NationStates Jolt Archive

"No," smiled Cougar, the smile one that would normally be seen on a wolf stalking it's prey,"It was getting caught alive"

His fist crashed into the mans skull, no doubt putting a concussion straight into the man. He followed up with a series of hammer blows to every part of the mans body, before grabbing him and pinning him to a wall,"I know you can't speak anymore, so listen carefully. This is a seven inch combat knife... and I am going to be using it extensively"

For the next hour or so, he beat the man senseless, cutting off fingers, toes... even his ears. The worst was yet to come. He jammed the knife straight into the mans gut, and ripped upwards. He stuck his hands in, and charged the White Flame slowly but surely. He pulled out the mans organs, making him watch as he did so, keeping him full of stimulants to keep him awake through it all. Eventually, he went back to the last thing he had to do. Charging the White Flame, he let it tear through the man's body, which writhed under it all. Eventually, nothing but a charred husk remained. Cougar made his way towards the door

Kajeenith walked down from the roof. His new power filled him. A dark power, a power quite unlike any ever before held. He was now sole master of the Dark Energy.

The Dark Energy could only be granted, with the sacrifice of an innocent, an innocent of your own blood. Of all the powers Warfare had, he had nothing to counter this. It was an unkown, spoken of only in the oldest of legends, rumors, that the first God, Yore, was the one to create it, but he was so afraid of his own powers he sealed it away, and disappeard, where, not even the gods knew.

The Dark Energy was special, and inconceviably simple. Its sole function, its sole purpose, was the absorbtion of all other forms of energy, and replacing it with more Dark Energy. Of course, only those Kajeenith chose could withstand it, but nobody would get that honor, all would fall before the Dark Energy, for there was no counter.

He walked into the room with Lizardman.

"Well, hello. I understand you wish to help me. I'll be generous and give you five minuets to tell me why I should let you help me, or else perish under the powers of the Dark Energy." Kajeenith said. His voice had changed, grew a little deeper, a little more frightning.

In his hand he gathered a portion of the dark energy, it crackled, it burned, it was as wet as water, it was the total and complete absence of the Divine Energy, known as Holy. What Kajeenith did not know, was, even the smallest amount of Holy will destroy the largest Dark Energy feild, but who would possibly know that in today's creation?

OOC: Have I successfully engendered plenty of hate for Kajeenith yet?
If not I can certainly work on it...

OOC: Warhaven, dear, as I have proven, hate is not given by big acts...big acts such as that give only resolve to right the wrong...only rarely sufficient hate. You give anger...I gave hate.

IC:
"You haaaaaaaaaave no knowledge of thissssssssss modern world. Iiiiiiiiiiii come nottttttt asssssssssssss a ssssssssssssslave........Iiiiiiiiiiiiii come assssssssss a potential paaaaartner. I haaave knowledge that you want...knowledge to deliiiiver yourrrr enemiesssssssss iiiiiiiiiinto your handssss. It isssssssss information Iiiiiiiiii cannnnnnottt giiiiiive assssss a ssssssssssslave. Iiiif you want itttttttttt...Iiiiiii maintain my free will. Thaaattt isssssssss my priccccccccce. If you are a pragmatisssssssssst, insssstead of a mere dark hunger, Iiiiiiii can grant you much. Iiiiiif not....Iiiiiiii die here. No losssssssssss to meeeeee...no gain to you."

"No," smiled Cougar, the smile one that would normally be seen on a wolf stalking it's prey,"It was getting caught alive"

His fist crashed into the mans skull, no doubt putting a concussion straight into the man. He followed up with a series of hammer blows to every part of the mans body, before grabbing him and pinning him to a wall,"I know you can't speak anymore, so listen carefully. This is a seven inch combat knife... and I am going to be using it extensively"

For the next hour or so, he beat the man senseless, cutting off fingers, toes... even his ears. The worst was yet to come. He jammed the knife straight into the mans gut, and ripped upwards. He stuck his hands in, and charged the White Flame slowly but surely. He pulled out the mans organs, making him watch as he did so, keeping him full of stimulants to keep him awake through it all. Eventually, he went back to the last thing he had to do. Charging the White Flame, he let it tear through the man's body, which writhed under it all. Eventually, nothing but a charred husk remained. Cougar made his way towards the door
OOC: Holy crap, that would hurt.

IC: Renor was coming down the corridor. "Is it done?"

"And Why should I turst you? Perhaps the Executioner never told you, I don't take partners, because I don't trust anybody. The one I had, the one I thought of as a brother, turned on me, and hid behind sensless laws, choosing instead to care for you Mortals. I swore I would never again take on a partner, never again trust anyone. Everyone remains at the point of my sword." Kajeenith said, with much bitterness and hatred present in his voice.

OOC: Holy crap, that would hurt.

IC: Renor was coming down the corridor. "Is it done?"

Cougar's eyes rose to meet those of his master. They were filled with... it is hard to describe. On first glance, fury would have been the answer, but as you looked deeper, you saw something else; sorrow and regret. He didn't answer Renor, but kept walking past him, trying to get as far away from that room as possible

As he reached the end of the corridor, he stopped and said quietly,"It's done. He's nothing but a burnt out husk now. He deserved what he got... if only I could have put him through everything he put her through. I failed her... and my own child. I failed them both"

"And Why should I turst you? Perhaps the Executioner never told you, I don't take partners, because I don't trust anybody. The one I had, the one I thought of as a brother, turned on me, and hid behind sensless laws, choosing instead to care for you Mortals. I swore I would never again take on a partner, never again trust anyone. Everyone remains at the point of my sword." Kajeenith said, with much bitterness and hatred present in his voice.
"Why would Iiiii come and rissssssssssssk sssssssso much iiiiiif Iiiiiii would only turn? Iiiiiiiiiif you do notttttttt wisssssssssssssssh to trrrrrrussssssssst me, ttthen killllll me. For tooooo long wassssssssss Iiiiii a sssssssssssslave in Kaymiril....and my life issssss but worth litttttle to me. But my knowledge issssssssss worth much to you....and dead, I can give none...a sssssssssslave, I can give none. Your previoussssss partner issssss of no consssssssequencccccce to me."

Cougar's eyes rose to meet those of his master. They were filled with... it is hard to describe. On first glance, fury would have been the answer, but as you looked deeper, you saw something else; sorrow and regret. He didn't answer Renor, but kept walking past him, trying to get as far away from that room as possible

As he reached the end of the corridor, he stopped and said quietly,"It's done. He's nothing but a burnt out husk now. He deserved what he got... if only I could have put him through everything he put her through. I failed her... and my own child. I failed them both"
"You failed neither of them. You never would have known about the child had he not spoken...it is a terrible burden to bear...but she would have borne it alone to spare you the pain. If anything, Cougar, I failed her. I sent her out on that mission, and when it became apparent that she was in trouble, I gave her time to get herself out of it. I almost failed her permanently."

Renor turned to go further down the corridor, to clean up the ashes. "Speak with her about it...but first...wash the blood from your hands."

"You failed neither of them. You never would have known about the child had he not spoken...it is a terrible burden to bear...but she would have borne it alone to spare you the pain. If anything, Cougar, I failed her. I sent her out on that mission, and when it became apparent that she was in trouble, I gave her time to get herself out of it. I almost failed her permanently."

Renor turned to go further down the corridor, to clean up the ashes. "Speak with her about it...but first...wash the blood from your hands."

Cougar sighed slightly,"I know she would have borne the pain alone... but at least now I can share in her pain, as I vowed to do two years ago"

He walked away, and went back to the room to clean the blood from his hands. He stood in front of the washbasin in their small bathroom, and looked at himself in the mirror. His hands were shaking as he ran the water, the water itself turning crimson as he washed the blood from his hands. He shook so much he had to grip the edges of the basin to stop himself. He looked at himself, and saw the stain on his soul. It was larger than ever, increased by his actions with this murdering son of a b*tch. And it sickened him to see the stain on his own soul... but he found himself also looking at himself in a new light. Although he saw sorrow and regret, he also saw a fierce detemination to make things as right as he could make them. The stain was forever... but he had chosen this path, and he would make things right as he saw them. He didn't blame her for holding this information from him, trying to protect him from the hurt of this information.

By the time he emerged from the bathroom, he'd faced down his fear and his sorrow, and tried to move on. He knew in his heart that the information would scar him for life, but at least now he could face her... before, he didn't think he could've done. Instead of leaving the bedroom, he laid down, and pulled out his music player, selecting a track to listen to, in order to keep his mind occupied. The track was Estranged, by a band known as Guns N' Roses, from Terra's late twentieth century. As he listened, he found himself thinking how the lyrics somehow applied to him:

When you`re talkin to yourself and nobody`s home
You can fool yourself you,came in this world alone(alone)
So nobody ever told you baby how it was gonna be
so what`ll happen to you baby
guess we`ll have to wait and see

ONE TWO

Old at heart but I`m only 28
and I`m much too young to let love break my heart
Young at heart but it`s getting much too late
to find ourselves so far apart
I don`t know how you`re s`posed to find me lately
and what more could you ask from me
how could you say that I never needed you
when you took everything
said you took everything from me

Young at heart and it gets so hard to wait
when no one I know can seem to help me now
Old at heart but I mustn`t hesitate
if I`m to find my own way out
Still talking to myself and nobody`s home (alone)
So nobody ever told us baby how it was gonna be
so what`ll happen to us baby
guess we`ll have to wait and see

*Guitar solo*

When I find out all the reasons
maybe I`ll find another way, find another day
with all the changing seasons of my life
maybe I`ll get it right next time
And that you`ve been broken down
got your head up of the clouds
you`re back down on the ground
and you don`t talk so loud and you don`t walk so proud
any more, and what for
Well I jumped into the river
too many times to make it home
I`m out there on my own and drifting all alone
if it doesn`t show give it time
to read between the lines
`Cause I see the storm`s getting closer
and the waves they get so high
seems everything we`ve ever known`s here
why must it drift away and die
I`ll never find anyone to replace you
guess I`ll have to make it through this time
all this time, without you
I knew the storm was getting closer
and all my friends said I was high
but everything we`ve ever known`s here
I never wanted it to die......

