, Head of Arcane, aged thirty two Psi, fearful of me, Kain Brightblade Shentavo, aged twenty nine, a vampire with demonic blood flowing within his veins." Kain said menacingly. His voice would have made statues abandon their charade of immobility and flee in terror, their long stone legs carrying them away from this individual who sought the truth.

Magnus reaching for sometime within his robes subtly, his long deft fingers reaching within the pocket of his robes. Those robes which held a strange extremely unnoticeable bulge within them. A bulge which resonated magic, a magic which Kain was not familiar to. It pulsated magic which he had never seen before, the runic structures being highly adept and potent. He knew they had been tried to be smothered over, shielded from view, but Kain saw through those enchantments.

"Answer me traitor!", Kain roared, his face exploding into rage, his voice filled the entire chamber, deafening and awesome to hear. It made the body quake, the mind panic, the soul cower. Kain's demonic nature had come into play, as it flared whenever rage took him. Already, flecks of fiery red scattered about his perfectly white silver hair, like snowflakes of hellfire upon pure angelic snow.

Time seemed to grind to a halt in response to the question, in suspense of a titan of power unleashing his fury upon this mage. This mage had no luxury, time flowed on, and Kain's anger was roaring around the room it seemed, constricting him. Magnus seemed to respond with his own frustrated anger, his own face gaining dark undertones of rage. It was not a righteous rage, it was more a desperate rage of someone cornered, cornered by something they had been intending to do for a long time.

"Kain, I have always hated you. You have always been more powerful than I have, without any effort at all. You weave spells with ease, chanting the most complex syllables as if they were cantrips! You lord over me, shaming me and humiliating me!" Magnus snarled at Kain, his long fingers producing a cog like device, a device covered with glowing runes. It held an enormous gravity to it, the way you think as God as huge. It demanded attention, respect and fear.

Kain reacted immediately.

Kain lifted his green hand, his talons pointing towards Magnus the Red, who was uttering his own spells. As Kain lifted his hand, he walked forward, stepping into the charged chamber. His step was silent, as the crackle of arcane will formed into physical manifestations screaming into the room.

Magnus used his device to power his mind and souls, the cog seeming to provide him limitless magic.

Kain used the techniques and spells he had learned over his lifetime, and the abilities which his vampiric and demonic mind provided him.

The battle had commenced.

Kain had unleashed something like a web of glowing blue lighting, which exploded outwards, filling to the chamber's infinite ceiling and to it's walls. It glowed fearlessly, the lighting mesh raised by Kain seemingly effortlessly. It crackled and made the mind hurt to look upon it. Magnus fought it with his own spell, which instantaneously exploded at the same time as Kain's own spell. Countless numbers of spheres of green energy came to be in front of Magnus, a wall of glowing green spheres. Magnus spoke another word, his own hand pointing at his foe. The spheres stretched outwards, becoming a legion of spears...which ripped towards the mesh of lighting, hoping to tear towards the vampire.


Battle had commenced between the two, all the while, Fable looked from above, marveling at the combat.

The mesh held up, as did the onslaught of the spears, they burned forwards with the passion of the Gods, as the mesh held onto it's ground, not yielding an inch. The two energies burned against one another, the spears attempting to piece the defensive mesh in order to gain a killing blow against the enemy mage, but the mesh prevented such an event from occurring.

"You were simply jealous of me Magnus? Stupid child! Have you not realized that there will always be someone bigger than you? It is not want talents and abilities you possess, it is how we use them!" Kain's voice spoke over the battle of wills, the crackle of energy as it clashed against one another.

"You will fall Kain!" Magnus snarled as he poured more spears into the conflict, their infinite numbers charging forward in a rain of magical energies. Kain held fast with what energies he had, and formed a new spell behind the glowing blue wall he had created. Due to his demonic nature, he could multitask spells, casting and maintaining more than one at one time.

Kain marveled at Magnus' abilities. He did not know Magnus could summon such extensive power, his abilities were more than he thought. What was that device he held within his hand all through this? It seemed to grant him power beyond his grasp, like a reservoir of power crashing into him onto me! I must silence it!

"Greater men, greater demons, nay, greater Gods have said such things! And here I stand still Magnus!" Kain retorted resolutely, his words instilling a further desperate nature into Magnus' spell weaving. Magnus now concerning himself with chanting, reinforcing the spell which was currently in place, allowing himself to channel more energy from the artifact which he held within his left hand.

Kain's second spell subtly flowed into being, causing Magnus alarm. He had noted the fluxuation of new waves of a different nature being willed into being, more potent than the mesh and his spears. It was a manifestation of something....but what Magnus wondered, his eyes darting for some indication of the new spell's affect. He heard the mesh beginning to groan under the strain of resisting his own barrage of spears. If this continued, shortly the mesh would collapse and crumble, leaving Kain to face the spell alone and unguarded.

Seconds passed and the war still continued. The spells that Magnus still cast were being pouring onwards, the mesh now beginning to falter. But Kain remained calm, his will steadfast and in concentration. He had been in greater conflicts than this, and had learned that fear and hesitation was deadly within the battle of wills. Magnus knew this, but not from experience. Magnus had been in a number of battles, but with soldiers around him, and chaos ruling. He had never been in a duel, with no one to assist him, no-where to run. Kain had however, he had been in duels and learned from them. Learned techniques which Magnus had not.

The mesh finally, and irrevocably, lost the contest between the now sheet of spears. It groaned horrendously, the magic failing and breaking. Magnus grinned maliciously as he continued to pour energies into it, his eyes were the eyes of a madman, someone drunk with the new found powers before him.

Kain was under no such delusions. He knew what powers he possessed, and utilized them effectively.

He heard the crash of spears against his mesh, felt the shudder as it collapsed. He viewed the spears blaze towards him, the victorious charge as they all threatened to pierce his vampire frame. They came for the arch mage, impaling his form.

Magnus viewed the vampire become impaled by his spears, and continued to send more in to create more damage to him. Kain's body jolted as the first dozen spears impaled him fully, from the shoulder down to his leg, through his arm to his foot. A explosion of crimson bolted out of Kain's form.

But something was wrong...something was deeply wrong. Magnus could sense it. He continued to send spears into Kain's body, the blood still filling the air in a grand nature. He had triumphed surely! Kain could not survive an attack like that! His body was riddled with the spears, held to the floor....pinned as he was continued to be punctured, his body barely visible beneath the carpet of arcane spears.

Pain.

Utter and complete pain.

Pain like he had never felt before ripped through his body, making his mind scream that it was so agonizing. It burned within him, making him want to scream, but he couldn't due to the overriding nature of this torment. Blood was being drawn out of him through the horrendous nature of this wounding attack, and the sick realization came into mind.

"Did you forget my vampiric abilities Magnus?"

Kain moved the vampire sword, his birthright and namesake, upwards in Magnus' back, his head by the mage's ear as he whispered. The Brightblade was draining the mortal of his vital fluid, the red liquid pouring into Kain's own.
A groan emanated from the impaled wizard, his body shaking from the power which was devouring him from the inside.

"Or were you so drunk from your power to realize it?" Kain hissed in Magnus' ear. He heard his heart beat grow less frantic, his life being less prominent within his mortal container.

Magnus realized his folly. Kain had simply formed into mist, and floated under him. The spell which he had used was an illusion, to make it seem as if he had never moved at all. The mist form had come behind him....and impaled his vulnerable back into his gut. He groaned in frustration, as he began to feel cold. The blood continued to flow out of him, a sick sensation as he lost power of his body and mind.

Kain's left hands gripped the mage's body, and he ripped the Brightblade out of him, making Magnus go limp. The release of the burning pain from the wave blade made him gasp and realized what it was like not to feel the silver sword within him.

No blood dripped onto the floor, whatever blood did flow out of the mage did draw back into the Brightblade, hungry for the liquid.

Kain gripped the mage, not on his clothes, but he tore into his flesh with his three taloned fingers, gripping him on that pale white skin of his. Such an action made Magnus moan in pain, but it was much less of a pain than that fury which had tortured his frame earlier.

Kain tore towards the nearest wall, his vampiric speed causing Magnus' body to crash into the stone. A sickening crack of his ribs was heard, and a wheeze of all the breath in his lungs being forced out. Kain whipped the mage around, looked at which hand held the device, and proceeded to slice Magnus' hand clean off, leaving a stump where it had once been. The device clattered to the floor, and Kain slammed his left foot down onto it, gripping it. Blood squirted downwards from the new wound, and the Brightblade attracted it onto the silver blade it had. Magnus screamed out in pain, sobbing as he did so.

"What is the meaning of this Magnus? Where did you get this device? Answer me!" Kain roared to Magnus, his green face prevalent in demonic traits. His fangs were visible, his eyes filled with blood, and his body completely juggernaut in nature. The new blood filling him granted him new found constitution and strength for a short time, feeding him the energy he needed in combat. Magnus was looking down, sobbing in the failure of his actions, a tierd frustrated sob of the hopeless. His tears flowed down his face.

Kain granted no mercy as his left hand were taken out from his back, and then rocketed towards his throat, both choking him and pinning him.

"Answer me!" Kain repeated, his face drawing closer to the mortal as his lifeblood still flowing into him.

But it was not from Magnus where the answer came from.

"From me."

It was from Fable.

And with her voice, Kain fell to the floor as her magic flowed into being, the device now in contact with Kain, allowed her to have her will over the vampire. Kain's mind was blacked out by the unknown source, the surprise attack against him leaving him undefended...and now, unconscious. The last words that Kain heard before he passed out echoed in his mind....an unfamiliar voice filling his ears...

"You are mine. As is your pathetic people...and my land, Velmora. The Ancients have returned to reclaim what is ours."

Blackness followed, along with a dull pain which throbbed within him, not allowing him the comfortable numbness of unconsciousness.

Wind flowed from the east, gently moving the long grass of home, the many leaves enjoying the touch of nature upon their bright green healthy bodies. The breeze brought the smell of various perfumes of flowers, the relaxing hints of the petals easing Kain's mind. He looked to his left, saw the grove of trees, their branches adorned proudly with life, a wonderful mixture of white and blue was alluring to Kain, the scent being utterly compelling.

He walked over to the nearest tree, his movements at a slowed down speed. Everything was drug induced, everything was fresh and new, fascinating the mind with the complex nature of colour. The sun was beaming down upon this grove and the compassionate man, smiling upon his skin. It caused no irritation to his flesh or his eyes, in fact, they were most welcome. Kain's smile increased as he looked up to the azure sky. He almost wanted to leap upwards and smother himself in that perfect blue, the warm nothingness of air and white puffy clouds. Careless thoughts of a child.

Kain reached the tree, and looked at the mass of whitish blue flowers which seemed to reflect Kain's smile and good nature. His eye caught the perfect flower, and his hand instinctively reached out for it. He plucked it from it's nest, and looked at it closer.

Wait a minute. Flowers didn't grow on trees.

This is my place. My world. And my trees had flowers. So, stop complaining.

Alright.



Alright.

Kain took the flower from the tree, and turned, his perfect angelic white robes flowing around like celebrating light. Those robes seemed to glow from within, seemed to be the second sun within this delightful place. A staff was within his taloned hand.

No wait.

Change that.

My hands are normal. When were they like that? I cannot remember. Change it. Change it like it is normally. Please.

Alright.



Alright.

Kain's flesh was white, the colour of mortals. His hands had normal fingers again, long fingers which lazily held the staff within his palm. His face no longer had the furrows of worrying and stress, his chest no longer the scar of a conflict which was no longer a memory. No fangs were seated within his pristine mouth, and his appetite now wanted for all the vegetables and meats within the world, all the fine tasting wines within the world. His mind was clean now, no longer the painful grudges of the future place, no longer the need for the spells which had defended him.

Paradise.

Am I in heaven?

Yes.

I must be.

Because she is here.

Thank you.

Kain saw the one within his dreams and nightmares, the only one he had truly loved. The one who he had sacrificed his family name, the one who he who have sacrificed his soul for. The one who had eased his pain, the one who had eased his suffering. Made this life more easy, who had bore his troubles and had granted him peace.

Daniella.

"Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark...for traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart...to weave by picking up the pieces that remain...Melodies of life...love's lost refrain...." Kain's soft words repeated by Daniella. It was the first and only song Kain had written, and the only one he sang to himself and her.

Kain reached out for the glowing white form which was Daniella, the perfection which Kain had not seen for years, the one which he had never forgotten and always missed. As his hands reached out for hers, as they reached their embrace....darkness swallowed this world, leaving Kain alone once more.

"No!" Kain bellowed, his frustration audible to no-one but himself. He began to sob, still ignorant of what was going on, his memories in complete disarray. He felt alone, confused, lost.

That world was nice. Let me back. Stop being cruel. Whoever you are. Please stop. I want my love back. I want her back so much. Give her back, whoever you are. I want no more worry, no more responsibility. I am tired. So tired.

Can't. You still have to finish this.

Your right. Your always right Daniella. I don't know how. I can't remember. Can't think.

Remember where you meditate?

No…no, I don’t.

Remember.


Wait.


Yeah.

Yeah I do.

It is there.

What are you talking about Daniella? I don't understand!

Remember, it is there. Now. Wake up. You have much to do before you meet me.

No, Daniella, don't leave me! I don't want to be alone!

Kain, my love, you never are, and never will be....

Daniella?

Yes?


Thanks.


---


A slap from a metal hand brought the dream state sluggishly into retreat. The harsh light of reality came into view, and Kain felt pain once more. But it was slightly more bearable now, now that....she had helped him.

Kain, wake the frell up.

It was Fable.

Kain would have coughed out some angry sentiment or witty retort, but his body was feeling very dead at the moment.

Most likely because almost all of the blood had been drained out of it, and Fable had been trying to get into his mind for around four hours, trying to discover the secrets of this land, memories that Kain had.

"Where did they put it? Where the frell did they put it Kain? Answer me! You must know!" Fable demanded, slapping Kain's now extremely pale green face once more. It left a bruise there which did not fade as it would normally. Kain was obviously desperately weak.

Kain was currently shackled to the wall, his limp body covered with holes where they had drained his blood. His hands and feet were within spheres of silver which was ordained with runes, thus preventing any arcane gestures from being realized.

"Where is it!"

Fable was now screaming in frustration at Kain, as she punched into his gut. She penetrated his flesh with a sickening noise, more blood spilling onto the coagulating puddle bellow. Kain gave out no groan, but a slight wheeze indicating pain.

"Where's.....wh..." Kain uttered hoarsely. He felt like chalk had been stored within his throat for the last decade, jammed and binded together for storage.

"The blasted device!" Fable exclaimed, her metal fist now drenched in Kain's blood from all the bloodletting she had been performing on him.

The vampire chuckled darkly to himself, and closed his weak eyes once more...

"Fuck you Fable. Fuck you." Kain said weakly but defiantly, using the foriegn word to irritate Fable more, his crooked smile so deliciously well placed. Somehow he now knew her name. But not what the device was. He had to get out of here.

Kain was not going to die easily, and he certainly was not going to let this bitch kill him and take his nation. Hell no. Kain was planning his escape already.


Daniella, somewhere, in whatever afterlife there was in this world, was smiling broadly.

Tagitty....great work David...

(OOC: Oh do shut up, Gawdly. Once Kain is dead, David can start a new chapter of RPing... Its just like why I'm killing off my character, Lance Crusade.

Great work David. We're going to miss you when you're gone.

And David, if you do kill off Kain, please invite us all in!)

(OOC Yeah, I will allow other character to come into this at some point, as you shall learn. I am still playing around with ideas in my head, but I have the general direction. By the way, personally, I think a lot of this work sucks. But considering that all of my work on this thread is unedited and taking me usually around ten minutes to do, I don't think this is too bad.

Quality shall improve.

And more exciting events are yet to happen :) )

OOC: Sorry to see you go David. It has been fun RP'ing with you. Mostly under Arithon though. If the oppurtunity arises, Izual would like to bid farewell to his friend.

Very good read...oddly enough, you mention a one-Daniella...if I'm not mistaken, that was a character from the nation Danya, right? I was thinking about her the other day, when planning on contacting another nation about doing an re-RP that involved her and some other guy...cant remeber his name, began with an H or something. Anyways, good reading.

The First Stage (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=278460)

My first demon RP and the thread where Kain turns Danielle into a vampire to save her from the mortal wound Nez'gah delivered. Good times David...

Very good read...oddly enough, you mention a one-Daniella...if I'm not mistaken, that was a character from the nation Danya, right? I was thinking about her the other day, when planning on contacting another nation about doing an re-RP that involved her and some other guy...cant remeber his name, began with an H or something. Anyways, good reading.

OOC *coughs and chokes*

The reason I had Daniella die, was because she left for a while. I still to this idea have no idea where she went, but I had to work with what I had. I could hardly let Kain's first and true love just fade away...

Damn, if she is still using Daniella....*gulps*

And yeah, Assington, those were good times. Christ, it is strange seeing my writing style back then....what a change I have made. For the better. This place, NS that is, has been a wonderful and invaluable training ground for my writing career. How long ago was that rp?

(OOC: A year and about 4 months ago.)

OOC: Yeah...I've never had a chance to RP with you directly, but I've always enjoyed reading your stuff. Yeah, I remeber she just up and left after that whole 'Danya's Mother' incident. Wierd stuff. Anywyas, good luck with your writting carrer, mine has gone all but nowhere.

HARAKI...That was te other guy....Man, that was my first big RP. Me, Deazeman, Danya, Haraki, and two others. Highschool RP where we had 17 year olds running around with more SF training than my neighbor who was Force Recon for ten years...The good old days. Anywyas, like I siad, best of luck, and hope to see ya around. Remeber....You can never leave Nationstates, only disapear for a few months...It will always bring you back *Starts shaking like a crack addict*

(OOC: A year and about 4 months ago.)

Yep, that sounds about right. I enjoyed those demon RP's we had, along with Roania and the inquisition. Even though all of our writing has improved since then, it doesn't make for a bad read.

Shadows dominated this lonely chamber, no one inhabited now apart from a betrayed man who gazed blankly at his own life fluid which flowed with a sickening slowness and a dull pain which made Kain feel drugged. Time was an absract and puzzling concept in the darkness when you are all alone, staring at regularity. Kain's vampiric night vision saw the blood dripping onto the cold stone floor, the blackish liquid smelling so dead to him, like an old smell which he had grown too bored of, yet you couldn't stop staring at it for fear of the eternal nothingness.

Stray vagabonds of white hair covered the vampire's face, the once pure white hair stained with his own blood, as was his own face. It caked him, a dry substance which was aggrevating due to it's texture, and frustrating because it was his own. It was a mark of failure, that did not go away. It just stayed there, trobbing on his entire body, like a cold hand of your mistakes and betrayal.

Betrayal.

Drip, drip, drip...

The word rang constantly in Kain's mind, his eyes narrowing and his hands clenched in futile anger which came and went. The questions as to the reasons why Magnus had betrayed him, and why now. Sure, Magnus might have motives, but the practicality of it just did not work out. They could not hide him down here, leave him to rot and just get away with it. People would search, people would investigate....hell, he did not know if he was even in Velmora anymore.

Just didn't make sense.

Drip, drip, drip...

Kain just hung there, his arms and legs shackled, his hands and feet bound in strange brass spheres which prevented arcane gestures from being woven. That was the only object that accompied him, at least not one made from the absance of light.

It was some relief that they did not plunge me into bright sunlight, Kain thought. If they had done that, this would be more agonising than it already is now. At least this way, I have some respite from this pain, and I am alone with thoughts rationally.

Kain let the anger and frustration flow out him in a similar fashion that his blood was leaving him. Drop by drop, slowly but surely. Kain knew it was vital to keep a level head here. He reassessed what had happened, playing events back in his head.

Playing the combat. He had grim satisfaction when he had thrust the Brightblade into Magnus' ribcage. Magnus had underestimated him with that mysterous artifact he clutched to for his power.

Drip, drip, drip...

The sound of Kain Brightblade Shentavo, dying, slowly, with no enemy but time driving the knife closer. He was pale, his mind slightly delusional, his body limp like some sort of resurrected Jesus.

Who the hell was Jesus anyways, Kain thought to himself in slight amusement. He did not know. He never found that one out. Some holy person, who changed the world?

Have I changed the world?

Drip, drip, drip...

Kain shook his head, throwing away the morbid thoughts. His hair swayed fascinatingly, the long fibres swinging into view like some divine pendulum. Kain stopped himself from giggling madly. His mind was going, he knew it. He did not know how long he had been down here.

Minutes?

Hours?

Days?

Months?

He didn't know.

How long have I been staring at my blood flow onto the floor from this gaping wound that....what was her name.....Fable? Yes....Fable. Fable impaled me with this blasted spear, Kain remembered with pain. This pole of wood, metal and crystal which throbbed dully in him, and also contrained him further.

When she had interegatting him futher, with the assistance of magic. Probing into his mind, asking a thousand questions at once to his memory, bringing out scarred past, a past which he did not want to bring up. Too many deaths, too many mistakes.

Even Fable was suprised with the amount of loss Kain had suffered in his life. And how much he had done in his short life. Twenty nine years had certainly brought much into Kain's life. He had seen more horrors than a normal man might see in a thousand lifetimes. And fought those horrors, crush them and grind them to dust. Reseeded the soil, cleansed the air, banish thier memories.

And this....metalic creature, brought these memories back up.

That was agony, and Fable enjoyed every scream which came from Kain.

Kain could face demonic hoardes, face his brother, face his vampiric mother, face his mortal and possessed father, but he could not face those visages of his freinds dying.

Of her dying.

Again. And again. And again.

He had enough of those images in his nightmares.

Kain once more, shook his head. Threw the thoughts aside, like an angry wife with the best china as a weapon, throwing it at an unloyal husband. A wife who was enraged that he had done such things, and eternally sad that the one she loved was gone from her reach. That she would never have his touch, never have his voice, never have his guidance and protection, never in the same way, never again.

Time to get out of here.

The spear, a momument displaying this man's plight, was his obstical. It had been thrown...no, hurled towards him in rage from Fable when she discovered nothing about the device she sought so badly. Kain honestly knew nothing about it, and for that, Fable decided to plant this weapon into his chest with thundering efficancy. The machine driven by the jewels of arcane nature and the lust for power, powered the spear from half way across this massive chamber, her throw amazingly true.

It just added to the pain which was more in the mind than in the body. Kain could cope with physical pain. It was the quiet moments in the night when he wanted her beside him, when he did not want to see her dying before her. When he wanted her guidance, her voice just to make the concious world fade, and the happy nothingness of oblivion to take him, the world of dreams and fantasy.

It would be this spear that would grant Kain salvation. At least, that was the plan. Kain's mind set to work, the extremely muted telekentic powers still available to him trying to pull the mighty spear out of him.

It was an impossible task.

The spheres which encapsulated his hands and feet drove the power from his mind, short circuited spells, made the mind scream when you commanded a spell. But, Kain was hardly one to give up. He tried again, and again, and again, sometimes moving the spear slightly out of him. All the while, the blood was flowing out of his pale body.

Kain's mind was set on a painful task, and a random concern floated in.

Where was Shar? They spoke of her. What could they want with her? She doesn't know where whatever device they are looking for...