D'anthe comes and perches over the headboard.

I know you hate me, but Mith left a message for either you or Rhenna, or both. There's a package for you in Mithdelmar.

"I don't hate you, D'anthe. Far from it. I'll go and get this package. It's in Mithdelmar you say?"

Yes.

He took his headphones out, and set the player back on the bed. He stood up, stretched a little, before closing his eyes and dissapearing in a column of flame, arriving a second later in Mithdelmar. He set out to find Mith

Mith is doing the boring administrative work when Cougar finds him.

"I'm told you had a package for me"

Mith looks up and puts his pen down, then stands. "Yes...Warfare sent an anniversary gift for you and Rhenmet."

He goes over to a filing cabinet of sorts, and opens one of the drawers, pulling out the package. He hands it to Cougar.

"How is she, anyway?"

Cougar took the package,"Physically she's fine... mentally is another story. And I can't say I'm too good either, after this morning"

Mith reaches out and telekinetically pulls up a chair for Cougar.

"Tell me...what happened?"

"Renor caught one of the guys responsible... he told me that I was to finish him off... So I went in... and he told me all that they did... including the worst possible thing that anyone can tell anyone"

"Then you know about the child. Unfortunate that it had to be lost in the manner that it was...but it would not have survived anyway. All the abuse she took would have almost certainly killed it...it's a miracle it didn't kill her...and even if it had survived that, the measures needed to save her life would have made its life forfeit."

The mage pauses for a bit. This is difficult for any man to say...but to hear it would be infinitely worse...especially if the man hearing it was the father...which in this case, it was.

"At that point, if we'd even detected the child, we would have had to wait until your arrival for approval of those measures...and we would have lost her, as well."

"Then... prehaps it is best that the child was..." He had to pause, thinking very carefully about how he could phrase this without sounding cold and heartless,"I couldn't stand to loose her"

"Best that the child was killed? No...it would have been better had she never known of it at all...this may sound cold, but if you do not know of these things, it does not hurt when it is lost."

Mith reaches out and puts a hand on Cougar's shoulder. "With time, you will both heal. And I know that my master will take good care of the little life that you lost...and will justly torment its murderers."

Cougar smiled at Mith. The mage had been good to him during the time they had known each other, and he was one that Cougar considered a friend,"Thank you Mith... it may take time, but we will heal... together".

He stood up and made sure the package was under his arm, and walked out the room, before teleporting back to the room. He decided to leave the package until she came home, putting it on the bedside table where his knife lay when he slept. He lay back on the bed, put his hands on his chest, and stared at the ceiling

I gather from your expression that you know. She told me not to tell you.

"I found out this morning... I don't blame her, or you. You're just following her orders"

For once, D'anthe had nothing more to say.

A few minutes later, Rhenna comes in, and D'anthe hops off the footboard and chases the cat out of the room.

Rn -- "D'anthe, what are you doing?"

"Giving us a chance to talk," he said, not looking away from his point of focus

She stepped in, and the door slid closed behind her.

He didn't speak for a moment,"I killed him this morning. I killed the murdering son of a b*tch... he got exactly what he deserved"

"What all...did he say?"

"Any number of things... all of it bad. He also dropped the bombshell of all bombshells on me"

She sits down on the edge of the bed, looking at her hands.

"I didn't know...they showed it to me...it was so small..and pale...I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what." Tears begin to slide down her cheeks. "Mith said it wouldn't have survived anyway...but maybe it would have...I should have done something..."

He got up, and moved round in front of her, kneeling and taking her chin in his hand softly, turning her head to face him,"Listen to me... you couldn't have done anything. Mith was right. I know it sounds heartless and callous of me, but he was right. If they had tried to save it, you wouldn't be here, and neither would I"

She doesn't say anything, but a quiet sob escapes her.

He wrapped his arms round her, trying to comfort her. He knew in his head that it was a futile effort, but his heart drove him to do it, and he complied willingly. He held her tightly, just letting the tears escape her and him as well

After a while, the tears stop, but she stays where she is.

He continued to hold her, whispering,"I know why you didn't tell me... it's alright. I understand. I love you"

"And I love you. I'm sorry, James...I should have told you myself...but I couldn't. It still...hurt too much."

He put a finger to her lips,"Shsshh. I told you, I understand. You don't need to explain yourself. All you need to know is that I love you more than you know, and that is all the reason I will ever need to forgive you"

She looks up at him, tears still lingering in her eyes.

He brushed the tears away,"I told you two years ago, and I'm telling you now: I'm not going to give up on you, not ever. You're the person I chose to spend the rest of my life with, and I wouldn't trade that for anything you could tempt me with"

She doesn't say anything, just rests her head on his shoulder and takes his hand.

OOC: Just a note to you...she's more exhausted than anything atm, but isn't really wanting to sleep. Kind of afraid to, y'know?

He held her hand gently, and rubbed her shoulder. He stayed where he was, knelt in front of her, and just held her there

***Meanwhile.***

After D'anthe had chased Rosie from the room, he took a perch wherever he decided was most convenient.

Rosie skidded to a halt, and glared at D'anthe, as if to say,'What'd you do that for?!'

"Kaw!"

Don't you know why, you little idiot?

Rosie hissed slightly, then settled down,'Yeah... I suppose its for the best

D'anthe tucked a head behind his wing, seeing no point in continuing conversation.

'Officious prat' 'said' Rosie, licking her paw to clean herself, before setting off to take a look around... some of the other birds were more friendly to her than that one

After a few minutes, Shan picked Rosie up. "What are you doing out and about at this time? I thought you liked to stay with Cougar."

He scratched her behind the ears.

Rosie just purred. Shan had been kind to her. It was true, she prefered to stay with Cougar most of the time... she would return later

"So, what are we up to today, cat?"

She just continued to purr. No-body could really understand her, but Cougar had a good idea of what she would mean.

Shan carried her to the cafeteria. It was about lunchtime...just after, but the food was still out for any stragglers who wanted to eat. There was a mild fish dish, and he picked out a bit of fish and offered it to her.

"Hungry?"

She sniffed at the fish for a moment, then shook her head. She wasn't hungry at the moment... she just wanted to see what was wrong with her master

"Oh...okay. Well, I'll put you down...think you can find your way?"

He sets her down.

Rosie looked at him sadly, as if to say,Sorry. She rubbed herself against his leg a few times, before setting off for the room. At the door, she looked at him again, and made a promise to herself,I'll play with him later

**********************************************************

Cougar kissed Rhenna's forehead,"I'm glad we could do this"

Shan patted Rosie before she left, and after she was gone, went to find something else to occupy his time.
****************************************************************
Rhenna looks at him and gives him a weak smile. "So am I."

He carressed her cheek softly with his hand, a look of sorrow on his face at her plight.

"I'll be okay, James...in time."

"I know, Rhenna... I know"

"They put it in my hands before they killed it...and I could sense that it was scared. I begged them to put it back, to let it...maybe...live...for all the good it did."

He drew her closer, just being there for her. He didn't know what to say... there wasn't anything he could say

She falls into silence.

He just held her. The silence was awkward, but he didn't know what he could say. He'd made a promise to a person, and he intended to keep it

She knows he isn't comfortable with the silence, but she doesn't know what to say. She slips her arms around him, embracing him gently...but still says nothing.

He felt her arms embrace him gently and allowed himself a slight smile, but it was brief and fleeting. He rubbed her back, not in the way he had the night before, but just as a comfort ideal. She needed it

She stays there. She knows what he's trying to do, and she appreciates the effort...even though it has litle result.

He knew it wasn't having much effect, but he was trying nevertheless. As he held her, his codec beeped in his ear.

Oh no, don't do this to me. Not now

He pressed his fingers to his throat, and had to draw away from her. She could hear him whispering,"Not a good time... tell me you're joking... give me more time... alright... yes sir, I understand"

He turned off the interface, and his face was crestfallen,"That was Barbarossa... I have to go"

she nods. "I understand." She leans up slightly to kiss him. "Take care of yourself, James."

He kissed her softly back, trying to fix it in his mind,"I shouldn't be too long... a few days maybe"

"I'll be here when you get back."

"I'll miss you... love you Rhenna," he said, kissing her again, before picking up his kit, changing into his sneaking suit, and moving out the door

OOC: It's still open

She moves to him swiftly, hugging him from behind tightly. "Come back safely."

He paused where he was, turning as best he could in her grip. He turned to face her, and kissed her deeply,"I promise I'll keep myself safe"

She kisses him back and lets him go. D'anthe comes and perches on top of her head.