A slight pause.


Kain shuddered for some reason, then went back to the tedious and mind-numbing task of his chosen method of release. The spear had to be removed, so he could heal fully. And perhaps with the spear, he could do something with it, like break these bonds. He had thought of something, something which had made him pause oddly. And thought was strange indeed.



Did she know?



Drip, drip, drip.

This dark world of nothingness allowed Shar to enjoy a few moments for herself. It was a sea of solitude, one where she longed to be for a while, but had not had the chance. She swam in this dark ocean, rather contentedly and peacefully, all rational thought abstract and unimportant. No real memories were summonable, just there here and now that was apparent. Swimming, basking in this negative sun, she was not happy, but at ease with this existence.

And rather easy to interrogate. Shar’s mind had no wonderings why memories were being shifted around, the lake of her experiences being muddied as the seabed was raised up, revealing hard stones which even Shar was not aware of. In this state, she did not care. The lake was far far away, a childish thought, a passing fancy, as she swam in this sublime world of Fable’s creation.

Fable’s three pronged metal hand drifted over Shar’s strange face. Fable moved above the face as if she was painting something onto thin air, or was absent mindedly playing in the air as beautiful music played. It was the way someone who appreciated fine classical music became immersed in the flowing notes and melodies, the wonderful nature of the song wrapping their souls in this world of sweet noise. Fable’s hand had been doing this for around the good part of an hour, the arcane nature of her movements far more depraved than the comparison one might think to the nature of the movements her hand made. Her spell was still active, Fable’s intent still strong, and Shar’s memories all but sifted though. Fable was pleased as she looked over at that emotionless metal face of Shar’s, those two wide circles which held her eyes dimmed, the once intense blue of consciousness dimmed into a barely visible glow of existence, the blue hues fighting with shadows to be visible. Shar’s body was laid out on a stone block, sort of like a primitive operating table. Fable sat beside her, moving her hand over her head like a puppeteer.

Fable’s intentions was to learn as much as possible from Shar, and she had succeeded. Fable had not expected Kain to be so difficult to break though, indeed, she had found it nearly impossible, until she changed the nature of her spell, realising what Kain really was. Kain was certainly no ordinary vampire, the blood in his veins being more powerful than she had anticipated. Demonic blood thundered through him, a plausible reason why his skin was so interesting in colour and combat properties, Fable mused. Fable had changed her spell to accommodate his nature, and she was allowed entry into his memories.

Such memories! Fable had often marvelled on how mortals managed to cram so much into their lives, but Kain was immortal, an immortal twenty seven year old which had seen more than his fair share of the realms of this and the darker ones. He had learned so much, so much knowledge of combat and peace, of war and love, of destruction and resurrection. Fable did respect him more so, and was aptly cautious of Kain. She realised what Kain had escaped from in the past, and she knew that in order for her plan to succeed, she would need him. Well, to actualise the final move which would assure her complete victory. Without Kain, her plan could still work, but the Ancient’s grip on Velmora would be weaker.

Kain’s memories had proved interesting, and most informing about the recent events of Velmora, but had not provided her with the answers she had sought. Fable had meant to put the spear through him anyways, just that throwing the spear in anger had been satisfying. She had not found what she had been looking for, and then assumed that she would have to do some extremely strenuous research into the Kain’s nature. This would require far too much time.

She had realised what Shar was, and that she would remember also. Fable had not thought it possible to probe her mind, but found it was significantly easier than Kain’s. And thus, Fable entered her memories, and hunted for the information which she sought. The one piece of the puzzle which only she would know. Fable laughed when she even considered that the mortal Psi would remember. The events which she needed to find out about were deep within Velmora’s past. If the Psi could not remember their former masters, they certainly could not remember the location, she thought.

“Have you found what you seek Fable?” Magnus asked, as he observed from the far corner of this cold and shadowy chamber. Magnus’ voice was slightly broken, shaken. Possibly as a result of Kain’s devastating wound to him. The wound was still rather painful to Magnus, the bandages around his chest tightly wrapped, and the runes of healing working hard.

“Almost. She has almost given it to me. All the hints of evidence are there in her mind, I just need to find them…and deduct the location.” Fable replied softly, her mind still working within Shar’s own. Fable was contented for a few seconds longer, then her tone sharpened.

“You should be gone. You need to address the Psi, make them pliable.” Fable instructed sternly.

“As you wish. I was simply…gathering my words.” Magnus replied coolly, and slowly walked to the door which led to a long set of stairs, ancient in nature. Magnus walked slowly due to his wound, his almost shattered body barely holding him in. That sword was deadly, and Magnus now realised what power the Brightblade bloodline possessed by being able to wield it. His robes were torn in many places from that fight, and his efforts to quell the roaring blood that had fountained from it. He was pale, his fiery spirit held in this now sullen body, his cheeks gaunt and pale, his flaming robes seeming to be dying embers now.

Magnus slipped away silently, the door barely making a sound.

Fable was left alone with Shar, and just as Magnus left, Shar jolted and shuddered terribly. It was as if a spirit had possessed her body once more, filling out every part of it slowly as it tried to reinhabit it.

And this spirit was Shar. Shar was slowly having her senses brought back, her memories accessible. It was terribly traumatic for her, her soul being hammered into this form again. Her body felt dead, as if her spirit was not welcome in this place. Her body shuddered violently now, more life being instilled in it.

And as her senses sickening came back, Shar realised what memories she really did have in her mortal life. Fable had summoned them back from their deep hibernation, and she realisated what all this was about. The Constructs, the Ancients, the Brightblade, the Seer, all of it.

Her mind was clarified, but her body was drained of action.

Her body collapsed, dragged her mind with it into some strange form of sleep. Her mind and body had undergone a massive process here, one which had been highly dangerous to her. Not that Fable cared. If Shar lived, it was a sort of a bonus, although Fable was most likely going to destroy her in the end. Once her usefulness was ended, she ended. Simple as that.

Fable was satisfied as she began to stand up from her metal stool, looking down at Shar as she lay on that cold slab of stone, with a slight smile. She pondered what Kain and her might have become, if Fable had not come so soon. Shar had feelings for Kain, and Kain only viewed her as a friend really.

Fable tossed the musing into the wall and shattered them, her mind now pressing onto better business. The business of preparing for her brothers and sisters to be created and summoned, which hopefully, if Magnus did his job correctly, would be brought about by the Psi themselves.

Ironic, the Psi would enslave themselves, they would bring about their own demise through the deluded love of Kain. Fable chuckled to herself darkly as she set about the instruments on her table.

Angry proclaimations, flawed explainations and desperate situations flared within the chamber which contained all of the hieraces of Psi civilisation. The high priests, goverment officals, mayors, defenders of the peace, representatives of economic interests. All dressed with thier flowing robes, many crashing onto one another like angry ocean waves, battling each other for the greatest height within this dramatic storm. Voices were raised, tempers raged and patience was a commodity in short supply.

Outside, others argued with one another, raising suspicions of outsides assassinating Kain, while others simply said that he was acting for the greater good of Velmora. Few suggested, but many had in thier minds, that Kain had once more abandoned Velmora for his own ends. Perhaps he had had enough of this life. Perhaps he no longer cared for the people who he used to be part of. Schools were cancelled, children bickered and sometimes fought between one another over thier devotion to paranoia or faith. Temples dedicated to the education of magic and the promotion of logic and reason were under the onslaught of the angry populance, the guardians of such pure places fought back with crowd control magic, using mighty shields to protect the desperate individuals within, thier white robes and holy words granting no relief to those who needed answers. Outside the mighty hall which all of the high officals, the same scene unfolded, the guardians, encased mighty silver plate mail, armed with glowing halberds, towers of power, were forced to drive back the angry mob.

Velmora was in chaos.

"Order! Order!" One cried desperately, hovering over those who were argueing, even fighting. He was losing his voice from calling out, trying to regain order. He looked weiry, and like everyone else.

From above, in the balcony, two looked down at this insanity. Armoured, disciplined, and cold, they were the ones responcible for the nation's military. The slender and lithe Elaith Craulnober, who looked down with cold calculation, and his comrade, Alusair Obarskyr, the towering woman. Both wore ornate armour which signified thier positions. Positions which were highly frowned upon, but neccisery. They looked down, and talked to one another, observing the situation as they should.

"Do you think it will come to civil war once more?" Elaith asked his lover, his sophisticated and cold voice reflecting none of the turmoil within his mind.

"No, I do not think so. The people are angry, desperate. They want thier beloved leader back. And they will tear up the world for him. Or vengence against those who stole him."

A few moments of consideration. Elaith hummed in agreeance, and felt for his long sword which hung by his side. The near perfectly balanced weapon was his birthright, and only he could use it. He began to reply.

"But what if-"

But then, the mighty double doors burst open. Few noticed that they had, so engaged they were in thier own disputes. The occasional flair of magic was felt, seen and heard, as one mage tried to make his voice louder, only to be silenced by another, a dispel chanted in unision.

A figure walked in, unnoticed by almost all. The double doors revealed the chaos outside, the desperate priests, the desperate guards, the desperate farmers, the desperate scholars, the desperate mothers and fathers, the desperate children.

The desperate nation.

The figure knew that they were desperate. And used this to make his own dreams actualise.

He drew slow breath, his figure unmoved in the center of this mob. The noise around him was deafening, oaths and swearing filling the air, even sobs of those who had given up and prayed to whatever Gods were out there. Arms raised upwards, begging for salvation in this time of desperation.

Who would save them? Who would guide them? This child, pretending his was so strong, who said they needed not the strong arms of the parent. Who was now left alone, crying for his father and mother.

SILENCE!

Magnus' command was adhered to, as if God had commanded his mortal creations to listen to his divine word, to hear his salvation, to hear his answer.

Everyone turned to the source of this mammoth command, which reached out miles. Everyone listened to this mental speech, his divine answer to this hell of being alone.

"Listen to me Velmora. Listen to me in this hour of need. I have your answers. I have your solution. I have our course of action." Magnus spoke, his voice confident. His voice commanding and one of immense authority. It reminded people of the way that Kain would speak, how Kain would grasp a situation and grant them a direction they could not see.

Magnus was the focal point of the entire nation. Everyone looked to him for direction now.

And Magnus, although he did not reveal it, loved every second of this power over this nation, to have what Kain had.

"You look for Kain. You demand that he be returned. Some of you suggest that he had died. Some of you suggest that he betrayed us. Some of you suggest that he will come back. But I say this. For I have seen it. Kain has been captured. Kain is being tortured."

No-one spoke. The rippled of shock thundered through the nation. No-one said a word. The nation stood still in this....still reeling from shock. First, the emotion remained, the stationary nothingness which was dealing with these facts. No-one questioned them. This was the power of the device Magnus held. Perhaps it was the fact that Magnus had this device that no-one questioned how Magnus got this information. But perhaps that it was just that the people of Velmora were so desperate to get an answer to thier questions, that they would accept any one. Just so they could act.

Anger began to be sown. Another question arose silently, a universal and mutual inquirary.

Who did this.

"A nation. A nation which must be brought to justice. This nation is named Tarlacha. Tarlacha, the nation which took our leader, our hero. Our freind. Will we allow them to continue? Will we let Kain fall? Will we betray him?" Magnus almost screamed, his voice reaching fanatical pitch. He was bringing his relgious cult to a fevorish bloodlust, making them hate thier foes and want to do unspeakable actions.

NEVER! They chanted.

"Shall we rise against them!"

WE SHALL! They bellowed.

"Shall we tear down thier walls and free Kain?"

WE MUST!

"Then follow me, united, in war against the heathens who would anger the mighty nation of Velmora! We have fought against one another, and now, we turn our awesome power against the world!"