He flashed her a smile, and teleported into the cockpit of the Dauntless. He lifted off, and zipped for Snake Eater Prime. As he left, he put a hand on the 'glass' and looked down at Kaymiril. He blew a kiss down through the glass, and fell into the warp...

*********************************************************
Over the next two days Rhenna would expierence brief rushes of excitement, and occasionally, slight amounts of fear, all of which added to the excitement

"He's having fun." Rhenna worked, not even bothering to return to the room. Sleep would only bring memories, all of them bad. She wouldn't sleep or be deterred from her work, despite the entreaties of her pupils and Vedt, and finally the commands of Renor.

Cougar walked along the street to the spaceport, dressed in causal civilian clothes. The mission had gone like a dream, easy... though he doubted they would all be like that. As he walked, a priest of Leviathan came up to him,"Blessed one, why do deny yourself of the offers from the women from your own world?"

C -- F**k off

P -- You could have pure Snake children, ones that could truly defend our nation

C -- I said, f**k off!

P -- You could have a perfectly healthy child within nine months

Cougar snapped. Within a second, the guy was staring down the barrel of a pistol. Cougar's eyes blazed with a dangerous light,"Shut the f**k up, you officious c**t. I love my wife more than anything, and if you ever mention 'pure' children around me again, I will kill you, understand me?"
The priest merely nodded. Cougar brought the pistol up, then smashed the guy across the face regardless. He could get away with it. The very mention of children was enough to make him like this, but to suggest that his children wouldn't be worthy was enough to make him even worse than normal

**********************************************************

As he flew back to Kaymiril, he sat slumped in the command chair,"Mighty Leviathan, what the hell could come next"

L -- Something very dark

C --*starts* What are you talking about?

L -- I'm giving you a warning. You must have felt it, Kajeenth has regained his powers. He is going to start hunting mortals soon, and he is going to come after you and your friends first. People with power such as that cannot be allowed to live according to him. Be vigilant, please Cougar

C -- I have felt it... but I have other things on my ming

L --*Puts his hand on C's shoulder*I know... but it will heal. She knows it... it will take time, but love can prevail

With that he dissapeared, leaving Cougar to muse on his words

**********************************************************

He picked up Rosie in his arms, and stroked her softly,"Hello Rosie, had fun whilst I've been gone?"

She purred, as he noticed the package was still on his table. He sighed slightly, changing back into his normal clothes. He checked the time... she would be teaching... and it looked as though she hadn't been back here since he'd left

Vedt had finally had enough. This wasn't going to get any better with her acting like this...so it was time to beat some sense into her.

But he was guessing from the way she apathetically held her staff that this was not going to be easy.

He lunged in at her, aiming his staff for the back of her head. When this was blocked -- slowly, lethargically -- he whipped his staff around and nailed her in her stomach.

It sent her flying a short distance, and she landed on her side. She stood up, but other than that, didn't move.

She's not interested...this isn't working. So...stronger tactics...and if all this doesn't work...I don't know...

He lunged at her again, but she merely recoiled from the blow...too slow, it caught her across the cheek.

"Come on...will you not even pretend to fight? Or are you too busy feeling sorry for yourself?"

"You don't understand, Vedt. You can't."

"You're right..." He whirled his staff, catching her legs, knocking her down. He pressed his attack, sending her sliding across the room. "I actually got to know my child somewhat before her death."

Rhenna plants her staff on the floor and stands up, leaning heavily on it.

"You can't keep this up, Rhenna. You have too much to live for to do this. Yes, what happened is a tragedy, and yes, no one knows exactly how you feel, but you need to get back on your feet."

He lunges back at her, and is deflected by a block.

"Still too weak. Are dragons such weaklings that when they are hit they stop trying? I know that Drow are not."

He attacked her again with an entire barrage of blows, most of which hit home.

She's going to hurt tonight...why won't she fight back?

As he prepared to drive home a particularly harsh attack, he found himself being driven back from a blow from the end of her staff. He rubbed his chest where she'd hit him.

She looked up at him, glaring, and stood. "This is pointless."

She turned to leave.

V -- "Pointless? If this is pointless, then everything that happened these past few weeks wasn't real! You feel it...you suffer...we watch you."

She turns her head. "It was real...too real...but I would rather forget it all."

"You won't, Rhenmet. You can't. What advice have you given out so many times? Does it not apply to you?"

Rn -- "How dare you..."

V -- "I dare because I am the Master's Right Hand...and because I am your friend. You need someone to knock some sense into you, Rhenna."

Rn -- *softly* "No...I need time to heal." She drops her staff and walks out.

Vedt swears softly, and puts his staff away, calling hers to go to its place, as well.

Cougar hung his sneaking suit up, noting the tear in the left hand side. His hand went to the knife wound that he had recieved. It no longer bothered him, being merely a flesh wound. He left the room, and started to walk around, trying to find something to do to pass the time.

As he rounded a corner, he saw Rhenna coming towards him. His eyes flew to a bruise on her cheek, and he suspected from the way she was walking that not only was she exhausted, but also bruised elsewhere,"Told you I'd be back safely"

She smiles wearily at him and goes over to kiss him. "Yes, you did."

He kissed her back, his fingers brushing across the bruise,"What happened?"

"Oh, this? Nothing...Vedt thought he was helping."

"Strange help," he said, resting his fingers on the bruise for a fleeting moment, before putting his arms around her,"I missed you"

She returns his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. "I missed you, too."

She looks exhausted... maybe I can help... it's worth a try

"You haven't been sleeping, have you?"

She shakes her head. "Not much."

He sighed, and took her hands in his,"I know you don't want to hear this again, especially from me... but running from it won't help it go away"

"I'm not running away."

"You know what I mean... I can't claim to know what you're feeling, but I know what it's like to be plagued by things you'd rather forget. I know how hard it can be, to have to go to sleep knowing that you are going to suffer the same nightmare. But, if you face it, it will be easier to move on"

His voice was soft, calm, but also regretful. He didn't want to have to tell her this, but his worry about her had reached a point where he was willing to take such a large risk... he didn't know what the reaction was going to be

She shakes her head. "I'm fine. I'll sleep tonight, okay?"

He smiled slightly,"I'll hold you to that." He kissed her softly, glad to be home

She kissed him back. She wanted it to linger, but midday in Rendelmar is the busiest part.

He let it linger slightly longer than was necessery, not caring if people saw them. Eventually, he broke it, and smiled,"I take it you're teaching this afternoon?"

"All afternoon."

"All right, I'll see you later. Take care of yourself"

He kissed her quickly once more, and started to walk towards a training room that he knew was slightly tougher than he used normally

She kissed him back and went to her class.

He spent the afternoon training with a fevour, fuelled by something he didn't understand. Firstly there was the knife wound, but there were other things. Multiple bruises, scrapes... hell, he'd dislocated his shoulder at one point, and had to fix it on the spot. He should've gone to Mithdelmar, but he didn't. He took the pain, and channeled it into his training

The hours pass.

He eventually returned to the room, grimy and in desperate need of a shower. He got in, and felt the warm water soothe his muscles into a state of relaxation he really didn't deserve. Having been in for a good twenty minutes, he got out and redressed in new clothes. He left to get dinner following this, sitting alone as per usual

Rhenna returned to the room after she was finished teaching. She sat on the bed and looked over at the anniversary present that Warfare had sent her and Cougar. It was still unopened...no offense to Warfare, but she wasn't in the mood for music or dance.

She called D'anthe over so she could start getting some work done. She'd sleep tonight...but she couldn't promise she'd sleep long or well.

He returned about ten minutes later, noticing that the package had shifted position, but remained unopened. He took in that she was working, and instead sat down behind her, running his hand across her back,"Good evening"

"Good evening." There were several soft spots (read: bruises) on her back from the earlier match.

Kajeenith was considering the Lizard thing in front of him.

"Your going to have to earn my trust. Tell me, what is your name, or should I call you Lizardman?" Kajeenith said.

"The name Iiiii hhhhhhaatched tttto wassssssss Ivikk. Butttttttt...Lizzzzardman willll sssufficcccccce. Iiiiiiit hasssssss been what Iiiiiiiii have resssssssssponded tttttoo for tttwenty eight yearsssssss."

He nodded approvingly at Kajeenith's other statement.

"Iiiiif you jusssssst trusssssssssssted aaaanyone, theen you would be a fool, and nottttttt worthy of my asssssssssissssstanccccce."

"Well then, Ivikk Lizardman, I have a task for you to do, that will gain a large amount of my trust, if accomplished. Take what I am going to give you, go to the temple of Lolth, in the underdark, and resurect her. You may have to go to layer 69 in the Infinite Layers of the abyss which historacly is one of her favorite haunts, but I am sure her temple in the Underdark will suffice. After she is resurected, bring her to me." Kajeenith said.

He brought something out of his pockets, a bag of holding. The items and sacrifices there in were the ones Lolth needed to return, and if she was already back, well, they would make pleasing offerings, and perhaps intice her to come.

He had a plan. Ivikk was wrong to assume he knew nothing of the modern world. He was still concious in that statue, forced to simply watch with his mind. He knew all about the modern world, and had followed Warfare's war with Death. he knew Kaymiril was a strong ally of Warfare's he needed something sufficent to distract him while he faught Warfare, otherwise Kaymiril would step in and stop his revenge. He knew Lolth was upset at the Rouge Drow of Kaymiril, he knew she wanted revenge herself. Warfare had stopped her last time. Well, this time, it would be diffrent, it would be diffrent indeed....