Cheers eminated from this nation under this war spell, and Magnus smiled in satisfaction. He had done the near impossible. He had made a pacfist, isolated nation, chant for war, chant to enter other nations and kill individuals which they had never seen before. To burn cultures which they had never read of, to scorch farms which held crops which they had never tasted before, to beat thier plouges into spears, and to become that which Kain had ordered them not to be.

Preparations for war were being made. Magnus had would have his nation. Fable would have the world. Velmora would have an army. An army the likes the world had never seen. Unstoppable armies of constructs like Fable, armies of a hundred Constructs fighting thousands and winning. As Magnus would have his nation, Fable would have her world, and her domination over Magnus herself. Magnus was a meer puppet as Velmora now was, under the strings of Fable. Fable planned to have the people make this army, and find the ancient weapon of the Construct, the most powerful Construct in existance, buried and hidden, with her two other rulers, the trinity of the Ancients once more being in the motions of being formed.

Fable now knew where that weapon was due to Shar.

Fable had the ultimate victory in her grasp.

She smiled in glee as she heard the speech, and sent out commands to Magnus, to tell the nation what to make, what to do, what plans to errect.

And Fable would use Kain to ensure this victory, in more ways than one.

A low moan, more of relief than pain mized with the dull clatter of the spear which had inhabited the vampire's body. The spear clashed against the cold stone of the ground, further staining it with the coppery substance which seemed to carpet this place now. If someone else entered this place, this place would reek of his blood, the vampiric liquid with a slight tinge of o zone being burnt. That was the demonic blood within his viens presenting thier contrubution to this creature's ability to survive.

Kain flopped to the ground, his body now released from it's suspended position on the wall. The cold slap of his leathery flesh against the stone floor, which was caked with his coagulating blood. Another groan came from Kain, followed by his low gutteral pants of pained existance. This obstical had been overcome, but now what? Kain had gained some movement, weak though that be.

The room was becoming cloudly, smeered with black spots which came and went randomly. The eyes could not focus, the stone floor seemed to pulse inwards and outwards. Kain felt sick, his mind hurt and his body was almost completely drained of fluid. If he could see his skin correctly, it would be a very pale green, almost utterly white. His eyes were diluted.

But Kain, in this state, knew that he could not just remain like this. He had overcome much in his existance, and this was just something else to overcome.

Start crawling. Kain commanded his body.

It responded slowly, grudgingly, painfully. An arm outstreached slowly, the talons of his hands scratching the floor has he gripped it. The simplist of gestures became a monumental task, thought processes became simple.

To say Kain was struggling would be an extreme understatement.

This....vampire managed to crawl some distance. His aim was to the door, to see if he could escape, get out. He still had some of his abilities remaining to him if he got out. This room choked him, prevented him from forming into mist, prevented his regeneration somewhat. His wound was not healing, both from extreme blood loss and this magical prevention which hung around this room like a massive dominating grim gate which opened to salvation.

Somehow, he managed to reach the door. He sunk down, still lying on the floor, panting. He saw a ray of light, a small amount of air trickled through. A sniff of it revealed that this place was indeed Velmora. Kain knew his own nation's smell, the smell of rune, the smell of magic. It was unmistakable to him. Feeling the door with an outstreached limp hand, he felt that this door was enchanted. Locked, both physically and magically. He had not the strength to unlock the wards...and it was insane to even try to barge it down in his condition.

So, Kain sat by the door, propped up like an obscene doll. His mouth was open, his fangs revealed, his eyes almost blank. He continued to pant. He was saving his strength, waiting until someone came into this chamber. Deducting that he needed sustinance, he decided to jump the next man to come in. he did not even know if he could do it, so low was his strength.

Patience, he told himself. Patience.


But he could die before anyone even came down here. How long would they leave him down here unattended?


Is this how I am to die? To starve? After all this? After so far? I.... I will not allow it.

So the vampire waited, patiently hoping.

"How did-"

A roar of primal courage and will, a body forced into his direction, flattening him as he walked through the door of his prison.

"Kain! I-"

No words were suitable here. Just the rending of flesh, the consuming of the blood, the freeing of the soul. Kain had rammed into Magnus as he walked in unwittingly to his trap, the weak vampire summoning bloodlust to carry out this action. If it failed, that meant Kain would starve or remained captured.

He would not allow that.

The demonic vampire was now on top of Magnus, the wizard's robes sprawled all over the place with his arms pinned by Kain's own hands, which were crushing them in his vice like grip. Kain gave no quarter here, and crunched through both of his arms with his talons, the spray of blood going everywhere in a frustrated arc, hitting Kain's face satisfyingly. Magnus screamed in pain, his arms now completely useless, almost rendered wholly from him body. His legs tried to crawl away, but Kain's own feet gripped his knees, preventing traitor to escape.

Magnus continued to scream and Kain bore his head and planted his fangs into his neck, puncturing the flesh and immediately draining the mortal of his life fluid within seconds. Magnus' scream came out less audible now, a low moan as his blood was drained from him utterly. Kain was possessed by the blood lust, his starved body craving it all, all of this blood in this vessal. magnus paled within a second, another two and all of his blood would be drained, leaving him a crippled husk of a man.

And so Kain did.

Thus restored, Kain looked at Magnus, removing his hands from the now drained mess of Magnus' arms. He gathered his thoughts, looking at the dead traitor with still burning anger, he noticed the thing around his neck.

The device which he used to fight him with such power.

Kain touched it for a second and recoiled, the magic within that thing was hihgly potent and most likely corruping. He could sense it's throb against his mind. The energies were coming from a power source which he had never seen before, this artifact was no doubt Psi in nature, but it was a terribly ancient and powerful way of performing the enchantment. Techniques were used here which were used on the Great Library, techniques which no-one knew how to replicate now.

Things were extremely odd in Velmora, and the presance of a newly made artifact, which used the techniques buried within the history of Velmora alarmed Kain some what.

His thoughts restored, and wanting to find answers to his questions, Kain got up from Magnus' body, and walked purposefully out of the door, intending to force answers out of someone, and get some revenge for this, all of this.

(ooc: *cries* I miss Haraki so much :-(. Him and underaloz. )

IC:

Ravelyn awoke with a start, the white sheets soaked in sweat, droplets stinging upon her forehead as she attempted to locate the means she was awoken. She looked around the room, paintings hangng from the walls as well as a picture in a gold leaf frame next to her bed of two lovers. It was night, the room lit soley by the rays of light which filtered through the sheer curtains.

She had an dull ache ringing through her head like the bells which rung throughout the day at Christmas. She felt how she did when she lost Qui. She felt alone, she felt a loss. The only remaining relative she had left alive was too far away from her to have such a strong connection.

She slowly got up out of bed, wrapping the sheets around her as she did so. Her crimson eyes immediately targeted her reflection in the mirror. Her hair fell in waves disheveled and unruly to her mid back. On her right shoulder the tattoo of a rose was slightly visable in the dim light. It wasn't the paleness of her skin or the deep sanguine color of her eyes that had caught her attention. There was blood on the edge of her lower lip, and her cheeks were flush. She saw the blood on her clothes which she had taken off before she went to sleep the other night.

She had killed again. Killed an innocent. It was the third time this month. Her expression darkened as she contorted her face. She wiped of her mouth with the back of her wrist, catching the glimsp of the set of long ivory fangs which plagued her so. Yes, it did hurt her. It hurt her more than ever before. It was a violent stinging within her heart. The curse which she had been labeled with now became evident.

After all the years, she had never done such a thing. Without someone to live for, she found herself slipping into the ways of the vampire more than ever. And she enjoyed it. She enjoyed it to the highest intensity. She loved the bloodlust, the wanting, and the power as she consumed the last fleeting heartbeats of the young girl. And yet she hated herself for it. It was as if she went out every night to 'drink', pass out, wake up with a hangover. She was no better than an alcoholic, less she was in much better shape physically.

She reached for the pack of cigarettes on the counter, and lit it. The fire flared up and died out to a cool cinder. She inhaled deeply, and let the toxins enter her lungs.

She opened the rose wood dresser drawer of her beureau, every now and then looking back up toward the mirror in an attempt to analyze what she had done. She was a murderer. She fished out a crisp, white shirt with buttons running don the middle. She pulled it over her shoulders and butoned it up half way. She pulled on a pair of leather pants with boots that latched up the side. She needed to go for a walk. The victem's cries still plauged her mind.

"So here I return, to find my people corrupted. History....repeats itself. Once again I face my people, once again I fight corruption. Is this my single reason for existance?" Kain asked bitterly, the Brightblade held within both hands, held behind him in his usual combat stance. He had just walked up the endless amount of stairs which had led to his prison chamber. Now, exiting, he found numerous Psi guards.

The room was long and narrow, with a small door at the end of it, made of a strange purple wood which Kain knew to be a breed of wood which absorbed magic enchantments far easier. Upon the door there were adorned runes, as was expected by Kain.

What seemed to be a room dedicated to absolutely nothing at all. No furniture, no pictures, no windows. The floor was made of grey stone, the walls the same. This chamber had no purpose...yet so many Psi, so many armed Psi were here. Where they waiting for him?

"Here he is!" One Psi of many proclaimed, pointing his long sword, which was currently flowing with blue energy. The Psi said it without rejoicing, it was more of the sucess of finding a bounty.

"Destroy him, to free Kain's soul!" Another cried, and then, this group of around twenty, well armed, and highly zelous Psi, charged into combat against the man who had saved this nation so many times, to great expense to himself.

Kain wanted with all of his soul to utterly destroy what had corrupted his people. Frustration burned into his mind, and as these Psi flowed onto him, Kain realised that these people could not be talked to. These people were brainwashed, or....actually convinced by something that....no, they could never be convinced without some magic of some description Kain reasoned.

Kain hoped.

Had his people actually turned against him?

He could not bear the thought.


Kain responded to these Psi, numerous in nature and powering in the arcane, by speaking a single word, and pointing the Brightblade towards them viciously. The Brightblade proceeded to explode into green energy, which swirled and snapped at the air around it viciously.

The Psi sent thier first barrage. The chanting was unified, military like. A spell was uttered, by all of them. Psi tactics were to operate as a whole, and this was precisely what this well organised group were doing. Three Psi were at the front to fight Kain in close quarters should he near, and the mages unleashed thier barrage, in concentration. The surge of magic Kain knew would attract more people, if they had not already requested it immediately.

The Psi, dress in various coloured robes, wielding various weapons and having numerous purposes in this fight, all concentrated thier energies to one massive barrage of arcane energy. The spell was completed in a few seconds, as Kain expected, and went screaming towards Kain.

From each Psi roared tiny shards of energy, which would rip and rend opponents. A spell with a physical element to it, it would slice Kain up into many pieces. Originally designed to pin or eliminate hoardes of enemies, this spell was intended to keep Kain busy until the mages at the back row sent more powerful spells his way.

These bright yellow shards, thousands and thousands pouring towards Kain, whined through the air with a high pitch scream.

The Brightblade's green energies forced the yellow shards unto it, the rain of shards being drawn into the Brightblade, channeling the energy and reweaving it through the blade. For long seconds, the shards rocketed through the air, aimed at Kain, and then were compelled to enter the Brightblade's green snapping energy field.

Kain allowed this to continue for numerous heartbeats. He knew what he was doing. He knew what spells these Psi were using, and how to beat them. Kain had used, and created some of them, himself. Out of any Psi, he was the best at his own magic, and highly competant in other magics which the Psi had never seen before.

The Brightblade's energy field was one of them.