The lizard took the bag of holding and left Kajeenith's temple. In and of himself, he had no problems resurrecting/bringing back Lolth.

He entered the Underdark, and began to worm his way through, sneaking past hook horrors and bugbears (and whatever else he might find), into Lolth's Temple.

The clerics there questioned his presence, but he blinded them all with a light spell, and hurried quickly in.

He sealed the great doors behind himself, and set up the items. Normally, it would take a series of priestesses...Lolth would not be pleased to find a non-drow male at her reawakening.

He made the proper incantations, and the goddess began to reform. As she came to, she lifted her head and glared at the Lizard.

"Who are you to dare enter my temple?"

I -- "A humble being at the employ of Kajeenith...he ssssssssent me to resssssssssurrecttt you."

L -- "Kajeenith? Kajeenith is back?"

I -- "Yessssssssss Misssssssssstressss. He isssss back and much dessssssiresssssssssss audiencccccce with you."

Lolth stood up. She looked like a full Drow woman in her current form...a beautiful Drow woman. She grabbed the Lizard by the throat. "We will see.:

She took them to Kajeenith's temple and dragged the poor Lizardman through. When she got to the doors, she raised a finely-sculpted eyebrow. "Right or left?"

"L--left," choked out the lizard. Lolth opened the door and tossed the lizard across the floor toward Kajeenith.

"This...worm...told me you wished to speak with me?"
***************************************************************
Arel closed her eyes for a minute, wherever she was.

"Lolth has returned...and soon, her anger will bend toward us."

The festival at Chathdelmar was long over with, and she and her siblings had parted ways.

OOC: If you don't mind, Warhaven, I will continue to play Lolth.

OOC: Conttroling her never entered my mind.

IC:"Yes, milady. Put the poor Lizardman down. I still have some use of him." Kajeenith said.

He waved his hand and Ivikk vanished to a room he could call his own.

"I actually was wondering if you would be willing to assist me. As anyone knows, I want to destroy Warfare more than anything. I also know the nation of Kaymiril is one of his strongest allies, and that for reasons of your own, you also wish revenge against Kaymiril. Thus, I suggest the following,

We know that Warfare and his followers, and slivers would assist Kaymiril should you activly seek retributiion against Kaymiril. We know Kaymiril would aid Warfare should i suddenly jump up and attack him. I was thinking, maybe, maybe we could help each other, and attack at the same time against our respective nations, seperating the two from each other. Kaymiril will be too busy with you to assist Warfare, just as he will be too busy with me to assist Kaymiril, but even still, Kaymiril's Queen is powerful, and her and all her elite mages might be able to cause you problems, because there is a third source to consider, Leviathan. I saw him at Warfare's wedding to some upstart new goddess named Arianna. We need a third Dark God, to bind Leviathan's hands, and prevent him from interfering. if all goes well, then we will both get what we want, sweet sweet revenge. I only worry because Kaelis Ra is bound away from the mortal realm at the moment, and he is the only one I know of, able to cause enough panick to cause Leviathan and his chosen flame bearer enough panick to turn all of their attention to The nation of Snake Eaters." Kajeenith said. He was long winded when he wanted to be.

While he was talking, the room shifted and changed, and illusions demonstrated Kajeenith's points.

"Would you care for something to drink?" Kajeenith asked.

OOC: Not ignoring the Bard Arc, just getting this out of the way.

"I take the pleasures of drink only in my home plane. Thank you for the offer, though. I understand what you are saying...attack from all sides, and the structure will crumble...remove but one card, and the whole structure will fall. Worry not about Snake Eaters...Nergul has been plaguing them for quite some time. With a little...persuasion...he can spread epidemic and death across their puny little rivvil empire. Death may no longer be on our side...but she, like her predecessor, must do her duty, am I correct?"

"Alright, then, there is one last thing. The Drow of Kaymiril do not truely fear, you. They only fear the destruction and death that follows you. I have for you, a seed of Darkness, gained at the price of an innocent soul. Use it on yourself, and you will be equal to Leviathan, or at least in the same close area of power. I have on for Nergul as well, should he decide to help." Kajeenith said.

He held out a seed, the room seemd a little darker in its presence.

Lolth took the seed and activated its power. "You have progressed, Kajeenith. Of old, you would not have made the sacrifice necessary to gain these. A messenger of mine will be sent to Nergul. It will all be done."

**************************************************************
Meanwhile, Arel's pretty much starting to flip out. She's set up a dark bowl and filled it with water...she's only waiting for the necessary calm before starting the scry spell.

Come on...breathe...easy. You've got to find out what's going on...easy.

Roy noticed Arel's unease.

"What's going on?" He asked, sitting beside her.
**************************************************************

"An eternity in a statue will do that to you." Kajeenith said.

The Dark Energy crackled around him.

"I don't know why Yore was ever afraid of this." Kajeenith asked of no one.

OOC: Don't worry about Yore, I have a plan in mind for him...

OOC: Now we get some humor.

IC:
"What's going on, what's going on? The world as we know it is turning heads for tails, and you ask 'what's going on' like there's nothing happening!"

She pauses, closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and releases it.

"I'm trying to run a scry spell so that I can' find out exactly what is happening. In order to do that, I need to be absolutely calm. I don't think I'm quite there yet."
**************************************************************
Lolth goes and begins preparations among her followers nearest the Underdark entrance to Kaymiril.
**************************************************************
T'puuli sends a message to Anna. She has returned, and she prepares to march on us.

A *musing, to herself* Then what is to be done? Kajeenith and Lolth...perhaps together...and attacking separately. Preparations for war are already being made...but Lloth...I will face her myself.

OOC:Any way that Lizardman could mingle with Kajeenith's followers?

Roy casts the scry spell.

"There you go, you should let me help you when you can't do it. Really I don't mind." Roy said.

OOC: Reveal what you were going to reveal.

**************************************************************
Kajeenith walked the top of his temple. He knew Lolth and Nergul would fail. He would attack, he would attack full force. They would all fail, it was all apart of the plan. They were all puppets in his grand scheme. One other gift he had been granted, was a return. He would use it. Warfare always fell silent and inactive after he defeated Kajeenith. Kajeenith knew this, and right after Warfare grew his weakest, Kajeenith would reappear at his strongest, and kill him. Kajeenith would win. His plan, was flawless. Lolth and Nergul were nothing more than pawns, Sacrifices to wear everyone down.

Daigalleon and his friends had long since come to Kajeenith's side. they had slowly grown in strength, and power. Daigalleon would lead the Dark paladins against Warfare. The Dark Wizards, for there were many, would both attack Warfare, and after Lolth was gone, attack Kaymiril. The Druids, became blighters, beings that cursed nature and killed it, following Dark Gaia. They would curse Kaymiril and Warfare's lands into infertility.

Kajeenith was unconcerned with all of them though, they could die for qall he cared, as long as he destroyed Warfare.

Ivikk Lizardman found himself among Kajeenith's followers, who eyed him suspicously.

The Executioner watched the Lizardman. He waited for an oppurtunity to quiz him on his true motives.

OOC: Gotta go for the night.

OOC: Scry spells don't work like that...whoever casts the scry spell is the one who will see everything...and for it to really work, they have to be looking for something specific. So Roy sees whatever Roy sees...and Arel just really needs to calm down.

IC:
The Kaymirilian forces were preparing...army, mage...the entirety of Rendelmar (unless you're younger than thirty.)

Anna was also planning with Mith. After this battle with Kajeenith ended (presuming they all still lived), she would have her 'first' child.
*************************************************************
The Lizardman merely coiled up to listen to Kajeenith's followers speak. He could feel the eyes of the Executioner upon him...but he had suspected this would happen.
*************************************************************
Death appeared next to Kajeenith. "My predecessor let you linger in hopes that you would do something like this. Your time is long over...be punctual for your appointment with me."

She then disappeared.

Kajeenith merly laughed at Death. The darkness would let him return. It gave him the power, once, and once only, not that he would need it.

He used the power of a return, on an Avatar. The real Kajeenith faded away, seemingly only a memory. For all intents and purposes, the avatar was ther real Kajeenith, however, once it was defeated, the real one would return, at full power. He loved irratating Death.

His followers merely stirred with nervous anticipation. The fake Kajeenith yelled at them, and they began to stir into action. The time would be soon. Kajeenith's forces were ready, he merly awaited Lolth's signal.

Warfare and his followers were ready, Warfare had been watching. He felt lolth's presence at Kajeenith's temple fortress. He knew her presence meant the war was now. His forces were ready.
**************************************************************

Roy relayed everything to Arel, and moved to hold her and comfort her, and in general, help her calm down.

He looked over at the water, a diffrent face showed on the water, A grotesque face, a face that haunted him, and chased him. He had found him. The Dark Bard had found Roy, again.

"Good evening." There were several soft spots (read: bruises) on her back from the earlier match.
OOC: Yay, I'm not considered a real threat :)... wait, that's a bad thing. And by 'Rendelmar', also read 'Cougar' as Leviathan told him of Kajeenith's return to power

IC: "How you feeling?"

He frowned slightly as he felt the bruises on her back, but didn't say anything about them. He knew Vedt had meant well... but was this the only way?

"I'm okay."

He put his hand softly on her shoulder,"Good to hear"

She reaches up to touch the hand on her shoulder. "It's good to have you home."

He smiled slightly,"It's good to be home... it felt really weird, being away and being alone in the mission"

"You didn't look like you'd been hurt too badly."
*************************************************************
A yochol appeared at Nurgle's latest haunt.

"My lord, I bear a message from my mistress."

"That's because I wasn't. Normal bumps and bruises, nothing more than that"

Careful... given the situation
**********************************************************

Nurgle looked down from his plinth. The Plague God, the oldest of the Chaos Gods, was well aware of the events in the rest of the universe, but chose to remain in the warp until he could take full advantage.

"Hurry up and speak then"

She nods.

*************************************************************
"As we are sure our lord is aware, Kajeenith has returned and intends to destroy mortal kind. There are only three nations that would stand against us: Warfare and his followers, Kaymiril, and the Snake Eater Empire...likely Leviathan, as well. While the former two are being seen to, the third remains something of a wild card. We know you have been plaguing the Snake Eaters for some time now...and we would ask that you move up your plans, to keep them out of this war. The diseases you send upon them are ravaging and deadly...think how pleasing it would be to watch them writhe and moan under an epidemic of such."

Nurgle laughed, the sores on his body oozing pus as he did so,"Kajeenith is a young upstart who thinks he knows what it is to be a dark god. His venture will fail. Warfare is no fool, he would have anticipated every possible move. And Snake Eaters is not the only one to suffer under my gaze. I am but one in a plot that has been years in the making. To speed it up now would destroy our chances of eliminating them from the galaxy...Nurgle's Rot is the most deadly of all the diseases I can produce, but they have developed a cure for that. Also, I will not serve as underdog to an upstart such as Kajeenith... Kaelis Ra is a much better choice to ask, if you can find a way to release him from his imprisonment"

**********************************************************

Cougar put his other hand on the opposite shoulder, and rubbed them slightly.

"I will inform my mistress of your message, my lord."

The yochl disappeared. SEP was still a wildcard.

*************************************************************
"Don't stop..that feels good."

Nurgle thought for a moment, then spread his tendrils out to converse with Khorne,"It has begun"

K -- He will fail

N -- Have you spoken to the others?

K -- They are not yet ready... Tzeentch needs more time to have everything fall into place

N -- What of the C'tan?

K -- The Void Dragon still sleeps. He will sleep for a long time yet. The Nightbringer (Kaelis Ra) is imprisoned by the will of Leviathan... and the Deciever cannot be trusted at this stage

**********************************************************

He smiled,"I won't stop then"

She sat there, starting to relax for the first time since the day she'd gotten back.

He felt the tension begin to ebb away from her muscles. It was a start, a small victory, a small step to bringing her back. It would be a long time before it would be the same, but it was time well spent. He kept his hands on her shoulders, not doing anything more provocative

Kajeenith, the real one, noticed the last Dark seed did not disappear. Nergul was a fool to not participate in this chance to usher in the age of the Dark Gods. After Warfare gets destroyed, the Mortal hunt would begin.

"Reember the first time we went on a vacation? We went to the Cobrian falls first thing...I thought I'd never seen a more beautiful place."

"Reember the first time we went on a vacation? We went to the Cobrian falls first thing...I thought I'd never seen a more beautiful place."
OOC: Nurgle's been around almost as long as Kajeenith, and has been pure evil since the start of that. He can see the failings... and do you really think Warhaven that he is going to be an underdog to a god who has only just become pure Dark God... anyway, Chaos have their own plans

IC: "It is beautiful there... remember the coastline when we went sailing that one day?"

"That was beautiful, too...especially around sunset."
************************************************************
Death appeared next to Warfare.

"My armies are ready to march...where would be the best place to deploy them?"

He smiled, sitting a little closer to her,"We were lucky... that meteor shower gave an impressive display that far south"

She smiles. "Just like we were lucky that the particular volcano that erupted the day we went was the biggest one, and it erupted only a few minutes after we got there?"

He laughed quietly,"Yes. Exactly the same"

She smiles and leans back against him. "They were both impressive displays."

"Ensure that Kaymiril is safe. Don't worry about me, I have been planning for an event such as this for ages. I can handle Kajeenith." Warfare said.

OOC: Hey, its all IC. Personally, I hope Kajeenith gets his butt kicked from one side of creation and back again.

IC: Kajeenith was still waiting for Lolth. The Executioner disappeared, and went to Lolth.

"I am the Executioner, personal servant of Lord Kajeenith, he enquires as to when you will be ready, and requests that you send a signal when you are." The Executioner said.

He kissed her softly, and put his arms round her waist,"Of course they were... it was pure luck though"

"Ensure that Kaymiril is safe. Don't worry about me, I have been planning for an event such as this for ages. I can handle Kajeenith." Warfare said.

OOC: Hey, its all IC. Personally, I hope Kajeenith gets his butt kicked from one side of creation and back again.

IC: Kajeenith was still waiting for Lolth. The Executioner disappeared, and went to Lolth.

"I am the Executioner, personal servant of Lord Kajeenith, he enquires as to when you will be ready, and requests that you send a signal when you are." The Executioner said.
"Very soon, Kaymiril will be sending a request for the assistence of Snake Eaters. Aside from that, the Kaymirilian mages have more power than Lolth's priestesses. Be warned, though...the Kajeenith you will face will be a mere avatar."
**************************************************************
"We will be ready when my forces have finally gathered. The Underdark is a big place. As for a signal..." She reaches out and grabs a spider.

"She will tell him when all is ready."

OOC: Warhaven, there are a coupla things SE and I need to work out before the battle, we'll try and do that quickly.
**************************************************************
Only a few minutes after the scry had been completed, Sussun dropped down in front of Arel. Seera's face appeared on the screen.

S -- "Kaymiril marches to war soon. You know what this means."

Arel nods. "I'll be there."
**************************************************************
He kissed her softly, and put his arms round her waist,"Of course they were... it was pure luck though"
She kissed him back. "Of course."

He smiled, and looked at his watch. Midnight, and she'd promised to sleep... he anticipated some problems with that, and felt the hypospray in his pocket. Instant knockout anastecthic, good for six hours. He'd mixed in the dream suppresant he took from time to time as well, to spare her the nightmares and let her sleep,"It's getting late"

"It is."

"You promised you'd sleep"

"I'm trying." The words came out a bit sharper than she'd intended, and she shakes her head and sighs. "It isn't easy." These were softer, and lacked the edge.

"I know it isn't easy... but I can make it easier"

With that, he reached into his pocket, brought out the hypsopray, and pressed it to her neck,"I'm sorry about this... you'll sleep just fine tonight thanks to this. I'm so sorry"

The effect was almost instanteous

OOC: Its all good, don;t worry.

"An Avatar? Kajeenith insults me then. He probably thinks to wear me down withthe avatar, then reappear right afterwards when I am weak and kill me. Fool, His Avatars are particularly weak against me, never figured out why either. So unless he has a horde of Avatars coming at me, I'm safe." Warfare said.

**************************************************************
"We will await your messenger then." The executioner said.
He swung his axe hard, hit the floor, and disappeared. It was his trademark exit.
**************************************************************
"Is this something I can help you with?" Roy asked.

Her eyes close as the drug takes effect, and she's fairly quickly asleep.

OOC: Its all good, don;t worry.

"An Avatar? Kajeenith insults me then. He probably thinks to wear me down with the avatar, then reappear right afterwards when I am weak and kill me. Fool, His Avatars are particularly weak against me, never figured out why either. So unless he has a horde of Avatars coming at me, I'm safe." Warfare said.

**************************************************************
"We will await your messenger then." The executioner said.
He swung his axe hard, hit the floor, and disappeared. It was his trademark exit.
**************************************************************
"Is this something I can help you with?" Roy asked.
"Just remember...he's very late for his appointment with my predecessor...if you can't kill him, then I will."
**************************************************************
Lolth looked at the yochl disguised as a spider. "I guess we wait, then."
**************************************************************
"We go to help fight, Roy...you could help if you wanted to...but if you didn't, we understand. It's not your nation...not your battle...not here, anyway. Elsewhere, though...I don't know. I get the feeling that this is bigger than Kaymiril. You might be needed among your own people."

He kissed her forehead,"Sleep well, my love"

He sat on the edge of the bed, and called Barbarossa himself,"We need to talk"

B -- What about?

C -- War marches on Kaymiril and Snake Eaters. They will hit here first, you've got to help them as best you can

B -- They haven't made an offical request

C -- I have it on good authority one is being prepared.

B --*Thinks*They have helped us many times... the time to repay the debt is approaching. What do you need?

C -- The best.

B -- The Crisis suits are ready for deployment. I can have three hundred sent to you

C -- Those new battlesuits? The ones that the Tau allowed us to use?

B -- Yes. The very same. Large range of weapons... they have jump-packs as well

C -- Thanks... have them ready to go as soon as they can

B -- I will... how is she?

C -- Not good I'm afraid... I had to make her sleep

B -- She'll be fine in time

C -- So I've been told. See you soon

B -- Keep yourself safe, James

He signed off, and left James alone. After a few minutes, he laid down next to her, putting his arm round her, and following her to sleep

"No, I can, but I can't go back there. Its very complicated and takes far too long to explain. I will help you." Roy said.
**************************************************************
"Me? Not kill Kajeenith? Gee, I know Mortals went a little crazy when they ascended, but really, I think you might want to visit the healing and Psionic Gods, you need your head examined Aras." Warfare said in pure jest. The humor was quite obvious.