The green field surged in energy, then exploded outwards towards the foes, the green ray making the noise of the shards seem minute in context. The green energy surged, absorbing any further shards, and eliminating the energy which was being used to summon up the new, more powerful spells which the back mages were using. It ripped forward, like a angry sea serpant, green and horrible from the Brightblade, and snapped at the Psi in turned, sending them flying all in directions.

Kain sprinted forward during the confusion, the green serpant claiming indepenance and leaving the sword's blade. He held it in one hand now, his lefthand outstreached to meet any further spells. A warrior on the floor tried to clumsily slash Kain with his short sword, but Kain easily avoided it on his dash to the door. The arcane energy serpant proceeded to smash into that dazed warrior, knocking him unconcious.

Kain slammed the door open, his sprint now extremely fast, blurred to the eye, a trail of silver white mixed with dark green, and that silver wave blade which burned a glowing crimson now as Kain's rage built.

Another room, more Psi....

"Who is responcible for this!" Kain roared, his blade parrying a blow which awaited him, his mind defending against the new set of spells which awaited him. Magic exploded in the room, he once again fought another group of Psi, better trained it seemed. But Kain with little difficulty, dispatched them. He did not kill them, he could bring himself to do so. They were his people....

And as such, he knew how to defeat them.

He blazed forward through these chambers which seemed endless, tireless and unrelenting in his crusade. He met ranks of arcane spearman who stood with arcane shields around them, wizards who had summoned beasts of fire, ice or wind to halt his progress, paladins who fought Kain in close quarters who augmented thier skills with magic, collections of squads dedicated to fighting in the underground layers of Velmora who used holy magic.

None stopped him. Kain beat each group in turn, responding in his own breed of magic, the experiances which Kain had endured in the past had made him capable of fighting the Psi without too much difficulty. He heard chanting which he had chanted once, and knew how to break the energy patterns. He saw runes dancing in the air, being constructed before him to send spells his way, and he smashed the rune instriptions. Kain knew Velmora magic better than anyone, and as such, he could not be stopped by it.


He burst through another door, another door which was in a chamber just like the last, only larger, with purpose now. These rooms....were training rooms! Rooms dedicated to training forces, with spear, sword, staff and most importantly, magic. That is why they had awaited him.

This door which Kain burst through, was different. It was not purple, it was made of bronze. Kain realised that something different was beyond this door. He exploded out of it, sword in hand, spell on the lips.

He entered charging into a massive chamber.

This massive chamber, much like a strange cathedral, was almost holy. It was cold, sweeping winds flowed through this place. Through windows shone dying sunlight, which illuminated this massive place. Within it, there were strange devices, things which seemed to...produce something. This place was like a workshop, dedicated to manufacturing parts. It was inhabited by something....something extremely strange, and something which Kain had not thought possible.

Constructs. They were making Constructs. Armies of them. And these Constructs, these metal warriors powered by magic of ancient times, were being made by other constructs, taught by them. There were hundreds in here, both completed and in construction. All with weapons at hand, all with more knowledge than any Psi on these new spells which the new ruler of Velmora had.

Kain readied himself, wondering how to face this foe....they stood there, armed, ready to attack. He moved his hands over the hilt of the Brightblade, waiting thier charge, waiting thier spells.

Long suspenceful seconds past. No sound was made, no breathing or rushing. Just an odd calm, an odd deliberation.

Then, a voice resounded from the end of this massive chamber, where someone commanded, with the same metallic duel nature voice that Shar had, only this time male, "Engage!"

The Constructs proceeded to attack Kain at once....this battle was going to be challenging, Kain knew that much...

He began his spells, ready to fight whatever these things actually were, trying to learn their weaknesses. He was soon to learn that these things, had extremely few weaknesses, and that Constructs were the ideal warrior.



Fable and Legend watched from a distance, watching thier new army attack Kain with great satisfaction, wondering how long Kain would last.

Ravelyn wrapped the dark coat around her, seeing her breath as she exhaled; the short puff of smoke which dissipated in the cold night air. It was unusually cold out, and the temperature was continually dropping. She didn't even know if she cared anymore. By nature humans were relational and social, why should it be any different because of race? Should she be denied these things? She had denied a higher power. She had wanted to be part of this world. Now, and only now did she feel that there was a reason that her existance here was not warrented. There wasn't a place for her, she didn't fit into the system.

There had been a time where everything was purpose. She didn't want anything to change. She had an academy whose prestige was known throughout many nations with wonderful students and accomplished teachers. She had a young protegè by the name of Genesis, a powerful psion who was a true friend to her. She had her son Quissera, and Kenja who had a wonderful partner named Joshua Knightly. Joshua, whom had some what taken her up as his own mother. And she had Kain. Kain, the former (as she knew it) ruler of Velmora, once a human...her fledgling. He was the one true fledgling that she had sired. The only one she had given her own blood to make the change, and give him his fangs. She knew that Kain had the ability to surpass the others because of this; equal to Qui, her own son, or greater. She, however, had not seen Kain for quite some time, and he had not sent any word to her, but neither her to him. She had Vaughn, a husband who loved her above everything else with his black eyes always watching over her. She felt that she had found her place in the world. Everything was wonderful.

Then what had become a gift, became a curse. One by one the people diminished. Joshua, Kenja, Genesis, Qui, Vaughn...everyone dead. She was not sure of Kain, and had a desire to see him. Her desire was stifled by her own physical health. She had grown unusually pale, which was the only sign and was normal for a vampire, however, it was as if she were losing the will to live. Not entirely, but she was drawing to the edge. She would not let herself slip like this. She needed to talk to someone. She just needed someone to care for her, care that her crimson eyes still held their sparkle. But there was no one.

She pulled a lighter out of her pocket, the silver metal heating up as she pressed her finger down several times, but there was no flame. She tossed it on the ground, unamused. She took out a cigarette and ignited a very small white flame within her hand and lit the end of the cigarette while inhaling. She extinguished the flamed and continued to walk along. There seemed to be no one around as the gravel crackled underneath her boots. The darkened figures of trees loomed over her head as she walked through the park, which was a ways away from the central plaza.

As she smoked her cigarette she stopped, and looked around. It was extremely quiet, even for a park. She could hear no birds, no crickets, no hearts beating. As time had changed, so had weapons. She pulled out a pair of guns, each with a sharp blade extending from the top; a "shoot and slice" philosophy. "Show yourself, I have no time for childish games!" She heard something move behind her, but nothing was there. She arched her eyebrow. "Well then you won't mind if I bring some light to the situation." She raised both of the guns to the side, and spun around, firing rapidly. A ring of white flames formed around her with a 30 foot radius, illuminating the park. She saw that she was not alone.

A man with bleach blonde hair stepped forward. His piercing green eyes were all too familiar with her. There was not many people who could bring Ravelyn down. Then again, the Seraphic before her was not a person. He was one of the great four; Ravelyn's equal. "Lotus," she exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here?" The flames extinguished. "Don't you dare scare me like that again." She walked towards him, and embraced him, wrapping her arms around her back and resting her cheek on his shoulder. Then, she felt a sharp pain on her back and withdrew. She dropped her guns and reached her hand around to her back, pulling out a short sword. She looked at Lotus with suprise. "Why?" She asked.

"You were allowed to stay within the earthen realm. We watched you for quite a time and said nothing, my sister. But you have left kin within the world, and that could not be. It took quite a long time to kill the others." Her eyes widened and she reached out her hands as the guns returned to them from the ground, An aura of flames incompasing them. She hissed, revealing her fangs.

"You!? You killed them!" Anger flared up with in her. "You killed all of them!? WHY?!

"You should not have kin. What are you doing marrying an Athealian Knight? Fostering to the likes of them. We are so far above them and yet you concern yourself with them. I was told to kill them and I did. Why should you be any different that us?" Lotus' expression darkened and he stepped closer to her.

"Because I was created differently. I have the ability to choose. That's why I came here and you are not allowed to. I was created to choose, and to protect."

"Well then you must choose to realize the consequences of your actions. There is one left that you sired so long ago. You know him as Kain."

"I will not strike down my son!" she yelled. It was the first time that she had ever referred to him as that. "I would rather die."

"We can not have that either. You will comply, you have no choice. If you feel a need to resist than fight me." He put his hand before him and a light green aura formed around him, turning into comets of light which circled his figure. His eyes shot open turning a brilliant emerald color. Four great white wings emerged from his back, brilliant feathers shining within the light as the back of his white shirt.. There were light brown tatoos running up his left sid of his face. A heavy belt sat at the hips of his brown pants and thick boots. Bracers engulfed his arms, and he took a pair of sais within his hands. "I know your not a pacifist Azrael, like I am. I am terribly sorry sister, but you must do as I say, less I force you."

"Force me?" she chuckled. "Have it your way. I apologize for what I am about to do to you. Please forgive me." She closed her eyes and let her own wings unfurl. Hers had light grey feathers with white tips. She felt the flames engulf her as the fabric to her clothes had burned away, and the seraphim took her true form. White platinum armor followed the controur of her chest, alternating with fabric in certain places with her white corset. Bracers snapped around her wrists and a sharp blade formed jetting out of either one. Her sanguine eyes reflected as the fire separated to become satilite to both of the blades on the braces. She bore her fangs as she growled. "You will fall, Lotus."

"But I am not the only one you must deal with. There were four Powers, you remember. I am one, you are another, Cougaji was a third, and-" She felt the presence behind her and her eyes widened.

"Kaos," she whispered, and turned around to see him. Kaos, the most violent of the powers, though it could be debated that she matched his fighting abilities. He had black hair and white eyes with a strong build. His wings were already visable; as black as night with a certain sheen to them. He smiled. The obsession with his sister Azrael always preoccupied his mind. The same rules to humans did not necessarily apply to the seraphim.

"Hello, my dear," he said in a low voice, shifting to place Ravelyn between both of them. "Too bad we couldn't meet again on more friendly terms." Within his hands he held two shackles, chains running down from each. He held them up. "Remember these, Azrael?" She recognized them indeed, and changed her position, raising up her blade. "The same chains which had imprisoned you for so long. And we can do it again. Majority rules." He stepped forward. "Besides, I always liked that look for you." He smiled, and Rave looked between the two of them. Things did not look good.

Both rushed towards her, and she took flight as quickly as possible, rushing up into the sky. The two quickly followed. The wind picked up, and Kaos was the closest behind her. She knew he could control the wind. She felt herself being drawn backwards toward him. She smiled and reached her hand back, ignite a great white flame that was pulled back to hit the Seraphim. He toppled backwards, but regained his stature. Lotus had taken up past him.

"Little girls shouldn't play with fire." Azrael was the youngest of the four. She felt water against her skin, and noticed that it started to rain, almost turning into a hail at Lotus' command. "No more fire for you." He smiled and raced after her. Kaos was catching up, the feathers and skin which was chared falling off and reforming.
Tall buildings gave her a chance to hide. She swept behind the tower and hid at the edge. Lotus rushed past her. She looked around and lost sight of both of them. The temperature of the air was still dropping. Suddenly, she was pushed forward as Kaos struck the side of the building to knock off the corner in which she hid behind. She fell down towards the ground and looked up to the two seraphim which pursued her. Kaos whipped the chains down so that the shackles could find their owner. She raised her right palm and braced her wrist with the other hand. A power wave was emitted, stopping both the shackles and the rain from hitting her. Inches before she hit the ground she turned around to race off again. She looked back and Lotus was the only one in pursuit.

She realized their tactic to late and she was thrown against the wall of the building, her wrists forced up against the brick by Kaos' grip. He smiled, and kissed her. She drove her fangs into his bottom lip, and broke his grip by hittin him back with the heal of her feet. He cursed silently as the wounds heal. She shot upwards and was pulled back. The chains had locked around her wrists. Kaos smiled, as Lotus held the end of the chains. She sent a wave of energy down the shackles, but Lotus absorbed it. She struggled as Kaos flew to her position as Lotus continued to pull her down. He struck her across the face and latched on to her, using his wings to force her down. She bit down once again into his shoulder, and he brought his hand into a fist and thrust it into her abdomen. She let out a cry.