He kissed her forehead,"Sleep well, my love"

He sat on the edge of the bed, and called Barbarossa himself,"We need to talk"

B -- What about?

C -- War marches on Kaymiril and Snake Eaters. They will hit here first, you've got to help them as best you can

B -- They haven't made an offical request

C -- I have it on good authority one is being prepared.

B --*Thinks*They have helped us many times... the time to repay the debt is approaching. What do you need?

C -- The best.

B -- The Crisis suits are ready for deployment. I can have three hundred sent to you

C -- Those new battlesuits? The ones that the Tau allowed us to use?

B -- Yes. The very same. Large range of weapons... they have jump-packs as well

C -- Thanks... have them ready to go as soon as they can

B -- I will... how is she?

C -- Not good I'm afraid... I had to make her sleep

B -- She'll be fine in time

C -- So I've been told. See you soon

B -- Keep yourself safe, James

He signed off, and left James alone. After a few minutes, he laid down next to her, putting his arm round her, and following her to sleep
It was midnight in Kaymiril...making it about six in the evening in Snake Eaters.
Queen Kaymiril VII was finished preparing her official request to the Snake Eaters Empire.

She hated doing this. She hated risking the lives of another nation's warriors...but she didn't think that the Kaymirilian forces would be quite enough to defeat the armies of Lolth that were going to march upon them soon.

So she sent the letter.


To: Lord Barbarossa, President of the Snake Eater Empire.
Concerning: Request for assistance.

Lord Barbarossa,

War is coming swiftly to Kaymiril, as the armies of Lolth prepare to march against
us. On our own, I doubt very much that we will be able to defeat them. Should
we fail, Kaymiril will fall.

Therefore we request aid from the Snake Eaters Empire. Whatever you are willing
to send will be greatly appreciated.

Valsharess Kaymiril VII.
**************************************************************
"No, I can, but I can't go back there. Its very complicated and takes far too long to explain. I will help you." Roy said.
**************************************************************
"Me? Not kill Kajeenith? Gee, I know Mortals went a little crazy when they ascended, but really, I think you might want to visit the healing and Psionic Gods, you need your head examined Aras." Warfare said in pure jest. The humor was quite obvious.
Arel nods. "Come on, then. We'll get going as soon as camp is packed up." She went to dump out the scry bowl.
**************************************************************
"Curb your humor, Warfare. If he kills you, then I will have to take you, just as I will have to take him should you prevail."

It was midnight in Kaymiril...making it about six in the evening in Snake Eaters.
Queen Kaymiril VII was finished preparing her official request to the Snake Eaters Empire.

She hated doing this. She hated risking the lives of another nation's warriors...but she didn't think that the Kaymirilian forces would be quite enough to defeat the armies of Lolth that were going to march upon them soon.

So she sent the letter.


To: Lord Barbarossa, President of the Snake Eater Empire.
Concerning: Request for assistance.

Lord Barbarossa,

War is coming swiftly to Kaymiril, as the armies of Lolth prepare to march against
us. On our own, I doubt very much that we will be able to defeat them. Should
we fail, Kaymiril will fall.

Therefore we request aid from the Snake Eaters Empire. Whatever you are willing
to send will be greatly appreciated.

Valsharess Kaymiril VII.



To: Valsharess Kaymiril VII
RE: Assitance

Your Highness,

My representative has already informed me of the dire situation
facing Kaymiril at this time. We are willing to help you in anyway we can

As I write this, I am deploying the latest in Snake Eater Technology to you.
A trade agreement with another race has given us the means to help you.
I am sending three hundred Crisis Battlesuits,
suits of armour that protect the wearer and arm him in such a deadly manner.

Also, five thousand troops have been sent to you, commanded by General Jack
Garion. He is a good man, and will fight for you without question.

Lord Barbarossa

Roy begins helping packing camp up.
**************************************************************
"Oh no Aras, there will be no soul taking this toime. We're going to destroy each others souls. Either there will be no more Warfare, or there will be no more Kajeenith, in either case, except in legend." Warfare said.

To: Valsharess Kaymiril VII
RE: Assitance

Your Highness,

My representative has already informed me of the dire situation
facing Kaymiril at this time. We are willing to help you in anyway we can

As I write this, I am deploying the latest in Snake Eater Technology to you.
A trade agreement with another race has given us the means to help you.
I am sending three hundred Crisis Battlesuits,
suits of armour that protect the wearer and arm him in such a deadly manner.

Also, five thousand troops have been sent to you, commanded by General Jack
Garion. He is a good man, and will fight for you without question.

Lord Barbarossa
To: Lord Barbarossa
Re: Assistance

Lord Barbarossa,

Your assistance is greatly appreciated. We are indebted to you and
your men.

Xal U'nef Zuch Ser Dosst Menvis,

Valsharess Kaymiril VII.

Roy begins helping packing camp up.
**************************************************************
"Oh no Aras, there will be no soul taking this time. We're going to destroy each others souls. Either there will be no more Warfare, or there will be no more Kajeenith, in either case, except in legend." Warfare said.
Camp is packed quickly and efficiently (hey, they've gotta travel light), and Sussun is activated. Arel steps on, and waits for Roy.
**************************************************************
"Say what you believe...I tell you what I know."

Roy steps on.
**************************************************************
Warfare pulls out an ancient sheet of parchment. on it is written the following:

"We agree on this day, the 20th of the month know as December, that the two of us, Dark Lord Kajeenith, and Good Warfare will no more than War with each other five times, this being signed upon the second time. At the advent of the 5th, we will declare Final combat with each other a destroy each other's souls, to where there is no more of the other, and the stories will be all there is.

We do this to preserve the peace and prosperity of Creation, being of a clear and level headed state of mind at the time of signing.

Signed:

Warfare, 20,000 B.C. Kajeenith, 20,000 B.C
X X
X X
X X"

"There have been four wars total, this is the fifth. Each X under our names means that we still remember and agree to this." Warfare said.

He walked away to a nearby clear area.

"KAJEENITH, REMEMBER OUR AGREEMENT." Warfare called out.

Warfare added the fifth X beneath his name. A bolt of energy flashed, and added the fifth X beneath Kajeenith's name. Warfare took a lighter, and burned the Parchment, sealing their agreement in Flame.

Roy steps on.
**************************************************************
Warfare pulls out an ancient sheet of parchment. on it is written the following:

"We agree on this day, the 20th of the month know as December, that the two of us, Dark Lord Kajeenith, and Good Warfare will no more than War with each other five times, this being signed upon the second time. At the advent of the 5th, we will declare Final combat with each other a destroy each other's souls, to where there is no more of the other, and the stories will be all there is.

We do this to preserve the peace and prosperity of Creation, being of a clear and level headed state of mind at the time of signing.

Signed:

Warfare, 20,000 B.C. Kajeenith, 20,000 B.C
X X
X X
X X"

"There have been four wars total, this is the fifth. Each X under our names means that we still remember and agree to this." Warfare said.

He walked away to a nearby clear area.

"KAJEENITH, REMEMBER OUR AGREEMENT." Warfare called out.

Warfare added the fifth X beneath his name. A bolt of energy flashed, and added the fifth X beneath Kajeenith's name. Warfare took a lighter, and burned the Parchment, sealing their agreement in Flame.
They arrive with the rest of the Kaymirilian forces, and Arel seeks out her siblings.
**************************************************************
"Then it will be Final Death."

Barbarossa smiled, and sent the command out to the men of the Coldstream Guards. They were going back to war...

**********************************************************
*0545, Kaymirilian Time*
Cougar woke up, his heart racing. The dream had been terrible. War had overthown Kaymiril... his friends were all gone, buried beneath the smoking ashes.

He sat up, and swallowed to rid his mouth of the foul taste. He looked down at Rhenna, whose injection was due to wear off soon. He smiled slightly, pleased to see her asleep. He kissed her, then went to take a shower before the day started

Roy follows Arel to her siblings.
**************************************************************
"Yes, it will."

OOC: I have forshadowed and pretty much told you whats going to happen. Some of the smallest details have the biggest meanings...

Barbarossa smiled, and sent the command out to the men of the Coldstream Guards. They were going back to war...

**********************************************************
*0545, Kaymirilian Time*
Cougar woke up, his heart racing. The dream had been terrible. War had overthown Kaymiril... his friends were all gone, buried beneath the smoking ashes.

He sat up, and swallowed to rid his mouth of the foul taste. He looked down at Rhenna, whose injection was due to wear off soon. He smiled slightly, pleased to see her asleep. He kissed her, then went to take a shower before the day started
Rhenna woke up exactly on time, her eyes clear. She could hear the water running in the shower. He didn't get much sleep...not enough for a human, but maybe enough for him. Hopefully.

She sat up and stretched out some. They were supposed to be out on the field in half an hour...which meant everyone else would already be ready to leave.

She dressed in the Black Class Battle Gear...not something Cougar would have seen before. They would not be cloaked, none of them. Instead, they wore a form of armor, heavily enchanted. Spikes stuck out from the side of the arms, making it only necessary to lash out and connect to kill. She then fitted on her mask.
**************************************************************
Quen Kaymiril VII was likewise preparing for war. She donned the ancient armor of her line, and took up her weapon. She herself would face Lloth...but to face a goddess...no matter. Lloth had been defeated before...and would be defeated again.
**************************************************************
Haldosir was already on the field of battle, as were Nervim and Rildorath...each with their respective troops. Now, all that there was was to wait.
**************************************************************
Iliaykim, temporarily reassigned to Sarnor Zotreth, sat atop his Thalack and readied his weapons.

"The ancient gods decreed victory to those who could take it...and no mercy to the weak."

Roy follows Arel to her siblings.
**************************************************************
"Yes, it will."

OOC: I have forshadowed and pretty much told you whats going to happen. Some of the smallest details have the biggest meanings...
OOC: You don't need to tell me about foreshadowing. It's one of my fave techniques.

IC:
They're preparing not with instruments...but with swords.

S -- "What do you think...clerics?"

A -- "Sounds about right."
**************************************************************
"I will meet you on the field of battle...Kaymiril can take care of itself."

Death fades away.

OOC: Gotta go, be back later. Take care of Kay's battles, then I'll take care of Kajeenith tonight.

Costh returned from the wilderness where he'd been training and found a scene of orderly chaos and perparation for something. He then began searching for someone who seemed less busy than the rest to find out what was happening.

He came out dressed in his sneaking suit, the hole repaired. Attached to the webbing straps were two knife sheaths, both with knives in them. In a pouch, he carried throwing knives, just in case. In his holster sat the weapon she had made for him, and in it's sheath on the oppostie side, his Gunblade. His eyes already flickered with the power within, but he kept it back for now. There was a time and place for it.

He stopped when he saw her, and took in everything she wore with the eyes of a solider, impressed with the entire design. He saw her mask on her face, and thought back to the first time he had seen her wear it. So long ago now. He smiled slightly,"Time to go"

**********************************************************

General Garion drummed his fingers ceaselessly, checking the time display on his suit. It was almost time... and they might be late. The Colonial Marines, Snake Eater's premier drop-troops might be late, but they would help in any way they could

She nods, and takes him to where the rest were waiting...all but the very littlest ones, and a few caretakers. All were armed and armored, and all were masked. Vedt tossed Rhenna her whip as she came in.

Renor nodded. "We go." He initiated the teleportation spell, and they arrived at the battlefield, with the other mages.
**************************************************************
Lolth looked at her now assembled troops.

"Nin."

As one they marched...hundreds of thousands of Drow...warriors...priestesses...who knew exactly how many there would be...and they faced off with their Kaymirilian counterparts.

As they arrived, he shot a glance around, seeing no battlesuits. He cursed under his breath, and then looked out at the battlefield. Hundreds of thousands of rogue Drow, all waiting. He looked at his watch. It read 0640. He breathed deeply in, ridding himself of the fear inherrent in this form of battle, before saying to her,"Be careful out there"

Her eyes were harder than he'd ever seen them. "I will be. You, too, Cougar."
**************************************************************

At 6:45 exactly, the armies of Lolth were finished gathering. She nods at her yochl, which vanishes to report to Kajeenith.

She commands a different yochl, which sounds the battle charge, and the armies of Lolth begin to move.

The clerics and wizards (they actually call their male mages wizards) cast spells from the back.
**************************************************************
The young Kaymirilian Queen sees the enemy begin to attack, and she motions her armies into motion.

The warriors charge in, while T'puuli directs her pupils to target the Underdark Mages at the back as they started bringing in meteors.

The other mages charged in, casting whichever magick fitted them best.

"I will be"

His eyes grew white, his hair grew longer, streaked with white as it did so. His entire form was wreathed in the Flame as he crashed into the battle. His mind was focused, but there was something at the back of it,'Where the hell are they?'

He didn't pause, using everything he had learnt and more besides. Everywhere he looked was a whirling fight, much like the one with the previous Death more than a year ago. He continued to fight, his blade lashing out wherever it got the chance

**********************************************************
Garion swore as he looked at the readings,"All units, prepare to deploy and engage on landing. The battle has begun. I repeat, the battle is joined. Good luck to you all"

The Orca dropships, capable of carrying entire companies of men into battle, scorched through the atmosphere, disgorging Crisis suits as they went. These suits screamed from the sky, their weapons charged and ready. At the head of them, Garion led the charge from the sky. They would land behind Lolth's forces, force them to fight on two fronts, divide their power...

Some of Lolth's forces aimed their magicks at the transports, trying to bring them down over the Kaymirilian forces.

Meanwhile, the larger Thalacks were making their way through the enemy. Occasionally one would explode...death was massive on both sides, and the ground was beginning to be covered in blood.

Haldosir lead his small force through the enemy, losing half of his men in the process. When he was at the back, he led his men to slice through the mages of Lolth.
**************************************************************
Lolth was getting angry. Her troops, which far outnumbered the Kaymirilians, even with their help, were being pounded into the dust. The noble houses of those cities would pay for this failure for a long time to come.

Garion landed on the ground, gutting a rogue Drow with the plasma rifle attached to the arm. One Orca had already been destroyed, but four others were disgorging troops onto the ground, and they were firing steadily. Shot after shot poured into the rear of Lolth's forces. The Orca's fired submuntions, a type of artillery but precisely targeted, into the enemy force. The Crisis Teams began their steady advance, towering above the Drow by leaps and bounds. Some were torn down by sheer attrition, others by blasts of magick just too powerful for their armour to hold. But still they advanced, their weapons blazing every step of the way.


Cougar was wounded, like most others. He had a cut above his left eye, and multiple cuts along his torso. It couldn't be helped. His hair was singed by a fiery blast, but it wasn't bad. He simply kept fighting. He shot three Drow straight off without batting an eyelid, and continued to fight, feeling his feet move slowly throught the quagmire that was dead bodies, earth and blood

Haldosir motioned to his men to stay clear of the human machines. They would do their jobs, he knew.
**************************************************************
Cougar was joined by Iliyakim and Faris.

I -- *Spinning his blade and chopping off a head* "At least it's not as strenuous as the little walk you had us take, eh, Cougar?"
**************************************************************
Lolth decided enough was enough. Take out the Queen, the whole army would falter. She grabbed Kaymiril VII and pulled her to another plane.

OOC: Will do this battle in my next post.

Cougar grinned, pulling the trigger and shooting another of the enemy dead, straight through the heart,"Yeah, you could say that. Good to get out and about"

F -- And here I was just glad that it's a lovely day to deal in death.
**************************************************************
Kaymiril VII stood with her weapon ready, facing off against Lolth.

L -- "This time, little one, there's no one around to save you."

K -- "I must admit that I am surprised...is Necromancy not working for you?"

Lolth took her half-spider form, and lunged at the Queen, but was deterred by Kaymiril's jakujou, which was heavily enough enchanted to even give her problems.

Back and forth they battled, Kaymiril slowly gathering enough energy around her. There were problems with this, because every time she'd get almost enough, the dark goddess would attack with Unholy energy, forcing her to counter...but finally, through both deception and speed, she had gathered enough.

She pulled back, and her eyes began to glow.

Alust d' Draeval, Rath d' Draeval,
Dro lu' Streea tangis' d' Phraktos.
Verin orn thrityh.
Dro nez...ogglinnar rei...
Folt zhah ussta ssinssrin.
El

She unleashed the spell at Lolth, and the goddess was hit. She began to slowly die, at which point Kaymiril VII charged her weapon, and attacked the goddess over and over again.

At her last (for now) breath, the dark goddess looked up. "You are more like her than the others before." She then vanished, 'dead.' Kaymiril returned to the battlefield as the yochls fled and the clerics found themselves unable to cast.

The females in charge of Lolth's armies decided to press the attack. If they could still have a victory, they would win back the favor of their goddess.

The Snake troops had been advancing, making sure not to target their allied Drow. It was difficult to be sure, but they managed to make sure they didn't hit them at all. As the army was trying to fight on two fronts, the Marines pressed home the advantage they had gained with the Drow.

**********************************************************

Cougar laughed, his palm shooting energy at nearby opponents, causing their skin to blister at it's touch. He slashed across the chest of one person who got too close. He spared a glance to look at the sky. It was clear,"A beautiful day to fight"

The battle raged on for several hours more before the armies of Lolth, whittled down to a mere fraction of their starting size, finally called a retreat and vanished back into the Underdark.

Meanwhile, the Kaymirilian forces set to identifiying their dead -- so many dead...but not as many as there could have been. The Kaymirilian forces were at just less than 75% of their original numbers...which wasn't bad at all, considering.

The Kaymirilian troops would be given proper burial. The enemy forces would be burned.

Cougar took a moment to stop and look over the field of battle. Sorrow filled him... this war was essentially needless. So many dead. General Garion stopped beside him, and spoke through his helmet speakers,"It is a gruesome sight, no?"

C -- Too gruesome. This shouldn't have to happen.

G -- We faired better than I thought... still, we lost many

C -- How many?

G -- Outside figures are 1500 infantry, and almost 100 Crisis suits... terrible loss... but not as bad as theirs

C -- Barbarossa made a good choice... none but the Marines could have arrived as quickly, or with such deadly results.

G -- Maybe, Colonel. This war... it is not over?

C -- I wish I could tell you that it was... but I cannot tell you anything.

G -- I understand. I will contact you soon, if we are needed again

C -- You may well be, General... you may well be

Garion jetted off towards the Snake encampment, whilst Cougar set about finding the Black class in this field of death.