After quite a struggled, Azrael had been brought to the ground, chained and constricted by Lotus' binding. "I won't do what you ask!" she yelled.

"You have to,Azrael. Those chains control you now. Soon, you will loose your gift of free will. You will kill your kin to atone for what you have done. You were not to give 'life' to others. If that is what you had even given him." Lotus said in return. She felt herself growing sleepy. "Soon, you won't remember a thing."

The vampire was being forced through the air painfully by a summoning of a blast of air, raised casually by a freshly produced Construct, who instead of having hands had a built in shield and a ornate mace which crackled and span slowly. It had blown Kain away, sending the spell which the vampire was sending towards all around him, spitting and spiralling around, the lighting arcing across the walls in a dramatic fashion. The scorch of the intense white electricity left the walls scarred, and the air gained a new undercurrent of burnt o-zone, along with the smell of freshly formed spell and metal. The air was full of the incense of the unnatural, the headly scent of reality being warped again and again. This smell was the smell of Velmora's battlegrounds.

Kain spiralled in the air, energy extending from his outstreached hand, his sword gleaming in the flames which were burning various pieces of equipment, ignited due to the fireballs which Kain had both sent and recieved, in both cases being deflected or avoided entirely. The figure span in the air, his massive mane of white hair whipping around as if he were a strange ghost from a tormented soul, becoming slowly more mad.

But, Kain was now in control again, after two moments of confusion as the wave of hair sent him flying towards the far wall. The demonic vampire, with his handlike feet being able to grip any surface, latched onto the stone walls so that Kain literally landed on the wall gracefully. He snapped his head up viciously, his eyes burning with the adrenaline and challenge of combat, his fangs revealed and his lust for answers and mostly revenge were not sated in the slightest. With Brightblade in his off hand, and his free hand not being occupied by a spell, which Kain had previously decided to remedy, Kain pointed the Brightblade towards his numerous metallic foes. The Constructs were impervious to his magic, being formed of a more advanced magic than the Psi magic. It certainly followed the theories of Psi magic, but...it used them more of starting blocks to something utterly imcomprehendable and horrifyingly potent. These warriors of silver and living wood had no remorse, were highly intellegent, and contained extensive knowledge of the powers available to them, wheter it be with thier awesome physical prowess, or thier stunning mental capabilities.

Holding his sword hand with his other free hand, he focused energies into the blade. He did not use Psi magic this time, such an action would have been futile. Kain had to use a far more extremely method of using magic, ones which did not rely on rune structures and wave patterns to ajust the ever fluctating waves of reality. He decided to use the magic which one of his teachers had taught him, a teacher which his sire had banished not so long ago.

Dark energies formed into the blade, making the skull hilt aflame with these twisting black purple energies, which seemed to mock everything which was it's target. The energy winded up the silver blade, dipping the sword into demonic energies which Kain was channelling through himself. His mind had adaquate defences if the energies were going to try and possess his mind, or do something rebellious, but it did no such thing. Being warned many times that summoning energies of this nature regulary was dangerous and highly stressful, Kain found it easy and in many ways, comfortable. He placed that onto his demonic nature, the Brightblade having affected his siring as he held the blade when he turned.

As such, Kain's body was demonic in appearance, and carried many characteristics which demons did possess. His light immunity to magic, thought processes which could handle numerous mental applications, allowance into some realms of existance with some small challenge, and various others. But, there were some disadvantages to this heritage. Kain was weak to spells which directly targeted his race, such as weapons used by divine paladins such as a Crusader or a Holy Avenger. Also, the demonic vampire was prone to crazed battlerages, which could result in loss of control and the weaking of mental defences. But, rages were sometimes useful, as Kain became a battlengine of destruction, ripping and slicing everything in his path in a whirlwind of never satiated blood thirst.

The Brightblade, thus imbued with the elemental power of darkness which originated from the dark spawning places of demons and devils, belched forward in a sea of black towards Kain's shining metalic foes. It oozed forward with malice, burning and pouring sickening, repelling his opponents, slowing them down and corroding thier bodies and minds. It would not be enough to stop them completely, but Kain had found thier weakness....

Kain was well aware that someone, another far more powerful construct, awaited him at the far back of this chamber, lurking between shadows. Fable perhaps? Or someone else....

The answer was, both. Both watched the battle unfold, awaiting reinforcements and the oppertune time to strike at this vampire, this ruler of Velmora which would threaten defeat and promise victory.

When it is said that it was not an easy task to capture Ravelyn, it is not an easy task. When it is said that it is very hard to change her will, it was damn near impossible. However, Azrael was one of the great four Seraphic beings, or Powers. Kaos and Lotus, however, were as well, lesser, equal, and greater in various aspects. Each controlled something different. Their roles were not known to them, but they governed their lives. Cougaji, or Quissera, was the Seraphic of Wisdom. Kaos, the Seraphic of War. Lotus, of Earth, and Azrael... Well, her domain may have proven why she felt such need for others...

She sat in chains below the deck of the ship, darkness engulfing her as Kaos and Lotus sat by her, attempting the unthinkable. She was the counter to Kaos, but being bound by Lotus' power constricted her abilities. It was as if she was being bound by herself. She struggled, but it was futile. Kaos had placed his hand on her head. "Kaos!" she barked at him. "Try and realize the consequences of your actions. If I am not in right mind to counter you the world will shift into darkness by your will. You are forcing me to kill one which keeps me alive!"

"Do not fret, you will be in right mind with everyone else, except for the abomination. After you kill him, your sences will return." He laughed a bit. "Did I mention your attitude about us will change as well? No Michael here to save you. Now shall we precede..."

"Your revolting," she shot at him, giving him quite the glare. Kaos was attractive, as the Seraphics were, however his disposition was most displeasing.

"You'll feel differently within the hour," Lotus replied as he tightened the bonds by lifting his hand. The green energy continued to constrict her and she let out a yell.

"Now then..." Kaos put an arm behind her back. "Na preda hotiz, melo. Ja fuer da terra de haz en nau. Na tau da roto. Smeda dahim lavim luna." A powerful burst of black light energy washed over her, causing her eyes to close, and the seraphim Azrael to become unconscious. Lotus removed his bond as Kaos picked Ravelyn up in his arms, running his strong hand through her raven hair. He kissed her temple, and whispered within her ear. "You are too precious for us to loose. If you don't kill Kain, we would have been forced to kill you. We are doing this in your best interest, my love."

"Brother," Lotus said, placing his pale hand on his brother's shoulder, his white wings shifting slightly. "Don't let your lust consume you. She was created in quite the image. She reflects divine perfection, don't let it draw you in quite so much. Azrael is already in enough trouble as it is. Don't get her in anymore, brother. If you become the reason for her death if she should die, both I and Cougaji will not be pleased. She means a lot to us as well. " Kaos walked with her toward the deck of the ship, not bothering to reply to Lotus. The other followed with a look of consernation.

It was raining outside, and Kaos threw Azrael up into the air, her wings catching and her body reanimating. Her eyes opened and glowed a deep red. She took off toward the horizon, and Kaos and Lotus took off behind her, staying slightly behind to ensure everything went as planned.

Velmora was being flooded, by both the waters which had been down pouring for well over two hours, the streets now awash with the skies offering of emotion, whatever emotion that was. The clouds were still black, slow moving and brooding, as if considering the state of affairs which Velmora was being the host to.

The Psi, as a race, are very resilient to change. This in itself is highly ironic if viewed with the correct wisdom, as the Psi are a people of magic. Magic by nature is change, a change to the laws of reality. Tattooed with runes which allow them to alter this world in numerous ways, magic flows both through Psi culture and existence. It could be said that magic flow through their veins, as do many Psi poets and authors. Many songs and works of art depicted the Psi as being creatures who could summon wind, earth, fire and water to do their whim, and that Psi were protectorates of the world due to this power. Humility was something that Psi had been taught harshly, due to the overstepping which the race as a whole had done. As mortals who could rearrange nature and their fates so deliberately and monumentally, the evolution of the mindset of lesser being to a greater, more powerful being can be a dangerous one indeed. Such a mistake it is to become arrogant and assume that oneself is a creature able to challenge the Gods and it's servants, and that the claim that their own powers are supreme can be made in all seriousness. A grave mistake indeed, which had created many devices, such as the Constructs.

And interestingly, the Brightblade was forged by the Constructs, to trap a greater being than themselves. Unlike the Psi, the Constructs could indeed challenge the higher powers in some respects, although they had the wisdom to concern themselves only with their own realm. The Constructs could carry out some One can dream, but one should not dare to overstep divine will, either what one might call good, or evil. The physical world was enough for the Constructs, they craved this realm of existence. They had been existing without bodies on other Astral realms, haunting nothingness and pining for their old senses and authority. Part of the appeal of such a realm was that the physical realm contains being which have short life spans, and were easily dominated. At least, that is what the Constructs found the most appealing about it.

And that was what Kaza'rr, a Construct who had been granted a massive tower shield for his left arm, and an inbuilt broad sword, was currently musing over. His mind was hardly dulled to intellectual thought just because his purpose was to fight in close quarters. There were no brutes within the Construct's armies, nor were there individuals of radical thought. There certainly was variation within the Constructs, as all Constructs were inhabited by spirits, souls which originated from the Astral plains. Not even the Constructs knew why their souls existed when they had no body to enter. Before they had first been summoned into the bodies of metal and living wood, they had no purpose, they just drifted in sweet limbo.

The water rushed past the metallic figure of the Construct, the sound of the water flowing all around him from both the dark sky and these dark waters, and the sensations of physically feeling it were pleasing. If Kaza'rr could smile, he would in a grim sort of way. He tried to enjoy all sensations, and that included the task which he was currently in.

He was guarding the front door of a minor building, one which contained a minor but necessary part for Constructs to be built. Kaza'rr knew that the component was a small specially crafted jewel, which he had in his head to allow silent communication between Constructs, a form of telepathy. The jewel was planted on the back of the head, small and discrete, glowing a very faint blue when speech was activated.

He was not alone as the waters raged around him, which were around his knees. Another Construct stood diligently beside him, a spear locked in his more natural metallic hand, the three pronged digits gripping it with discipline. His left hand had a simple addition of armour, a buckler which was built into him to protect him, although nearly nothing could penetrate the ordinary frame of all Constructs.

A daunting fact that anyone facing the Construct army would face, beside the obvious about them, is that each Construct could adapt and be specialised for a specific purpose. If seigework was required, heavy implements for ramming could be given to the Constructs. If speed was required, additional jewels could be installed, even putting more legs in. If arcane defence was required, further plates of metal which the appropriate runes on them could be fastened on, granting the Construct the tools he needed.

This Construct watched the waters rush down the street in front of him, a street which was enduring the cold waters. The doors were bolted fast, and sealed with magic by the occupants to prevent as much water from going into their homes. No-one would go out into this flood, or at least no-one which had not been ordered to work in the Construct factories, or had important government business.

That was why both Constructs guarding the door claimed a battle stance when they saw two fully armoured Psi of elegant figure, walking speedily towards them, upon the waters. One was female, the other male. Both seemed supremely confident, and both were armed well. Both carried blades of the same design, weapons which were heavily imbued in magic, and their minds were strong. They seemed intent on combat, and the Constructs spoke in unison.

"Cease and desist. Sheave your weapons. Return to your homes, or be forced to submit.", they commanded, their double voices sounding strange as all Constructs did. Both readied and pointed their weapons at the pair, and both realised that these Psi were going to attack, regardless of what they said. Still, it was demanded of them that they gave warning of what the Construct Law, as it was known, was. It would seem that these two were extremely adept to resisting to mind altering enchantments, which were currently in affect everywhere due to Fable's swift actions to position rods which would emanate and slowly compel the Psi to submission. Myth, one of the trio which were the rulers of the Constructs and now Velmora, had positioned them. There were four in total currently. Hardly extremely powerful, but enough to cause the loss of Magnus' device to be fatal. The Psi were regaining some independence, but that was soon to be quelled in the greater plan of things.

Essentially, the entire nation had been under the manipulation of the device which Magnus had possessed. Magnus was chosen because he himself could be easily manipulated, and it would be far more accepted if Magnus was the puppet leader. But, due to Magnus' death, Fable had claimed his throne, and swiftly ordered that arcane methods be used to restore the method of manipulation to the people of Velmora. Rods were planted into buildings, secretly and subtly, which would quell rebellion and make the Psi compliant dogs. There were to be a complete set of twenty rods in all, but four were put in the most important places while Myth created more. The Constructs were easily able to defend against minor attacks by rebels, as they could not find one another and group. And, the rebels did not know how to fight these new oppressors, these titans of silver and arcane wood were by all standards, utterly supreme in almost all respects.

But, the two equal heads of Military Affairs were intended to sabotage this new organisation which had swiftly made a move into Velmora. They had been freed of the mind rotting device's power when Magnus died, and were so far resisting the rod's power successfully. And now they moved swiftly above the water, heading towards the building which these two Constructs guarded so zealously.

Use the water. Elaith telepathically said to his female companion, who was about the say the same thing to him.

These two warriors were the best warriors within Velmora. In Kain's mortal years, these two would have surpassed his combat skills. They had both fought beside him in combat, in both civil wars and survived. Commanding armies with ease, and offering their blades to Kain's cause, these two were the finest warriors.

If anyone could deal with the Constructs, it was Elaith Craulnober and Alusair Obarskyr.

Alusair (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/FR_ART/People/AlusairObarskyr.jpg)

Elaith (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/FR_ART/People/ElaithCraulnober.jpg)

They both had their weapons raised, and charged forwards, an unified spell upon their lips, which would summon the waters around them to aid their cause. The Constructs summoned their own counter spell, and readied themselves for the two elite warrior’s charge.

The sky unleashed a roar of thunder, as if signifying the battle’s beginning. If these two Psi could win this fight and destroy one of the rods, more Psi could be liberated and perhaps further actions against the Constructs could be made.

Neither Elaith or Alusair were aware that Kain was alive, and currently fighting a massive force of Constructs. They only knew that Kain would want Velmora to belong to the Psi, and that Kain would have fought with all of his might to overthrow the oppressors.

A thundering of silver hooves against these stone floors was rapidly approaching Kain's ears, the deep roar of metal raging against granite. Someone riding a extremely zealous warhorse was in the distance, Kain heard him approaching, but could not see him. The world was currently throbbing and feeling rather abnormal due to the vapours which the demonic sludge had. The air above the purple organic liquid was like the sands suffering the burning sun in the desert, the land swelled and swayed sickeningly. The dark matter which had halted the Constructs around Kain was now proving to prevent Kain from seeing past it, as the colours mixed and swirled as if a paintbrush was mixing them to create a grotesque new shade of pestilance.

The thundering grew louder, and Kain focused upon the sound. With Brightblade balanced procariously behind him, ready to uppercut a foe as he charged forward, Kain stood surrounded by the liquid which he had created. His back was to the wall, and he stood in an island of granite which was untouched by the liquid.

The mounted warrior was now slightly visible, the dark vapours which moved violently to the new colours presented allowed Kain some estimation of distance. He seemed not to slow down for a moment, his hooves crashing into the dark liquid without any affect. Kain heard some form of sparks being raised from the hooves as it fought the dark magics which the summoned sludge possessed, the rate the metallic hooves crashed onto the floor remained the same, if not faster than before.

What was this thing? A new type of Construct?

Kain wondered such things as Legend exploded into view, jumping fully forward, the centaur Construct aiming it's mighty spear toward's Kain. It had massive momentum and power to it's movements, runes hammered into it's body, it's metal frame combined with living wood muscles powering this beast.
The spear was screaming, jagged and burning with white hot flame of unknown origin. The spear head was single edged, much like an axe blade. It was made of a black metal with golden outlines which in themselves held runes which powered the weapon.

Kain decided to use this elite Construct's charge against him. He jumped upwards, spiralling above the charging beast of metal and magic, his hair almost like an afterimage on the retina, a silver white flash as the vampire used his abilities to full affect. The roaring charge of this silver knight crashed into the wall, the spear fully impaling itself to the hilt, making the Construct stunned for a few moments.

Kain leapt directly upwards, towards the ceiling, and latched onto it, wanting to observe what was going on below. He was near a window, and so if he wished he could retreat and exit, despite this thunderous rainstorm. He heard the rain crashing onto the roofs around him. It made this whole scene seem extremely dramatic.

The room was slowly filling up with more Constructs, who diligently attempted to both free the Constructs who were trapped within the sludge, and send offensive spells towards Kain. Legend, the hulking warrior of the Trio, built with horse like legs for greater speed and height, wrenched the spear out of the wall, threatening to pull down the room with it. The spear seemed no worse for wear, and Legend seemed to enjoy this all, those green burning eyes of his inlayed within that metalic face staring at Kain as he clung to the wall.

Kain decided to escape for the moment, and try and discover what was going on. He smashed through the windows in a swift strong push off his current perch, outside into the thunderstorm which was being brought down on everyone. Kain heard the spells hit the wall where he was, and also heard a few spears miss thier intended targets.

Kain rolled outwards onto the solid slates which covered the massive roof of this building, and got up quickly, sword in hand. He threw back his massive mane of white hair to get it out of his eyes, and was about to become very scarce to get a better idea of what was going on...when he felt a familar presance drawing near....

"Rave?" Kain asked in bewilderment, looking to the dark skies for her. It was a sense of her presance, he knew when she was near. She was his mother, and so they were irrevokably bound.

Kain did not know that his sire was about to make an appearance, very close to him, upon the rooftops.

The true form of a Seraph can be a beautiful thing in many cases. The true form of the angelic vampire, however, was threatening. Her dark auburn hair had not been bothered to be pulled back from her face, and its long strands to home within the wind. Her blood red eyes marking out the battleground in front of her. Kain had not seen her in her true form; he had only see glimpses of partial change. Her skin was dreadfully pale, her eyes still sparkling with the glare. Four wings upon her back spread open in their full extent. The shackles around her wrists with long chains were the weapons clearly visible. It did not matter now that it was raining for her, the chains which controlled her would be a refutation of that law.

She narrowed out a building, seeing Kain upon it with his sword drawn. But there were others trying to kill him, and that there could not be. She would have to be the one to kill him. She looked through the hole in the roof at the contracts and those gathering around. She would have to deal with them first before she would focus on Kain. Lotus and Kaos had stopped a ways back and continued to watch the angel’s actions. When they realized that she was going to help, they spred their wings as well. The contrasting colors of Lotus’ white feathers and Kaos’ black balanced out Azrael’s grey.

They followed behind her in flight. Kaos had a rather large broad sword, and Kaos had his staff. Seraphic had never traveled together on the earth. For the love of their sister, Kain must fall. Ravelyn, however, had the instinct within her to protect Kain rather than kill him. With the might of the two flying behind her, however, she had no choice. Time to take care of the others first.

She raised her hand up into the air, sending a ripple through the air, breaking the rain, notifying of everyone in range that Kain was not the only one their. Kaos and Lotus stopped next to her, all three within the air, staring. Her eyes had never glowed crimson before.

The waters ceased to fall, the ripple fluctuating across the skies, silencing both wind and rain, making them hush to greater beings which wanted to act here. An odd sense of tension followed, the calm before the storm, the silence before a raging passion of music was performed.

Kain looked up slowly, his body feeling electrified. His mane of white hair covered his face, the threads of silver white drenched in water. It flowed off the demonic vampire easily, his green leathery skin being able to protect him from the water's damp and chill. The vampire raised up fully, all other problems quelled for the moment. His eyes focused onto this figure, this figure of worthy of both hope and terror. The Brightblade hummed violently, although it was obvious that like it's maker, was deeply confused and undertermined to what to do.

"Ravelyn...? What....what is the meaning of all this?" Kain asked, like a child in the deep shadow of looming parents. Kain saw Ravelyn in her true form...and those figures with her, who flew beside her....like her, yet...not. He bore no affinity with those others, but Kain felt a strong bond between himself and Ravelyn. The Brightblade increased it's growl, naturally attuned to combat angellic forces, it's reason to be forged still strongly engraved into what arcane mind this weapon had.

Lotus realized that Ravelyn made no advance forward. "She's resisting..." he said to Kaos. "Fix this..." Kaos looked at Ravelyn, and swept her hair over one side to whisper in his ear, his lips lightly touching her earlobe. He wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close as if she were his puppet. In a sense, she was."Oh, why are we so sad?" he said to her. "Are we feeling hurt by their evil lies and all those empty words?We are thirsty for payback? What would we like to do with the abomination? Would we like to make it... dance? With the Animal? Would we? WOULD WE?! Tell us what we would like to do." His charm and influence over her solidified. she leaned her head toward his.

"... burn it... burn it all..." she whispered as her fangs elongated. Lotus chuckled, and took up behind Kaos and Azrael, holding up his hands as to stop the rain. It focused, and began to move together like a stream, sweeping past Kain toward the others. Lotus would deal with the others, and took flight towards Kain's oppressors. Kaos, however, wished to stay for the carnage, and make sure his beloved didn't break his hold. His black hair was matted down on disarray to his face, half concealing his white eyes. He took his hand and wrapped it around her waist and set it upon her abdomen, slowly moving it upward along the silk fabric of her shirt. It was clear then he had complete control over her.

"Burn honey burn, let the fire eat away.I never liked the look of this bastard. Burn him down now." He continued to whisper, as he glanced down toward Kain."The story always goes, when the anger within builds up for too long...Takes us over...and we all are forced to obey..." Kaos was a twisted individual, and still an instrument of a higher power. He was fufilling his purpose, but also keeping Azrael for himself after she had atoned for the sin that stood before him. He knew Kain could hear him. The more he talked, the more she would listen."It was a match made in Hell now this whole land will burn. He will get what no man deserves." He pushed her forward. "Our beloved kin, never learned to abide by the rules. Now you pay for your name, Azrael, he lives his life in sin. Make him pay."

Her wings stretched and tthe chains on either wrist ignited in brilliant red flames, no longer the white color they had been. She landed on the roof on the otherside across from Kain. She could feel the vibrations of Lotus in the building underneath her. Kaos raised and eyebrow, and a light wind blew through the air as he settled behind her. Then, without a word, she rushed toward Kain, lashing out one of her burning chains.

Kain felt the heat of those chains, the intensity of the magic being used beyond his current understanding. The first chain, like a rearing serpant who was striking wildly and furiously towards Kain. The sound was haunting, the whistlings of the air combined with the sharp crack as the chain snapped in the air, trying to attack and entwine.

His usual frame of mind automaticly flowed into being, the adrenaline still pumping through his viens, and spells still upon his lips. He had been startled by the sudden arrival of Rave, and her attack, but his survival depended on being able to defend himself. Kain's vampiric agility and demonic reflexes combined barely granted him the ability to avoid the chain which wound towards him viciously. When the burning chain probed too closely, Kain struck it with his silver wave blade, the matieral humming a dark tone in responce to the nature of the opponent. Although the demon entity had been banished, shades of it's former purpose still remained, and the affects of it's long and tormented inhabitance had given a new nature to the blade. The Brightblade left a trace of a dark crimson of it's own.