Vedt caught up with him first. "This way." He led Cougar off to the side, where they were gathering the dead. Out of 98 Black Class that had been there at the beginning, there were only 83 left alive.

Cougar wiped the blood from his eye, the cut having scabbed over during the battle. He felt worn, mentally and physically exhausted. The light had all but vanished from his eyes. He stopped by one of the bodies, one not much older than Shan. His eyes were closed, and he was quite obviously dead. In a break of tradition, Cougar took something from his pocket. It was a sharks tooth, something he had aquirred. He put it in the boys palm, and closed the hand around it. He didn't know why he did it, he just felt it was right. He straightened, and looked down again, before moving off

This time, Vrasha took the responsibility of teleporting everyone back.
**************************************************************
After the Rendelmarian funeral, in which the bodies were essentially disintegrated, Rhenna caught back up with her husband.

He smiled weakly as she came up. He'd scraped off the dried blood as best he could, but the sneaking suit was beyond repair. He'd made a note to get a new one. Physically, he looked alright. Grimy, sweaty and bloody in places, but otherwise fine,"Told you I'd be careful"

She nods. "You look lke you could do with a visit to Mithdelmar...but today, they probably wouldn't accept you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine*motions to cut above eye*This isn't a problem, I needn't go. What about you?"

"I'm in slightly better condition than you are."

"You look it... I'm glad you're ok"

She goes over and hugs him gently...wearily.

He returned the hug in a similar manner, as weary as her,"All I want is another shower, and bed"

"Same here...it's been a long day."

He took her hand, and began to walk slowly back towards the room,"It has been a long day... so many"

She nods. "Too many...but it is over, for now."

"That is what I told the General... those Crisis teams were more valuable than I ever thought possible"

She nods. "It was new, seeing machines on the field of battle...but they did well."

"They weren't pure machines... piloted by men... brave men indeed. Barbarossa was right to send them"

"Your men did alot today to preserve our nation. The Queen must feel very indebted to your nation."

"We were merely repaying the debt we saw. You helped us against Kaelis Ra, and the summons... we help you in return. It is only right"

"But none of our people died against Kaelis Ra, and I don't think there were as many deaths against the summons."

He shrugged slightly,"In any case, we have won this first battle... I just wonder how many are left to come"

"Kajeenith still must be defeated, if that battle has not been joined already."

He sighed,"We shall know soon enough"

He came to the room, and smiled slightly as the door slid open,"Home Sweet Home"

She smiles as she steps in. "It's good to be back."

"It is good to be back... and we didn't even leave twenty four hours ago"

"Fifteen...which was more than a long enough day, considering."

"Far too long a day... I haven't even looked at the time"

She starts working her way out of her armor.

He undid the clasps on his webbing, making sure that it was secure and safe before removing the sneaking suit. He stood in his t-shirt and boxers, looking at the suit,"Well... suffice to say, that's not going to be worn again... nor this shirt"

"A shirt and suit can be replaced easily enough."

"Very true... I can get another easily enough within two days"

She finished removing and putting away her armor, standing in a light silken shirt and pants set. "I wouldn't really count it a loss, then...you're relatively intact, and I count you far more important than that."

He smiled, and drew her close to him,"Same goes for you... more important than anything"

She smiled softly, warming slightly in his embrace.

He let her warm up slightly, before kissing her lightly,"The shower is at your disposal"

She shakes her head. "You look a bit worse off. Go on."

"I have a much better idea," he said, whispering something into her ear

She considers it for a moment. "That is a better idea."

He smiled,"Glad you agree"

*Later*

Rhenna was lying next to her husband, exhausted enough to sleep for once, and starting to travel down that path. Her long hair was left loose for once, so that it could dry out during the night.

He lay next to her, also following that path. His hair was still darker than normal, even thought he had dried it. He rolled onto his side, and smiled at his wife through his blurred vision. He kissed her softly,"Good night Rhenna"

She smiles at him and kisses him back. "Good night."

He felt his eyelids begin to close without him wanting them too, and just let himself go. He was fast asleep within ten minutes

She was asleep fairly soon after he was, too tired to dream or worry about dreaming.

He woke at six in the morning, having slept since eleven the previous night. He moved slowly, to avoid waking her, before checking himself in the bathroom mirror. Most of his injuries had healed well... only two or three were left. He sat back on the bed, reading through a book

She wakes up about half an hour later, and stays where she is for a bit.

He noticed she was awake, and laid his book down,"Good morning"

"Good morning."

He lay down, and looked at her,"Sleep well?"

"Better than I thought I would." She moves over some to kiss him, charging a healing spell in her fingertips. Before pulling away, she touches her hand to the center of his chest, releasing the spell and patching him up the rest of the way.

He kissed her back, and smiled as he felt himself being healed the rest of the way,"Thanks for that"

She smiles at him. "What time is it?"

"Six thirty... on Wednesday morning"

"My first class starts at eight."

"We've got an hour and a half then," he said, moving slightly closer to her

Kajeenith got the signal, he marched on Warfare's lands. The two armies didn't hesitate, they crashed into each other. It was impossible to tell friend from foe.

The slivers tried to help, but they couldn't tell who was who. So they sat off to the side.

Warfare and Kajeenith's Avatar glared at each other.

"We've got an hour and a half then," he said, moving slightly closer to her
"It seems that we do." She moves closer to him as well.
**************************************************************
Kajeenith got the signal, he marched on Warfare's lands. The two armies didn't hesitate, they crashed into each other. It was impossible to tell friend from foe.

The slivers tried to help, but they couldn't tell who was who. So they sat off to the side.

Warfare and Kajeenith's Avatar glared at each other.

The armies of Death marched onto the field as well. Death knew who was on whose side...and she directed her armies accordingly.

"It seems that we do." She moves closer to him as well.

He brought his hand up to caress her face, being slow and gentle with his movements. She may have slept... but that was only because she was exhausted

The slivers noticed Death's army attacking only a certain group of people, so, they joined in, taking directions from Death.

Kajeenith's Avatar, and Warfare slowly moved towards each other.

He brought his hand up to caress her face, being slow and gentle with his movements. She may have slept... but that was only because she was exhausted
She tilted her head slightly, enjoying his touch. "Some life...you come home from a mission, just to get up and go into battle."

She tilted her head slightly, enjoying his touch. "Some life...you come home from a mission, just to get up and go into battle."

"Some would say that I was unlucky... still, I will admit I could have done with a better cool down time between the two events"

The slivers noticed Death's army attacking only a certain group of people, so, they joined in, taking directions from Death.

Kajeenith's Avatar, and Warfare slowly moved towards each other.
Aras smiled grimly as the slivers joined in with her undead horde. There was a time...when I was considered part of your family. Pity those days had to come to an end.

There was no need for her to join in. So she stood back, her scythe tilted off to the side.
**************************************************************
After the battle, Arel went to find Roy. She was in fairly rough condition, but good enough to walk, so she'd bother the medics later. Her sisters and brother were all alive, although Keera was in the medics' tents. She'd been separated from Roy early on, though, and now had to see if he hadn't gotten himself killed.

"Some would say that I was unlucky... still, I will admit I could have done with a better cool down time between the two events"
"Hopefully you won't be called out too soon after this."

"Hopefully you won't be called out too soon after this."

"I can only hope, Rhenna. Still, being able to spend time here is always the bonus"

"I can only hope, Rhenna. Still, being able to spend time here is always the bonus"
She smiles slightly. "What are you planning on doing today?"

She smiles slightly. "What are you planning on doing today?"

"A cool down peroid... little training today. I'll do a little, but my power levels aren't back to normal yet"

She nods. "Today will probably be a slow day for everyone."

"I saw Shan, Jovin and Ashra out there yesterday... they did well from what I saw of them... you can be proud of them"

She nods. "I am. It isn't fair to ask that of children...but they did well."

He continued to caress her cheek with his hand, enjoying the feel of her skin on his palm,"I'm glad you're safe though"

She kisses him softly. "But there was no real doubt of that."

He kissed her back, letting it linger for a moment,"No... there wasn't. But I'm glad nevertheless"

"I was glad you came out okay...I didn't know how you'd fare in a battle where there were magickal elements."

Warfare and Kajeenith's avatar fought. Kajeenith seemed more serious than Warfare. Warfare took a lot of brusies though, and when he finally killed the Avatar, he seemed weak. That's when the Hellfire surrounded him, and the trial of Final Death began. The real Kajeenith appeared. Warfare grimiced, but he concentrated, and a new sword appeared at his side, and merged with his current one. The new sword was a combination of metal and energy, and had no name, it was simply the ultimate weapon. It healed and restored Warfare, but he was still weak.

"Choose then, my brother, who will witness the trial of Final Death on your Behalf?" Kajeenith asked.

"I choose my Mother, Queen Kaymiril the VII, and you?" Warfare asked.

"I choose Death herself." Kajeenith said.

It was a known fact that it was illegal for the witnesses to interfere during the trial. Their sole purpose was, as their title implied, was to witness the Final Death, and give credit to the stories.

Queen Kaymiril the VII was summoned, whether she was ready or not, fortunatly by this time, the fighting on her end was over with. Death merely had to step in the ring. Both deities formaly waited for their witness to arrive.

"I was nervous... extremely so, before it started. But, I survived, so it's all good"