Kain was one with his weapon and his spells, his Brightblade swimming from hand to hand, defending himself admirably against this assault from his superior sire. He had a spell prepared within his mind as he leaped backwards, his feet landing firmly on the loose slate.

Noise below, a preparing of new action. The Constructs had sensed something new obviously, and were sending someone up regardless of who it was, to defeat Kain.

"Ravelyn, what is the meaning of this!" Kain demanded, his blade deflecting another snap of chain and flame. Kain wanted answers, and he was simply getting more and more to answer. "Damn you angels! What have you done with her!" Kain drove his questions at those angels which floated above and around Ravelyn, the one last person who Kain would trust...and geniunely care for.

Well, almost the only.


(OOC Rave, can I have a bit more description of the other angels, just I am a tad confused to what weapons they have, and who is who, etc. Post quality should be top notch here, after all, it is Kain's finale :) )

ooc: Sorry for the delay but my house got broken into and my stuff got stolen. Yay.

The Seraphic of Earth...

Lotus is thought to be one of the calmer of the four seraphim. With bleach blond hair and piercing emerald eyes, he easily mistaken as being very quiet. He takes up his company in the earth and sky rather than with people. He has tan skin with intricate black tatoos running up his left side in his true form. Out of the four he is pure, having white wings and a very clean and respectable style of fighting. The only matter that he gets touchy about is family. He is generally not a leader in comparrison with the others, and perferred to be alone. He would follow, however, if another made a decision.

Like every child of the earth, Lotus fell into complete synch with the rain and growth of the earth, and can nearly always be found near things of beauty. He despises anything which he finds revolting.

The Seraphic of War...

Just as Lotus is considered to be the most peaceful, Kaos is considered to be the most violent. As his name implies, Kaos relishes in blood shed, and frequently will slaughter with no drive or reason. Exempt from the rules of murder because of his role, Kaos' wings have turned a deep black over the years to match his hair. He has a rather strong build and stubborn disposition. His eyes are purely white, but not because he was created that way. Kaos' incessive lust for his sister Azrael has always plagued his mind. With that apparent, Azrael had blinded Kaos with the intent that the pursuit would stop if he could not look upon her face.

The threat of Kaos, however was never extinguished. Gaining other abilities in place of his sight, he was able to sense the soul of the ones that he encounters. This making her fairly easy to find. He has grownh akin to the air and wind. As it allows him to fly, and without his sight, he adapted the ability to control it to some extent. His proficiency, however, is purely physical.

The Seraphic of Passion...

Azrael, Seraphic of Passion, or emotions, was earthbound and set to try and tip the scales in the Great War, and the chaos to come. With a vicious wit at those who deserve it, and quite a beauty to match, Ravelyn Shentavo fell to a darker side against her will. She fell to the will of a vampire, and that is what shaped her being, tainting her wings a light grey, yet the tips remained white. There was blood on her sword, but unlike Kaos, she killed for the right reaseons. The 'youngest' of the seraphim, and the only one with a female form, she has become easily the most known. She has long auburn hair and crimson eyes, tainted with the blood of a vampire. Her 'choice' weapons are scys, but her best used and most disliked are her chains.
____

Ravelyn opened her mouth to say something, but Kaos reached out his hand, and her demeanor ignited in the flames that bound her. Her wings were spread outword, her head tilting to the side, smiling intimidatingly. It was not her, but Kaos, that spoke. "I've done nothing that she should be regretful for. I am merely saving her soul. She's not supposed to leave descendents on this realm..." His black hair fell over his left eye and he pushed it out of the way, white orbs engulfing the sight of Kain. He saw the energy within his body, for that is all that he could see. He saw that Kain had indeed matured, but his pride and trust in Ravelyn's strength led him to be completely satisfied in the odds. He thought this, in spite of that through his eyes, Kain and Ravelyn had become more evenly matched then he would like to admit.

"Now I've taken care of the others," Lotus said softly. "All of the ones she had cared for. Vaughn, Genesis, even my own brother Quissera. We feel, that you should meet your death with the one who gave you your second life." Lotus' blond hair seemed to form small spikes on his heads as the rain continued to fall. His sun-kissed hand rose as the water danced around his frame like small satillites. "Without anyone left, who else does she have left to turn to but us? She can finally return to us..." Lotus looked below, and waited. He would take care of the constructs...but he did not know what he was getting into. He left the view of Kaos and Ravelyn into the building below him, awaiting what he thought would be a simple 'nuissance'.


Rave hissed once again at Kain, her attacks failing her. She eyed him carefully, and began calling upon the energy inside of her. She felt it awakening.

(OOC Damn, that is not good. Listen, if you need more time with a post, feel free to take as much time as you need. I am in no hurry here. I would much prefer you to post once a week with one extremely high quality post than a post every day which is just ok. So, there is no rush, I am just trying to make this thread as decent as possible. Kain deserves a decent ending to his career. So, whatever is going on with you right now with being robbed and all, there is plenty of time, so there is no problem with being set back with real life stuff.)



Kain eyed the other angels oddly. Within his vampiric eyes, there lied realizations and musings of greater things than before, his deductions and dark humor making this situation more bearable, and less surreal. That word was now alien to Kain, he had seen demons and angels just as much as he had seen mortals it seemed.

"It seems that creatures of so called, divine being, have a sense of humor like the demons. I find both your kinds repelling in your morality, both light and dark creatures. I can see more decency within the demons, as the darker ones have no pretence of ever upholding their moral codes! You forget where you are, you are within my realm, and within my nation. You are not within your own realm…even in this situation of civil war, I still have forces which I can call upon to defend this place. Or had you not considered that? I have no need of your God, and nor does Velmora. We have the divine power of magic to our disposal, the art of altering our reality to what we see fit!" Kain said calmly in retort, a rising crescendo of his voice matching the angels own voices. Those voices which held the soul in rapt attention held it bound to the forces of other realms. Kain was immune to such awe for such creatures, being exposed to such things before. Creatures from other realms had that sort of presence which suggested that there was something so much more to the world, whether terrible or grand, it was there, and humanity could only stand in rapt attention, in awe of this displayed wonder of beings from the places of dreams and nightmares. Kain commanded very little of this aura himself, although his vampiric nature and demonic blood did provide some

Elaith! Alusair! Respond!

Kain? We thought you had-

Focus! Report!

The military are scattered, regrouping. We have shattered the first rod of three which has been controlling the populace Kain, and are proceeding to shatter the second. Kain, what have you done? Something has changed, I feel it! The Constructs seem extremely agitated, and are all storming towards....your location! What is going on? Who captured yo-

Nevermind me! Free the people of Velmora, then form onto my position! I feel the Construct are more concerned with our new guests! We shall use this to our advantage, the Constructs seem to have a bitter hatred of angelic creatures....this shall distract them while you take command and reclaim Velmora! I make this perfectly clear, the Constructs are the enemy.

A single moment for consideration was all that was needed.

It shall be done Kain, we shall be return to your position soon with assistance...with whatever your fighting! The energy levels are like nothing we have seen! What are those things? I cannot see them from here, but I feel them.

My sire, and her family. Angels, or a powerful order.

Good....good luck Kain! Good to have you in command once more!

The communication occurred instantly, the nation providing a strong connection between the two. Elaith and Alusair had gathered some more troops with them, both civilian and solider, both capable of fighting adequately. The Constructs had laxed thier defences, apparently all moving in one body to one location, powered by an unknown source or reason.

Kain extended his hands and closed his eyes; his right hand still gripped the silver wave blade gently, his body possessed by the calm which was within him. The wave blade hummed louder, lending him further strength against the foes he faced, along with the power he was calling upon. His body became a channel of energy, energy which flowed naturally into him from the very nation and its people. A whirlwinds of magical energies could be sensed swirling almost beautifully around him, the air becoming excited at the possibilities presented. It was well known by Ravelyn that Velmora was a hub of magic, the rivers of arcane energies flowing constantly in this place. Kain called upon it, this energy to lend him strength in what would be this titanic fight. He felt Ravelyn doing the same, calling upon her energies from her own sources.

Kain rose slowly, floating upwards gently, upon his own will alone. Flight was something he was able to achieving, with some effort of will and weaving of magic. He simply rarely called upon it, never finding the need to do so. He felt that he would need better maneuverability to avoid Ravelyn’s spells, and prevent the building from being destroyed with the combat, although it might have served a great advantage. Also, others would be able to see the combat better, and zone in on this position. Kain knew how much the Psi cared for him, and looked to him for courage, so more might pick up the fight against their oppressors if they saw their leader fighting with them.

He floated upwards, his hair draping behind him beautifully the strands of glistening silver white thread swaying slightly. The true ruler of Velmora's clothes melted from his body, replaced with his traditional clothing of the Psi. Long flowing robes of white, much like that of a priest. It had bright blue shining trim made up of an unknown material, which hummed with energy as it coursed through Kain's immortal body. It was the official garments of the ruler of Velmora, and the sight of them brought hope to all Psi who gazed upon them.

He floated upwards, rising upwards into the sky so that he was level with Ravelyn. From his back, with a ripple of energy, exploded wings of his own, an audible rip of energy snapping outwards. Hardly the angelic wings of the others, they were false wings. Wings made of a bright blue magic. The wings shuddered into new being, the old magic of the Psi flowing into Kain's body. It had been a long time since Kain had formed these highly useful wings of magic. The wings grew in proportion, spreading out much larger than Kain himself, bolting outwards in new release. These wings served no purpose to flight, although they still beat as if they were. The wings summoned around Kain were a tool which he could use to channel more energy, to protect himself from other spells, or unleash numerous spells of his own. Within this nation, within his homeland, Kain was an extremely dangerous opponent. Within the soil of this nation were impregnated seeds of magic, which the Psi every single day drew out for mundane usages.

Kain pointed towards Kaos, that gruesome talon in contrast, not looking at him, but remaining focused on Ravelyn. His words came out slowly, darkly and punishingly. He had his own spells ready to use in reaction to Ravelyn's spells.

"You are a fool, and a coward. You come to my nation unwelcome angels. Leave now. Or face the wrath...of the people of Velmora. The Psi."

Kain was not arrogant to assume he was invincible here, he simply had a great deal of energy to call up. He would still have to channel that energy with great amount of skill to fight his sire, let alone these angels. His sword in hand, spell on lips, and enchantments in place, he readied himself for combat. Time was something that was on his side. The longer this battle continued, the more Constructs the angels would destroy, and the more organized and liberated his people would become. The Constructs apparently were more concerned with their own private grudge between the angels than domination of this nation.

---

"The Old Enemy! They arrive to taunt us at our point of success! Drive them out! Kill them! Punish them utterly for mocking the Constructs, spirits of limbo! Attack attack! They shall not defeat us now!" Fable screamed fanatically, although the words were hardly required. The Constructs all felt within their souls the presence and here, and swarmed in rage against their old opponents.

The Constructs unleashed hundreds of spells unto Lotus, the energies being highly refined and complex. These spells were born of rage, of utter contempt. Legend, having reclaimed his mighty harpoon from the wall, now hurled it at Lotus viciously, a great swoosh of the weapon in the air inaudible due to the screams of spells exploding through the air. It was a screen of bright lights it seemed, all intent on destroying the angel. Constructs all over the nation were flooding towards this location, abandoning their old agendas in a unified calling to arms.

Finally, the Psi were not fighting one another, they now had a common foe. These Constructs, and the angels who desired to kill Kain. Both foes, all Psi were dedicated to removing from Velmora, and the Psi when unified were a terrible force to reckon with, as the enemies of Velmora were soon to realize.